Chapter 223
Chapter 223
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 224
Chapter Title: The Social Gathering Winding Down at 10:30 PM
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Chapter 224
It was 10:30 PM, as the social gathering was drawing to a close. In the hotel's basement level three, Seojun Lee was walking down the hall.
"...I think it's around here."
What Seojun was looking for was the magic training ground prepared in the hotel basement.
He had heard there was a place somewhere here for practical training.
He hadn't been able to train at all since morning due to the field trip and opening ceremony preparations, so his body was itching, leading him to search for the training ground.
"No one to ask. This is tricky."
With the Grand Tournament starting tomorrow morning, there wasn't a soul around, even if he searched with his eyes wide open.
Everyone seemed to be conserving their energy for tomorrow's exam.
That was when it happened.
—Any other oddities?
—No. It's going exactly according to plan. All data is backed up.
A man's voice came from the end of the corridor.
It was in English, but Seojun could speak it well enough to understand the conversation.
As he approached the direction of the voice, he saw a white-robed Caucasian man on the phone.
Their eyes met.
The man looked at Seojun with a momentarily surprised expression before speaking.
"I'll call you back later."
Click.
After hanging up, the man approached Seojun with a gentle smile and extended his hand.
"Hello. You're Seojun Lee, right?"
Seojun was slightly taken aback.
His Korean was so fluent it could pass for a native speaker.
"Ah, yes. That's me."
"Oh, great to meet you! I'm Werner from the Wigen research team."
Seojun shook Werner's hand reflexively.
He felt calluses on the palm.
It was the hand of an reinforcement-type wizard who wielded weapons, just like himself.
"I'm a big fan personally—I'd been hoping to meet you. Lucky break! Haha."
"Ah... thank you."
Embarrassed by the sudden praise, Seojun bowed his head slightly.
Then, thinking it was perfect timing, he decided to ask about the training ground.
"By the way, I heard there's a training ground here. Do you know where it is?"
"If it's the training ground, it's at the end of that corridor on the left."
Werner pointed down the hall.
Feeling grateful, Seojun bowed his head again.
"Thank you. I don't have much time, so I'll head there now."
"Sure, go ahead."
Seojun passed Werner and continued down the corridor.
After about three minutes, he reached his destination.
［Wigen Comprehensive Magic Training Ground］
"Phew. Finally found it."
The thought of finally being able to train brought a smile to Seojun's lips.
As he stepped inside with eager footsteps,
Shrieeeek—
A piercing sound rang out loudly, accompanied by a powerful surge of mana.
Seojun jumped in surprise.
The spell he'd just sensed was at least A-Rank or higher.
Who could it be?
From the sound, it seemed like wind attribute.
But was there a wind-attribute wizard among the Grand Tournament participants with that level of skill?
"...Wind attribute is tough."
Feeling puzzled, Seojun entered the training ground.
Just then, the door to one of the private training rooms opened, and someone stepped out.
When Seojun saw who it was, he couldn't help but be shocked.
"Sunwoo Kim?"
It was none other than Sunwoo Kim.
He had apparently changed into comfortable activewear.
Sunwoo looked at Seojun and asked,
"...You here to train too?"
"Yeah, body was itching since I couldn't train much. But was that spell just now yours?"
Sunwoo glanced around.
As if checking if anyone else was in the training ground.
But it was just the two of them inside.
"Yeah, me."
"Really?"
Seojun felt a brief moment of confusion.
The spell he'd sensed moments ago.
Hadn't it sounded like wind attribute?
"...Was it my imagination?"
"Imagination? What do you mean?"
Sunwoo asked about Seojun's quiet mutter.
"Huh? Oh, nothing."
Seojun smiled and replied.
Sunwoo narrowed his eyes for a moment, then nodded.
"...Anyway, exams start tomorrow morning. Don't overdo it."
"Yeah. Just loosening up lightly."
"Got it. I'm heading out first."
"Mm. Night."
Sunwoo nodded and left the training ground.
