If you were to ask what the strongest organization in the world is, nine out of ten people would point to the Anti-Terror Special Task Force under the World Mage Association.
The task force’s primary mission is to eliminate rogue mages appearing in cities and thwart terrorist activities. Unlike ordinary monsters, rogue mages and terrorists possess greater power and intelligence, making them more dangerous and challenging to handle.
For these reasons, the task force is comprised of top-tier mages, with each member being among the world’s best. Kim Deokhyun, a veteran who had served in the task force for 15 years, was one of them.
Returning to the Korean headquarters after a week-long overseas mission, Kim Deokhyun opened the door with a sense of excitement to see his colleagues again.
“Isn’t this outright admissions fraud?”
“Exactly. It wasn’t like this when I was in school.”
“What? You graduated from there too? What year?”
“Oh, I’m Class of 2022.”
Even as Kim returned, his colleagues didn’t seem to notice, engrossed in something on the screen. Curious, he quietly approached them to see what they were watching.
A video?
The footage showed a teenage student attempting to cast a spell. Mana was gathered but then dissipated in a mana overload, causing the magic orb to vanish. To Kim, it seemed like an unremarkable failure.
“What is this?”
“Ah! You scared me!”
Startled, Jung Hyunsoo, who had been watching the video, turned around.
“Oh, Senior Kim! When did you get here?”
“Just now. But what’s that?”
“Oh, it’s a leaked video of yesterday’s open test at the Korean Mage Academy.”
Kim nodded as Hyunsoo explained.
“Pretty decent.”
“Sorry, what?”
“I said it’s decent.”
“Did you even watch the video properly?”
“Why don’t you look again? It’s just mana compression causing an overload.”
Hyunsoo tilted his head. Mana compression was typically undetectable unless one was close enough to sense the flow of energy. Yet Kim seemed certain based on the short clip alone.
“Wait, how could a student manage mana compression?”
“Why not? Besides, that target doesn’t look particularly big. Usually, you’d compress mana to aim for a critical spot for better scores.”
While not incorrect, it was still hard to accept.
“Even if they did compress it, how could someone who triggers an overload with such weak compression use manifestation techniques? And that student ranked 112th.”
“Don’t know about the rank, but think of it this way—if it wasn’t compressed, how could such a small mana orb cause an overload?”
“…Huh. Now that you mention it…”
Kim clicked his tongue.
“Instead of wasting time on this, go watch Lee Seojun practicing sword techniques. I saw him sparring with the president last time, and he’s better than you.”
“Come on, Senior. No way he’s stronger than me. He’s still a high schooler, no matter how talented.”
“I’m just saying. But give him a year or two—he might be on your level.”
Though Hyunsoo had a retort in mind, he chose not to argue further, knowing he couldn’t win a debate with Kim. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the screen.
“You know, if that student really did manage mana compression, they might be worth scouting.”
“What’s there to scout?”
“If they’ve got potential, we should recruit them right away.”
Kim clicked his tongue again.
“Potential, huh? You’re always so one-dimensional.”
“What? Why? You just said they were decent.”
“‘Decent’ refers to their technique. But usually, if a student can handle compression like that at their age, it means they haven’t trained much in emission or control. Think about it—if they were good at those too, would they be ranked 112th?”
“…Oh. You’re a genius, Senior.”
[An unencountered character has taken an interest in you.]
[You have earned 500 points as a reward.]
“Hah… hah… What’s this…”
During the afternoon’s basic endurance training, a sudden message appeared before my eyes.
“Hah… What the…”
An unencountered character? Who could that be? There were so many characters in the story that none came to mind. But honestly, that wasn’t the main issue.
“Hah… I’m gonna die…”
I’d been running nonstop on the track for over 30 minutes, and it felt like my heart was about to burst. My legs had gone numb long ago, and all I wanted to do was collapse onto the ground.
“Wow, that kid’s holding up better than expected.”
“Right? Their stamina’s not bad.”
Out of 50 students, 45 had already given up. The only ones still running were me, Lee Seo-jun, Shin Young-joon, and two others—a boy and a girl whose names I didn’t know.
