Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Kim Ara
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“Oh, what’s going on over there? Is the top student actually throwing down with someone?”
“Park Un-hyuk? He’s a physical beast, but he’s nothing special without a weapon, is he?”
Lee Seo-ha climbed onto the raised arena with a completely relaxed, almost indifferent air. Standing directly opposite him was Park Un-hyuk, a mountain of a teenager.
Un-hyuk stood well over 190 cm tall. His massive, muscular frame—meticulously honed since he was five years old—looked far more intimidating than Lee Seo-ha’s slightly taller-than-average 180 cm build.
“Park Un-hyuk is still a physical powerhouse, even without mana. Rumors say the top student is strictly a mage. And since Un-hyuk picked up that solid crescent blade in the selection—this could get scary.”
“Yeah? So you think Park Un-hyuk takes the win?”
“Who knows. The top student is a complete mystery. You can't even read his presence.”
Seo Ga-yeon, standing in the crowd, nodded her head in silent agreement at that last remark.
The opponent she had faced in the entrance exam was a savage orc warrior. Its brute strength, backed by a sturdy, alien physique, had been terrifying enough to make her shiver even now. She knew Lee Seo-ha must have faced something significantly tougher to earn that #1 rank.
‘Mages always have a hard time beating warriors in close quarters.’
It was a common saying among experts. Mages were versatile, but their power was usually focused on raw 'firepower' and distance. Yet Lee Seo-ha had taken his trial down in an instant and walked out without a scratch.
Even further, during the dungeon exploration, he had moved through the labyrinth like it was his own living room. Seo Ga-yeon had been on his team, but she still couldn't grasp his true nature. She held onto a quiet hope that this spar would finally give her a glimpse of what he was hiding.
“We’ll be using real, unsharpened blades for this duel. Absolutely no mana is allowed. Both of you, put on these bracelets—they are designed to suppress mana flow. If I catch even a hint of you trying to use internal energy, I will step in as instructor to terminate the match.”
The instructor repeated the warnings multiple times, emphasizing the need to accept defeat cleanly and not use hidden talents. He kept glancing at Lee Seo-ha with a suspicious eye.
“Whoa, Instructor Park really does have deep connections to Park Un-hyuk’s family company, doesn't he?”
“Poor Lee Seo-ha. He's being handicapped from the start.”
Lee Seo-ha merely yawned and nodded lazily. Park Un-hyuk grimaced, mouthing something quietly to the instructor, who simply signaled them to prepare for the match.
“Begin!”
The moment the instructor’s voice dropped, Park Un-hyuk exploded into motion.
‘I’ll end this in an instant.’
Park Un-hyuk thought as he eyed his opponent. To him, Lee Seo-ha was some weirdo who had dropped out of the sky to steal the spotlight.
His real goal had always been Kim Seo-hyun—the boy who was always ranked just above him, the one he had never managed to beat. But this was different. This new guy had shown up out of nowhere, and suddenly Kim Seo-hyun—who had never even glanced Un-hyuk's way—was burning with fighting spirit just by looking at Seo-ha.
Honestly, it scared him. Even with all these restrictions from the instructor, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he wouldn't win.
Thud!
He kicked off the ground with explosive power. The weapon he’d received from the armory was a heavy crescent blade. He swung it in a wide, sweeping arc. Lee Seo-ha dodged to the side with room to spare.
‘Big, inefficient movements.’
The top student wasn't used to close combat, just as Un-hyuk expected. He’d already shown a clear weakness during the morning endurance training, meaning his body wasn't properly conditioned for a brawl.
Un-hyuk twisted his wrist, slicing the crescent blade upward from below. Clang! The black sword blocked the strike perfectly. Park Un-hyuk immediately pulled back his blade.
He followed up with a sudden thrust. It wasn't a spear, but his height and reach advantage should have been enough to pierce Seo-ha’s guard. But the top student dodged again, his feet moving with a strange fluidity.
‘Is he specialized in evasion?’
