Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Three Minutes
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The cafeteria inside the Magic Tower.
A place that was usually bustling during lunchtime with magicians taking advantage of the free drinks, sandwiches, and hamburgers, was exceptionally crowded today.
This was because a diverse group of magicians in gray and yellow robes had gathered around a Falcon-kin man, who boasted sharp eyes and magnificent brown wings.
“Is that true? Was the final match really that close?”
“How does that make sense? Lee Si-woo beat a Ranker. But Lord Schizo isn't a Ranker.”
“It means there was corruption, just like the rumors said. There must have been a deal between factions. Otherwise, how could a Ranker like Ixion lose to a mere human?”
“Ah, so maybe that’s why he disappeared. He didn’t want to get caught up in the gossip.”
Schizo flapped his wings lightly, as if to draw their attention. The magicians in the cafeteria stared at him, their eyes hungry for gossip.
Schizo spoke leisurely while grooming his beak with a razor.
“Let’s just stick to the facts. Lee Si-woo definitely beat Ixion. I don’t know how he did it either. But I heard from a colleague that inside the black fog, Ixion’s limbs suddenly started to twist.”
A magician, his face alight with excitement like an audience member enjoying a conspiracy theory, asked.
“His limbs suddenly started twisting? Without any warning or sign?”
“Yes, and someone said it happened every time Si-woo manipulated some kind of doll… but that’s probably just a baseless rumor. Not many people saw it. But you know what’s even stranger?”
“W-What is it?”
“If Lee Si-woo could use such magic, he would have definitely used it on me. But he didn’t. No, he *couldn’t*. If he had something like that, there’s no way he would have struggled so much against me, especially when I wasn’t in top condition after my bloody battle with Nobrad!”
As he spoke, Schizo’s anger boiled over, and he slammed his fist on the table.
Caught up in Schizo’s story, which was as explosive as the shattered table, the magicians gulped.
“Looking back, the tournament bracket was strange too. Except for Ixion in the first round, that bastard faced a bunch of nobodies! But I had to face 3rd Circle Masters one after another, and in the semifinals, I was up against Nobrad, who placed third in the evaluation! Do you really think this was a coincidence? Huh?”
Schizo flapped his wings wide, unable to hide his fury.
“I swear on my ancestors’ names, if it hadn’t been for the fight with Nobrad, I would have won the evaluation. Without a doubt!”
The magicians murmured amongst themselves at Schizo’s confident declaration.
“I thought it was ridiculous when I first heard that human won the evaluation. No matter how many elemental stones he ate. Is it even plausible for him to beat out all those brilliant talents and win?”
“True, even objectively, it makes no sense for a mere human to beat an Avian-kin. What are they good at besides scheming and flattery? Those bastards have no sharp claws or strong bodies. If it weren't for their pathetic intelligence, wouldn't their names be on our cafeteria snack menu?”
“Doesn’t Lady Isabelle have strange tastes? I admit the kid is handsome for a human, but he’s still from an inferior species. Tsk, I guess the saying 'a great father has no cowardly sons' is just a load of crap. I mean, seriously, even if there’s a shortage of men, falling for a human is no different from a stray dog going into heat, right?”
Just then, a magician with a small frame spoke in a low but clear voice.
“You’re going too far.”
He was small, about 160cm tall, with large blue eyes and light green hair.
A human magician named Milo, who looked more like a boy than a young man, clenched his fists and shouted.
“We also entered the tower through a proper process, just like the selection trials! So why do we have to be treated like this? We have Circles too, and we can use magic. We can talk with you, feel sad, and feel happy. We are living beings with emotions…!”
It was an outburst, a desperate cry from Milo who could no longer bear it.
But the magicians watching him responded with only cynicism and ridicule.
“This is why losers are so hopeless. They have no empathy. Hey, do you think we’re seriously lumping all humans together and treating them like idiots? Hey, we know that being a *hu-man ma-gi-cian* is a pretty big deal. But you moron, everyone’s pissed off because of Lee Si-woo right now. Isn’t it natural to get lumped in and insulted together?”
“Look at his face. He’s about to cry, isn’t he? Pathetic bastard. He must be drowning in his victim complex.”
“Don’t yell at us. Go cry to Lee Si-woo. Tell him you’re getting the same treatment because of a corrupt magician like him. That’s how we get rid of at least one piece of trash who survives on dirty tricks.”
Milo shouted, his face looking as if he was about to burst into tears at any moment.
“There’s no proof that Si-woo-nim actually did anything wrong! It’s all just speculation! Honestly! You’re all just pissed off that a talented human appeared among us!”
Schizo, seemingly bothered by Milo’s words, rose from his seat, his eyes flashing with a cold light.
“Speculation? Proof? Are you suggesting… that I’m lying?”
Schizo stood towering over Milo.
Before the massive body of the Falcon-kin, Milo, who was small even for a human, looked utterly pathetic.
Like a chick before a hawk, Milo trembled as Schizo whispered in his ear.
“It is the nature of your kind to be weak before the strong and strong before the weak. You’ve shown some decent courage today. However, you should have known that a weakling’s courage comes with a price.”
“I… I…”
Schizo leaped up and pinned Milo down with his three-toed talons.
