“You… want to become a girl, don’t you?”

“…What?”

Cha Yuri froze at Ian’s unexpected question. It was a completely unforeseen angle. Well, Ian thought she was a guy, so maybe it made sense. But more importantly, how did he know what was in the vial?

“Uh… maybe I should’ve pretended not to notice, but since I saw it, I’ll just say it. I’m the type to speak what I see.” “What are you talking about?” “That’s Chimeric Spinal Fluid, right?” “How could you…? It’s just a clear liquid.” “I’ve got an eye for these things.”

Cha Yuri glanced between the vial and Ian. No matter how you looked at it, it was just a transparent liquid. He could tell by sight alone? This guy was peculiar in so many ways.

Getting caught with the spinal fluid was awkward, but thankfully, Ian had misunderstood her intentions entirely. At least her true gender wasn’t exposed.

“It’s… fine. I respect gender diversity. Not my thing, though—becoming a girl.” “Have you… ever taken Chimeric Spinal Fluid?” “W-What?! I’ve never seen myself as a girl!”

Hmm. So this guy’s used the spinal fluid too. That explains why his precision factor was unusually high for a guy. If he’d taken it before, it made sense he could identify it, though whether by sight or some other trait was unclear.

“Pfft. Alright, let’s leave it at that.” “Anyway, I respect it. You know, everyone’s got their struggles. I get it.”

Cha Yuri couldn’t help but chuckle. As she’d noticed before, Ian was oddly amusing. His words lacked refinement, but he wasn’t shallow.

Thinking about it, Ian was a strange guy. A commoner who took down a 5th-tier beast, stayed quiet when gossiped about in class, yet boldly challenged a noble who insulted him during computation lessons. His proposal to face Hera in a 3rd-tier duel was especially striking. He ignored petty slights but couldn’t tolerate disrespect to magic.

He’d also stayed calm when his placement exam scores were rigged. What kind of life had this commoner lived to develop such values and magical skill? He must’ve roamed the world, forging his own path, walking his magical journey freely—unlike Cha Yuri, trapped in a suffocating cage.

To her, Ian’s carefree spirit shone brightly.

“Can I ask you something?” “What? I’m not telling you how it feels to be a girl.”

Cha Yuri had to graduate top of the academy. Her mother insisted it was the only way to catch the patriarch’s eye and become a Florid heir. That’s why she targeted Ian during the placement exam—she couldn’t afford to fail. She even fled to avoid a low score, fearing her mother’s manic lectures. The thought was horrifying. Of course, if she’d known the protective magic wouldn’t work, she might’ve helped Ian.

But now, she didn’t want to act that way anymore. There was no beating a commoner who could take down a 5th-tier beast. Instead, she started seeing Ian differently—maybe she could use him in another way.

“What do you do on weekends?” “Weekends? Today?” “No, today’s done. Next weekend.” “Haven’t thought about it.” “Then… would you ask me out on a date?”

Being around this guy might ease her pain. And if he agreed to meet next weekend, she could use it as an excuse to delay drinking the spinal fluid.

“…Are you crazy? A date between guys?”

Seducing him wasn’t going to be easy.

“Look, sorry, but I only like girls who were born girls. Not… that kind of thing.” “It’s not like that.”

[Title: Shocking Identity of the Spinal Fluid Buyer + Got Dragged into a Date with a Guy] Author: Kim Muggle

On my way back to the academy, the carriage with the spinal fluid buyers was going the same way. Turns out they were headed to the academy too. One of them got off, and the carriage left. Guess who it was?

It was the top student who ditched me back then…!!! She was holding the spinal fluid vial, and I was so shocked I froze. But I patted her on the back, saying it’s fine. I respect gender diversity. Some guys want to be girls, right?

Then it turned into a horror story. After comforting her, she suddenly asked me to go on a date next weekend. Not just “let’s hang out”—she said, “Would you ask me out on a date?” But I like girls who were born girls. And what’s with asking me to ask her out?

Anyway, we agreed to meet. She knows an amazing stir-fried pork place near the academy, so I’m going for the pork.

– Shocking identity lol. – Wtf, this is wild lol. – This guy just loves pork lol. – This is getting hilariously epic lol. – I fully support the top student from now on. – Top student… charges forward…! – Kim Muggle) Why support her, you lunatics? I like girls! – This guy’s just clueless lol. – EcoActivist) Kim Muggle’s just dumb. – Orgasm) Hnnng, it’s happening…! – He’s the only one who doesn’t get it lol. – MagicalGirlLulu) Lol, what are the odds? – FlutterFlutter) Gotta eat that pork. – Is DragonChicken scheming to get you with the top student via the spinal fluid? – How far does DragonChicken see?! – ExtremeEfficiencyFreak) Wild coincidence. Don’t worry, it’s not what you think. Talk to her and dig into it. Feels connected to the 5th-tier beast incident. – CantEvenDoThis) Yeah, there might be something you’re caught up in. – Kim Muggle) Wait, what if she released the beast to kill me? – FlutterFlutter) Nah, she almost died too. Just have a good time. – You’re the clueless Muggle lol. – Kim Muggle) Why, damn it?

