Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Challenger Defeated
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"Take a good look, young master. Once you submit that withdrawal letter, you won't get a chance to see something like this for the rest of your life!"
Logan slightly loosened the tight bandages pressing against his chest, revealing an intricately drawn magic circle over his heart.
There were three magic circles.
Each one embedded with secret runes that pulsed beautifully in sync with their owner's heartbeat.
"Chaihak Academy's secret art, Body Valor."
Gertrude Fenton raised her left eyebrow and let out a short sigh.
"Looks like he plans to end it in an instant."
Logan placed his hand on the corresponding magic circle and channeled his mana. The mana flowing from his fingertips awakened the circle on his chest, sending out a burst of light.
"It's starting—the Wing Type's combat magic."
Weiber from Rohwinen Academy, leaning against entrance number four as he watched the magic duel, stroked his chin.
"The measure of a Wing Type mage's proficiency is the speed at which they activate body enhancement magic..."
The light of mana that began at Logan's heart spread through his veins across his entire body, and soon the magic circles covering his whole form began emitting light.
'If the greatest risk of Wing Type magic is the burden it places on the body...'
Professor Carolline rested her chin on her interlaced hands, watching Logan with interest.
'Forcibly amplifying physical abilities means even a slight lapse in mana control can dislocate bones or rupture organs... Impressive speed and stability, worthy of Chaihak Academy's promising successor.'
Power surged from every part of Logan's body empowered by Body Valor. Mana currents swirled around him, tousling his hair wildly.
"I'll finish this in ten seconds."
A single advancing step.
With the torque amplified by mana, his foot deeply cratered the marble floor as he closed the distance to Rain in one breath.
"What the— that speed?!"
"That's straight-up martial arts level?!"
He had already closed in to striking range. With a light front kick, twisting his waist back, he gathered inertia and centrifugal force into a single straight punch.
'I've created a wall of mana locked onto my body surface through Body Valor.'
Defense aside, on impact during an attack, this mana wall would explode at the point of contact, enabling follow-up strikes powered by mana.
'No chance to react—end it with this one blow.'
He had perfectly pierced Rain's guard in an instant. In that unprepared stance, there was no way to respond to something this fast and flawless—
*Thwack.*
Something pierced his solar plexus in that moment, blinding pain exploding before his eyes as his breath caught.
"—?!"
The flow of all his concentrated power— inertia, centrifugal force, recoil—reversed, stabbing into his lungs like a dagger.
"Is that...?"
Owen, the professor, gaped blankly at Logan, who had been flung back from point-blank killing range and was tumbling through the air.
"Osarius-style staff arts?!"
All eyes turned to the broom in Rain's hand. Mana flickered blue along its growth rings.
'The staff arts devised by Great Mage Lin, who elevated Osarius Academy to one of the Eight Great Academies with overwhelming feats three hundred years ago...!'
Created with the help of Hero Rista, who was proficient in all weapons, under the belief that mages needed close-combat prowess in chaotic battles.
'How does the Ludwig heir know...?'
Even Professor Carolline couldn't help raising both eyebrows.
After Rista's party's expedition ended, staff arts using stone staffs became Osarius Academy's standard armament—though "standard" was just a euphemism for their proprietary technique.
It was both a tribute to Lin and an acknowledgment of its efficiency.
'No, is he just mimicking Osarius-style staff arts?'
Even mere mimicry required infusing an object with mana to harden it, proof of exceptional mana control.
Normally, striking a body clad in Body Valor with a mere cleaning broom should have shattered it.
"Hoo..."
Rain steadied his stance from the thrusting pose, deftly spinning the extended broom before slinging it over his shoulder.
"Whoa! What was that just now?"
"Did Logan really get bounced back?"
"Huh? What happened? How?"
Caught off guard, Logan's body instinctively shifted to defense. He forcibly twisted his airborne form, slamming both feet into the ground.
*Skreeeech—!*
Leaving a long scorch mark, his body skidded back five paces before halting.
'What was that just now?'
Logan exhaled a massive ragged breath that made his head spin, quickly palpating the spot where he had been struck.
'The Body Valor wall... shattered?'
Did it precisely target the acupoint for Body Valor? How? Then, a drowsy, yawning voice drifted over.
"Strange. Ten seconds are up, but it's not over?"
“...!”
"I'll end it in six seconds since bullying a promising junior isn't fun. Bite down hard."
* * *
"Bite down hard?"
Unbelievable—one lucky hit... Fine, I admit it. I tried to take the easy route. It'll hurt a bit, but I'll have to use my full power.
*Boom—!*
He stomped down hard enough to smash the ground. Two marble tiles didn't just crack—they shattered, rebounding into the air from the impact.
'First, pin him down with a ranged technique as a feint!'
Pivoting on his heel, he whipped his body around and kicked the debris. The white fragments exploded into a barrage hurtling toward Rain.
"Getting serious now."
"No way a broom lets you beat Logan!"
And now.
Using the sight-blocking feint from range, slip behind with footwork and cut off his breath... Huh?
'My feet...?'
He tried to advance immediately, but the clinging, heavy grip of the earth's power on his ankles left Logan aghast.
'What...?'
With the marble floor gone, the exposed soil had somehow turned into a quagmire—no, a full swamp.
"That's the magic for leveling a field before rice planting—what was it called again? Anyway, it's a 1-star spell. Pretty useful, right?"
The voice came from high above. An enormous mound of earth had risen where the marble floor collapsed. Rain stood atop it.
