Episode 12 Placement Test (2)
Fire Pillar.
This is a magic spell that marks the area designated by the magic circle with a pillar of blazing fire.
It is generally used to restrict enemy movement rather than to hit them, or to assist in the subsequent casting of fire magic.
However, this is an exception if the opponent is just standing there blankly on top of the magic circle.
Just like right now.
– Kwaaaaah!
The power of the reinforced Fire Pillar exceeded Hong Yeon-hwa’s expectations.
The momentum of the rising flames was so strong that even she, who cast the spell, was unable to withstand the raging heat and took a few steps back.
The heat also kicked up a thick cloud of dust, obscuring the view inside the arena.
So for a while, nothing was visible.
After a while, the duration of the fire pillar ended and it gradually subsided, and the thick dust began to clear away little by little.
As soon as Hong Yeon-hwa’s vision became clear, the first thing she did was check the scoreboard.
[Kim Ho 100% vs Hong Yeon-hwa 99%]
[1:01 remaining]
“no……!”
You still don’t care?
Even the really reinforced fire pillar was completely defended?
Anyone would lose their will to fight in this situation.
But Hong Yeon-hwa was not ‘someone’.
‘I am… … . I am the next Ruby Matapjuya.’
I gritted my teeth and repeated that to myself.
There’s nothing we can do about it now that it’s come to this.
The secret cards that were kept hidden to be used against the strong players around the middle of the semester.
Take them out and use them.
I will win no matter what.
It was when Hong Yeon-hwa was gathering mana to cast the spell again.
Something small and sparkling shone in the dust that had not yet completely cleared.
Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was a hummingbird made of brain matter.
– Chijijijik—
‘Hummingbird!?’
She hurriedly recited a counter spell to swat the hummingbird away, but the bird moved erratically and disappeared from her sight.
Hong Yeon-hwa felt a sharp pain in her shoulder as she desperately searched around for the missing hummingbird.
– Phagec!
“Ugh!”
[The ‘Paralysis’ status effect applies.]
I gritted my teeth and barely managed to get my body up, which was stiff and about to fall over.
But she also had a hunch.
The fact that since he was paralyzed, his chances of winning were already extremely low.
Kim Ho slowly walked out of the dust, stood in front of him, and rested his long staff on his shoulder.
“Let’s stop here.”
“… … !”
The gaze he gave me was infinitely emotionless.
And then a voice as cold as the emotionless gaze was heard.
“Rather than showing everything here, it would be better to give up what you have to give up and save your losses. If you think about the rest of the game.”
“… … !”
Only then did Hong Yeon-hwa realize.
The fact that, throughout the game, everything was being read from start to finish.
She was completely at the mercy of this man.
And if you think about it calmly, it makes sense.
Even if you pour all your remaining magic into it, there is no guarantee that it will work.
On the other hand, revealing your hidden cards will have a negative impact on your next match and even your interpersonal play throughout the semester.
For now, it would be better to step back.
Besides, Hong Yeon-hwa didn’t have much of a choice.
Isn’t the opponent’s weapon hanging on his shoulder right now?
The moment you refuse that offer, you may be struck by some magic, but it will be fatal as it hits you at close range.
An image of herself curling up in a horrible way appeared in Hong Yeon-hwa’s head.
The man is trying to save face by raising the white flag before something like that happens.
‘I know, I know… …!’
Although I understood all of this in my head, it was extremely difficult to admit defeat to Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been burning with fighting spirit until just before.
After clenching her fists and shaking for a long time, she finally lowered her head.
“I, I lost… … .”
* * *
[Kim Ho Win vs Hong Yeon Hwa Lose]
Before the start, no one would have doubted Ruby Tower’s victory.
Even more so because the opponent was an unknown person who seemed like nothing special.
So when Hong Yeon-hwa left the stage, half-asleep, the audience began to chatter busily among themselves.
– Wow, Ruby Mattap lost? What’s that? Did you see what kind of magic she used?
– No. When I saw it, it wasn’t magic. I couldn’t see the spell at all.
– What are you talking about? What did you do with magic that didn’t drain your blood?
– Oh, so it’s not magic?
– But how can it not fall below 100% at all?
– Is that okay?
Most of it was focused on how I perfectly defended myself against the pouring fire magic.
And that will remain a question for quite some time to Hong Yeon-hwa herself, who faced me.
If you found out the truth, wouldn’t you feel incredibly empty, even if you didn’t know it?
‘I didn’t know you’d fool me into doing all that.’
Pretend to use a defensive artifact.
