Before heading to css, Merlin decided to drop by the headmaster’s home unannounced. He had something he so urgently wanted to request for, and he believed sending an email would only dey him.

  However, that act of his brought about an even colder gaze from the headmaster’s maid, Eun-Wol, than she’d worn the st time he’d been here.

  “The headmaster is a busy man; you do not just drop by and expect him to be sitting around, always avaible,” she said, her tone a contrast to her stare, because it was scalding hot.

  Merlin understood. His action was a rude one, not taking into consideration how it affected others besides himself. After all, if he put himself in the headmaster’s shoes, he wouldn’t be exactly welcoming of constant visits from people without prior notice, even if they were students. Merlin was only relieved that he had been able to stop Hakyun and Chima from coming with him. Surely, that would have only made things worse.

  “I apologize,” he said with a slight bow in remorse. “But I needed to tell him something urgently, so I took the leap.”

  Maid Eun-Wol was silent for a few seconds, standing rigidly before the opened door of the mini mansion the headmaster had for a home.

  “Please do not let this repeat itself,” she said soon after. Merlin nodded. “The headmaster is not at home at the moment, however, if you can pass this urgent matter of yours onto me, then I will rey it to him as soon as he returns.”

  Merlin flushed slightly.

  This urgent matter of his, to her ears, would probably not be as urgent as he had made it out to be.

  Wouldn’t telling her only make her more angry? Seriously, any more of that chilly gaze of hers and he might as well turn into an icicle. But his only other option would be leaving and sending an email to the headmaster. Which, as he’d already inferred, would have him waiting for, perhaps, days for a reply.

  What was a little embarrassment in the grand scheme of things?

  He cleared his throat. “Please tell him that I would greatly appreciate it if he could grant me, uhm—clearance?—to use his home gym.”

  For the first time since he’d met maid Eun-Wol, Merlin glimpsed her bored expression falter, even if only for a moment. Her eyes widened as she blinked owlishly, her brows furrowed, and her ft lips curved downwards slightly.

  Yeah. He was embarrassed.

  “The urgent matter of yours is to use the headmaster’s gym?” she asked after she had cleared her throat.

  “Yes,” Merlin pushed through the awkwardness to reply.

  To be honest, it was really an urgent matter—that was if the headmaster had meant what he’d said about putting Merlin at the forefront in the advent of the Cataclysm. And that was because Merlin had tried his darndest these past few days, partaking in early morning jogs, push-ups, sit-ups, shadow boxing, but his growth had returned to the gcial hell it had been subjected to when he’d first received the System. There was barely any progress anymore; and if he did not throw himself into the comfort of a gym any time soon, it would only get worse concerning the role he had been given.

  And it was not like he could head out of the Academy grounds every day to go to a gym, and return in time for css. This was the only option he had left.

  Maid Eun-Wol sighed—apathetically, of course. Merlin had never seen or heard such a sigh before, but it was only normal to learn and experience new things at an Academy.

  “I will rey your message,” she said and retreated into the manor. “Do not return unannounced—not now, not ever—and wait for the headmaster’s reply. Have a good day.” The door smmed shut.

  Well, that had gone well.

  Construction 101 was the first on the newly admitted Mages’ timetable for Tuesday, and it was to be taken for an hour by Professor Dmitri Volkov from nine to ten, who Merlin couldn’t help but feel had something against his presence. Because as soon as the man had stepped into the css, he had shot a gre straight in his direction.

  Things were not going to go well this morning, were they?

  “You may sit,” Professor Dmitri Volkov motioned with his hand as soon as the students present concluded their greetings.

  The number of the students in the css had dwindled when compared to the previous day’s, but it wasn’t because of anything highly significant. Every student already knew which of the category of Mages they were. Those present currently were those whose magic was done through Construction, which included Oh Jihye and Lee Jaehyun.

  Lee Jaehyun had kept to his words and had sent Merlin the notes of the lectures he had missed, and for that Merlin was grateful and put it at the back of his mind that he owed the boy one. Of course, he had also offered his thanks as soon as they’d met in css. However, that didn’t stop him from being curious about what sort of magic the boy dabbled in.

