EP.163 Fall, new semester (6)
The rules of the duel were simple. The duel ends when one side admits defeat or becomes temporarily incapacitated. Or, there are cases where the duel ends due to the supervisor’s judgment. Other than that, there are no rules.
You can also use vinegar.
You can aim for vital points, and you can use all kinds of means except poison. It’s probably best, so show everything you can show.
That was a duel with combat magic.
Due to the unconventional conditions, there were voices of dissatisfaction, saying that it was accompanied by considerable risk… but so far, there has never been a single unfortunate incident in a duel. He owes it to the presence of competent supervisors.
“Roselle, you are not the director this year.”
“Hasn’t it been that long?”
“Well, that’s true.”
Aaron looked at his friend sitting next to him.
Roselle van Trias. He, who had been the supervisor of numerous duels, was now watching the duels with his arms crossed.
‘···Well, he did take on the role of director for a long time.’
Aaron nodded.
A duel under unprecedented conditions. The fact that it was able to be established was largely thanks to this experienced wizard.
Although most professors are strong in theory, they are weak in practice. For them, magic is knowledge, not a weapon to fight something. The magic of professors is pursuing perfection. However, perfect magic is not required in actual combat.
Fast, concise and effective.
So, practical things.
And Rossell is a professor who pursues practicality. Unlike other professors, he is a wizard with his feet in the Magic Tower. There was no one who ignored Rossell’s magic. This is because a wizard who received his teachings proved its value.
Raniel van Trias.
The educator who raised the gray wizard opened his mouth.
“And, it looks like you don’t need me to supervise you anymore. “That kid is probably more capable than me in this area.”
“···Is it that much?”
Rosell must have had formidable skills as well.
He made a remarkable contribution in the battle to subdue demonic beasts under the leadership of the royal family… and was given the title of sage by the ancient dragon wizard. That 20-year-old kid is more capable than Roselle?
‘Isn’t my love for my disciple too much?’
It looks like it has all its arms outstretched.
Aaron looks at Roselle with suspicious eyes. Roselle shrugged her shoulders and returned the look.
“If you add more, you do more, not less.”
With that affirmation, Rossel glances towards the audience.
If you move your gaze along the seats arranged in steps, you will see an unusually empty place. Two people are sitting there. Among them, Roselle smiled as she looked at the girl with gray hair. Aaron shook his head at her.
‘As expected, you’re a loser.’
Well, if you had a child like that as your adoptive daughter, you would be at your wits end.
“Tsk…”
As Aaron was looking at Roselle again, feeling envious, Roselle pointed to the duel field and said.
“Let’s stop chatting here and focus on the duel.”
Roselle pointed to the duel arena.
There, two students are looking at each other. One is the best disciple of the White Magic Tower Lord, and the other is the best disciple of the Black Magic Tower Lord.
Black and white have always viewed each other as rivals. So, this is not just a fight between students. It was also a battle of pride between magic towers.
Black and white.
Chief and Deputy Chief.
A child from the slums and the son of the Grand Duke of the North.
There are many contrasts. Because there are so many, many spectators are enthusiastic about their duel. It also heightens the argument over who will win.
“Lark, tear that gisaeng brother to pieces!”
“Stay safe, White! “You crazy old man!”
“Old man? Because I’m a girl? “Just shut up!”
“For a girl at that age, what a conscience!”
One side of the audience is noisy.
When the commotion reached the peak of the temple… a trumpet sound resounded through the Colosseum. It was the signal signaling the start of the game.
Wow!
With the cheers of the crowd in the background, black and white rush at each other. Belnoa’s black hair flutters. The shadow follows the dagger’s trajectory as if it were exploding. As if responding, Lark’s white hair shook and the ax moved.
Kaang! The shadow and the ax collide.
Over the past semester, it has always been Lark who was pushed back from the first charge. Therefore, the students predicted that this time would not be much different.
Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-gag!
That prediction is shattered.
Breaking everyone’s expectations, Lark’s ax tears the shadow apart. One blow, tearing the shadow apart. Separately, the shadow dagger is destroyed.
“···!”
Belnoir squeezes the shadow.
