Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: A Win's a Win
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“S-Servant?!”
Isia covered her face with her arms, stumbling back. She made an incredulous expression, then cleared her throat a couple of times before pointing at me accusingly.
“D-Do you even know who I am?!”
I nodded vaguely. Of course I did. I knew her better than she could imagine. Daughter of the Magic Association president. Prodigy of dark magic. A raw gem who would grow into a grand archmage.
I probably know you better than you think.
“...”
As I nodded, Isia placed a hand on her chin, furrowing her brow as if deep in thought, grunting softly.
Her mind was probably racing right now with something like:
—S-Servant? Like, that kind of servant? No way, right?
—No, no, even if it is... I just have to win anyway? There's no way I'd lose to trash like that.
—If I win, I clean up the trash, and as the daughter of the Magic Association president, I stop a loser like that from becoming a hero...
Something along those lines. The idea of her losing probably never even crossed her mind.
And why would it? Isia was a mage born with the greatest talent on earth. She'd never lost once up to now. In fact, her first defeat would come against Kim Tae-hyun.
“Fine. But we'll make sure you're expelled from the association, so don't think you can just slink away.”
Damn. How'd she know I planned to play it off if I lost? Did she read my mind? My whole plan to say something dramatic like, “My spirit remains unbroken!” after losing, like the end of some shonen manga?
“Y-Yeah, sure. Haha.”
I couldn't exactly back out now with a “Never mind—!!” so I reluctantly nodded.
Win and paradise, lose and hell. Though even winning might not be full paradise.
My grip on the sword grew slick with cold sweat. My already weak grip strength made it feel like the hilt might slip right out.
“You done talking? If you're ready, take your positions.”
At Shin Ki-ha's words, I walked to a spot a bit away from Isia. The sweat wouldn't stop.
Calm down, me. Deep breaths. Lamaze breathing. Ha-ha-whoosh. Ha-ha-whoosh.
“That's not even your breathing technique~ You're such an idiot?”
I ignored the damn blonde's voice from outside and steadied my mind with deep breaths. Maybe it was just my imagination, but as my body calmed, I thought about how to win.
No strategy, but I had a gamble. My lottery-pulled unique mana ability Mana Eye and Isia's habits.
Isia's first attack would be a warning shot.
A teaser to dodge, a showy spell to demonstrate the gap between her and her opponent.
Arrogance from her backing and innate talent, but right now, that attack was exactly what I needed.
Simple. Use her opening strike.
How? —
“Begin!”
Before I could finish thinking, Shin Ki-ha's voice rang out, and mana began gathering in Isia's hand.
“O darkness.”
A single phrase. An ultra-short one-line incantation without even drawing a magic circle. Yet the orb of darkness from her hand was no joke.
Big enough to easily swallow three grown men.
The orb flew toward me. Just as expected from her habit—slow. Incredibly slow.
Like a toddler taking its first steps. Slow enough to dodge on foot.
Looking at Isia, who had cast the spell, she stood with arms crossed, watching me. No signs of preparing another spell, just staring with that haughty look.
Like she was saying, [Try dodging if you can.] It pissed me off almost as much as Raphael. Who the hell wrote her character like that? Not that it mattered since I was the author.
I gripped my sword tighter and stopped thinking.
A blue window popped up in the air, and my vision shifted.
Once again, the surging blue—not mana. Some swirled, some spun in place, others traced arcs.
In this chaotic landscape with no rules, only the mana orb followed a pattern. Mana orbited around a single point on it.
“Let's do this.”
I got the gist. Like the goblin from the physical exam. A hologram made by magical engineering—magic, basically.
It was the same. Mana rotated around a point. Touch the flow, and it vanished.
From this, I could infer that touching the blue (mana) would dispel the spell.
Not certain. That's why it was a gamble.
But better than apologizing to Raphael.
I looked down at myself. Trembling limbs, palms sweating like a waterfall, sword too heavy to lift.
With this pathetic body, I had to slash that orb.
The orb approached. Slowly, but the mounting pressure made me feel like I'd be crushed.
A normal student might walk away with minor injuries thanks to their combat uniform's magic resistance and their own mana. But for me? One hit and instant death. The fate of the mana-less.
That made me even more tense.
“Calm down.”
Calm down, me. Stop shaking. Limbs. Quit the waterfall, palms.
It's simple. Just swing the sword at an orb moving toddler-speed.
Spell dispels. Attack while Isia panics. Nothing hard. Even an elementary kid could do it.
Ha-ha-whoosh. Ha-ha-whoosh. I deep-breathed, waiting for the orb.
Isia's tsk and Raphael's mutter—“That idiot wouldn't get it even if you told him”—reached my ears, like I'd made a dumb choice.
Orb closer. I readjusted my grip.
Gathering every ounce of strength—suckling strength too—I raised the sword above my waist. Seconds later, my arms shook.
“Here goes.”
I charged at the orb with gusto—
then tripped over my own leg and fell.
People have weird experiences in life sometimes.
Like saying, “Feeling good today—gonna pick up 50,000 won~” and having Lady Shin right in front of you waving hello.
Or stopping because of sudden chills, and bird poop lands a step ahead.
Those kinds of things. I was experiencing one live right now.
Probably thanks to the skill, but anyway.
My vision shook wildly with the blue window. The sword slipped from my already sweaty hand and flew.
I nearly yelled, What miracle is this! but my mouth shut at the sight.
The sword flew. Hit the orb naturally, touching the visible blue mana. The flowing mana reversed, and the spell vanished.
“Huh?”
But it didn't end there. My falling body started rolling perfectly. One roll, two, three.
