Instinctual Clash
Locking eyes with Shin Yeon-ho, I slowly assumed my stance. My two hands came into sharp focus in my vision. Swinging my arms through the air, I barely felt the cool rush—everything felt a bit stuffy. The mana barrier's output was 5000kW, sturdy enough to withstand two or three direct hits from a 3rd Circle spell. Since the duel limited us to 2nd Circle magic and below, safety was guaranteed.
The barrier was 20% small particle shield to dampen kinetic energy and 80% magic particle shield to neutralize spells. Shin Yeon-ho had voluntarily sealed direct physical strikes, so I just needed to monitor the magic particle barrier.
"Everyone knows the classic rules, right? Magic up to 2nd Circle only, casting with wands exclusively, unlimited aura use. Physical force limited to Nami."
Bae Seo-jin Professor operated the central control computer, activating the anti-mana devices.
"Don't be too nervous. It'll be over before you can blink—like getting a flu shot."
Shin Yeon-ho twirled his umbrella-shaped wand as he spoke.
"Did you fix the flaws properly?"
"The wand? It didn't matter much since we're only using 2nd Circle, but I added parallel circuits anyway. Couldn't just overlook an obvious defect."
"Great mindset."
"Haha, thanks! Coming from Nami, that's an honor."
As he'd boasted, his team's wand had the highest completion rate. But the output issue was a critical flaw—had they spotted any others that the professor and I hadn't mentioned? This duel would verify it.
"Hoo..."
I held cold aura in my mouth and took a deep breath, cooling my heated mind. The icy air piercing my lungs sharpened my focus. Our distance was about 13 meters. The floor material resisted slipping but would make falls hurt from friction. He was 184cm tall—70cm taller than me. The reach gap was even more glaring. If direct strikes were allowed and it turned into close-quarters combat, it'd be brutally unfavorable for me. His weight was nearly four times mine, so even mathematically, I'd need double my speed just to match his mass in collisions. But doubling speed required eight times the energy or mana—thanks to living in a three-dimensional world.
The ceiling was 16m high—taller than most buildings. No worries about bumping my head.
Victory when one mana barrier drops below 70%, wand overloads or breaks, opponent forfeits, or mana exhaustion signs appear. Got it?
Bae Seo-jin Professor hammered it in with casual speech. Even if risks were minimal, danger lurked. We nodded and gripped our wands tight.
First time, so 30 seconds—nice and generous.
[30]
A dry beep echoed. My heart pounded wildly. My mind held countless experiences, but my body was new to this. Fighting in games was a whole different league. Would my body even keep up?
[20]
"Nervous?"
"Maybe."
"But you're staying calm."
"No experience, but plenty of knowledge."
"Is that so?"
I've lived longer than you. Even Korea University's top geniuses looked like fledglings to me.
[10]
I gradually drew up aura for preheating. From now on, my body was mine to command—heartbeats, lung contractions, pupil dilation. Maxed aura let me control every detail. Suppress instinct with reason, then trust instinct for judgment.
[3] [2] [1]
<<Veritas Lux Mea>>
What's the worst? Death? Kids these days need this mindset. Huge sin for not watching my stream—might as well start with this.
* * *
As the countdown began, Shin Yeon-ho sensed a sharp shift in Nami's aura.
What the...?
Nami bent her knees, lowering her center of gravity—left hand toward the floor, right hidden behind her back. Textbook duel stance. Impeccably perfect, zero flaws. She dominated space with aura, hid her first spell, managed gaze and balance flawlessly, even preheating her aura. Shin Yeon-ho instinctively raised his wand into position. His instincts screamed warning.
Why?
The pressure from the national athletics quarterfinals resurfaced. Was she better with aura than magic? Some geniuses awaken more through self-insight than teaching—their aura control is unmatched. Like that blind girl with "Heavy Aura" in the quarters. Probably suffering among philosophy meatheads now? Irrelevant—shook off the distraction.
Can't let my guard down.
Magic ignored age. Without barriers, even a kid's 1st Circle could hurt. Planting his feet firm, Shin Yeon-ho yielded first strike.
Come on, little genius—what's your strategy?
Korea University's motto flashed, signaling the duel start. Nami extended her hidden right arm, gathering mana.
Micro-Particle Replication Propulsion
Transmutation circle?
Nami upended his expectations from the first move. Wands were "portable transmutation circle drafters" because they assisted magic circles. But drawing another with a wand?
Not ordinary. Can't even parse it.
Countering magic needed luck too. Inefficient counters were for noobs chasing one-shots. True experts chipped barriers steadily. Shin Yeon-ho shifted gaze back to Nami.
Laminar Flow
She layered the magic circle behind the transmutation one. A ticking clock sound emanated—not hallucination. As it formed, she stomped forward explosively. Even moving, the circle persisted.
"You can even do coordinate transforms! You really are a genius!"
Golden aura-wreathed fist flew at his chin. The girl closed in instantly, but Yeon-ho grinned, blocking her frail punch with his bulging forearm. His eyes flicked to the circle. Analyzing an instant-cast was near-impossible, yet he extracted info. 2nd Circle tricks were simple.
Punch is a feint. El, Marven, Psyche base—water affinity?
Tick-tock- tick-tick-tick- whiiirrr-
Witnessing the spell's form, Shin Yeon-ho's eyes widened.
"...! Crazy!"
KABOOM-!
Diameter 50cm—a straight white beam, occasionally blue-tinged, blasted mercilessly. The gym wall shuddered.
"What the hell was that?"
Professors and students, watching intently, jumped up. First, the circle glowed, blue mana erupting. The transmutation circle focused it like a giant lens—then fired a laser. Amid rising dust, Shin Yeon-ho—blasted into the wall—protested fiercely.
"That's cheating! Suddenly pulling a 3rd Circle... Huh...?"
Circle: 2
Main auditorium screen flashed red: barely 2nd Circle. Wand destruction meant instant loss—he'd tanked barehanded. Cost: 30% magic particle barrier gone. Equivalent to a direct 3rd Circle hit. As he gasped, a black shadow loomed. Nami approached with that mysterious spell again.
Laminar Flow
Delayed Cast: Laminar Flow
Two this time. Whiiirrr-
"If you don't know it, you gotta take it, right?"
Nami's innocent face uttered chilling words. Double-casting at eight years old. Triple with the transmutation circle. Now that's real cheating.