"Shin, I promise you, when we grow up, I will marry you."
Blink Blink
The young man fluttered his eyes open. He slowly pushed himself up, sitting motionless on the edge of his bed. A single tear slipped from his right eye.
The young man had a lean, athletic build, muscles well-defined beneath his skin, not bulky but carved with the kind of strength that came from agility and control rather than sheer size.
Realizing he was running late, he quickly got up and began getting ready for school. He managed to finish everything, his morning business, brushing, and a quick shower, in just 30 minutes, which was average for most guys.
"Shin, don't be late, at least today. It is your last day as a middle schooler," said the middle-aged man, looking sharp and surprisingly handsome for his age.
"I will, Uncle. See you later."
"Take care, Shin," said the gorgeous woman with white hair, her youthful appearance making her seem like someone in her early twenties.
"Sure, Aunty. Bye bye"
Surprisingly, it's his Aunt.
The young man rushed to the school.
On his way, he noticed a billboard that flashed breaking news about a young genius magician who is going to transfer to the best magic academy in the country by abandoning the local magic academy.
He shot a brief frown at the billboard before hurrying toward the school.
The bell rang as he was in front of the school's gate, which was blocked by the P.E teacher.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" said the P.E teacher, whose body is towering above 6 feet and has an enormous back looking identical to a Beer.
'Shit, Am I late again' thinking he was later for sure.
"What a surprise, Shin. You made it exactly one minute before the closing time. The bellboy must've made a mistake,"
"Go on in and enjoy your last day," the teacher said with a warm smile.
Shin was surprised by the teacher's action. He was ready for a lecture about punctuality, but to his surprise, he was met with a warm smile.
Not wasting any further minutes, he gave a quick nod to the teacher and rushed inside.
As he entered the class, everyone was discussing the news that was displayed on the billboard.
Some were angry, some were surprised, and others were siding with the young magician.
Of course, these people's opinions don't matter, as it was a normal middle school attended by normal people, not magicians.
Not paying any attention to the mass, Shin sat in the corner seat in the back of the class.
Surprisingly, no one was approaching him despite his stunning looks.
Did he have zero communication skills? No.
Is it because of his unapproachable aura? No.
Then why?
Well, he's that Chunibyo kid every middle school seems to have. The one who claims to have magical powers and says his left eye twitches because it's cursed by a demon.
But honestly, having chunibyo isn't that unusual at this age. That alone doesn't explain why no one wants to talk to him.
The real reason? He's the most unhinged person you'll ever meet. He doesn't take sides, doesn't flatter anyone. He trusts only himself, calling himself the "Dark Magic Swordsman, Emissary of the Darkness."
His actions were really unpredictable, often in a way that totally ignores social norms.
No one wants to engage with a guy like him, because somehow, everything he does ends up exposing the ugly truths others have worked hard to keep hidden.
Shin is well aware that his persona isn't exactly likable. Still, he finds a sense of satisfaction in the way he lives. Because, at the very least, he's true to himself.
He always carries a wooden sword strapped to his back, and to everyone's surprise, he's remarkably strong. If you exclude students from actual magic academies, he'd easily be the strongest among all middle schoolers.
This was also the reason he is alone, because at the end of the day, nobody can beat him up.
Since it was the final day, everyone was bidding farewell to their friends, marking the end of their middle school journey.
After the closing ceremony, the school day officially came to an end.
As the students began to leave, Shin noticed that his classmate, the young lady of a rich family, seemed to be in a bit of a predicament.
The young lady had blonde hair tied in a ponytail, and her eyes were blue like an aquamarine crystal. Her striking beauty felt distinctly out of place in the school she attended.
The royal car meant to pick up the young lady appeared to be running late. Perhaps the ceremony had ended earlier than expected. Feeling thirsty, she headed toward a nearby convenience store to grab a drink.
Shin noticed the handsome playboy, someone who had once fallen victim to his past actions, following the young lady. Sensing that something was off, Shin decided to trail them both from a safe distance.
