In my dream, I returned to the world I once belonged to.

A hazy world, indistinct figures, blurry buildings—only I remained crystal clear.

I felt like I’d dreamed of transmigrating to another realm. A realm with Knights, magic, grand empires, mysterious religions, and vast wilderness…

And a girl. A girl who killed me with her sword.

Her gaze was cold, her personality hard to approach, yet I could feel her watching me.

Now, I was back in this world—the one that was truly mine.

Wide streets, endless streams of vehicles, crowds flowing past.

I stood by the roadside, an overwhelming wave of lostness rising within me.

I walked familiar paths, ears filled with noise: chatter, conversations, sharp honking.

Beneath the pale sky, I reached my remembered school. Students filed through the gates. I walked over naturally.

The guard stopped me.

“Are you a student here? Show your ID.”

Mechanically, as if I’d done it a thousand times, I pulled out my ID and handed it over.

He glanced at it and returned it.

“Alright, go in.”

He turned to the next student. “Hey, stop! Are you from here?”

Finally, I entered the school.

Tall teaching buildings, clusters of chatting students.

Everything matched my memories. Everything felt like my old world.

No… wait… I’m not here…

The pale sky crumbled in sections, tearing open massive black fissures.

The ground heaved, sank, collapsed—like the apocalypse.

The scene shattered like paper.

I opened my eyes. Soft pillows and clean sheets greeted me. I lay face-down on the bed, mind still foggy. The Moonstone’s gentle glow filled the room.

Phew… just a dream.

I rose, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtains. Pitch darkness outside—dawn hadn’t broken.

The dizziness was gone after sleep. Rest had restored me.

I didn’t know the time. I sat at my desk. Once sleepiness faded, I prepared to study magic again.

With last time’s lesson, I wouldn’t meditate too long this time.

Since I could sense magic elements, I’d try casting directly. I aimed to become a Magic Apprentice fast.

My target: the Radiance Spell, a non-combat auxiliary magic.

It conjured a blue light ball in my hand, illuminating a one-meter radius. Duration depended on mana consumption.

In short, with enough mana, I could hold it all day—if I didn’t mind the arm fatigue…

Before casting, I needed meditation. Absorb surrounding elements, purify them into mana. Ample mana was essential.

Raw elements couldn’t be used; only converted mana obeyed a Mage.

I slipped into meditation easily. Again, I saw that starry river of colorful elemental lights.

Following the steps, I carefully absorbed magic elements.

Any element absorbed aimed for one goal: conversion into my mana.

Then, with mana, I’d manipulate elements into patterns to cast spells.

Stronger willpower meant more controllable mana. Otherwise, excess mana leaked away.

But when I started absorbing, elements flooded in effortlessly at the slightest pull. No resistance.

This… was too smooth!

Feeling instant saturation, I cut the connection immediately.

Next: purify elements and condense my Magic Cube. I isolated myself to avoid mental exhaustion from the endless light show.

The Magic Cube was vital for any Mage—a converter, a mana container.

Mana only stayed put inside it; otherwise, it dissipated naturally.

In meditation, absorbed elements gathered, forming a slowly rotating hexahedron outline.

That spot should be my heart’s location, though I couldn’t see it now.

The Magic Cube existed only in spirit and mana—not physically. Even at the heart, reality held void.

The hexahedron stood upright. Spun fast, it’d look spherical.

Called a Mage’s second heart, its destruction meant catastrophic damage.

Now, my Magic Cube wasn’t fully formed. Elements hadn’t turned to mana—this was critical.

Around it, colorful lights flowed and reflected.

As it rotated, the glow dimmed, shifting toward deep purple-black, slightly translucent.

When all elements converted, the Magic Cube solidified—like black, semi-transparent glass. Mysterious. Beautiful.

Success!

I opened my eyes, joy swelling. With a Magic Cube, I could explore wider magical realms.

I needed strength. Powerful spells. To ward off all dangers.

Suppressing excitement, I used mana to communicate with elements, arranging them.

Spellcasting had two methods: chanting incantations or silent element arrangement.

I chose silent casting—it was less detectable. Chanting risked exposure; I wasn’t sure if Ada’s one-way soundproofing spell still held.

After arranging elements with the Radiance Spell’s formula, a blue light ball appeared in my right hand. Its surface swirled with blue vapor and light.

It cast a faint blue glow on the table. Not wasting mana, I ended the spell quickly.

Unbelievable—I’d become a Magic Apprentice so easily.

How much time had passed?

During arrangement, no resistance. The spell succeeded naturally.

Staring blankly, if sensing elements on first meditation made someone a genius… what was I?