Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Translator: Penny
Episode 27: The Battle for the Commoner [End]
Episode 27: The Mortal Scramble [END]
(I've made a slight revision to the very end of Episode 26. Please check it before reading.)
"..........."
After sending Kang A-yul and Lee Seo-yun to the arena, I settled into my seat in the stands, leisurely watching their duel.
"Quite a crowd."
- Murmur, murmur
- Hey, hey, looks like it's about to start.
From bored freshmen to third-year students waiting for their Guild internships, the stands were half-full.
The duel had started immediately after classes ended, and for some reason, news of Kang A-yul and Lee Seo-yun's duel had spread like wildfire across the Academy. As a result, about half of the gymnasium's 700 seats were occupied.
Normally, this kind of crowd would only gather for top-tier cadets' duels or mock battles on days when Guild Masters visited.
Ah, right. They're both top-tier cadets.
- Is that Kang A-yul? The Sword Saint's granddaughter.
- Yeah... sigh I'm interning at the Renowned Sword Guild. I hope I can do well.
- If we act friendly with him, we might get good positions too, right?
- Don't even think about it. Remember how many third-years got crushed trying to challenge him last year?
- True. Even the current Student Council President, who took on both the top and second-ranked third-years simultaneously, was amazing... but he's a Magician. As swordsmen, we're probably superior. I almost feel sorry for that blind guy.
The third-year students, in particular, were practically on vacation, watching the match with the same carefree attitude as high school seniors after the college entrance exams. They had been participating in Guild internships since April, receiving hands-on training in Gate subjugation directly from the Heroes themselves.
"Wait, a blind guy wielding a sword? I thought he was a support-type Magician."
"Who knows? He's a transfer student... probably bought his way in. You know, that Director Kim's son or nephew or whatever... the one who threw a tantrum during the Entrance Ceremony Incident, got demoted to Tier 3, and dropped out? This guy probably just kept his head down and rode the bus."
As expected, most were predicting an easy victory for Kang A-yul.
"Seriously, if you're a transfer student, just keep quiet. Why is he picking fights with everyone?"
So, these incompetent bastards who could barely get into some backwater academy without connections are now at Raon Academy? That pisses me off.
"...But Miss Seo-yun is the real deal."
Lee Seo-yun, the transfer student, was being treated similarly to the fraudulent admissions cadets who had foamed at the mouth and fainted.
To be fair, given her blindness and ambition to become a Striker, it seemed like just another clueless parachute kid picking a fight with Vice President Kang A-yul and challenging him to a duel.
But who could have guessed?
That this entire conflict was over something as trivial as the seat next to me—a fight even kindergarteners wouldn't stoop to.
I was considering moving to a single seat when I sensed movement behind me. Turning around, I recognized familiar faces approaching.
"Ecclesia, is this where the second-year seniors hold their duels?"
"Yes, watching the duels of skilled individuals here can help us improve our own skills."
"Miss Ecclesia, Miss Jian, I've saved seats for you."
"Thank you, Sakura. By the way, where's Arin?"
"She's probably sleeping in the library, or maybe she went back to the dorm already."
For some reason, the protagonist's group had also come to the arena.
The protagonist isn't supposed to meet Kang A-yul until the mentor classes... Well, it's a change for the better, so it shouldn't be a problem.
Still, it's impressive how Ecclesia, Hanae Sakura, and Sakura became friends on their very first day. Truly protagonist-level social skills.
It's quite a contrast to how I had to wait a week after enrolling in the game before even talking to the heroine characters to form a party.
"By the way, it seems Yu Eun-ha still hasn't warmed up to the protagonist. She's supposed to be tsundere towards him from the start, but after the Entrance Ceremony Incident, she should have clearly shown her affection."
Hmm... Well, I did prevent Yu Eun-ha, who was originally supposed to become Yun Seong-ho's adopted daughter, from entering the Yuseong Group. Perhaps that slight change altered things.
Knowing that showing my face to the students would only cause trouble, I sat in the stands wearing a mask and sunglasses. If I suddenly approached the protagonist's group acting friendly, they'd become suspicious. For now, I should withdraw and observe their duel.
"Ah, if we're being too loud and you're moving because of that, I'm sorry..."
"No, it's just that... I can't see their duel very well from here. I'm moving to a better spot."
Sakura, thinking my sudden departure was due to her earlier boisterous behavior, apologized profusely. I assured her it wasn't her fault and moved to another spot.
Rip
Onion cheese popcorn is the best.
I tore open the instant popcorn I'd grabbed from a snack stand on the way and gulped down some zero-calorie cola before resuming my observation. The two duelists seemed serious about starting, lightly checking each other's swords before exchanging them.