  He would have to wait patiently for that reveal, though. It would be unethical to pry.

  “I believe that this css is for Mages whose method of casting spells is Construction, am I right?” Professor Dmitri Volkov started, his voice low and carrying animosity with every single word he spewed. This was the first time Merlin had heard the man speak, so he wondered if that was how the man talked, or if something was the cause.

  “Yes!” a couple of students replied in unison to the man’s question.

  Professor Dmitri Volkov nodded, and, once again, shot a gre in Merlin’s direction. Merlin flinched.

  Oh God.

  “Then what is a Deficient Mage doing in here?”

  The whole css turned over in their seats to gnce his way, using that instance to murmur their thoughts of displeasure at his presence. It seemed they had all been wondering the same thing as the professor—well, all besides Lee Jaehyun and Oh Jihye who were seated beside him, and didn’t even bother to ask. Merlin wasn’t exactly sure about Oh Jihye, but since she wasn’t saying anything, he gave her the benefit of the doubt.

  There was one person who relished in his plight to a greater degree than the rest of the css, though, and it was none other than Choi Sangook.

  Merlin had come to harbor a deep loathing for the boy after Hakyun had told him of his history with the bastard. As it came to be, Hakyun’s father worked as a driver to Choi Sangook’s father, the Guildmaster of the Golden Crown Guild, and, as a result, Choi Sangook and Hakyun had known each other since they were kids. However, their retionship was not all rainbow and sunshine, and Merlin despised people who treated others like crap just because they could, especially if those being mistreated were his friends.

  But all that was not what had taken center stage right now. It was that Professor Dmitri Volkov had it out for him—for a reason Merlin felt he had an idea of.

  So, is this because I’m a Deficient Mage? Well, I shouldn’t have expected every professor to be fine with an outcast in their Academy after all. Even if this outcast has something different going for him. I wonder if he knows about what the headmaster told me. Doesn’t matter. I still have to be a student and not get all smug.

  He sighed and rose to his feet.

  “I’m just interested in the concept of magic, professor, like every other student here,” Merlin replied. “I’ll act like a ghost, so, please, let me remain in css.”

  Merlin was always of the mind that no knowledge was wasted. Yes, he couldn’t channel enough mana to cast spells, so he was not a Mage that could use either of Construction or Creation. But, from what had happened with Singurity Mage now transting to his life as a whole, just listening in on the lecture could grant him a better understanding of how magic functioned for Construction Mages, and could end up proving useful for him whenever he tried to deconstruct the spell of one.

  That was assuming he was able to grasp anything in the first pce—if he was allowed to stay.

  Professor Dmitri Volkov clearly had more to say, but he held himself back for some reason. Then, with a slight twitch of the side of his eyes, he motioned for Merlin to have his seat.

  “One word from you—one word—and I’ll have you out of my css,” the man with slicked back salt and pepper hair said. “Do well to act as a ghost.”

  There was a snicker from a few of his cssmates, but Merlin didn’t mind. It was not like he knew them personally to be concerned about what they thought about him. But it was funny. He had thought that no one would be displeased with his presence any longer after he had proven his worth in the physical assessment, but it seemed a lot of other things besides him not being competent enough came together to fuel their displeasure for him. He doubted most of them even knew about his ability to use anti-magic yet. It was not like he had gone about announcing it. He wondered what would happen when that news was broadcasted.

  Merlin gnced at Lee Jaehyun, the boy looked like he had things to say, but Merlin was not of the mind to engage him. He quickly turned away, gd that Oh Jihye was seated between them. He wanted to remain in this css; nothing would make him speak. Absolutely nothing.

  The css started in earnest then.

  “First of all, what is Construction?” Professor Dmitri Volkov started, leaning slightly on the podium, his voice still ced with animosity. Merlin came to the conclusion that such was simply the man’s way of speech. “Construction, in the literal sense, involves building or assembling something from existing parts or materials. When we take this literal definition and use it to define the ws of magic, Construction becomes…” A hand went up. Professor Dmitri nudged his gsses with a finger as he narrowed his eyes. “I was not asking a question. Put your hand down.”

