P.s: Didn't have time to update so sr bout that.
D:
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Hajin P.o.v
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Tuesday. I haven't returned to my room until noon. Duels continued until today, and unfortunately, Teach decided to nominate me and Rachel of all people. As if he didn't torture me enough from our lesson.
In his words, we are the ones who would come out most lightly compared to the rest in case something went south. I don't know how I was considered better than geniuses like Shin Jonghak and Chae Nayun. Maybe he meant if it was an emergency.
I just don't get Teach sometimes.
Our duels were scheduled at 8 and 11, one after another. Considering yesterday's performance, it wouldn't be strange if it were any closer.
Rachel was up first and let's just say she was quickly subdued. As nimble as Rachel is, it doesn't help much in front of someone much faster than her. Shiki quickly outmanoeuvred Rachel and lightly knocked her off-stage.
He did take some cuts but it didn't stop him at all. He just literally walked it off like it was nothing.
'And he wanted me to duel him? Is this some kind of joke I'm too dumb to understand?'
Anyway, my turn came after a few rounds. Surrendering myself to fate, I walked toward the arena.
Waiting for me on the other side of the arena was a smiling face. Shiki standing there... menacingly.
Shit... He's serious. Even if he didn't use Magic or magecraft like his last two fights, I can feel that ominous grin on his face.
"There you are, Hajin. Kept me waiting huh."
"Teach... Does it really have to be me? Isn't Shin Jonghak or Chae Nayun better?"
I still don't know why he chose me instead of those two. They are far more talented.
"Nope... As far as I can tell, you're more suited to fight me. And besides, you really think I wouldn't notice your little magic trick yesterday?"
He knew... Damn it. The trump card I was planning for him is useless now.
"Of course you knew."
"Obviously, what kind of teacher am I if I didn't. It was a surprise for me you know."
"Figure."
"Enough talk, let me see how much you've grown. Treat it like our training sections"
*Sighh*
I held up my gun, resigning myself to the duel. Before the duel, I had made a change in my gift.
[
Bullet time: once a day –> recharging over time using mana.
]
By doing this, I can use it multiple times as long as I have enough mana. It cost me a whopping 1000 'S.p' just for a few words. Luckily, with my luck and yesterday's duel, I got just enough to afford it.
Originally, I wanted to turn it into a stock-type, using mana to recharge. But considering the cost, I changed my mind and downgraded it to what I have now.
With this, Bullet Time become a good utility for me.
Seeing me holding up my gun, Teach raised his hands in response.
'A defensive stance... He's telling me to initiate the duel.'
The host caught our sign and began to announce.
–It's the moment we've been waiting for, ladies and gentlemen. The duel between two dark horses from yesterday. Will Shiki show us another clean victory, or will Hajin overcome this obstacle and demonstrate his monstrous firepower once again?
–In Three
–Two
–One
–FIGHTTT!!
'It's now or never.'
Bullet Time.
In five seconds, I shot a barrage of bullets toward Shiki, blocking his escape. Three minutes of Bullet time is precious, and I can't afford to waste it. I have to use it offensively not just to evade.
Shiki chose to block; his arms were bruised, protecting his body from harm.
*Tch*
'As expected, Teach knew they weren't anti-mana bullets.'
Anti-mana bullets cost more mana than normal mana bullets. So clearly I wouldn't use them at the beginning.
Seeing that I emptied the clip, Shiki charged at me. Unlike the mad charging hog I faced yesterday, he was like a lightning bolt. I spread my mana in response and...
'Now!!!'
Used Displacement to switch our positions.
I loaded another clip and started blasting. Without Bullet Time, I was slower to fire. Yet the timing was right, a few bullets grazed his body while one of them hit its mark.
Before this, I had never hit him once in training. Either that he is too fast or too unpredictable, my shot has always missed. Seeing now that I succeeded, it felt great.
Shiki touched the bole in his body and slightly smiled.
"Finally, you hit something. I was thinking of doubling your training if you didn't." Shiki said.
"Please don't."
Ignoring my disagrement, Shiki continued.
"See, what did I tell you. Jonghak and Nayun wouldn't manage this. One is too repulsive to control and the other doesn't have the courage to fight full force.
You on the other hand, would resolve to your bottom line to win. Whether shooting them in the back or outsmarting your opponent. You use all you have to defeat what is in front of you.
