Duel Season (2)
The VIP seats—visible only from the arena during the Duel Season (2) matches, invisible from the general stands, and accessible solely by invitation from the academy director or principal. Seated in the special box perched at the very top of the spectator stands, Lee Jung-baek gazed down at the arena where his daughter would soon appear. At the sound of the door behind him opening, he rose smoothly, sensing the noble holy power emanating from beyond.
"Sword Saint."
A benevolent, feminine voice reached his ears. It was the same gentle tone as always, one that eased the heart just by hearing it. Lee Jung-baek bowed his head respectfully as the Great Saintess approached, radiating a sacred aura.
"Great Saintess. I trust you have been well."
Gloria returned the courtesy with a slight nod. "Yes, I remain warmly embraced in the Goddess's bosom. And you, Sword Saint? Have you been well?"
"I, too, have been living peacefully."
"That is good to hear."
Gloria smiled softly and gently patted Lee Jung-baek's head. To any onlooker, it would have been a shocking sight—an act of such familiarity toward a Transcendent, and a middle-aged one at that. Yet Lee Jung-baek remained silent, tilting his head lower to make it easier for her.
Gloria chuckled. "Seeing you like this reminds me of when we first met."
"…That was a rather immature time."
Memories of his reckless youth surfaced, and Lee Jung-baek offered a wry smile.
"It was more fitting for your age than immaturity. How old were you back then… fifteen?"
"I was fourteen."
"Ah, right. Second year of middle school."
Gloria clapped her hands together as if suddenly remembering. "In Korean slang, they called it 'middle-school syndrome' back then. And you were deep in the throes of it, Sword Saint."
"…Ahem."
It was a dark history he wished to forget. But Transcendents possessed flawless memories, recalling even their infancy in perfect detail. No matter how much he wanted to erase it, he could not. Lee Jung-baek coughed pointedly, hoping she would stop, but Gloria showed no sign of relenting. Her expression grew nostalgic as she continued in a delighted voice.
"I still remember what you said when you followed your father to the Temple. 'You are truly beautiful. As the successor of Mirinae, I shall take you as my wife. Will you not come with me to Korea?'"
"……"
"You were so adorable back then. Ah, of course, you are still adorable now."
Having his embarrassing past dragged into the light, Lee Jung-baek sighed inwardly. I should have watched from the guild's TV instead.
Yet the thought lasted only a moment. No, that would never do. I cannot watch my one and only precious daughter's match through something as impersonal as a screen.
Some things could only hold meaning when seen with one's own eyes. Suppressing the urge to flee the box immediately, Lee Jung-baek spoke up as Gloria launched into the tale of how she had cured his middle-school syndrome and arrogance with her characteristically "loving" (violent) methods.
"The children should be appearing soon."
"Oh my, has it already been that long? Then we shall continue this story another time."
Another time? Absolutely not.
"Yes, please do tell me more later."
The moment this tournament ends, I am returning straight to the guild.
Lee Jung-baek settled back into his seat with that resolve. The instant Gloria took her own chair, a surge of mana rippled through the arena, and the first-year students materialized.
—Waaaaaaaah—!
A thunderous cheer erupted from the general stands. The students flinched in surprise, glancing around. Among them, Noah spotted Gloria and waved enthusiastically.
"Ah… Noah."
Gloria waved back, her face filled with emotion. Noah responded with a bright smile. Overcome with joy, Gloria felt tears welling up.
"To think the child who rarely showed emotion is smiling like that… I am truly, truly moved."
Her son, who had never once smiled with genuine feeling. Yet the smile she saw now was not empty—it overflowed with heartfelt emotion.
"This is all thanks to that child, is it not?"
Gloria's gaze shifted to the figure beside Noah—Lee Yoo-jin.
"Lee Yoo-jin… the first friend my son ever made."
Every month, her son wrote her a letter. And in every single one, that name appeared without fail. He is incredibly skilled. His performance is outstanding. He is truly a friend I am fond of. Along with updates on his own well-being, tales of Yoo-jin's exploits filled each page.
"I would like to meet him sometime."
No, she had to meet him. It was a mother's duty to see what kind of person her son's friend truly was.
Meanwhile, Lee Jung-baek was focused elsewhere.
"Hmm. Seo-yeon is as adorable as ever today."
His precious daughter, Lee Seo-yeon, whom he would never tire of watching. She was scanning the stands, searching for her family, while other students did the same. Yet his daughter merely continued checking her equipment in silence.
Excellent. She is following my teachings perfectly.
At the same time, a faint pang of disappointment struck him. If only she would glance his way, even for a moment…
"…Should I send a voice transmission?"
Voice transmission—telepathy, a high-level technique that used mana to convey words. He considered using it to catch his daughter's attention, but quickly shook his head and dismissed the idea. He could not interfere with her preparations for the upcoming match.
Lee Jung-baek exhaled shortly and folded his arms, quietly observing his daughter inspect her gear. Finally, his eyes fell on the weapon in her hands, and he clicked his tongue in displeasure.
"…She is still using that thing."
