Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Translator: Penny
Chapter 55: How to Hunt a Mage [End]
Episode 55: How to Hunt a Magician [END]
Seong Arin's most powerful magic, the Infinity Ray, unleashed a torrent of spells that would require a B-Rank Magician to cast at full power—almost infinitely.
Though she wasn't weaving complex equations to make the spells difficult to reverse, her sheer will to overwhelm with sheer quantity was palpable.
In contrast, my attack was nothing more than a single black sphere, not even aimed at the Void. Its only additional effect was a powerful gravitational pull that violently drew in everything around it.
The gap between S Rank and S+ is truly different.
The beam of the Infinity Ray, which should have shot straight forward, abruptly curved inward and was sucked into the black sphere. The sphere's overwhelming mass exerted such immense gravitational pull that even mana itself was drawn inward.
Well, looks like I won't be living peacefully after all.
Then again, considering my position as Student Council President, perhaps this was inevitable. Even if more people started paying attention to me, it probably wouldn't be a big deal. I'd just have to get used to having two or three people clinging to me instead of the usual two.
Boom! KABOOM!
As expected, her talent is truly overflowing.
Seong Arin showed no panic as the Infinity Ray was devoured by the black sphere. Instead, she launched a multi-casting attack—a technique typically reserved for S-Rank Magicians—against me.
If I lose like this, all that trash talk earlier will be so embarrassing.
Currently, Black's forward momentum was slower than expected due to absorbing Seong Arin's various magic spells. Floating in mid-air, this was likely the only window of freedom—perhaps four to five seconds—before being overwhelmed by her magic again.
"White, maximum output...!"
A white sphere the size of a soccer ball formed in his left hand. It rapidly expanded, soon reaching the size of a car.
Looking down, he saw Black, having devoured Seong Arin's magic, had grown to roughly the same size as the white sphere.
I can compensate for any deficiencies with my mana...
Alright, Seong Arin's various spells are about to come crashing down here... Time to end this.
Before I knew it, Seong Arin's fireballs seemed to have drawn closer. I could feel a faint heat rising from the ground beneath my feet.
"Fire."
I released all control and used psychokinesis to launch the white sphere precisely toward the black orb.
The white sphere began to plummet rapidly, deflecting every spell Seong Arin fired as if it were performing a reversal calculation. Eve, who had witnessed this technique at the Golden Guild before, quickly realized what was about to happen. She gathered the other Guild Masters and high-ranking Hunters, urging them to pour all their mana into the barrier.
Boom!
After deflecting all the magic attacks and reaching the black sphere, the white sphere began to transform into a gray sphere, emitting an eerie sound.
"Void, maximum output."
As I moved my hand...
KWAHHHHHHHHH...!!!!
The very fabric of space began to unravel. Seong Arin, who had unleashed a barrage of Tidal Waves and area-of-effect spells, deployed a powerful barrier as her last resort.
CRASH!
"...Ugh...!"
Even a glancing blow from the Void's aftershock sent Seong Arin flying out of the arena into the Out-of-Bounds Zone.
KWAHHH!
She slammed into the wall, lost consciousness, and slumped forward. My victory seemed assured.
Rumble... KABOOM!!!
I lowered my gaze to the Void, which was still raging wildly below.
Time to dismantle this.
Even I couldn't reverse-engineer that insane Spell Formula. I swiftly conjured a crystal fragment the size of a soccer ball and hurled it precisely into the Void's center.
A crystal shard created with Azathoth's Crystal Maker (S) should calm it down enough.
Fortunately, the Void ceased its rampage, collapsing along with the nearly shattered Barrier.
Simultaneously, the Barrier shattered, revealing a glimpse of what might have happened had I been even a moment slower.
Well, that's that...
"S-Sir! President Yun Se-a is here!"
For now, the chaotic Seong Arin Match had concluded.
Thud!
"Seriously, I almost died."
I didn't even have enough mana left to float in the air.
It's true that Eve made the barrier extra thick, which is why it turned out like this... I should never do that again.
Firing blindly into the Void was fine, but that insane magic wouldn't dissipate, and I ended up using 20% of my total mana just to suppress it.
If I'd pushed the Void's size even a little further... it wouldn't have been the maximum-output Void I could control. I should just be grateful it didn't degenerate into an uncontrollable mass of insane energy.
This kind of attack wouldn't work head-on against Seo Jian, who moves so swiftly. She could either break through the Barrier or simply bypass it with a frontal assault. The situation is just too complicated.
