Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Clubs Are Seized with Your Life on the Line
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With Baek A-rin's entrance, the spectator stands erupted in heat.
It was partly because Baek A-rin, a notable figure as Snow Mountain Clan's own, was finally showing off a proper fight for the first time since the entrance exam.
'But that's not enough to make it blaze like this.'
The main reason was that indispensable staple of academy mock duels.
Betting.
"I put 2,000 on Baek A-rin to win."
"Even so, she's a second-year. Doesn't she have the edge?"
"You think Baek A-rin is a pushover?"
Such bets were always part of these duels.
One might wonder if the academy cracked down since real money changed hands, but apparently not.
Shouts from the spectator stands.
"Even odds at 5:5! Guess the winner right, and after a measly 4% cut, you pocket 96% profit. Anyone else wanna bet?"
A 4% commission? The real winner was that guy.
Well, hustling was a skill in its own right.
I approached him.
"Mind if I get in on it?"
On Baek A-rin, naturally.
No heavy favorites here—near-even odds meant just double your money. But hey, double was double.
That's when I overheard a group of students watching the arena.
"Man, why's it so damn cold in here? What's with blasting the AC in this weather?"
"Right? My mouth's going numb."
It was definitely chilly.
The match had just started, so it couldn't be those two ice dispensers blasting away yet.
National Seoul Hunter Academy, cranking the AC full blast even in this weather.
The government must foot the electricity bill too, huh?
Then why the hell do I have to pay tuition?
At least make this betting legal or something.
-Beep
The buzzer signaling the match's start.
At the same moment, Baek A-rin backpedaled to widen the distance from her opponent.
'Start with probing...'
Baek A-rin opted for the safe, standard play against fellow magic-type hunters, especially when their skills were unknown: create space. But defying her expectations, her opponent Lee Seo-yeon charged straight at her.
"Baek A-rin, first-year punk relying on your clan's skill. I'll teach you what a real duel is!"
Lee Seo-yeon smoothly executed a leg technique, kicking Baek A-rin square in the gut.
"Urk..."
Caught off guard by the close-range rush, Baek A-rin flew back, her legs buckling for a moment.
Before she could recover, Lee Seo-yeon's frost-laced foot came crashing toward her face.
'If I don't dodge...'
Baek A-rin rolled away, evading the strike.
-Boom
The floor where her face had been now bore the mark of her foot, frost creeping across it.
"That's all you've got in close quarters? Just like the rumors."
Lee Seo-yeon taunted.
As she said, Baek A-rin had trained her skills diligently, but she hadn't drilled close combat to death like Kang Hwa-yeon.
For Baek A-rin, whose battle sense was lacking without her skills, honing her body was just a waste of time.
Baek A-rin eyed the frozen floor, analyzing.
'Short-range ice skill, and that freakish speed and power must be skills too.'
Having barely dodged, Baek A-rin exhaled raggedly.
"Ice type, my ass—you're a total brawler. Glasses don't match the character at all."
"I'm nothing like a weakling like you, Baek A-rin. This is how you handle frost."
With those words from Lee Seo-yeon, her leg came sweeping at Baek A-rin again.
-Boom!
The impact shattered the floor, kicking up dust.
The spectator stands buzzed.
"Yo, Baek A-rin's done for, right?"
"Yeah, she's getting crushed from the start."
"Where's my pocket money?!"
"Told you, second-year was the safe bet. I'm eating good. Ker-ching."
"Hoo..."
But when the dust cleared, Baek A-rin stood unharmed.
Cheers and groans erupted in tandem.
"Knew you could do it, Baek A-rin!!!"
"My 20 million is back!"
Unlike the cheering students, one rubbed his arms.
"Hey, isn't it even colder now?"
"Yeah, my hands are numb."
Lee Seo-yeon looked down at Baek A-rin.
"Dodging every which way, huh."
"You're just slow. Hwa-yeon's kicks were twice as fast."
At Baek A-rin's taunt, Lee Seo-yeon adjusted her glasses.
"It's not that you're fast—I've slowed down?"
"..."
'Guess those glasses aren't just for show.'
As Lee Seo-yeon said, Baek A-rin could dodge thanks to her skill [Ice Mat].
