For Sylvie, life had changed a lot recently, and she had undergone profound inner changes, which she was clearly aware of.
‘Child.’
Every time she fell asleep, she would always dream of someone. That person always appeared in her dreams, radiating a divine aura.
Their voices were full of holiness, and every time they appeared, Sylvie would fall into a trance.
Changes had also occurred in Sylvie’s status window, where she saw a [Trait] that had been bothering her begin to awaken.
[Authority of the First Lord]
The information on the status window made her understand that the power she had gained was related to this trait.
She instinctively knew the power within her, and she clearly felt that her abilities had been enhanced.
If she had previously found it difficult to heal others and use mana, these were no longer problems.
Whenever she wished for a wound to heal, it would disappear. She could also perceive the emotions of others more clearly and better understand their inner worlds.
At first, seeing people's various emotions and thoughts made her feel a little confused, especially in the first few days, Sylvie felt extremely tired.
But after a week, she no longer found it unbearable.
But that's not all. She knew that the power within her was different. She instinctively felt that she had become a very important person.
And she did not tell anyone about these changes, but kept them hidden deep in her heart. Because some intuition told her never to trust others easily, especially after she saw Danielle's emotions.
And now, she was facing a completely new problem. The two people in front of her were both her teammates.
One was Morse, a boy with whom she had a complex and strange relationship. The other was Irina, a girl she had only seen from the sidelines.
Irina was a girl Sylvie never thought she would talk to. Because she had a deep understanding of Irina's emotional fluctuations.
Her anger and hatred were no different from Morse's, but unlike him, Irina always expressed her emotions, instead of burying everything deep inside like Morse.
And now, Sylvie was trapped between these two volcanoes.
‘Why am I in a group with these two people?’
She asked herself, but received no answer.
“If you act alone, why did the academy put us in a group? Have you forgotten what happened in the first dungeon?”
“……I haven’t forgotten.”
Watching their argument, Sylvie couldn't help but feel that nothing would come of it if things continued this way.
‘I have to do something.’
She knew she needed to do something, but at the same time, she felt scared in her heart.
‘No.’
She vowed that she would never be as weak as before, especially after she had experienced those things. However, things were never as simple as they seemed.
“Um...can we, uh, focus on the mission?” she stammered, her voice almost drowned out by Irina and Morse's argument.
‘!’
As soon as she spoke, Morse and Irina simultaneously turned their heads to look at her. Irina's gaze was fiery, clashing with Sylvie's anxious eyes, while Morse stared at her with an even colder expression.
“I don’t need someone who can’t even protect themselves,” Irina sneered.
“You have the nerve to say that? Have you forgotten who saved you last time?” Morse retorted.
“Tch, you don’t have to bring that up every time.”
“I don’t want to, but someone seems to forget often.”
“So what…at least I didn’t run away.”
“Better than burning everything down every time you get annoyed.”
“……”
‘What’s going on?’
Sylvie watched their argument, and a sense of irritability began to rise in her heart.
‘Does he enjoy this bickering?’
What bothered her was not only their argument, but also the fact that Morse seemed to enjoy bickering with Irina.
‘And I’m trying to get them to unite?’
She felt like she was invisible, standing there, with no one listening to her.
‘Why can’t they see that I’m trying to help?’ she thought, the frustration in her heart growing stronger.
Finally, Sylvie's frustration reached its peak, and she mustered her courage and shouted, “Enough!”
Irina and Morse both turned their heads to look at her in surprise. Her sudden outburst stunned them, and even the surrounding mana seemed to tremble because of her emotions.
Morse's eyes widened even more than Irina's, realizing that something had changed in Sylvie.
Irina also showed a surprised expression. As a mage sensitive to mana, she could easily sense the fluctuations of the surrounding mana.
‘There’s someone like this in the low ranks?’
Irina knew everything about the strong individuals in the academy. She had been forced to study them, but she had never heard of this girl.
‘Sylvie Solarix? Interesting.’
“I…I mean, can’t we cooperate?” Sylvie’s voice trembled, but it was still firm. “We’re a team, and continuing to argue won’t help us complete the mission. We should work together.”
