Chapter 1096 – 1096. Dark Moon
I wake up at 6 AM and attend the morning roll call.
We do calisthenics to the drill instructor’s commands, then wash up and have breakfast. The breakfast is quite lavish for a slave’s meal. It’s because we’re both slaves and soldiers.
After breakfast, we receive mental training. They instill in us the excellence of the Freesel army, the benefits of working for the Freesel army, and the hope that we can one day escape slavery and become high-ranking officers.
‘It’s a ploy to control the successfully born battle mages more easily.’
Next is magic training. We learn basic magic from battle mages currently working in the field.
Number 211 hated this time.
Although he was forcibly initiated into magic by injecting mana essence into his body, he had no talent for magic.
He learned a few basic spells, but he hadn’t succeeded in any of them.
“Today, we will have a test. Those who fail to manifest magic will face the consequences. As you all know, you are far too late to learn magic. So, do your best.”
Usually, magic is learned by the age of 10 at the latest. Children with magical talent show signs from the age of 5 to 7, and the younger they are, the better they absorb mana and the easier it is to form an astral body.
“Number 31. You’re first. Come forward and use magic.”
“Yes, Instructor Venus.”
A woman with purple hair walks forward. White skin and red eyes. Her appearance alone was not that of an ordinary woman. Her beauty was astonishingly outstanding. Her gait had a certain noble dignity to it.
The instructor’s eyes, looking at Number 31, were complex yet sparkling with anticipation.
I could feel a refined mana from Number 31. So far, there was no problem. It was natural for me, a first-class mage, to feel the mana of another first-class mage.
‘…It’s not just mana I feel. I can see parts of the spell formula contained within the mana. No, I can feel it.’
It was a sensation that was hard to describe. I could see what wasn’t visible, and feel what wasn’t felt.
I focused on Number 31’s spell formula. I analyzed it. The spell formula for basic magic came to mind. I didn’t know more than 30% of the spell formula that Number 31 was showing. But it wasn’t difficult to guess.
‘This magic is… a gust of wind.’
Number 31 opened her mouth. The spell formula was complete. She uttered the final incantation to manifest the spell in reality.
“Gust.”
A strong wind blew.
Some of the children, including me, staggered from the wind. I barely managed to right myself before falling. There were over 50 people here, and about 10 of them fell to the floor. They were the children who were relatively close to Number 31.
“Excellent, Number 31. You may do the training you desire.”
As always, Number 31 was given special treatment.
“Thank you, Instructor.”
Number 31 calmly accepted and began reading a magic book in the corner.
“Next, Number 36.”
Instructor Venus called the next child.
A man, visibly nervous, stepped forward to the instructor. The freckled man immediately began constructing a magic spell formula at the instructor’s nod.
‘A failure. Compared to Number 31, the movement of his mana is very unstable.’
The spell formula itself was unstable, so there was no way the magic would manifest.
“Fi, Fire!”
Pshhh.
A flame flared up once and then died out in a second with a hissing sound. Number 36’s face turned pale.
“Pathetic. Follow the soldier outside and receive the treatment.”
Instructor Venus’s face was expressionless.
“…Yes, Instructor.”
Number 36 walked out weakly.
The treatment Instructor Venus was talking about was the injection of mana essence.
‘It’s called mana essence, but in reality, it’s a liquid mixture of concentrated mana and drugs.’
Mana essence increases mana affinity. At first glance, it might seem good, but there are side effects. It rapidly accelerates the aging of the internal organs and shortens lifespan. In addition, the moment mana essence is injected into the body, an enormous amount of pain overwhelms you. If you can’t endure the pain, your astral body collapses, and you either die or become crippled.
The slaves here, including me, are periodically injected with mana essence.
It might seem good because it increases mana affinity in the short term, but it’s not good in the long run. Frequent injections of mana essence, like the failed Number 36, only hasten the limit.
“Next, Number 37.”
Instructor Venus continued the test.
“Number 211, come forward.”
My turn came in 20 minutes. I swallowed hard and walked forward. I had never succeeded in manifesting magic before.
“Don’t dawdle, just start.”
Instructor Venus spoke in a tone filled with annoyance. Her eyes looking at me were emotionless. There wasn’t even 1% of anticipation in them.
I focused my concentration. My astral body reacted to my will, and mana raced through the five mana rods. The mana rods constructed a spell formula in the mana. The spell formula was combined into one. I checked once more through my astral body that the constructed spell formula was perfect.
All that remained was the manifestation of the magic.
I recited the incantation with tension.
“Light.”
A sphere of pure white light appeared. The light spread in all directions, illuminating the surroundings.
Instructor Venus’s eyes widened for a moment, then returned to normal.
“…A clean magic manifestation. Your skills have improved incomparably since last time. You said you experienced mana backflow yesterday… Did you gain some kind of enlightenment?”
“I’m not sure, but I feel like something has become easier.”
I answered vaguely. To be honest, I didn’t expect to succeed so easily either.
“Did you unconsciously gain enlightenment? Sometimes that happens. Number 211, can you use other magic?”
What suddenly came to mind was the gust of wind magic that Number 31 had used. I had just seen the spell formula for the gust of wind magic for the first time, but perhaps because it was also a first-class magic, it didn’t feel difficult. I felt like I could do it if I tried.
‘…There’s no need to draw attention here. If I fail, I’ll be humiliated.’
Number 31 was receiving special treatment. There was no point in causing friction with her.