This is the moment when a shadow creeps up from beneath your feet. Lark’s movements accelerated for a moment. It is invisible to students. However, it is visible in Belnoa’s eyes.
‘···This, wait a minute.’
Although embarrassed by the excessive acceleration, Belnoir ties the ax with his shadow. However, Lark let go of the ax as if he had already expected this.
Lark hits the ground.
He grabs Belnoa’s head with the hand that released the axe.
There is no time to respond. It’s such a fast movement. To the extent that it cannot be compared to before. Belnoir’s response is delayed for a moment. Belnoir sees Lark’s knee approaching.
There is no way to stop it.
Wow!
Belnoa’s head tilts back.
Belnoir hurriedly casts a shadow and takes a step back. She staggered back and Belle Noah lowered her head.
Patter, patter.
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My nosebleed broke out. Blood drips.
There was a red dot on the floor. At that sight, the Colosseum is momentarily engulfed in silence. The audience looks at Belnoa with wide eyes.
This is Belnoa, who has not even allowed a single blow in any mock sparring so far. Such Belnoa… bleeds.
Patter.
Bewilderment passes over Belnoa’s face as he sees the blood drops falling. Belnoir looks at Lark. Following those gazes, the audience also sees Lark standing in the center of the duel arena.
“That’s right, I said it.”
Lark snapped his finger while receiving everyone’s attention.
“If things continue the same way as before, it will be resolved quickly.”
Cheers belatedly poured into the stadium.
2.
Wow!
I hear the resounding cheers. Belle Noah looked at Lark, wiping her nose bleed. Those eyes were shaking. With surprise and bewilderment.
“···What on earth are you doing here?”
People have changed.
This is not the level of Lark that Belnoa remembers. The movement is on a different level. It’s faster and heavier. No, it wasn’t just movement.
‘Something is different.’
It’s different from the Lark I’ve seen so far.
With only one attack, its shape cannot be clearly drawn, but it is clear that there is something.
“I received special training.”
Lark responded to Belnoa’s self-talk.
Lark takes a step forward. He walks towards Belle Noah. Tududuuk, he pulls out the ax tied to the shadow and holds it in both his hands.
“······.”
Belnoir silently snaps his fingers.
As you step back, the shadow beneath your feet rises. It is an attack that comes from an unexpected place. It’s difficult to respond because you don’t know which thorn will pop out of which shadow. This is something that Lark gets into nine times out of ten.
Tak, Jeok Jeok.
But not this time.
A once in ten chance, which is a very random chance, is not something that happens by luck. Lark swings his ax and strikes away the shadow. He took a step and avoided the shadow.
The movements are simple.
What is seen in simplicity is confidence.
It is a movement that seems to already know where and in what form the shadow will emerge. Lark approaches with great strides. Belnoir weaves a dagger with shadows. Lark kicks the ground. He closes the distance in an instant.
Kaang!
The ax strikes the dagger. The dagger flew away, but Belnoa was also mindful of him. The dagger scattered into the shadows and instantly covered Belnoa’s hand.
Sigh!
Belnoa’s eyes widen as he clutches the ax with his shadow-covered hand.
Shadow explosion.
The gloves covering Belnoa’s hands explode. A shadow obscures Lark’s vision. Belnoa rolled on the floor and hit the floor with his fist.
Shadow-needle.
The shadows on the floor bounce and wave. Daggers shoot out from the undulating shadows. It was an attack fired from all directions. Some of them were aimed at the rear. Lark, whose vision is blocked by the shadow explosion, focuses only on what is shooting in front of him.
Kwasik, enemy!
Lark approaches, smashing his dagger. He swings an axe. Belnoir holds the ax with his shadowed hand. He jerked and his arms trembled.
‘What power…’
I’m pushed. I feel pushed.
Belnoir’s posture is about to collapse due to Lark’s power. However, in the midst of all this, Belnoir’s gaze does not waver. This is because he knows the dagger coming from behind Lark’s back.
You just have to hold on for a moment.
Then, you can turn the fight to your advantage.
