Class Placement Exam (3): Clash with Serena Eldark
The top two from the 35th entrance exam—Serena Eldark and Seong Hyun-jin—collided in the class placement exam.
"Stop right there."
"Stasis (στάση)"
⟨ Dragon Word ⟩
Serena struck first. The power embedded in the Dragon Word instantly bound Seong Hyun-jin's body.
Facing this unfamiliar sensation for the first time, Seong Hyun-jin marveled.
"Oh..."
"Even you can't escape the Dragon Word, it seems."
Serena spoke with a hint of disappointment, as if it were too anticlimactic.
"Training your skills is fine, but maybe pay more attention to your mental fortitude? At this rate, all that talk about taking my spot feels like empty boasting."
"Isn't your arrogance a bit much?"
Seong Hyun-jin replied with a relaxed smile.
"I never said I couldn't move."
With those words, he stepped forward with his left foot. Spotting it in an instant, Serena hurriedly leaned back, tilting her upper body. Almost simultaneously, a sharp sword strike whistled past right in front of her eyes.
Gazing at the few strands of hair that had been narrowly sliced off, Serena cried out in shock.
"A-Are you insane? The instructor said no injuries that could cause semi-permanent damage! Aiming for the eyes...!"
"I swung knowing you'd dodge."
"Y-You...!"
Serena was genuinely startled. Her Dragon Word was something ordinary mental strength couldn't break. Just think of the assistant instructors who'd stood frozen before it, helplessly tying the cords. Yet Seong Hyun-jin had only felt briefly restrained before moving freely again. It was practically ineffective.
Not the Sword Star's disciple for nothing, she thought.
Of course, that notion vanished the moment she recalled his strike aimed at her eyes.
"...Fine, if that's how you want to play it!"
Serena hadn't inherited her father's full power due to her half-blood heritage, but being a half-dragon had its advantages too. Dragons were akin to spirits themselves and couldn't contract with others, but Serena's elven blood allowed her to bond with separate spirits and wield their power.
The air around her began to churn, sending her platinum blonde hair fluttering. Soon, the power of her spirit manifested.
A flame-attribute spirit's superior form—a pyre-attribute spirit. Blue flames symbolizing its might erupted spectacularly.
Seong Hyun-jin tilted his head at the sight.
"Dragonkin wielding a spirit?"
"I'm only half!"
Serena snapped back defiantly, spreading her right hand wide.
"Create."
"Kano (κάνω)"
⟨ Dragon Word ⟩
A sword hilt materialized in her outstretched palm—not a katana like Seong Hyun-jin's, but a broad, hefty greatsword.
A greatsword?
He'd found her choice unexpected, but then blue flames coiled around the blade.
"You didn't hold back, so neither will I."
The blazing azure flames and massive greatsword evoked the image of some mythical giant's blade, destined to incinerate the world at the end of days.
"Block it if you can!"
The blue-flamed greatsword rose high before crashing down.
KABOOOOOM────!!
Seong Hyun-jin dodged nimbly, but the scorching flames exploded, blasting a massive hole in the forest clearing. Immense firepower.
"Serena, trying to kill me?"
"You said you swung knowing I'd dodge!"
"Hm..."
Serena summoned flames again, wrapping them around her greatsword for another identical strike.
"You dodged well last time—try it again!"
Seong Hyun-jin shook his head.
"...You're really pissed, huh."
He'd swung a bit more seriously to gauge her level, and it seemed to have thoroughly enraged her. No helping it—he was the one who'd provoked her, so he'd have to smooth things over himself. More than that, though, Seong Hyun-jin wanted a proper clash with her too.
The thrill of facing the strong—that was what had kept him enduring under Karin for twenty years.
"Hah!"
As Serena slammed her greatsword down with full force, a searing beam of flame lanced straight ahead like a ray of light. But instead of dodging like before, Seong Hyun-jin stood firm, sword at the ready.
This time, Serena panicked.
"W-Wait, why aren't you dodging...!?"
"Swinging like that would wreck the training grounds. Gotta block it."
