Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Translator: Penny
Episode 50: Why Are You Here?
Episode 50: Why Are You Here? [END]
What is this?
Why is the Protagonist here?
I stared at Yu Eun-ha with a questioning gaze, demanding an explanation. She pressed her hand to her forehead and sighed deeply.
"I... I think she saw me writing the message. I'm sorry, Sister..."
"It's fine. The more people, the better."
Despite her reassuring words, Yu Eun-ha glanced at Seo Jian with a troubled expression.
For a moment, it seemed Seo Jian was about to block my path forward and introduce me herself, but...
"Seo Jian, this is Sister Se-a I mentioned earlier. Don't suddenly rush at her—"
"Chairman! It's so nice to finally meet you!"
Grab!
The moment Seo Jian saw my face, she broke past Yu Eun-ha's attempt to restrain her and lunged toward me. She shook my hand so rapidly it was almost invisible to the others before Yu Eun-ha finally subdued her.
"Sister, you're still recovering. Take it easy."
"Come on, she's incredibly strong! Just look at the mana flowing through her body—it's truly astonishing. Chairman, are you an offensive magician like Arin?"
"I appreciate the compliment."
Let's see...
Baek Sia seemed to have gone down to prepare for today's match, leaving only Sakura and Ecclesia behind.
An empty seat with popcorn set out... does that mean someone's coming soon? And that's Seong Arin's usual pillow.
Seeing two empty seats, I felt certain that Seong Arin and Baek Sia would come here after their match... wait, now that I think about it, this is the part where the Protagonist and Baek Sia first start interacting. They probably haven't gotten close yet.
So, whose seats are these...?
"Sister, sit here."
"Thank you."
That was my seat.
As Yu Eun-ha sat on the meticulously cleaned chair, the first-year students nearby turned to stare at me.
Why are Miss Eun-ha and the Student Council President...?
I don't know. Maybe she's trying to recruit him into the Student Council?
If that's the case, should I ask to join too?
Ugh, how annoying.
Just as I was considering whether to say something, Yu Eun-ha suddenly unleashed a ruthless wave of killing intent at the first-years.
Whoa.
Overwhelmed by the force, the first-years quickly averted their gazes in panic. Thanks to this, I could now comfortably watch the match.
With Yu Eun-ha and Seo Jian, who had returned after unleashing their killing intent, sitting beside me, it was annoying that Seong Arin kept clinging to me. But Yu Eun-ha always intervened, making it convenient.
By the way, where is Na Yubin and what is she up to?
I saw that he submitted his application, but I have no idea where he is or what he's doing...
"Alright! This match is between... Cadet Hong Biyeon of Class A, ranked 50th in the second year, and... Cadet Seong Arin, who topped the entrance exam and is currently ranked second overall!"
- Wooooah!
- Arin, fighting!
Watching the match from the stands was as entertaining as watching a live show.
As if fighters were emerging from blue and red corners, Hong Biyeon and Seong Arin slowly walked out from golden and sky-blue pillars, the signature colors of Raon Academy.
Seong Arin, looking half-asleep, didn't even glance at Hong Biyeon as she drew her staff. Hong Biyeon, on the other hand, gazed at Seong Arin with a complex expression as she retrieved her own staff.
"This is the first time I've seen a match between Magicians!"
"Usually, battles between Magicians..."
"Usually, the outcome hinges on who can control their mana better. That's why the Vice President and the top senior from the third grade could at least put up a decent fight earlier. But battles between mages often end anticlimactically, especially when there's a significant skill gap."
Ecclesia's assessment proved accurate.
Seong Arin carried a low-quality practice staff provided by the Academy, while Hong Biyeon wielded a Mithril staff that looked remarkably high-performance, likely brought from home.
Just based on their equipment... Hong Biyeon has an overwhelming advantage.
"That senior's equipment looks incredibly advanced..."
"Don't worry, Arin is super strong!"
As Sakura voiced her concern about Seong Arin's chances, Seo Jian decisively declared Arin's victory, leaving no room for doubt.
"Chairman, who do you think will win? Being ranked 50th... that means they're in Class A with you, right?"
"Hmm... Personally, I'd like to support Miss Biyeon, since we're classmates."
