Chapter 83: Exchange Match (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 83: Exchange Match (6)
“Hah…”
A deep sigh escaped me.
My shoulders trembled slightly, my palms were slick with sweat, and the overwhelming amount of mana I had summoned churned within me.
I withdrew my spear and took a step back.
The jade-green energy enveloping the spear slowly faded.
The energy of a Fragment.
It was Shatter Evil, Reveal Justice.
“Gods…”
I let out a groan and collapsed to the ground.
Lately, with nothing much to do—or rather, with some breathing room before the Exchange Match—things had been relatively quiet.
Instead of focusing on equipping those around me, I tried to take some time for introspection.
Just now, I’d been training hard in the training ground.
Though it was the weekend, the indoor training ground was empty. Perhaps because it was so early, no one else was here.
The lights were dim, and the only sounds filling the space were the ones I made.
As I’ve mentioned, not everyone participates in the Exchange Match, so for most students, this was a break.
What I wanted to focus on was simple.
====
[Authority: Fragment of Harmony]
① Shatter Evil, Reveal Justice
— Shatter that which is evil.
② ???
③ ???
====
My Fragment. Jung Hae-in’s Fragment.
“This is hard.”
I meant it.
It was just so damn hard.
I was trying to unlock the second Expanded Authority.
The Fragment.
The most alien, yet most important power in this world.
A fundamental means of resistance, capable of standing against high-ranking Mines or even the Evil God.
Yu Hana’s Fragment of Order.
Kang A-rin’s Fragment of Emptiness.
Cheon Yeo-wool’s Fragment of Desire.
And Seong Si-woo’s… no, my, Jung Hae-in’s, Fragment of Harmony.
Exactly four Fragments exist in this world.
No more, no less. Exactly four.
They all have different origins, but they share one clear commonality.
A Fragment grants the power to resist the Mines.
My first Expanded Authority, Shatter Evil, Reveal Justice, was no different.
The problem, however, was that a Fragment’s potential didn’t end there.
The growth of a Fragment’s Expanded Authority differs depending on its wielder.
That’s why, in the original story, there was a certain fun in seeing how things changed based on how you developed the protagonist, Seong Si-woo…
‘…What about me?’
I had no idea.
I was familiar with Seong Si-woo’s route, but this was my first time on Jung Hae-in’s.
I had no idea how the path of my Fragment, which began expanding from Shatter Evil, Reveal Justice, would unfold.
After all, this was the first time I’d ever seen Shatter Evil, Reveal Justice myself.
Seong Si-woo had Anti-magic.
Yu Hana had the Evil Killing Butterfly.
Kang A-rin had Tyrant’s Evil Destruction.
And Cheon Yeo-wool had the Holy Fire.
Their names, directions, and natures were all different.
But the first Expanded Authority universally grants the power to resist Mines.
And the moment the second Expanded Authority is unlocked, that power leaps to an entirely different dimension.
Therefore, having obtained my Fragment so early, I wanted to achieve its second expansion quickly as well.
So I’d been trying all sorts of things lately…
“Guess it’s still a long way off.”
Honestly, I was being greedy.
It was still far too early to be knocking on that door.
“This is killing me.”
I’d been trying everything, wringing out my mana and pushing my body to its limits, and sweat was pouring off me like rain.
And that was just from pretending to knock on the second door.
Just as I was catching my ragged breath and taking a short break…
-Clank.
The sound of the training ground door opening.
Someone had come in.
Guess my private use of the training ground is over, I thought. I relaxed my posture and, still sitting, slowly turned my head.
‘Huh?’
There was a familiar face.
Joo Seo-jun. And next to him, a cute-looking female student.
I couldn’t remember her name, but I was sure she was a Gaon student. I think I’d seen her around a few times.
The two of them, unaware I was inside, walked into the training ground, laughing amicably.
Their conversation and actions flowed naturally.
The easy gazes and gestures between them.
The way they looked…
‘Are they dating?’
That was exactly the vibe I got.
I had no desire to get involved in someone else’s love life, so I got to my feet.
“I’m telling you, there won’t be anyone here. It’s a sweet spot a senior told me about…” the female student said in an excited voice.
Joo Seo-jun glanced inside, and his eyes met mine.
He let out a small laugh and said to the girl beside him, “Looks like someone’s here.”
I corrected him.
“No, you were right. I’m leaving.”
I was done with my training anyway, so I figured I’d give them some space.
Just as I was about to walk past them…
“Hae-in… was it?”
At Joo Seo-jun’s call, I stopped and turned around.
I took in his face. He was handsome and radiated confidence.
I nodded for him to continue, and he spoke.