Seojun stared quietly at the door through which Sunwoo had exited.
Then he turned and entered the training room Sunwoo had just used.
......What the hell.
Seojun blankly stared at the scene before him.
Training dummies sliced into dozens of pieces as if cleaved by a blade.
And the walls inside, covered in marks like they'd been shredded by a knife.
Upon closer inspection, they weren't traces made by a sword or similar weapon.
They were clearly wind-attribute slashes with cutting power.
Seojun turned around and blankly stared at the door Sunwoo had just gone through.
......No way Sunwoo has wind attribute?
［Wind Attribute Control］［Level: 0 (0.5%)］
On my way back after finishing training.
I was checking the proficiency of the wind attribute I'd experimented with in the training ground.
It had risen by 0.5% thanks to the first-use bonus.
Not a terribly satisfying result.
Controlling it was quite difficult due to the wind attribute's inherently free-spirited nature.
"...Never thought I'd get stuck on control."
No wonder it's not one of the five major attributes.
Of course, the destructive power of the 'wind attribute' was satisfactory.
'Cutting power' couldn't be manifested in the development system without wind attribute.
Still, misuse could slice me up too, so more practice was needed.
"Hmm."
That said, Seojun seemed to notice I was training an attribute just now...
Doesn't really matter, I guess?
I plan to use wind attribute as Kim Sunwoo's signature move anyway, not some other identity.
......As I walked down the hotel basement corridor lost in those thoughts,
—I ran into Seojun.
I stopped at the sudden voice.
—Yeah, first time seeing him in person, but he really has that halo effect.
I started walking again.
Up ahead, a white-robed Caucasian man was on the phone.
He saw me, gave a light bow, and continued his call.
Tap, tap.
I kept walking down the corridor. Then I paused, turned around.
The man glanced at me and resumed his call. I used ［Person Identification］ on him.
Name: Werner
Age: 44
Race: Human
Status: Calm
Mana Rank: S
Interest Level: 0
Just as I thought.
Werner.
He's been with Zaun from its inception to now, a secret spy whose true nature even the Association hasn't uncovered.
The next morning at 9 AM.
The first day of the long-awaited Grand Tournament exams had arrived.
As pre-announced, we entered the indoor stadium in Wigen city center, in front of the 'Demon of Observation'.
Waaaaah——
The moment we entered, massive cheers erupted from the stands.
I slowly looked around.
Wigen tourists, broadcasters, reporters, and students from magic academies around the world were gathered, cheering.
[We will now explain the rules of the 2033 Grand Tournament exams.]
A representative from the organizers stepped onto the podium and began the explanation.
[First, there have been many changes to the existing rules. The results of the 'team battles' and 'individual battles,' previously held separately, can now influence each other.]
Murmurs rose among the students at the mention of rule changes.
"...Team battles and individual battles affecting each other?"
"Can't get a read on how it's changed."
Previous Grand Tournaments had basically been conducted by separating individual and team battles.
But this year's had been altered so that team and individual battles influenced one another.
This was due to the unique nature of the venue where the Grand Tournament exams would take place.
［The Grand Tournament will be held over 6 days in a virtual world created by the 'Demon of Observation' through rituals. Think of it as similar to a virtual world produced by Mysteries.］
"A virtual world made with rituals? Whoa, is that even possible?"
"There's a theory that this world itself is made of rituals, so theoretically yes. Still, I never imagined they'd actually pull it off."
"No, wait—living in a virtual world for 6 days? That's not cool."
[Detailed exam events and rules will be explained upon entering the virtual world. Now, we will explain the winner's prizes, the glory bestowed upon the Grand Tournament champions.]
At the mention of winner's prizes, anticipation filled everyone's eyes.
[The members of the victorious school will each receive a prize of 1 billion won and an S-Rank premium elixir, the 'Millennium Ginseng.']
"Whoa! Millennium Ginseng?!"
"Insane. Jackpot!"
［And to the MVP of the individual battles, a Mystery's gift—the 'Blessing'—will be given.］
Blessing.
