“Wow.”
As soon as I stepped into the massive circular stadium, I couldn’t help but be impressed.
They said it could hold seventy thousand people, and it boasted an incredibly enormous scale.
“So many people.”
The audience seats were packed tight without a single empty spot.
Not just Koreans—there were quite a few foreigners of various ethnicities as well.
Seeing this, I was reminded once again how insanely popular magic matches—so-called ‘Magic Duels’—were around the world.
Of course, today’s match was the comeback match of the wildly popular ‘Champion,’ which added to the hype.
I looked up at the scoreboard inside the stadium.
[Won Hyukjin vs. Jungwi]
Instead of the name Liang Liang, the name Jungwi was written.
Jungwi was a fake name created for Liang Liang’s public activities.
He probably couldn’t use the name from the underground dueling arena, so he had to go with an alias.
Seeing this brought back the memory of the day I saw Liang Liang in the underground arena.
Back then too, Liang Liang was a rookie making his debut, and his opponent had been the champion. Then and now, he sure knows how to make a flashy debut.
“Kim Sunwoo! What are you doing over there?”
As I was lost in thought, I heard Lee Seo-jun’s voice.
When I turned my head, I saw he was already seated, looking at me.
“I’m coming.”
I walked over to Lee Seo-jun and took my seat.
Next to me sat Lee Seojun, then Jeon Min-gi, then Shin Young-joon and Lee Hyun-joo.
As I sat there, a sudden question popped into my mind.
“By the way, why are you in our group?”
I asked Jeon Min-gi.
According to the original story, Jeon Min-gi wasn’t supposed to be here today.
“Ah! I wanted to get closer to my seniors!”
“……”
Jeon Min-gi answered with enthusiasm.
Maybe because of his middle-aged-looking face, I still wasn’t used to him speaking formally or calling me “senior.”
“…Oh. Is that so?”
I nodded and looked around the inside of the stadium.
In the open waiting area visible to the crowd, the champion, Won Hyukjin, was warming up.
He looked completely relaxed, as if the thought of losing to a rookie hadn’t even crossed his mind.
Even from afar, he looked incredibly handsome.
Won Hyukjin’s popularity wasn’t just due to his skill—his good looks played a big role too.
This time, I turned my gaze toward Liang Liang.
He was speaking to a man who seemed to be his manager, his face unreadable.
I stared intently at Liang Liang and used Character Insight.
━━
Name: Liang Liang
Age: 23
Race: Human
Condition: Calm
Mana Grade: B+
Interest Level: 0
━━
A mana grade of B+, huh.
Just as expected, it wasn’t that high.
At this point in time, Liang Liang hadn’t been formally learning magic for very long.
Of course, reaching B+ grade in such a short time is proof that he’s got significant talent.
Besides, in the original story, Liang Liang was known less for his mana grade and more for his innate cruelty and underhanded fighting style. That’s where his true nature lies.
“……”
“What are you thinking about?”
Seeing me sitting still with a serious face, Lee Seo-jun asked.
“Just bored from waiting.”
I made something up offhand, and Lee Seo-jun nodded without thinking too much of it.
“By the way, when are we going to start gathering materials for necromancy? You said we’d do it after exams.”
“Necromancy? Ah…”
Right, we had planned to summon Jin Cheonwoo’s soul using the necromancy spell from his journal.
I had almost forgotten.
“I think I’ll have to start during the break. I’m a bit busy right now.”
“Busy with what?”
“Just… I’ve got a few things I’ve been putting off.”
“…Really?”
Lee Seo-jun shot me a sideways glance, then nodded.
He didn’t press me about what those things were.
He probably knew from experience that I wouldn’t answer anyway.
I leaned back in my chair and looked around.
Surely, ‘those two’ must be hiding somewhere here.
Baek Eun-seong and Natasha—members of Jaun.
In the original story, they also came to this stadium in disguise.
As I scanned the sea of spectators—faces barely distinguishable—I started using Character Insight on each one.
Just then, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching from beside me.
Turning my head, I saw Choi Seo-yoon walking toward me with both arms full of food.
Chicken, popcorn, snacks, drinks—you’d need three guys just to finish all that.
Seeing her made me anxious, so I got up and took part of the food from her.
“Oh! Thank you.”
“Why did you buy so much food? No way we’re going to finish all this.”
“I didn’t know what you’d like, senior.”
She said a line straight out of a drama without batting an eye. I stared at her blankly.
“No, I mean… still, come on.”
Choi Seo-yoon chuckled softly and sat next to me.
“What are you waiting for? Sit down.”
“…Yeah. Okay.”
As I sat down, Choi Seo-yoon suddenly grabbed a piece of popcorn and popped it into my mouth.
“Mm!”
“How is it? Is it good?”
She looked at me with hopeful eyes.
I chewed the popcorn and swallowed before nodding.
“…Yeah. It’s good.”
“Hehe. That’s a relief.”
She smiled once and took a piece for herself.
Then she frowned, as if she’d swallowed it the wrong way.
“Cough cough.”
“…Good grief.”
I quickly opened the drink and brought it to her lips.
At the same time.
Baek Eun-seong and Natasha, core members of Jaun, were sitting in the audience directly across from Lee Seo-jun’s group, their identities concealed with magical disguise masks.
They were here today to enjoy some leisure time during their week-long vacation.
“Wow. There are so many people.”
“Hey. That’s not the issue right now. This popcorn tastes awful.”
Baek Eun-seong frowned and drank some water.
Ignoring him, Natasha looked at the photo of Won Hyukjin that appeared on the jumbotron.
