Chapter 25

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 25

Chapter Title: Midterm Sparring Evaluation (2)

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A full hour had already passed since the sparring evaluations began.

The evaluation groups in the 40s were already starting their matches, but there was still no sign of my name being called.

"... Am I really going to end up fighting Kim Do-yoon right from the first round?"

Sophia, Yoon Seo-rin, and even the saintess Amelia had already taken their exams in the magic division instead of support. Excluding Kim Do-yoon, I wouldn't lose to anyone now, even if it meant a tough fight.

But for some reason, a chill ran down my spine, making me feel like I'd get ridiculously screwed over and matched against Kim Do-yoon.

Anyway, those dreadful thoughts began churning wildly in my head.

"... Whew, no. Let's not psych myself out already... They wouldn't give me that level of bad luck. Plus, I've got that secret ace up my sleeve I prepared not long ago, right?"

I took a calm deep breath to shake off the ominous thoughts.

After glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, I carefully channeled mana into my palm.

Soon, tiny gem-like fragments began sparkling above my palm.

These glittering gem shards were a phenomenon created by the trait I'd bought with the 1045 SP I'd barely earned two weeks ago by twisting my body every which way to finish the main story, plus the 500 SP from the first day's sub-quest reward.

Honestly, any other user at this point would have bought combat support skills or saved up a bit more SP for a reliably practical trait.

But after confirming this trait's hidden potential, I'd bought it first thing every single time I scraped together 1500 SP, without fail.

The trait's name was:

I'd first discovered this trait back in the early days of playing, after over 3000 attempts where I couldn't even get past the mid-game main story.

At that point, I was half-mad from constant failures and desperate to find a breakthrough. I tested every trait's performance round after round, starting from F-rank ones I wouldn't normally glance at, all the way up to A-rank.

That's how I desperately uncovered the clue to clear the main story: Empathic Constitution.

Its effect was simple.

[Heightened sensitivity to ambient mana. Slightly improves resonance speed with elemental magic. However, vulnerable to external mana interference.]

That was really it.

A trait that anyone would dismiss as useless—something you'd buy to learn elemental magic (which you could pick up without it anyway), only to end up with just heightened nerves and headaches.

In fact, the few active users in the community rated it as a chicken rib trait that only brought migraines for nothing.

But this trait had one hidden ability that no other user besides me ever discovered.

It was one of the traits required to manifest the long-forgotten divine magic...

This C-rank trait, which no one would use even if given for free, was a key puzzle piece needed to recreate divine magic—a magic that used star mana, utterly different from ordinary mana lost due to the Demon King.

It was fatal to demons and essential for reproducing that magic.

On the surface, it seemed to offer nothing but mana sensitivity.

But in reality, it allowed sensing the faint residual wavelengths of starlight drifting through the world—something impossible for normal humans.

Whether you could respond to those subtle waves determined if divine magic could shift from theoretical possibility to practical reality.

Of course, fully manifesting divine magic required two more traits beyond Empathic Constitution.

But with just this one, I could use divine magic up to 3-circle, which let me clear the mid-game main story for the first time. Right after, I shared the good news and the truth about Empathic Constitution with other users.

"Well, even with all that effort, I never did see the ending..."

Anyway, progressing the late-game main story became much easier after getting Empathic Constitution.

"..."

I slightly raised my fingertips, where starlight shimmered, and rubbed the air.

Star mana, invisible to ordinary eyes, traced shooting-star-like paths, sparkling like fireworks from my fingertips.

"... Hmm, this might be a bit tricky."

I watched the starlight fully fade from the air before sinking back into thought.

When I first agonized over traits, my strength, agility, and stamina were too low, so I'd planned to pick Mana Sensitivity Genius over Swordsmanship Predator.

Of course, when it came time to choose in the training hall, with late-game potential and needing to roll my body right away, Swordsmanship Predator tempted me briefly.

But having perfectly mastered magic theory from the academy and Sophia over countless runs...

I judged that picking the mage class for quick, stable early growth was right, as insurance against variables. So I chose Mana Sensitivity Genius.

But the biggest reason I had no choice but to pick Mana Sensitivity Genius was the potential to acquire divine magic.

Divine magic required three traits total: Empathic Constitution, Accumulation Resilience, and Split Reconstruction.

Kim Do-yoon, the character users played, had Versatile from the start—a trait letting him handle all classes as if he had S-rank talents.

So I worried that S-rank talent related to mana might be needed for divine magic, leading me to choose Mana Sensitivity Genius.

But when I actually cast a 1-circle divine spell, the sensation differed from regular magic.

With normal spells, Mana Sensitivity Genius acted like an assistant, organizing formulas and aiding mental calculations.

But the divine magic I'd just used was different.

From start to finish, without a single intervention or correction from Mana Sensitivity Genius, I felt like I'd completed every calculation myself.

"... Yeah, it's only been a short time since possession, but I've benefited a lot from magic, so good choice."

It stung a bit that divine magic didn't need S-rank talent, but since magic helped me farm SP faster, I'd think positively.

Having confirmed star mana manifested well...

And shaken off the ominous feeling somewhat, I took another deep breath to start meditating.

But as if waiting for that exact moment, the speaker announced the next evaluation group.

"Oh... talk about perfect timing."

My long-awaited turn had finally come.

Fortunately, Kim Do-yoon wasn't my opponent, and the quest popped safely.

"Rewards are the same. Whew... Let's go."

