Eunbyeol's Dream
The massive stadium in Yongsan, Seoul. Park Seongwoong, who had entered through the VIP seats, exchanged greetings with Monica, whom he hadn't seen in ages.
"Long time no see, Monica Newell."
"It's been a while for you too, Mage Park Seongwoong."
Monica looked around the enormous stadium with a sense of wonder.
"The arena's been upgraded, huh?"
"Yeah, back in the day, they'd send cameramen into the Abyss or use drones."
Seongwoong shrugged as he gazed at the gigantic holographic stage.
"Now they replicate the inside of the Abyss bubble with magic."
"Hehe, NovaTech's tech. It's a proper 6-level spell called 'Holo Projection,' you know?"
"Hm. Yeah. You'd know more about this field than me, Monica."
Monica narrowed her eyes.
"Why'd you send our Byeol out to the Foundation League? She could've waited a year, gotten her 3-level certification, and debuted then."
"Haha... 'Our Byeol,' huh..."
"Quickly now. Why send her out now?"
Under Monica's urging, Seongwoong continued with a sorrowful expression.
"No choice. Her parents are against her going pro. I begged and pleaded to let her go this year since we had preparations ready."
"What? Suddenly?"
Beep—
The holographic stage activated with a loud alert tone.
The Foundation League was about to begin.
Seongwoong gazed at what might be Byeol's final stage and spoke.
"Byeol's a kid with real grit. That determination is big and lofty enough to aim for Olympia."
"......"
"But her parents want her to live a normal life. Sure, mages are national heroes and all. But you know the reality."
Even in this VIP section, there wasn't a single person over 60. Mages burned bright but short, their lifespans eaten away—most died from ether addiction once they hit their fifties.
"Don't parents brace themselves for that the moment they let their kids become mages?"
Seongwoong gave a bitter smile at Monica's words.
"Yeah, you didn't have academy experience..."
He looked at her and continued.
"In the academies, less than half of dropouts are by the kids' choice. The rest? Parents wake up to reality and force it."
"That's... Even parents can't dictate their child's life choices..."
Seongwoong shook his head at Monica's protest.
"Not in Korea, American girl."
Leaning against the wall, he went on.
"Watching your kid writhe from backlash, passing out multiple times a day... After years of that hell, parents end up begging them to quit. And the kids, unable to ignore their parents' pleas, give up on pro dreams."
Monica gave a wry smile as she watched the participant list appear on the holographic stage.
"So if she doesn't score well this time, Byeol..."
"She'll end her career as a junior mage."
Seongwoong smiled bitterly.
"What... It's common. So common it's hard to even talk about."
[A75 - 004 Abyss Bubble]
[Yongsan / Abyss / Bubble-Grade / (Collapse)* / (Control)**]
* Ether Density: Stable [Weak–Stable–Unstable–Collapse–Disaster]
** Control: Abyss Bubble Control Complete
1. Kang Seoryeong - 0 points
2. Kim Jihoon - 0 points
3. Kim Juho - 0 points
(...)
The moment Seong Jiho entered the Abyss bubble, he activated two holograms.
Surrounded by small windows, Seong Jiho quickly scanned the terrain. A scorching desert under the blazing sun, vast wasteland visible beyond the shifting sands.
"Desert and wasteland this time, of all things..."
In such open terrain, Executioners like him struggled. No hiding spots meant assassination was tough.
Boom—
As he assessed, a massive explosion echoed—pioneers were already active.
"Stay calm. First, find a hunter."
Open terrain meant hunters' fights were exposed too. Assassination hard, but stealing kills from abyssal entities easy. Only hunters and executioners suffered here.
Pioneers would dominate the top ranks this year.
'Does that mean Yu Eunha got lucky?'
Biting his lip, Seong Jiho moved stealthily.
[3-level Special]
[Ground Assimilation]
Blending naturally into the desert, Seong Jiho soon spotted a hunter battling a nomad chieftain.