He couldn't have zero experience; his reactions were too sharp. Park Un-hyuk racked his brain, trying to find a pattern. He swung, slashed, and thrust in a rapid-fire sequence.
Every single attack missed. It was as if his opponent still had mana, moving with a speed that defied basic physics. But that was impossible; the suppression bracelet would have flared up instantly.
Clang!
Crescent blade met black sword in a heavy bind. Park Un-hyuk smirked—then his face froze. His blade was being pushed back. Even though spears and crescent blades didn't transmit force as efficiently as swords, he was still losing the contest of raw strength.
But he was a trained martial artist, not a mage who just hit the gym. He wouldn't lose to a 'scholar.'
‘Change of plans.’
Park Un-hyuk flicked his sword away and grinned confidently. If raw strength was an issue, he would win through sheer technical skill. Then he’d take the victory he deserved.
...Or so he thought.
‘What the hell is happening?’
As the fight intensified, Lee Seo-ha’s hair grew damp with sweat—proof that he was physically tiring. If the duel dragged into a battle of attrition, Park Un-hyuk’s superior conditioning should have ensured his win.
‘What is this guy?’
Yet, Un-hyuk still couldn't picture himself standing over a defeated Seo-ha. He was the expert here. He had trained with the spear since he was five until it was an extension of his own arm. That effort couldn't have been in vain.
But Lee Seo-ha was adapting. He was getting used to the movements in real-time. Blades clashed. They grappled. On the surface, Un-hyuk was pressing the attack.
Yet the fight felt stagnant. It felt like one more push would seal the win, but the actual image of 'victory' over Lee Seo-ha grew blurrier and further away. Seo-ha’s eyes were locked onto the tip of the crescent blade with terrifying focus.
Slash.
Un-hyuk swung with everything he had. But with a slight, almost lazy tilt of his head, Seo-ha evaded. It was as if he knew the attack was coming before Un-hyuk even committed to it.
Seo-ha’s counters grew smoother. His defense became more refined. His footwork lost its amateurish edge. It was like he had a master whispering in his ear, growing by feeding on Un-hyuk’s techniques like fertilizer. No, it wasn't just growth—it was as if he were recovering a strength he had always possessed.
Clang!
Sword met crescent blade once more. As Park Un-hyuk retracted his arm for another strike, Lee Seo-ha finally moved into the offensive.
He dropped low, bending at the waist. As Un-hyuk swung, Seo-ha’s black sword lashed out from the inside out. The crescent blade clashed, a sharp, numbing pain shot through Un-hyuk’s hand, and his weapon went flying across the arena.
‘I actually beat this guy.’
I felt a surge of absurdity. I had actually defeated Park Un-hyuk.
The guy was a top-tier talent even by the Korea Hero Academy’s insane standards. If he had been allowed to use mana, I probably wouldn't have lasted thirty seconds against him.
- “Strange. His raw martial skill is decent, but there is no logical way he should have improved this fast.”
The spirit of the Black Heaven Demon Sword floated in the air beside me, looking puzzled. Because she was a spiritual entity, no one else in the crowd could see or hear her.
I ignored her and looked toward the instructor. Talking to a floating sword spirit right now would only make me look like a lunatic.
“Winner... Lee Seo-ha!”
The students’ blank stares of disbelief turned into a roar of shock at the instructor’s official call.
“W-what just happened? Did anyone record that?”
“Is that a growth-type talent? That’s crazy, he’s adapting solo in the middle of a fight!”
“If that’s a growth talent, what kind of insane rank is it? There's no way a human can learn that fast...”
Everyone was fundamentally misunderstanding the situation. I had simply been circulating Reverse Heaven energy internally and following the sword spirit’s real-time advice to maximize my limited power and speed.
- “I helped, of course, but you did well, Master. It seems you truly possess an interesting talent for this.”
‘Martial skill is mediocre, my ass,’ I thought. I shot the spirit a sharp look, and she merely chuckled.
- “Mediocre doesn't mean you can't fight. You aren't a natural-born genius of the blade, but you are talented enough to be coached.”