His daughter handled the gun with practiced ease. How much had she trained for it to feel as natural as wielding a sword? Lee Jung-baek found the sight deeply unsettling.
"A child born into a sword family, handling a gun of all things…"
He still remembered the shock during her internship. The training grounds, where only the sound of swinging blades should have echoed, had suddenly rung with gunfire. And the shooter had been his own daughter. In that moment, Lee Jung-baek had felt as though the world itself were collapsing.
"Haa…"
He sighed heavily. Following Seo-yeon's gaze as she stared fixedly at one spot while checking her gun, his eyes landed on a familiar figure.
"…Lee Yoo-jin."
Lee Jung-baek's furious glare locked onto the boy.
"That brat… Because of him, my daughter is…"
Using guns. And not even speaking to her own father! Of course, he had been the one to tell her not to use such trashy weapons in the first place, but still—how could she look at him with such cold eyes?!
"Is this how I raised you, Seo-yeon…!"
It was heartbreaking. Utterly, unbearably heartbreaking. Lee Jung-baek sighed repeatedly, unable to calm the emotions even with his mental discipline. Finally, realizing it was futile, he closed his eyes and forced his heart to settle.
"Hoo, hoo…"
The burning feeling in his chest gradually cooled under the clarity of his mind. Once it had subsided enough, he opened his eyes again.
"That… that brat…!"
The moment his gaze met Lee Yoo-jin's, the heat flared anew. And when the boy casually nodded at him for some unknown reason, Lee Jung-baek felt a sharp pang at the back of his neck.
【Time Attack】
The first match is 'Time Attack'.
Objective: Reach the designated location.
※ The location changes every 10 minutes.
"As expected, it is Time Attack."
Beep.
A forest dense with trees. I stood alone within it. At a glance, one might mistake this for a survival challenge rather than a time attack, but with rankings on the line, the organizers could not afford a prolonged survival round. Besides, I only remembered four possible event formats from my knowledge.
1. Arena – Battle Royale. A free-for-all until only one remains.
2. Virtual Reality – Tower of Trials (Boss Rush). Climb a tower in a space blending modern science and magic, defeating Corruptors, villains, and monsters on each floor.
3. Urban Area – Point Capture. Similar to the battle royale on the uninhabited island during the entrance exam.
4. Forest – Time Attack. Navigate a forest teeming with monsters and reach the designated point faster than anyone else.
Recalling every format and location I knew, I set an alarm on my smartwatch and activated Clairvoyance. A surge of mental clarity expanded my field of vision.
…There are quite a lot of monsters.
They were visible from just a minute's distance ahead. Of course, these were artificial monsters created by the academy, not real ones. Even if one sustained heavy injuries here, there was no risk of death. Anyone suffering fatal wounds or declaring surrender would be automatically transported to the medical facility.
Still, as the top-ranked student, the number of monsters in my section of the forest was noticeably higher. Not that it would stop me from breaking through. With that thought, I located the target point. Twenty seconds later, I spotted it.
They even color-matched the flag to the forest. How thoughtful.
A green flag marked the location. I deactivated Clairvoyance—there was no need to maintain it now that I had found the goal.
"Time to move quickly, then."
I concentrated mana into my legs and feet. Once it had gathered sufficiently—
Thud—!
I kicked off the ground and launched myself upward, soaring toward the sky at tremendous speed. My hand brushed the ceiling, which displayed a clear blue sky like a television screen. At the same time, I kicked off the empty air with psychokinesis and propelled myself toward the target.
More precisely, I ran through the air.
I have been practicing this since the internship.
Psychokinesis-assisted aerial running—commonly known as Air Step. The method was simple. Tap, tap! Just like Gray manipulating wind to step on air, I created platforms of psychokinetic force beneath my feet. That was all… well, one more thing. I had to dispel each platform after stepping off it. Otherwise, the mana consumption would increase exponentially.
Once my psychokinesis reaches S-rank, I should be able to fly freely like Kali.
I had originally aimed to fly like her rather than use this method, but without S-rank, the flight speed had been far too slow. Hence the current technique.
—Kiaaaaaah—!!
Roars echoed from the forest below. At the same time, sharp stings prickled across my body. Red lines appeared in my vision.
Shoo-shoo-shoo-shoo-shoot—!
Various projectiles flew toward me—green venomous liquid, sharp thorns, blunt stones. I dodged what I could with agile movements and drew Thunderbolt from my inventory, firing at the rest. Weaving through the barrage while running through the air, the green flag finally came into view. Pouring extra mana into my legs and feet, I stomped down hard on a psychokinetic platform just as I had on the ground.
Bang!
The air burst with a loud crack. My body shot forward like an arrow toward the target point. Moments later—
Thud—!
I landed at the destination.
[Impressive, Master. You practiced that superhero landing so diligently, and it finally paid off.]
Terra's message appeared in my vision—whether praise or sarcasm, I could not quite tell. Immediately afterward—
Ding.
The smartwatch alarm chimed, projecting a hologram displaying the time and ranking. The only entry shown was mine.
[Time Attack Record]
[Lee Yoo-jin: 1 minute 32 seconds — 1st Place]
[— : — : —]
Only my time appeared.