Familia Crushes the Competition
"Huff. Huff. Huff. Huff."
The sight that greeted me the moment I stepped into the classroom that morning wasn't exactly a pleasant one.
Jinwoo was already there in one corner, dumbbells in hand, warming up like it was no big deal.
"Ah! Boss is here?!"
The grin that lit up his face when he spotted me was straight out of a puppy welcoming its owner home.
"...What the hell are you doing?"
"Huh? Oh, training."
"No, why are you doing it in the classroom?"
And making those weird grunting noises, no less.
"Uh... just felt like it?"
Yeah, figures. What reason would a guy like you have anyway?
Unlike Jinwoo, Youngje was quietly seated at his desk, regulating his breathing. At least he was doing mental simulations or something productive...
"Huff! Huff!"
"Hm?"
Under the desk, Youngje's legs were pumping away furiously. Something that looked like a weighted pouch was strapped to them.
"...What's he doing?"
"Today's leg day for him, apparently."
My crew had all turned into total gym rats. How did they keep doing things so far outside my predictions?
"Still, we're doing pretty good compared to some, Boss. Check that out."
"Huh?"
Jinwoo pointed out the window. In the middle of the sports field, a girl with sky-blue hair was diligently swinging her sword.
"...Choi Yeon?"
"We've only been at it since earlier, but she's been going since dawn."
Yeah. At least her I could've predicted. Choi Yeon had always been that type of girl.
Still, seeing the kids prepare so diligently made my heart feel a little more secure.
Take Jinwoo—he used to treat everything like a hassle unless money was involved.
"I bet my entire fortune on myself. With a five-minute handicap! The odds are 5x! I've gotta dominate..."
...Or maybe not?
* * *
The first match was Youngje's. Next door, Jinwoo's duel was gearing up.
Youngje's opponents were from the small club 'Ice Tag'—a group of freeze-affinity mages. Four in total: two club members and two mercenaries.
"Heard that club's prepping to switch to a combat division. Think Youngje can take 'em?"
Sea-a munched on some popcorn—god knows where she'd gotten it—while staring at the duel room monitor.
"A mage who's trained his legs? No way he loses."
And Choi Yeon, sharing the popcorn like it was no big deal.
"Right? Power mage is the truth!"
"Yeah. Strength is the world's truth."
Since when had those two synced up so perfectly? Even their nods matched.
A 1v4 battle. Against what were basically melee types. The betting board next door showed 3:1 odds—triple payout if Youngje won.
"Nooooo! I bet my whole fortune on youuuu! Win this, you bastard!!"
Jinwoo, cheering harder than anyone despite his own match waiting—
"Kim Young-je! Kill those fuckers! Hey! Jinwoo Bivalt! Get your ass to your own arena already! What the hell?!"
—and Ji Suhyun right there with him.
Our club was running smoother than ever. Almost too smooth. Wait a sec...
"Sea-a. Choi Yeon. You two bet on Youngje too?"
"Huh? Obviously? It's a sure thing."
"Sea-a said I'd make money betting on him. So I did."
Damn. For real.
"They still taking bets?"
"Aaaah! Don't, Eugene! If you bet, the odds drop!"
I wasn't planning to go big anyway... Thanks to Sea-a blocking my path so enthusiastically, I sat back down and eyed the monitor.
The match was about to start. Yesterday's commentary had gone over well, so Pado Yun was handling it again.
"Alright! We've got three matches lined up today! First up: Familia’s Kim Young-je versus Ice Tag members and their mercs! A total 1v4 showdown!"
"Hiya~ Trying to crush a freshman this hard? Academy instructors are scary, but seniors are on another level!"
"And next door: Jinwoo Bivalt from Familia versus the club Domino!"
From a third-year's perspective, it looked like the seniors were just bullying the newbie. Though other students were probably rooting for Ice Tag, where they'd placed their bets.
"Both sides ready! This is it—one shot, one kill! Can Familia follow yesterday's domination with more today?!"
"Match... staaart!!"
The screen switched to Youngje's room first—the quicker start.
"Tranquillo."
