Sparring with the Class President
"So the thing you wanted to do was a spar?"
Yujin said as he stretched in the training room. The Heukcheon Mansion where he lived had a training hall perfect for honing skills. It was spacious, and the facilities were on par with the academy's—no, arguably better. Not that Yujin had ever bothered using it; he just didn't feel like training at home.
"Yeah. I've been feeling like my skills are lacking lately," the class president replied with a wry smile, nodding.
Of course, if her goal was just to be an average hero, she was more than good enough already. But the class president had no intention of settling for that. Her primary goal was to earn Yujin's recognition before graduation. Beating even Younghee wouldn't cut it.
"Thanks for going along with this."
"Eh, it's not a big deal."
He had to kill time with the class president anyway, per Lime's orders. As a total outcast, he didn't have any hot topics to chat about. If anything, Yujin was grateful she took the initiative.
"We finally have a proper sparring spot, time on our hands, and you're here, Yujin. I just wanted to give it a shot."
"I'm not exactly the best opponent for you."
Yujin was a classic brawler type. He didn't even properly learn magic, let alone use it. Lime fed him any necessary knowledge on the fly, so he'd never seen the point. He made for a pretty lousy magic training partner.
"It's fine. I just needed someone—anyone—to spar with."
Honestly, she also wanted this chance to appeal to Yujin directly. But she could never say that out loud.
"Then, please go easy on me."
The class president bowed politely. It caught Yujin a little off guard. His usual sparring partner was Cheolsu, and those two never exchanged pleasantries. Was it normal for mages to bow before a fight?
Come to think of it, this is my first time fighting a magic lover like her.
During the survival test, she'd stuck to rear support. That meant fewer chances to shine compared to Yujin or Cheolsu.
For Yujin, this was his first real look at a mage in combat.
Will it be fireballs or ice shards flying at me? Or maybe abracadabra?
He knew magic in this world was no joke. The Younghee incident had drilled that danger home. What kind of fight would the mage class president put on?
Yujin assumed his stance. At that exact moment, a translucent shockwave shot from the side and slammed into his head.
What the—?!
It exploded on impact.
BOOM!
The blast sent him stumbling back a couple steps. More surprise than pain.
Whoa, that scared me.
Was that the class president's magic? Invisible and fast—too fast to react properly. Yeah, that was dangerous. If he were a normal guy, that would've dropped him.
She's impressive.
Yujin thought as he looked ahead. But she wasn't there.
He belatedly noticed her diving in low.
Wait, do mages usually close in like this?
He didn't know much about mage fights. If that attack had come from this range? It might actually hurt a bit.
Yujin threw up his arms in a guard. And just like that, she vanished.
Low-tier Magic: Fairy's Prank
A presence stirred behind him. Too late, he realized the previous one was an illusion.
THUD!
A gust of wind smashed into his back. Focused forward, Yujin's balance wobbled.
"Here I come!"
The class president's hands spun. The wind veered sideways with it. The sudden gale shook Yujin's body. She didn't miss the opening.
Low-tier Magic: Sharp Blade
Low-tier Magic: Imp's Fireplay
Low-tier Magic: Wind Scythe
Low-tier Magic: Hand of Darkness
A mana-forged blade flew in, flames engulfed his body, a wind scythe surged, and a black fist hammered him. How many students could chain-cast spells this fast and precise? A storm of magic assailed him from all sides, slamming home.
......Man, this is chaotic.
The class president unleashed more without pause—faster, stronger!
This time, Yujin didn't just block. He clenched his fist and swung.
Thud! Thud! Crunch!
Maybe it was all he could do. But it was enough. The spells burst apart, crushed by raw power.
Hmm, where'd she go?
After swatting away the last weird smoky orb, Yujin scanned around. No sign of her anywhere—not in 180 degrees. He'd eaten an invisible hit and fallen for an illusion already. No telling when or where she'd pop up next.
That uncertainty slowed his thoughts.
"Mid-tier and above mages shine by using space in three dimensions."
Too late—he spotted her leaping overhead. In that instant, she unleashed her prepared spell from directly above.