Pretend to dispel.
Pretend to use defensive magic.
Although she only acted plausibly, Hong Yeon-hwa fell for the provocation and responded to the confrontation head-on.
Since it was a Ruby Tower with great firepower, the calculation was that a head-on fight would definitely be a victory.
but,
‘Elemental resistance was out of the calculations.’
If you want to inflict even the slightest damage to an opponent with S-rank [Elemental Resistance] using elemental magic, you must use at least B-rank magic.
Or, add a debuff that lowers the enemy’s resistance.
If it’s neither this nor that, even if I pour out a hundred-day magic, my stamina won’t go down from 100%.
If Hong Yeon-hwa had been a little more relaxed and observed carefully, she might have figured out the existence of [Elemental Resistance] and come up with countermeasures.
However, her lack of practical experience and the limited time of only 5 minutes made her anxious.
And that impatience ultimately led to defeat.
Magic circles were created here and there in the arena, and the burned and broken parts were completely repaired.
At the same time, a halo of light gathered and carried me off the stage.
Isu Dok’s voice stopped my steps as I was about to return to the stands.
“Kim Ho. Song Cheon-hye.”
The next batch of exams was scheduled right away.
The stands were in an uproar again.
– Song Cheon-hye?
– Is it really Song Cheon-hye?
– I heard that you entered this year, but I think you’re in class 3.
– I heard he joined the leadership team too.
– As expected, it lives up to its name.
A celebrity who captures students’ attention with just their name.
But he himself doesn’t seem to care at all about the attention he’s receiving.
Song Cheon-hye walked straight towards me and met my gaze.
“You’re lucky. There was something I wanted to check out.”
Judging from the fact that he said he wanted to check it out, it seems like he watched the match between me and Hong Yeon-hwa.
If you’re a brain magician, you can’t help but be interested in the hummingbird I flew last.
Song Cheon-hye was a woman who burned with determination to do her best, but in fact, it was wrong to say that she was lucky.
“I’m sorry. I guess we’ll have to postpone that until next time.”
“What is that… … ?”
This match was never meant to happen from the start.
I looked at the water pipe and raised one hand.
“I will abstain.”
“……yes?”
Song Cheon-hye was dumbfounded.
Lee Soo-dok also frowned slightly as if it was his first time experiencing this situation.
“Why?”
“My condition is really bad. I don’t think I can continue playing against others. Please disqualify me from the third match as well.”
“Even if you’re not in good shape right now, it’ll be a lot easier to get one more win than to get another 300 points. Would you still give up?”
“Yes. That can’t be helped.”
“… … Alright. I’ll treat it as a defeat.”
Although Lee Soo-dok seemed suspicious of my attitude of being overly focused on winning and losing, he respected my choice without further interference.
Because of this, I’ll start at a much lower rank and will have to play more duels to get to the rank I want, but I’ll be the one taking the loss anyway.
As I turn around,
“Just a moment.”
Song Cheon-hye called me over.
“why?”
“Are you really giving up for that reason? Because you’re not feeling well?”
“Yeah. Then that won’t work?”
Song Cheon-hye closed her eyes for a moment and seemed to swallow the anger that was welling up in her.
And he spoke in a tone that seemed to be admonishing.
“Always be prepared for a match. Do your best even if you are not in the best condition. He said that only those who achieve victory in the end even in unfavorable situations will reach the top.”
“It doesn’t sound like something you just made up. It’s a saying from a great person.”
“My grandfather.”
Come to think of it, their grandfather was the Thunder King.
As a hero who has reached the top of his field, the words of the Thunder Lord were advice that any aspiring hero should take to heart.
… … Putting that advice into action is a separate matter.
I have no intention of changing the plans I have already made.
So I used the best argument avoidance technique, ‘You’re right.’
“Yeah, I guess I’m not the type of guy who can do it. Let’s just say you win.”
“… … I’m so disappointed. I feel like a fool for having any expectations of you.”
Song Cheon-hye’s eyes now revealed not only disappointment but also a faint contempt.
If the favorability rating was displayed, it would probably be very close to 0, right?
This time, I called out to Song Cheon-hye, who was leaving, saying it was all a waste of time.
“Oh, that’s right.”
“……why.”
“He said he’d send me a dessert coupon.”
“Does this situation make you think of dessert?”
“To be honest, I do crave something sweet.”
“Ha, this is really ridiculous.”
“Did you forget? The dessert coupon.”
“… … .”
Song Cheon-hye completely ignored me and started walking briskly.
