Chapter 142: Fear
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 142: Fear
In the ranking of transfer students who were the most baffling admissions to Yggdrasil, Yeon-woo held the undisputed number one spot, having beaten out several formidable candidates.
For context, Rio was ranked second, Masayoshi third, and Emma seventh. This alone was enough to show just how lowly the other transfer students regarded Yeon-woo.
There were several reasons why they couldn't help but misunderstand his true abilities.
One major reason was the Exchange Meet.
The rules of the Reverse Tag were far too disadvantageous for Yeon-woo. Since the game wouldn't even function with him alone, the transfer students naturally assumed the school had provided him with some means of escape.
The teachers, who knew Yeon-woo’s skills well, had indeed given him a few magical tools, including accelerators. However, his abnormal Mana Barrier—which held firm even when he was being ganged up on—was enough to lead the transfer students astray.
They applied 'common sense' and assumed the school had boosted his Mana Barrier dozens of times over for the sake of the Exchange Meet. Even Fei, who had sparred with him once, thought the same.
While she didn't look down on him as much as the others, she hadn't truly experienced the full extent of his Mana Barrier. She viewed him as a utility-focused mage who maximized his effectiveness through space magic and other versatile spells.
The problem was that, aside from his Mana Barrier, Yeon-woo was below average in almost every other category.
Because he relied on his barrier and neglected traditional defense, his attacks looked like the work of someone who couldn't even block properly in the eyes of the transfer students. His habit of ignoring long-range magic simply made him look like a narrow-sighted fool.
It was also true that his other abilities were relatively low because he had focused so heavily on developing his Mana Barrier. Furthermore, because he had provoked and earned the ire of many during the Exchange Meet, their evaluations of him were far from generous.
Then came the news that Yeon-woo’s team—which included the top three ranked students—had succeeded in a government mission that had repeatedly failed, and had even captured Okigo.
Naturally, the transfer students assumed that Frey’s Greyhound, who had accompanied them, had handled everything.
The fact that Yeon-woo was Frey’s disciple was now common knowledge, and he was being dismissed as a piece of trash who was simply riding his master's coattails.
Frey’s image suffered as a result.
The general consensus among the transfer students was that even the usually cold and professional Frey had gone soft for her disciple, resorting to underhanded tactics to hand achievements to an unskilled hack.
So, when Rio and Masayoshi—who had supposedly gained their merits through such 'underhanded' means—gathered people to brag about their exploits, the transfer students were hardly in a good mood.
Most of them were people who had built their careers on the front lines, and they were furious.
In their eyes, Rio, Masayoshi, and the absent Yeon-woo were insulting those who had worked hard for their achievements, shamelessly boasting as if they had accomplished those feats themselves.
Thus, Isaac, who had clashed with Yeon-woo since their first meeting, became the de facto representative and began picking a fight. This eventually led to a duel after Yeon-woo intervened with a sudden dropkick.
Justina glared at the man she despised through the transparent wall of the Sparring Arena.
She loathed the way the humans were shouting like boorish savages, but she took pleasure in the palpable anger directed at Yeon-woo.
He couldn't block my magic even once.
Justina acknowledged that blocking the magic of a superior Elf like herself was difficult. However, she could not accept the presence of such a sub-par being in a place reserved for the elite candidates.
She didn't care for the lecherous 'Black Human' either, but she hoped he would crush the arrogant man who dared to claim he was more beautiful than an Elf.
"Um... will he be okay?"
Shunya, who had become acquainted with Justina after joining Akito’s Magic Research Club, asked worriedly.
An arrogant Elf who viewed humans as primitive was unlikely to hold a Beastkin in high regard, yet Justina stroked Shunya’s head with elegant movements.
Her slender fingers, boasting skin that seemed to glow, stroked Shunya’s thick hair before her knuckles trailed down the girl's cheek to tickle her chin.
"Nn—that tickles."
Despite the tickling hand that treated her like a pet, Shunya shivered but did not pull away, seemingly enjoying the sensation.
"It is merely the moment a foolish human realizes his place. Though it is a shame the 'Black Human' tasked with his education isn't exactly a stellar specimen himself."
"Oh..."
"But I suppose he is a sufficient choice to educate that fool. As they say, the right person for the right job."
Watching Justina ramble on with an arrogant expression, Shunya gave up on talking and looked at Yeon-woo beyond the wall.
A man who gave off a powerful scent of a male.
Strangely, she had felt an immediate urge to avoid him the moment she saw his face, but the scent radiating from him was irresistibly alluring.
It was the kind of scent that only a male capable of dominating many females would possess...
Fortunately, she couldn't smell it now because of the arena wall, but whenever she got close to him, that thick male scent made it hard for her to keep her wits about her.
And usually, a male who gave off such a scent possessed the ability to command many females.
Only Fei, who had sparred with him; Kaira, who had watched his training; and Shunya did not underestimate Yeon-woo like the other transfer students.
As the duel began, Isaac launched a storm of attacks, and Yeon-woo took the beating without any resistance.