I can only hope Kang A-yul wins.
I studied the tournament bracket. She had already defeated Seong Arin in the Round of 128. Assuming she wins all her matches... in the Round of 64, she'd face Baek Sia; in the Round of 32, Sakura; in the Round of 16, Ecclesia; and in the Round of 8, Ryu Shin-woo.
This bracket is absolutely insane.
A tournament where the Round of 64 is tougher than the semifinals? Is this even fair?
The only silver lining might be that she wouldn't have to face Yu Eun-ha. Na Yubin and Yu Eun-ha were on the opposite side of the bracket, matched against Seo Jian.
Na Yubin in the Round of 32, Yu Eun-ha in the Round of 8... Kang A-yul would be in the semifinals. I just hope those three can push Seo Jian to her absolute limit.
I still haven't seen Seo Jian fight properly even once.
To be precise, I've never seen her fight at full strength.
When I asked Yu Eun-ha about Seo Jian's fighting style, she only said that she was good at close combat.
Even if I wanted to ask more, my body, already pushed past its limits, was desperately demanding rest. There was nothing I could do but return to the dormitory and try to sleep.
I'll ask Yu Eun-ha about Seong Arin's condition later. For now, I'll just try to get some comfortable sleep in bed.
Baek Sia's withdrawal from the Round of 64 granted me a walkover victory. When I asked her why, she explained that she had already completed her personal revenge against the Cadet she had targeted. She also expressed concern that I shouldn't push myself too hard after yesterday's intense battle.
Come to think of it, I had heard that an emergency patient had been admitted to the Infirmary. It was likely Baek Sia's doing.
How severe must the mental shock have been? Even fighting within the Barrier, she collapsed from the shock.
To be fair, fully armored mechs are undeniably cool.
I went to the arena to relax and watch Seo Jian's Round of 64 match, but... unfortunately, as soon as I arrived, Seo Jian's opponent collapsed, preventing me from seeing her true skills in action.
In the Round of 32, I had hoped to see Seo Jian, a key character in the story, finally unleash her full power against Na Yubin. But Na Yubin never showed up, granting Seo Jian a walkover victory.
Later, I learned that Na Yubin had been found in the Virtual Training Ground. She had been summoning and battling increasingly powerful monsters until her energy was completely drained, causing her to collapse for an entire day.
In the Round of 16, Seo Jian's opponent suddenly forfeited, giving her another walkover victory. Meanwhile, I effortlessly defeated Ecclesia by unleashing 10% of my Void power, securing an easy win.
The Quarterfinals finally brought the long-awaited clash between Seo Jian and Yu Eun-ha... but I missed it entirely.
Ryu Shin-woo proved far more resilient than I had anticipated. By the time I finished my match against him and rushed to the arena, only the aftermath remained.
After a fierce battle, Yu Eun-ha was said to have been defeated.
And the day of the semifinals dawned.
"The Chairman effortlessly blows away Cadet Noh Haeun, securing her spot in the finals!"
"Yes, with this, all third-year students have been eliminated. Will we see a rematch of last year's finals, or will a new challenger emerge? I'm certainly curious!"
I easily defeated Extra 1 and leisurely waited for the match between Kang A-yul and Seo Jian to begin.
Finally, the match I'd been eagerly anticipating was about to start.
"Now, let's welcome the current Vice President of Raon Academy, Vice President Kang A-yul!"
"Wooaaahhhhhh!!"
Kang A-yul entered the arena to thunderous applause. Most spectators were convinced she would secure an easy victory.
Unlike Kang A-yul, who had secured victories in most matches from the Round of 256 to the Quarterfinals in just 2-3 minutes, Seo Jian had often advanced through hard-fought, nail-biting wins. She had even nearly lost to Yu Eun-ha in the Quarterfinals.
These people might not realize it, but... the top freshmen this year have long surpassed the average skill level of third-year students.
Especially Seo Jian, with her absurdly powerful skill, Path of Victory (UR)... she was theoretically capable of defeating anyone, a cheat-code-level existence.
Please, let Kang A-yul defeat Seo Jian without any trouble. I just hope she can neutralize Seo Jian's Path of Victory with the Sword Saint's Blessing (S) and secure the win.
But alas, none of that happened.
"Ugh... she's... quite formidable."
Thud!
"Here! As the Vice President collapses... Cadet Seo Jian has challenged the Chairman for the position of Student Council President!!"