One hour after the duel.
I was watching Go Shinwook pack up his belongings in the second-year office.
I had no idea what was wrong with this school, but somehow, a mere class representative had his own private office.
“…Here, take this.”
Go Shinwook, rummaging through a drawer, pulled something out with a sullen expression.
“What is it?”
“The class rep badge.”
“They even have something like this?”
“…Yeah, but no one actually wears it. It’s embarrassing, so people just keep it in their pockets.”
After being utterly crushed in our duel, Go Shinwook had become a completely different person.
The guy who had been screaming, “Die, Kim Yushin!” at the top of his lungs was now nothing more than a meek little lamb.
“I had dungeon assignments scheduled for next week and the week after. You can take them over now. And these are training facility passes…”
Despite his gloom, he was being quite diligent with the handover.
“And as for what the second-year rep does… When the student council or senior class reps visit, you should prepare cof—”
“Ah, forget it.”
I waved him off.
“I’m not interested in the rep position. I’ll just take the dungeon assignments.”
“…Huh?”
A spark of life returned to Go Shinwook’s nearly lifeless eyes.
“And if you want, I can smooth things over about today’s duel. It wouldn’t look good if the mighty second-year rep got knocked out in one punch by an underperformer, right?”
Go Shinwook’s eyes widened.
This guy cared a lot about how others saw him.
And since I was planning to take my early graduation exam in two weeks, I had no reason to take on the hassle of being class rep.
All I needed to do was get what I wanted while making it seem like I was doing him a favour.
“Y-You’d really do that? Thanks, Yushin! I totally misjudged you!”
His eyes welled up with emotion, and he looked like he was about to cling to me.
I quickly stepped back and said,
“But there’s something I need your help with.”
“O-Of course! Just say the word!”
Looks like I just secured a loyal lackey.
I smirked and asked,
“You know a girl named Jin Bora from the student council, right?”
* * *
After scouring through Go Shinwook’s various information networks, I finally found my recruitment target.
So that’s her.
Jin Bora was sitting alone in a campus café, tapping away at her smartphone.
I quietly approached and secretly opened her status window.
Name: Jin Bora
Unique Ability: Enchant
Personal Traits: [Structural Understanding Lv.4] [Sniper Lv.3] [Jack-of-All-Trades Lv.3]
Main Stats: [Agility 78] [Magic 45] [Stamina 24] [Strength 10]
Special Stats: [Charm 20] [Adaptability 3] [Leadership 2]
Total Stat Sum: [185]
She was definitely talented.
Even as a first-year, her total stats were far higher than Go Shinwook’s, the second-year class rep.
She had grown significantly since the last time I saw her.
…But this is interesting. A charm stat of 20?
Special stats like these varied from player to player and grew much more slowly compared to main stats.
For someone with a total stat sum under 200, a charm stat of 20 was extremely rare—especially since it was even higher than her strength.
…Hmm.
Looking at her closely, it made sense.
She was petite with a delicate frame, violet hair cascading like waves, and soft pink cheeks.
She wasn’t a stunning beauty or a model-type, but she had a cute, doll-like charm that would definitely be popular with guys.
But what mattered most was her unique ability.
Jin Bora’s Enchant could amplify the performance of objects.
I was considering recruiting her under the assumption that she could enchant potions.
If that were possible, we’d be a perfect match.
I approached her as naturally as possible.
“Hey there.”
She lifted her gaze from her phone, looking at me with a puzzled expression.
“You’re Jin Bora, right? Shinwook told me about you.”
“Oh… Hello.”
“By any chance—”
Just then, her phone chimed with a notification.
She glanced down, let out a small “Ah.” and then quickly said,
“Sorry, but I’m a bit busy right now…”
She bowed her head slightly and left the café in a hurry.
…That was a failure.
Did I just get ignored?
“That… that damn girl!”
Go Shinwook, who had been eavesdropping nearby, exploded with rage and stormed out.
But Jin Bora was already long gone, like the wind.
“She ignored you even after I dropped my name?! That bitch—”
“Forget it.”
At my words, Go Shinwook immediately deflated.
“Y-Yushin… Just give me a little time. I’ll find a way to bring her back…”
“I already told you—I need to negotiate with her. I don’t want to force her to the table with threats.”
Hearing that he was no longer useful, Go Shinwook slumped.
“But still, I didn’t expect her to brush me off so blatantly. Is she always like this?”
“Yeah.”
Go Shinwook sighed.