Milo, a 1st Circle Expert, couldn't withstand the overwhelming physical strength of the Falcon-kin and was crushed beneath his claws.
Schizo muttered in a grim voice.
“Refusing to accept the reality of your inferior species? Fine. Showing off your courage in front of everyone? Fine. But… doubting my words? Heh, a thing like you?”
*Crack.*
The Falcon-kin’s grip, strong enough to crumple steel, mercilessly squeezed Milo’s thin waist.
Enjoying Milo’s screams as if they were a musical performance, Schizo spoke.
“Go on, beg. Admit that you were wrong, and that your fellow kinsman, Lee Si-woo, cheated. Then I’ll end it here.”
At Schizo’s urging, Milo clenched his teeth and refused to answer.
He knew.
It would be easier if he just admitted it.
But he didn’t want to.
Living as a magician in the tower, he had already endured so much persecution and discrimination for being human.
So, at some point, he had started living by others’ will rather than his own.
He only did as he was told, reacting sensitively to the voice of the one holding his leash like a frightened puppy.
That’s why, at least for this moment, he didn’t want to be cowardly.
He had thrown away his pride and self-esteem to survive, but he wanted to protect his dignity as a human.
“I… refuse.”
Schizo’s grip broke his ribs, and Milo screamed once more.
As Milo buried his face in the floor, tears and snot streaming down, Schizo spoke again.
“You’re doing something that doesn’t suit you. Don’t be mistaken. You are not orcs. Valor is not an innate quality of your kind. I assure you, in less than three minutes, you will be clinging to my talons, begging me to spare your life.”
Just then, a familiar voice struck Schizo’s ears.
“That’s interesting. How about I return those words right back to you?”
At that moment, everyone in the cafeteria let out a collective gasp like a cheap game show audience.
Pitch-black hair and eyes. A warm, friendly smile that habitually played on his lips.
And wearing the blue robe signifying the 3rd Circle, Lee Si-woo had made his entrance into the cafeteria.
*Step, step.*
As Lee Si-woo walked with the leisure of someone strolling through his own front yard, the surrounding magicians scattered like a swarm of ants seeing water.
Their movements were as swift as herbivores spotting a predator, as if they had never mocked or belittled Lee Si-woo.
A murky bead of sweat trickled down beside Schizo’s sharp eyes.
‘He’s already at the 3rd Circle? That was fast. But he couldn’t have learned any new magic yet. Even if we fight here, I’m confident I won’t lose easily. Besides, no matter how reckless he is, he can’t be crazy enough to do something to me in such a public place.’
Having made a quick judgment, Schizo spoke in a deliberately arrogant tone.
“Hmph, after your shameful actions in the evaluation, you’ve been holed up. What brings you to the cafeteria today?”
“Three minutes.”
“What?”
“I happen to be in a decent mood today, so if you let that human magician go and get out of my sight within three minutes, I’ll let it slide. But if you’re still in front of me after three minutes… well. It might not matter to me, but something quite unpleasant will happen to you.”
Schizo scoffed at Lee Si-woo’s absurd words.
“Lee Si-woo. You win the evaluation by a stroke of luck, reach the 3rd Circle, and now you can’t tell up from down. Do you think I’m some kind of mutt you can order around? Like you humans?”
A laugh escaped from between Lee Si-woo’s teeth.
Before that chilling, unpleasant laughter could even fade, a gruesome sound of tearing bone and flesh echoed through the cafeteria.
*CRUNCH.*
Lee Si-woo, holding a bloody brown wing in his hand, had his entire skin radiating the brilliant luster of a diamond.
With one of his wing joints torn off completely, Schizo let out a sound that was half scream, half roar, and charged at Lee Si-woo.
Lee Si-woo grabbed Schizo’s beak with his left hand and slowly squeezed.
*CRACK.*
Fragments of his beak, shattered like a cracker, fell from between Lee Si-woo’s fingers.
If the gap between the 2nd and 3rd Circles was an insurmountable wall, then a colossal mountain stood between the 3rd and 4th Circles.
Of course, Lee Si-woo was a 3rd Circle Expert, but with his Mineralization ability reaching the level of diamond, his level had surpassed 400.
To him, whose stats were on par with a 4th Circle magician, Schizo was no different from an insect crawling beneath his feet.
“Guh…”
Schizo looked up at Lee Si-woo, who had torn through his mana shield like paper and was now trampling his body.
Lee Si-woo’s face, usually plastered with feigned courtesy, was now stained with raw sadism and cruelty.
Schizo had always seen Si-woo sucking up to Isabelle and Allen and had inwardly dismissed him as a timid opportunist.
But now, Schizo realized he had been mistaken.
This man was a predator. A cunning and vicious beast that wagged its tail at its master, feigning tameness and gentleness, only to sink its fangs mercilessly into their neck the moment they turned their back.
“Cough…”
Lee Si-woo stomped on the head of Schizo, who was coughing up blood and crawling on the floor.
Grinding his foot on his head as if squashing gum, Lee Si-woo asked.
“Schizo. Try your best to beg for your life. Who knows? Maybe I’ll…”
Lee Si-woo tore off Schizo’s remaining wing and continued.
“...be moved enough to spare your life?”