"What!?"
This wasn't a strike meant to be blocked. Few students in the academy could even handle this power. Blocking her previous attack would've been wiser—it had been far weaker.
Yet Seong Hyun-jin simply gripped his sword, staring down the oncoming heat ray.
Then, change occurred. Black energy rippled, coiling around the blade. Seeing it, Serena's eyes widened.
The moment she recognized the attribute of his spirit, she felt a bit relieved. Seong Hyun-jin angled his sword diagonally and stepped forward boldly with his left foot. The faint chaos power spread thinly, coating the blade like a sheath.
"Spirit Exorcism Sword (Jeryeonggeom), Fifth Form."
Disaster Severing Strike (재액참살)
He swung toward the heat ray bearing down on him.
Serena stared blankly ahead, her expression almost foolishly dazed. There stood the swordsman who'd cleaved her reckless blaze head-on. Despite slicing through such flames, neither his sword nor his body bore a scratch.
Having seen his spirit's power moments ago, she understood how—but that didn't make it any less astonishing. A force barely a tenth of her blue flames' output had devoured them entirely, as if the attack had never existed.
And that strike itself was equally incredible. Without output rivaling her spirit arts, it might've been sliced instead. Exquisitely precise and refined, yet not lacking lethality. Sharper than any swordplay she'd witnessed.
How they coexisted, she couldn't fathom... but she knew she hadn't imagined it.
This is the Sword Star's swordsmanship...
Her father's words about Hakodate Karin's techniques being an unfathomable mystery now made sense. With such an enigmatic style, the title fit.
And Seong Hyun-jin's claim of fully grasping his master's sword came to mind. She'd dismissed it as bravado then, but now... maybe it held some truth.
"Ugh, I'm dying here."
Seong Hyun-jin plopped down dramatically, fanning his sword.
His gesture screamed exhaustion, so Serena withdrew her spirit's power. Watching the blue flames fade, he remarked in awe.
"You're ridiculously strong."
"..."
"I figured you were tough, but... beyond imagination."
Serena let out a hollow laugh.
"...Says the guy without a scratch."
"Nah, every inch of me hurts right now."
Serena eyed him suspiciously as he whined, then asked.
"The spirit you contracted with—is it a chaos-attribute one?"
"Figured it out quick?"
"Dark- or poison-attribute spirits aren't that intensely colored. And they couldn't pull off that trick just now."
She explained.
"A chaos-attribute spirit that erases other spirits' power makes sense."
"Spot-on analysis. You've got an eye for this."
"A rare spirit contract. Impressive."
"Yeah, but..."
Seong Hyun-jin started to mention his issues with it but held back, nodding lightly instead. He let out a deep sigh and looked at Serena.
"Anyway, that was close to disaster. What if it hadn't been me?"
"You could've dodged but chose not to."
"Yeah, but left unchecked, you'd keep spamming it. Had to show you who's boss to calm you down. And if I'd dodged, this forest would've been toast."
Seong Hyun-jin said.
"That'd end the exam early. Can't have that—I haven't collected enough cords yet."
"...Still after my cords?"
He gazed at her briefly, then waved his hand dismissively, signaling an end to the fight.
"I'll pass on yours. No efficiency like this. Better hunting others in the time it'd take."
"Why not just find assistant instructors instead of stealing? With your skills, it'd be easy."
"Exams like this need a villain. Instructor Hayes probably wants that too."
Seong Hyun-jin said.
"I'm just reading the intent. Not 'cause stealing's fun."
"..."
"...Why the look?"
"...Nothing."
Serena sighed lightly. Responding to his reluctance to continue.
"Father said: On the battlefield, even if you can beat a strong foe, don't rush in recklessly. Victory soaked in blood just feeds the next enemy."
"Fair point."
"Like you said, we'll stop here. This isn't a duel anyway."
Serena declared confidently. Steady collection beats his methods for true victory.
"Instead, I'll prove the orthodox way wins—through results."
"Oh, playing it like that?"
Seong Hyun-jin grinned and proposed to the self-assured Serena.