  Merlin blinked, surprised. Usually, teachers would be more than pleased that a student wanted to try their hand at answering a question. So why was Professor Dmitri’s reaction so different? In fact, why was everything about him so frightening? What was up with the man?

  He dared not ask though. He dared not speak.

  Professor Dmitri Volkov cleared his throat and resumed from where he had stopped, like he had not just been deterred, “...Construction becomes a category of spell casting which involves the building of spells by assembling their existing components.”

  Merlin gnced around the cssroom, a few students obviously had questions dancing at the tip of their tongues, but after experiencing what their mate had just gone through, they kept their lips sealed.

  Merlin, on the other hand, wasn’t particurly confused at the concept of Construction. Which should have been surprising, but he had been highly involved in Nora’s spell casting practice, and from what he could infer, she was a Construction Mage. So he knew more than the basics of the concept already.

  But he was different, and others had the right to ask the questions that troubled them. If things went on like this, it could turn out bad for the students considering they still had long ways to go with Professor Dmitri, not just at the moment, but throughout the first year, and maybe even the second year.

  Professor Dmitri Volkov continued, “A Construction Mage casts spells by employing their mana as a link between them and the molecules in the atmosphere. Our mana has become a part of our subconscious as Mages, and, thus, our subconscious has been modified to assimite with a certain atmospheric element. Channeling mana outwards and reconstructing the molecules in the atmosphere that correspond with each of our elements is how our spells are brought to life. This is why Construction Mages are known as elementalists—Mages who control the elements.

  “However, that does not mean that every Construction Mage is an elementalist. There are a lot of other things that exist in the atmosphere and in the earth crust, as well as everything surrounding us, that aren’t specifically elements. What I’m saying is, as long as mana can be channeled into something, as long as mana can serve as a link between a Mage and something, then whatever that thing is can be a Hex. For example, Density can exist as a Hex for a Construction Mage. So can lightning, smoke, gravity, and even the weather itself. Basically, despite Construction Mages being known mostly for being elementalists, more obscure ones exist. Do not assume a Construction Mage will automatically be an elementalist.”

  Merlin’s brows fell, and unlike the rest of the students who had the liberty to murmur between themselves, he had only his mind to bounce ideas with.

  Just from what the creepy professor had said, it seemed, at first gnce, that Construction Mages were outright broken. The fact that there was a Construction Mage out there who could control gravity itself was mindblowing.

  Gravity was a fundamental force that kept every solid object held to the ground, the atmosphere itself held in pce, and even shared part in the ability of the Earth to orbit around the sun. One wouldn’t be called mad if they said gravity was life itself. And there was someone out there who could control it? That was pure insanity. If whoever that was managed to get a good grasp of what they could do, they could prove to be even more useful than him in the grand scheme of things.

  “On that note, continuing this css without knowing the diversity of your abilities will be almost impossible, because each of your Hex’s will work in different ways. To be able to teach you the right way to proceed with casting your spells…” Professor Dmitri Volkov went on, “...I’ll have you all state what Hex’s you have. Starting from the back. Lee Jaehyun.”

  Merlin had not been expecting to find out Lee Jaehyun’s Hex so quickly, but he wouldn’t cim that he wasn’t excited. For a person who was so adamant in keeping the things he could do a secret, he was particurly interested in that of others.

  Lee Jaehyun rose to his feet, and everyone in the css turned to him as though they listened with their eyes and not their ears. Perhaps that was simply because they wanted to ogle the boy. Merlin wondered how many friends the boy must have made by now. But that would definitely be exhausting. After all, he wouldn’t know who was actually being friends with him simply because they were interested in him and not his connections.

  Guess one couldn’t have it all, huh?

  Lee Jaehyun took a deep breath and exhaled. “My Hex is…” Merlin listened attentively, despite his ft expression making it seem like he wasn’t interested, “gravity.”