Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: 21. Connection
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As soon as the match began, Inha shot forward. A condensed ball of energy shot from her hand toward the guy. He extended shadows toward the incoming spell.
But honestly, I thought this match was a foregone conclusion. And the reason was simple: favorable matchup.
For starters, Inha had the edge in mana capacity. Their spell levels were about even. But Inha's magic was a clear counter to shadows—top-tier light magic, no less. Inha specialized in light, while the guy specialized in shadows. Shadows deepen under light, but they also lose their concealment.
Light and darkness were polar opposites. Pitting shadows against light put shadows at an overwhelming disadvantage. It was just the natural superiority of attributes.
“Ugh…?!”
The guy got caught in Inha’s attack. Inha swept her hand down from above. A beam of scorching light followed her hand’s path, crashing downward. The guy thrust out shadows.
The shadows wrapped around the light. But the shadows burned away in the light’s heat.
Unlike me, Inha’s magic was attack-oriented, and she was strong in close combat too. When the guy lunged with a kick, Inha blocked it effortlessly and smashed him with a fist wrapped in magic. He flew back from the direct flash hit.
“Ugh……!”
Minhee swallowed hard beside me.
“Wow……she’s amazing…….”
I nodded in agreement. Inha’s magic truly shone in battle. Soon, the guy unleashed the spell that had briefly incapacitated Minhee earlier.
“Prismatic Lightning Magic!”
Mana shot into the sky and gathered near the ceiling. It split into four bolts that plummeted down—dark purple, black, orange, and green.
Inha stood still even as the multicolored lightning rained toward her. Only at the last second did she sweep her hand down. Electricity crackled along her hand’s path. This time, Inha was using lightning magic. Yeah, prismatic lightning might mix various special effects, but at its core, it was lightning-based. Inha’s own lightning disrupted its trajectory and nullified it.
“…….”
Now the guy looked stunned. Inha brushed back her black hair with her usual blank expression. Her long, silky black locks fluttered. Cold, piercing blue-black eyes gleamed with sharp intent. Her stunning face matched that description perfectly.
For a moment, I forgot the situation as my heart raced. Inha’s coolness wasn’t just her face. It was that impossibly beautiful look paired with her coldly honed aura. I clutched my cheeks and stifled a scream.
‘Kyaaaaah…!!’
“Inha looks so cool today…!”
At my voice, Hansu turned to me, scratched his head, then looked back at Inha. Minhee and Hyunho paused mid-gulp in the tense fight and stared at me in confusion. Seeing my flushed cheeks, Hansu glanced at Inha and made a subtle face.
“Does she…?”
I scowled at him. I’d already been hypersensitive about his reactions lately, so I snapped back harder.
“Of course!”
Hansu flinched. I whipped around dramatically and refocused on Inha’s match.
The guy went all-out now. It was clear he hadn’t been serious against Minhee.
Unlike his frantic attacks, Inha stayed cool and composed. Shadows kept surging, stabbing, and coiling toward her.
“Damn…! Shadow Sync!”
Black shadows engulfed Inha, but she burned them all away with light’s heat. Right after, though, a wound appeared on Inha’s arm.
“……?!”
“What? What happened?!”
Hansu whipped toward me in panic. Minhee and Hyunho looked equally shocked.
I gritted my teeth.
‘He slashed the shadow…?’
The guy hadn’t targeted Inha’s body.
Shadows’ true form was shadow. The overhead shadows had struck at Inha, but at the same time, the guy’s own shadow—still quietly on the ground amid the fight—moved. It sliced Inha’s shadow! The backlash wounded her body.
Blood dripped from the long gash. I swallowed hard at the vivid drops. A senior watching nearby yelled.
“Warning! Damaging the opponent’s body is prohibited!!”
The guy flinched. Overwhelmed by emotion, he’d slipped up—guilt flashed in his eyes.
I fidgeted anxiously, staring at Inha. Minhee, Hyunho, Ardel right next to me, and Hansu did the same. From the moment Inha got hurt, Hansu had been tapping his foot restlessly, itching to rush in.
