The Duel
4th-Tier Composite Spell
⟨ Celestial Ice Net Formation ⟩
What Dohyeon had summoned was not a living creature. It was simply an implementation of simple autonomous flight built on the principles of an algorithm.
It confirmed the direction and speed of incoming attacks. It calculated the surrounding obstacles and the opponent's position. Based on those results, it chose to dodge, wheel, or close in according to a pre-written behavioral pattern.
Automatic responses weren't unknown in this world, of course — but compared to Dohyeon, who had grappled with algorithms in a far more advanced one, the difference was night and day.
If this is enough to shock them, I'd love to see their reaction when they see actual artificial intelligence someday.
Someone in the stands muttered aloud.
"The spell is moving on its own."
"Is it some kind of spirit servant?"
The murmur among the students swelled. The spell clearly looked derived from something similar to dokkaebi fire, yet it moved like a real bird — and that was what threw everyone off. If it had a summoning circle or a talisman as a medium, like a jiangshi or a spirit servant, they would have found it familiar. But here was pure fire moving as though it possessed a mind of its own, a phenomenon the students simply could not make sense of.
The Saseong observing the duel were every bit as baffled.
"There doesn't seem to be a separate control formula."
"Hmph. Clever trick, I'll grant him that."
Ordinarily, one would execute the full formula mentally and adjust the spell's movements with a formula drawn above one's palm. Dohyeon did nothing of the sort, so the directors had no way to read him.
Fwoosh!
One of the firebirds grazed past Choi Yun-gyeom's hair. He jerked his head back and stumbled away, and though the flames never touched him, cold sweat beaded on his forehead. At this rate, getting struck at any moment would hardly have been surprising.
"You little wretch! Then let me show you our clan's secret art!"
Finally losing his patience, Choi Yun-gyeom spread both hands wide and began pouring out spiritual power without pause. A frigid chill spread along the floor of the dueling arena.
Crack-crack-crack.
Chill extending outward from where Choi Yun-gyeom stood carved itself into a formation, linking walls, ceiling, and floor together.
A 4th-tier composite spell — the Celestial Ice Net Formation. One of the Gyeongju Choi Clan's secret arts, it created a domain designed to contend with multiple spirit beasts and flying youkai. Its range and offensive power grew with the caster's proficiency, making it one of the few spells in Korea that matured alongside its wielder.
"Yes — that's it."
Director Choi Mun-hyeok watched, his eyes glowing with rapture.
"However gifted a commoner may be, in the end he cannot overcome a clan's history and bloodline."
A vast domain took shape, and within it, constructs of pure cold began spreading out like a net. The moment one of the blue firebirds flew into the chill's snare —
Crack!
Ice spikes erupted from empty air and skewered the bird. Another firebird hastily folded its wings and veered aside, but it too snagged in the net, and fresh ice spikes burst out one after another.
"Did you really think a little parlor trick with fire could stand against our clan's secret art!"
Wearing the expression of a man already victorious, Choi Yun-gyeom raised his hand, shaping an ice spear to hurl at Dohyeon.
But he was mistaken about one thing. The firebirds' purpose had never been to defeat him. Their only job was to hold his attention until Dohyeon finished a new formula.
Rumble.
In that instant, a low thunder rolled through the indoor arena.
"Thunder?"
Someone glanced up at the ceiling without thinking. Beneath the high rafters, black clouds were blooming into existence — and within them, blue lightning writhed.
There was no mistaking it this time. A crack of thunder split the air with enough force to shake the entire arena.
"Storm clouds... indoors?"
The students rose from their seats one by one, glancing uneasily at the protective wards. Choi Yun-gyeom, too, froze mid-conjuration and looked up. The black clouds had gathered directly above his head.
Conjuring a natural phenomenon inside a building — at this point, is that even still a spell?
As the thunder swelled, Choi Yun-gyeom's body went rigid.
"Is this something a human being can actually do?"
Dohyeon didn't answer. His mind was entirely occupied with scrutinizing his formula.
This much should keep him alive... right?
The grimoire built on the Seonsul Jeon Woo-chi had passed down contained spells of an entirely different order from anything taught normally — demanding overwhelming volumes of spiritual power while concealing principles of a far higher order.
Even the seonsul he was using now worked by drawing in the surrounding cold energy, then stirring the yin and yang within it to induce a lightning strike. Naturally, Dohyeon's studies of yin-yang theory left something to be desired, so he had papered over the gaps in his understanding with the science of his previous life.
5th-Tier Manifestation-Class Seonsul — Lightning Strike.
He hadn't yet refined the seonsul enough, so 5th tier was the ceiling of what he could currently produce. And since the protective talisman could supposedly withstand it — well, that made this the perfect chance for an experiment.
The blue lightning writhing within the clouds converged to a single point, and with a roar, it came crashing down on Choi Yun-gyeom.
