Chapter 3: Agora board

"Because I just finished over here too."

The student looked at Craig and snickered.

His expression was relaxed. It was impossible to imagine that he came to clean up as a punishment.

Craig slowly replayed the scenery he had just seen in his mind.

A painting of watercolor...

The student's actions he just saw were more like a painting of watercolors than magic.

Although it was varied and incomprehensible, one could perceive the various colors and shapes.

The feeling that reached Craig's heart was something else... It was a beautiful feeling. 

He could not help but admire what he just saw.

He should have said something like, "The area assigned to me hasn't been cleaned yet, or you could go if you finished cleaning."

But his mouth didn't open.

He closed his eyes.

It was his selfish desire...

But just for a moment, he wanted to replay that scenery in his mind once more.

◈◈◈

"It's awkward."

I felt a great sense of discomfort coursing through my body. 

It was the first time I had ever used someone else's body to perform magic, so it was understandable to feel a little awkward.

Nevertheless, there were some aspects that helped me put my mind at ease.

'The essence of the magic is the same as my previous world.'

The theories that remained in my head could be used in this world too. I could feel a little relieved about that point.

Of course, I still didn't know this world in detail. There was a still possibility of unexpected variables appearing everywhere...

...But even so, I wasn't afraid.

I was excited...

...Because what was inside this body was now me, Kaplan. 

If variables arose, I would only have to prove myself anew.

Leaving behind the bewildered janitor, I left the bathroom.

The bathroom was so clean that there was no more reason for me to stay there.

'That's right, there's no reason for me to stay here.'

"Student!"

Nonetheless, the janitor grabbed my shoulder.

Judging by the surprised expression on his face, he didn't hold me because he was angry.

"Wow, you're really amazing! You're the student who took over the Agora Board, right?"

"Agora Board?"

Suddenly being grabbed by the hand was not very a pleasant sensation, but the word 'Agora Board' caught all of my attention.

A blackboard where magicians compete with each other's theories was 'The Agora Board'.

Those who solved the written spell could erase the existing spell and write their own spell on the Agora Board.

It was like an arena where magicians proved each other's theories.

But that should only exist in Mage Tower. 

'Isn't this supposed to be the Academy?'

"...Can a student use the Agora Board?"

"Can a student use it?"

At my question, the janitor tilted his head.

"Isn't that obvious? Only students can use it. Professors can't intervene."

"Professors can't intervene?"

"Of course not. It's made for the students."

Hearing his answer, I understood.

The Agora Board in this world was only similar in name and was actually a thing for the students of the Academy. 

'Interesting...'

Looking puzzled, the janitor scratched his head and said.

"Judging by your reaction, I guess you are not the one. Since you used magic so well, I wonder if the student is the main character of the rumor..."

"What rumor?"

"Of course, about the student who filled the entire board anonymously… No, but you don't know more than me who cleans while you are a student? Even if you are a freshman, that much-"

"Is there such a rumor?"

"Ah, yes, if you didn't know, go and see for yourself. They say that if you get a lot of attention on the Agora board, you'll be scouted like crazy. By the way, do you always use magic that well?..."

After receiving some customary compliments on my magic skills, I asked the janitor about the location of the Agora Board and left the area. 

Every time I took a step, I thought of the Agora Board.

The fact that it was done anonymously in a place where one could show off one's name intrigued me. 

Thinking about it, I suddenly remembered my past self.

I had also submitted a few answers to the difficult problems in the Mage Tower anonymously and enjoyed the reactions when the Tower was turned upside down.

'May be he is the same.'

With one more step, as I headed towards the Agora Board-

"Flan!"

-I heard someone calling out at me. 

It was a female professor whom I had never seen before.

◈◈◈

"Your personal baggage."

The female professor handed me a bag, saying that I had left my baggage in the classroom.

Books, writing utensils, magical tools - everything seemed old and worn out. It was difficult to tell if he was a student or just a passerby. The only thing that shone like new was his student ID.

Come to think of it, even the janitor had mentioned him as a freshman. It seemed like he had just recently enrolled in this academy.

'Merhen Academy, first-year...'

The academy and grade levels weren't particularly surprising. But the name 'Flan,' which was similar to my own name, yet distinctly different, caught my attention.

Confirming his identity with the student ID made me acutely aware that I was now in someone else's body.

'I can't believe I have to live with this body now.'

Understanding that fact wasn't particularly difficult, but accepting it took some time. 

I stood still for a while, rubbing my temples.

'What kind of world is this?'

In my original world, there was no academy with this name.

Magic might be the same, but the world itself was subtly different.

With a deep sigh, I walked through the academy hallway. Since I didn't know where to go anyway, I headed towards the Agora board. 

