Chapter 130. Festival
"Uh..."
I was wondering how I should respond when someone barges in with that kind of bullshit, but luckily, the host turned to us.
[Let's pause here and have a quick chat with today's main characters. First, Cadet Shin Dongmin?]
"Yes."
[Honestly, I've seen you for three years, so I'm not curious about anything. Let's move on to Cadet Lee Hoyeon!]
"Pfft."
Shin Dongmin, who had been waiting for a question to come his way, made a face like he'd bitten into shit at the host's comment. I couldn't hold back my laughter when I saw that.
Shin Dongmin shot a blazing glare, but I ignored him and looked at the host.
[I heard the first-years had survival exams up until yesterday. Looking at Cadet Lee Hoyeon's tired face, it seems you survived until the end. Is that right?!]
My face was now showing on the giant holographic screen in the auditorium.
My hair was dry and frizzy like my energy had been drained, my cheeks were sunken, eyes bloodshot with dark circles. I looked like a mess.
But thanks to my good looks, I came off more like a ruggedly handsome guy than someone gross.
"Ah... that's right. Honestly, I overslept. I ended up being late, so I'm sure you had a hard time, Mr. Host. Thank you."
[No, no. Thanks to you, the atmosphere really heated up.]
"Let's gooo!!! Vice President!"
"Shin Dongmin! Shin Dongmin! Shin Dongmin!"
Sadly, most of the auditorium was on Shin Dongmin's side.
Most of the guys were cheering for him, and they were loud.
"Let's go, Lee Hoyeon!"
"He's handsome!"
There were cheers for me too, but not nearly as loud.
[Since this is a friendly match with the third-years, many are expecting a loss. What do you think, Cadet Lee Hoyeon?!]
"I'll show you with the result."
Isn't it about time we started?
My head hurts a bit.
[Ooooh! What confidence! What will the outcome be? Let's get started, shall we? First, let's choose the dueling field!]
A large roulette began spinning as the magic circle in the center of the auditorium activated.
[Since this is an event match, the dueling field is randomly selected! Depending on the field that appears, it might actually be a fair fight for Cadet Lee Hoyeon!]
"Hmm..."
Even though I proved my skills in 1v1 duels, this is still how the crowd thinks. It's probably because I'm a first-year.
I hope I can end it once and for all this time. It's about time people stopped talking like that.
Drrrrrr—
The roulette slowed down and pointed to a section.
[Ah—! The field is set to the floating buoys over the ocean! What a devastating draw for Cadet Lee Hoyeon! This is a terrain entirely favorable to Cadet Shin Dongmin!]
"Kuk, sorry about that."
'...Figures.'
That look tells me there was some shady backdoor work.
But I didn't care.
The salty scent of the sea tickled my nose.
In the blink of an eye, my surroundings transformed into the ocean.
The space-expanding magic circle surrounding the dueling arena expanded the stage into a vast sea. Beneath me and Shin Dongmin, large buoys spanning dozens of meters floated on the water.
[Then! The friendly match between Cadet Lee Hoyeon and Cadet Shin Dongmin begins nowww~!]
The reason I don't care about the field is simple.
Absurdly enough, having sex with Liliana helped me level up.
I still don't know her secret, but in the process of breaking through those high-level spells, my magic proficiency had risen.
There was once a rumor that I had awakened, and it caused quite the stir.
Back then, people concluded that there was no way a first-year could awaken, so it was dismissed.
'This time, it's going to blow up for real.'
The mana barrier between me and Shin Dongmin disappeared, and the waves began to rise.
Swooosh! Splash—
Thump. Thump.
'He really is strong.'
It's honestly a broken game balance. A cadet being stronger than active Hunters?
Thump.
My familiar combat instincts wrapped around me.
Shin Dongmin had already prepared a magic circle. As he waved his hand, the surrounding water shaped into various forms.
Seeing the massive wave rushing toward me, I calmly began to gather my mana.
Grooooar—!
From behind the wave, water dragons rose.
"No way! Water dragons?!"
"It's over. Even the field is on Shin Dongmin's side."
I could hear the audience's voices from here—it was kind of amazing.
I didn't hear anything during the 1v1 duels. Maybe because this is an event?
[Cadet Shin Dongmin! An unbelievable display of magic! He summons five water dragons in an instant!]
A massive tidal wave and five water dragons rushed toward me.
The audience erupted at the spectacle.
It was definitely impressive.
"But so what."
I don't give a shit about these water tricks.
I promised to play with Liliana, I can't waste time on this.
Thump.
I unleashed the mana rising from within.
It's been a while since I used anything other than fire spells... but it's fine.
Because I can handle it now.
Crackle—!
Clang. Clink.
Craaack. Clink.
Frost spread from my body.
The water dragons and tidal wave rushing toward me began to freeze upon contact with the cold.
Crunch. Crackle—
The massive wave froze into an ice sculpture.
The sentient water dragons struggled desperately to stop themselves from freezing, only to freeze in even more grotesque shapes.
Click. Crack. Crackle.
The spreading frost began to freeze even the ocean.
