Chapter 55
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Magic Competition (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Get in line properly!”
“You can pick up your application forms here~”
The tournament staff were rushing about busily.
It was an enormous number of applicants at a glance.
“Aigoo… my back…”
“Mom! Mom! Can I buy that one?”
From elderly folks bent over at the waist to kids who looked no older than twelve.
Truly, people of all ages and genders had lined up to apply.
A few famous mages and hunters caught my eye as well.
The Magic Competition was only open to low- and mid-tier mages.
Hunters C-Rank and above were ineligible.
Even second-year cadets from the Hunter Academy couldn’t participate.
The competition existed to produce skilled mages from the start.
Those whose skills were already proven mostly sat it out.
“…Kang Tae-hyun… eighteen years old… You’re a cadet at the Hunter Academy, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The young female staffer blushed as she handed me the form.
I took the paper without knowing what was going on.
“I-I’m a fan! Your performance at the tournament… it was so cool.”
“Ah, uh. Yeah. Thank you.”
Now I remembered.
Apparently, footage of my tournament exploits had been edited and uploaded to U-Tube.
Mitsuda said it had nearly ten million views and ten thousand comments.
For the record, seventy percent of the comments were cursing Mitsuda.
‘I don’t know how to autograph…’
[Happy wishes. From Kang Tae-hyun.]
I wrote that and handed it back to the staffer.
She beamed with a bashful smile.
‘Maybe I should’ve worn a disguise…’
I appreciated the attention, but honestly, it was overwhelming.
Even the Yoon Family kids drew massive crowds at the Magic Competition.
They were hounded for autographs and photos everywhere.
It made sense, with all the world-famous figures gathered here.
Ah, ah. The opening ceremony for the tournament is about to begin. Participants, please gather at the training grounds.
The announcement echoed throughout the venue.
The training grounds were the same ones where I’d sparred with Yoon Seo-hyun yesterday.
I followed the flow of the crowd inside.
The grounds, which had been empty save for the two of us yesterday, were now packed with participants.
It was a sea of people.
“Whoa… there’s really a ton of them.”
An exclamation slipped out.
With all these eccentric mages gathered in one place, it was quite the spectacle.
Honestly, I was glad I’d decided to act separately from Yoon Ah-young.
If I’d stuck with her, I wouldn’t have had room to breathe.
Even in this participants-only space, a crowd had swarmed around Yoon Ah-young.
Mostly guys, of course.
Ah, ah. Can you hear me?
A podium had been set up on one side of the training grounds.
Standing there was Korea’s top emcee.
Several cameras buzzed around, filming him.
Ah~ Hello, everyone. The Magic Competition is underway again this year without fail. We’ve had a huge turnout!
All the participants focused on the podium.
He progressed with seasoned eloquence.
Especially this year, with so many celebrities participating, it’s drawing even more attention. Who will take the crown? Stay tuned to this channel!
The formalities continued.
I only cared about one thing.
The grand prize: a Yoon Family advanced Mana Manual.
Unlike the others, even non-Yoon Family members could claim it.
That’s why so many were gunning for it.
As the emcee droned on, one person in particular caught my eye.
About ten meters away, their outfit stood out.
A full-body black cloak.
Even their face was hidden behind a bizarre mask—I couldn’t tell who it was.
‘…’
A powerful aura emanated from them.
That person.
A mage capable of wielding seriously strong magic.
Probably finalist material.
Someone to watch out for.
I kept them in my sights.
Now, let me introduce the tournament organizer. Please welcome Yoon Jung-yeon, scion of the Yoon Family and former A-Rank Hunter.
Yoon Jung-yeon stepped out.
She was using prosthetic legs crafted by magic—ones she normally avoided due to mana drain.
“Woooah—!”
“Waaah—!”
The participants erupted in cheers as she appeared.
Yoon Jung-yeon grabbed the mic with a warm, friendly smile.
Hello. I’m Yoon Jung-yeon, organizer of this tournament. Thank you for your interest in the Yoon Family’s Magic Competition.
She just seemed like such a kind person.
A gentle impression.
I hope this tournament wraps up without any injuries. Thank you.
Clap clap clap.
Amid the applause, Yoon Jung-yeon stepped down.
The emcee took the mic back.
So, no time to waste. Let’s jump right into the first round. About eighty percent of you here will be eliminated. The theme for this preliminary is…
The theme popped up amid fireworks.
People exchanged glances and chuckled nervously.
“Ah, goblins? Piece of cake… heh.”
“First round’s a breeze.”
“Isn’t this too easy?”
But they were wrong.
I knew it the moment I saw the theme.
‘Straight out of the Yoon Family beginner Mana Manual.’
The five-stage Goblin Wave.
I recalled the day I first cast magic.
Not long after regressing, I barely knew how to use it.
One thing was certain: this was no pushover.
This was a tournament for low- and mid-tier mages, not elites.
Alright then. If you’re ready, let’s start the first round. Yoon Jung-yeon?
Yes. Let’s begin.
Yoon Jung-yeon’s Warp skill.
She’d been famous for her mastery of it even as an active hunter.
Warp zones appeared beneath the participants’ feet.
Good luck.
A blue glow enveloped them, and the participants began warping away.
The first round had begun.
Participant #1123 has entered.
CHAPTER 1: Proof of Qualification.
First Wave.
Goblin Extermination (0/10) ※Must be defeated using magic only.
