Reincarnated as the Only Male in an All-Girls Magic Academy!
Chapter 39: Loomer.

Chapter 39: Loomer.

On the wide, elevated platform stood their instructor: Instructor Velda. She was tall and lean, with the posture of someone who could slice a boulder in half just by standing near it.

Her black coat fluttered slightly with every subtle motion she made, and her narrow eyes were as sharp as twin daggers that had seen too many wars.

Though her features were strikingly beautiful. She had cheekbones like carved ice, lips that always seemed slightly unimpressed and a slender neck that hinted subtly at her femininity.

Still, it was the aura of command she wore like a second skin that made every student sit up straighter the moment she glanced their way.

"And that," she said, her voice smooth but heavy with finality, "is how the Great Carver Rebellion fell. Not in battle. Not in flames. But in silence... under the weight of its own ideals. And with it came the birth of the Surface Kings."

A quiet hush fell over the room as the hundreds of girls in the class took in the history lesson. Then Velda’s tone shifted ever so slightly; lighter, but no less commanding.

"Now then," she said, allowing her eyes to scan the massive auditorium until they landed on a particular trio.

"Congratulations to Ren, Mirabella, and Lia. I see your names on the Imperial Leaderboard. A worthy feat, considering you’ve barely begun."

Whispers broke out immediately, mostly excited murmurs from students who glanced their way with widened eyes, while others sneaked in jealous looks they hoped no one would catch.

"But," Velda continued sharply, causing the room to snap back to silence,

"Do not let early achievement become your final one. Being first does not matter if you become last in the long run. Let this motivate you. Let this push you to chase further. Harder. Smarter."

Then, with a swift turn of her heel, she signaled the end of class, and the hundreds of students began to file out.

Ren barely flinched under the dozens of admiring eyes aimed his way. If anything, he sat straighter, calmer.

His dark blue uniform with its orange edges seemed to glint with just a bit more authority under the light.

On his left sat Lia, arms crossed, eyes still locked on the stage as if trying to memorize Velda’s final words. And next to her... was Mirabella.

The three of them. Sitting side by side.

It wasn’t official yet, but something was definitely forming. A trio. A loose alliance of rising stars who had more in common than they admitted.

Ren’s bond with Lia was growing stronger each day, built on shared survival, sharp wit, a lot of embarrassment, and that strange emotional connection that kept sneaking in when they weren’t looking.

But Mirabella? That was different. Their friendship, if you could call it that was forged from side-eyes and small nods, mutual caution wrapped in respect.

They were friends in the way rival swordmasters might occasionally share tea before trying to out-slash each other again.

And Lia had no idea they were going to fight soon.

As the crowd thinned, the three of them slowly walked side by side down the bright corridor, the hall buzzing softly behind them.

Ren walked in the middle, the quiet air of someone used to analyzing every angle.

Lia skipped slightly beside him, humming some victory theme only she knew, while Mirabella walked on the opposite end, expression unreadable, gaze distant.

Until she suddenly spoke.

"I see you’ve both broken through to the Adept stage as well," she said coolly.

Ren gave a faint smile. "You say that like you didn’t expect it."

Lia puffed out her chest immediately, her grin wide enough to blind a bat. "Of course we did! I mean, only the top two out of thousands! I’d say we’re pretty—"

Then she froze mid-stride. Blinked once. Then slowly turned toward Mirabella.

"Wait... You’re saying that like... you too—?"

Mirabella nodded once, utterly casual. "Naturally. Why else would I bring it up?"

Lia let out a sigh so deep it probably echoed into another dimension. "I knew it. So we’re all Adepts now?"

"Correct," Mirabella said. "Though it’s worth noting... we may have been the first in this side block to break through, but not the first across all side blocks."

Lia’s jaw dropped. "Wait, there’s more than just our block?"

Ren had known for a while. The truth was, the academy had three massive side blocks just like theirs.

Each one housed about 1,500 promising prospectives. Block A, Block B, and Block C. They were in Block B. But the top students from the other two?

Mirabella folded her arms. "The first to reach the Adept stage across all three blocks were the Amethyst Sisters. Triplets. They rule over Block A."

Lia’s eyes practically burst out of her head. "Triplets?! That rule?! That’s insane!"

"And in Block C..." Mirabella glanced up at the darkening sky beyond the corridor’s open windows.

"There’s only one name worth mentioning. A girl who walks alone. They call her... Shadow."

Even Ren blinked at that. Shadow? That was new. He hadn’t heard that name before. But what made his stomach twist slightly was what came next.

"She reached Adept three days before we did, Ren," Mirabella said without much emotion. "That means we’re not even close to her speed."

For a second, silence. Ren blinked. That was shocking. Three days was no small gap. He’d practically risked mental combustion getting there. But still...

He didn’t flinch. Not even a twitch.

Because at the end of the day, he was already on the Imperial Leaderboard.

And they weren’t.

He didn’t need to say it. He didn’t need to brag. He didn’t even need to frown. He just adjusted his collar slightly, gave the faintest smirk, and kept walking forward.

Let them chase. They would never catch up.

As the trio moved down the elegant stone corridor, Mirabella suddenly slowed her steps, her long silver ponytail swaying like a whip in slow motion.