KA-BOOM!
The thunder shook the arena to its foundations. Sensing the danger, Choi Yun-gyeom instinctively threw up a wall of ice through the Celestial Ice Net Formation — but it was nowhere near enough to stop the bolt. With a deafening report, the lightning fell on him in an instant, and for a heartbeat the entire arena was drowned in white light.
Heavy silence settled over the arena, where only the echo of thunder remained. The students who had been sneering at Dohyeon moments ago couldn't muster a single word. Perhaps because the strike had punched clean through even his protective talisman, they could only stare back and forth between the charred Choi Yun-gyeom and Dohyeon, standing there without a scratch. The director refereeing the match stood frozen, mouth agape, for a long while.
"Referee."
Dohyeon said, calmly, "It appears his protective talisman did activate."
"Ah. Right."
The referee finally came to his senses, walked over to the fallen Choi Yun-gyeom, and confirmed the burnt-out talisman. With a strike that had pierced even a protective talisman, the outcome was never in question.
"The winner — Han Dohyeon."
The referee declared it with a dry gulp, and only then did a roar of murmurs erupt through the arena.
"That spell just now was at least 5th tier — maybe 6th."
"He reproduced a natural disaster without any external spell-artifact?"
"One hit. He took down senior Choi Yun-gyeom in one hit..."
He had utterly crushed a man commonly rated as effectively 4th rank. That meant at least 5th rank — and it made the claim that he had cleared Jeon Woo-chi's ruins very likely true. The mockery aimed at the laborer evaporated, replaced by envy and curiosity.
"Absurd! Absolutely absurd!"
Director Choi Mun-hyeok shot to his feet and jabbed a finger at Dohyeon.
"A mere menial laborer dares wield a spell like that?"
Mun-hyeok's gaze dropped to Dohyeon's breast. By his understanding of the world, a laborer could not possibly have cast such a spell — so he concluded it must have been triggered by a spell-artifact recovered from the ruins.
Let's drive one straight into that old fossil's head this time. It was the same with me — takes a few good hits before some people come to their senses.
Dohyeon let out a small sigh and spread his palm. A blue formula rose above it.
"This is a spell I developed myself."
It was a fragment of the 2nd-tier spell, Firebird — the very one he had used moments ago. This alone would be enough to show that Dohyeon created spells unlike anyone else's. And seonsul of 5th tier and above was traditionally treated as a clan secret anyway; there was nothing improper about keeping the rest private.
"Oho."
Baek Da-eun stared unblinkingly at the formula.
Hmm. I'd really rather not show this one to her at length... but given those insights into parallel processing last time, there's a real chance she could learn a great deal from this alone.
Dohyeon erased the formula with studied casualness.
Ahem. I'd rather not have people I'm not responsible for getting stronger off my work.
Baek Da-eun let out a sigh heavy with regret as the formula faded, fixing Dohyeon with a pleading look that begged him to show it just once more — but he studiously avoided her eyes.
"It truly was based on dokkaebi fire, then."
Choi Mun-hyeok was still reeling, unable to pull himself out of the shock.
"Director Choi."
Baek Da-eun's voice had gone cold.
"I'd say that constitutes sufficient proof. In which case, I assume you have no objection to Han Dohyeon enrolling as a special student."
Any further demands would no longer read as verification — only as greed. Choi Mun-hyeok's face hardened, and he said nothing.
Baek Da-eun withdrew her attention from him and turned back to Dohyeon, her smile bright again.
"Then I'll take it that he's enrolling as a special student."
"I have no intention of becoming a special student."
Whether Dohyeon would accept it was, of course, another matter entirely. Why bother? Becoming a special student would just mean one more headache. How many people here could even teach him anything? His whole approach to building spells was grounded in the programming and science of his previous life. If anything, he should be the one teaching. Taking the state certification exams would be a bit of a nuisance, sure — but with sufficient skill, hardly impossible.
"So that's how it is..."
Baek Da-eun murmured quietly. Dohyeon relaxed, thinking he'd gotten his point across.
Her next words were nothing like what he expected.
"Then a special student simply isn't enough for you."
"I'm sorry — what?"
"Just give me a moment."
Baek Da-eun closed the distance in an instant, seized Dohyeon's shoulders, and her eyes blazed.
"I've finally met someone of my own kind. I cannot lose you over inadequate treatment."
With that, she strode out of the arena at a brisk clip. Whatever the urgency, she even resorted to shortened-distance travel, and in moments she was gone from sight. Dohyeon could only watch her back vanish, without even a chance to stop her.
I'm about ready to hand in my resignation.
He already had a headache just imagining what Baek Da-eun would propose next. And refusing the special student position alone had him worried about what price she'd exact for it.
Exactly. That's my disciple you're talking about — forget special student, you should be offering him at least a Saseong post.
Spare me the nonsense, will you.