The Original Sub-Male Lead's First Love
"Fireball!"
Whoosh—!
A massive fireball erupted from Asrion's fingertips, slicing fiercely through the air. It hurtled straight toward the masked men charging at him with their gleaming crescent blades raised high.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rocked the marketplace, sending a pillar of crimson flame shooting up from its center.
"Arghhh!"
Most of the pursuers screamed as they were flung in all directions. Asrion felt a quiet satisfaction at the spell's destructive power. But the leader of the pursuers, barely weathering the blast's aftermath, burst forward wreathed in murderous aura.
"You little Western brat, daring to use sorcery! Die!"
His eyes flashing with killing intent, he swung his crescent blade down toward Asrion's crown. Unfazed, Asrion deployed a 2-circle spell.
'Shield.'
A transparent mana barrier unfurled before him.
Clang!
The blade crashed against the shield with a sharp metallic ring, but the barrier didn't even scratch. The pursuer leader's eyes widened in shock at its overwhelming defense.
"W-what the hell is this?"
And in that split-second gap, words slipped unconsciously from Asrion's lips.
"Aigoo, tsk tsk! You can't just swing that knife around willy-nilly! You nearly scared this old granny to death!"
A grandma's speech from the mouth of a noble-looking boy. Even the pursuer leader stared at him like he'd gone mad. But the battle's momentum didn't falter.
Defying his tender age of thirteen, Asrion unleashed the combat prowess befitting the Mage Tower heir.
"Come forth!"
Fierce flames swirled near his shoulder, birthing a red hawk-shaped spirit that soared into the air.
Screee!
The blazing hawk, Virgin, circled overhead, flapping its wings. Embers and heat scattered everywhere, completely blinding the pursuer leader.
"Gah! My eyes!"
Asrion's counterattack poured down on the sightless foe.
"Magic Missile. Fire Arrow."
Dozens of mana bolts and flaming arrows materialized in the air before raining down like a storm.
Thud thud thud!
"Argh!"
The leader swung his blade and channeled his energy to block, but he couldn't fend off the relentless magical barrage. Staggering from blows across his body, he became the target for Asrion's finishing strike.
Aiming at the ground beneath his feet, Asrion prepared a 3-circle spell.
"Air Boom."
Boom!!
Invisible compressed air detonated mercilessly under the enemy. The powerful shockwave ripped up the stone pavement, launching the pursuer leader's body over ten meters into the air. He crashed to the ground without even a scream, knocked out cold.
As the dust settled, a heavy silence blanketed the marketplace. Asrion panted heavily, gazing down at the fallen foes. Only now did the battle adrenaline fade, letting reason creep back in.
And then, the line he'd blurted while raising his shield slammed into his mind.
'Aigoo, tsk tsk! You can't just swing that knife around willy-nilly! You nearly scared this old granny to death!'
Asrion's face flushed beet red in an instant.
'I... I wanna die.'
His whole body trembled with humiliation. He, the Mage Tower heir, had yammered like an old hag right in the middle of the street, with crowds watching.
'Why do I keep talking like some damn grandma?! I'm losing my mind!'
As self-loathing gripped him, his hands covering his face while suicidal urges bubbled up—
"Um... excuse me..."
A frail voice called out. Asrion flinched and looked down.
A bloodied girl, sprawled on the ground, was struggling to rise and approach him. Her disheveled clothes had hidden it at first, but she was quite pretty up close.
'Huh, she's actually pretty cute.'
The girl's eyes, fixed on Asrion, brimmed with admiration. This exotic boy who saved her—with silver hair, a cool and aloof noble air despite looking her age—had displayed overwhelming, dazzling power beyond her wildest imagination.
Asrion's bizarre granny talk didn't faze her at all. In the martial world, eccentrics with all sorts of quirks were commonplace, twisting her perception perfectly.
'This benefactor must be some quirky genius who stepped in to save me.'
Her cheeks flushed softly. She gazed up at Asrion with eyes full of longing and budding affection.
Gracefully kneeling, she clasped her hands and bowed deeply in respect.
"I am deeply grateful for saving my life, young master. I am Seol-ah, young sect leader of the Moon Shadow Sect."
Seol-ah's clear voice tickled Asrion's ears.
