Chapter 58
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Second Round
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I had a rough idea of what the match would entail.
The empty space was filled with opaque cubes of various sizes.
The 110 passersby were each waiting inside their respective cubes for the match to begin.
"Ah, ah. Can you hear me? This is your announcer. Now, let me explain the theme of this round. Do you see the spirits ahead of you?"
Spirits of all shapes and sizes began flying into the space.
"You all need to use simultaneous casting to take down the spirits! You'll earn points based on the number of simultaneous casts, and only the top 5 will advance to the finals!"
A test to slay as many spirits as possible using simultaneous casting.
It was easier than the golem training we'd done.
"Alright, time to reveal the points board! Anyone who earns those points will climb the real-time rankings! You have a total of 30 minutes. Keep an eye on your ranking as you compete!"
Simultaneous Kill: 2 → 2 Points
Simultaneous Kill: 3 → 4 Points
Simultaneous Kill: 4 → 8 Points
Simultaneous Kill: 5 → 16 Points
The structure awarded exponentially higher points for higher simultaneous kills.
Honestly, if I just focused on my own hunting, it wouldn't be a tough match.
But the problem was that black-cloaked figure.
Their cube wasn't far from mine.
"Oh, and for fairness, max mana is set to '100,' and recovery is 10% per minute. Good luck, contestants!"
This match wasn't just about spamming simultaneous casts.
Accuracy and destructive power were key as well.
Smack!
I clapped my fist into my palm.
'Alright, let's do this.'
With the announcer's final words, the countdown began.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Start!"
The match had begun.
First, I needed to gauge the spirits' movements.
I immediately unleashed a simultaneous cast.
Five skills shot out, targeting the spirits.
Boom boom boom!
Kang Tae-hyun - Rank 1 (4 points)
Only three hits.
Their small size made them tricky to nail.
I could cast five simultaneous spells, but my proficiency wasn't on the level of Yoon Seo-hyun or Yoon Ah-young.
"Ah—! Scorers are popping up one after another!!!"
K - Rank 1 (16 points)
Yoon Seo-hyun - Rank 2 (8 points)
Kang Tae-hyun - Rank 3 (4 points)
Yoon Ah-young - Rank 3 (4 points)
My ranking started slipping fast.
The pace was insane.
I glanced at the black cloak.
"Ah, ah! K is racking up points at an unbelievable speed!!!"
Boom boom! Boom!
Every skill they cast netted 16 points.
Mad speed.
They just stood there casting spells, but the accuracy and power were top-notch.
This wouldn't do.
I looked at Yoon Seo-hyun, then Yoon Ah-young.
They were looking back at me.
"Alright."
We bolted straight for the black cloak in unison, ignoring the swarming spirits.
'The advanced Mana Manual... is mine.'
No way I'd give it up.
K - Rank 1 (48 points)
K - Rank 1 (56 points)
K's points were skyrocketing.
It was hard to believe they were only a mid-level mage.
Spirits were scarce around K.
So K moved toward a cluster of them.
That's when Yoon Seo-hyun suddenly blocked K's path.
She smirked with one corner of her mouth.
"Sorry, no hard feelings, but you're dropping out here."
"..."
K turned away without a word.
But Yoon Ah-young was there.
She gave a small nod.
"...Sorry."
K glanced at Yoon Seo-hyun, then back at Ah-young.
Then bent her knees.
Whoosh!
Incredible jump power.
K soared into the air in an instant, arms spread wide.
Body techniques no mage should possess.
Tae-hyun's brow furrowed.
"What the hell is that?"
Hummm...
Mana poured from K's arms.
Simultaneous magic casting.
Toward ten spells erupted from K's arms.
"...T-Ten simultaneous casts???!! Incredible!! Isn't it, Yoon Jung-yeon?"
"Y-Yes... definitely."
"...No way..."
Yoon Seo-hyun gaped in shock.
It was astonishing.
Ten simultaneous casts meant advanced mage territory.
And unregistered with the Magic Association, no less.
Spells from K's left hand flew toward the spirits.
Roar! Boom!
At that moment, a massive fireball blocked K's spells.
Tae-hyun had countered them.
Kang Tae-hyun's jump power was no slouch either.
Higher and faster, in fact.
"..."
K eyed Tae-hyun, then unleashed spells from her right hand.
'Not on my watch.'
Seo-hyun chained into her Fly skill right away.
Left hand blocked by Tae-hyun.
Right was hers to handle.
'No...! Too slow.'
Seo-hyun cast after K's spells had already launched.
Five spells hurtled toward the spirits.
But a barrier awaited.
K's left-hand spells hit the barrier too.
'...Yoon Ah-young?'
Yoon Seo-hyun's pupils shook.
Yoon Ah-young had barely blocked K's spells.
Seeing them coming, she'd deployed a shield skill—faster than Seo-hyun.
Her claim of proving herself wasn't bravado.
Yoon Ah-young had grown astonishingly in the past three months.
"Hey! Yoon Seo-hyun. You hunt first."
The plan was simple.
Two to harass, one to rack up points.
Yoon Seo-hyun clenched her fist.
'...I can't lose. I won't lose!'
She dashed toward the spirits.
Now she had no choice but to claim as many as possible and top the second round.
K descended from the air back to her cube.
Yoon Ah-young was in the same cube space.
The silent K finally spoke, looking at her.
"Not total trash, huh?"
"...Pardon?"
A familiar voice.
Memories that made her skin crawl filled Yoon Ah-young with dread.