"And this is the magic for making temporary levees during floods. 2-star."
That instant, a vast, heavy silence gripped the audience. The only sounds were breaths and gulps.
"What was that casting speed just now?"
"Two spells at the same time...?"
"Remidier Type? Hidden magic circles? Where?"
Amid the commotion, a bemused smile played on Professor Owen's lips.
'Rising the ground he's standing on to block the enemy's attack without losing sight...'
And not stopping there, binding the opponent's feet to prevent them from seizing the initiative.
'These two spells were cast so fast that students mistook it for Remidier Type.'
Professor Carolline narrowed her eyes.
'No one would imagine it was all mental arithmetic in this atmosphere—can't blame them.'
Plunging the stunned crowd into further shock, Rain raised his broom overhead and leaped from the dirt mound.
“...?!’
“...?!’
“...?!’
With his feet mired in the quagmire, his footing unstable, Logan could reverse such a clumsy attack and seize the advantage.
"You idiot, what are you doing?!"
Christa shot up from her seat in disbelief.
"Just blast him with one ranged spell from afar and it's over—?!"
Logan clenched his fist.
Squeezing mana from his dantian, he concentrated the widely spread Body Valor power solely into his right fist. The maximally amplified mana heightened his focus, stretching time's flow.
He could clearly see it with these eyes.
The broom arcing toward his crown, and beyond it, Rain's face.
This—load all his mana into this punch, shatter the broom, and strike the face beyond to end it.
The mana-whirling fist advanced. It would pulverize the broom completely, pass through the flying splinters, and easily smash Rain's face.
“...?!’
Yes, it should have connected.
Yet for some reason, his fist—his body—didn't move an inch, despite reaching right before Rain's eyes.
"And this seems to be magic that breathes temporary life into dead plants. Lasts about ten seconds, but it works like this."
What—this... The source was the fragments of the broom he had shattered earlier.
The revitalized splinters wove into sticky vines, binding Logan's body like unyielding spiderwebs.
"Three spells as promised. Right?"
"Urk, urgh!"
"Alright, time to finish it."
As Rain raised the broom high, a menacing shadow fell over Logan's face. The broom's tip, shattered by his punch, was needle-sharp.
The terror of impending pain in his utterly helpless state reduced Logan to a child.
He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing out ragged breaths. Then, the sound of death touching his crown: *Tok.*
'*Tok?'*
No pain, no blood. When he mustered the courage to open his eyes, he saw Rain's back as he walked away.
"Wh-what? Why didn't you finish it? Are you messing around...?"
"Why not finish? It's already over."
“...!”
"No need to hurt someone over something already done."
Rain recalled Fride's teachings and gave a wistful smile.
"If you know fear of pain that well, just don't do bad things from now on and try living kindly."
Rain's wry words left a strange echo in Logan's heart for a moment.
He had lived his whole life where corporal punishment was the norm. In a world where weakness and immaturity meant beatings near death.
In the world of magic, there were no distinctions between men and women to begin with, and if you didn't grow strong, you'd be devoured—a world like that, wasn't it?
- You're a Chaihak Academy mage! What good are you if you can't even do this!
- You immature fool! Why are you panting already?!
Yet Rain was saying:
"Ah, don't magic duels end when the opponent surrenders or gets knocked out?"
Huh?
Rain tilted his head, then promptly thrust the broom into Logan's chest.
Mana orbiting blue along the growth rings *whooshed* and exploded from the broom's tip, engulfing Logan in a torrent of mana.
Swept away by the monstrous wave of power, Logan tumbled across the ground several times before sprawling limply far away, unable to rise.
The cadets watching the fight's end were dumbfounded.
'What was that? Didn't he say no need to hurt...?'
'Why say that then? Just bait...?'
'Not a trash young master, but a personality trash one...!'
Professor Teon, who had been lost in the scene, finally dispelled the barrier as Rain approached yawning, and bellowed:
"Winner: Rain Ludwig!"
Cheers mixed with disbelieving gasps erupted everywhere from the unbelievable reality.
"For real? The trash young master blew away Chaihak's promising successor Logan?"
"You see that? That's the young master's skill, punks. Step up if you dare—bring your silver."
Gertrude Fenton blinked in disbelief, while Christa Warden nodded as if she had expected it.
Joën, the club president who had watched up close with his members, ran out teary-eyed with emotion.
"Thank you, thank you, young master. How can I ever repay this kindness..."
Something embarrassing, awkward, cringe-worthy... In short, a familiar sight. From wandering with Rista.
"No, I told you it's not a favor."
Rain scratched his head irritably and shook his head.
"Just make lots of useful magic for rural development. So I won't have to step in."
What did Rista say back then? No, don't think about it. I'm not Rista.
He couldn't smile brightly and say 'It's okay' or 'I'm glad I could help.' Crucially, he wasn't the type to help purely out of goodwill like her, nor did he have her vibe.
It was easier to think and act that way. For himself and others.
"If anything, we're helping each other. Not some one-sided debt. Don't make people uncomfortable for no reason."
But the old great mage's actions like this left an even stronger impression on everyone else present.
Strong.
Humble.
Seemingly oblivious yet kind.
A being embodying the first commandment Dragonkin gave imperial nobles: Heart Tied to the World... The club members bowed their heads to the yawning boy's retreating back.
- Someday, in the world where Lin grows into an adult, there will be rich varieties of life. I hope Lin protects those lives.