The Angler's Deadly Sacrifice
Park Jeonghyeon's fishing rod jerked violently.
Shwoop! At the same moment, something thin and translucent whipped out, mercilessly ensnaring Serena and her two teammates.
"Ngh!"
"W-what the hell?"
"Oh my?"
Before they could resist, their bodies slammed together with a smack.
Serena's expression hardened in an instant as she struggled to move. But her upper body was wrapped tight in the translucent bindings, and her feet were tangled with the other two, making it impossible to budge without toppling over. Even the slightest shift threatened to throw off her balance.
"J-just hold on a sec! Ngh... Why won't this damn thing cut?!"
One unbound teammate frantically tried to slice through the bindings around Serena with the tip of his spear, but it was no use.
Only then did Serena get a clear look at the translucent snare around her.
'Fishing line?'
A hollow laugh escaped her at the realization.
'Fishing line? Since when is this something you use aggressively?'
It was an utterly unimaginable application. To give this flimsy thread any real tension, you'd need a heavy sinker at the end—yet all she saw was the thin line and a fishing hook.
'He hid the fishing line in the grass.'
The wooden stairs must have been a decoy. Luring them into a spot prepped with scattered fishing line by exploiting their carelessness—Serena was genuinely impressed by Park Jeonghyeon's meticulous planning.
But that wasn't all that surprised her.
'To handle something this thin with such delicate precision... It's beyond imagination.'
How much experience and skill did he possess? Serena couldn't even begin to guess.
'Did he spend his whole life fishing before becoming an actor?'
No—even a lifelong master angler couldn't pull off a stunt like this. A flicker of interest in the once-cold Park Jeonghyeon reignited, faint but real.
That said, it was just that: a flicker. His stunt had piqued her curiosity a tiny bit, but nothing more.
"Gotta say, I'm a little impressed. Never dreamed I'd get trussed up by fishing line."
The line trying to reel her in was stretched so taut it seemed like it might snap any second. In other words, Park Jeonghyeon was pulling with all his might.
"But it looks like you didn't account for your own weakness."
He'd probably planned to bind her and her teammates with the line, then yank them hard enough to send them tumbling into the ravine below. But his plan fell short—his raw strength wasn't enough to make it happen.
"Things aren't going according to plan, huh? What's your next move?"
Serena drawled the question at him, her voice lazy. He had to be in a real bind. Extremely so. Everyone who'd ever tried to outsmart her with some clever trick reacted the same way. And Serena would crush them all with her overwhelming talent, utterly indifferent.
It wasn't like she got some sick thrill out of watching them despair. She just did what she had to, giving her best without overdoing it.
Park Jeonghyeon had the misfortune of drawing the natural disaster named Serena—
"Miss Serena. Let me give you a little advice."
That's when Park Jeonghyeon spoke up. Gripping the rod steady-handed, no trace of a tremble, he gazed at her calmly.
"As you go through life in this world, you'll come to realize one thing: to gain something, you gotta give something up."
Did he still have another trick up his sleeve? What gave him the confidence to stay so composed?
For the first time in ages, a spark of genuine curiosity welled up in Serena's mind. Not a bad feeling.
"And keep this in mind."
As if answering her doubt, he rose slowly from his spot.
"The most dangerous thing in the world is..."
With that, he reeled in the line with ferocious force.
In that instant, one of Serena's teammates lost his balance.
"...one who's prepared to embrace death!"
Capturing the stumbling figure in his sights, Park Jeonghyeon hurled himself off the cliff.
What the hell...?!
Why volunteer for elimination like that? Serena couldn't fathom his intent.
But she figured it out soon enough.
"...!"
The pull dragging her toward the edge suddenly surged with incomparable intensity.
Only then did she grasp the meaning of his earlier advice.
'His own strength wasn't enough, so he added his own weight...!'
To take her and her two teammates down, he'd unhesitatingly sacrificed himself. An act no sane person would attempt.
Serena's left eye widened in shock. She braced her lower body, fighting not to be dragged along.
"Urgh, aaagh!"
But the male student bound with her toppled over, yanking her off balance too.
And just like that, Serena and her two teammates plummeted into the ravine alongside Park Jeonghyeon.
In that split second of freefall, Serena caught sight of Park Jeonghyeon flashing her a triumphant grin.
"Ha."
I got played.
[Red Team: Park Jeonghyeon - Eliminated by fall]
[Blue Team: Serena Eldrain - Eliminated by fall]
[Blue Team: Shurelia Michael - Eliminated by fall]
[Blue Team: Vanitas - Eliminated by fall]
That hearty grin burned deep into Serena's memory.
* * *
In the Providence faculty lounge, where the aroma of coffee wafted gently, the class assignments were in full swing.
"Next up, number 26: Plum Melodic."
"Hm, written exam: 87 points. Not bad."
"But... ah, the mock battle's a bit rough. Seems like a lack of combat experience—flailing around and got eliminated."
"Can't tell if it's inexperience or just a wishy-washy personality..."
To ensure maximum fairness, they evaluated based on written exam scores combined with mock battle performance.
Providence's headmaster, Jeremy Bale, who had been silently reviewing the report, spoke up.
"Combat ability is lacking, but considering the high written score, high potential for growth. Assign this student to Professor Felix's D Class. Any objections?"
Classes from A to Z—26 in total. Providence claimed no discriminatory assignments based on student levels. At least publicly.
The truly talented went to classes near A, the rest toward Z. To cultivate strong purifiers, it was more efficient to give promising students access to top professors.
A dullard in a genius's class versus a genius in a genius's class—statistics spoke for themselves.
"No objections? Moving on. Number 27: Park Jeonghyeon. Written exam... 11 points?"
Bale's face twisted as he read down the report.
"Doesn't even seem like he tried. No matter how impressive the mock battle, assigning this student above G Class doesn't make sense."
An elf professor nodded in agreement.
"A human who didn't even try. Indeed. Unless it's Eldrain-level talent, hard to rate high on scores like this... Oh? His opponent was an Eldrain."
"Human? Ha, no need to look further then. Headmaster, just toss him in a back-end class—"
The demonkin male professor snorted midway through.
"But his team won."
"What?"
"Is that true?"
The professors reacted with disbelief.
"...Let's review the recording of that mock battle."
At Bale's murmur, a holographic video played above the professors' table.
"Hah, bet it's obvious—the Eldrain just slipped and fell—"
The demonkin male professor, who had been smirking with pursed lips, shut his mouth.
Park Jeonghyeon's performance on screen was too solid to trash-talk in good conscience.
"Has a transformation-based unique ability? His outfit changed in an instant."
"Using a fishing rod to hook people...? Wait, is that even possible?"
"Diving off without hesitation for the win... Tough call for a student."
Most professors marveled at his un-student-like cunning, tossing in comments.
Then, the silent Bale spoke.
"However, no matter how stellar the combat performance, it doesn't justify a complete lack of basic purifier knowledge. Therefore, Park Jeonghyeon goes to Professor Linley's G Class. Objections?"
The mouths of those praising him snapped shut.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Who would dare challenge the headmaster's judgment?
"No objections? Next, number 28—"
"I have an objection."
One voice cut him off. A stunning woman with platinum blonde hair and black horns.
"Put that kid in my class."
Eirin—the one called the Dragon Maiden—had spoken.