In my churning, vomit-inducing vision, I came to my senses to see:
A black-haired beauty.
Isia, looking flustered. I reached out to stop, but it backfired. Meant to prevent a crash, but poison instead.
My pose shifted naturally. I knew what it was without looking.
Hand rising. One knee bent.
Uh. In simple terms:
Uppercut stance. Rolling momentum powered it perfectly. My fist rocketed up.
Thwack—
A crisp sound as my fist nailed Isia's jaw. The ol' lucky punch. A precise chin hit like my flailing punches could even rattle brains into unconsciousness. Learned that today.
Isia, chin-struck, toppled like a wooden doll.
“Eh?”
My surprised voice.
“Ehhh?”
Raphael's more surprised voice.
“Eeeeeeh??”
Shin Ki-ha's even more surprised voice.
“Eeeeeeeeeh?!”
And the class's most surprised shouts ringing in my ears.
I relaxed my stance, looking at Isia with eyes rolled back.
Well, not according to plan, but whatever? Pure skill cheese, right? None of my intent involved?
“I win.”
A win's a win, anyway?
Life doesn't go according to plan, after all.
“Wh-wh-what did you do?!”
Raphael grabbed my arm as I returned to my seat. Feeling smug, I didn't even look at her, just tilted my head up arrogantly.
“Eh, just my hidden power. Ever hear of combat-compressed muscles? Used 'em here. Haha. Tremble before me! Rank 1028's rebellion, the underdog's jolly uprising!!”
Raphael went “Ooh!” and eyed my body, probably thinking This is combat-compressed muscle... Sorry. No such thing.
I basked in Raphael's sparkling gaze and pricked up my ears. Whispers from classmates watching me.
Makes sense. Rank 1028 beating a top ranker? Unprecedented. What was Isia's rank? 12th? Yeah.
I was enjoying it smugly until—
—How'd he even knock her out? Way too much.
—She went easy and he barely won. That attack was pure lucky punch.
—Wins on luck and acts all high and mighty?
“...”
I shut my ears quick. Luck's skill too, sure, but the rank gap was huge? They couldn't believe Isia lost, huh.
I'd react the same. I'd pissed them off before the fight too.
“Kh-hup.”
“...”
And the main culprit in my bad rep was avoiding my eyes. Shoulders shaking, face turned away—you're holding back laughter, aren't you?
“Hey.”
“Y-Yes? Hic, suck— Ah, suck, yes.”
“Never mind. Forget it.”
I let the murmurs flow in one ear and out the other after that. Raphael held it in until she burst, clutching her stomach and rolling on the floor laughing.
Soon, Raphael's turn came. She climbed into the ring saying, “Watch closely. Behold the power of an angel!”
I wanted to see the self-proclaimed highest angel's skills. But the result?
“I surrender!!!!”
That.
Isia opened her eyes.
The unfamiliar ceiling—no, the infirmary's. Rubbing her dizzy head and still-throbbing jaw as she sat up, she spotted who seemed to be the nurse.
“Just mild concussion symptoms, nothing else. Even if it's a friendly spar, you gotta be careful. Called your parents too.”
“Ah. Yes. Thank you.”
Isia answered absently. She still couldn't fully grasp her situation.
But memories don't fade that easily.
Slowly, gradually, the events came back. Her wandering mind snapped to attention.
“Ah.”
A small sigh at first. But as memories sharpened, her face paled, mouth agape.
“What's wrong? Hurt somewhere? Head hurting?”
The nurse beside her asked in alarm, but Isia shook her head. Her head hurt, sure—like it might split. But not from the jaw.
“Aaaah!!!!!”
Memories fully returned, a guttural scream escaped her. Not just a scream—she clutched her head, shaking it wildly up and down.
Embarrassing. Mortifying. She'd crawl into a hole if one existed. Hide forever.
“What's going on? Head hurt bad? Should we go to the hospital?”
“No! I'm fine! Leave me alone!!”
“Please!!” she added, and the nurse drew the curtain with a troubled look before leaving. “Tell me if it hurts.” A model nurse, but irrelevant to Isia now.
She'd lost. Not just lost—lost pathetically.
Not even to a top-10 ranker, but a rank-1000+ nobody, a trash who didn't even have a hero's mindset—knocked out.
She remembered the knockout moment.
Couldn't even hold his sword steady. Shaking hands, tripped over his own feet—total klutz.
But his fall turned into acrobatics beyond words.
Tumbled, flung the sword. Sword hit the spell, dispelled it, rolled straight at her, and uppercut her jaw perfectly for the KO.
No normal person could pull that off. He'd even acted to lower her guard.
Total defeat. Humiliating. Looked down on him, got careless, lost without doing a thing—to a sub-1000 ranker, to one punch. Utter disgrace.
She wished no one heard, but given her status, rumors had spread school-wide already.
If it reached her father... she'd hang herself right now.
“Lee Seong-hoon.”
She spat the hated name, but perfect loss left her nothing to say to him.
“...Thhing.”
As she sniffled, thinking of her grim school life ahead—
An irritating voice replayed in her head.
—If you lose, be my servant.
“Ah.”
Isia tore at her hair. Not just the voice—his annoying face replayed too.
—If you lose, be my servant la-la-la...
Echoing in her mind, his infuriating smirk.
“Aaaaaaaaaah!!!!!”
She yanked her long hair like she'd rip it out, screaming.
Her already ruined school life was now in the gutter. If her father heard—
“What's wrong?! Hospital, now!!”
“Please!!!”
Isia's screams didn't stop until her father's liaison arrived. Even then, they didn't.