“…I think I can use fire magic.”
“Try it.”
Light and fire are considered basic among first-class magic. That’s why more than 80% of their spell formulas are similar. As long as I didn’t make any big mistakes, manifestation wouldn’t be difficult.
“Fire.”
I formed the spell formula and recited the incantation.
Whoosh.
An orange flame blazed where the sphere of light had been.
The flame burning in the air without any flammable material was truly magic.
“That’s enough. Turn it off.”
Instructor Venus’s command was given.
The flame went out at my will.
The instructor smiled with satisfaction.
“Your control is perfect too. Number 211, you should learn other magic. Personally, I recommend ice. Have you learned ice by any chance?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Learn ice and compare it with fire. If you find out which one is more comfortable, you can find out your attribute. You seem like you’ll easily reach second-class… It wouldn’t be bad to prepare for your specialized attribute from now on.”
“Thank you.”
I saluted the instructor.
I was a bit dazed. Instructor Venus was known for being stingy with praise. The only children who had received praise from her so far were Number 31 and me.
“Next, Number 212!”
Number 212 succeeded in manifesting magic, but only received the instruction to improve from Instructor Venus.
***
After lunch, we receive military training. Drills, combat skills, marksmanship, tactics, etc.
The Battle Mage Project, as the name suggests, is a project to create combat mages for use in the military. It was natural to learn military drills and combat skills.
Today was marksmanship.
Number 211 was confident in drills and tactics, but he lacked confidence in combat skills and marksmanship. He wasn’t terrible, but he wasn’t even average.
The marksmanship instructor was Lexi. A woman with pink bobbed hair.
The instructors, regardless of gender, wore officer uniforms. The black-accented design was a cool uniform.
Instructor Lexi greeted us with a hearty laugh. Whether she did it on purpose or not, she had unbuttoned the top of her uniform, revealing her ample chest. I tried hard to resist the urge to keep looking at the white valley of her chest.
“Alright, you rookies. It’s time for some fun marksmanship. You know the importance of a gun, right? When your mana runs out, the only thing you can trust is your gun. Don’t have a gun? Then you can only pray to the heavens.”
Instructor Lexi said with a smirk. She thought she was making a joke, but none of us understood the joke.
Instructor Lexi shook her head and said,
“Number 31 to 40. Stand on the firing line and get in position. The rest of you, repeatedly practice disassembling and assembling your guns!”
I spread a cloth on the floor and placed a rifle on it. It was an FS66 model assault rifle. It was said to be used by the elite of the Freesel Kingdom army, but I didn’t know if it was good or not.
I recalled Number 211’s memories and disassembled the rifle. I knew how to do it, but I lacked the knack, so I got stuck a few times.
‘It’s not about just applying force, but about pulling and applying force.’
After disassembling and assembling it about ten times, I got the hang of it. At first, it took about 50 seconds to disassemble, but now it was down to about 30 seconds. Assembling took about 10 seconds longer than disassembling.
“Next. Number 211 to 220. Stand on the firing line.”
I entered the first firing line. I took my stance and checked the target. The target was 50 meters away. When a bullet hit, the target would move backward. The versatile Number 31 held the record, having hit a target at a maximum distance of 720 meters. Without a scope, of course.
Number 211’s best record was 310 meters.
“Commence firing!”
Bang, bang, bang.
Gunshots rang out from other firing lines.
‘…Something doesn’t feel right. Can I change my stance a bit?’
I glanced at Instructor Lexi. She was serious about marksmanship. If I changed my stance without permission, she might get angry.
‘Let’s change it. If she says something, I’ll pretend it was a mistake. Surely she wouldn’t inject me with mana essence for one mistake?’
I made my shoulders and waist more comfortable. My body shifted slightly to the left. It felt like the balance of this firing line was a little tilted.
‘This is comfortable.’
I pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet pierced the center of the target accurately.
The target moved 50 meters back.
I adjusted the muzzle slightly and pulled the trigger. This time, I hit the center as well. I was a little surprised.
‘Number 211 wasn’t this good at shooting… Is this Sung Yu-jin’s skill, not Number 211’s? …Did I have this much talent for shooting?’
I was doubtful, but I pulled the trigger again. I hit the 200-meter target as well. This time, it was a bullseye.
‘Hmm. I’m starting to get the hang of it? The wind is getting a bit stronger.’
I calculated the wind. It felt more difficult than constructing a magic spell formula. I wasn’t sure if my calculations were accurate.
‘Let’s just go with the flow for the rest.’
Bang.
The bullet pierced the center of the target.
By the time I pierced the 500-meter target, the eyes of the children, including Lexi’s, were on me. I paused for a moment, but then focused on the target again.
Hit.
Hit.
Another hit.
Before I knew it, I was aiming at the 720-meter target, which was Number 31’s record.
‘The target is barely visible.’
I was losing confidence here. Since the target wasn’t clearly visible, it wasn’t easy to calculate. So, I half-relied on my senses and pulled the trigger.
Bang.
The target moved further back. It meant I had hit it. My heart started pounding. I desperately calmed my excited feelings. I was in the middle of marksmanship. Excitement wasn’t good.
My best record ended at 850 meters.
I couldn’t hit the target because I couldn’t see it. If I could have seen the target, I would have hit it. That’s how I felt.
I put down my gun, my heart pounding, and turned around to see Lexi staring at me with a strange expression.
