Something quite delightful happened to me.

“Hmm. My mana has increased.”

With more mana, I could delve into more magical research. This was undoubtedly a stroke of luck.

“Hmm…”

On the flip side, something rather dreadful also occurred.

“My mana has increased!!!”

This would make it even harder to keep things under wraps!

After defeating the dark sorcerer, I tidied up the battlefield and returned to my lab. Thankfully, it didn’t take long, thanks to the spacious first floor where the fight took place.

“Good thing I made it to the first floor.”

If the battle had happened on the fifth floor, the windows would have shattered, and cleaning up would have been impossible. Running to the first floor was a smart move.

“In those narrow corridors, dodging his chain scythe would have been nearly impossible.”

Honestly, even I have to admit, I did well. Well done, me.

“But the real issue is this.”

I opened and closed my palm a few times. Each time, dark mana surged forth. No matter how much I tried to suppress it, this was the result.

“That sorcerer must have used a lot of dark magic.”

Dark magic users undergo various changes. The most visible is the alteration of mana.

Mana alteration. Simply put, it’s a side effect where the nature of mana changes. The more frequently dark magic is used, the darker it becomes.

“This dark? At this level, isn’t it executive-level? How much did he use?”

He looked like a middle schooler, but was he an executive?

“Well… probably not.”

It’s true that dark sorcerers use non-verbal magic, but there are limitations. They recharge by draining others’ life force. The real limitation is the number of non-verbal spells they can use.

“Judging by the fact he only used telekinesis, he was just a grunt.”

The number of non-verbal spells increases with training and rank. If he wasn’t a grunt, I wouldn’t have defeated him so easily yesterday.

“Does a mere grunt have a reason to use so much dark magic?”

Even if they offset the penalty by stealing life force, it’s not easy for a grunt. If a grunt’s mana is this dark, it means the cult is supporting them.

“Sharing precious life force with grunts? Something’s fishy.”

“I’ll have to look into this later.”

The thought of disrupting their plans was thrilling, but I had more pressing matters. Tomorrow was the education demonstration.

“What am I going to do about this dark mana?”

The dark mana kept flowing, and here I was, nearing 2 AM, still pondering how to conceal it at school.

“Purification isn’t… possible, is it?”

To be precise, it can’t be purified ‘now.’ Purification takes an incredibly long time, and there’s a lot to prepare.

“For now, I’ll have to suppress it.”

If I can keep it suppressed for just a day, it shouldn’t be a big issue. I’ll figure out the rest later.

“Let’s do this.”

I drew a magic circle on the back of my hand. It was a spell to help conceal the dark mana, though it wasn’t very effective. By tomorrow night, it would likely dissipate, and it couldn’t prevent mana from leaking when casting spells.

“This should do for now. Let’s head back. I need some sleep.”

Stretching, I got up. Handling the dark sorcerer and preparing for the education demonstration right after reincarnation—Shin Haesung would be shocked at how productive my day was.

– “You postponed going home to prepare for a demonstration? Instead of magical research? Did you hit your head?”

He’d definitely be astonished.

“Come to think of it, I wonder how he’s doing.”

It’s only been ten years since I died, so unless something happened, Shin Haesung should be alive and well.

“The same goes for the others.”

Like my former students or other acquaintances. It’s fortunate I only have a younger brother left. It spares me the dilemma of wanting to visit them.

I miss the others too, but…

“What’s the point of meeting again?”

Hey, guys. It’s Min Haejun, the one who died. Nice to see you again. I’m glad too!

“Yeah, right.”

Chuckling to myself, I closed the lab door behind me.

“If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”

I stepped out, content with the possibility and hope. Now, it’s time to live my life as Lee Jaesang.

***

From the morning, I was on the move. Today was the education demonstration day, the day that would decide whether my teaching contract would be extended.

“Look at this empty place.”

I wasn’t sure where the money went, but the house was small and bare. My previous life’s home had more things, but this…

“It could pass for an empty house.”

A studio apartment with just a fridge and a washing machine. It was too small to fit much else anyway.

“At least I have a suit.”

Standing in front of the mirror in a worn-out suit, I turned my face side to side. Pale skin, a sharp nose, and gentle eyes.

“Hmm. Handsome, as expected.”

I could rival any handsome actor. Narcissistic? It’s a fair assessment since I’ve only recently gotten this face.

“Speaking of which, someone used to like this kind of thing.”

