A Returner's Magic Should Be Special Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - The Returner’s Entrance Exam (1)

“The heart . . ?” Zod mumbled to himself .
Confused by his ramblings, someone asked, “What do you mean by the heart?”
“I read about it in a book many many years ago,” Zod said . “A dragon’s heart
acts like an engine for magic—just like our mana circles . It’s an enormous
magic engine that sucks in the surrounding mana . ”
Mana circles . Mana was absorbed into mana circles so that it could be
controlled and used . This was elementary knowledge for a mage .
Zod continued, “The dragon’s dead, which means there’s nothing controlling
the mana accumulated inside its heart now . Since mana is very fluid, it’s
continued to flow around, which has resulted in this ‘engine’ overheating . If
this continues—”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying!” Priscilla interrupted . “Say it in
simpler terms!”
Desir spoke up, reaching the conclusion quickly . “The overheating engine is
about to explode . ”
“WHAAAT?!?!?” Priscilla shrieked in a shrill voice .
A terrible rumbling arose from the body, punctuating Desir’s words . The
uncontrollable mana overflowed, overwhelming everyone present, and causing
their faces to turn deathly pale .
“Why didn’t we know about this before we killed it?”
Zod’s usual empty eyes gleamed with despair . He spoke in a dead and

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monotonous voice, “ . . . Because . . . this is the first time humanity has ever defeated
a dragon .
“An explosion caused by the pressure of the mana contained within the mana
circle . . . This kind of phenomenon would be equivalent to 7th circle magic . . .
“No, even that’s too low of an estimate . This amount of mana is beyond the
reckoning of mortals . Also, if it’s pure mana rather than magic, it’s not
something we can ‘hijack . ’
“ . . . I think it’s time we prepared . . . ”
The looming inevitability cast a pall over the survivors, like a bitter, black
cloud . It was as Zod said . A mana explosion of this scale was impossible to
dodge, impossible to block .
“I . . . I can’t believe it . The world is really . . . right now . . . ” Raphaello turned to face
the gathering manstorm with a thousand-yard stare .
“Our Father who art in heaven . . . ” Priscilla’s quiet prayer was drowned out by
the coming storm .

Desir stood at the center of the group, his face strained with pain and despair .
The disaster unfolded before him, and a hundred thoughts raced through his
mind . The magic surged outward, but only one thought stood out .
‘Is this the end?’
He closed his eyes, as he felt the wicked wind slash across his face .
That was his final memory .

Desir Arman opened his eyes, staring at his outstretched hand .

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‘Wait . ’
Something was amiss .
‘Where am I?’
Voices, chattering in excitement, filled the air . He lowered his hand and
surveyed his surroundings . A massive chandelier, gilded with tens of sapphires,
lit the room . Hundreds of students dressed in black uniforms sat at dozens of
oak tables surrounding an antique stone shrine .
As Desir glanced around in confusion, he realized, ‘ . . . this looks familiar . . . ’
Looking down, there was a glass cup in front of him . A young boy, eerily
familiar, stared back in confusion . He had deep black eyes and bright red lips .
His face wasn’t quite handsome, but he had a bit of a childish charm to him .
‘Wait, this is . . . ’ Gone were the scar-covered cheeks and rugged skin . A fair,
somewhat effeminate school-aged child greeted him . He was his adolescent self
again .
‘What’s going on . . . ? I definitely died back there . . . ’
He sat, confusion and doubt racing through his mind, until a sudden ringing
disrupted his thoughts .
The ringing of a bell attracted everyone’s attention back to the front . A
beautiful young woman dressed in a professor’s black uniform smiled as she
ascended the stage . As the music ceased and chatter died down, the woman
began speaking .
“Pleased to meet you, applicants of Hebrion Academy . I am Professor Brigitte . ”
Desir stared at the woman intensely . It should have been the first time Desir
was seeing her face, but instead, she seemed strangely familiar .

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“I know that many of you have come to Hebrion Academy from many different
countries . I sincerely thank every one of you for having made this long journey
to attend our school . ”
She paused and drew a deep breath before continuing .

“However, I regretfully inform you all that not everyone who has come here
will be admitted to our academy . As is tradition, everyone will be required to
take our entrance examination, the results of which will determine who is
admitted . Only 600 of you will be admitted to Hebrion . We will be testing you,
of course—”
“By asking you to clear a Shadow World,” Desir muttered under his breath as
Professor Brigitte spoke .
“--by asking you to clear a Shadow World,” she said . “Do not be nervous; while
this examination is similar to a real Shadow World, this one is not real . This
Shadow World has been specially constructed for the purposes of this exam .
For more details, I ask that you ask your mentors when you meet them . ”
Brigitte looked at the students with a serious expression .
“Year 3613, the 172nd entrance examination will begin in 2 hours in the main
hall of the Academy . In the meantime, please enjoy the banquet we have
prepared for you . I will see everyone again soon . ” Brigitte walked down from
the platform as she finished her speech .
The students collectively broke out in applause—all except for Desir who
looked down in disbelief .
‘Hebrion Academy entrance examination?’
Hebrion Academy was the top magic academy in the entire continent . Desir
was an alumnus . He had graduated from Hebrion 10 years ago .