Her violet eyes flicked toward a path branching off to the right, where only instructors were usually allowed to go.

Without turning fully, she murmured, "I have some things to do. We’ll talk later."

Ren gave a brief nod, and Lia chirped, "See ya, Bella!"

And with that, Mirabella strode away like a mysterious noblewoman with ten side quests on her agenda, vanishing behind the curved pathway without another word.

Ren and Lia exchanged a look; his unreadable, hers bright with leftover energy.

As they continued walking side by side, Lia spun slightly in front of him, walking backward with her hands behind her head.

"Sooo~" she said, voice playful, "since we’re both officially Adepts now, there’s something we have to buy."

Ren raised a brow. "You talking about the Loomer?"

She grinned. "Ding ding ding! Ten points to the calm-and-serious Ren."

The Loomer, despite its silly name, was one of the most important purchases any weaver made after breaking through to the Adept stage.

It looked like a squishy toy; a brightly colored, squeaky rubbery ball with tiny glyphs carved in a ring around its core, but it was actually a delicate, enchanted tool that reacted precisely to focused mental energy.

Now that they were Adepts, their mental range had finally broken past the initial barrier.

But unlike the Beginner stage, where most people simply had to get a feel for it, the Adept stage introduced something far more complicated; mental precision.

It wasn’t enough to just know your range existed. You had to know how far it reached, where it reached, and how consistent it was depending on your environment.

Loom density could change from place to place. Sometimes it was thin and weak like a morning mist. Other times, it was thick and clingy like fog in a haunted forest.

Even casting the same weave could take more effort if the Loom was unstable. So unless you wanted to guess and accidentally explode your own eyebrows off, it was best to test using a Loomer.

"I heard it’s like... bouncy?" Lia asked, tilting her head. "But also squeaks? Why does something so important sound like a toddler’s toy?"

Ren smirked. "Because it was originally a toddler’s toy. Someone enchanted it by mistake and realized it reacted insanely well to mental energy. Boom. Loomer industry."

Lia’s eyes widened. "Wait, are you serious?"

"Completely."

She burst into laughter as they approached the sleek glowing vendor cubes lining the edge of the central plaza.

Dozens of girls moved around, shopping, chatting, or running training errands, but the duo made their way toward a small stall tucked between a potion brewer and a rune repair booth.

A thin sign above the crystal case read: LOOMERS — KNOW YOUR RANGE BEFORE YOUR RANGE KNOWS YOU.

Ren picked out two, paying with a flick of his badge and a few AP. The vendor cube buzzed and dispensed two squeaky blue balls into a soft foam tray.

They were literally squeaky. Lia squeezed one experimentally. SQUEAK! "Oh my gods. This is amazing."

Ren turned his over in his hand. The glyphs around the edges shimmered faintly the moment his fingers touched it, reacting to the presence of focused thought.

It was sensitive, more than he expected. He narrowed his eyes slightly. "It’s ready. Don’t squeeze it like a stress toy, though. You might mess up the reading."

"I was born ready." Lia struck a pose like she’d just been cast in a superhero movie. "But first, food!"

It didn’t take long for them to locate the food lane.

The moment they stepped into the street filled with countless kitchen stalls and restaurants, their noses were bombarded by the best smells known to any plane of existence.

Roasted pepperfish sizzling on lava-stone plates. Golden rice drenched in rich bone-marrow sauces.

Thick, sweet honey-syrup noodles being twirled onto crystal forks. It was heaven with seasoning.

They picked a rooftop terrace restaurant called "Spicebound" that offered a private booth and a view of the ’block lights.’

There, over two steaming plates of abyssal chili-wrapped meat rolls and lemon-butter duck rice, they feasted like students with no budgeting skills.

Lia had three bites and sighed like a queen receiving a foot massage. "I feel like I just broke through again."

Ren didn’t even answer. He was too busy trying to decide if his tongue was on fire or if that was just how it was supposed to feel.

Eventually, stomachs full and Loomers squeaking faintly in their pockets, they found a random training room on the west wing of the tower.

Lia was bouncing in place. "Okay! First up, me!"

She stood in the center of the room, held the Loomer with both hands, and closed her eyes. A moment later, faint red threads of energy coiled around her temples like a crown.

Her expression turned focused, like she was pushing something invisible forward. Then, the Loomer pulsed.

Squeak!

A glowing number appeared in the air just above it: 2.4 meters.

She gasped. "Ohhh! That’s not bad, right? That’s like... double what I had before! Boom!" She punched the air. "I am officially mentally large."

Ren coughed. "Please never say that again."

"What? I’m just proud!"

She stuck her tongue out, spinning the Loomer in her hands before gesturing at Ren. "Alright, pretty boy. Let’s see if you can beat that."

He smirked at her, then walked toward the center of the room.

He didn’t rush. He just stood still for a moment. Then closed his eyes. No deep breath. No dramatic pose. Just silence.

A low hum echoed through the room. Unlike Lia’s warm red energy, Ren’s aura was almost too chaotic.

Thin multicolored threads coiled around his shoulders like snakes watching everything. The Loomer in his palm quivered. Then it pulsed once.

Then again.

And then—

Squeak!

A number appeared.