But unlike our worry, Inha glanced at her wounded arm nonchalantly and cast healing magic. She turned to the stunned guy.
“Rule violation, so I’ll hold off until I heal?”
“Uh? Yeah….”
I let out a relieved breath. Inha was still in her own world.
Her healing wasn’t top-tier, so it just stopped the bleeding. The fight resumed the instant it did. Inha charged first again.
Light reflected wildly, relentlessly targeting the guy. Inha still held the advantage. She blocked every shadow and landed hits on him, while he couldn’t tag her properly. Less than five minutes remained.
“Shadow Assimilation!”
My eyes widened. The guy who shouted that melted into his own shadow and vanished.
Gasps erupted around us. Recalling how he’d slipped into the shadow, I covered my mouth.
It was like……ripples of diving into water……but far quieter.
I calmed my shock, clamped my mouth shut, and scanned around. He was still assimilated in the shadow.
Silence fell. Inha swept her gaze, searching for him.
An eerie atmosphere crept in. I realized what it was: ‘domain.’ Every shadow here……had become his territory.
I already had multiple ways to perceive the field. Best was sensing mana. Next, emotions. Finally, the ‘world.’
Viewing mana let me see secondary dimensions overlapping reality or whatever. It started a year ago, when I realized I could cast spells from dreams into reality.
In short, the shadow realm……was a secondary dimension easy to sync with for that guy.
‘There!’
I spotted him. Inside Inha’s shadow. At that instant, thorny shadows burst from it.
“…….”
Inha hesitated briefly but leaped aside, shattering the incoming shadows with light magic. Then she thrust her hand at her own shadow.
Her strike cracked the floor slightly. Undeterred, she poured mana into it. Light ripples spread, flooding the arena. It was blinding. But I pierced right through it.
The guy couldn’t endure the pain and emerged from the shadow. Swallowing a groan, he attacked Inha immediately. Their mana and spell levels were even. Each eroded the other’s mana.
Dead even, but Inha edged ahead.
Inha pierced his shadow full-force and landed a solid hit.
“Guh…!”
Thud!
The guy tumbled meters away, clutching his gut from the direct abdominal strike. Clear win for Inha. The nearby senior called it.
“Kang of Daehyeon, victory!”
Matches here didn’t use full names—just school and surname. We all beamed at Inha.
“Woo…!”
Hansu smiled happily now, relieved. Cheers and applause erupted everywhere. That’s when it happened.
“Wait……!”
We froze and turned. The arena hushed. Kids from the opposite side, fidgeting over their guy, lit up. He propped himself on his arms and struggled up.
“Wait……I haven’t lost yet……. I can still……!”
Inha eyed him coldly. He glared at her with burning eyes and shouted.
“There’s no way I’d lose to anyone but that guy!”
The senior hesitated. Fair enough—he could fight and hadn’t surrendered, so not defeated yet. But he’d taken heavy damage. Inha had some wounds too, but far less. Victory was Inha’s, no doubt.
Then, a sound.
Beep, beep, beep, beeep──!
[Time limit expired. Determine winner based on the duel so far.]
The guy looked up in shock. The senior raised the flag with a firm, certain face.
“Kang wins!”
Waaaaah!! We cheered wildly, grinning ear to ear. Inha’s victory was official now!
I’d come just to cheer friends on, but got totally immersed. Minhee’s loss was unexpected, and so was a kid from one of the ten schools matching our talent. Made it fun to watch and cheer for real.
Hansu’s sullen face brightened too. We clapped, stomped, and laughed.
“Inha won!”
“As expected of Inha.”
“Who else could win but her?”
We yelled, staring her way. Inha had already turned from the guy and walked toward us. The dazed guy on the ground snapped to and yelled after her.
“W-wait! It’s not over! Time limit doesn’t end the match, right?! Let’s go again!!!”
But Inha had lost interest. She glanced back coldly once, then strode straight to us.
That’s when I went wide-eyed.
The guy’s mana stirred behind her, surging toward Inha……
“──Can’t you hear me?! Fight again!”
“Inha!”
