Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Translator: Penny
Chapter 53: How to Hunt a Mage [1]
Episode 53: How to Hunt a Mage [1]
"Is that... the shield Defenders use?"
"Similar, but not quite."
I rotated the circular shield, patiently showing Seong Arin its internal structure.
"...That's a Reversal Device?"
"Correct! I heard you often doze off in class. Did you learn this from your Master, Miss Arin?"
Now that Seong Arin had finally recognized my shield's true nature, I casually strapped it to my arm and began preparing for the battle.
"...You told me to come at you with full power, but where's your staff?"
Her voice dripped with wounded pride, clearly stung by being underestimated. It was clear Seong Arin was in a foul mood.
"...Are you angry?"
But I had my reasons, you know.
"You were fighting Hong Biyeon half-heartedly from the start."
"The Staff... it's in the storage room. It's not that I forgot to bring it... I was just worried about Miss Arin."
"..........."
Seong Arin seemed furious, turning her back to prepare for battle.
Gooooooo...!!!
Seeing the mana flowing into the magic orb as expected... it seemed my plan had worked.
As expected, it's Seong Arin.
Information
Name: Seong Arin
Age: 18
Alignment: Lazy, Neutral
Skills:
Golden Child (S)
Greatly increases mana capacity and provides additional bonuses to all mana-related actions.
Overclock (S)
[ For a brief moment, you can ignite all your mana to unleash power beyond your limits. ] (Cooldown: 72 hours)
Stats
Strength: D
Defense: D-
Mana: S
Stamina: C
Agility: D+
Luck: A
As expected, her mana is ridiculously high.
I had barely managed to surpass S Rank in mana through countless potions, experiments, and various trials. Yet Seong Arin had achieved it effortlessly, without lifting a finger. Was this the true difference between talent and mere effort?
The world is so unfair.
A child born with legendary talent, a chosen Hero, a Magic Emperor, a child possessing the very talent that Yun Seong-ho, that bastard, had so desperately craved...
Slap!
"......!"
Idiot, what are you thinking?
The sudden, sharp slap startled Seong Arin, who whipped around to look at me, clearly shocked. But I didn't care. For a moment, I wondered if I was jealous of her.
Seong Arin is part of the protagonist's group. She's just a different character from me.
Yes, if we had been the same age from the start... I never would have stood a chance.
Even the title of "Strongest Student Council President" would have been beyond my reach if I had entered the Academy just one year later.
In the latter half of the story, I was destined to become a corrupted mid-boss, ultimately killed by the protagonist and his allies. Saving the world was never my role; it belonged to the protagonist and his companions.
But... that was the story when I was your age.
By now, Seong Arin and Seo Jian had undoubtedly surpassed my first-year level by a wide margin. That much was certain.
We're the same age. So... if she's caught up to my growth from a year ago, I just need to use that year's head start to surpass her current strength, not just her skill at our age. As long as I stay ahead in that one aspect, I'll be fine.
If she catches up, I'll just run further ahead. And if she catches up again, I'll run even further.
That's the advantage of being born a year earlier—the privilege of a pioneer who blazes trails no one has walked before.
Click!
As the stinging sensation on my cheek faded, I glanced at the fully activated Reversal Device.
Core structure: All green.
Mana absorption/discharge ports: All green.
"Why did you suddenly slap your cheek?"
"Ah, I was just lost in thought for a moment. Don't worry about it."
Soon, Seong Arin and I locked eyes, glaring at each other.
But I refused to meet her gaze.
She's watching closely.
In the stands, Hong Biyeon was staring at me.
"I'll show you, Miss Biyeon," I thought.
How to hunt a mage.
"Chairman, she can use the Defender too... Amazing."
"No, that's... a Reversal Device?!"
"A Reversal Device? That heavy, inefficient thing?"
Murmurs began to ripple through the stands as spectators debated Yun Se-a's choice.
It was only natural.
Whispers grew louder, suggesting the Student Council President's arrogance might lead to her defeat.
"Chairman... what are you thinking?"
"..........."
The two figures standing in the arena remained oblivious, but Seo Jian and her companions in the stands clearly weren't.
"...Is she planning to repay her classmate's suffering in kind?"
