A C-Rank Magic Student Who Deludes Himself into Thinking He Is SSS-Rank - Chapter 4: Going to School

As dawn breaks and a faint light begins to illuminate the previously dark sky, Shion Kurosaki completes his basic training, repeating each attribute’s basic magic. After drinking a magic recovery potion and resting for about five minutes, he picks up the sword he brought from his dorm room.

For the past few days, Shion has been reading academic books and experimenting with a magic technique he plans to test today with a newly conceived method.

Holding the sword horizontally with his right hand, Shion extends his left hand towards the sword, deploying a magic circle and chanting a spell.

“Lightning Magic Enchantment.”

Immediately after the chant, the magic activates, and the blade of the sword he’s holding emits a small plasma sound with bluish-white lightning crackling over it.

The attribute-enhancing magic he just cast is meant to strengthen a weapon’s power or gain an advantage over monsters and magic based on the attribute.

However, the lightning crackling along the blade of Shion’s sword causes only as much pain as static electricity. It does not significantly enhance the sword’s power or give him any advantage against monsters or magic.

In terms of its intended purpose, the magic he cast is a failure, useless for any practical application.

“…Huh.”

Yet, Shion looks extremely satisfied, as the lightning-wrapped sword simply looks cool.

Gazing at the bluish-white plasma crackling along the blade, Shion chuckles in ecstasy, his expression so elated it’s as if he’s about to drool, laughing like a dangerous deviant.

After successfully casting the lightning magic enchantment, Shion experimented with changing the lightning’s color, making larger plasma sounds, and training with the enchanted sword in swordplay.

He has some knowledge of swordsmanship.

His interest was sparked at the age of thirteen when he learned about the profession of “Magic Swordsmen,” who wield powerful magic and swords on the battlefield. This concept deeply resonated with Shion and became his ideal combat style.

Since then, he has occasionally practiced swordsmanship alongside his magic training.

No one could stop Shion once he set his mind on something. His parents happily provided him with muscle enhancement drugs, meals with similar effects, and swordsmanship books. As a result, his physical strength and sword skills are quite impressive.

Unlike magic, genetics do not heavily influence fundamental physical abilities, so they improve with training.

Thus, if Shion were to compete in pure swordsmanship with other students of the magic academy, he would rarely lose.

However, he wouldn’t match up to students from knight schools who focus on swordsmanship and learn from top swordsmen daily.

Shion Kurosaki’s swordsmanship is considerable, but only to a certain extent.

But he doesn’t care about such realities. Excited by his lightning-enchanted sword, he swings it relentlessly, lost in various imaginations like a child playing make-believe.

Shion wraps up his practice as time passes, and the day fully dawns.

He carries the books, sword, and empty potion bottles back to his dorm room, then takes a bath to wash off the sweat from his early morning training.

After his bath, Shion changes into Crawford Magic Academy uniform and has his second breakfast in the dormitory cafeteria.

Having finished his second breakfast, Shion cleaned up, returned to his room to prepare his school materials, and set off for Crawford Magic Academy, a short distance from the dormitory.

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Shion Kurosaki appears to be diligently crafting a look of boredom during class.

He’s not just passively listening to the class with disinterest; he’s actively creating an expression of boredom. Amidst his classmates who are focused and taking notes so as not to miss any part of the lecture, Shion acts as if he’s above it all, giving off an air of, “It’s ridiculous that I have to sit through such a basic class.”

The reason for such seemingly pointless behavior is singular: to exude an unfathomable aura and look cool.

However, only some things about this are acts.

Shion started studying magic earlier and has spent more time on it than anyone else in Class C.

While his practical magic skills are only C-class level, his knowledge about magic surpasses that of his classmates.

In reality, the current lesson’s content is familiar to him. While pretending to be bored, he thinks deeply about more advanced magic.

Occasionally, he may drift into daydreams but devotes as much time as possible to improving his magic skills.

Nevertheless, his bored expression, put on just to look cool during class, irritates some teachers.

These teachers, noticing Shion’s apparent lack of concentration, deliberately pose difficult questions to him, topics not yet covered in class.

When Shion responds with, “Sorry, I don’t know,” the teacher might make sarcastic remarks about his lineage as a magician or call him a failure, leading the other students to mock him.

This creates an atmosphere filled with human pettiness within the closed space of the classroom.

But Shion easily brushes off the teacher’s sarcasm and the mockery from his classmates.

He welcomes being underestimated by others.

Such situations perfectly align with his ideal of ‘living a school life while hiding his true abilities.’

He could easily answer the teachers’ spiteful questions but pretends he doesn’t know.

However, he never completely acts clueless. He always maintains an air of nonchalance, leaving room for doubt as if to suggest, “Maybe he knows…”

Shion’s aim is not to be completely unnoticed but to subtly hint, “Perhaps he’s more than he seems…”

This is Shion Kurosaki’s particular way.