"Gruk? Gruk!"
The goblin let out a startled growl the moment it spotted me, its beady yellow eyes widening in alarm.
I didn’t hesitate. I raised my sword and swung.
But—
"Huh?"
The blade cut through the air much faster than I expected. Way faster.
Before I even had time to process what was happening, the sword sliced toward the goblin with unnatural speed.
And then—
KABOOM!!
A deafening crack tore through the air as a surge of lightning exploded from the blade.
Electricity danced wildly across the ground, blinding light filling the entire space.
The goblin, caught right in the middle of it, didn’t even have time to scream. It was gone—completely erased, not even a speck of ash left behind.
For a moment, I just stood there in stunned silence, the faint hum of crackling sparks ringing in my ears.
"...That was awesome."
I couldn’t help but mutter under my breath, watching the electric arcs fade away.
My sword still buzzed faintly with residual power, blue light flickering along the edge like it was alive.
I couldn’t stop the grin creeping up on my face.
Life really is all about having good equipment.
----
After that, completely thrilled, I couldn’t stop myself. I kept swinging the sword wildly in every direction, experimenting and pushing further—until my magic was completely drained.
And then, I collapsed flat on the floor.
That’s when I realized something important.
Using electricity consumes way more magical power than I thought.
And there’s another thing.
When your magical power runs out and you hit total exhaustion—it feels absolutely terrible.
It’s not just fatigue. It’s this crushing helplessness that spreads through your whole body, mixed with a hollow emptiness that leaves you numb.
Truly. It’s the worst feeling in the world.
"Have you recovered a bit now?"
I turned my head toward the voice.
The school nurse was standing beside the bed, looking at me with a mixture of concern and mild exasperation.
"Yes," I said weakly. "I think my magic is starting to come back."
She nodded and shone a small flashlight into my eyes, checking my pupils.
When I had staggered into the infirmary earlier, completely drained of magic, she’d looked genuinely shocked. I mean, who collapses from magical exhaustion on the first day of school?
"Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any lasting damage," she said, putting her flashlight away. "But really—what on earth were you doing to end up like this?"
"...Haha," I let out a dry laugh. "Just... trying out a few things."
She sighed, crossing her arms. "Be careful next time. If you recklessly drain your magical power like that, you could damage your core. And if that happens, it won’t heal easily."
"Yes, thank you. I’ll be careful."
Truth be told, I hadn’t expected to run myself completely dry. I thought I could handle it.
Turns out, I was wrong.
I thought I’d stop once it felt like enough.
But being so unfamiliar with handling magical power, I completely failed to gauge that limit.
And this... this is what happened as a result.
I’ll definitely have to be more careful next time. I almost ended up in the hospital for real.
"Goodbye."
"Take care of yourself."
After resting a bit and feeling my magical power return to normal, I pushed open the infirmary door and stepped outside.
"Are you alright?"
A familiar voice greeted me the moment I came out.
"I’m fine. Perfectly fine now," I said, brushing it off. "Besides, we’re both first-years. You can speak casually."
"...Is that really okay? I heard nobles don’t like that."
"Don’t worry about it. They’re the weird ones, not you."
Ed scratched the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed.
I waved a hand dismissively. "By the way, I was really surprised when I suddenly collapsed like that."
Honestly, who wouldn’t be?
Barely managing to stumble out of the special training room, I would’ve probably passed out in the hallway if he hadn’t helped me get here.
Ed must’ve been completely shocked.
It was probably his first time seeing someone suffer from magical exhaustion.
Born with ridiculous amounts of mana, according to my memory, he never once ran out of it even in the comic.
The thought made me sigh.
Some people are just born with overwhelming magical power—effortless, natural, limitless.
Meanwhile, I’m over here, an extra in someone else’s story, collapsing after a few rounds of sword practice.
Life really isn’t fair.
’Come to think of it... he learns magic later too, doesn’t he?’
With his natural talent, that’s no surprise.
I couldn’t help but feel a little envious.
Ed — the protagonist who originally could only use a sword.
Later, he awakens his hidden potential and becomes a magic swordsman capable of wielding both magic and the blade.
Typical protagonist stuff.
"Sigh..." I exhaled, rubbing my stomach. "Just thinking about it makes me feel sick."
Still, I quickly pushed those thoughts away.
The protagonist is the protagonist. And I’m me.
I’ve already decided to live my life doing what I want to do.
Actually, I realized something back in the special training room.
Up until now, I’d been training with the sword—building up my body and reflexes—just to make sure I could survive while traveling. It was all practical, nothing more.
But just a while ago, everything changed.
That blinding flash of lightning that struck down from above... the power that surged through me...
It completely shattered the limits of what I thought I could do.
That single, overwhelming attack—it wasn’t something I’d seen in a webtoon or imagined in a dream.
It was mine.
My own power.
The thought made my heart race.
"Did I... really do that?" I muttered, still not fully believing it.
My pulse quickened as I replayed the moment in my mind—the roar of thunder, the crackling air, the smell of ozone. The sheer thrill of it.
It was intoxicating.
Even now, the sensation still lingered faintly at my fingertips.
And with it came a new feeling—one that grew stronger with every heartbeat.
A desire.
No, a hunger.
The desire to become stronger.