As the ice spread with a crackling sound, Shin Dongmin panicked and started yelling.
"N-no way! Ice?!"
[...W-what is happening?! Cadet Lee Hoyeon possesses the ice attribute! Is this... dual attributes?! Dual attributes?!]
Crack—Craack—
The ocean froze over.
The way the buoys, once bobbing with the waves, now sat still proved it.
"You're not seriously done already, are you?"
I gave Shin Dongmin a gentle smile as I looked at him.
After making such a big fuss, you're not going to give up with just this, right?
"..."
"Oh. You've got some pride, huh."
Shin Dongmin didn't give up and drew another magic circle.
Just because there's no water doesn't mean you can't use water magic. It's just more efficient when there's water around. Normally, water magic includes the process of creating the water itself.
Thump. Thump.
I had used up quite a bit of mana just now.
Since I'm not in great shape, I should finish this quickly.
I used the remaining mana to lift the frozen sea in chunks.
Shin Dongmin, who was drawing a magic circle, looked around and turned pale.
"You said you'd do anything if I won, right? Don't ever go near the President again. If I catch you next time, I'll seriously kill you."
Crack!
Hundreds of ice shards surged toward Shin Dongmin.
"Aaaaaargh!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
He blocked maybe a few dozen by desperately drawing magic circles, but the moment his initial spell was broken, the match was already over.
KRRRACK—!
The ice shards pierced through Shin Dongmin's magic and began lodging into his body. As the damage accumulated, his magic weakened more and more.
"Why! Whyyy!!!"
Seeing Shin Dongmin screaming while trying to block the ice made me laugh.
"Maybe if you'd put that effort into training instead of rigging the field, the outcome might've been different, huh?"
"Gaaaaah!"
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
Ice shards slammed into the area around Shin Dongmin, and eventually a massive ice pillar formed around him as he failed to block it all.
He's not Elsa, but he turned into a human snowman.
[Ah... The match is over! The winner is Cadet Lee Hoyeon!]
Ssshhh—
The frozen sea disappeared and the dueling arena returned to normal.
Trapped in mana-formed ice, Shin Dongmin collapsed as the ice melted. Medical staff quickly rushed over, loaded him onto a stretcher, and carried him away.
Last time, I was the one carried out. This time, it's my opponent.
"Ugh."
My head is spinning.
I need to get to bed, fast.
[Cadet Lee Hoyeon? A word about your victory, please!]
The host had approached me at some point. I was tired and wanted to leave, but he covered for me earlier, so I could give him this much.
"Ah... Thank you. I revealed my hidden weapon this time, and I hope everyone enjoyed it. Enjoy Celestia. I'm off to sleep."
[Wow! That was cool. So cool! Since Cadet Lee Hoyeon looks extremely tired, let's leave questions about his dual attribute to the guild reps! Moving on to the next event!]
Thankfully, the host didn't ask anything else after seeing my wrecked appearance.
Ugh, I'm exhausted.
I stepped down from the dueling stage.
Still, I should at least greet the student council members before I leave.
"Thanks for the support. I'm heading off."
"You were amazing, junior... Leave the rest to us!"
"Yup, thank you. Where's the President?"
I looked around but couldn't see Moon Surin anywhere.
"She was just over there... Where'd she go?"
I left the confused cadet and headed to the waiting room for staff.
She probably doesn't like crowded places.
"Hoyeon...!"
Just in time, I ran into Moon Surin as she was coming out.
"Surin noona. Thanks. I'm really tired, so I'm heading out. Just came to say goodbye."
"Okay. Go get some rest. You look like hell."
I thanked her as she held both my cheeks and worried over me, then stepped out of the waiting room.
Now I really need to get back to the dorm.
"Yo~ Handsome! Nice work out there."
"...Is 'Handsome' seriously my new name now?"
Just as I left the main auditorium and was heading toward the dorm, Kim Younghan approached me. Guess he was waiting outside.
"Yup!"
That dumb grin of his really pisses me off.
"Haah... Just call me by my name."
"Why? Handsome suits you. It rolls off the tongue."
"Ugh, aren't you tired?"
He survived until the final day just like me, but still looks full of energy.
"Well, I didn't fight as hard as you did. I just ran around on the last day."
"Call me 'Handsome' one more time and I'm calling you 'Thorn-Covered Third-Rate' from now on."
"..."
"I'm gonna go rest. I'm exhausted."
Ignoring the sulking Kim Younghan, I headed for the dorm.
Thinking about snuggling up with Liliana made my heart feel warm.
Ding—
I opened the door to the dorm.
I'd rushed out at 8:50, and now I was back in less than an hour.
On the way to my room, I stripped off my cadet uniform like I was leaving a breadcrumb trail.
Liliana was still asleep in the same position as when I'd left.
I stripped down and lay next to her.
Snuggle snuggle.
I pressed myself against her and placed my hand over her chest.
The soft, warm feel of her body and skin brought me peace.
"Haa..."
As soon as I lay down, all the tension and fatigue crashed down on me.
'After I wake up, I'll play with Liliana. Oh, and I should ask her about her magic...'
Thud—
My memory ended there.