The funny thing? All four of them were enhancement mages.
“Why doesn’t he just stick to enhancement magic? His stamina’s great—why switch to manifestation?”
“Good question.”
Just then, the unnamed male student dropped out.
“Hah… I give up!”
“Park Yumin, 31 laps,” the instructor called out as the boy left the track.
Thirty-one laps. How was that even possible?
If it weren’t for my Returner’s Wristwatch restoring my stamina, I wouldn’t have lasted eight laps.
“Kim Sunwoo, when’s he gonna quit? Is he trying to kill himself?”
“Think he’ll just drop dead at this rate?”
Now only one competitor stood between me and a top-three finish—and the prized A grade.
So please, just give up already.
“Ugh…”
But my body, pushed beyond its limits, refused to keep going.
“Kim Sunwoo, you’re tenacious. 32 laps,” said the instructor, Jang Ancheol, glancing at me.
Lacking the energy to respond, I collapsed onto the ground.
[Jang Ancheol is impressed by your determination.]
[You have earned 500 points as a reward.]
“Hah… hah…”
Moments later, the lone girl who had been running gave up as well, evidently deciding that third place was good enough for an A grade. Smart move.
That left only Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-joon.
Despite running nonstop for hours, neither of them showed any signs of exhaustion.
How they managed to endure without special items like mine was beyond comprehension.
‘…Monsters.’
“Ugh.”
I collapsed into my classroom seat on shaky legs. My entire body ached from overexertion.
Just as I was catching my breath, a commotion broke out among the students.
“Hey! The test rankings are out!”
“Really? Let’s check right now!”
The results of yesterday’s evaluation test must already be out.
I pulled out my student handbook to check my grades. After unlocking the screen, I tapped the “Integrated Information System” icon on the background.
[Integrated Information System]
With quick, practiced swipes, I navigated to my grades.
[Grade Information]
[2nd-Year Basic Evaluation Results]
[Kim Sunwoo] [Class 2-A]
[Overall Rank: 150th]
“…”
I had braced myself for it, but seeing it in black and white still stung.
150th place.
Out of 150 second-year students, I was dead last.
[You have achieved the ‘Dead Last in School’ achievement.]
[Reward: 1,000 points earned.]
“Sigh.”
Humiliating as it was, at least I racked up a decent chunk of points. That was some consolation.
On the bright side, having so much room for improvement meant there were plenty of achievements waiting for me to unlock. I clung to that thought to keep my spirits up.
As I exhaled another heavy sigh, the excited chatter of students reached my ears again.
“How are we forming teams for the dungeon exploration on Thursday?”
“Let’s start planning now that the rankings are out.”
Ah, that’s right—Thursday was the five-person dungeon exploration.
Five-Person Dungeon Exploration.
Every Thursday, groups of five students would dive into an artificial dungeon. It was a competitive class where grades were based on how quickly each team cleared their dungeon.
Looking around, I saw my classmates busily moving to secure team members. I needed to act fast.
Naturally, having strong teammates would be a huge boost in raising my grades. Plus, once teams were set, they couldn’t be changed until the semester ended. It was a decision that required careful consideration.
Strong teammates, huh…
Several candidates came to mind. I scanned the room, my eyes quickly locking onto my first pick.
It didn’t take long to spot them. There was one person I knew who had both talent and a proven track record.
I stood up and walked over to a girl sitting alone at her desk, engrossed in her studies.
“Yoo Ara.”
At my call, Yoo Ara glanced up at me with sharp eyes. Her expression made it clear she wasn’t thrilled to see me.
“…I told you not to talk to me.”
“Join my team for the dungeon exploration on Thursday.”
“What? No.”
Her rejection was instant and absolute. The curt response left me momentarily speechless.
“I have a good reason for asking,” I pressed on.
Yoo Ara let out a dry laugh, her skepticism noticeable.
“I already have a team.”
“What?”
I hadn’t expected that. Who could she have teamed up with? She didn’t have friends.
“Who’d you team up with? You don’t have any friends.”
“…What did you just say?”