That is how to fight, how one should battle. Anything could happen, so if you don't take your chances, you've already lost."
His word hit me deeply. That's right, I had to do everything I could think of to survive. I had to mock Chae Nayun into using a sword so that Kim Suho has another reliable partner. I had to kill a child in order not to have her become a terrifying witch in the future.
This way of mine isn't a good way, but it is mine to make and mine to bear. So what if it wasn't honourable? I chose this path, and I will walk it to the end.
But he didn't judge me, he didn't stop me. Instead, he taught me how to become stronger. He guided me on where I should admit my mistake.
If all fail me, I know this man won't. He is the kind of person who watches over others.
He is The Teacher after all.
So what I can do now is give my all. Show him that I can be better. That I was not a mistake of his teaching.
"You're right. That is who I am. That is who I was. And that is who I will be.
There will be some judgmental eyes upon me, but I don't care. As long as someone acknowledges me in my way, then that's enough.
So..... I will not stop here. I will fight to the end of it.
I Will
See this story
To its end."
I will continue on this path despite the hate. But... I will walk it with confidence in my eyes. At least, that... Is not a mistake.
Shiki revealed a big smile on his face.
"So you finally realise your way. Good!!!
Now show me what you have learn."
"You don't have to tell me Teach."
Shiki's mana skyrocketed, causing an uproar among the audience. I also script tons of runes to counteract.
The arena exploded in sweat and blood. This is no longer a duel. This is a battle to solidify my ideal. Even if I lose, as long as my conviction still lives, that is not a loss.
Once again, I have been put under pressure of Teach's rapid assault. This time, though, with all my assets available, I pushed back and retaliated.
Multiple runes triggering and exploding, combined with prolonged usage of Displacement, have drained my mana stock.
In the end, I was able to push Shiki into a hard spot.
No mana left, all I have now is half a minute of bullet time and one Gandr yet to activate. After this, it's game over.
Shiki is no better. If it were someone else, being shot by tons of bullets would knock them out of commission by now. But this is Shiki whom we're talking about. He would heal it sooner or later.
This has to end now.
I jumped straight at him, starting our final exchange. Shiki also pushed forward.
His speed is still too fast for me to see. But with Bullet Time, I can briefly catch his movement. Shiki didn't bother to side-step his way out. He knew that I ran out of mana.
I shoved the Gandr orb into his vision and lined up my gun behind it. I fire two bullets at his leg.
The bullets lodged into his knee, stopping him for a moment. This is my only chance.
"Gandr"
The rune magic spell flew straight at Shiki's body. It landed in his liver. A direct hit.
"Well done, Hajin."
He gave off a contented smile before getting serious.
"Laplace's demon..." Shiki softly spoke.
At that moment, everything bent into a spiral. The Gandr strayed from its path and hit the arena barrier cracking it completely.
The spectators gasped in awe. Judging from the crack, Shiki would have been seriously injured if the attack had hit. But for some reason, it went off its course and hit the barrier instead. Only a minor burn was left on his abdomen.
I laughed in relief. Of course, I was sure that Teach would deal with my attack easily. But for him to use something I have never seen him do. That I can take pride in.
"You blocked my view with Gandr to cripple my leg. That's great thinking. If someone is faster than you, aim for their leg."
This guy, giving a lesson even at this time.
"I didn't expect you would gamble this last attack. You have grown stronger, Hajin.
Well, let's end this."
Yeah, I'm exhausted now. There's nothing I can do anymore. Better to end this peacefully.
"I sur..."
"I surrender." Shiki spoke first.
What?
What did he just say?
"Good fight Hajin. You manage to force me to use Magic." He said softly only for me to hear.
I force him to use Magic? TheMagic he once told us?
"There were other options but this one ensures the most safety."
"So... I surrender. I'll see ya later."
As Shiki walked off the arena, cheers erupted from all sides. The loudness of them went through my ear irritated me a little.
"I...won. This is unexpected. But it didn't feel bad."
I lay down for a while until the host urged me to return in order to fix the arena.
.
..
...
..
.
Currently, it was 1 P.M., and I was outside. To be honest, I was still tired after our match. I also wanted to watch Chae Nayun duel Rachel, and Kim Suho fight Yi Yeonghan.
"The seats are full."
However, the arena was completely packed with people. The first arena had 5000 seats, but there wasn't an empty seat no matter how hard I looked.
