Chapter 306
Chapter 306
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 306
Chapter Title: Han Cheon-seong vs. Luna Vermont
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***
“Students, take your positions.”
At Instructor Ludmina's command, we each took our distance and faced one another.
“...”
Staring at her faintly swaying pink hair, I still felt a sense of bewilderment.
Millia had hoped we wouldn't spar, but seeing Luna so confident, I wanted to try it at least once, even if just out of curiosity.
“Before we begin the spar, each student will state their name and Trait. Student Han Cheon-seong, you may begin.”
“Han Cheon-seong. My Trait is Spearmanship, Common grade, level 5.”
Even as I introduced myself so casually, it was a fact.
—Trait Level 5.
Now that I had even assimilated the power of my skills, I could feel that I had reached a level fundamentally different from a simple level 5 Trait.
“Next, Student Luna.”
“Luna Vermont. My Trait is Battle Cure, Rare grade, level 4.”
Luna's calm voice was unmistakably filled with confidence.
And her eyes, fixed on me, were brimming with a competitive spirit, as if she had some secret advantage I was unaware of.
“Begin the spar.”
And so, the spar began.
Without hesitation, I imbued my spear with the spiral.
*Shhh...*
I watched Luna through the spiral currents that familiarly enveloped the spearhead.
Her appearance now was quite different from before.
The strange cloak draped over her shoulders made her look like a mage, and the sight of her holding a ruby-adorned staff was a stark contrast to our previous spar.
‘Back then, she definitely had a close-combat weapon and a shield.’
It was a complete change in stance.
“Han Cheon-seong. Aren't you coming?”
Hearing her bold question, I gave a reluctant nod.
“...I'm coming.”
I had intended to let her have the first move, but with that level of confidence, I had no choice but to accept her challenge.
*Thump!*
As I lightly kicked off the ground, the spiral currents immediately spread throughout my body.
As my movements rapidly accelerated, a slight hesitation arose.
‘I can't use my full power.’
I believed that, fundamentally, one should always go all out in a spar.
With an instructor observing, there was no need for me to hold back.
However, I also believed that was only true when both opponents were on a similar level.
—!
As the distance between us closed rapidly, I saw mana erupt from Luna's entire body.
To be precise, blue mana burst from her staff, forming a circle around her. I had a vague idea of what it was.
‘A barrier?’
The description of the barrier, one of the most common defensive spells for mages in the novel, was nearly identical to what I was seeing from Luna now.
*Thwack!*
The moment I reached her, I thrust my spear forward.
—!
The power in my spear was about half of my full strength.
*Tiiing!!*
“...!”
The next moment, my eyes shot wide open.
My spear slid against the blue membrane as if it were nothing before being deflected. The barrier's strength far surpassed my expectations.
*Whoosh!*
At the same time, Luna swung her staff from within the barrier, and I kicked off the ground to retreat.
*Boom!*
With the sound of the air exploding, I saw the space I had just occupied ripple violently.
“...”
In that instant, as I readjusted my grip on the spear, my mindset changed.
‘This is... different.’
This wasn't a clash of close-combat weapons, nor was it a contest of elements or other powers.
A mage, facing me with magic. I had to see Luna as such.
She was now utilizing her greatest strength—her vast mana—to display a completely different kind of power.
“Han Cheon-seong. You were holding back just now, weren't you?”
“...Sorry, Luna.”
“I know. From now on, come at me with your full strength. I didn't challenge you for no reason. You don't need to worry about me.”
As she spoke with a calm expression, there was not a trace of arrogance or conceit on her face.
She was simply facing me with pure confidence.
This was no longer the insolent Luna of the past.
“Hoo.”
I exhaled slowly and steeled myself.
‘Perhaps…’
I might have been the arrogant one.
Aware of the gap between us, I had tried to face her too easily... She was not the same Luna anymore.
She was facing me with such well-founded confidence. I had completely underestimated her.
*Fwoosh!*
I spun the spear once and settled into a proper stance.
Then, I calmly assessed the situation.
The strength of the barrier I had just faced. I felt it would be fine even if I unleashed significant power.
‘And Instructor Ludmina is here, too…’
Why was I about to wield my spear while worrying about Luna getting hurt? It was truly ridiculous.