“She looks polite and friendly, but if she doesn’t see you as worth her time, she won’t even acknowledge you. She’s very clear about cutting people off.”
“And if she does see someone as worth her time?”
“Oh, that’s a whole different story.”
Go Shinwook shook his head with a bitter smile.
“She’s basically an angel to them. She fawns over seniors, acts sweet, plays cute. There are tons of third- and fourth-years swimming in her little fishpond.”
…Her personal life seemed a bit messy.
I still planned to recruit her for her skills, but I’d have to avoid getting personally involved.
“So, how does someone get into Jin Bora’s good graces?”
Go Shin-wook thought for a moment before answering.
“She doesn’t bother with people she considers beneath her.”
“Hmm.”
“And like I said, she treats those in power really well. If you want to get on her radar, you need to be at the center of the school’s power structure.”
“The center of power, huh…”
Sensing my gaze, Go Shinwook flinched and shrank back.
“Y-You’re not thinking of taking the rep position back, are you?”
“Not interested in running coffee errands. And taking it back now would be petty.”
Go Shinwook let out a sigh of relief.
I pulled out my phone and opened the school app.
“Eh, thinking about this is a hassle. I’ll just take the direct approach.”
“What do you mean?”
“Who has more power than the class reps?”
“Hmm… The ones who get even more benefits than class reps would be… the club leaders?”
Clubs at this academy were essentially like guilds.
Students with similar abilities or interests gathered to form factions, competing fiercely for funding and prestige.
The club leaders were basically the heads of these factions.
I scrolled through the student list and activated the duel function on the app.
“Wait—no way!”
“The club leaders are mostly out on dungeon assignments… Ah, but a few are still here.”
I pressed the [Duel] button repeatedly.
[You have sent a duel request.]
[You have sent a duel request.]
[You have sent a duel request.]
[You have sent a duel request.]
“AAAGH! You’re insane!”
Go Shinwook clutched his head in despair.
“Most club leaders are third- and fourth-years! They’re monsters who could get into professional guilds but stay for the school benefits! This isn’t a joke!”
All the better.
This was the perfect chance to see how well my magic worked against better hunters.
“I haven’t had much real combat experience since I couldn’t enter dungeons.”
“…Wow. Hahaha. You’re actually crazy. I’m staying out of this, got it?!”
I simply smiled.
This academy held more bad memories than good.
Before my early graduation, I planned to shake things up completely.
* * *
Two days later, on the day of the duel.
Despite the early hour, the indoor gymnasium of the academy was packed with people.
The reason was simple.
A rumor had spread like wildfire that the underachiever of the second year, Kim Yushin, had challenged four club leaders to a duel.
“It’s been a long time since I stood on this stage!”
At the center of the gymnasium, Ma Yeon-gyeong, the club leader of the “Historical Drama Research Society,” looked around with a sense of nostalgia.
“Ever since I took a central position in the school, challengers have been rare.”
Like a historical drama actress getting into character, she placed a hand on her chest and spoke in a theatrical tone.
“The duel system created by the chancellor was meant to inspire and motivate one another so that everyone could grow together! But what about now? Over time, the hierarchy has solidified, and everyone has grown complacent in their positions!”
Her captivating voice echoed throughout the gymnasium.
“That is why I am grateful that such a reckless challenger still exists.”
She turned her head.
“Normally, there is a procedure to face a club leader directly, but I have decided to accept your duel personally in recognition of your courage.”
“…I appreciate that.”
Opposite her, Yushin was stretching.
“Shall we get started?”
“Very well.”
She stretched out both arms.
“As we agreed beforehand, I wager my position as club leader, and you wager all your dungeon dispatch rights and benefits. Any other conditions?”
“None.”
“Then let us begin.”
She signaled to a facility staff member, who clicked his tongue and raised his arm.
“The friendly duel between second-year Kim Yushin and third-year Ma Yeon-gyeong will now commence!”
Ooooooooh!
Cheers erupted from all corners as the academy students, starved for a big match, roared with excitement.
Yeon-gyeong, her emotions heightened by the long-awaited duel, grinned widely.
“Here I come, Kim Chun-chu!”
“…It’s Kim Yushin.”
Completely ignoring his correction, she began generating toxic spheres around her.
Her signature ability—”Poison Needle.”
“Of course, you’ve researched my unique ability, haven’t you? But no defense or evasion technique can escape my po—”
Boom! Boom!