'Should I go back? Or should I just stand and watch?'
When I was having such thoughts at the back of the arena, two people, who seemed to be a couple, suddenly stood up and left.
"K-Kuhum."
I sat down on the seat, feeling like I was walking on eggshells as I hoped they wouldn't come back.
—Thank you for waiting!
Thankfully, the couple didn't return, and the host announced the start of the duel, accompanied by the excited cheering of the crowd.
Sssss.
Someone sat down next to me. I glanced to the side with a bag of popcorn in my hand, then looked ahead.
"...?"
Suddenly, the image of the person flashed in my head. She... looked familiar. I swallowed the popcorn in my mouth and glanced sideways once again.
At the same time, my heart stopped beating and my breathing froze.
"She" was sitting next to me.
The boss of the Chameleon Troupe. As someone who lived her life without a name, she was only known by her title, Yasha.
I stuffed my shaking hands into the popcorn and fixed my eyes on the duelling arena. My heart, which temporarily stopped, finally began to thump crazily.
Why was she here? Did I do something wrong? Or was it a coincidence?
Right, it had to be a coincidence. She was here to watch Kim Suho and just happened to sit next to me...
In the middle of my panicked thinking...
"Huak!"
Someone who was walking down the stairs suddenly tripped. This nameless person was holding onto a large soda. The soda promptly spun in the air before landing on someone's head like a hat. For the record, the soda was filled to the brim.
I didn't know whether luck played a part in it, but not a single drop landed on me. However...
I turned to the side, feeling a tinge of dizziness.
Under the soda cup standing like a party hat, Boss's black pupils were trembling uncontrollably.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry."
The nameless person apologised in shock. The Chameleon Troupe's boss seemed just as shocked as she remained completely still. First, I took the soda cup off her head. The ice cubes sitting on her head immediately dripped down, and Boss shut her eyes.
"Please wait just one minute. I'll go get a towel..."
But at that moment, the nameless person suddenly froze. His eyes turned lifeless and he began to walk out in a strange zombie-like manner.
I glanced at Boss' neck on which a faint light was glimmering. It seemed that what just happened was her necklace's ability. That necklace... I felt like I knew it, but I couldn't quite remember it. I wasn't too keen on item settings.
"Haa."
She suddenly let out a deep sigh. Then, she turned towards me.
I scratched my neck.
I had a tiny pack of tissues in my pocket, but it was nowhere near enough to clean up the mess on her head and clothes.
"..."
But because her eyes were fixed on me, I took out the tissues.
"Um, you can use this..."
She looked back and forth between the pack of tissues and me. She then grabbed the tissues and wiped her face, legs, and arms.
"Thank you."
Then, she gave a light bow and thanked me. I fell into a daze momentarily. What just happened?
At that moment, the host's loud voice resounded.
—We are now starting!
The crowd cheered loudly. A countless number of reporters aimed their cameras at the arena. Although they weren't allowed to film the duels, they were allowed to take pictures. The reporters from England were especially excited.
—Duel between rank 3 Rachel and rank 4 Chae Nayun!
A battle between a rapier and a bow.
This was something that happened in the original story. In other words, I already knew who would win - Rachel.
I stared at Rachel and Chae Nayun standing in the arena. Though they were far away, I could see them as though they were only a couple of feet away. Chae Nayun's mouth moved. I could hear what she was saying.
—Princess, our rank will be changing today.
Rachel didn't react to Chae Nayun's provocation.
—Beginning countdown! Three! Two!
Chae Nayun aimed her bow at Rachel, and Rachel held up her rapier.
Facing each other, neither side had even the tiniest imbalance in their postures. Waiting for the start signal, they concealed their openings while searching for their opponent's openings.
—Start!
Chae Nayun fired her arrow immediately. Her magic arrow flew out at lightning speed. However, Rachel skirted past the arrow by a hair's breadth with refined, efficient movements.
Chae Nayun continued with a barrage of arrows. When the arrows raining down from the sky hit the ground, they split into several offshoots and took on unpredictable paths. It seemed this was the plan Chae Nayun had made for this fight. Since Rachel would just dodge her arrows if she shot at her directly, Chae Nayun was trying to box her in.
However, Rachel dodged the terrifying barrage of arrows elegantly. Not only that, but she didn't hesitate to stab with her rapier when given the chance.