A special power a Mystery could grant to humans, akin to a trait.
According to the original story, the Blessing given to this individual battle MVP was the ［Hero's Blessing］, an S-Rank trait that greatly boosted combat focus.
In the original, Seojun claimed the individual MVP spot and acquired the Hero's Blessing.
[Now, let the Grand Tournament exams begin!]
At the same time, light poured from the nearby spherical main body of the 'Demon of Observation'.
Everyone recoiled in shock from the overwhelming, intense mana.
Soon, light emanated from the floor where we stood.
Looking down, the Outsider's Benefit activated, sending ritual-embedded information into my mind.
This light was a 'Reverse Summoning Magic Circle.'
[Good luck!]
Woooong...!
Flash!
When I came to, the location had changed.
Long, vision-blocking walls stretched out.
And darkness.
It was a maze.
[Welcome to the virtual world.]
A 'will' echoed in my head.
It felt slightly different from the 'will' of Mysteries.
Since I already knew the original story's content, I wasn't fazed by the changed scenery.
I'd experienced a similar setup during last year's first-year finals anyway.
I slowly checked my body for any issues.
Magic manifested properly, and body movements felt no different from reality.
No problems unleashing 100% of my abilities here.
Then the will spoke again.
[We will now explain the rules of the Grand Tournament's first trial, 'Proof of Qualification.']
[There are a total of 75 participants inside.]
[But 75 is too many for conducting team and individual battles.]
[Thus, the 'Proof of Qualification' trial aims to reduce participants to 35.]
A chuckle escaped me.
It was the first trial I already knew about, but experiencing it firsthand felt absurd.
Culling nearly half right from the start.
[You may now freely navigate the maze and use any means to battle and defeat opponents you encounter. Of course, you can choose to flee without fighting.]
Woooong!
A strong mana surged through the entire space, brushing past my body.
[We have just applied 'settings' to you all. From now on, you cannot recognize opponents' appearances. Their spoken language will also be heard as your native tongue.]
[Even if you encounter someone, you cannot distinguish if they're from your team or an enemy team. Not until you clash directly.]
In other words, bad luck could lead to team kills.
If I ran into Seojun here, one of us could be eliminated early in the clash.
Of course, that wouldn't happen.
If Seojun and I clashed, we'd recognize each other immediately.
[Additionally, lower years receive a 'low year bonus,' enhancing stamina and mana recovery speed.]
[We wish you survival, and will begin the countdown.]
[5, 4, 3, 2, 1...]
[The first trial, 'Proof of Qualification,' begins!]
Light poured from the ceiling, forming massive numbers.
I blankly stared at the numbers above.
[75]
That number indicated the current surviving participants.
I scratched my head lightly and walked forward into the maze.
"...Gotta be careful not to team kill."
Third-years could be identified by ability on sight, but first- and second-years were the problem.
Unless it was someone I knew well like Seol-ah Eun or Seo-yoon Choi, team kill by mistake was plenty possible.
As I proceeded cautiously through the maze, footsteps echoed from nearby.
I halted and stared at the corner where the maze turned ahead.
Soon, someone emerged from there.
Someone gripping a sword.
"...Who is that?"
Their face was blurry, unrecognizable. Clothing was indistinct too.
From the physique, definitely female.
Who were the female participants using swords again?
"Who are you?"
At my voice, the someone flinched in apparent panic.
"..."
They seemed to gauge me, then slowly backed away.
Pop!
Then they turned and sprinted off at incredible speed.
"...What the."
The sudden situation left me with no urge to chase.
Their running speed was monstrous.
That level of ability would rank them among the top fingers in the Grand Tournament.
......Who could it be?
Fled immediately upon hearing my voice, so definitely an enemy team member who knows me well.
Recognized my voice, female sword user...
Suddenly, a name popped into my head.
"...No way, Lily Rose?"
I forced a smile.
Nah, no way.
She'd provocatively boasted such confidence yesterday; couldn't be.
The Regressed Extra Becomes a Genius