Chapter 303
Chapter 303
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 303
Chapter Title: Star Magic Battle (2)
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“Uwaaaah!”
“Waaah! Win! Win! Win, Brandon!”
“Magic Tower! Magic Tower! When it comes down to it, magic is all about the Magic Tower!”
The crowd erupted in explosive cheers.
The momentum heavily favored the Magic Tower.
No, it wasn’t just favored—it was nearly 90% of the audience cheering for the Magic Tower.
It was only natural.
The side that had bet the most money naturally had the loudest voices.
Of course.
“Aah, I can’t wait…… A match between rankers.”
“Shoutout to the first guy who stirred up the controversy on the community forums! Thanks to you, we get to see matches like this!”
There were plenty who were purely excited for the match itself.
Would the spectators who had come all this way watch just for simple entertainment or betting?
No.
Their true interest lay in the pure clash between rankers, nothing more.
“The balance is a bit off, though.”
“The bracket was unfavorable to Star Heaven from the start. Wonder what they were thinking accepting this match.”
“Their opponent is one of the Big 3, the Magic Tower. Even if they lose, fighting well is a win for Star Heaven.”
“True. That’s probably why they insisted on a magic-only fight. It’s bait. Losing to the Magic Tower in magic isn’t shameful at all.”
“More than that, it’s about the money. The ticket sales alone must be insane. And I hear the ad fees and TV broadcast rights are huge…… Tickets are basically pocket change.”
“No way, that’s jackpot!”
Before the main event, the crowd buzzed with chatter.
‘Hmm.’
Kim Jin-ah nodded as she overheard them.
They weren’t wrong.
Win or lose.
The money flow was substantial.
‘The issue is that we bet it all.’
Kim Jin-ah’s gaze turned to Emily, who was walking out with a tense expression.
She clenched her fists.
‘Arin and the Guild Master wouldn’t talk nonsense.’
Indeed.
How would she shatter the expectations of this massive crowd?
What kind of twist would she show?
Kim Jin-ah watched the arena with eager eyes.
* * *
- Here we go! The first match of the total four!
- Magic Tower’s Brandon versus Star Heaven’s Emily!
- No non-magic skills allowed!
- In case of surrender, place your staff on the ground! Since it’s a spar, please fight safely!
With the referee’s firm shout.
“Krahaha, win this! Emily!”
The Berserker shot to his feet and yelled.
“Don’t you dare lose! If you do, you’re walking out of Star Heaven on your own two feet! Got it?!”
Pazizik!
Thunderclap Floa, who had been watching, shouted back without missing a beat.
Star Heaven’s pride was on the line in this tournament.
Thus, all of Star Heaven’s rankers were present in the arena.
Gulp.
Emily swallowed nervously as she eyed Brandon, who looked quite relaxed.
Kugugugu…….
Just the exchange of glances shifted the atmosphere.
Truly, an immense presence.
Even if this was the least anticipated of the four matches.
They were rankers, after all.
“Hmph.”
Brandon, watching Emily’s expression, snorted.
“See, that’s why you should watch your words. That Easterner probably never imagined the post he threw on the community boards would blow up like this.”
“I don’t think Do Ha-rang was wrong.”
“Oh? Your face says otherwise.”
Thung!
Brandon bounced his staff off the ground once.
Fwoosh!
Hot flames naturally climbed up the staff.
“You, who was under me in the Magic Tower. You don’t seriously think you can surpass me after joining the inferior Star Heaven, do you?”
“You won’t know until we try……!”
“No, I know without trying. It’s not like an earthworm can bite a human to death no matter how hard it tries, right?”
“…….”
Eududuk.
Emily ground her teeth without responding.
She knew Brandon had the advantage.
But he didn’t need to rub it in like that.
Besides, wasn’t this an exchange event?
Pfft.
Brandon chuckled.
“No need for words, then. I’ll show you. The gap between us. Feel it. Feel it and regret.”
Fwoooosh!
The flames intensified.