Though he had declared he would take every hit, many of the transfer students who misunderstood his skill thought he was just making excuses because he lacked the ability to dodge.
Every time Yeon-woo was struck by magic, every time he was slammed down by the great scythe, the transfer students cheered.
However, those cheers gradually died down as time passed.
"Yawn—is that all?"
Despite taking attacks that surely should have killed him several times over, Yeon-woo yawned as if nothing had happened.
The interior of the sparring room was cracked and gouged from Isaac’s onslaught, but in stark contrast, Yeon-woo hadn't suffered so much as a scratch.
Justina stared blankly at Yeon-woo, who was leaning against the wall near her, mocking Isaac.
Her expression was one that would have earned her a scolding for being un-Elf-like, but it perfectly conveyed her shock.
"You son of a bitch, die!"
"Hey! Just kill him already! He's not even doing anything, can't you even manage that? Did your master just give you that license for free?"
The constant provocation and the attacks that failed to land any damage completely shattered Isaac’s pride. He lost his reason and continued to lash out at Yeon-woo.
His merciless attacks now ignored the danger alarms; even if the system signaled a lethal threat, it was clear he wouldn't stop.
Yet, amidst the violent assault, Yeon-woo remained incredibly composed and nonchalant.
No matter how much he was hit, he would spread his arms as if inviting more, or lie down leisurely to wait for the next attack. He even performed a strange dance in front of the swinging scythe to taunt Isaac.
As the duel dragged on, shock spread across the faces of the transfer students, while the regular students who were close to Yeon-woo turned their heads away in embarrassment.
"The Black Human is an even more useless creature than I thought."
Justina looked at Isaac with cold eyes.
Having been provoked into firing off large-scale spells without rest, his mana had become unstable.
Small sparks, known as the Mana Entanglement phenomenon, flickered from his body every time he cast a spell. It was a sign that he was losing control over his mana.
When Mana Entanglement occurs, spells are released in an incomplete state, resulting in reduced power and heavy mana waste—a phenomenon typically seen only in third-rate mages.
Of course, it was also common in desperate, high-intensity battles where one had to squeeze out every last drop of mana, but the noble Justina refused to acknowledge that and dismissed him as third-rate.
And that man...
He had taken attacks that would have killed even her, yet he didn't have a single blemish.
Even the clothes he was wearing were completely undamaged.
A Mana Barrier is fundamentally a very thin film layered over the skin.
It is so microscopic that it cannot be seen or felt. In the heat of battle, the mage might remain unharmed, but their clothes and equipment are often destroyed, leaving them looking like war refugees.
Mana Barrier expansion...
A person skilled in handling a Mana Barrier can control the thickness of the film at will.
While some foolish mages might not notice, a Mana Barrier is subconsciously influenced by the mage's will, often thickening at the point of impact.
The mark of a truly skilled mage is the ability to control this freely, concentrating a small amount of mana in one spot to block a powerful attack.
No... it's Melting... Mana Barrier Melting?
Justina couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Mana Barrier Melting. A spell that consumes one's own Mana Barrier to generate physical force.
Consuming the Mana Barrier, which is essentially a mage's lifeline, is an insane concept, though it is sometimes used as a training method for mages who haven't yet mastered barrier control.
But this man was currently using Mana Barrier Melting to cover his entire outfit.
The fact that his clothes were completely unharmed meant he had been using Melting from the very beginning.
To take that many hits while consuming his Mana Barrier and still remain this composed...
Just how much Mana Barrier capacity did he have?
If she poured out all of her mana, would she even be able to pierce that barrier?
A chill ran down Justina’s spine.
Though they were few in number, other transfer students who recognized Yeon-woo’s true strength felt a sensation beyond mere surprise—they felt fear.
How could they possibly break through that?
None of the transfer students could find an answer. They could only watch blankly as Yeon-woo continued to mock Isaac.
"I said I’d only attack once, right?"
Yeon-woo, who had been idle until now, took an offensive stance for the first time.
And as his fist shot forward, their fear became reality.
Justina, standing behind Isaac, saw Yeon-woo throw the punch.
However, she couldn't even react until the spell he used had pierced through the arena wall and the wall behind her.
"Hyaaaang—!"
Shunya, reacting late, tucked her tail and clung to Justina.
Justina’s body swayed from the rough grip, but she didn't react, staring blankly at Yeon-woo.
A hole, exactly the size of Yeon-woo’s fist, had been punched through the arena wall and the wall behind it.
It was a terrifying display of power that had pierced a Level 3 Reinforced Wall, yet there was no shockwave left in its wake.
This demonstrated just how perfectly he had controlled the output.
Since he had controlled it so effortlessly, it meant he could have made the spell even more powerful.
If that attack had been shifted just slightly to the side...
Justina, imagining her own face disappearing before she could even react, was frozen stiff, unable to move.
As an Elf blessed by magic, and as one born of the noblest bloodline among Elves, it was the first time Justina had ever felt such terror.
Consumed by fear, she couldn't control her slightly trembling hands, and her body felt numb, as if paralyzed.
It wasn't until she returned home later that she realized her underwear was soaking wet.