Before she could even finish her sentence, Yushin’s mana arrows struck the toxic spheres mid-formation, shattering them.
“…Huh?”
“I’m not thinking about dodging or blocking.”
Yushin said.
“I’ll just shoot them all down.”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Yushin’s mana arrows, forming and flying at almost one-second intervals, annihilated each toxic sphere the moment they appeared.
“…What the—!”
Yeon-gyeong tried countering by reducing the potency of her toxic spheres and maximizing their creation speed, but Yushin remained unimpressed.
His magic circle deployment speed was far superior, and he even had the luxury of preemptively forming extra ones.
“…Uh, uh?”
“What’s happening?”
The spectators, expecting to see Yushin writhing in agony from poison, were stunned by the unexpected turn of events.
The club leader of the “Historical Drama Research Society,” Ma Yeon-gyeong, couldn’t even land a proper attack.
‘I—I can’t keep up with his speed! He just keeps increasing it!’
Cold sweat dripped down Yeon-gyeong’s forehead.
She was being thoroughly outmatched.
Thunk! Crack!
Now, the mana arrows were targeting her directly.
As they struck her shoulder and thigh in quick succession, shaking the mana suit’s protective field, Yeon-gyeong’s expression hardened.
Her concentration wavered, and the speed of her Poison Needle creation slowed.
‘…I—I can’t win this. This is my absolute counter. Did he challenge me on purpose…?’
Gritting her teeth, she glared at Yushin.
Even now, new mana arrow magic circles were multiplying around him at an absurd speed.
“Will you surrender?”
“…Tsk!”
Just as Yeon-gyeong was about to unleash all her remaining mana in defiance, a vast blue magic formation spread across the sky, filling her vision.
How many were there?
It was overwhelming.
Staring blankly at the sky, Yeon-gyeong finally lowered her head.
“…I surrender.”
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
The facility staff, who had been watching in a daze, snapped out of it and raised an arm.
“Match over! The winner is second-year Kim Yushin!”
As the murmuring continued, Yushin exhaled lightly.
The vast blue magic circles disappeared.
‘A third-year, and I won so easily.’
—A natural outcome, Master of the Tower.
At that moment, a man who had been watching the duel stepped forward.
“I’m next.”
Third-year club leader of “Fierce Flame,” Ha Jinho.
His face was aged beyond his years, with bold features. As he removed his training jacket, his bulging muscles were revealed.
“I watched your fight. I can see this isn’t just some childish prank, so I won’t let my guard down.”
“I look forward to it, senior.”
The facility staff turned to Yushin.
“This is a back-to-back duel. Are you sure you’re up for it?”
“Yes. No problem.”
Nodding, the staff raised his arm.
“The friendly duel between second-year Kim Yushin and third-year Ha Jinho will now commence!”
As the starting buzzer rang, cheers erupted once more.
“He had a type of advantage last match. But against Ha Jinho, it’s impossible.”
“Of course.”
“You can’t just win with magic deployment speed against him.”
As murmurs filled the audience, Ha Jinho spread his legs shoulder-width apart and tightened his core.
“Hoo!”
His entire body turned a deep brown as scales emerged on his skin.
Crack! Crack!
His hands and feet enlarged, claws extending, while his face stretched into a reptilian nose.
A metamorphosis-type ability that inherited monster traits.
Ha Jinho’s specialty was the power of a dragon-type monster—”Salamander.”
Crackle!
Fiery vein-like patterns surfaced across his upper body.
Holding his breath, Ha Jinho leaned back, his stomach bulging as something welled up inside.
Then, as it moved past his abdomen, chest, and throat, he opened his mouth—
A blazing fireball emerged.
The hallmark ability of the Salamander—”Flame Breath.”
“Ooooooh!”
The crowd erupted in excitement.
Ha Jinho looked at Yushin triumphantly.
His opponent had merely stood still, watching as he prepared his attack.
‘Why is he so relaxed?’
Finally, Yushin moved.
Opening his palm, he rapidly wove mana into a circular shape.
Fwoosh!
“Huh?”
“The other side too…!”
This time, it wasn’t an arrow.
A massive red fireball floated above Yushin’s magic circle.
‘What the hell…!’
Ha Jinho’s eyes widened in shock.
The same fire attribute technique.
But Yushin’s was even bigger.
“Now, which one will be faster?”
Yushin grinned, extending his arm.
TL : All this to get a narcissist girls attention. Don’t be like him guys. Peaceeee