Despite having declared her disdain for half-hearted battles, Seong Arin arrived at the arena armed with her full arsenal, leaving Sakura and Ecclesia stunned by her dismissive attitude.
"There must be a reason," Yu Eun-ha murmured, her gaze fixed on the arena, convinced her sister would never make a wrong choice.
Seo Jian watched from above, her expression a complex mix of emotions.
"How does she expect to defeat Seong Arin with that crude, shield-like Reversal Device?"
Meanwhile, Hong Biyeon observed the scene clearly from a special seat arranged by Yun Se-a, who worried about her being targeted by other students' gossip.
As the match began, Seong Arin immediately unleashed Tidal Wave, the third most powerful spell in her arsenal, aiming to crush Yun Se-a with overwhelming force. Yet Yun Se-a didn't flinch, not even taking a single step.
Had she given up, overwhelmed by the overwhelming power gap? Or was her nonchalant response born of arrogance, dismissing the attack as insignificant?
A colossal tidal wave, capable of effortlessly demolishing a ten-story building, crashed toward Yun Se-a. Yet even as the wave loomed mere inches away, she didn't budge an inch.
Murmurs ripple through the crowd.
Could she be trying to reverse that magic?
A spectator's sudden shout sent a ripple of excitement through the hushed stands.
Tidal Wave, a spell created by Choi Won-ho, Seong Arin's master, to obliterate hordes of monsters in a single strike. Its spell formula was so intricately woven, with each individual water current meticulously inscribed with spell formulas, that reversing it was practically impossible.
Of course, if the shield mounted on my arm was truly a Reversal Device, I could somehow attempt to reverse the magic. But there simply wasn't enough time.
The fact that the Reversal Device was merely shaped like a shield meant its durability was extremely poor.
To perfectly protect a Reversal Device with such weak durability—vulnerable even to mana-less arrows—would require heavy armor of comparable strength. But such armor would make the shield so heavy that an ordinary Magician couldn't even lift it.
A normal shield wouldn't withstand the magic's destructive force and would be swept away. As for the Reversal Device, the shield-shaped device would shatter before it could even begin the Reversal process.
Everyone believed this to be the case.
However, one possibility remained.
What if she had actually armored the Reversal Device with a layer thick enough to protect it? In that case, she could withstand the tidal wave's force, initiate the Reversal, and create a path through the water.
But no one had anticipated such a possibility.
No, it was only natural that they hadn't.
Even if she used the most expensive materials—ultra-pure Mithril, Alternium, and Orichalcum—armor thick enough to protect that fragile Reversal Device would be so heavy that only the strongest Defenders could lift it!
The tidal wave was closing in, threatening to engulf Yun Se-a completely.
At this rate, Yun Se-a would be swept away by the wave and eliminated.
The audience wondered if Yun Se-a had truly lost her mind.
Those who cheered for Yun Se-a refused to believe she could be eliminated so easily.
Those who saw hope in her pleaded, Please block this attack. Prove the words you declared earlier!
Whoosh!
The all-consuming tidal wave engulfed Yun Se-a.
The colossal wave surged backward, maintaining its overwhelming momentum and generating a shockwave so powerful it shook the spectator stands.
The audience was now convinced: Yun Se-a had been arrogant, and Seong Arin was an unexpectedly formidable opponent.
Yet some sensed an anomaly.
"Guild Master, the readings...!"
"I see it too. That girl... she's extraordinary."
"Is she... toying with her?"
Starting with the S-Rank Heroes, followed by the A-Rank Heroes and other top-tier Heroes...
"L-look at that... She didn't even flinch?"
"N-no way... Did she actually manage to withstand it? That torrent?"
"Ah, no. Her clothes... aren't even wet!"
Like wildfire spreading through dry brush, doubt and confusion swept through the audience. As the shield, which had expanded far beyond its earlier size, contracted back to its original form, Yun Se-a emerged unscathed, smiling brightly.
Hong Biyeon, the girl who needed to believe in her more than anyone else, could see it clearly: Yun Se-a lifting the shield, murmuring to herself as if making a declaration:
"See? I told you it would be easy to block."
She saw the pioneer who had erected a ladder to scale the wall that had seemed insurmountable her entire life.