The magic power from Ravhel's attacks shot towards Chae Nayun like beams of light. Even so, Chae Nayun didn't dodge them. Instead, she emitted magic power in the form of a shield to block them.
Immediately, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Chae Nayun's magic power control had already surpassed the level of a cadet.
However, the outcome of this fierce battle was predetermined. Chae Nayun couldn't win against Rachel.
Rachel was a swordsman specialised in receiving long-range attacks. Her slender and flexible body could dodge arrows with the slightest movement, and her attacks of delicate magic power continuously disrupted an archer's posture.
Not to mention a certain someone's teaching push her stats further. Reinforcement magecraft yield better result than normal qi reinforment. Its also appliable to object making it a viable defence as well.
Chae Nayun created a shield to prevent her posture from becoming unstable, but this method was too costly in magic power.
On the other hand, Rachel mana resevre is higher and more efficient, thanks again to someone.
The moment Chae Nayun's magic power ran out, it would be Rachel's victory. A dominance victory.
"I saw your duel against Kim Horak and your duel earlier."
At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out from next to me.
Startled, I jolted slightly.
Because I was too focused on Chae Nayun and Rachel's duel, I had forgotten who was sitting next to me. It was incredibly foolish, considering she was currently far more important than Rachel or Chae Nayun.
"Um, thank you."
I replied as calmly as possible.
She asked while staring at me.
"Was that your Gift?"
"...I'm sorry, but that's not something that I can reveal so easily, especially the last duel."
"..."
She took out a business card from her pocket.
"This is who I am."
She gave me the business card.
[Li Xiaopeng]
[Desolate Moon's grade 3 Hero]
[Contact address: 0103-3243-9203-93]
This was likely one of her many fake identities. Even so, my heart trembled as very few people had way of contacting her. In order to not make it obvious, I simply smiled and muttered.
"It's illegal to scout cadets in advance."
"..."
She tried to put away her business card.
"Ah, but..."
I grabbed her wrist. As I thought, she didn't know about playing hard to get.
"I'll hold onto yours."
"..."
She nodded and gave me her business card.
"I'll leave now. Contact us whenever you want."
With that, she got up. As she walked out, I stared at her back in a daze.
"...What did she come here for?"
I couldn't understand. No matter how much I thought about it, there shouldn't have been any reason for her to visit me at this point.
.
..
...
..
.
All duels ended by 5 P.M.
Shin Jonghak, me, and a cadet named Joo Youngho were the only ones to win all their duels. Because cadets could fight up to three times a day, many unexpected outcomes had occurred due to one side being tired.
—Wow, that was amazing. Did you see Kim Suho? How stylish can he get?
—Chae Nayun lost to Rachel... I'm a bit bitter. This is the first time I've seen Korea's rising star losing to a foreigner.
By the time I left the arena, the sky had already turned dark. Many spectators brushed past me as they reflected on today's battles.
Before I returned to the dorm, I first went into an alleyway in the back of the arena. After sitting down in a random spot, I took out the drone I placed in my cross bag.
This drone was quite different than the original, as I added several settings like battery life boost, stealth mode, and target lock-on. These changes would last for four days, which was when the Chameleon Troupe would leave. Consequently, the modification was relatively cheap in SP.
"Fly."
I threw the drone into the air. The drone flew into the forest, and I got up to head back to the dorm.
—...kuk, huk... kuk
"...Huh?"
But a sudden crying sound made me stop. It sounded a bit like an animal crying, but it was also pitiful enough to make me turn to its direction.
My eyes broke through several walls in the path, and in a nearby forest close to the back of the arena, I saw someone hiding between trees and crying.
It was Chae Nayun. Her body was shaking and her face was buried between her knees.
"Ah."
This event, I remembered it.
It was the when Chae Nayun would completely fall for Kim Suho. Soon, he would come to console Chae Nayun on her defeat, and with everything else that should have happened between them.
Chae Nayun would come to see Kim Suho as not just a friend. Although things had changed slightly from the original story, it seemed the big picture remained the same.
But I hesitated to leave.
In the end, I turned on my smartwatch.
The message Chae Nayun sent me last night was there.
[Hey, don't ignore me. If you don't reply, I'll nominate you for real.]
I gave her an 18-hour late reply.
[What are you doing?]
