At the entrance to the third-year cooperative magic beast subjugation test site that Kim Sun-woo had left behind, the area was still crowded with people and in a state of confusion.
“Move aside!”
At that moment, a woman pushed through the crowd and appeared. Her imposing presence made people instinctively step aside. Some among them recognized her.
“Huh? Could that be Mage Jung Yoon-seul?”
“It really is! I heard she had gone into hiding.”
“What brings Mage Jung Yoon-seul here?”
Jung Yoon-seul, one of the top five support-type mages in the world.
The sudden appearance of someone who had recently disappeared from the public eye left people in shock.
“Me? I was just bored and decided to drop by. Anyway, step aside for now.”
Her casual way of speaking was already well-known among mages, so no one paid much attention to her blunt manner.
“Yes, yes! Everyone, make way!”
As the crowd cleared, Jung Yoon-seul reached the entrance where the barrier was visible. There, she gazed down at the woman who had been pretending to dispel the barrier—Yang Hyun—with a look of disdain.
“Hey, you. The one pretending to remove the barrier. Move aside. I’ll take care of it.”
“Huh?”
Yang Hyun, who had been faking the process of dispelling the barrier, turned around in surprise.
“J-Jung Yoon-seul?”
“Didn’t you hear me? I said move.”
With Jung Yoon-seul declaring that she would personally remove the barrier, there was no one who would dare stand in her way.
Under the growing pressure of everyone’s stares, Yang Hyun had no choice but to step back.
And in that moment, she thought—‘I’m doomed.’
‘…Of all people, why did Jung Yoon-seul have to show up?’
But she couldn’t abandon the mission given to her by Cheonhae. After hesitating briefly, she cautiously spoke to Jung Yoon-seul.
“Should I assist you?”
Jung Yoon-seul glanced at her and chuckled.
“What a joke. You were just pretending to dispel the barrier.”
“…What?”
“What are you all waiting for? Arrest her.”
At Jung Yoon-seul’s unexpected words, people tilted their heads in confusion.
Feeling frustrated, Jung Yoon-seul pointed directly at Yang Hyun.
“She’s a demon. Capture her.”
At those words, every gaze focused on Yang Hyun.
“…That person is a demon?”
Under the weight of their collective stares, Yang Hyun took a panicked step backward.
“W-What are you talking about? How could I be a demon?”
As she strongly denied the accusation, a glowing blue magic circle suddenly appeared beneath her feet.
At the same time, she clutched her throat, gasping.
“Ghhhk! C-Can’t…breathe…!”
Yang Hyun writhed in agony, clutching at her neck. Jung Yoon-seul was using magic to choke the life out of her.
Realizing that she was about to die, Yang Hyun unleashed the demonic energy she had been concealing. Her eyes turned completely black, and the eerie, ominous energy unique to demons spread out, engulfing those nearby.
“She’s a demon!”
“Prepare for battle!”
The test site immediately erupted into chaos.
Two more demons, who had been lurking nearby, revealed themselves, their eyes also turning black.
And thus, the battle to subjugate the demons began.
Fortunately, with so many mages gathered in the test site, the three demons would soon be subdued.
Leaving the demon hunt to them, Jung Yoon-seul turned her attention back to dispelling the barrier.
“…Hmm, but who created this?”
Studying the intricate encryptions and magical formulas hidden within the barrier, Jung Yoon-seul silently admired its complexity.
The level of this barrier was far beyond what she had expected.
This wasn’t something created in a day—it had to have been meticulously planned and constructed over several days.
‘…At this level, it will take at least 30 minutes to break.’
Jung Yoon-seul channeled her magic into the magic circle forming the barrier.
Then, suddenly—
“…Huh?”
She sensed something strange.
The complex magical formulas and encryptions embedded in the barrier were unraveling at an astonishing speed.
“What… what the hell?”
She unconsciously voiced her shock. Someone else, somewhere, was breaking the barrier.