‘Fire Explosion?’
Towering Inferno, Brandon’s signature move.
Emily, knowing its terror, took a deep breath.
‘Let’s do this.’
She was different from the Emily of half a year ago.
She couldn’t prematurely judge the results of Arin’s training methods.
‘But at the very least, I can’t cower and lose pathetically.’
She had given her all.
The past half year had been the hardest of her hunter life.
‘Hm.’
Fire Explosion caused a sudden blast at the impact point.
So?
Normally, she’d block the approaching mana with a shield.
‘But.’
Emily sensed it.
The mana flowing from Brandon’s staff, where it was heading.
She could see the mana creeping toward her, expanding its domain.
‘Huh.’
This was astonishing.
Something she could never have seen before.
Emily instinctively gestured.
Shooing!
Basic magic, Energy Bolt.
A light air bullet shot toward that mana flow.
Then, with a fizz! the connected mana severed.
“Keuk?”
Brandon’s face showed surprise.
“……What? Some kind of dispel?”
His casting canceled by a single gesture from Emily.
“You’ve learned some tricky magic, I see. But that alone isn’t the answer, is it?”
Fwoosh, fwoosh!
There were plenty of other fire spells anyway.
Fire Ball, Fire Spear.
Fwoooosh!
Brandon unleashed dozens of spells simultaneously with rapid casting.
If one dispel canceled one spell, just overwhelm with multiples.
“Wow.”
“Crazy!”
“How many is that?”
The crowd gaped in admiration.
This was why he was called an elder—pure magical prowess.
Thung!
Brandon bounced his staff off the ground again.
Shooom, shoooosh!
Over ten basic fire spells shot toward Emily from various angles.
Basic magic, but not basic.
Each one heavy, packed with condensed mana.
Indeed, Brandon’s fire magic was said to be superior in quality to other fire mages.
‘But why.’
That’s when Emily tilted her head.
‘Why don’t they feel that strong?’
Shooing! Shoooosh!
Emily simply used Energy Bolt as practiced.
She read the approaching spells’ mana and mechanically slotted air bullets into their gaps.
Fizzle! Fwoozzle!
The flames charging with massive momentum melted away like ice cream.
“What in the……?!”
Brandon stared at Emily in bewilderment.
Emily blankly looked at her own hands.
‘Me.’
Me, dismantling Brandon’s magic this easily?
No way.
That couldn’t be.
“Enough with the jokes, Elder. Let’s do this properly? I’m a mage too. No matter how skilled you are, toying like this isn’t right. Especially with so many watching.”
“……!”
But Brandon.
Eududuk! He just ground his teeth, saying nothing.
The same guy who’d been so talkative before the match.
And.
Seeing his expression, Emily sensed something was off.
“……You’re not saying that was your real effort, are you?”
“You damned bitch…….”
“Come on, even so, that can’t be? World ranking 90. That’s…… all you’ve got? No way, really?”
“Don’t spew nonsense from that gaping mouth!”
At innocent Emily’s question, Brandon, furious to the tips of his hair, slammed his staff down.
“Fine, as you wish! I’ll show you the real deal!”
Fwoooosh!
Fire Explosion once more.
But this time, not just one.
She sensed five streams of mana flowing from his aura.
‘But.’
So what.
She could see all the mana flows.
Casting wasn’t done like that.
It had to be subtle, slipping the incantation in unnoticed.
To do that?
‘Obviously, get close to the mana.’
Ah.
Now Emily understood.
Why Arin emphasized getting intimate with mana.
Why she was so certain of victory.
Shooing! Shoooosh!
Emily’s hands moved leisurely, rhythmically.
Five Energy Bolts neatly blocked Brandon’s five Fire Explosions.
Shooong!
And one more.
A straight-shot Energy Bolt slammed right into Brandon’s throat.
Pwoock!
Not just any Energy Bolt.
At least ten times faster than her own from half a year ago.
‘This…….’
Suddenly, she recalled her early training spar with Arin.
