Exchange Meet (5): Kindred Rival Spirits
Seong Hyun-jin could feel it clearly. It was just a fleeting moment, but the emotion Elena Apocalipse had shown was unmistakably rivalry.
…What’s this.
He’d thought she was all delicate and fragile, but that wasn’t the case at all.
She’s an interesting one, huh?
Far from fragile—she actually resembled Seong Hyun-jin himself quite a bit. That interest and rivalry toward the strong. It was the emotion he always harbored deep inside.
Understanding it better than anyone, Seong Hyun-jin didn’t dismiss her rivalry. Instead, he met it head-on.
“Word about me has spread this far, huh?”
“…Yes, it has.”
At Seong Hyun-jin’s bold response, Elena’s lips curved into a slight smile. That smile carried a spark of excitement, like she’d found a kindred spirit.
Even with the Dragon Star’s daughter, the Levatein heiress, and the Demon Star’s disciple right before her eyes, Elena Apocalipse’s interest was firmly fixed on one person alone: Seong Hyun-jin.
“I was shocked when I heard the news. I wondered what kind of underclassman could pull that off, but you look surprisingly mild-mannered.”
“Ouch, hitting me where it hurts.”
“Where it hurts?”
Seong Hyun-jin nodded.
“As you can see, my body’s still a bit underdeveloped.”
“Oh dear, I didn’t mean it like that… Sorry if I touched a sore spot.”
Her attitude seemed genuinely unaware, so Seong Hyun-jin chuckled lightly and let it slide. Keeping that smile on his face, he spoke to Elena.
“I’ve been curious about you too.”
“Pardon?”
“They say you’re the strongest student at Terastial Academy, fair and square.”
Just as she had, he revealed his own rivalry without holding back.
“I’ve always wondered what someone like that would be like. If I got the chance, I wanted to cross swords with you at least once.”
Far from backing down, Seong Hyun-jin met her head-on with an even bolder response. Elena’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. But only for a moment—soon, she smiled leisurely once more.
“…Hehe.”
With a light laugh, she nodded and said,
“That does sound fun.”
“Does it?”
“Yes.”
Seeming to share his thoughts, she empathized with his sentiment.
“I’d welcome a no-holds-barred fight with someone like you anytime.”
Her attitude suggested she’d be fine clashing with him right then and there. Unconsciously, Seong Hyun-jin’s hand drifted to his sword hilt.
But Elena wasn’t foolish enough to forget what this occasion was.
“Sadly, we’ll have to save that for later. This isn’t a stage for us to fight each other—it’s where we compete against other academies and show off our prowess.”
“…Right.”
Seong Hyun-jin calmed his racing heart and lowered his hand. Following her lead, he made a proposal that fit the true purpose of the exchange meet.
“Then let’s go smash them all together.”
“…Heh.”
Elena laughed lightly at his suggestion and grasped his hand, shaking it firmly.
“Deal. I like an underclassman brimming with confidence.”
“And I like a senior who clicks with me right from the start.”
The situation had gotten a bit awkward midway, but in the end, their first meeting with Elena Apocalipse wrapped up on a warm senior-junior note.
However, some watched this heartwarming scene with a twinge of displeasure—or outright dissatisfaction.
It wasn’t the wary gazes from students of other academies toward Terastial Academy.
Why’s he going after yet another girl…
Why’s that guy acting like such a player?
We don’t need to worry about Senior Elena too… right?
It was the women connected to Seong Hyun-jin—especially Serena Eldark, Yeonhui, and Siela Teraport, whose hearts were firmly set on him.
Yeonhui and Siela were their usual selves, but Serena was bubbling with jealousy again, uncharacteristically so. She couldn’t quite show it outwardly since even she didn’t understand why, but every time Seong Hyun-jin showed interest in another woman, that feeling swelled within her.
Look only at me… not other women.
She hadn’t been this clingy at the start of their relationship. Was it because her body was now his too? Serena hadn’t yet realized the exact reason.
“……Don’t look at other women.”
But one thing was clear. And she was convinced she had every right to feel this way.
Grab!
Serena yanked Seong Hyun-jin away from Elena.
“…Serena?”
“Oh my.”
As Elena looked at her questioningly, Serena declared,
“You’re too close.”
With that, Serena puffed out her cheeks slightly. It was a natural pout from her frustration, one she wasn’t even aware of. But how adorable it looked to Seong Hyun-jin required no explanation.
Why’s she been so cute lately?
It hit even harder because he knew she wasn’t the jealous type usually.
As Seong Hyun-jin grinned at her cute reaction, she furrowed her brow slightly and said,
“You’re enjoying this, huh? Meeting a pretty senior.”
“Huh? No, that’s not—”
“Ah, so you’re the underclassman’s cute girlfriend?”
Serena flinched and glanced at Elena. Shocked that her possessiveness was so obvious—and that she’d been called cute.
The former was impossible to hide after literally pulling him away, but the latter was rare; only her parents called her that.
“M-Me?”