“Oh, I’m really looking forward to Won Hyukjin’s comeback match.”
Natasha was a fan of today’s main fighter, Won Hyukjin.
Her eyes sparkled like a girl gazing at her favourite idol, unlike her usual demeanor.
Apparently annoyed by this, Baek Eun-seong sneered.
“…Tch. What’s so great about that guy? If I fought him, I could kill him in five minutes.”
“So what? Won Hyuk-jin is super handsome.”
“What are you talking about? I’ve heard I was good-looking since I was a kid too, you know?”
Baek Eun-seong blurted out in frustration.
“As if.”
“I’m serious. Back in school, kids lined up for me.”
To be fair, Baek Eun-seong’s face did fall under the handsome category. He simply wasn’t Natasha’s type.
If Won Hyukjin had a rugged, masculine appeal, Baek Eun-seong leaned more towards the boyish and pretty side.
“You look like a kid, so no thanks.”
“Says the old lady.”
“What did you say?”
Natasha glared at him with a chilling gaze. Realizing his mistake, Baek Eun-seong cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“But there are quite a few students here. Isn’t that the Mage Academy uniform?”
“Yeah. I heard they came as part of a special school activity.”
“Then Lee Seo-jun must be here too?”
Baek Eun-seong looked around for Lee Seo-jun.
There were nearly 70,000 spectators, but it didn’t take long to spot the students in uniform.
“Oh? Found him!”
He pointed across the stadium. Natasha followed his finger with her eyes.
Though they were far away—barely visible to the naked eye—she could see clearly thanks to her magically enhanced vision.
“You’re right. Lee Seo-jun looks like he’s having fun.”
“Well, he’s at that age.”
As they watched Lee Seo-jun, Baek Eun-seong suddenly noticed Kim Sunwoo sitting beside him.
Kim Sunwoo was a rising star in the academy, gaining just as much attention as Lee Seo-jun recently.
But Baek Eun-seong looked startled the moment he saw him.
Because Kim Sunwoo was already looking in his direction.
For about a second.
Then, as if it were coincidence, Kim Sunwoo turned to the girl sitting next to him.
“…What the hell?”
Natasha asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Oh? It’s nothing. I think I just imagined it.”
Baek Eun-seong mumbled while fiddling with his prosthetic arm.
Just then—
Flash!
Bright lights lit up the stadium.
And the announcer’s voice echoed.
[Fighters, enter!]
To intense music, Won Hyukjin stepped onto the stage.
The crowd erupted in cheers at the sight of the handsome man radiating masculinity.
Natasha enhanced her vision to get a better look at him.
“Tch.”
Baek Eun-seong clicked his tongue and waited for the next fighter.
Before long, a gaunt man with a sharp expression entered from the other side.
Baek Eun-seong was intrigued.
He instinctively sensed that the man had the same aura as himself.
“Who’s that guy?”
“His name’s Jungwi. Came from China. He’s a rookie, so there’s not much info on him.”
“Really?”
Baek Eun-seong stared at Jungwi—Liang Liang—deep in thought.
A man with that kind of presence should be well-known, but it was his first time hearing the name.
“I’m interested. Let’s see what he’s got.”
About twenty minutes passed.
The match between Won Hyukjin and Liang Liang had ended.
The unexpected course of the fight had left the audience stunned.
I, too, was surprised.
Liang Liang’s skills were far more refined than when I had seen him before—almost as if he had learned magic from Ha-ryeong, the host of the underground arena and an S-rank demon.
At this level, he was likely approaching mid-to-high A-rank.
Of course, his mana control was still rough, so this assessment referred only to his combat instincts, not pure ability.
“This is gonna make the news.”
“Good thing nothing major happened, though.”
Liang Liang showed off remarkable skill, as expected of someone undefeated in the underground scene.
But his opponent was a champion from the official scene.
No matter how much you dominate the underground, fighting a top-tier fighter aboveground is a whole different game.
And fitting of the title ‘champion,’ Won Hyukjin overwhelmed Liang Liang with sheer mana capacity and technique.
Of course, the pressure he applied was all within the strict rules of a magic duel.
Since magic can easily kill, Won Hyukjin had restrained himself accordingly.
Just when it looked like Liang Liang was going to lose—
Just like in the underground arena last time—he launched a surprise attack, aiming to catch his opponent off guard.
He used a kill spell—a banned move that results in immediate disqualification.
Thankfully, the attack failed. The moment Liang Liang struck, the arena’s safety team and protective magic activated.
He was immediately bound by restraining spells and dragged away.
This, too, followed the original storyline.
Liang Liang would now be stripped of his license to compete legally and return to the underground, where he would reign once more.
As time passed and all matches concluded, the audience began to exit.
Our group did the same, chatting as we left the arena.
“Man, Won Hyukjin almost got seriously hurt today.”
“Yeah. That rookie’s insane. With that much mana packed into the attack, he really was aiming to kill.”
“Probably just lost it after getting hit so much.”
As we exited, I felt a peculiar gaze directed at me.
I turned my head and saw a man in an elegant suit watching me with strange eyes.
His face seemed familiar.
Then it hit me—
He was the man I’d seen in Liang Liang’s waiting room. Wait… if he was there, then could it be—
I used Character Insight on him.
━━
Name: Ha-ryeong
Age: 62
Race: Demon
Status: Stable
Mana Rank: S
Interest Level: 0
━━
As expected.
He was exactly who I thought.
The S-rank demon—Ha-ryeong.
Master of the underground arena.
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