But even so, for it to be undone at this speed…
It felt as though the very person who had created the barrier was now dismantling it.
“Is this even possible?”
And then—
A radiant light burst from the magic circle forming the barrier.
And just like that, the barrier vanished.
Kim Deokhyun swung his massive spear, cutting down the monsters that had appeared within the academy.
Even with just a casual sweep, the beasts before him were torn to shreds and vanished.
“Damn it! They just keep coming! Where did all those guild scouts disappear to?!”
“Ugh, I’m on a call, so be quiet.”
Jung Hyunsoo, wearing an earpiece and talking on the phone, shot back irritably. Then, hearing something from the other end, he suddenly wore a baffled expression.
“Senior, they say the scouts are trapped in the third-year test site.”
“What? Are you kidding me? Why are they trapped there?!”
“How should I know? Maybe the demons did something to them?”
“Damn idiots.”
“But why did the demons attack this place? What’s their objective?”
“We’ll have to figure that out. But first, there’s one problem—these damn monsters keep coming, but the demons themselves are nowhere in sight. If we don’t take down the real culprits, this won’t end.”
—Kwaaaang!
At that moment, a surge of powerful demonic energy exploded in the distance.
Both Kim Deokhyun and Jung Hyunsoo instinctively turned their heads toward the source.
“That magic surge just now…”
“Yeah, that was a demon. At least B-rank or higher.”
“That was near the magic training ground. Looks like demons have appeared over there.”
Jung Hyunsoo, an academy graduate, instantly pinpointed the exact location of the explosion.
Kim Deokhyun’s expression darkened slightly.
“Aren’t there students over there?”
“Most likely, yeah.”
“We need to move, now!”
A massive fireball engulfed the monsters.
Beside it, countless ice arrows filled the sky, raining down upon them.
From beast-like creatures to humanoid and flying types, monsters of all kinds let out sounds as they fell.
This was near the magic training grounds within the Mage Academy.
Yoo Ara and Yoon Hayoung were engaged in battle against the monsters that had suddenly appeared.
“Haa… haa…”
After a prolonged fight, Yoo Ara was panting heavily.
The monsters themselves weren’t particularly strong, but there were simply too many of them.
She had no idea how such a large number of monsters could have been summoned into the heart of the academy without anyone noticing.
Yoon Hayoung looked at her with concern.
“Are you okay?”
“Haa… yeah, I’m fine.”
Though Yoo Ara nodded in reassurance, she didn’t look fine at all.
She had already been pushing herself too hard, fighting an overwhelming number of monsters.
The number she had taken down alone had already surpassed fifty.
“Hoo…”
At least, after thinning out the monsters, they finally had a brief moment to catch their breath.
Looking around, Yoon Hayoung muttered,
“But where are all the guild scouts? And the instructors?”
“Well, they’re probably busy dealing with this situation somewhere else.”
Just then—
A powerful mass of magic shot toward them, erupting in a massive explosion.
—KWAANG!
Yoon Hayoung and Yoo Ara barely managed to evade the attack, but they couldn’t avoid the shockwave of powerful magic that followed.
“Ugh…! What was that?”
Yoon Hayoung winced in pain and lifted her head.
A man in a black coat was approaching them, his footsteps steady.
Looking closely, his eyes were entirely black.
“…A demon?”
Yoon Hayoung muttered in a trembling voice as she stared at him.
The man glanced between the two of them, then smirked in amusement.
“Impressive. I didn’t expect you to react to that.”
Then, his gaze shifted to Yoo Ara.
“So, you’re Yoo Ara? I’ve been looking for you.”
Yoo Ara’s expression hardened.
The pressure emanating from him was at least that of a B-rank demon or higher.
No matter how much of a prodigy she was, taking on a B-rank or higher demon was beyond her ability.
The demon conjured a dark, flickering magic above his hand.
“Let’s see if you’re truly the child of prophecy.”
The mass of magic shot toward Yoo Ara.
Gathering the magic within her body, she countered with her own spell.