Back at the dorm, I posted about Cha Yuri, and a flood of cryptic comments followed. Why are they calling me clueless? Would you be thrilled if a guy asked you out?

Feeling annoyed and picking fights in the gallery, I noticed a new post. It was from AntiqueCollector, who helped at the auction. He’d promised to explain how to awaken the relic later. I was curious about this bracelet’s true nature.

[Title: How to Awaken a Relic] Author: AntiqueCollector

Took a while to research similar relics. Your bracelet seems to have been dormant for ages. Its magic might be inactive. First, check if it’s functional by channeling mana into it. If nothing happens, follow these steps. …

I channeled mana as instructed, but the dusty bracelet didn’t react. The mana just slid off like it was an ordinary object. I kept reading AntiqueCollector’s post.

… From its shape, each bead likely holds a different effect. Here’s a spell to restore it. (Photo of a 7th-tier spell formula on worn paper) This spell will revive the bracelet’s glow, revealing its embedded formulas. It’s a universal relic-awakening spell, so it should work.

I examined the 7th-tier spell formula. Damn, how am I supposed to cast this? Even for me, a complex 7th-tier spell was impossible. My max was 5th-tier, and that was only thanks to MagicIsntHard’s simplified formulas.

– Kim Muggle) How am I supposed to cast this?? – Lol, telling a Muggle to cast a 7th-tier spell lol. – It’s crazy complex too lol. – Grandpa, kids these days can’t do that!! – ExtremeEfficiencyFreak) It uses 71,100 mana. You’d need to train first. – Info) Kim Muggle hasn’t trained since his mana was 1,960.

71,100 mana? Seven thousand? Is that even reasonable? It’s not about skill—it’s just impossible right now.

– EcoActivist) Grandpa’s so out of touch he forgot Kim Muggle’s a Muggle. – You’re a grandma yourself. – EcoActivist) (Elf swinging branch angrily emoticon) – Kim Muggle) Do high-tier spells always use this much mana? – ExtremeEfficiencyFreak) Not always. This spell’s mana cost is high because it’s a universal relic spell, designed to cover every possible relic. It’s packed with every function, so it’s mana-heavy.

Got it. Like preparing everything because you don’t know what’s needed.

– Kim Muggle) Can’t we strip out just what’s needed for this relic to make an easier spell? – MagicIsntHard) Of course ^^ But grandpa’s too old to dissect spells. I’ll do it—wait a bit ^^ Grandpa, come out :) – AntiqueCollector) You brats.

MagicIsntHard started arguing with AntiqueCollector in the comments. No clue what’s going on, but there’s a way, apparently. In the meantime, I figured I’d train for an hour or two. Gotta boost my mana pool, but I made sure not to lose track of time.

Three hours later, MagicIsntHard posted again.

– MagicIsntHard) Phew… Done ^^; I isolated the functions needed for your bracelet. – She pulled it off. – Dissecting spells is hard enough, but she had to guess what’s needed based on grandpa’s info. – MagicIsntHard) Talking to grandpa isn’t easy ;

Whatever it was, she did it. This should work, right?

– MagicIsntHard) (4th-tier spell formula photo) Awakening relics involves stirring their memories, so it takes a lot of mana. I minimized it, but this uses 2,240 mana. – Kim Muggle) Thanks! Trained while waiting, so I think I can do it. – MagicIsntHard) Great ^^ This formula makes awakening easy :) – Prep king Muggle. – It’s tough for a 4th-tier. – Tougher than that 5th-tier, no? Can you do it? – CantEvenDoThis) Succeed and tell us what that relic does. Curious. – FlutterFlutter) (Emoticon with fork and knife, excited)

[Status Window] Mana: 2,440/2,440

Good thing I trained—2,240 mana leaves 200, so I won’t burn out.

I studied MagicIsntHard’s formula. Even reduced to 4th-tier, it was still complex. One of the four components was a simple thick line connecting the others. The other three were intricate. This was probably the hardest spell I’d ever tried.

“Gonna need some practice.”

No way I’d nail it first try. Could I master it before morning classes if I pulled an all-nighter? Maybe. Only one way to find out.

I began computing my first 4th-tier spell.

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