First and foremost, I swiftly moved my Black Shadows.
The targets were two civilians. I enveloped the chef and the owner-like figure with Heukik and brought them nearby.
“Tha, thank you…ugh!”
After receiving their thanks, I knocked them out by striking the back of their necks. Then, I injected a bit of illusion with the Tower of Dreams’ seal to erase the keyword ‘starlight magic’.
This should keep Seo Ga-yeon’s magic from being exposed.
“Hmph, playing the hero, huh?”
“I’ll handle that guy. The rest of you, just block them.”
“So, you’re saying we should cut them down one by one? Got it.”
The Mines started spouting nonsense.
‘Eternal Heaven. Do you know what this item is used for?’
-It belonged to one of the forr Heavenly Demons’ lovers. As for its use… it’s related to sex, which is a bit awkward to talk about.
‘…You don’t need to say anymore.’
No wonder the Sword Soul moaned whenever I handled it. I should have realized it then.
I took a step forward.
Towards the Mine holding handcuffs. I deliberately walked slowly.
‘Walking slowly is actually harder.’
The Mine extended his handcuffed hand.
‘These handcuffs are useless.’
I needed to consu so Energy of Defying Heaven.
Nearby, I manipulated the Energy of Defying Heaven. Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven. A power governing the concept itself moved the Energy of Defying Heaven in the handcuffs.
[Your Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven has increased by 10.]
‘…Wow.’
The handcuffs were useless, but the inherent Energy of Defying Heaven inside was no joke. A sense of fullness overwheld .
The Black Energy in my heart area stirred. I seized the Mine’s hand while absorbing the Energy of Defying Heaven.
“How ridiculous. Arm wrestling with a Mine… huh?”
Crack.
I tore off his arm.
“Aaaargh!”
Ignoring the Mine’s screams, I examined the handcuffs, but they were just ordinary. I then turned to Seo Ga-yeon.
“Can you do it?”
“Yes.”
Seo Ga-yeon stepped forward, starlight swirling around her. Her hair was drenched in starlight, and her purple pupils fixed on the Mine.
“…That is.”
Kim Seo-hyun looked at Seo Ga-yeon with a serious expression, while Hong Yu-hwa’s eyebrows twitched.
Seo Ga-yeon extended her hand, and a sphere of starlight ford above her open palm. It was the most basic, lowest-level magic, yet it contained starlight.
A magic force that positively affird the death of all Mines. It rcilessly swept over the Mine.
“Uh…?”
A dumbfounded sound, not understanding what was happening, beca the Mines’ last words.
The sphere of starlight simply spread and pronounced death.
“What, no, what is this….”
Kim Seo-hyun repeated herself.
“Sigh.”
Seo Ga-yeon released her transformation, returning to black hair and black pupils. Her eyes t mine, expecting praise.
“Good job. You’ve beco skilled now.”
“Yeah, Seo-ha helped a lot.”
“Did you see? How strong our Ga-yeon is? She’s the best at killing Mines, I tell you.”
“What kind of power is that? No, sorry. That was rude of . I got too excited, sorry. This isn’t just a natural enemy. Maybe she has the power to eradicate all Mines on Earth.”
Sung Han-byul excitedly spoke to Seo Ga-yeon.
“Is it possible to amplify this? Or, do you perhaps dislike Mines? You must dislike them. They aren’t human, after all. Could you help us out? It’s not dangerous, well, it is dangerous, but we’ll ensure you’re absolutely safe, Ga-yeon.”
“I’m sorry.”
Seo Ga-yeon bowed her head and said,
“Lee Seo-ha is my top priority. He’s the one who helped awaken this talent. And I still have a lot to learn, so it would be difficult for to assist.”
As expected of the well-raised Ga-yeon, not envious of Sung Han-byul at all…
The next day.
I lazily got out of bed. I didn’t end up rooming with Kim Seo-hyun, as each of us had a single room.
After showering, drying my hair, and slipping into slippers, I stepped outside. On my way to the dining hall for breakfast, I noticed several people had already settled into their seats.
Seo Ga-yeon was chatting next to Sung Han-byul, with Hong Yu-hwa sitting alone beside them.