'Mid-3-level hunter. Not bad—good instincts, but reflexes lacking. Easy prey.'
After observing, he fired a low-noise spell.
[3-level Projection]
[Stone Spear]
The silenced stone spear pierced the weary nomad chieftain's head.
"Ack! How already?!"
A massive boulder crushed the head of the guy scanning around.
Beep—
With a small sound, the hunter's HP depleted, teleporting him out.
"No...!!"
His voice cut off as he vanished. Seong Jiho quickly sought new prey.
Teleport trails etched everywhere. A horrific scream echoed from somewhere.
"Kyaaak!"
Someone nearby was hurt.
"Aaaah!"
Seong Jiho pondered the ongoing screams.
'Could snag points there...?'
Luck might let him finish a downed mage for points. But.
'Screams that loud? Other executioners swarmed it.'
Running into dark horses like Hong Jiyeon or Eunbyeol would complicate things.
'Circle around farther.'
Ignoring the sobbing cries, he moved with heavy steps. This was a battlefield—helping others was the wrong call.
The stadium audience held their breath.
Seong Jiho's clean spell was impressive, but the next junior mage was in dire straits. Her hand twisted mid-3-level AoE sweeping the desert.
"Kyaaaah!"
As the caster and commentator spoke, the screaming girl bit her lip and stood.
Tears streaming, the young junior raised her hand.
Before they finished, a beautiful pair of winds sliced past the mage.
[3-level Projection]
[Wind Cutter]
2-level abyssal entities toppled under the wind blades. A massive magic circle formed over survivors.
[3-level Control]
[Shatter Void]
A massive vacuum sphere formed where the wind swept, crushing entities inward with a crunch. Over a hundred abyssal entities filling the desert turned to purple blood in seconds.
No more explanation needed—everyone knew. The 12-year-old girl, collapsed and hovering near death, couldn't continue.
Sorrowful sobs filled the stadium.
[Brain Academy - Lee Ye-eun: Elimination Confirmed]
[TOP Rank - 21]
Eunbyeol's father, Mr. Eun Guseon, smiled bitterly at the message.
'Kids honing murder skills at the cost of their lives...'
As a parent, heartbreaking; as an adult, shameful.
'Being a mage is that brutal—why do they crave it?'
He thought of his daughter, Eunbyeol. He'd sent the timid girl to learn magic out of pity. He admired mages but wasn't foolish enough to burden his child with it.
With talent, she'd learn enough to avoid bullying in regular school. That's all he'd planned for the prestigious academy.
He hadn't researched which fit her best. He'd even picked her transfer elementary school for when she quit.
Mr. Eun Guseon recalled the academy note.
[Eunbyeol – Class Rating D]
When rated low on talent, he'd secretly sighed in relief. He wasn't seriously pushing her to be a mage anyway.
But... This year, her skills skyrocketed, landing her in the Foundation League.
Honestly, Mr. Eun Guseon was flustered she'd come this far. Had his encouragement made her timid? Changing mentors at her resolve? Sending her to all events because she begged to try more?
'Where did it go wrong?'
As he sat with tangled thoughts, Eunbyeol appeared on the hologram.
"Honey! It's Eunbyeol!"
"Ah, yeah. It's her."
A small message popped beside her enlarged face.
[Predicted Rank 6 – Eunbyeol (Debut)]
[Current Points – 131pt (Rank 7)]
"Heh."
Predicted 6th, current 7th. The girl who cried nightly about her lack of talent now shone after just a year. Pro leagues one step away.
"......"
But that reality hurt Mr. Eun Guseon more.
If she went pro... His beloved daughter would sacrifice her life under the hero guise. A short, agonizing existence, more painful than most.
"Eunbyeol..."
As if sensing his heart, one of the Four Heavenly Kings appeared before Eunbyeol. Seong Jiho, often in news and papers.
"......"
The gray-haired boy before her smiled wryly.
Both had finished casting, hands extended.