‘There was no need for that from the start.’
......!
As my mindset shifted, the spiral currents in my spear naturally erupted with greater force, imbued with a power unlike before.
The moment the intense spiral currents raging on the spearhead spread through my body, even stronger than before.
My eyes caught the sight of Luna's hair fluttering brilliantly, and I could feel her immense mana.
“......”
As I watched her without a word, I sensed a vastness of mana on a completely different dimension.
*Vwooom!*
A pure white light gathered at her staff, condensed for a moment, and then shot toward me as if bursting forth.
*Thump!*
I dodged the rapidly approaching light and threw myself forward.
There was certainly a large gap in our Traits and circumstances, but considering her innate mana and the education of a noble family...
‘This might not be so easy.’
At nearly twice my previous speed, I reached the space right in front of Luna.
*Ch-ch-chik!*
As my spear, engulfed in a raging spiral, clashed violently against Luna's barrier as if to shatter it, my heart sank even further.
It wasn't repelled like before.
That's why I could press the attack.
However... my spear was still being blocked by her barrier.
The spiral currents in my spear fiercely destroyed the barrier's mana, only for Luna's mana to surge like a wave and completely restore it.
Even as the spiral on the spearhead endlessly destroyed the barrier's mana... it was met with constant restoration, leading to a stalemate.
“How's this?”
Seeing Luna smile confidently from within her transparent barrier, I was forced to retreat once more.
*Kwaang!*
...Had I not dodged in that instant, a deluge of mana would have crushed the very ground I stood on.
The force of the aftermath was enough to gouge a chunk out of the training ground's floor.
‘What kind of mana is this…?’
For a moment, I couldn't comprehend it.
I knew Luna had the screen time of a main heroine in the story. I even knew she performed some incredible feats.
So I also knew she possessed overwhelming talent.
However.
There had to be a limit.
*Shhhhhh...!*
As I imbued my spear with an even stronger spiral than before... a hollow laugh escaped me.
The monstrous mana I had sensed from Luna before... was now far beyond my wildest expectations.
Luna had enough leeway to continuously supply mana to the barrier blocking my spear while also utilizing more for another attack.
And I realized it firsthand.
‘Her total mana is more than seven times my own.’
*Tap!*
My gaze was drawn to Luna as she suddenly tapped the ground with her staff.
“It's no fun if you keep hesitating like that.”
Her provocative words didn't stir my heart.
I simply watched her.
With the corners of her lips curled into a smirk, Luna seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the situation.
That she could display her power to this extent against me. Watching her, I could feel my assessment of Luna changing completely.
‘Why have I…’
...never properly considered Luna until now?
Thinking about it now, it felt strange. I needed to think more about Luna.
About the value she possessed.
***
—!
Despite her outwardly composed appearance, as Cheon-seong approached at a speed that nearly left afterimages, Luna was inwardly tense.
From within the magnificently raging spiral, the spear surged forward.
‘I can block it.’
In the blink of an eye, a sound like a rupture echoed from the spear as it reached her barrier.
*Ch-ch-ch-ch-chik...!!*
At that, she unknowingly tightened her grip on the staff.
—!!
As she infused even more mana into the barrier, as if in resonance with her staff, her heart wavered.
‘I have to get used to this.’
She felt an instinctive fear.
Blocking an attack with a shield was fundamentally different from facing a menacingly charging spear with only a transparent blue barrier.
It was enough to make her hands tremble unconsciously.
*Squeeze.*
Nevertheless, she gripped the staff tightly, erasing even that tremor.
In fact, it was precisely for that reason she felt she had to adapt to this situation.
“...”
Acknowledging Han Cheon-seong's now completely calm eyes, she knew she still had mana to spare.
*Whoosh!*
Holding the staff with one hand, she quickly drew a magical formula in the air with the other, and saw Han Cheon-seong hastily retreat.
‘As expected.’
Watching him pull back, she moved her hand even more busily, altering the magical formula.
*Shashasak...!*
Immediately, a dazzling spectacle of blue light erupted from her staff like a volley of arrows, filling her vision.
Through it all, she wanted to see more.
The true face of Han Cheon-seong that he had yet to reveal...