Chapter 224
Chapter 224
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 225
Chapter Title: Proof of Qualification
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Two hours had passed since the first trial, "Proof of Qualification," had begun.
I was still wandering through the complex maze, waiting to run into someone.
"The maze is bigger than I thought."
Even after walking for a full two hours, I hadn't encountered anyone except for that first guy.
Of course, I could occasionally sense mana fluctuations from nearby battles.
But the maze paths were so twisted and complicated that I couldn't reach them even if I wanted to.
"I was hoping to practice my attribute magic this time around. Tsk."
Disappointed, I looked up at the ceiling.
[42]
The number had already dropped from 75 to 42.
Once it hit 35, the trial would end, so we were almost at the finish line.
But the more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
How could no one have crossed my path while the numbers kept dropping like this?
"...Good luck or bad luck, I wonder."
That was when it happened.
A sudden chill ran down my spine, and my heart started pounding.
This eerie sensation was "kill intent detection."
At the same time, two sets of footsteps approached from behind, closing in fast.
*Ping!*
I calmly reinforced my body with mana and twisted aside.
A flash of blue light streaked through the air where I'd just been standing.
It was a deadly ambush.
As expected from the Seongmuje, where the top students from each school gathered, the magic was on a high level.
"Hraaah!"
Seizing the opening, a greatsword swung at me from behind this time.
I spun my body, dodging the attack once more.
There were two opponents.
The one swinging the greatsword right in front of me, and the one who'd fired the blue magic from behind.
Caught off guard by the sudden 2-on-1, I quickly regained my composure and cast a spell.
*Whoooosh!*
A sharp wind swirled like a vortex, compressing into a spherical form.
It wasn't easy to control, but I released it anyway, letting it go as it would.
*Boom!*
The storm-infused orb shot toward the greatsword wielder.
A ear-splitting screech of wind rang out as the orb decompressed, unleashing blasts of air in all directions.
"Tch...!"
It wasn't what I'd intended.
I'd failed to control the spell properly.
And as expected, the moment the magic faltered, the greatsword guy easily blocked it with a swing.
That was when it happened.
"Argh!"
The scattered winds hit the guy behind him, landing a solid blow.
His form gradually scattered like dust, and he was eliminated.
"...What?"
I was the one panicking at this completely unexpected outcome.
No matter how it happened, I'd taken out one of them, right?
The greatsword wielder also recoiled in shock from my attack, stumbling back.
He must have sensed the gap in our skills.
As he turned to flee, I immediately fired a spell at his feet.
"Where do you think you're going?"
I cast wind magic again.
This time, I compressed even more mana to ensure he couldn't block it easily.
That's when he raised both hands.
"W-Wait a second!"
I paused the spell at his shout.
"Uh, which country are you from, by any chance?"
He spoke politely.
"It's a secret. You first."
He clamped his mouth shut at my question.
"If you don't answer quick, I'll just blast you. 5, 4, 3, 2..."
"H-Hang on! Korea!"
I stopped counting at his response.
...Korea?
He sighed in relief as I halted.
"..."
"Name."
"Huh?"
"What's your name?"
"K-Kim Hae-won... sir."
...Kim Hae-won?
I racked my memory slowly.
There was a name like that among the first-years, I thought.
Third place, if I remembered right.
If this guy was from Korea, then the one I'd just eliminated was Korean too, right?
Irritation surged suddenly.
"Hey, why attack without even asking which team someone's on?"
"We were gonna knock 'em down first and ask later. Haha."
I dispelled the spell.
No need to eliminate him now that he'd revealed he was Korean.
Of course, I'd stay on guard for any tricks.
He let out another sigh of relief as I released the magic.
"Haha. Let's keep the peace among the Korean team, yeah? Oh, but what's your name, senior? I thought Korea didn't have any wind-attribute wizards."
"No need to know."
"...Got it."
He shut his mouth tight.
I ordered him to take the lead.
He had no choice but to walk ahead with a reluctant expression.
He kept glancing back, wary of betrayal.
Not being able to tell people apart was seriously inconvenient.
Was there a way to distinguish them?
That's when it hit me.
...Why hadn't I thought of this sooner?
Such a perfect solution.
I stared at the back of his head.
Then I activated [Character Insight].
Name: Zhang Wei
Age: 17
Race: Human
Status: Tense
Mana Rank: B-
Interest: 0
"Damn."
Zhang Wei turned at my mutter.
"What's up?"
"You're lucky."
"Huh?"
He swallowed hard.
"Out of the five countries, you just had to pick Korea."
"...What? W-What do you mean?"
I formed a magic orb.
He flinched and stepped back.
"Huh? S-Senior? W-Wait...!"
I thrust my hand out without hesitation and fired at him.
*Kabooom!*
A massive explosion erupted.
The "China Magic Academy student, Zhang Wei," who had been in front of me moments ago, was eliminated.
In that brief clash, I'd cut China's numbers by two.
I blankly looked up at the ceiling.
The 42 had changed to 40.
Just five more to go until the trial ended.
...Another hour passed like that.
I was still wandering the maze, searching for new opponents....
"Man, this is boring."
The ceiling number had dropped to 36.
Just one more elimination until the trial's end.
As boredom crept in again, the maze seemed to respond to my voice, presenting a new figure before me.
Feeling a spark of excitement, I used [Character Insight].
Name: Daria
Age: 18
Race: Human
Status: Tense
Mana Rank: B+
Interest: 0
...Daria?
I hesitated at the unexpected encounter.
Running into her here wasn't ideal for keeping the original story on track.
And then.
