Triumph and the Demon King's Horn
The sand pillar that Nami had used as a podium during her ceremony crumbled away with a soft rustle, and the turbulent mana finally settled into stillness. The spectators watching from the stands turned their eyes to the scoreboard. The match time had frozen at 28 minutes and 49 seconds. More than half of that had been carried single-handedly by Nami.
Parents who had attended the inter-academy tournament every year couldn't help but know. They knew just how overwhelmingly dominant Alteer Academy's quartet had been for the past several years. But the throne of the apex predator was always destined to turn. Out of nowhere, a kid named O Deok-jae—someone no one had ever heard of—had burst onto the scene, showcasing the unattainable talent of triple casting and etching her name firmly into the minds of the crowd.
It's about time for those late bloomers to start rising up. Principal Gu On-yu thought that even the students who had long held the top spots couldn't afford to rest on their laurels anymore. She knew better than anyone that it was the natural order of the academy for the top ranks in the elementary division to differ from those in the middle school division, and the same for middle and high school.
But how did she take down all those kids...? A deep sense of dissonance welled up in her chest. Kids born with innate genius, others who had bloomed through steady effort—Nami had crushed them all without discrimination. That tiny fist, which looked like it would only feel soft no matter how hard you swung at it, had left brutal craters scattered across the arena floor. She dismantled ten, twenty different kinds of spells effortlessly, boasting a mind that no one could hope to rival.
"She won..."
"Did she really win?"
"How did she do it all by herself... huh?"
Even Nami's friends were utterly dumbfounded, no two ways about it.
"Nami was right," Yoon Si-hu muttered quietly.
He had known she was strong for a while now. But the question of how strong still came with a big question mark. She had claimed the whole class wouldn't even be a warm-up for her, but no one had taken that seriously.
"Hiiiaaah!"
I Ha-ru suddenly let out a scream.
"What am I gonna do?! When we get back to the academy, Nami's gonna kill me, right?!"
Ha-ru's eyes trembled violently. She could sense the karma approaching.
"I... I didn't know anything about it...!"
"Honestly, aren't we a bit past the age for playing house? Ahem."
"It's okay, Ha-ru."
Seo Yu-na patted her shoulder comfortingly. Who would've thought the once-rival friend would be the most reliable here now... Just as Ha-ru was about to tear up at the touching gesture, Yu-na's lips curved into a sly arc.
"If we all pass out at once, it won't hurt too much."
"Hey! I knew you were up to something!"
The initial bewilderment faded, leaving only the joy of victory. Especially from the middle school division, which had suffered such a humiliating defeat—the loudest cheers erupted from there.
"Wooooaaah!"
"NoNami! NoNami! NoNami! NoNami! NoNami!"
"This kid's gotta be insane! No... woooah... woooah!"
"Did you see NoNami casting spells? So freaking fast!"
"The end felt like watching a game match."
"Is your arm okay? How did she even do that to her own arm..."
"First time seeing Jo Su-yeon scream like that."
So much fighting had happened in such a short span that no one could even remember exactly how Nami had battled. But all that mattered was that Nami had won, giving the Seferon Academy students plenty of reason to celebrate. And the moment the match ended, someone dashed down to the arena faster than anyone else.
A man crossing the dimly lit tunnel. The sharp clack of his dress shoes echoed at ever-shortening intervals.
"Uh, excuse me, but this area's off-limits to outsiders! Could you please head back to the spectator seats?"
A tournament staff volunteer tried to stop him belatedly, but upon seeing his face, they gasped. Around 180 cm tall, his hair neatly slicked back with pomade, a mix of white and black strands giving it a grayish hue. For a moment, his stern expression radiated both kindness and intimidation, but under the lights, the man introduced himself.
"I'm the girl's father. Can't you make an exception?"
Professor Cheon Kyujin's gaze had been fixed on the arena beyond the shutter the whole time. The flustered staffer finally got permission from operations HQ via radio. As the rusty iron door creaked open noisily, the staffer ventured a casual remark.
"Must be proud. Your daughter's the star of this year's tournament."
The academy inter-academy tournament was watched by countless Korean clans and drew global attention. But Professor Cheon didn't seem pleased, furrowing his brow and staying silent.
"She's hurt, so you're pretty angry, huh."
As his shift change approached, the man folded his orange vest and set it on the floor. At that, Professor Cheon's eyes flashed menacingly.
"I won't let this slide easily. The operations committee that approved nerve interference magic without review, the students who cast it—all of them."
"If they've done wrong, they should face consequences. Have a good time, then."
Screeech—The autumn sunlight bathed Nami, who entered his view. The child wore a happier, more childlike smile than ever.
* * *
"But bro, you're surprisingly weak up close."
O Deok-jae, sprawled on the ground like a starfish, forced a smile as he spoke. Why's he smiling so creepily? I regretted striking up the conversation.
"Truth is, the only exercise I've done is gym workouts. All fashion muscles. Sigh... I never thought it'd go to an aura clash when I stepped into the arena. Congrats on the win."
"It was an excellent match."
"Man, my back hurts so bad... No way I'm doing the tournament next year. Prepping for it meant no delivery food, really took the joy out of life."
"That's your choice. I'll be competing next year too, so change your mind and come. Oh, but to face each other, we'd have to enter high school division—wonder if they'd allow it..."
"Haha! You're one weird little kid."
He stood up fine without medical help and headed back to the Alteer Academy lineup. Bigger applause poured down on him from both Seferon and Alteer than when he'd first entered.
