I’m Not Becoming a Graduate Student! – Chapter 20

After Professor Heruj’s swordsmanship class,

Sion headed to the training hall alone.

The reason was ‘Circle’.

‘Raising the Circle has become too important.’

Circle.

It’s a border that forms around the heart and an objective measure of a magician’s power.

With each line that appears around the heart, a magician becomes stronger.

Sion examined his magic codex.

[Magic Codex]

[Welcome to the Magic Codex!]

[You can check the magic you have witnessed or can use.]

[Currently available magic types]

[1st Circle Magic: Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Light, Barrier]

[2nd Circle Magic: X]

[3rd Circle Magic: X]

[4th Circle…]

The types of 1st Circle magic have increased.

The added spells are Light and Barrier.

Even so, it’s still not enough.

“I need 2nd Circle magic.”

Sion’s current level was 1st Circle.

There was no burden to learn and use 1st Circle magic.

But he couldn’t learn 2nd Circle magic.

That was the limit of his identification.

Even if he saw 2nd Circle magic, he couldn’t immediately learn it.

Becoming a 2nd Circle magician was the only way.

Even combat could only be learned up to 1st Circle.

The only skill registered in the combat codex was a simple slash.

To learn 2nd Circle combat skills, he ultimately needed to be a 2nd Circle magician.

Then?

“Phew… Let’s focus.”

Sion settled down in a privacy room prepared in the training hall.

He plopped down, placing his hands on his knees and sitting cross-legged.

Closing his eyes, he checked the mana within.

Thump-thump.

The flow of mana moved with each heartbeat.

It was clearly visible to his eyes.

He altered the flow that was flowing at a calm, slow pace.

Thump-thump-thump-thump—

As the flow of mana sped up, his heartbeat grew more intense.

Sion controlled the flow.

He forced the mana that had spread from his heart and moved throughout his body back toward his heart.

It was like blocking a syringe needle and pressing a rod to compress the air.

He forcibly gathered the mana that had spread throughout his body back into his heart.

“Ugh…”

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump—!!!

His heart raced as if it would burst, and sweat drenched his forehead.

Yet Sion did not give up and continued to compress the mana, again and again.

To the point where a huge sphere became a surface, and that surface became a line.

‘Just a little more… just a little more!’

Drenched in sweat from the insane heat, his ribs ached as his heart felt heavy, and blood leaked from his nose as if the capillaries had burst.

Despite that, he couldn’t stop thinking he was almost there.

While fiercely compressing the line.

“Who the hell is this crazy person making a circle here?!”

“…?!”

Crash!

Someone violently threw open the door to the training hall where Sion was.

He was sure they had said you couldn’t open the door without a key…

“Is it you? Hah, judging by the tie color, you must be a freshman; you’ve got some nerve.”

“…Huh?”

“What’s with ‘huh’? Stop what you’re doing right now! Ice Spear, seal the enemy’s movement!”

Crack!

With a short spell incantation, an ice spear shot out from her hand.

Sion tried to react, but using the mana that was rampaging within him was close to impossible.

In the end, he was hit directly by the ice spear and crashed into the wall of the training hall.

“Cough…!”

His hot body instantly cooled down, and steam hissed out.

He thought he was pierced through, but the ice spear completely encased his body.

Thanks to that, his body temperature rapidly decreased.

“Do you want to die, or are you just stupid?”

“…W-who are you…?”

“I’m Michelle Fontas, a 3rd year in the Magic Department. You idiot.”

Only then did Sion confirm the identity of the person who had barged into his training hall.

With a delinquent-looking face and loosely tied violet hair,

He thought she might be a thug, but she was wearing the same academy uniform as him.

She was scratching her ear with her pinky finger and complaining.

“I was just trying to train, and some crazy weirdo is completely rampaging with mana in the training hall. Let me ask again, do you want to die? You look like a 1st year; that kind of extreme choice is….”

“N-no! It’s not like that! I just want to become a 2nd Circle magician…”

“……Hah.”

She sighed deeply.

With a look that seemed to find him pitiful, Sion felt unjustly wronged.

Michelle, unable to figure out where to start explaining, finally spoke up.

“Kid, do you know how to raise a Circle?”

“You pull up your body’s mana to form a ring, and if you place that at your heart…”

“Good. You know the basic concept. But it seems like you only know the basics.”

She came closer and poked his chest with her finger.

Though he felt nothing since he was wrapped in ice,

The look in her eyes up close reminded him of the PTSD from his school days.