I recalled Cynthia, a top-tier water spirit who was obsessed with handsome faces.

– “Hey, contractor, have you ever thought about plastic surgery?”

– “Why?”

– “Well, it’s a bit embarrassing.”

– “What’s embarrassing?”

– “Can I be honest?”

– “No, you can’t.”

– “Your face is so ugly, it’s embarrassing to be seen with you.”

– “I said no.”

– “If you don’t like surgery, how about reincarnation?”

– “…”

“Why a top-tier water spirit was so obsessed with men’s faces, I’ll never know.”

It stung a bit back then, but looking back, it’s a fond memory.

“If only Cynthia were here, she could help with the dark mana.”

Cynthia was an expert in mana flow. As a top-tier spirit, she could control the dark mana and even gradually purify it.

“It’s a shame to hide mana I’ve worked hard to gain.”

“Well, it’s pointless without her.”

They say spirit contracts are etched into the soul, but that’s just a metaphor. Still, I should consider contracting a spirit. Faster purification of dark mana means more magical research.

“First, let’s head to school.”

***

– Creak.

Arriving at school, I headed straight to the lecture hall for the demonstration. Inside was a large screen and a long table. The principal was already there, reviewing the lesson plan I submitted that morning.

“You’re here?”

I bowed and checked how many would attend the demonstration.

“Three chairs?”

One was for the principal, already seated. Another was for the chairman, which meant the last one was…

“Wow, wearing a suit today?”

Ah, the head of the academic department.

The bald head of the department entered, tapping a 30cm ruler on his shoulder.

“Ah, Head of Department.”

“Why the suit? No one’s expecting much anyway.”

“If I’m doing it, I should do it right.”

“If you’d done it right before, there wouldn’t be a demonstration today.”

They say words can repay a debt, but this guy’s just picking a fight.

“Well, we didn’t have good memories.”

In my memories, he always snapped at the original Lee Jaesang. Not a fan.

“Sigh. What a hassle because of you, Jaesang. If you don’t get the contract, we’ll have to do this again.”

That’s harsh. I did prepare, though. Well, I had nothing ready until yesterday, so maybe I deserve it.

“Still, do your best. If you do well today, we’ll judge without bias.”

“Thank you.”

I didn’t react much to the head’s empty encouragement. It’s the original owner of this body who’s being criticized, not me.

“You can expect great things.”

“Well, confidence is good.”

The head sat next to the principal.

“Ahem. The chairman says he’s busy.”

Doesn’t think it’s worth attending a contract teacher’s demonstration? Still, he’s the one with hiring power, so not showing up is surprising.

“Well, it’s good for me.”

The principal wants to keep me, and the head, despite his words, doesn’t hold a grudge.

“According to my memory, the chairman was quite strict.”

With that thought, I placed the prepared materials on the lectern next to the screen. Then, I inserted a USB into the classroom computer to prepare for the lecture.

“I’m ready.”

“Begin.”

“Understood.”

Starting with greetings and learning objectives, the demonstration proceeded smoothly.

“Spirit contract magic, like regular magic…”

I used audiovisual materials at the right moments to keep it engaging.

“Looking at this data…”

I also checked engagement with questions. The principal smiled, satisfied.

“It feels like students are really here.”

A seamless, flowing lesson. Impressive, right? You’d be shocked.

“Do you know how much I studied to teach when I was a professor?”

Compared to presentations for research funding, a teaching demonstration is nothing.

The 30-minute demonstration continued.

“That concludes the basics of spirit contracts. Next time, we’ll practice contract magic firsthand. Thank you.”

At the end of the class, the principal burst into applause.

“Remarkable! Truly remarkable!”

The principal was beaming with admiration. “For someone whose classes were notorious for being a mess, you’ve designed such an impressive lesson. It was perfect!”

“Thank you.”

“What do you think, Head of Faculty? Isn’t this enough?”

The principal turned to the Head of Faculty with a smile.

Seems like they really want to renew my contract. Probably because it’s a hassle for them otherwise. But as long as the outcome is good, who cares?

“No.”

The Head of Faculty crossed his arms and shook his head.

“This won’t do.”

What?

Just a moment ago, you were all ‘Wow, amazing!’

“Honestly, the preparation period for the class demonstration was a month.”

It was just a day.

“And magic isn’t something you can teach with just a class, right?”

Hmm?

“You explained everything verbally. Do you think the students understood?”

Ah.

I get it.