As the young lady approached the convenience store, the playboy stepped in and stopped her. He appeared to be saying something, but Shin couldn't make out the words. Still, the playboy's tone and body language made Shin suspicious, there was clearly an ulterior motive behind his actions.
After their brief exchange, the two began walking toward a nearby park. Shin followed them silently.
Once inside the park, the playboy suddenly began confessing his love to the girl. Shin let out a quiet sigh, facepalming in disappointment. It was just a confession after all. Not wanting to intrude, he turned to leave the scene.
But just as he turned his back, a loud explosion rang out.
Spinning around in shock, Shin saw the playboy had launched a burst of magic at the girl. To his surprise, she stood unharmed, protected by a defensive artifact that had activated just in time to shield her from the attack.
'As expected of the wealthy, ' Shin thought
He didn't want to step in right now, as he noticed the situation is under control for the young lady, as she was having a calm look in her face.
But still he didn't want to leave the scene, as he was sensing something off about the situation.
He could tell that the playboy had only recently awakened his magical powers.
Shin's thoughts raced as he tried to make sense of what he was witnessing.
Why would he attack her right after his confession? And where is all this confidence coming from? He, too, should've known that laying a hand on someone from a powerful family comes with serious consequences…
Just as the playboy prepared to launch his next attack, the girl calmly raised her hand from her side.
In an instant, the ground beneath him surged upward, slamming into his face with force. He was sent flying backward, crashing into the nearby fence.
This time, the power didn't come from any artifact. Shin could tell it was her own magic. Her precision and control revealed a level of experience that suggested she had awakened her powers at least a year ago. That was strange, considering it lined up with the time she had transferred to their school.
Wasting no time, the girl launched a follow-up attack. Three cone-shaped projectiles of earth shot through the air at incredible speed, all aimed directly at the stunned playboy.
Just as the projectiles were about to strike him, they were intercepted by a man who appeared out of nowhere.
Suddenly, four men, clearly experienced awakeners, appeared in front of the young lady, forming a barrier between her and the playboy.
These four men were covering their faces with masks and wearing the combat dress of the mercenaries. All of them were built and looked like experienced fighters.
Now it all made sense. This was the source of the unease Shin had felt all along. The playboy had merely been a distraction. These four were the real threat, the ones who had come with serious intentions for the young lady.
The young lady felt immediate danger from them and launched a massive cone-shaped projectile of earth at them. The four men performed a synchronized action and raised a wall of iron to block her attack.
Shin quickly realized the worst: the young lady had encountered her worst possible matchup. She was awakened with the earth attribute, but all four of them wielded the iron attribute, an element superior to earth in every way.
The people who sent these mercenaries seem to be someone who knows the young lady very well, as they knew the fact that the young lady was awakened with earth attribute and matched her with a bad match-up.
The four men performed another synchronized action and launched a volley of iron bars at her.
Each bar slammed into the invisible barrier cast by her defensive artifact.
But the relentless onslaught began to take its toll. Cracks spiderwebbed across the shield's surface, threatening to shatter it entirely. A sense of helplessness washed over the young lady, she was certain this was the end. There was no way out.
The shield finally gave in. With a sharp crack, it splintered apart. Iron bars pierced through the opening, rushing toward her like deadly spears.
Then, in an instant, a shadow flashed past the chaos and landed in front of her. A man had appeared, a wooden sword strapped to his back. With a swift motion, he drew the wooden sword from behind his back.
The young lady stared in disbelief. 'What does this clown think he's going to do with a wooden sword against all that?'
And yet, the man moved with surreal grace, his movements fluid and precise. With nothing but that plain wooden sword, he parried the entire storm of iron bars, deflecting each one with ease
"I, the Emissary of the Darkness, have descended!"
'Emissary of what?' the young lady blinked in disbelief, staring at the strange man who parried the entire storm of iron bars with nothing but a stick.
"Fear not, young lady. I'll handle this from here," he said with calm confidence.
As the deflected iron bars clattered to the ground around them, the dust began to clear, slowly revealing the face of the man who had stepped in.
It was Shin.