I stood up first and left the waiting room.

The other called students followed slowly behind me toward the arena.

Following the straight corridor, I spotted someone who looked like a manager in front of the arena entrance.

"Are you the 47th group students? ... Confirmed. You may enter."

After a quick ID check, the arena doors opened, and blinding lights greeted us.

The cheers from the stands were deafening ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enough to rupture eardrums.

I entered the circular arena where the spar would take place, looking around.

"...???"

My opponent, already there ahead of me—who knew when he'd arrived—was stroking a branch-like staff as if it were a priceless treasure.

A bit thrown off, but quickly regaining composure, I began analyzing the student across from me.

Choi Eun-min—a completely unfamiliar name I'd never heard once during playthroughs.

'Hmm... Druid? Or spirit user?'

Using a branch as a staff didn't automatically make him a druid or spirit user, but nine out of ten mages who did were nature-affinity casters using raw natural mana.

Staves like that were usually magic tools made from ancient wood rarely dropped in high-rank dungeons, amplifying natural mana.

"... And he's got rings too? Definitely a spirit user then."

Looking closer, blue ruby-like mana stones were embedded in rings on both index fingers.

That pretty much ruled out druid.

Most mages except Sophia didn't need mana stones, and druids used little mana anyway.

But spirit users burned through mana maintaining spirits and casting spirit magic, always suffering shortages. So they carried mana auxiliary batteries—high-grade mana stone tools—somewhere on their body.

Anyway, analysis done.

'Good. No need to reveal divine magic against a spirit user.'

With so few beings in this world aware of divine magic's existence, using it casually wouldn't cause big issues.

It never had in any playthrough.

But a bottom-rank enrollee who just started learning magic three weeks ago...

Slaughtering other students with never-before-seen spells?

That would draw way too much suspicion.

I was already under scrutiny: immeasurable awakener rank, barely 998th admission, tied 1v1 with an SS-rank awakener, and 1st in the artificial dungeon conquest eval.

No need to stir up more trouble by showing off here.

The referee's voice echoed through the arena, and my opponent across the way began channeling mana into his ring.

Soon, a small wind rippled in the air, and a fairy-like being the size of a human forearm appeared.

'Low-rank wind spirit? Name's... Sylph? Sylphir or something.'

As expected, Choi Eun-min was a spirit user.

I didn't use a staff, so I channeled mana into my fingertips, creating two small mana bullets.

At the referee's start signal, Choi Eun-min shouted at the wind spirit.

At his command's end, a whirlwind rushed toward me.

"3-measure spirit magic? Impressive."

I let out a short exclamation, snapped my fingers, and activated a 1-star protection barrier.

A transparent film spread before me, and the whirlwind crashed into it, scattering with a roar.

Gasps erupted from the stands.

It was basic for mages, but a 1st-year stably deploying a barrier in eval was eye-catching enough.

"A barrier... Even the skills this unlikeable guy's using annoy me."

Choi Eun-min muttered distastefully and raised his staff high.

Soon, a serpent-like spirit made of flames emerged from the staff's tip.

"What, a dual-attribute spirit user? This guy's more impressive than I thought. How bad are you to get matched with talent like mine?"

"Shut up!! It was just a fluke in the practical exam!!! Spirit Art: Flame: Enhance: Focus: Chain: Disperse: Inferno Chain!!"

Boom! Quaaang—!

Flame chains assaulted from all sides, spewing heat fierce enough to incinerate the air.

Flame waves raged over the protection barrier, the stifling heat choking me.

"Ouch, hot! Go easy!! My barrier's gonna melt!"

"Shut up and focus!!"

'... This is bad.'

Normally, low-rank spirits from an inexperienced spirit user should be blockable by a 1-star protection barrier.

But he was a rare dual-attribute ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spirit user who could summon two at once.

Mana drain would be heavy, but spirit magic power doubled.

With complementary attributes, if I didn't take him out fast, the barrier would break first, and I'd burn to a crisp.

"No choice. I had to test the performance anyway... Just a tiny bit."

I hesitated briefly, then infused the faintest trace of starlight residue into the mana bullets I'd prepped before the match.

At the same time, the star mana-infused bullets sparkled, their surfaces gleaming with starlight afterimages.

'Now, fuse with 1-circle spell, Wind Arrow.'

I slightly deformed the bullet tails into arrow fletching shapes.

The reason for the fletching mod, as Yoon Seo-rin taught—not firing like bullets—was simple.

I still couldn't impart proper spin or acceleration to mana bullets.

But the mana bullets, crafted my way, hurtled toward him distinctly unlike any ordinary mage's.

Whether from star mana, power and speed were incomparable to my recent ones.

Kwajik! Chijijik—!

Proving it wasn't just my imagination, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the bullets obliterated the barrier-scorching Inferno Chain in an instant, then flew toward Choi Eun-min's unguarded nape.

"...!!"

Sensing the killing intent too late, he tried a wind veil via Sylphir, but...

"Gahk...!!"

Regrettably, the bullet hit his nape faster than he could raise the veil.

Cheers exploded from the stands at the referee's declaration.

I caught my breath and looked down at my fingertips.

The starlight remnants that had sparkled like gems were gone, leaving only ordinary mana.

"... Hmm, performance is solid. Once I'm more used to it, I could go fetch that thing sooner."

Thinking I could advance my prepared plan a bit, I gave a pitying glance to Choi Eun-min, collapsed from the nape hit, then left the arena first.