Actually, I wanted to try it, but the situation isn’t very good.
‘It’s already too noticeable.’
Because I surrendered to Hong Yeon-hwa in the first match, I was given the label of ‘the unknown powerhouse who defeated Ruby Matap’.
That alone would be quite annoying in the future, and on top of that, you’re going to beat the granddaughter of the Thunder King?
A superstar is born overnight from the beginning of the semester.
Fame is a double-edged sword.
And usually the negative side is sharper and more pointed.
As your name becomes known, the number of eyes watching and analyzing you will increase.
S-class [Elemental Resistance] is an incredible trait that not only the students of Yongsal Academy but even the teachers have a hard time breaking through.
However, right now I only have S-rank elemental resistance, and the rest is still nothing special.
If that information leaks out, future interpersonal battles will become very annoying.
For that reason, sticking with Song Cheon-hye right now is the worst of the worst.
Some people who watched the match with Hong Yeon-hwa earlier may have already started to have doubts, and if the same method is used two or three times, the doubts will harden into certainty.
An information war is in full swing.
I need to hide my cards as much as possible until I get my hands on other means.
– Huh? Why did they stop doing it?
– You’re saying it’s an abstention?
– Abstention? Is there anyone who abstains from the placement test?
– I guess you were scared because your opponent was Song Cheon-hye.
– No matter what, you’re just going to run away without even trying. You’re losing steam.
– You’re a coward, a super coward.
Of course, the audience had no way of understanding the meaning.
The curious gaze asking, “Who is that person?” instantly changed into a look mixed with laughter and mockery saying, “Well, that’s true.”
A guy who is not very good, but luckily beat the Ruby Tower.
But then, when he was confronted by the Topaz Tower, he immediately turned around and ran away, a coward.
‘Very good. Very appropriate.’
That was exactly the assessment I intended.
I returned to the stands, my ears blaring as I heard boos coming from somewhere.
Perhaps because it was around the middle of the placement test, there were few students waiting in the stands.
Since the next match will be scheduled soon anyway, we’ll just wait near the stage.
Shin Byeong-cheol was one of the few students who took a seat in the audience.
He is diligently scribbling something on his notepad, his eyes fixed on the stage.
Maybe it’s because he’s a guy who buys and sells information, but he’s very enthusiastic at times like this.
Shin Byeong-cheol asked me as I sat down.
“I guess it’s all over? How many wins did you get?
“1 win, 2 losses. What about you?”
“comrades.”
An unspoken consensus was formed between Shin Byeong-cheol and me.
We held hands tightly.
Song Cheon-hye’s next opponent was a male student holding a spear.
It seems like he is going to make an exciting declaration before the start, but Song Cheon-hye just returns his cold gaze.
Shin Byeong-cheol asked while watching the confrontation between the two people.
“I was kind of looking forward to seeing you and him fight. Why did you abstain?”
“I just didn’t think I could win.”
“Yeah, if it’s Song Cheon-hye, there’s nothing I can do.”
Shin Byeong-cheol, as a victim of lightning magic, seemed to deeply sympathize with my decision.
Wouldn’t it be more aesthetically pleasing to give up early rather than writhing ugly on the floor with your whole body paralyzed in a fight you’re going to lose anyway?
This interpretation is very different from my original intention, but I would be grateful if you thought of it this way.
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Start!]
As soon as the game started, the boy who was running towards the goal suddenly lost speed and stumbled.
Carelessly, he was hit straight by a hummingbird.
The spearman struggled to regain his composure, holding onto his knees as they tried to sink to the floor.
But the next moment, what came into his sight was Song Cheon-hye, who was striking him with a lightning bolt the size of a human body.
– Gurrrrung!! Boom!!
An ear-splitting thunder shook the arena.
“… …Is he angry?”
“I guess so.”
Song Cheon-hye, who had been grumbling, searched the stands and found me.
He gave me a sharp glare and then rode a teleportation magic circle out of the arena.
And the boy who grabbed the spear was carried out on a stretcher.
Shin Byeong-cheol clicked his tongue.
“Oh my, he hasn’t even played 3 games yet, and he’s already been disqualified without even trying. How pitiful. How pitiful.”
“It’s not just him who is pitiful. Song Cheon-hye didn’t play three games either.”
“Oh, really? Who’s next?”
Song Cheon-hye’s placement test. Who is the final sacrificial lamb?
As if answering Shin Byeong-cheol’s question, Lee Su-dok said two names.
“Song Cheon-hye.”
and,
“Calligrapher.”
The supporters eat it all