“Gathering mana is like compressing gas. What happens then?”

“The molecules of the gas collide with each other and move quickly, producing heat… Ah, could it be because of the laws of thermodynamics—”

“What are you saying? Compressing gas is hard. Just think about how freaking difficult it is. It requires a lot of strength.”

“……….”

It seemed Michelle didn’t know much about the laws of thermodynamics.

“Anyway, compressing something requires a lot of strength and creates tremendous backlash. The heart races tremendously, and the temperature rises sharply; that’s obviously harmful to the body. You didn’t know that, did you?”

“……..”

Sion pressed his lips shut. From what he felt in his body, her words were true.

‘Come to think of it, that was a potentially deadly action….’

Sion recalled the thermometer from his previous life.

Human body temperature doesn’t exceed 42 degrees.

Because the moment it exceeds 42 degrees, body proteins denature, leading to instant death.

Just how high did Sion’s body temperature rise just now?

Thinking about it sent chills down his spine.

If he hadn’t managed to lower his temperature properly, he might have died right after becoming a 2nd Circle magician.

“Do you finally realize the seriousness of it?”

“…Thank you for your help.”

“Hmph, at least you have some conscience.”

If she hadn’t helped him, he could have ended up with heatstroke at best, or death at worst.

Sion sincerely thanked her,

And she snapped her fingers to break the ice binding him.

“Don’t do anything stupid from now on. You’re a freshman, you have your whole life ahead of you.”

“I felt the stupidity in my bones. So, how do I raise the Circle? Should I at least prepare a wet towel….”

“How did you even get into the academy? Do you think a wet towel will do?”

“Ah….”

In the face of Michelle’s truly incredulous gaze, Sion scratched the back of his head.

He thought having just a wet towel might suffice to become a 2nd Circle magician….

“There are various methods, but asking a professor for help is the best way. They have the equipment, and they can assist you if things get dangerous.”

“A professor?”

“Yeah. They’ll probably be happy to help since you’re a freshman. Most professors have some equipment like that in their labs… Ah, but be careful with that.”

Michelle’s expression turned serious as she spoke.

“If you say you’ve become a 2nd Circle while still being a freshman, you might end up quite popular. I’m not sure how good the new students are, but it’s enough to catch the professors’ interest.”

“W-wait, interested?”

“Yeah, interest. If a professor offers to treat you to a meal to celebrate you becoming a 2nd Circle, or later asks for your help with their research…”

“Then I should run away immediately.”

Sion replied without hesitation.

Helping a student and then asking them to return the favor,

Buying meals, getting closer, helping each other out, and before he knew it…

‘I’d probably end up as a graduate student… This life, absolutely not.’

Sion reestablished his conviction.

No matter what, he couldn’t become a graduate student.

He couldn’t repeat the mistakes of his previous life.

“…Pffft. You’ve got some resolute side in strange places.”

“Y-yeah?”

“Nothing. I just thought you were a pushover, but you seem determined not to become a graduate student.”

Michelle said this while pulling out her student ID from her pocket.

The keychain was filled with cute little trinkets.

Sion stared at it, feeling as if it were something a trendy person or a gal would have.

“What are you staring at?”

“Uh…?”

“Save my contact info. You look completely clueless, and you don’t seem to have anyone around to help you… I was the same back in the day, so let me help a bit. …So, hurry up and save my contact!”

“Oh, yes….”

Michelle urged as her fingers wiggled.

When Sion looked at her, she quickly averted her gaze.

Was she embarrassed about the situation?

‘If she’s offering help… I should graciously accept.’

Sion was clueless about magic.

Even if he asked people around him, they either didn’t answer well or didn’t know the answers.

At most, they were just fellow 1st year students in the Magic Department, so their knowledge was limited.

So, he desperately needed the help of professors or seniors.

To avoid becoming a graduate student, he would have to reject the professors’ help.

It left only one option.

Sion deeply bowed to express his gratitude.

“Thank you! Michelle-senpai!”

“Hey, what’s with that formality? Just call me… sister.”

“Yes, Michelle sister.”

Sion smiled brightly while saving his contact info in Michelle’s student ID.

Unaware, he didn’t hear what she mumbled to herself.

“…These kids nowadays are so proactive. Just calling me by my name like that…”

For Michelle Fontas, the noble daughter of the Fontas family,

To be addressed by name and as ‘sister’ on the first meeting held immense power,

…And Michelle thought it was a good idea to have barged into the training hall.