“Ah, sorry. Didn’t mean to hold you up on your way out.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s nothing much… but could you pass a message to Chae-ha for me? She’s been a total recluse lately, I haven’t been able to see her at all. But it seems like you see her often…”
Yoon Chae-ha had been busy honing the new power she’d recently acquired.
She wouldn’t leave her room at all after classes ended.
She did keep sending me messages, though.
But lately, she’d been asking all these weird questions, even in the morning, so I hadn’t been replying.
“Yeah, what is it?”
“Um… just, about the upcoming individual matches. We’re bound to face each other at some point. Tell her I’ve changed a lot since the old days. That she should know that.”
He said it with a smile.
His eyes were full of confidence. I watched him carefully.
I found myself nodding naturally.
Joo Seo-jun was growing steadily. And at a pretty fast pace, too.
“I’ll tell her.”
“Oh, thanks.”
After my short reply, I turned and left.
I heard the female student’s voice from behind me.
“…Who’s Chae-ha?”
“Just a friend,” Joo Seo-jun answered simply.
I smiled faintly at his words.
Suddenly, an image of the two of them facing off in the individual matches flashed through my mind.
Lately, Yoon Chae-ha had been focusing more on refining her inner energy than on magic training.
Joo Seo-jun, on the other hand, was growing noticeably stronger, both inside and out.
‘I’m not so sure anymore.’
The thought crossed my mind in an instant.
Honestly, in the past, I wouldn’t have even considered the possibility of Yoon Chae-ha being pushed back.
It just went to show how much Joo Seo-jun had grown.
Of course, Yoon Chae-ha was no pushover either.
‘This should be interesting.’
We’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.
*
Inside a dorm room filled with the scent of lavender.
“Why isn’t he answering?”
Yoon Chae-ha rested her arms on her knees, staring blankly at her watch.
A moment ago.
[summer]: If a Tyrannosaurus and a Carcharodontosaurus fought, who would win?
That was the message she had sent.
It was a very random question, so unlike her.
In fact, she was flustered with herself for even sending it.
‘I can’t believe I sent something like that.’
…And he’d left her on read.
She’d been thoroughly ignored.
For a whole 29 minutes. Ah, now it had just become 30.
Her expression was impassive, but her eyes looked somehow wronged.
Next to her watch, a thick magazine lay open on her desk.
[The Laws of Relationships Even a Shut-in Mage Would Be Curious About~ 199 Ultimate Killer Flirting Lines!]
An item she’d discovered in a dusty corner of the academy bookstore, in the magazine section nobody ever looked at.
At first, she’d passed it by with a ‘What is this crap?’ kind of look.
However.
‘Harder than magic is the heart of the opposite sex♥’
‘The Intimacy Graph: Find Out Your Level by Average Daily Contact!’
‘Meaningful Skinship vs. Habitual Skinship! The Definitive Guide to Telling Them Apart!’
She’d let out a bewildered laugh at the absurd phrases, but strangely, she couldn’t put it down.
[Try asking your crush a random question you would never normally ask! You, with your intellectual image! A surprising twist! An air of ditziness!]
Persuaded by that one line, she had ended up picking one of the ‘199 Ultimate Killer Flirting Lines’ and sending the message.
Yoon Chae-ha propped her chin on her hand and opened the message on her watch again.
“…”
Still no reply.
She pressed her lips together firmly and shifted her gaze back to her desk.
The title on her desk caught her eye again.
『The Laws of Relationships Even a Shut-in Mage Would Be Curious About~』
“Ah, shit.”
I must be crazy.
I think I was blinded by that ‘shut-in mage’ keyword.
After all, she was very much a shut-in, and also very much a mage.
If the magazine’s publisher had been aiming for that, it was some very successful marketing.
“…I should just burn it…”
The moment she was about to mutter…
-Ping!
“!”
Her ears perked up. Her eyes flashed open.
Yoon Chae-ha reflexively looked at her watch.
[belief_]: Sorry, I was training so I saw it but couldn't reply.
[belief_]: But seriously, what's with all the questions? What-saurus??
[belief_]: Am I supposed to answer that? I'll have to think about it.
“Heehee…”
The corners of her mouth crept upward.
Her fingertips gently clutched the hem of her clothes.
This feeling she’d been having so often lately.
For Yoon Chae-ha, it was so unfamiliar, so new, and for that very reason, all the more fun.
A strangely soft, fuzzy feeling welled up to her throat.
‘…Was it for real?’
Yoon Chae-ha glanced over at her desk.
“……”
-Thump.
Then, she carefully closed the magazine.
As if handling a precious grimoire, ever so gently.