Lee Seo-yun, wielding a wooden sword over a meter long, drew her blade backward in a motion reminiscent of iaido. Kang A-yul, meanwhile, conjured a floating mana sword, preparing for the clash.
Beeeeeeep!
As the signal blared, both duelists infused their wooden swords with mana, and the duel began.
Clang!
In an instant, both figures vanished.
Clang! Boom! Crackle!
As the barrier protecting the spectators trembled violently from the shockwaves, I watched the two combatants clash. Their movements were so impossibly fast and powerful that it was hard to believe they were human.
Even if I moved at full speed right now, could I move like that?
My agility stat was B+, one rank higher than the injured Lee Seo-yun and equal to Kang A-yul's. Yet the lingering sensation that my body wasn't moving as smoothly as I willed it to persisted.
Perhaps it was because I was inhabiting Yun Se-a's body rather than my own player avatar. Unlike the game, where the system handled complex processes like vision and mana manipulation, I now had to calculate everything myself.
Fizz
"...This is inconvenient."
Within the Academy, using the Demonic Eye of Suggestion or Mephisto's Fragment was strictly forbidden.
The seven Demon spies hidden within the Academy might leak that information to the Demons. In the game, there was only a vague mention of a traitor revealing our location, so I didn't have complete knowledge of the spies' identities or appearances.
The only abilities I can use inside the Academy are Recovery (S), Constellation Magic, and Psychokinesis.
To become combat-capable, I either needed to fully master Constellation Magic or grow strong enough to spam the Void like Yun Se-a.
I definitely need a staff too.
During the boss battle, Yun Se-a used her Demonic Eye as both a staff and a weapon. Unfortunately, I was forbidden from using my Demonic Eye of Suggestion.
We clearly had the same stats, so how could there be such a difference in output?
Lee Seo-yun parried Kang A-yul's relentless barrage of hundreds of mana swords with her signature swordplay, maintaining a defensive stance.
However, she couldn't block every sword flying from all directions, including blind spots. When a mana sword pierced her abdomen, she let out a short cry and collapsed to her knees.
Already, her health bar had plummeted from 100 to 12.
"How about it? If you surrender now, I won't knock you unconscious."
"...If you just slit my throat now, it would end with your victory."
Kneeling and gasping for breath, Lee Seo-yun watched as Kang A-yul tapped her chin with his wooden sword, as if trying to provoke her.
"When all your barriers collapse, the exhaustion hits you hard, right? In that state, you can't even do your usual training. Your mental state is a mess. If you just drop your sword and surrender now..."
"No."
"Fine, then... experiencing the crushing defeat before overwhelming power can be a valuable lesson too..."
Realizing she had no intention of surrendering, Kang A-yul raised his hand high. A massive mana sword, easily ten meters long, plunged toward Lee Seo-yun.
"Now I see it. The trajectory of that sluggish sword."
Clang!
"And aside from the mana sword... your swordsmanship is so lacking, it's hard to believe you're the Sword Saint's granddaughter."
Swish!
"Do you really think you can become Vice President with such pathetic skills?"
"You little—! Ugh?!"
Lee Seo-yun instantly shattered the greatsword into ten pieces and slashed a deep gash across Kang A-yul's abdomen.
Thud!
"Hrk?!"
"You bastard! What did you just say?!"
At the same moment, Kang A-yul's hastily conjured mana sword pierced Lee Seo-yun's waist. Both their health bars plummeted to zero, ending the duel in a draw.
As the barrier slowly dissipated, I approached to help them up, thinking, "Well done, both of you."
...?!
Were they truly trying to kill each other? The two figures charged at each other, their wooden swords crackling with a terrifying level of mana.
Wait, isn't the barrier down?!
Those lunatics! Someone's going to get killed!
Voices filled with confusion and worry erupted from the crowd.
콰아아앙!
Without a second thought, my body moved with the fastest speed I had ever displayed, darting between them.
콰직! 우드득...!
"...Alright, that's enough."
Somehow... I had managed to stop their collision.
My right arm was shattered, and my left arm was twisted into a grotesque angle.
Considering I had prevented a life-or-death duel, it was a small price to pay.
"Your... arm?!"
"Miss Se-a, are you alright?!"
Judging by how I could barely hear their loud voices, their sudden real fight must have been too much for me to handle.
"Are you... insane? How long has it been since the Barrier was dismantled...?"
Ah, my vision is fading... Is it because I'm so tense? The relief is making my legs give way, and I'm suddenly exhausted.
If I collapse here, things will get really complicated in so many ways...
Thud!
"Yun Se-a!"
"Miss Se-a!"
With their screams as my final memory, my consciousness regrettably slipped away.