[The character ‘Yu Ara’ is filled with contempt for you.]
[Reward: 500 points earned.]
While I was still processing her rejection, the classroom bell chimed. There were only about five minutes left before class resumed.
Meanwhile, in the hallway, Lee Seo-jun walked alone, his thoughts drifting to the dungeon exploration.
“Who are you teaming up with for the dungeon exploration?”
“Haven’t decided yet.”
Bits of conversation about Thursday’s event floated into his ears.
“Ah, right. I need to form a team, too,” he thought.
Naturally, as the school’s top-ranked student, plenty of people would jump at the chance to team up with him. He could probably fill a line of volunteers a hundred strong.
But since the teams would last all semester, he couldn’t just pick random names out of a hat.
“I’d rather team up with someone I can get along with than just someone strong…”
The thought of his closest friends, Shin Young-joon and Lee Hyun-joo, crossed his mind. But teaming up with other top-ranked students would result in a grade penalty.
That left one option: a skilled mid-tier student.
“Lee Seojun.”
Someone called out to him from behind. Turning around, he saw a male student slightly out of breath, as if he had rushed to catch him.
“Kim Sunwoo?”
Sunwoo wasn’t someone Seo-jun had paid much attention to last year. But over the past two days, the boy had somehow managed to draw attention in various ways.
“What’s up?”
To Seo-jun’s surprise, Kim Sunwoo flashed a confident smile.
“I want to team up with you for the dungeon exploration.”
“Hmm.”
Seo-jun hadn’t even considered Sunwoo for his team. He was about to refuse outright when he remembered the public test from the day before.
Compressed manifestation techniques. Last year, Sunwoo had focused on enhancement magic, yet now he was showing proficiency in such an advanced skill.
Seo-jun found himself curious.
“Sorry, but I never considered you as a potential teammate.”
“You should,” Sunwoo replied with a surprising firmness. His tone was more of a demand than a suggestion.
“And why’s that?” Seo-jun asked, smiling faintly.
“I have two reasons.”
“Two reasons, huh?”
Seo-jun found himself intrigued despite himself.
“Alright, let’s hear them.”
“First, I’m ranked last in our grade.”
That was a reason? Seo-jun couldn’t suppress his laughter.
“Pfft. That’s your reason?”
“In every combined test the school conducts, there’s a score adjustment based on rank. If the top-ranked student teams up with the bottom-ranked one, you’ll benefit from the bonus points.”
Ah. So that’s what he meant. It did make sense.
But that alone wasn’t enough to justify taking the risk of teaming up with the lowest-ranked student.
“That’s not enough of a reason. Even with bonus points, it won’t matter if my teammate contributes nothing.”
“Then here’s the second reason.”
Sunwoo smirked, his confidence almost unnerving.
“What’s the second reason?”
“Yoo Ara’s team composition.”
“What?”
Seo-jun was caught off guard.
“You’re aware of Yoo Ara’s specialty, right? She excels in wide-area magic and group combat. She’s paired herself with two of the lowest-ranked students—149th and 148th place.”
“…”
Seojun frowned.
He knew Yoo Ara viewed him as a rival. She’d been working tirelessly to claim the top spot.
But to go so far as to team up with the near-bottom-ranked students?
“Even if her teammates are weak, Yoo Ara’s abilities are well-suited for a dungeon setting. She probably won’t have much trouble clearing it.”
“Hmm… You’ve given me something to think about.”
Seeing that Seojun was considering his words, Sunwoo added a final point.
“There’s one more reason.”
“I thought you said there were two reasons?”
At this, Sunwoo’s gave a mysterious smile.
Seo-jun, intrigued, leaned closer.
“Fine. What’s the third reason?”
“I’m stronger than you think.”
“…What?”
Seojun couldn’t help but laugh.
“Pfft… That’s bold.”
It sounded like a joke, but Seojun could tell Sunwoo wasn’t bluffing.
His curiosity deepened.
“Alright, fine. Let’s team up. But on one condition.”
“Condition?”
“I’ll pick the remaining teammates. That cool?”
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