A fight in a back alley is a fight that gnaws away. Belnoa knew well how to gnaw down those stronger than himself. Just like that, it was the moment when Belnoir was about to pierce the gap between Lark.
I flinch.
Belnoir feels uncomfortable again.
Lark’s body trembles. Bel Noah felt the tremor as she held her axe. It’s like an animal contracting its muscles before hunting.
Muscles are stretched.
Strength goes into the body.
Those eyes move quickly.
Lark puts down the axe. He turns his head. At the same time, my body turns. A shadow dagger was approaching from the corner of my eye without any sign of it, and Lark, who had read its trajectory accurately, stretched out his hand.
Smite.
A spell that appears in an instant breaks the dagger.
Just like Rania did before.
Intercepting a spell with a spell is no easy task. This is only possible if the orbit is read accurately. This is only possible after completing calculations that are close to the prediction.
Lark does that.
I couldn’t get it all out. What the spell misses, Lark catches with his bare hands. The skin is grazed and blood flows, but it is a minor wound compared to being hit directly by a spell.
It all happened in an instant.
However, it doesn’t stop there.
Belnoir was extending his hand aiming at Lark, who had his back turned. As if he had guessed that too, Lark turned his head and looked at Belle Noah. The animal-like red eyes grasp the situation in an instant.
Sigh.
snatch my wrist Hold on. And then, Lark threw Belnoa to the ground as if he were carrying him.
“Big!”
Even though he hit his back and groaned, Belnoa never forgot to fight back. It fills the air and the shadow on the floor explodes. Lark stepped back.
“Big…”
Belnoa groaned and gathered himself.
He realizes the identity of the sense of discomfort he had just felt. Belnoir mulls it over in his mind as it is drawn in a clear form.
‘Intuition, combat sense.’
It was Lark’s specialty from the beginning.
However, its sharpness is different from before.
flow of air.
Weak mana.
Processing of gaze.
By gathering those tiny clues and clues, we come up with a result. predict the future It all happens unconsciously. It is no longer the realm of intuition. Belnoir knew what it was called.
‘···Extra sense.’
Something that stands out the closer you get to the realm of superhumans, and is infinitely close to foresight of the future. How can Lark, who is not in the realm of superhumans, have it?
I don’t know that much.
Belnoa does not know that Lark encountered a superhuman in the snowy field. In the process, he is unaware of the fact that Lark faced his own wall, nor that he deflected the superhuman’s blow and took a step towards the wall.
So… there is no way Belnoa could have guessed that in the process, Lark’s original keen senses came closer to the realm of extrasensory perception.
We only know the outcome.
Belnoa muttered in bewilderment.
“Really, that’s ridiculous.”
“Because I did ridiculous training.”
“What on earth did you do?”
“I almost died a few times.”
As we chat leisurely, Lark walks over. Belle Noah also laughed and stroked her hair. There is a reason why those two are taking their time.
So far, it is only a preliminary battle.
Neither Belnoa nor Lark have shown their all yet.
Belnoa did not use Offering, and Rak also did not use Heating. They just went through the process of assessing each other’s skills before a full-scale fight.
“······.”
And now. The skirmish is over.
Belnoir raises his arms. Two of his fingers are already broken. This means that two offerings are loaded. What he doesn’t need to show, he shows.
why?
“It means starting now.”
A smile spread across Lark’s lips as he understood the intention. However, Lark does not use heating. It seems like this isn’t enough. It seemed as if he was asking if he could do a little more… Belnoir stopped laughing.
“Anyway.”
Belnoir hates duels.
It’s still the same now. Neither the resounding cheers nor the pouring gazes are very enjoyable.
But, why?
“under.”
I purse my lips and a smile escapes.
The person who has always stood below him is trying to overtake him. Belnoa laughed out loud at that fact.
It was the first time Belnoir felt it.
For Belnoa, being overtaken always meant death. If someone stronger than you appeared in the back alley, you had to kill them. If you don’t kill him, he’s dead. To Belnoa, it was no different from a leash that was strangling someone stronger than him.
But why?
Why do you feel joy now that your opponent, who has clashed with you again and again, is trying to overtake you? Is this duel going to be enjoyable?
rival.