“……!”
Too late. The spell activated. He hurled it screaming. A mid-range AoE spell that could ensnare everyone here.
‘Damn it!’
Inha moved her hand. It looked slow. Too late!
I dashed forward.
──Everyone but me.
In an instant. I’d already copied his spell. Watched the activation from start to finish. Before the shadow orb could spread, I leaped and blocked it with my palm. I manipulated the surrounding mana. Simultaneously, the cloud-like shadows vanished without trace.
“……!”
Thud.
Seniors stepping forward to intervene froze. I landed in front of Inha.
No helping it. I glared at the guy, teeth gritted.
His mana was gone, dispelled and nullified.
The crowd went silent. The guy gawked at me blankly. Inha stared in surprise too.
“E-Eunha…….”
I pressed my lips tight. Wanted to curse, but held back for a stranger. Instead, I shot him a sharp glare. At once, three people—including Ardel—rushed over.
“Eunha! Inha! You okay?!”
“Hey! You alright?!”
The four eyed us worriedly. Hansu checked us over, then scowled fiercely at the guy.
“Hey, you…!”
“Who’re you?! Outta the way!”
Still unhinged, the guy fired another spell. I tore it apart again. I’d seen all his magic. Lower level than mine, weaker mana. Useless against me.
I dispelled it all and teleported right in front of him, reaching for his forehead.
Martial arts couldn’t touch me. It worked because he panicked.
His face rushed close. In a flash, his eyes widened. I poured mana straight into his head through my palm.
Thud.
His eyes glazed over, lids drooping. I caught his collapsing body and landed.
“Haa…….”
A hallucination spell sending him to dreamland. Supporting him, I sighed deeply with feeling. Kids from his school—Yuran, I guessed—rushed over. A glasses-wearing girl reached me first.
“Hey!”
“Ah…!”
I handed him off and stepped back startled. Late embarrassment hit; I ducked my head.
“Um……just put him to sleep…….”
“No, we’re sorry! Who knew he’d flip out like that……We didn’t expect anyone could beat him either…….”
She glanced at me confusedly. Her teammates took him.
We faced each other awkwardly. Somehow……we’d met before.
“Eunha! You okay?!”
“Huh? Yeah, fine.”
Friends approaching broke the silence. I snapped to and turned to them. But before I could walk over, the glasses girl muttered.
“Eunha…? Eunha……?”
I turned back. Déjà vu. She muttered head down, then looked up sharply and pointed at me confidently.
“You’re Eunha, right? Yoo Eunha! That’s you!”
Her joyful face startled me. Friends and her group stared puzzled. She beamed.
“It’s me, Yumi! Lee Yumi! We went to the same kindergarten! We were pretty close!”
My eyes widened. Lee Yumi! The name rang a bell.
Makes sense—only one girl was close to me there.
I eyed her anew. Faint traces of the old her remained. It was that Lee Yumi from kindergarten.
“For real? You’re really Yumi?”
“Yeah! Wow, you go to Daehyeon. It’s been forever!”
“No way!”
I grabbed her hand, beaming too. We weren’t super close, but she was a good memory. First time since kindergarten graduation. Who’d guess we’d reunite like this? And same school as that guy meant Yumi was from Yuran!
Yuran rivaled Daehyeon as a top school. She’d shown talent young, but still……
Everyone around gawked at us.
“Never thought we’d meet like this!”
“Me neither. Didn’t know you were at Yuran…….”
“Thanks to that, I got a lot stronger. You look way stronger too?”
“Yeah……kinda.”
We grinned shyly at each other. Bashful, unlike my usual timidity around people. Embarrassing, but nice.
For some reason, I was thrilled. What a fun twist—reuniting with a childhood friend out of nowhere.
Chattering excitedly, someone tapped my shoulder. Inha. She asked poutily.
“Who’s that?”
Everyone stared curiously. I answered eagerly, a bit rushed.
“That’s Yumi. We were close in kindergarten.”
“Hmm…….”
Inha eyed her appraisingly. At the sharp gaze, Hansu grabbed our shoulders.