But in that instant, she returned to her usual state.
‘She doesn’t know how to control herself?’ Irina thought to herself, looking at Sylvie.
The courage that Sylvie had suddenly burst out with quickly dissipated, her cheeks flushed, feeling uncomfortable under the gazes of Morse and Irina. Obviously, the previous state was only temporary, and her courage had erupted from the depths of her heart.
“I…I mean, uh, sorry. I just think we should try to get along,” Sylvie stammered, her eyes darting nervously between her teammates.
‘How amusing.’
For some reason, seeing the girl's innocence, Irina felt a refreshing sensation.
‘It’s been a long time since I felt like this.’
It was a strange feeling, as if her heart could be calmed down when she was around Sylvie. She turned her head to look at Morse, but saw him frowning.
‘Sigh…this guy never backs down.’
She knew that arguing would only make things meaningless. Unlike Morse, she needed to perform well in every mission and had to control her emotions, not letting the fighting affect the outcome.
And without even realizing it, she was gradually becoming a different person in every interaction.
“Sigh…like she said, let’s calm down,” Irina said, her tone tinged with helplessness. She glanced at Morse, her eyes slightly softer. “We’re in the same team now, and that can’t be changed, so we might as well do our best.”
Although Morse still had an impatient look on his face, he nodded. “Looks like some people have finally come to their senses.”
‘Tch…bastard, you never let me get the upper hand, do you?’
Despite his harsh words, Irina swallowed her pride and started walking towards the forest.
As she walked, she continued to explain the details of the mission. “Our goal is to find the mana formula hidden in the forest. As the instructor said, do you know how to use mana observation?” she asked, turning her head.
Sylvie and Morse exchanged glances, then shook their heads simultaneously. The concept of mana observation was unfamiliar to both of them.
For Sylvie, it was because she had never needed to use mana in this way, nor did she have any intention of learning about it.
And for Morse, he relied more on his [Skills] rather than using mana to enhance his vision. Also, a part of him came from another world, which Irina was unaware of.
Irina sighed, realizing the gap in their knowledge. “Mana observation is a basic skill for mages. When you learn spells and magic, you need to see the world through the perspective of mana.”
‘Is this why I’m in a group with these two people?’
The academy did have its own arrangements. She knew that she didn’t need teammates from the beginning; she could find the mana formula herself. However, now she gradually understood the meaning of this test.
‘They want to use the high-ranking students to teach others along the way?’
She straightened her chest, knowing that the academy regarded her as a high-ranking member. Although her last conversation with Seraphina had shaken her confidence a bit, she had now regained her usual self-assurance.
‘Anyway, I have to keep going.’
She continued to explain the details of the technique. “It’s not as simple as it looks; you need to effectively inject mana into your eyes. This will enhance your neurons and light-receiving sensory organs, making them adapt to mana signals.”
She glanced at Sylvie and Morse, assessing their level of understanding. “Mana formulas are made of pure mana. Our eyes are designed to receive light information, so ordinary people can’t see mana. But when you inject mana into your eyes, the sensory organs will become sensitive to mana signals, thereby perceiving mana.”
She took a deep breath, thinking about the key points of this knowledge. “So, to find these mana formulas, we must use mana observation. This is the key to the mission. Let me teach you how to do it.”
Irina slowed down, signaling them to follow. As she continued to traverse the forest, she demonstrated the process of mana observation. “Focus on the surrounding mana, imagine it flowing around you, and then inject your own mana into your eyes. This way, your senses will adapt to the mana wavelengths in the forest. Now try it; it may take some practice, but it’s a basic skill for every hunter and even every mage.”
‘Hmph, you should thank the academy for putting me on this team, instead of other high-ranking students who are good at melee combat,’ she thought to herself, a hint of a smile on her face.
“You don’t need to succeed the first time; it’s normal to encounter difficulties. Even mages will......”
She was just about to explain that, although it sounds simple, it’s actually not easy, but now, all her beliefs instantly collapsed.
“Uh…is it like this?”
That girl she thought was innocent and lovely seemed to be a hidden genius.
‘What’s going on?’
