Chapter 1.2

While she was lost in thought, time quickly passed. The cheerful melody of the class bell rang, and soon the professor came in to start the lecture. Today happened to be the fortune-telling class.

Was she so deep in thought that she forgot it was her favorite subject? Naren snapped out of her trance and took out her cherished crystal ball. After getting ready, she looked up and saw the learning objectives being written on the board. The chalk tapped out its presence, and behind it, the excited voices of students buzzed.

The professor silently finished writing the topic, then turned and clapped his hands once.

“Attention! Now, what does it say here? Let’s all read it together.”

Professor Perun called out energetically to the students. Everyone read today’s objective in unison.

“Let’s learn how to foresee the near future and discuss it together.”

“That’s right! You’ve made it! After a long journey through theory, you’re finally moving on to practice!”

“Woohoo!”

Someone cheered from somewhere. Though she didn’t say it, Naren was also happy inside.

First and second year students focused on theory from textbooks and reference books, but starting in third and fourth year, classes shifted to practical work and papers. Fifth and sixth years joined professors’ labs to specialize in one field.

Her major, elemental magic, was already at fourth-year level, but she hadn’t paid as much attention to her minor, fortune-telling, so only now was she entering practical training.

Most students here had chosen this class as a minor, so they were probably in the same boat. Knowing the future is appealing to anyone. Unfortunately, in the magic world, it wasn’t a popular field, so it couldn’t be chosen as a major.

While Professor Perun reviewed the theory, Naren unconsciously glanced at Ray’s seat. Fortune-telling was a popular class, but why did they have to use the same classroom? She made a prim face as soon as she spotted him sitting there.

‘I’ll definitely succeed before that guy does.’

Naren narrowed her eyes and grabbed her crystal ball. She already knew the boring theory by heart. All that was left was to finish the foresight before anyone else and walk out of the classroom with pride.

The professor announced that those who finished early could leave early. That single statement ignited not just her but every student in the room. However, unlike street fortune-tellers or astrologers who read tarot cards or celestial charts, this task carried a certain degree of difficulty. 

‘Phew, the first step is to relax and infuse the crystal ball with mana, right?’ 

Magical tools weren’t called magical tools for no reason. While they had been modified for ease of use by regular people, they were originally designed for mages, making the mana conversion speed incredibly fast. This meant that if one wasn’t careful, they could become so immersed in the images displayed by the crystal ball that they might struggle to escape. It wouldn’t be surprising if a few students from this class ended up collapsing during practice. 

Of course, Naren wasn’t so inexperienced as to end up in such a predicament. She swiftly converted the mana around her into magical energy, charging the crystal ball as she stared at it. 

Whirrr— 

The sound of the crystal ball activating filled the lecture hall, and white and blue light spread throughout the room. In that brief moment, Naren found herself glancing at Ray again. 

Even though she tried not to pay attention, he always seemed to be ahead of her, making it a habit for her to check on him. 

‘No, focus! You need to concentrate!’ 

As expected, the competent Ray had quickly activated his crystal ball and was already focused. At this rate, he would surpass her again. 

‘I can’t let that happen!’ 

Naren glared at her crystal ball, concentrating her mana into her gaze. The crystal ball was already operational, and her preparations were flawless, enough to draw admiration. 

Yet, for some reason, things weren’t going smoothly today. While it was true that the subject was unfamiliar, this level of difficulty was unusual. She kept feeling as though something was slightly off. 

In the end, her failure was noticed by Haran, a junior who had been observing her. 

Although he was from the Department of Magic Technology, Haran came from a family renowned for their expertise in fortune-telling. For him, there was nothing to learn in this class, so while others struggled, he relaxed alone. 

Because of this, Haran could easily tell that Naren was struggling. He approached her and whispered in her ear, advising her to relax. 

“Don’t think about anything. Just go with the flow, Noona. If you collapse, you’ll be taken to the nurse’s office immediately, so maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.” 

Chuckling softly, Haran offered his advice to his overly ambitious senior, though he knew she wouldn’t follow it. How could anyone stop her burning competitive spirit that raged 365 days a year? 

As expected, Naren only stiffened further at his laughter. Perhaps due to her increasing anxiety, she barely managed to release the tension in her body. 

“Sigh, you know my personality, yet you still do this? Giving advice isn’t wrong, but you’re making things worse!” 

“Ah, if you don’t focus, it’ll all be for nothing. Shall I say ‘Red Sun’ to help?” 

“Ugh, forget it! Just go away!” 

She glared at Haran, who had started teasing her with an exaggerated elderly voice, and chased him off. 

At that moment, a sharp, inexplicable sensation brushed against her shoulder. 

‘It’s probably nothing. Right now, focusing on the class is more important.’ 

Naren ignored the eerie feeling and entrusted herself wholly to the mana surrounding her. 

‘If you succeed in divination, what’s the first thing you need to think about?’ 

‘The location and your current situation.’ 

‘Exactly! Miss Unifa, don’t fall asleep while divining. Peering into the future is akin to moving within a dream while maintaining consciousness.’ 

Splash— 

The sound of water echoed in her ears, and she felt the presence of a deep ocean. As the drowsy tide of sleep gradually engulfed her limbs, she found herself standing in a completely different place. 

“Where am I?” 

The faint smell of old paper tickled her nose. It was a dark and cold library at night, filled with rows upon rows of bookshelves. This must be the B Building, a place Naren frequently visited. 

“I’ve never been here at this hour. Entry is restricted, so even if I wanted to come, I couldn’t… But how did I end up here?” 

Tilting her head in confusion, she began to walk, only to suddenly freeze. Something felt off. Why did it feel like someone was here when no one should be? 

As she stood rooted in place, overcome by unease, information began flooding into her mind. Soon after, her body started moving on its own, as though she were watching an elaborate play. 

***

Naren arrived at the library as usual. The time was 3 a.m.—the hour ghosts were said to love most. 

[Whoever first said that must’ve been a genius.]

A voice echoed in the dark hallway. Why was 3 a.m. the favorite hour of ghosts? 

Shaking her head, Naren stepped into the library. The inside was filled with cold air, creating an atmosphere starkly different from the daytime. It wasn’t just slightly chilly—her friends who spent their days here would have been terrified by the change. 

And in this eerie atmosphere, creatures floated aimlessly through the air. 

She sighed. No matter how many times she came here, she wasn’t used to the feeling. 

[Ugh, I just want to go home.]

Various monsters were awakening from their slumber. Some sought to enjoy a brief festival, while others hunted for their prey. Naren carefully avoided the tentacles writhing on the floor as she walked. 

In this vast library, stepping on one of those would spell disaster. She had learned that lesson the hard way once before. 

Recalling the sensation of tentacles creeping under her skirt, she shuddered. 

[Why didn’t you just step on them?] 

As she dodged the sluggish tentacles, lower-level demons began speaking to her from all directions. These creatures, skilled in tempting humans with various forms of allure, displayed expressions ranging from disappointment to amusement. 

Despite the cacophony, Naren didn’t hear them. Or rather, she couldn’t. 

Her attention was wholly consumed by the figure emerging before her.