“Hey……save the chat. Let’s head up first.”
He jerked a thumb back. Oh……I realized, panicking. Seniors, other spectators—all the competitors here—stared at us awkwardly.
‘Ugh……!’
I clamped my mouth, mortified. What had I done?! I wanted to crawl into a hole.
“Yumi, we gotta call our teacher and head back. Why’s he causing trouble again? Let’s go.”
“Huh? Oh, right. Gonna get yelled at……. See ya, Eunha!”
“Bye!”
I waved frantically to Yumi and hurried out with friends. Ughhh……that mess made things super awkward. Felt like the finals fizzled out……. But not my fault. Totally that guy’s…
I grumbled inwardly. White ceiling gave way to open sky. Sun had dipped low.
Walking dejectedly, Inha hooked her arm in mine.
“That girl from kindergarten, right?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“Close?”
“Hmm……not super close, but pretty good friends there. Didn’t expect to meet again. So happy~.”
“Hmm…….”
Inha pouted at my words. Jealous? Was she jealous?
Then Minhee leaned on my other arm. Both sides weighed heavy. I groaned.
“Guys, heavy……?”
“Ehehehehe.”
“Don’t laugh.”
Soon I pried them off. We strolled campus casually. Then I noticed Ardel missing and panicked. Did we lose her? I asked Minhee, closest to her. She called—Ardel went home alone.
We gathered on a bench by trees. Kinda cramped? Uncomfortable poses, but Minhee beamed brightly.
“Wow! Congrats on the win, Inha! Knew you could! I wanted to win too, but…….”
Inha nodded firmly at her.
“Got your revenge.”
“Uhihihihi. See? Inha’s the coolest!”
Minhee glomped Inha, rubbing like a cat. Hansu, Hyunho, and I laughed warmly.
Chatting on the bench. Hyunho, you don’t seem too bummed losing to Minhee twice? Couldn’t help it. She’s stronger than me! That kinda talk. Then surroundings got noisy.
Looking up, a girl ran over—shoulder-length black hair, clear-framed glasses. Yumi. Scanning around like for me, so I waved. She brightened and dashed over.
“Eunha!”
“What? Looking for me?”
“Yeah! We gotta go now…!”
Panting hands-on-knees, Yumi perked up lively. The quiet, mature kindergarten kid had grown into this energetic girl. I admired the change.
“Was so happy to see you after so long. Knowing you’re at Daehyeon, we might meet again. Yuran and Daehyeon are sister schools—lots of exchanges. Joint training from middle school…….”
“Yeah. Would be nice.”
“Yeah! Saw you’re super strong now. Oh, and really sorry about earlier. You……the one who fought Inha……no injuries, right? And that arm wound…….”
“I’m fine. Nothing major.”
Inha glanced at me subtly before answering. Yumi sighed in relief, patting her chest.
“Good. Anyway, so sorry today, and…….”
“Yumi! Lee Yumi, hurry! Teleporting now!”
“Ugh, can’t wait a sec?! Got it! Coming!”
Interrupted, Yumi snapped back, then grinned at me.
“Thanks so much today! See you later! Bye-bye!”
“Yeah. Take care!”
Yumi waved big and ran off. She’s got a good vibe. I nodded, smiling at Minhee’s words.
Quiet again after Yumi left. We laughed and talked, then stood. Our time to go.
We crossed campus as usual, parting at the gate. Minhee teleported first. Hansu, next, touched his badge then paused.
“Ah.”
“……?”
“Forgot to say.”
Hansu flashed a charming grin and patted Inha’s head. My eyes widened.
Inha scowled reflexively.
“…What?”
“Just, good job. You fought well.”
Sigh. So indirect. That’s your praise?
I pouted inwardly. Inha blinked at him surprised, then huffed primly.
“……Thanks.”
Hansu and Hyunho vanished. I stood watching Inha. She smoothed hair Hansu touched. Rare emotion flickered on her doll-like face.
Mid-fix, she pressed her palm to her crown—exactly where he’d patted. Then to her chest.
Ripples stirred in her eyes. I turned away.