Back then, when a mere Energy Bolt toyed with her and Do Ha-rang.
‘This must be what it felt like.’
So, had Arin known the Magic Tower’s weakness all along?
“Y-You, you bitch! You fucking bitch!”
Brandon, throat swollen, finally couldn’t hold back and prepared another spell.
Fire Blaster (S-grade), a higher-tier spell than Fire Explosion!
But she had already mastered all his moves.
As long as he couldn’t handle mana perfectly…… as long as his basics were shaky.
Even Hellfire (SSS-grade) wouldn’t beat her.
Why?
Because she’d cut it off before he cast it.
She could see all his moves.
“From worm to worm…… You’re disappointing.”
Suddenly, Emily thought.
Just half a year of training, and this gap against a Magic Tower elder……
What knowledge filled Arin’s head?
If she kept learning it, making it her own.
How much stronger could she get here?
‘I need to train harder.’
Now.
Trash elders like him weren’t even worth noticing.
Kugugugu……!
Not worth toying with.
Time to end it.
World ranking 153.
Earth Witch’s basic magic!
“Wall.”
Kwagagaga!
In that instant, a massive barrier rose between Emily and Brandon.
“Stoning.”
Plip plip plip!
At the same time, the stones embedded in the barrier flew toward Brandon all at once.
This Stoning was far faster than the conventional version.
Roughly enough to dent steel plate on impact?
Naturally, a mage like Brandon’s body couldn’t withstand it.
Pum pum pum pum pum!
Brandon’s staff flew into the air.
Pummeled by stones from front, back, left, right.
“Guh…… Ke…….”
He couldn’t even scream properly before thudding! backward onto the ground.
“…….”
“…….”
For a moment, silence blanketed the arena.
- Wh-What just happened?
Even the pro caster stared in shock, unable to provide proper commentary.
Most of the crowd gaped.
Kim Jin-ah included.
‘Crazy?’
She’d suspected.
Heard her speak so confidently, thought maybe she could win.
But.
She never imagined it would be this easy.
Brandon.
Who was he?
World ranking 90, a high ranker.
Murmur murmur.
The arena filled more with whispers than cheers.
“Is this match-fixing?”
“Makes sense? 153 beating 90 like that?”
“Brandon, you fucking bastard! How much did you take?”
Regardless of the result, most here had bet on Brandon.
“Crazy! This can’t be!”
“The system’s bugged? Then what’s the point of rankings!”
“No, fine, flashy skills flying around, whatever. But beating a Magic Tower elder with basics? Bullshit!”
People shouted, but nothing changed.
- Th-The winner of this match is……! Emily! Emily Strip! In-Incredible! Commentators! What just happened?
The caster finally declared the victor.
The system confirmed it too.
[Ting!]
[Ranking updated.]
[Refer to the world ranking board.]
“Huh……?!”
“You all see that? The ranking! It changed!”
“For real?”
Early each month.
Update notices were visible to all hunters.
But other changes due to ranker matches were ranker-exclusive privileges.
With plenty of rankers in the audience, word spread fast.
The shift was simple.
Emily rose from 153 to 90.
Brandon dropped from 90 to 91.
Simultaneously.
Rankers 92 to 152 all shifted down one spot.
Natural, with Emily moving up.
Thus, Do Ha-rang’s 103 became 104.
“Sisiiiis!”
Of course, Do Ha-rang didn’t care.
Her worried sister had crushed Brandon so effortlessly.
“Kyaaaaah! Sis won! Sis won!”
Do Ha-rang hugged the proudly approaching Emily tight.
Emily smiled, savoring the moment.
Waiting room.
The Guild Master and Arin watching her.
Especially meeting Arin’s gaze, Emily’s eyes trembled.
“See?”
Arin smiled faintly.
“Told you it was a sure win?”
Yes.
You’re right.
Everything Arin said was right.
That day, Emily vowed eternal loyalty in her heart.
To Star Heaven.
And to Arin.