Chapter 16
Dina's mana had been special from the moment it awakened. Every spell infused it with darkness—except for everyday magic that barely consumed any mana, spatial magic, and the faintest traces of elemental spells.
It was a blessing and a curse, the polar opposite of Stia's [Star's Blessing].
And Dina hated that darkness.
If not for it, she could have lived a far better life. If not for it, she might have enjoyed ordinary human relationships. If not for it, she wouldn't have been subjected to experiments by her dear older brother, Penheim.
That's why she'd gone to extreme lengths to avoid using any magic tainted by that shadow.
Yet here she was now.
Using it all for the approval of one single person.
Aside from the times Penheim had forced her powers out, she'd hardly ever cast a spell like this. But instinctively, she knew how to wield this strength.
She wove black mana through the air, forming a massive skewer. It solidified, hardening into something that wasn't quite magic or anything else—just a lump of dense mana.
With a flick of her wrist, the enormous skewer shot forward, grinding the beasts into pulp.
She conjured another one just like it. Only this time, a bit smaller.
No need to make it needlessly huge like before.
She had more than enough mana to spare, but wasting it served no purpose.
The slightly slimmer skewers flew again, shattering more beasts.
Smaller.
Now she could kill the same number with even less mana.
Sharper.
They pierced cleanly now, without shredding the targets to bits.
Thinner.
The skewers slimmed further, finally taking the form of true spears. Faster. Stronger. No longer ending after one kill. Each spear that pierced a beast kept going, slashing through others at Dina's command.
The number grew: from one spear to five, to ten, to thirty. One might expect her to lose control of even a single one amid the chaos, but Dina commanded them all with flawless precision.
Her overwhelming talent and focus made it possible.
In the midst of it, she noticed Han Siwoo watching her.
Startled, she faltered for a split second—one dark spear grazed a beast instead of piercing it. But the mere brush of her heaven-defying power reduced it to black ash.
With Siwoo staring at her in a daze, she felt a flicker of that hard-won approval.
Moments later, his gaze shifted away. She glanced sideways at him and saw him staring toward where the beasts had first appeared. At the edge of that spot, a shadowy figure flickered faintly.
It rose slowly, then charged toward the students at blinding speed.
Dina moved to strike immediately, but Siwoo and the red-haired woman beat her to it.
She hastily reined in the power surging toward the demon.
Dina had never coordinated with anyone before. Without practice, any attempt could lead to disaster. A stray dark spear grazing Siwoo or that woman would turn them to dust in an instant.
Was the power gap between her and the demon that vast? No. But she lacked confidence in obliterating it swiftly.
Better to trust those two for now. If things turned dire, she'd intervene and handle it alone.
Soon, the demon clashed with the pair. Every time it swung, one of them flew back, only to charge in again. The demon remained unscratched, while their wounds multiplied.
I should step in after all...
As she gathered power once more, Dina froze at the sight of Siwoo. Eyes burning with unbreakable resolve—he dragged his battered body upright.
A massive surge of mana flooded his frame, swelling his muscles. The sheer volume, drawn in an instant, stunned even Dina.
Gulp.
She swallowed dryly.
Siwoo kicked off the ground, rocketing behind the demon. It sensed him and whipped around desperately.
"Scarlett!"
Even from a distance, he swung his sword while calling the redhead's name. Then his form vanished, reappearing elsewhere and hurtling into a wall.
Dina's eyes were locked on the sword now embedded in the demon's back.
How in the world...
He wasn't strong enough to wound it yet. And yet he'd succeeded. He'd used an acceleration enchantment on the blade, apparently.
It wasn't ever that fast before.
Not even Dina had missed his movements like that.
But there was no time to dwell. The demon closed in on Siwoo, fist raised.
Too late—Dina tried to block, but...
No!
BAM!
The demon rocketed away.
That guy from earlier!
A muscle-bound giant, twice Dina's height, stood between Siwoo and the demon.
As it shook off the daze, the giant and Siwoo exchanged words—too far to hear clearly. Except one line.
"My friend... I protect him!"
For some reason, rage boiled up in Dina to the tips of her hair.
Friend...? Did he just say friend?
She, who should have been the first to bond with him, hadn't even spoken once. What? A friend? Already his third one?!
Her faint hope of at least being his third friend shattered.
And that jealousy twisted in the wrong direction.
I don't like this.
As the demon and giant glared, powering up, she gathered her own mana.
Just before they collided, she summoned a dark orb between them.
Dina smiled faintly to herself.
They probably won't die.
BOOM!
The demon and giant flew apart, crashing into the ground.
Siwoo and Scarlett gawked, eyes wide, flicking between them.
"Fuck, it's finally over."
I flopped back, glaring at the words floating in the sky amid game-like fireworks.
Clearly spelled out: [GAME CLEAR!]
The test was done.
That last bit was definitely Dina's doing, right?
True to form as the protagonist of a TS possession story, she'd wrapped it up spectacularly. Probably figured it'd drag on if those two kept fighting, so she ended it quick.
Siwoo was definitely weaker than the demon—er, Im Sanghyuk playing the demon. He wouldn't go all out, so it'd have turned into a slog.
Guess she got impatient waiting.
This shit is exhausting.
First time I'd felt this drained, before or after possession. And covered in wounds to boot...
The illusory beasts vanished, and everyone's injuries healed—except for me and Scarlett, who'd been roughed up by Im Sanghyuk.
"Ah, mic test."
A senior-looking guy tapped the microphone. As the exhausted students perked up at the sudden sound, eyes turned his way.
At the podium stood the academy principal, Galowin Millenium. Beside him slumped a girl with brown bobbed hair dyed purple inside in a secret two-tone style, looking wiped out.
Galowin cleared his throat, waiting for more attention before speaking.
"Some of you might have guessed already, but that was a test."
A few sighed in relief at hearing it wasn't real; others grimaced, replaying their own performances.
"First, let me pass on our thanks to Vice Student Council President Lukia for her tremendous help." Galowin bowed slightly to the girl beside him, who grinned awkwardly and bowed back.
"This test centered on Lukia's unique ability, [Illusion]."
For the record, she didn't handle it all alone. She was destined to shine as [Fantasia] in the future, but as a student now, it was too much. Over half came from artifacts, no doubt.
"Evaluators placed around the area scored your abilities in real time. Your classes will be assigned based on those results."
The kids who'd frozen solid throughout looked even more sullen.
"Ah, perfect—the results are in."
A man had appeared behind Galowin, handing him a paper. Before unfolding it, Galowin glanced at me and Scarlett, then said,
"Han Siwoo and Scarlett, we'll inform you of your class assignments separately later. Head to the infirmary for treatment first."
With that, a few people appeared beside us and hoisted us up.
Looks like I'd find out my class later.
As consciousness faded, I prayed desperately.
Please... let it be Class A.