So, what you’re saying is…

“You want a demonstration?”

That’s no problem.

“I expected as much.”

With my teaching experience, I never thought theory alone would suffice.

“Would you like me to demonstrate?”

“What? Can you do it?”

“How about the spirit contract magic we discussed today?”

“What? A spirit?”

The Head of Faculty chuckled and shook his head.

“Jae-sang, don’t push yourself. I know your capabilities well. You used to rely on magical tools for even basic elemental magic. You might get hurt.”

Naturally, the difficulty of magic varies by theme. Spirit contract magic is particularly challenging because it requires sustained effort, unlike elemental magic, which operates with a single mana infusion. Summoning a spirit from the spirit realm is even more difficult.

“I agree. While your ambition is commendable, spirit magic is a complex field. Today’s demonstration was impressive enough. Let’s leave it at that and work on it gradually.”

“I’ll give you some leeway, so don’t attempt dangerous magic you can’t handle. If there’s no progress in six months, we can reconsider then.”

How considerate of you.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll show you right now.”

With the two of them looking uneasy, I drew a large circle on the screen. Then, I inscribed symbols for the spirit contract and completed the magic circle.

“It looks impressive on the surface.”

Keep sneering, bald Head of Faculty. You’ll be in for a surprise soon.

I pointed to the completed magic circle. “I’m ready to begin.”

Channeling mana into the magic circle isn’t easy. But for me?

“It’s a piece of cake.”

There was just one issue.

“The reason the original Lee Jae-sang couldn’t perform even basic magic.”

It’s because Lee Jae-sang was a dark mage.

“There’s no perfect way to distinguish black mana from regular mana.”

Even simple magic would have exposed him. If that’s the case for elemental magic, then spirit contract magic?

It would be obvious.

“And that’s still true now.”

If I cast magic without thinking, black mana would seep out, and I’d be ‘dust in the wind.’

But.

“I already have a plan.”

It was around the time I first started researching necromancy.

– “Hae-sung, did you know mana has attributes?”

– “Of course, that’s basic knowledge.”

– “So, there’s specific mana for each theme.”

– “That’s why talent is important, right?”

– “Exactly.”

– “…You madman, don’t tell me.”

– “Yes, it’s exactly that.”

Recalling Shin Hae-sung’s shocked expression, I grinned.

The last three months of research. The method most used in magic activation research.

It was the method of extracting only the desired mana.

“A method only I can use.”

That is…

“Restricting the subtle wavelengths of mana!”

Easier said than done. It requires the ability to modify the magic circle appropriately and the concentration to control mana flow over a long period.

“I have both.”

Mana slowly flowed into the magic circle. With a bit more focus, I could filter out only the mana most suitable for a spirit contract, but…

There’s no need to go that far.

“Wait. It’s taking a while… Shouldn’t a lower spirit have been summoned by now?”

The principal and Head of Faculty must have assumed I was summoning a lower spirit.

But.

“A lower spirit?”

When did I say that?

“I’m summoning a higher spirit.”

Spirit contract magic is inherently difficult. Targeting a higher-grade spirit?

The difficulty skyrockets!

“I’m summoning a higher spirit.”

“What? A higher spirit!?”

“Are you trying to get us killed?”

No one’s dying here. Everything’s stable.

“It’s almost done.”

The two held their breath, waiting for the magic to conclude.

– Ssshh

The magic circle began to glow brightly.

And then.

– Splash

Mana flowed from the magic circle, gathering in the air with a sound like water.

The water-attributed mana began to condense, gradually forming the shape of a girl.

“My goodness!”

“A real higher spirit!?”

Even as the two were stunned, the magic continued to unfold.

“Answer my call.”

Soon, the mana dissipated, and the spirit in the form of a girl opened her eyes.

With skin as pale as snow and long hair cascading down her back, the water spirit was truly beautiful.

“Mr. Jae-sang…!”

The two began to shower me with praise.

“What on earth did you prepare in a month?”

“Being able to contract a higher spirit! How could I have underestimated you? Why didn’t you show us sooner?”

But I didn’t have the luxury to bask in their compliments.

Why?

“Wow, unbelievable.”

I was just as surprised.

I knew I could summon a spirit.

But…

“I didn’t expect this.”

The supreme water spirit, with her blue hair flowing, looked at me and said,

“Long time no see, contractor.”

The spirit, smiling warmly, was none other than Cynthia, the supreme spirit I had contracted in my past life.