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Yet, now, somehow, he was again at the precipice of entering Hebrion
Academy . His mind swirled with confusion . ‘If it’s 3613 . . . ’
Then he had been flung 13 years into the past . The Shadow Labyrinth had
appeared in the year Lowellius 3616, and he had lived in the hellish nightmare
for 10 years, from 3616 to 3626 .
Desir closed his eyes as felt the enormity of it all . Conflicting emotions raced
through his heart: pangs of guilt pierced through the happiness he felt for
coming back to this point .
An eternity of suffering and torture . The blood of his friends who died and the
tears he shed . All of it was for nothing . They failed to save the world .
10 years of suffering and 150 million dead— all for nothing . It was unavoidable,
undeniably a disaster .
And yet, somehow . . .
Desir Arman had returned 13 years into the past from that doomed future . It
was like a joke—a cruel, twisted joke .

At first, Desir had simply thought that, perhaps, it had all been a dream; a
particularly horrid nightmare that he had just awoken from . But the vivid
memories were all too real . He couldn’t have called it a dream, with all the
desperate fights and the vast array of magic knowledge he had gained buried in
his mind . All these memories flowing through his head were far too realistic for
a dream .
"You're Desir Arman, aren't you?"
A young girl appeared in front of Desir, snapping him from his contemplation .
She wore her red hair in a short bob, and, despite her short stature, her steely
eyes gave off an aura of great confidence and will .

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“Nice to meet you!” she said cheerfully . “I’m Radoria Von Dorich, but you can
call me Radoria . I’m a second-year student of Hebrion Academy, and I’ll be
your mentor for the entrance examination today . I look forward to working
with you!”
“Ah, please look after me . ” Even though his voice came out naturally, Desir felt
an unnatural discomfort as he stared at Radoria .
This was the same Radoria Von Dorich he had met in his past life . Radoria Von
Dorich was a genius, a fire mage capable of 6th circle magic . She held the
number 1 rank of her year for her entire time at Hebrion .
“What are you thinking so much about?” she asked .
“Oh, I’m feeling pretty nervous,” he answered .
Radoria giggled . “There’s no need to get scared over the entrance exam . The
Shadow World they use is specially made; it’s incomparable to a real Shadow
World in difficulty . ”
“Is that so?”
“It’s still an exam, though . Like, ‘can you really go fight against the Shadow
Worlds?’ kinda thing . ”
Introductions more or less complete, Radoria started her preparations for the
entrance exam . She flicked through her documents on Desir, and then paused
and looked up . “Huh? You’re a commoner?”
Desir replied in a lackadaisical manner as if the question was irrelevant . “Is
there a problem?”
“Well, if you’re a commoner, you’re probably going to experience some
hardship, I guess? Even if you pass, they’ll put you into the Beta class . They
don’t really care for commoner half of Hebrion; they won’t give you a proper

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education there . ”
This unexpected return to the past made a crucial fact slip his mind . Despite
being the foremost magic academy on the continent, Hebrion was harshly
segregated into two halves: the nobles of Alpha class, and the commoners of
Beta class .
“Well, it’ll only matter if you pass your exam . ” Radoria then lead Desir down a
long corridor .
After 10 minutes, as if the long silence had bothered her, Radoria spoke again .
“Oh, I forgot to ask before . Do you know what a Shadow World is?”
“More or less”
Radoria furrowed her brows in suspicion . “Do you really know though? To join
the effort against the Shadow Worlds, you need to have perfect knowledge of
what they are . Even if this is just an examination-specific Shadow World,
Shadow Worlds are still inherently dangerous you know . ”
Desir simply nodded at Radoria’s explanation .
She let out a small huff . “Alright, if you’re so confident then, why don’t I test
you with a few questions?”
“Okay . ”
“First question,” Radoria’s voice held a clear note of mockery . “What is a
Shadow World?”
Desir cleared his throat and began speaking:
“Shadow Worlds .

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“They occur each year, and they are the most dangerous phenomenon mankind
has ever seen . Like an infinitely long corridor with countless rooms on each
side; there are countless worlds, each with their own bizarre set of rules .
“These worlds are a glimpse into the past, and each world has its own risks .
While some Shadow Worlds are weak, others can be extremely dangerous . The
Magic Society determines the power (and implicitly, the danger) of a Shadow
World, and assigns it one of 10 classes . It’s usually possible to estimate the
number of deaths likely to occur by knowing the class of a Shadow World .
“Without a doubt, however, the most dangerous characteristic of a Shadow
World is its potential for an ‘Encroachment’ event to occur . Encroached land is
smothered in a thick, black fog, and it becomes impossible to know what’s
happening inside . Only one thing is certain: no living being has ever entered
encroached land and returned alive . It is simply a place where life cannot exist .
“This is why humanity must fight against the Shadow Worlds . ”

Chapter end