I was drawn to that table. However, after picking up a few items to eat, I decided to approach Hong Yu-hwa instead.
“Hm? You didn’t join senior Sung Han-byul?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t seem like a good idea to go there now.”
“You’re usually so oblivious, but you’re spot on this ti. Or are you just pretending not to know?”
Hong Yu-hwa elegantly twirled her spaghetti with her fork and took a bite. Then, she discreetly created a magical barrier around us.
“But what exactly is her magic?”
“Starlight magic. The power to end all Mines.”
“…I thought as much.”
Hong Yu-hwa gave a brief glance.
“With your personality, you’ll end up dragging her along. Is there anything I can help with?”
“Like revenge?”
“Yes.”
Hong Yu-hwa looked at with her red eyes.
“…Let’s talk about it later.”
The atmosphere beca sowhat tense. I wondered if I should have brought it up. It was a conversation that could potentially hurt her.
“You haven’t challenged to a duel recently. Have you beco too scared because I won too much?”
“…Ha, unbelievable.”
Hong Yu-hwa wore an expression of disbelief.
“How about we compete to see who defeats their opponent faster in the upcoming exchange?”
“That’s too advantageous for you.”
“What can I do if I’m just that skilled?”
“Ha.”
Hong Yu-hwa laughed as if the idea was absurd, then quickly flashed a cheerful smile.
“Fine. I’ll take you up on that challenge.”
“Did you get a decent opponent?”
“Yeah. I won’t lose this ti.”
I briefly thought about my opponent. Being the top student, my opponent would also be among the best. And that person was a rival to Kim Seo-hyun.
I had spoken to them yesterday, but since I ran away, they must be quite upset.
After breakfast, we gathered the students,
And set off for the Divine Academy.
“Wow, there are so many people.”
“It’s a popular event, after all. This year’s students are also part of the golden generation.”
True to those words, there was a massive crowd. About ten helicopters hovered in the sky, and everywhere I looked, people were filming with phones, broadcasting, or conducting interviews.
“Did you know? The festival lasts for six days. We have a mock battle, then a break. Today is the individual competition, next is the group competition. The last day features team battles, with each class fighting separately.”
“…I wish we could finish it all at once.”
“Then, even if Lee Seo-ha doesn’t know, we’ll all end up dead.”
Ershil rchen said with a cheeky smile.
As we conversed, before we knew it, the ti for the mock battle had arrived.
“Han Hyo-seong of Korea Hero Academy and Yohan of Divine Academy!”
The called students ascended to the duel arena.
“They’re starting quickly.”
“Indeed.”
I sat next to Ershil, sipping cola while watching the duel.
Overall, the students from the Korean Hero School had the upper hand.
‘As expected.’
Seo Ga-yeon, who was once at the bottom of the Korean Hero School, had now risen to the top 100. Kim Ara, even at 200th place, showed an overwhelming performance against top-tier students.
Moreover, Hong Yu-hwa, after awakening the Usurper of the Crimson Lotus, demonstrated an overwhelming presence.
It ant the students were motivated and had grown stronger.
Ti passed, and it was Hong Yu-hwa’s turn.
Her opponent was a knight.
“My opponent is a magician…?”
“Can’t even recognize my level, what a dimwit. Does Divine Academy only raise dimwits?”
At the knight’s words, Hong Yu-hwa smirked and said,
“What, did you say?”
“Even if such kids rush at , it makes no difference. What can I do?”
“You, you bastard! Just because I’m a woman!”
“Give a break? That’s what the strong use for the weak. Not sothing for the weak to say.”
Hong Yu-hwa said that and took out the crown of the Crimson Lotus. Then, with a single spell, she knocked down her knight opponent.
“1 minute 10 seconds. I won, right? You can give up now. I’ll accept your surrender.”
“1 minute 10 seconds is fine? It’s not too late even now. Look at Lee Seo-ha, and I’ll consider it.”
As we were talking, word ca that Kim Seo-hyun had won in 53 seconds.
“……”
Hong Yu-hwa seed to have a slight cold sweat on her forehead.
“Next is Ershil.”