The words Lark once said linger in my ears. Belnoa sees his rival, who has challenged me and has become so strong that he has not seen it before.
“That’s fun.”
A smile appears on Belnoa’s lips.
He shows his feelings. Not a mockery, not a fake laugh… but an unpretentious laugh. he said with a smile.
“Are you confident?”
“If I wasn’t confident, I wouldn’t even take on the challenge.”
“okay.”
Belnoa stretched out his hand and snapped his fingers.
Two more are offered. A shadow rises around Belnoa. It wraps around Belnoa’s body.
“Then try it.”
The shadows on the floor move.
The thorns rising from the shadows rotate in place. The thorn absorbs the surrounding shadows and becomes a stake.
A spell developed by Belnoa.
A spell that can be performed with only the minimum unit of mana.
It eats up a huge amount of mana. Dozens of stakes fill the sparring grounds. It’s not just Lark who has grown. Belnoa also achieved growth through the last traitor attack incident.
I fought for my life.
I learned how to refine my spells.
Up close, I saw the most brilliant spell.
That day, Belnoir saw a perfectly shaped scale. He witnessed goods more valuable than anything he had ever seen being placed on the scales. The scales unfolded by a magician who are close to the truth provide enlightenment with just a glimpse.
It’s time to show off that realization.
Shadow-Pile.
The rotating stake is aimed at Lark.
Lark, who was aiming at that, smiled and raised his hand. As if this was all they expected.
“Good.”
Lark smiles in the face of crisis.
Lark’s fingers touch my heart.
Heating.
My heart is pounding, my heart is beating loudly.
The fight begins to heat up in earnest.
3.
The student’s level has already passed.
Even if you bring in active knights who are active in the battlefield, it is a level that makes you hesitate. Even the magic tower owners watching it exclaim in admiration. Even from the point of view of the magic tower master, it is a very high-level fight.
Kang, Kang!
There is a sound of iron hitting iron.
Sparks fly. Shadows scatter and gather. If one side seems to be being pushed out, they immediately catch up and repeat.
It’s a whistle.
A battle of whistles is unfolding.
Most audiences don’t really understand the fight. Something flashes and a clashing sound is heard. Even reading their movements is daunting.
How many spells were used?
What spell works and at what moment.
How they clash.
Since I don’t know that fact… I can only express my admiration. However, not everyone is like that. There are people who can see and understand all those scenes.
“······.”
Rania watches the duel between the two in silence.
With her mana raised so she could intervene at any time, she took in the entire scene with her eyes.
At first glance, it may seem like a whistle, but in reality, Lark is slightly more dominant. Lark has already dipped his toes into extrasensory skills. It is extremely difficult to deal with a warrior who moves ahead of time.
‘But it’s only slightly superior.’
However, this does not mean that Lark completely captured the victory.
Belnoa is also formidable. He hides his habits to a minimum. He lays trap after trap to make it unpredictable. It’s like a seasoned hunter.
If Lark pushes him by relying on his physical abilities and extra senses… Belnoir overcomes him with his accumulated experience in interpersonal combat. The gap is narrowing.
It gets closer and closer to the whistle.
Although Belnoa does not have super senses like Lark, he knows how to deal with humans better than anyone else. Innate sense and accumulated experience collide.
“···aha.”
A smile forms on Rania’s lips.
She feels pleasure. She feels rewarded. When compared to the beginning of the semester… they have experienced amazing growth in just half a year. He made it that way.
Rania is happy about that fact.
While she is laughing out of pure joy… there is someone watching the laughter closely. Instead of watching the game, Chloe glanced at Rania.
I flinch.
Chloe’s shoulders trembled.
It’s a beautiful smile, but Chloe finds it eerie. It feels like watching a crazy magician showing off his past research results in front of others.
‘Ugh, no. Another prejudice.’
It must be your own illusion.
Isn’t he a nice, pretty, and kind professor?
‘Don’t misunderstand.’
It is a law that should not be judged based on speculation.
Chloe shook her head and misread the snack bar Rania gave her. Chloe didn’t know that the stars were singing despair in her ears.