Mid-tier Magic: Heavy Air
Ambient mana warped, compressing Yujin from all sides. A spell that sealed all movement—even the rampaging Younghee had been neutralized by it before.
But...
Haha, she just shrugged it off like it was nothing.
The class president laughed in disbelief at the sight. Yujin hadn't even tried. He just moved. Like it made balance a tad trickier than usual. A flex of his arms and legs shattered the mid-tier binding.
How vast was the gap between them?
She brushed off those spells too.
Even if decoys, they packed real punch. Yet she looked unscathed. A real enemy would've despaired here.
How can I shock Yujin?
But her goal wasn't victory. Bluntly, that was impossible. Just putting up a decent fight would do.
I need to show what this woman can do!
Hovering midair, the class president spread her arms wide.
Low-tier Magic: Water Shining
Water sprayed around Yujin, enveloping him in droplets that flash-froze. Property conversion. Sudden temperature shift via mana turned water to ice particles, frosting over his body.
"Hup!"
Landing, she raised both hands and swung them down like wielding an invisible lash.
Mid-tier Magic: Thunder Spear
A bolt rocketed straight at him. Yujin swung to swat it like before. But it split into branches, using the ice shards as conductors to encircle him.
Chain Lightning (Sustained)
Normally a brief hitscan effect, but linked with water magic to force prolongation. Lightning prison, hemming Yujin in. Limits aside, she chained another before it faded.
Cho Jung Ryeok (Super Gravity)
Creak! "Oof!"
Yujin's knees buckled slightly. Unlike Younghee's version, this compressed power to pin reliably without blowback.
Not yet.
Just setup to halt him. As gravity deployed, she chanted anew. Triple cast.
"Urk!"
Bile rose in her throat. No wonder—two advanced spells back-to-back, plus double-cast. Guild masters would drool; seniors would hail her genius.
But not enough. No hits landed on Yujin yet.
Gritting through the migraine, she unleashed the follow-up.
Explosion
Convert user's mana straight to blast. Power scaled to reserves. A mage's all-or-nothing finisher.
All my mana into this—!
She smashed down a massive fireball. Lightning walled him in, gravity pinned him. Unavoidable max-power hit. At least a scratch!
Creak!
That's when Yujin rocketed a fist skyward. No fancy technique—just a punch at the incoming orb. The lightning cage shattered. The fireball crumpled under pressure, canceled out.
She stared blankly at the overwhelming scene.
......This is too much.
Legs giving out, she collapsed, thinking that. This was her max effort. How many mages could triple-cast advanced spells? She figured she had bragging rights—enough to impress.
But to Yujin? Meaningless. He bulldozed everything with sheer force. Her magic was worthless.
Ah, you idiot.
Slumped, she buried her face. Tears threatened. She'd come to change her weakness, to advance even a little. But it only highlighted her inadequacies.
"Whoa, that startled me."
Yujin approached slowly, offering a hand to the fallen class president.
"Sorry, I panicked and hit back for real. Was that advanced magic?"
"Ah, yeah."
"Impressive. Plenty can't even handle mid-tier."
She forced a smile through tear-brimmed eyes. Ah, if only he'd cursed her. Called her trash, useless. Maybe then she could've given up easily.
......I'm such a pushover.
Yet his casual words comforted too much. The light praise felt too sweet. No way she could quit now.
"You okay? Nothing hurt?"
"......Yeah, I'm fine."
She took his hand and stood, brushing off dust. She watched him survey the battle scars, head turned.
No quitting. But the distance felt infinite. She hesitated to even reach out.
"Um, I wanna rest a bit alone, so I'll head out first?"
"I can wait if you want."
"I just need some time to think by myself."
Yujin nodded lightly like he got it and left the training room. Once he was gone, she slumped back down. Knees hugged tight.
Crunch.
She bit her nails. Everything seemed to press in. Anxiety gnawed. Her feelings for Yujin swelled, but she hated her pathetic self.
What the hell am I supposed to do......
Alone in the training room, the class president just gnawed her nails.
Crunch, crunch.
Even as the sound grew louder, she didn't notice.