Through the walls, I could see Chae Nayun's smartwatch ring. But because she was crying, she didn't check her smartwatch. I sent her another message.
[I saw your duel today.]
Chae Nayun then glanced at her smartwatch.
—...What does this bastard want now?
It seemed she was planning on ignoring my messages. I didn't have any other choice. I sent her a message she couldn't ignore.
[Are you still afraid of holding a sword?]
–This pretentious bast...
I would have instigated her, but seeing Teach's disapproving gaze last time, I refrained.
[Screw off before I kill you.]
The reply I sent back immediately was enough to drive her over the edge.
[It's okay to be afraid, that's human. But to stubbornly insist on using a bow to hide the fear? That I can't understand... It's almost pitiful. If you overcome that fear just for the fight, do you think you would lose to Rachel?]
[What? You wanna die?]
[Think a little. You beat her when you were in Agent Military Academy, so why do you think you're losing now? It's because you don't have the aptitude for bows.]
[What you piece of shit where are you do I look like a pushover you bastard don't be so arrogant just because you beat Kim Horak]
To be honest, even if she used a sword, the gap between them is still there. But if it helps Chae Nayun get over the fear, then that's fine for me.
Her emotional message was hardly readable because of punctuation errors. I didn't even read it all. I didn't reply to her either. I wanted to mess with her a bit more because her reaction was funny, but unfortunately, it was time.
—Huh? Chae Nayun?
Kim Suho peeked his head behind the tree, where Chae Nayun was hiding.
—...Eh?
—What are you doing here?
—W...What!
Chae Nayun quickly wiped off her tears. She then tried to run, but Kim Suho caught her.
—Let me go!
Chae Nayun tried to shake him off, but Kim Suho wasn't the type of person who would leave a crying girl be. He had a typical main character personality. Consoling a crying girl was almost in his instincts.
"...It's time to go."
I didn't stay behind to watch what would happen between them.
Making sure that Chae Nayun didn't forget about her real Gift was the extent of my role.
.
..
...
..
.
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Wednesday.
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The next combat exam began. As cadets had to fight monsters in this exam, ordinary people were prohibited from spectating.
Furthermore, because magicians' summoned monsters were of varying types and power. the exam was graded on an absolute scale rather than a relative scale.
"Be especially careful in today's exam. If you refuse to give up, you might really end up dying."
Kim Soohyuk gave a solemn warning. Just like he said, summoned monsters were dangerous. Even though they were summoned by magicians, they were unable to comprehend complex orders.
"Annihilate enemies and protect allies," that was the extent of the order they could understand. An order like "test that cadet's skill" was out of the question.
Not to mention, summoned monsters didn't just disappear into thin air when magicians reverse summoned them, so cadets had to be on their toes even after surrendering.
"If you think your life is in danger, give up immediately. You can yell 'I surrender' or simply tap on the ground twice."
"..."
I stood still and calmly listened to Kim Soohyuk's explanation. Chae Nayun was glaring at me from the side, but I ignored her.
"Magicians in charge of the exam will give the rest of the explanation. Give them a warm welcome."
The door opened and robed magicians walked in.
Unlike Shiki who came out of nowhere, these magican came from the The Magician's Tower that had a strict hierarchy among magicians depending on their specialty.
Summoning magician are considered no more than average. And because summoner magicians often worked outside of the Magician's Tower, they didn't have twisted personalities like most magicians.
"Nice to meet you all. I am the Chief Magician, Jin Joohwa."
The leader of the magicians bowed to the cadets.
"Today, you will fight monsters we will summon. But be careful, summoned monsters are no different from real monsters.
Even if we reverse summon them, they won't disappear immediately like in games. So if things look dangerous, surrender immediately."
The cadets nodded at the magician's kind explanation.
"Good. Then we will tell you how the exam will proceed."
Jin Joohwa smiled brightly.
"Four cadets will go in at a time, and each cadet will be given 15 minutes. You will not be graded based on victory or loss, and your fighting role will obviously be taken into account."
Jin Joohwa stuck up his index finger.
"First is how long you last. Next is how calm you responded. In other words, you don't have to try to kill the summoned monster."
Wiing—
A smartwatch's faint vibration cut him off mid-sentence.
The magician looked around the room.
"Please turn off all smartwatches."
He spoke nonchalantly.
We also nonchalantly turned off our smartwatches.
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