I stepped down from the arena. Kim Seo-hyun was waiting at the bottom, his sky-blue eyes sparkling with a new level of intensity.
“Seo-ha, that was absolutely amazing!”
“Eh, it was just a spar.”
“I was so nervous for you at first, but you adapted instantly and turned the entire tide! How did you generate that much strength? Was it a hidden talent? A specific technique? The suppression bracelet didn't react, so maybe you have incredibly high base stats or a passive talent...”
Kim Seo-hyun was a great guy in almost every way, except for the fact that once he latched onto an idea, he wouldn't shut up about it.
I gave him a vague nod until Kim Ara and Seo Ga-yeon approached us.
“...When are you going to teach me?” Kim Ara sidled up and murmured quietly. Right. I’d made a deal with her back in the dungeon. A way out from her father, the Overlord.
“Later. Not here.”
Kim Ara nodded and stepped back. Beside us, Kim Seo-hyun blinked in confusion. “What’s this? Are you two acting a bit weird?”
‘Don’t say scary things like that,’ I thought. Dating the girl who literally rips mountains apart later in the story? I’d be dead before the first anniversary.
The Overlord was terrifyingly, overwhelmingly strong. He didn't even bother building a formal faction—he simply stood at the world's peak as a freakish anomaly of raw power.
Put differently, he had no organization to hide behind. He had 'followers' who revered his strength, but they were just that—fanatics. He was a complex figure, neither strictly good nor evil. Neutral. And he absolutely despised demons. That sounds heroic, but his methods are why no one calls him 'good.'
Anyway, I set those thoughts aside for now.
“There is a very simple way to escape the Overlord’s shadow,” I told Kim Ara once we were alone.
“A simple way?”
“Kill the Overlord.”
“......”
Kim Ara stared at me with a look of pure disbelief.
“You want me to kill... the Overlord?”
“Yeah.”
In the original story, she actually succeeds in doing exactly that. But then Kim Seo-hyun dies as a consequence, so that route is pointless for a happy ending.
“I’m kidding. There’s another, better way.”
She was starting to glare murderously, so I backpedaled as fast as my feet allowed.
“Why do you think he obsesses over you specifically?”
“...Because I am his only heir.”
I chuckled at that.
The truth was, the Overlord was actually a very charismatic guy when he wasn't busy exterminating demons. He had a doting dad image that he tried to maintain. And his heir was already set: it wasn't her, it was the eldest son. The son was competent, ambitious, and knew exactly where he stood in the hierarchy.
“It's super simple. You just need to get stronger.”
“Me?”
“You struggle to control your power right now, don't you? Even when you're just sparring with these kids, you’re barely holding back because you're afraid you'll accidentally kill or maim them.”
“......”
“I’ll help you. I’ll teach you how to use that strength properly, without fear.”
“I appreciate the offer, but what does that have to do with escaping the Overlord?”
“His power is bloodline-based. You inherited it fully—no, you inherited it even stronger than he did.”
“...Me? Stronger than my father?”
“Yeah. It's really that simple.”
If Kim Ara realizes the true scope of her power and walks the straight path, the Overlord won't be able to suppress or control her. The reason is simple: he has thousands of enemies. He is obsessive about demon extermination and kills anyone tied to them on sight. If he judges that his daughter is strong enough to protect herself from his enemies, he’ll stop suffocating her and just check in occasionally.
“Grow strong here at the Korea Hero Academy on your own terms. Show him you don't need his protection.”
“......”
Kim Ara grew silent, pondering my words. I watched her closely. Her long purple bangs hid her expression, covering half her face from the world. She was actually quite cute in the game's illustrations—not as much as my favorite second-year senior, but close.
“I’ll help you grow from this moment on.”
I offered her my hand with a confident smile. Of course, my true motive was to snag Kim Ara as my super-fast 'bus driver' for the future. With her raw power, most dungeons would be a breeze to clear. I’d make sure she was rewarded fairly for the effort.
“...Fine. I’ll trust you this once.”
Kim Ara reached out and quietly took my hand.
I grinned. My plan was coming together perfectly.