"W-Wait... could it be...?"
K said nothing more and dashed to the opposite cube.
Tae-hyun doggedly followed, harassing relentlessly.
'...No way... no, it can't be.'
Yoon Ah-young lightly slapped her cheeks.
'Get it together. This isn't the time.'
Twenty-five minutes left.
Plenty of time still.
"Ah... isn't that cheating?"
"..."
The announcer turned to Yoon Jung-yeon.
Her face was pale.
Yoon Jung-yeon's expression, watching the match, was grim.
"...Ms. Yoon Jung-yeon?"
"No. Not cheating."
Yoon Jung-yeon's eyes were fixed on one spot.
The black cloak.
"Continue the match as is. The winner's already decided anyway."
The announcer was thrown by her cryptic response.
But the match had to go on.
It couldn't be postponed.
'Time left... 5 minutes...'
Ha ha.
Tae-hyun forced a smile.
The plan worked.
The three Class 32 Hunter Academy cornered the mysterious contestant K.
Yoon Seo-hyun - Rank 1 (158 points)
Kang Tae-hyun - Rank 2 (156 points)
Yoon Ah-young - Rank 3 (134 points)
Mainz Tune - Rank 4 (92 points)
Lishen - Rank 5 (90 points)
K had plummeted far outside the top 5.
Only about 50 spirits left.
A slight pang of conscience, but the world of competition was ruthless.
K stood still, as if forfeiting.
Tae-hyun, Ah-young, and Seo-hyun surrounded her.
Yoon Seo-hyun broke the silence.
"Ah, hold on. Timeout. Hey, seriously, we're not the bad guys here."
She stepped forward.
"Look, you're pulling off ten simultaneous casts, so why go for the advanced Mana Manual? You're the one in the wrong first."
"..."
K said nothing.
Four minutes left.
Were they really giving up?
Something told me not.
Someone who'd aced the first round like that wouldn't fold so easily.
"Y'know... your skill usage, those high-circle spells. Honestly, shouldn't you yield this tournament to the juniors? So we're not wrong."
"..."
The tournament's goal was to scout and nurture promising low- and mid-level mages.
By that metric, Yoon Seo-hyun was right.
No one would peg K as low- or mid-level.
...
The silence dragged on oppressively.
Meanwhile, Yoon Ah-young trembled anxiously, irritating Seo-hyun.
"Hey! Quit shaking! Did we commit a crime?"
"N-No... it's not that..."
As Yoon Ah-young kept shuddering, Yoon Seo-hyun flinched too.
No matter how dim or timid Ah-young was, this was over the top.
She looked like a mouse facing a cat.
"Wh-What... the hell? Who are you?"
"..."
K stared silently at the timer.
One minute left.
'Whatever. Elimination's locked in.'
To advance in the last minute, K needed at least 40 points.
Impossible.
K resignedly pulled off her hood, drawing all eyes.
Brown short-cut hair.
Sharp features.
Wrinkle-lined eyes hinting at age.
She smiled at Yoon Seo-hyun.
"Long time no see."
"...Ah... Ah..."
Yoon Seo-hyun collapsed to the ground.
Tae-hyun, baffled, asked,
"What? What's going on? Who is she?"
"...Mother."
"What?"
Yoon Ji-ae.
The woman who'd driven a wedge between Yoon Ah-young and Yoon Seo-hyun.
Heir to her sister's wish for family, she'd founded the Yoon Family as its head.
The woman who'd raised every Yoon daughter from Yoon Soo-ah to Yoon Seo-hyun.
Nearing 50 now, but still the matriarch.
Her dignified presence remained.
"...M-Mother..."
Seo-hyun trembled on the ground.
Ah-young huddled, shivering.
'No matter who she is, passing in the remaining time is impossible.'
If she was that formidable, I'd block with everything for the last stretch.
"Prison of Flames!"
Flame Pillars surged toward Yoon Ji-ae.
But she didn't flinch.
She turned to Tae-hyun.
"You're an interesting one."
Slash!
One gesture, and they vanished.
The skills canceled in an instant.
'Skill cancel...? How?'
Yoon Ji-ae released mana.
Magic circles bloomed across the cube.
An overwhelming number at a glance.
With mana capped at 100, how could she wield so many spells? Unfathomable.
Even as Tae-hyun tried to block, it was too late.
Different skills poured from each circle.
An unbelievable sight.
Vibrations from the casts shook some contestants off the cubes below.
'...Impossible.'
Yoon Ji-ae.
Another league entirely.
Rumors even said she'd deliberately stayed out of S-Rank.
Boom boom boom! Kaboom!
A fireworks spectacle.
Ten seconds left.
In those ten seconds, she'd wiped all remaining spirits.
Now I understood why she'd cleared the first round in under two minutes.
"Ah... ah!!!! Incredible!!! K turns it all around at the last second! What a performance! And time's up! Match over!"
K - Rank 1 (216 points)
Yoon Seo-hyun - Rank 2 (158 points)
Kang Tae-hyun - Rank 3 (156 points)
Yoon Ah-young - Rank 4 (134 points)
Mainz Tune - Rank 5 (94 points)
Ten seconds.
The game was never fair to begin with.
Yoon Ji-ae smiled.
"Looking forward to the finals."
Terror-struck, they couldn't utter a word.
They knelt before overwhelming power.
Past memories resurfaced.
"...My dear daughters."
Yoon Ji-ae's lips curved up.
(To be continued in the next episode)