The two forces collided midair.
Waves of powerful mana pulsed outward, shaking the ground beneath them.
Moments later, both spells canceled each other out.
“As expected, you live up to the rumors.”
The demon murmured in admiration.
For an 18-year-old student, her magic was formidable—even comparable to that of professional mages.
But no matter how talented she was, she was still just a student.
The difference in experience was clear.
If he wanted, he could end this fight effortlessly.
“I’d love to play around a bit more, but I’m in a hurry. Let’s wrap this up.”
The demon moved at lightning speed, lunging toward Yoo Ara.
She tried to react, but his swift movements made it impossible to stop him.
—GRAB!
The demon’s hand wrapped tightly around Yoo Ara’s throat.
“Guh…!”
Her feet lifted off the ground.
As her airway was blocked, she let out a strangled gasp.
She kicked and struggled, trying to break free, but his grip was too strong.
Her consciousness began to fade.
“What? So you’re not the child of prophecy after all?”
The demon muttered in disappointment.
Then, he raised his other hand, conjuring a new spell to finish her off.
At that moment—
—KWAANG!
A blast of magic struck the demon’s back.
“Urgh!”
The impact forced him to release Yoo Ara, and she collapsed to the ground, rolling limply.
Furious, the demon turned his head.
Yoon Hayoung stood there, her hands trembling, as she aimed dozens of ice arrows at him.
“You little brat… I’ll kill you first.”
Seething with rage, the demon dashed toward Yoon Hayoung at the same terrifying speed.
Just like before, he grabbed her throat.
“Guh…!”
Yoon Hayoung let out a pained groan, her eyes welling with tears.
She clenched her teeth against the agony.
At that moment, a black bird appeared beside the demon.
The bird looked at him and spoke.
—The barrier has been broken.
The demon’s eyes widened in shock.
“What? Why? Wasn’t it supposed to last for over 30 minutes?”
—I don’t know. Someone inside the test site dispelled it. The mages are coming out now. You must escape immediately.
With that, the black bird vanished.
“What the hell…?”
Just as he was reeling from the unexpected news—
He sensed an unfamiliar, powerful force nearby.
When he looked up, he saw something glowing brightly above Yoon Hayoung’s hand.
Instinctively, he felt an overwhelming sense of danger.
‘This power… it’s lethal!’
Panicking, he tried to snap Yoon Hayoung’s neck.
But at that moment, searing pain exploded in his chest.
“Gah!”
Blood, dark red and thick, spilled from his mouth.
He looked down at his own chest in shock.
A radiant white flame was burning there.
This wasn’t just an ordinary magical wound.
The demon muttered in disbelief,
“…The power of demon eradication?”
His legs buckled, and he fell to his knees.
Yoon Hayoung took the chance to push him away and scrambled backward, gasping for air.
“Arghhh!”
The demon clutched his chest, trying to heal himself.
But no matter how much mana he poured into regeneration, his body refused to recover.
“Heh… heh heh…”
Despite the pain, the demon let out a twisted smile—like he had just discovered something priceless.
“I found her… The child of prophecy!”
Staggering, he forced himself forward, step by step.
Even though the power of demon eradication was wreaking havoc on his body, he still had enough strength left to kill her.
But Yoon Hayoung couldn’t escape.
After unleashing that power, her entire body was drained.
Step, step.
“…”
She watched the demon approach, resignation settling in.
So this was the end.
She had only just discovered the joy of growing as a mage.
There were still so many things she wanted to do…
The demon stood before her, grinning.
Dark, sinister magic flickered to life in his palm.
“This is the end—”
—BOOM!
A blast of magic struck the back of his head.
“Gaaahhh!”
The demon screamed, rolling on the ground as he clutched his scorched skull.
“Who the hell—?!”
Half his face had been obliterated, yet he whipped around furiously.
Standing there was a male student, dressed in a school uniform.
A sphere of brilliant white magic hovered above his palm.
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