It was natural for it to feel unfamiliar.
“Isn’t that right?”
“W-Well… I am his girlfriend, but…”
Asking if she was cute was too embarrassing for Serena to say aloud.
“Then that’s spot on. You’ve got yourself a fun boyfriend, Princess Eldark.”
Elena greeted her warmly, using the nickname as if she knew her well.
“I don’t have any ulterior motives toward your underclassman, so rest easy. And since we’re teammates for this exchange meet, there’s no reason for bad blood.”
Hearing the reassurance Serena wanted—and the call for teamwork—Elena delivered it succinctly. Serena hesitated, then nodded.
“…A-All right then.”
Relieved, Serena cleared her throat lightly and gave a proper greeting.
“I’m Serena Eldark, first-year Combat Department.”
“Elena Apocalipse, third-year Swordsmanship Department.”
As Serena introduced herself, Clarice naturally stepped forward as a fellow first-year.
“Clarice Levatein, first-year Swordsmanship Department. I’ve heard a lot about you, Senior.”
Clarice showed clear interest in Elena. Especially since they were in the same department, her admiration was substantial. Before the tournament where she’d truly gotten to know Seong Hyun-jin, Elena Apocalipse’s return to the academy had been Clarice’s biggest concern.
“Shall we head over? We’re last, so they’ll start as soon as we’re ready.”
“Are we late?”
“No. I arrived even later than you all, originally.”
“Oh, right.”
Seong Hyun-jin scratched his head, having forgotten Elena’s late arrival. Serena chimed in,
“Forgive him, Senior. He can be a bit of an idiot sometimes.”
“An idiot?”
“You are, idiot.”
“No, I’m not? Even my master never called me that.”
Elena gauged Seong Hyun-jin’s personality from the exchange.
Similar to me… but more extreme.
Strong rivalry, deep swordsmanship knowledge… and disinterest in anything outside his passions. But Seong Hyun-jin took it further—zero interest elsewhere, making his sword skills and rivalry all the sharper.
…He’s fun.
Just as she’d told him, he really was. Elena felt a rare spark of excitement, smiling with anticipation.
Seeing it, Levion approached and asked,
“They that fun?”
“Yeah.”
Elena answered honestly, her voice laced with expectation.
“I’m really looking forward to this exchange meet.”
Academy exchange meets pit representative teams from each academy against one another over several days.
Competition isn't limited to sparring—non-combat department reps participate too, so formats include pure duels as well as entirely different challenges without drawing blades.
Examples: Commanding virtual simulation wars that demand brains over brawn to win, or unveiling groundbreaking research papers and theses to elevate your academy's prestige.
One student might excel at everything—like Serena Eldark, who's brilliant and a fierce fighter. But to preserve the meet's purpose, each rep can only enter one event.
Team events allow multiple reps, but they can't join others. Flooding duels leaves you unable to shine elsewhere.
Elena said,
“We need to decide where we’re entering. Sparring events seem mostly set, and anyone we send would do great… but we need reps for simulation war, competition, and theology debate.”
“Theology debate has a perfect fit right here.”
Seong Hyun-jin pointed at Yeonhui.
Elena finally noticed her and said,
“…Oh, right. She was with the other side until last year, so I got confused.”
“I forgot to mention it too.”
“Theology’s settled then. Who wants simulation war or competition?”
Seong Hyun-jin tilted his head at her words.
“If there’s a competition, shouldn’t reps come from Spirit or Magic Engineering too, not just combat? Why all combat folks…”
“Because I’ve got it covered.”
It was Siela Teraport.
“Thanks to that favor your underclassman asked, I’ve got something to present.”
“What favor did I ask?”
“A bit ago? From the war in Levatein Duchy.”
“Oh, that?”
Seong Hyun-jin tilted his head again.
“But you did that on the spot. Did you have time to write a paper?”
“A scrap of paper like that? I can whip it up now.”
Siela snapped her fingers lightly. Paper and pen flew in from somewhere, landing in her hand.
“Just jot down the mental math solutions. What’s hard about that?”
Seong Hyun-jin thought the premise itself was tough, but a genius mage acknowledged by the Demon Star thought differently.
“Then Siela, you handle competition. That leaves simulation war… Anyone versed in strategy? I can do it if not…”
Elena said it, but inwardly she craved the swordsmanship duel. Seong Hyun-jin was sure to enter it, so to cross swords with him, she’d need to join too—knock out other academies and face him in the finals.
“…Clarice, as Levatein’s lady, you must know warfare well.”
Her solution: Clarice Levatein. As high nobility, she’d studied it and could sub in.
But Clarice’s reply was negative.
“Ah, well… I personally want to enter swordsmanship duel. And this war made me realize I need more study. I only know basics— even simulations wouldn’t go well.”
“Hmm…”
Elena inwardly sighed but said,
“Fine, I’ll take it. Everyone else, fit into duels. Sound good?”
“No objections.”
“Yes.”
“Perfect.”
And so, Terastial Academy’s exchange meet lineup was set.