*Whoooosh!*
Powerful mana waves surged from beneath Daria's feet.
It was hard to believe this came from an 18-year-old; I was impressed inwardly.
In that instant, her body shot toward me at blinding speed.
*Flash—*
As expected of Russia's top talent.
Her speed was on another level from Zhang Wei earlier—too fast to track with the eyes.
I calmly stepped back to counter her assault.
To check her advance, I formed a wind orb and released it in all directions.
*Boom!*
But she paused mid-movement to match my attack, spreading a wide barrier.
*Kaboom!*
"Oho."
Impressive fundamentals and solid defense.
As my assault halted, she dropped the barrier and charged again.
It didn't take long for her to close the distance right up to my face.
I already knew her style from the original story.
A reinforcement mage who loved close combat.
However, her preferred weapon wasn't a physical one.
*Crackle!*
Mana trembled over her hand, manifesting an electric shortsword.
Up close, the detail in her manifestation was even more impressive than I'd thought.
Handling a sub-specialty that well at her age was rare.
And then.
Her shortsword thrust toward my abdomen.
*Flash!*
Daria lay sprawled on the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling.
She thought to herself.
'...What just happened?'
The battle with that mysterious figure from moments ago.
In this trial, she'd already eliminated six others—a remarkable feat.
Confident in her skills, she believed she could beat anyone except the so-called "aces" from each school's top ranks.
But just now.
She'd been thoroughly defeated.
In an instant, without even understanding how.
One moment she'd been sure of victory; the next, she was on the floor.
What the hell?
It was a defeat that brought a long-forgotten sense of overwhelming pressure.
Lee Seo-jun, Luke, Lily, Yang Ying, Kim Sun-woo, Yoo Ah-ra... and now another powerhouse like this.
"...He definitely used wind attribute."
But as far as she remembered, none of the participants used wind magic.
"...What is this guy?"
No, more importantly.
There was a bigger issue.
"...Why did he let me live?"
That guy from earlier was definitely weird.
He'd all but won the fight, then looked down at her with a deep sigh.
As if she wasn't even worth the effort....
"...Did he pity me?"
Daria recalled the events, feeling a strange mix of emotions.
One thing was clear: being pitied didn't feel good.
'Still, I'm lucky.'
She didn't know exactly why he'd spared her, but it was a stroke of fortune.
If she'd been eliminated here.
She couldn't even imagine the horrors her little sister might face.
"...I have to survive."
No matter what it took.
She had to last until the end.
For her sister's sake.
That was when it happened.
The number floating on the ceiling changed.
[35]
[The first trial, "Proof of Qualification," has ended.]
[Survivors, you have earned the "qualification" to face the Seongmuje trials!]
[Now, moving to the next stage!]
*Flash!*
A bright light enveloped everything, and the scene shifted.
Unlike the dark maze, warm sunlight bathed an outdoor cityscape. A Western-style mansion reminiscent of a palace stood before us.
Instinctively, I knew that mansion was the testing ground for the next trial.
"What is this place?"
"Wow, changing locations like this feels like climbing a tower."
The passing students muttered in wonder.
I slowly scanned the surroundings, checking the survivors' faces.
Down from 75 to 35, it felt strangely empty.
"Kim Sun-woo!"
Lee Seo-jun approached from afar.
"You're still kicking, huh?"
"Obviously."
Lee Seo-jun chuckled softly.
As we gathered, the other Korean survivors drifted over one by one.
Korea had six survivors.
Me, Lee Seo-jun, Lee Hyun-joo, Yoo Ah-ra, Choi Seo-yoon, Eun Seol-ah.
Just these six remained.
"Six... That's fewer than I expected."
Choi Seo-yoon murmured in surprise.
"Yeah. Almost half are gone. But it feels off—who's missing?"
Lee Seo-jun frowned in thought.
I'd been feeling the same emptiness. Someone with a strong presence was absent.
Then it clicked.
"...Shin Young-jun's not here."
"Huh? You're right."
Everyone looked shocked at the absence of the third-year third-place.
"No Jeon Min-gi either."
Choi Seo-yoon chimed in.
"This is bad. I never imagined those two would drop out."
Lee Seo-jun muttered, sounding dejected.
I was a bit surprised too.
Jeon Min-gi's elimination was somewhat expected, but Shin Young-jun had survived to the end in the original story.
That's when the 'voice' spoke again.
[Welcome to the intermediate zone.]
[All participants, please enter the mansion ahead.]
[Each student will receive a 'number tag.' Find the room matching your number and rest freely.]
A pure white light appeared before everyone's eyes.
It soon formed into 'number tags.'
Mine read [21].
The number itself didn't hold much meaning.
The students slowly entered the mansion.
That's when I felt a peculiar gaze from the side.
I turned to see Lily Rose meet my eyes, then pretend not to notice and look away.
...What's her deal?
A sudden curiosity struck me.
"Didn't you run into me in the maze, by any chance?"
Lily shrugged at my words.
"...Huh? No, we didn't meet."
She replied, feigning nonchalance.
"Really? Felt like you."
"What are you talking about? If we'd met, one of us wouldn't be here."
I nodded as if agreeing.
"Fair point. You're not the type to run scared from me anyway. Must've been a mistake. Sorry."
Lily's expression stiffened slightly.
Smiling, I continued.
"Now that I think about it, someone like you wouldn't ditch your pride and flee just 'cause you couldn't recognize a face. You've always wanted a rematch with me. No way you'd bail out of fear, right?"
"Uh... yeah..."
Lily Rose nodded again with unfocused eyes.