"Your divine, near-miraculous martial prowess saved this girl. I will surely repay this grace."
Asrion stared blankly down at her. Despite witnessing his shameful blunder, she wasn't mocking him—instead, lavishing praise on his "divine" skills.
Life at the academy since enrollment had been anything but the glorious days he'd imagined. Humiliated by that arrogant commoner on day one, slammed face-first into the dirt. Even his grandfather had chewed him out. In the virtual world, possessed by some witchy hag, tormented by stinky fermented soybean paste and salted fish—his self-esteem had plummeted to rock bottom.
Yet here was this beautiful girl from an unfamiliar world looking up to him.
'That look in her eyes...!'
Her blind admiration, praise, and flushed cheeks soaked into his trampled pride like rain in a drought.
Asrion cleared his throat, straightening his slumped shoulders.
'Ahem! Right. My great and noble talents shine anywhere. This girl's got good eyes!'
Self-loathing vanished, replaced by his trademark arrogance swelling up.
Hands behind his back, chin raised, he adopted a stern tone.
"Rise. As the Mage Tower heir, protecting the weak is simply my duty."
No trace of grandma lingered in his voice. He was fully freed from that witchy hag's curse.
As crowds began murmuring and gathering, Asrion frowned.
"This place is too noisy. We should move somewhere safe first. Follow me."
Asrion led the way, and Seol-ah trailed obediently behind. Leaving the marketplace, they reached a rundown abandoned tomb in a quiet alley, finally catching their breath.
"Your wounds look pretty deep."
At Asrion's question, Seol-ah burst into held-back tears.
Sobbing, she poured out her tragic tale.
"Young master... Our Moon Shadow Sect was wiped out overnight. Vicious fiends from an evil faction ambushed my father and drenched our sect in blood. Thanks to his guards, I barely escaped, but their pursuit brought me here."
Tears streamed down her pale cheeks.
"Now, I'm all alone. Nowhere to go, no one to rely on. Please... please take me in."
This delicate, pretty girl clung desperately to him alone. Her pitiful sight made Asrion's heart thud heavily.
A thirteen-year-old boy who'd spent his life buried in the Mage Tower library, obsessed with magic tomes and formulas. Arrogant, but recently crushed and wandering in despair.
'She sees me as a hero! She's relying on me!'
A strange flutter stirred in his chest for the first time—protective instinct for the poor girl, hero complex, endless bravado before the one who acknowledged his greatness. It all tangled into the intense emotion of first love.
Asrion's cheeks burned red without him realizing.
He whipped his head away, coughing repeatedly.
"A-ahem! Don't shed tears so freely before a great Mage Tower wizard."
He tried to sound cold, lowering his voice, but his trembling gaze betrayed him.
Asrion snuck a glance at Seol-ah, striking a pose.
"Don't worry. With the Mage Tower's—no, my power, I'll protect you. Those evil faction scum? I'll wipe them all out. Just stay behind me."
The clumsy bravado of a thirteen-year-old boy filled the tomb.
Seol-ah grabbed his hand, her face overcome with emotion.
"Young master...! I'll repay this grace a thousandfold in this lifetime!"
Her soft touch set Asrion's brain ablaze. In this moment, he was utterly lost in the heat of first love.
But a cold gaze watched that sweet, childish romance from afar.
Atop a high pavilion roof overlooking the marketplace, Rian sat with legs crossed. Beside him, Vesperia and Ardelia peered down curiously.
"Oh. That mosquito punk's fitting right in—story's getting interesting now."
Rian scratched his chin, murmuring with interest. But he wasn't focused on Asrion's puppy love.
It was Seol-ah, an NPC in this virtual world, and her autonomous behavior patterns and narrative flow.
'Just gave her a basic 'sect wiped out' backstory, and now emotions and dialogue are spawning organically.'
Rian's brown eyes gleamed with a developer's mania and fascination.
'Cranked autonomous will to max, let the ten-core parallel processing handle it—and boom, this flexible interaction. Real-time rendering new narratives based on situations.'
This went beyond mere illusions—near-perfect artificial intelligence. They didn't even know they were AI. To Seol-ah, Asrion was a true sudden savior. She had no inkling her life and past were fabricated.
A perfect setup for maximum immersion.