“Even for Ershil, divine power excels in ntal defense, so it’ll be a challenge.”
Hong Yu-hwa chuckled confidently.
“…It ended in 30 seconds?”
“Did I do well? Please praise .”
Ershil, who had suddenly appeared next to , smiled broadly and said.
“…How did you cast an illusion spell?”
“Well, because Lee Seo-ha is here? He has anti-magic abilities that resist illusion magic. I practiced to break through, and it worked. But, Lee Seo-ha isn’t affected by illusions.”
Of course. The Energy of Defying Heaven is almost immune to illusions and curses.
“Next is Lee Seo-ha. Get ready.”
“Yes.”
I headed to the duel arena with instructor Seo Woo-ju. My opponent was a holy knight in full golden plate mail.
Armor entirely forged from divine power. Its defense could halve the damage from most sword energy attacks and even block magic.
The armor could withstand the blast of the energy unleashed by Hong Yu-hwa, who once knocked out a Minotaur transford into a Mine in a single strike.
My opponent strode forward confidently. The cheers grew louder.
I smirked slightly.
Cheers born from the absolute belief in my opponent. And then there’s on the opposite side.
‘I’m totally the villain here.’
I didn’t consider myself just. Rather, I was closer to evil.
And the person in front of ? Probably considered the bringer of victory and justice for their side.
This was interesting.
I liked playing this role. Being the villain suited better than the hero of justice.
Even the role of the Demon King wasn’t bad. A Demon King blocking the path of the hero had charisma.
Not a role that lost to the hero, but the existence that brought despair to the hero.
“How does it feel to beco a villain?”
“Better than I thought, actually.”
“Such a bad attitude. Well, truthfully, I also like playing the villain. It’s cool.”
The opponent said with a confident voice.
“Co to think of it, we haven’t properly introduced ourselves. I’m Cynthia. Nice to et you.”
“My na is……”
“You’re Lee Seo-ha, right?”
Cynthia chuckled.
“Sorry, I tried not to pay attention, but I just keep getting drawn in. Well, thanks anyway.”
“For what?”
“If I beat you, it ans I’m extraordinary, right? Ever since the establishnt of the Korean Hero School, you’ve been called the greatest genius, haven’t you? I’m called that too.”
Cynthia ca closer and said to .
“So don’t worry too much. Even if you lose to , you can think of it as losing to a genius who even defies gods.”
“……”
I looked at Cynthia. Even knowing her personality, it’s still surprising. Was it really okay for a beloved child of the Hundred Temple to be like this?
“The mock battle will now begin. Everyone, show respect to your opponent and begin the duel.”
Cynthia and I both bowed and then took up our weapons.
I wrapped the Black Energy with the Energy of Defying Heaven. A power negating everything ford a blade following my will.
Wooong!
Light settled on the greatsword Cynthia was holding. I could sense many colors with my Divine Sight. It was proof that several gods from the Hundred Temple had sent their divinity.
Chuuung!
The sword and greatsword clashed, accompanied by a shockwave. The Energy of Defying Heaven negated the divinity. The divinity resisted the Energy of Defying Heaven.
‘Inexperienced. Or, is it just too mixed up to properly handle?’
One exchange.
That was enough to know Cynthia’s state.
I smiled bitterly.
The opponent was a rival to Kim Seo-hyun, one of the individuals with the highest potential in this world, likely to beco a transcendent being in the future.
That’s why I overestimated Cynthia too much… far too much.
I drew out the Black Wings. The wing generated from my shoulder blade led to the attack. The greatsword flew towards my face.
Using the intricacies of the Soul Stealing Sword Technique, I deflected the greatsword. The mass of divine power was negated and scattered.
Then, I reached out my hand, right above the helt.
“Uh…?”
A distorted voice rang out. I let the Energy of Defying Heaven flow into my hand. Black Energy. An absolute attack that crushes all abilities.
The Energy of Defying Heaven scattered all divinity. The full plate mail crumbled. The helt was half-crushed.
“Wait, just a…”
And then, I grabbed her head and slamd it to the ground.
“Kyaaaah!”
A feminine scream echoed, and a huge crater ford on the ground.
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