Magic had always been my escape, no matter the situation. It was a part of my life just like breathing.

The view of the academy that came into my sight as I walked seemed familiar, but also different. The design was oddly sophisticated, and if I occasionally passed by a few students, their styles were quite different from what I was used to seeing. It felt like trends had completely changed.

"Hmm."

Anyway, I arrived at the Agora board.

At first glance, what was placed outside the building looked like a front gate. It was so huge and majestic that it couldn't be placed inside the building.

Anyway, this blackboard was filled with written spells in white.

It felt familiar for some reason. I remembered the time when I felt romantic about writing on a blackboard.

I put down the bag I was carrying on my back and concentrated on it for a moment.

"It would be better to give up."

A harsh voice echoed in my ears.

The female student who suggested giving up from the very first meeting put her hands on her waist and made a smug expression.

She was shorter than me, but her attitude was by no means small.

Her red hair was tangled all the way down to her waist. As I was admiring their shine, she opened her mouth again.

"They say that a professor wrote that spell, not a student. You won't be able to solve it even if you hold onto it all day."

"And who are you?"

"Me? I'm Becky."

Even a child would know that I didn't mean to ask for her name.

When I made it obvious with a smirk, Becky hesitated and continued to speak.

"I've been here all day since the welcome party for new students today. But I couldn't solve it in the end. I approached it a little bit at first, but I couldn't do it after that."

"It seems like it."

"...Why. What does that mean? I'm pretty amazing too, you know?"

Anyway, she gave up, didn't she? 

But why was she telling me to give up too?

I looked back at the Agora board.

There were many lines, dots, and circles of the spells, tangled up like a knot that seemed impossible to untangle.

My expression naturally creased.

The most amazing magic was actually not this complicated. It was intuitive and simple, except for the high price it demanded.

That was why the intention of what was written on the Agora board was clear.

'Make it look as difficult as possible, and make yourself look as good as possible...'

However, this was a different direction from the 'difficulty' I pursued.

It was a bit sinister.

"See? It's difficult, isn't it? I told you it was difficult."

"It's more annoying than difficult."

I said what exactly I was thinking.

This puzzle, with so many lines, dots, and circles spells crammed in it, required repetitive calculations to the point of maliciousness rather than difficulty.

'It's going to consume a lot of mana.'

It was not impossible to speed up my thinking to do the calculations quickly.

However, the story was different in the body of the boy I had possessed, even if I used it to its full potential, it would still be a suboptimal solution compared to if I were in my original body.

Just trying the harmony technique in the bathroom was dangerous.

Of course, I planned to fix it in the future.

In any case, it would be too reckless to tackle such a problem without the help of mana

Because I had no idea how many days it would take.

"No answer? Hey, you don't have to hide that you're shocked like that."

Becky shook her hand in front of my eyes a few times. Then I finally looked at her with both eyes and mind.

Come to think of it, there was no need for me to be bound by my own mana.

 Next to me was another magician.

"Becky."

"Yes?"

"How far have you gotten?"

"Just that this is a painting. Each symbol represents a specific location, a coordinate, or a point. Once they're all connected, it'll definitely form a painting."

Becky told me what she had noticed without any hesitation.

Maybe she believed that even if she told the other person everything, they won't be able to solve it.

"Why haven't you connected them all?"

"When did you calculate all of this? It's almost impossible."

She nodded her head.

Her expression matched what I felt. With this level of ability, it would be enough to be helpful.

She looked at me with a suspicious look and said.

"But... is this how you usually talk?"

"Vertices."

"Huh?"

"As you can imagine a triangle with only three points. You only need to solve the spell corresponding to each vertex."

Becky burst out laughing. 

"Hey, that's easy for you to say. How do you find it?"

I answered with a relaxed face.

"If I can precisely locate the vertices, you can do the calculations."

"Just locating the vertices? That doesn't make any sense."

.

.

.

The boy in front of Becky was talking nonsense. Because to her, what he said was an incomprehensible story.

To find out what a vertex was, one needed to look at each point one by one.

If pinpointing vertices was an easily achievable task, then this symbol on the board wouldn't have been evaluated as difficult in the first place.

"Just answer whether you want to or not."

A short answer came back from that boy.

Becky swallowed her saliva.

The boy with sharp features looked fragile at first glance. However, Becky didn't feel that he was weak.

She sensed the confidence in the boy's expressions, intonation, and attitude throughout his body.

After hesitating for a moment, she had no choice but to answer like this.

"Well...if you can pinpoint them correctly, then sure."

But the boy just smirked as if he was pleased.

"I like it."

He weaved the mana into the shape of chalk.

As soon as it touched the board, it moved without any hesitation.

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