Ten goblins in total.
It had taken me several tries to clear it before.
But now was different.
“Come at me!!! Die!!”
“Kiek! Kiek!”
Roarrr—!
“Kiek?!”
“Grrr?!!!”
The charging goblins skidded to a halt.
A massive fireball.
Great Fireball.
“What’s wrong? Not coming?”
I hurled the Great Fireball straight at the goblins.
Boom boom—! Whoosh!
It detonated, igniting the area it hit.
The goblins burned and collapsed in the flames.
Goblins 10/10
CHAPTER 1: Proof of Qualification cleared.
Please prepare for the next round.
The first wave, which used to take multiple attempts, ended in one go.
And I’d only used five percent of my mana.
CHAPTER 2: Proof of Qualification (2)
Goblin Squad Annihilation (0/1)
As the rounds progressed, stronger goblins appeared.
This time, a goblin squad in formation.
But no problem.
“Switch, clones.”
My clones emerged from the King Slime Weapon.
Since clones weren’t detected by physical attacks, they were usable.
My clones charged the goblin squad head-on.
Each wrapped their fists in Fire.
“Ki… kiek…!”
“Kweeeek!”
The goblin formation crumbled in panic, and the clones mercilessly hunted them down.
One by one, they seared and burned without mercy.
It took less than five minutes for the clones to take out ten goblins.
Goblin Squad Annihilation (1/1)
CHAPTER 2: Proof of Qualification (2) cleared.
Please prepare for the next round.
‘Good, smooth sailing.’
My goal was the top spot—no room for stumbles at this level.
Having done it once before, nothing felt difficult.
“Kiek… kiek… grrrraaah…”
The stench of burning flesh filled the air.
I sliced the last goblin with lightning and caught my breath.
Mana used: just twenty percent.
‘Definitely made progress.’
Back then, after Chapter 5, my mana was nearly depleted, and I was exhausted.
The results of my training were clear.
Comparing to my past self made it even more obvious.
CHAPTER 5: Proof of Qualification cleared.
Congratulations! You’ve cleared all rounds.
Clear Time ＜00:35:25＞
Warping to training grounds.
The first round ended without a hitch.
Blue energy wrapped around me again, warping me back to the original spot.
Ah, ah! Another clearer has warped in. This tournament is insane—four clears within an hour already.
When I arrived at the training grounds, the bustling space had emptied out considerably.
Three people stood there.
Yoon Seo-hyun, Yoon Ah-young, and the mysterious figure in the black cloak from earlier.
“…Tae-hyun!”
“Oh, you cleared it too.”
Obviously, the Yoon Family’s prowess was no joke.
Ah-young, who’d vowed to prove herself, had an even faster time than me.
“Ugh… I messed up because I was nervous… How’d you do?”
“Eh. Pretty standard.”
“Haa… I’m worried, so worried… sniff…”
“What’s to worry? We’ll cruise to the finals easy.”
These four probably had overwhelmingly faster times than the other participants.
I waved at Yoon Seo-hyun.
She was glaring off at some distant mountain, clearly sulking.
“Hey. Congrats on first place. Impressive as always?”
“…”
She squatted down, looking thoroughly displeased.
Yoon Seo-hyun pouted and spoke.
“…I’m not first.”
“Huh? You’re not?”
I startled and glanced at Ah-young.
“Ooh. Yoon Ah-young. Not bad.”
I’d assumed she was first, naturally.
But I was off.
“Ahh… I’m not first either.”
“…Huh? How long?”
“I got 32 minutes. Seo-hyun did 28.”
“Ah… really?”
I glanced at the black cloak.
They stood motionless, still cloaked.
That powerful presence I’d sensed at the start was spot on.
‘…An unexpected dark horse.’
I’d only been wary of Yoon Seo-hyun and Yoon Ah-young, but here was another powerhouse.
Still, if the gap wasn’t too wide, victory was within reach.
I needed that advanced Mana Manual.
Now, clearers are warping in steadily. We’re getting a picture of the results. Five minutes left!
Two hours since the round began.
After the long wait, the end was in sight.
They panted, utterly spent.
The clearers were a tiny fraction of the starters.
About a hundred made it—most had dropped in the prelims.
An expected outcome.
Most clearers were longtime magic practitioners or cadets with prior experience.
But the majority had little magic under their belts, many barely scraping their mana limits.
Alright, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!! Time’s up. First round over. Tallying results. This one’s a shocker. I’ve been emceeing for five years, and I’m stunned!! Let’s all check it out!
A hologram appeared on the venue’s perimeter.
The rankings projected.
4th: Participant #1123 Kang Tae-hyun. Clear Time: 35:25
My record was up.
Not just the clearers, but the onlookers gasped at the results.
The reason? First place.
“…Wha… wha… what?”
My eyes bulged; I froze in place.
Now I knew why Yoon Seo-hyun was sulking.
1st: Participant #0823 K. Clear Time: 02:01
Two minutes…?
What the hell? Does that even make sense?
No matter how powerful the magic, that time was impossible.
Each chapter transition took about twenty seconds.
Totaling up: around one minute thirty.
That left thirty seconds to wipe all the monsters.
By the time I cleared stage two, the cloaked figure had already finished.
‘…Damn it.’
My fists trembled.
I stared at the black cloak.
This tournament… wouldn’t be a cakewalk.
(Continued in the next chapter)