Well, the outcome of this match was painfully obvious.
Hong Biyeon, who couldn't even properly cast a single spell during the match, suffered the ultimate humiliation for a mage—having her primary magic reversed—and was utterly defeated.
And not even by someone using the Alternium Staff she had used during the entrance exam. No, she was beaten by Seong Arin, wielding a cheap staff borrowed from the Academy for free.
From Seong Arin's perspective, it might have been meant as a gesture of consideration...
But instead, it ignited Hong Biyeon's inferiority complex, becoming a major catalyst for her to resort to illegal drugs and spiral out of control.
"...And personally, I don't really like people who deliberately hold back during a duel."
".........!"
My blatant frown of discomfort seemed to panic the first-year group, who began to subtly avoid my gaze.
"I understand. When you overwhelm an opponent with overwhelming power... there's no fun in fighting. Miss Biyeon could even be seriously injured by Cadet Arin's attacks. There must have been some consideration involved."
As I spoke, I calmly sipped my cola, watching Hong Biyeon suffer the full force of her own magic.
"Ah... the match is over! Cadet Seong Arin has defeated Cadet Hong Biyeon using only her own magic, advancing to the Round of 128!"
"Ah... this is going to be a massive psychological blow."
"As you all know, magic involves a caster weaving a Spell Formula using Mana and then launching it with Mana, right?"
"Reversal is the act of perfectly analyzing the structure of a Spell Formula and altering its contents—literally destroying the opponent's magic. But Cadet Seong Arin..."
"...redirected the reversed magic's trajectory and sent it back at Cadet Hong Biyeon. Using Reversal, which is typically used for destruction or redirection, as a direct offensive technique..."
"...is an act of utter contempt for the mage."
"I'll be right back."
I quickly rose from my seat. The reason was simple:
They'll make contact now.
I needed to ensure Hong Biyeon didn't drink that potion and could instead choose a better path.
I lost.
KWAANG!
And overwhelmingly so.
"Damn it! Arin, you bitch!"
Even though I'd been toyed with, I was still ranked 50th among second-year students and belonged to Class A.
But I had been utterly defeated.
As if to say, "I can reverse a Fireball from a nobody like you without even looking," she merely flicked her staff, and the Fireball I had painstakingly crafted was brutally reversed.
I could endure that. My pride as a mage had been shattered long ago.
I could even tolerate the humiliating sight of my own magic being reversed and used to defeat me.
I understood why she had used the Academy's lowest-grade staff instead of the Alternium Staff my master had given me.
But that was something she couldn't bear.
The look of disappointment on her master's face as he watched her. And...
"While fighting, you never once looked at me."
Even as Seong Arin reversed her own magic, she never once glanced at her opponent.
Her pride as a mage had been shattered long before she even entered the Academy. The way he had looked at her after she fell, reaching out a hand with pity in his eyes, that attitude...
"Ughhhhh!"
She hated it.
Thud, thud, thud!
Before she knew it, crimson blood splattered the walls. The liquid dripping from her head was likely blood.
Hong Biyeon glared murderously at the figure approaching her, who tossed her a handkerchief. She assumed they were Class A cadets come to mock her overwhelming defeat against a first-year student.
But then...
"Don't you want revenge on Seong Arin?"
Hearing the words of the figure approaching with a vial of black liquid, Hong Biyeon, blinded by the first glimmer of hope that she could surpass Seong Arin, dismissed his warning about sacrificing her humanity.
No, she had heard it.
But her mind, already shattered by comparisons to Seong Arin and the scorn of her classmates, had decided that such side effects were irrelevant.
"The method is simple. Just drink it."
"What do you want? If it's money, I can give you as much as you need..."
"No payment is necessary. We're just testing a new drug we developed."
With those words, the figure vanished into the darkness. Hong Biyeon tried to grab them, but her hand closed on nothing.
"With this... I can kill that bitch."
They'd said the effects would be immediate. Now that she'd exhausted her mana, Hong Biyeon saw this as her chance to slaughter that loathsome woman and the trash who had scorned her. She immediately moved to drink the black potion.
"Not so fast."
"...Yun Se-a?!"
Before she could, someone restrained her with telekinesis.