Right at the bell, Youngje cast a spell to conceal himself.
Mages usually built firepower from the rear with frontline support. But alone? Two options: 'create your own field, or hide and wait for an opening.'
Youngje picked the second.
Ice Tag mages slammed their staves into the ground, emitting mana to scan for him.
But mages had to outpace their foes in numbers.
"Sognando."
Youngje's voice echoed from the field as multicolored mana spread out—red one moment, blue the next. A truly dreamlike haze.
Man, that guy. His master was Arcobaleno, right?
Ji Suhyun stroked her chin, murmuring in fascination. And for good reason.
Youngje's original mentor, Arcobaleno. Her epithet came from that rainbow mana glow.
"Rainbow mana filling the arena! Ice Tag's spreading mana to find him, but they'll be lost now! Young-je's mana covers over half the room already!"
It worked. The Ice Tag guys panicked, glancing around—visible on the monitor.
Then.
Thud.
Thud thud.
The mercenaries started dropping.
"What the—?! Did the mana have some trick?! The frontliners are collapsing one by one!"
It didn't take long to figure out.
"Wasn't for dodging detection at all."
Looked like evasion, but really? Knock out the vanguards before they could boost magic resistance.
With sognando. A sleep spell.
And it hit the mercs perfectly.
"Wh-what the hell?!"
"What are you doing?! Wake up! Get up! Dammit! Shields first, then wake the mercs!"
The mages, with innate resistance, endured and gathered mana at their stave tips—for waking allies and self-defense.
But.
"If you're shielding, it should've been physical, not magic."
Like a deer bursting from fog, Youngje pierced the rainbow mist and smashed a fist into the mage's face.
Magic shield? Shattered effortlessly.
Bam!
The guy flew back. The other stared in horror.
"Does your club not have a single normal mage?!"
"What're you talking about?"
Youngje drew his fountain pen, aiming it.
"A healthy mind comes from a healthy body—that's the trend these days."
Mana gathered at the tip. A red fireball launched. Match over.
"That's what a fight on another level looks like! Kim Young-je ended it in seconds with an unimaginable tactic!"
"You all get it, right? Skimp on mana and only shield magic? You'll eat fists like that. If you can't spot the enemy, physical shield first!"
As expected, D-ranks were no match.
Youngje emerged, wiping sweat from his face.
"Phew. Tough. Vice Boss was right—they had zero counters for our new tricks."
"Told ya."
Our other edge: scout enemy lineups first, send the right matchup. And their intel on us was limited.
"Young-jeeee! Knew you'd do it! Sea-a, Si-woo! Beef for dinner toniiiight!!"
The kids who'd bet on him celebrated, naturally.
"Meanwhile, next door?! Let's check Familia’s Jinwoo Bivalt versus Domino!"
Short-lived hugs for Youngje.
"Whaaat?! Massive wind! Domino cast wind magic, but... it's hitting them?!"
"Ah! Jinwoo charges the center! It's like the wind has a mind of its own, aiding him!"
Exhausted Youngje—fresh from betting—glanced up post-match.
"Jinwoo's still got it."
"Yeah. Acts all goofy and light in class, but..."
──he's second-strongest in Familia after Choi Yeon.
"Over in a flash! Less than five minutes, Domino wiped out! Jinwoo stands alone, covered in cuts!"
Jinwoo dropped to his knees, howling at the sky—caught on monitor.
"Screaming Jinwoo! Tears streaming as he wails skyward! Guilt over felling his foes? Lamenting his own skill? Total mystery!"
Nah, that's not it.
"He's freaking out 'cause Han Yeo-eun might stab him for the cuts, right?"
"Pretty much."
"Yeah, looks like."
Over ten visible gashes. I pictured Jinwoo as a pirate doll in my head.
...R.I.P.
Anyway, that left our club's secret weapon. The first-year vice champ.
"She's here! Once the academy's strongest, now Familia's vice boss. Dethroned by Han Eugene for the top spot! Heir to the Cheoncheon Sword Clan, Sword Saint's granddaughter! Guys call her... the academy's noble silver bellflower!"
──"Choi! Yeon!"