"Wanna bet?"
"A bet?"
"Simple: lunch is on the loser. Most cords wins."
"...Fine."
Serena pointed at his head with a snap, proclaiming.
"I'll inject some righteousness into that rotten brain of yours!"
"I'll show you that scruples on the battlefield just hurt you. Efficiency's key—you'll learn."
With that, Serena and Seong Hyun-jin parted ways. Thirty minutes left in the exam—they'd each maximize cords their way.
Combat Department first-year instructor Hayes wore a complicated expression.
"Who collected more!?"
"Who got more cords!?"
Seong Hyun-jin and Serena Eldark demanded of Hayes simultaneously. Hayes and their classmates stared in disbelief.
How'd they pull it off? Both returned with double the others' white and black cords, demanding scoring.
They looked nearly equal—scoring would show only a slim margin. Undeniably, these two would vie for first and second in the placement exam too.
Hayes left scoring to assistants and asked them.
"Both of you... how'd you gather so many?"
Seong Hyun-jin and Serena gave contrasting answers.
"Snatched 'em while roaming."
"Caught assistant instructors. Unlike this guy, I didn't steal from others."
Hayes found the opposing methods intriguing. Seong Hyun-jin and Serena had perfectly played their roles.
Some students grumbled at Seong Hyun-jin.
"That guy's pure evil."
"Stole cords I just got—didn't even tie 'em properly!"
"Within the rules. No issue."
Hayes quelled their complaints and glanced at the assistants. Finally, they'd tallied.
"All counted. Announce?"
"Go ahead."
"Yes."
Assistant instructor Pedric cleared his throat and boomed.
"Announcing from highest score."
Seong Hyun-jin and Serena focused.
"First place: 15 black cords, 22 white, 0 red. Total 59 points..."
Their expressions diverged at the numbers. As joy and disappointment crossed, Pedric finished.
"Serena Eldark. Congratulations."
"Kyaa! See? I won!"
Serena squealed unwittingly, drawing stares at her cute voice, then shrank back. But a win was a win. She toned down, boasting to Seong Hyun-jin.
"S-See? Told you I'd win."
"...Yeah."
He scratched his head, face scrunching comically as he grumbled.
"Your Dragon Word's the problem. Freezing assistants to steal? Total cheat."
"Bringing that up now?"
As she stared incredulously, he relaxed into a grin.
"Kidding. You won fair."
"...Jerk. Thought you'd welch."
"Do I seem that petty?"
Serena hesitated—recalling his pre-exam expression—before answering.
"...No?"
"Why the pause?"
"N-No reason. Just slow to answer."
Pedric continued. Second place Seong Hyun-jin: 27 black, 15 white—57 points. Overwhelmingly black from theft, fewer white.
"Tch, by raw count, I had more."
"'Cause you stole everything..."
As she eyed him judgmentally, he admitted sheepishly.
"Yeah, I snatched a ton."
"Don't say it proudly—that wasn't praise."
"Still satisfying, though."
"Huh? You lost."
Seong Hyun-jin chuckled at her confusion, speaking relievedly.
"Villain loses, hero wins. As it should be."
"What?"
"This is right."
He patted her back lightly.
"Thanks to you, others'll stick to legit methods now. Exams'll be healthier."
"...So if you'd won, it'd be the opposite?"
"Yup. Normally fine, but exams turn dirty and cutthroat."
"You knew and did it anyway?"
"Gotta win cold. If stopping works on people, how do you beat legit?"
Feeling his stiff body and crashing fatigue, he muttered.
"Not like I've got the stamina for it."
"Huh?"
Serena looked puzzled, but he didn't explain. He'd seemed unusually tired for a moment, but was back to normal. She wasn't sure if she'd seen right.
Meanwhile, he changed topics.
"So, lunch? Master gave me cash—I'm loaded."
"...Really?"
She pondered, glancing at him. Seeing his "anything's fine," she smirked.
"Then I'll order big. Was gonna pick cheap to spare you..."
Serena laughed happily.
"Gotta go fancy now."