A wide-area debuff that slowed enemy attacks around her for a set time.
"You think that'll let you win, Baek A-rin?"
"You'll drop from exhaustion first."
Lee Seo-yeon narrowed her eyes at the provoking Baek A-rin, then sneered.
"Even that overhyped clan skill your vice-captain praised so much—you can't even use it against me. Long cast time, obviously. Proof that your clunky Snow Mountain skill is inferior."
"..."
Baek A-rin had no retort.
Lee Seo-yeon whipped her leg wide in an instant, aiming for her.
"That's why you're so careless—you lose! Baek A-rin!"
As she shouted, her toes grazed Baek A-rin's hair.
-Hah.
Baek A-rin's breath misted out.
"[Snow Mountain]."
With her murmur, snowflakes glittered around her, and countless crystals enveloped Lee Seo-yeon.
And then.
Lee Seo-yeon's body froze solid mid-motion.
Her unstoppable strike halted unnaturally in midair, like armor shattering under pressure—like hitting pause.
Frozen solid.
"Wh-what is this..."
Baek A-rin gazed at the panicked, immobilized Lee Seo-yeon, her expression sharp and displeased.
"There's a line you don't cross."
She placed a hand on the struggling girl's cheek.
"You crossed it when trash like you dared mock my benefactor. You obliterated it when you insulted [Snow Mountain]."
Her icy voice made even the spectator stands—and Lee Seo-yeon—gulp. But she soon screamed at Baek A-rin.
"Big talk for this pathetic tri—!"
Baek A-rin replied softly.
"And this is for you."
-Thud
"Gahk!!"
Baek A-rin's fist sank perfectly into Lee Seo-yeon's gut. She crumpled, gasping.
-Beeeeeeep
The buzzer announced Baek A-rin's victory, and the frozen arena ignited.
"My 20 million doubled to 40 million!!!"
"Where's my money?! I bet my whole allowance!"
"Safe bet was Baek A-rin!! Baek A-rin!!!"
Leaving the ecstatic and wailing stands behind, Baek A-rin clutched her head dizzily, muttering at Lee Seo-yeon.
"Hate using it in a dump like this."
[Snow Mountain], the clan skill whose first user was her respected grandfather.
Her favorite, the one she'd trained hardest in.
So it chafed using it here, against this opponent.
'Ugh, luck's been shit lately.'
Plus, firing off mana-hungry [Snow Mountain] in one go gave her a headache; she winced.
'Will my head be okay if I fall here?'
Her vision tipped backward as balance failed.
'Ah. Falling...'
She squeezed her eyes shut as her limp body toppled.
Thud.
But instead of hard marble, soft hands caught her head.
Opening her eyes cautiously, Kim Si-woo's face appeared.
'Feels familiar.'
"Good work, Baek A-rin."
He gave her a thumbs-up.
'Roles reversed, though.'
Baek A-rin smiled.
"Luck's turning up."
"No problem."
"Why the hell did Lee Seo-yeon lose?! What about my money!"
Wails echoed from the stands.
I'd half-expected it, but Baek A-rin won, as anticipated. The glasses girl going full melee specialist was a surprise for her too, and normally a second-year D-rank would have more experience than a first-year.
'But Baek A-rin ain't no genius—she's from a hunter specialist school.'
Her not being a genius was only compared to real monsters like Kang Hwa-yeon or Lee Seong-hyeon.
Against anyone else, a plain D-rank like Glasses couldn't outmatch her experience or skill.
Then wails started from the opposite side.
"Arrrgh! Damn it, Lee Seo-yeon!!!"
Yoon Sirius bellowed in fury.
'Aw, he's heartbroken.'
I approached with a grin, offering hollow consolation.
"Gotta spare your members when they fall. What kinda captain are you...? Yeah, you lost. Tsk tsk."
"You scum...!"
"Nah, scum's you guys~."
"You bastard...!"
"Calm down, Si-Julius."
His face flushed, dignity crumbling.
The loss stung bad. Almost felt sorry watching.
Then Yoon Sirius glared, fuming.
"Laugh it up, scum! I'll smash you myself."
"Got it, Barley-us."