"Nami."
The familiar voice I heard every day. I turned my head and beamed back.
"Yes, Professor Cheon?"
His expression was intriguingly complex. Would he scold me right away, or celebrate the victory? People's hearts weren't easy to read.
"Let's make something delicious when we get home tonight."
"Huh? Talking food out of nowhere—classic Korean."
"You must be hungry."
"Yeah, starving. So make it something pricey, please."
Professor Cheon nodded with a gentle smile. Well, plenty of time to explain anyway. My small body meant even a tiny dose of sedative hit hard, forcing emergency measures. But the part that truly tugged at my heart from his words was that I had a home—and someone—waiting for me in this world I would live in from now on.
So I had to keep pushing forward with all my strength.
"Nami, could you explain that magic and aura to me?"
Did I overdo the strength thing? I'd ended up arousing Professor Cheon's suspicions first. He only knew I'd developed the Demon King's Horn unique magic, nothing about its reality. In times like this, never panic—flow naturally like water.
"The Demon King's Horn was researched with my company's team. Mind sharing some mana with me real quick?"
Professor Cheon extended his hand, and I placed mine over it.
Two Aura Hearts form a single cycle.
His mana capacity was huge too. His contracted Aura Heart seemed five times mine.
Aura Heart external manifestation engaged.
"Casting by hand is ultimately just sending electrical signals from the brain, right? So we thought—if we find the underused brain regions and link them to new mana sensory organs, anyone could double cast."
I slipped both hands into my skirt pockets and closed my eyes.
Color values left as variables during cast.
Horns sprouted from my head, glowing vividly in red, yellow, green, blue, purple... a rainbow of bright, sharp colors.
"Woooow!"
"...!"
A thunderous roar erupted suddenly, the ground rumbling du-du-du. I'd forgotten we were smack in the middle of the arena. Since it wasn't my mana, no auto-execution kicked in. I hurriedly cupped the horns with both hands.
"Booo..."
A deflated groan filled the air.
"Wha... what was that?"
I lowered my hands.
"Woooaaah!"
Raised them again.
"Aaaah..."
The crowd's blatant disappointment put me in an awkward spot.
"They probably think it's some ceremony you're doing. No need to be embarrassed."
"Who does a ceremony like this...!"
Drone cameras buzzed around me like flies.
"From now on, Nami, the path you take will be the one people follow. So no matter what anyone around you says, always stand by your opinions confidently."
Professor Cheon patted my shoulder. Fine, if that's what you want. I glanced at the lenses sidelong, sighed deeply, and flashed a V-sign with my fingers.
Might as well suck them in to the bone now.
* * *
Since Lee Jae-hwan's Redwood Barrier spell was ruled an unauthorized magic, the organizers held Alteer Academy's middle school division (grades 1-3) jointly responsible and declared a forfeiture.
"NoNami, your cost-performance is insane! You snagged three wins at once!"
Editor Seo Ma-ru patted my head proudly.
"I've got an interview later—don't mess up my hair."
"Oops, sorry..."
There were no upsets in high school. With two grades falling in succession, the score ended 6-4, Seferon Academy's victory. A half-win for Seferon, a half-loss for Alteer. Seferon still hadn't surpassed Alteer in skill, and Alteer's seven-year win streak ended lamely over one middle schooler.
While high school matches ran, I and Lee Jae-hwan—son of the Green Party floor leader—had been summoned to the operations committee together.
"So what'd they say? Did he admit fault?"
"No, it's complicated. That senior insists he submitted it to the committee with all sedative effects removed. He claims if they'd entered it right, the arena barrier would've executed it as registered, so he just wrote the circuit formula as usual."
"Already scheming...! Denying responsibility, huh?"
"But the original submitted data really had the formula without sedatives."
"Really? Then what's going on?"
"Probably a rune data transfer error, or... Anyway, they're leaning toward blaming the staff oversight. Even if a mistake happened, casting against regs means the senior's not blameless."
"Feels fishy..."
"My turn. Wait here. I've got my personal stream on already. Grab me some takoyaki from that stand up front, and a green grape ade from the next booth."
"Hey! How much more are you gonna milk me?!"
I stepped onto the podium and grabbed the mic familiarly. Interviews were underway elsewhere, but reporters swarmed my side. The area below was packed, and I felt a twinge of guilt hogging the wide table alone. But today's interview was a breeze. Just credit everything to the Demon King's Horn.
Like this.
"As an 8-year-old participant, you've consecutively defeated five third-year middle schoolers! NoNami, one word on your thoughts?"
"Thanks to the Demon King's Horn, it was an easy win."
"Ooh..."
Reporters intrigued at first.
"Participant Lee Min-young manifested external aura—how did you counter that at the time?"
"Used the Demon King's Horn well."
"Are you aware you set a new record this year, casting 2nd Circle magic in just 1.32 seconds? NoNami's secret to ultra-fast casting—"
"With the Demon King's Horn—"
"You used disruption formulas a lot during the match—"
"Demon King's Horn—"
Most answers boiled down to the Demon King's Horn—how convenient. No one would buy it wholesale, but that's marketing for you. Repetition sticks. By now, curiosity alone would make people try it.
Our primary goal was the October 31 Halloween special.
"Just 149,000 won for 24 hours! We'll provide a user manual even for non-magic experts, so once you get the hang of it, use without worry!"
Baek Ho-chan's insisted "You can be like NoNami too" line stayed unsaid. Gotta preserve some pride. I won't become a capitalist monster.