The Academy Competition will hold a total of 10 matches, with 5 players on each side, ranging from the 2nd Grade Elementary Division to the 2nd Grade High School Division.
Watching the highly intense High School 2nd Grade matches, it’s terrifyingly fierce.
The passionate 17-year-olds are those who live and die for honor.
They create exhilarating matches based on a determination to defeat their opponents by sacrificing everything.
That being said, the 2nd Grade Elementary matches aren’t without their popularity.
Because…
Crash!
“Uwaaaah!”
During a practice duel with Yuna, Ji-hye tripped over her own feet and scraped her face on the ground, bursting into tears.
That’s because whenever a match ends like this, one side is bound to end up crying.
The humiliation, emptiness, disgrace, and a little bit of physical pain that accompanies defeat make it a common sight for 8-year-olds to wail.
Even though it was just practice, Ji-hye’s face was a total mess of tears. So cute, it’s killing me!
“Waaah! It hurts!”
“Are you… okay?”
“Waaah… sniff…”
Yuna hurried to Ji-hye and examined her face.
One cheek was red and swollen.
[Spell: Tissue Regeneration]
Yuna cast the spell she learned from me before.
It’s a magic that helps heal wounds, but as Ji-hye received treatment, she cried out in even greater pain.
“Seo Yuna! How can you cast it so hard on her!”
“Isn’t this how it’s done? It’ll heal faster this way.”
“No, come here. Your tissue regeneration spell circle is red instead of green.”
Right now, Ji-hye must be feeling like someone is putting ointment on her wound.
[Spell: Cool Wind]
[Spell: Tissue Regeneration]
I set Ji-hye in a comfortable position beside me and gently stroked her cheek.
Her face looked much better than before.
“Sniff…”
Ji-hye glared at Yuna while sniffling.
“Does it still hurt?”
“Seo Yuna, you’re mean…”
“Yuna just wanted to help Ji-hye heal quickly. Don’t hold a grudge against her too much.”
“Okay…”
Ma Ji-hye, daughter of a magic cop, currently belongs to Class 2-B.
She was just over 120 cm tall, a rather small child, but until last year, she was the top contender in managing aura in her grade.
However, since the Class A kids received specialized lessons and figured out the tricks, her standing has become precarious.
She must be feeling anxious about making it into the top 5 soon.
Yuna scratched her head and plopped down next to Ji-hye.
“I’m so bummed that Na-me can’t participate. She’s super strong…”
“We’ll have to look forward to next year.”
“Hehe…!”
“Why are you laughing?”
“If you don’t grow more than 120 next year, that’ll be hilarious.”
“Hey.”
“You’re being way too harsh on Na-me…! Cough cough!”
Ji-hye chuckled a bit before bursting into a few more coughs.
Seems like these kids are having a blast.
“Ji-hye, let’s go buy ice cream from the store. Yuna, you stay and practice more with Si-hoo. You have enough energy, right?”
“What? Ugh, that’s tiring… Then buy me the orb ice cream.”
“And what about you, Si-hoo?”
“I’ll take anything.”
“Anything? Then I’ll get you the cheapest one. Come on, Ji-hye.”
“Oof! Wait a second, I’ll just grab my glasses.”
Ji-hye scampered off with her bobbed hair bouncing.
Just a moment ago, I thought she was totally drained of energy, but seeing her recharge in an instant makes me realize kids will always be kids.
Even though it’s fall, the daytime temperature showed no sign of diving below 30 degrees.
I put on the white floral-patterned parasol I brought from home and stuck close to Ji-hye as we headed to the shop.
“Who do you think will be picked among the 2nd graders for the competition?”
I thought carefully about Ji-hye’s question.
“Well, I think Si-hoo and Yuna will definitely be picked, right?”
With a higher mental age, they are friends with inherently high mana sensitivity.
Ji-hye easily agreed, probably recalling her defeat to Yuna in the earlier duel.
“I still don’t know about the other three. I think you have a good chance too, Ji-hye.”
Other than that, the competition is so stiff that it’s nearly impossible to rank anyone until the actual selection.
Lee Ha-ru, Kim Han-gyeol, Ma Ji-hye, Go Kyung-won, Hong Jun, and so on.
“Ji-hye, do you have any worries these days? Made many friends?”
Since Ji-hye is in a different class, she doesn’t get much chance to hang out with our group outside of lunch.
Plus, she said she didn’t talk to anyone else except Han Seori throughout her whole first year, and I was a bit worried considering they got separated. Her parents were saying something similar to me as well.
“I need to make it into Class A in 3rd grade… I don’t want to be separated from you guys in 3rd grade either.”
“I see.”
Currently, the system at Sephiron Academy is too harsh.
I joined midway as a transfer student, and there are currently 21 students in Class A.
So, when the grade changes, at least one student is destined to be sent to another class.
The twenty kids are fiercely guarding their spots while the other 60 are frantically trying to move up. It may be an efficient system, but if this were decades ago, it would have been reported as a human rights violation and made it to the news in no time.
Sometimes, I reflect on whether I’m being too rigid in my thinking, but I can’t shake off the feeling that the kids are unfortunate.
In today’s Republic of Korea, there’s a prevailing attitude that it’s okay to sacrifice the many for the sake of a few elite.
And those elite are then burdened with excessive responsibilities, expected to be “perfect” in every way, as if they were idols.
It’s not a very desirable society for either the few or the many.
At least since Principal Gu On-yu took office seven years ago, the overall educational direction has shifted to a more friendly approach, but conversely, the school has always been defeated in the competitions, causing a lot of buzz at the foundation level.
As those students move on to middle school and high school, their struggle to adapt to the cutthroat competition system has not gone unnoticed; other principals are said to view her unfavorably.
“What do you think of Principal Gu? Do you think she’s a good or bad person?”
“She’s an amazing person, isn’t she?”
“Why?”
“She sometimes treats us to hamburgers or ice cream.”
“Ah… So that’s why she’s good.”
Well, what would kids know about education anyway?
Still, I developed respect for all the teachers quietly working in the background for the children.
“I still think the practice sessions are way too short. Besides, we need to pick representatives as soon as possible so that I can start helping with training. Choosing them three weeks before the match? Isn’t that ridiculous? Here, have a Melona.”
“Thanks, Na-me! I’ll enjoy it! But aren’t you buying for Si-hoo too?”
“Oh right. I’ll just share half of my ice cream bar with him.”
“Poor Si-hoo…! But Na-me, you seem to be a bit tough on him.”
“Did I now? By the way, Ji-hye, do you have any plans to stay at school for more practice?”
Shake shake!
She shook her head vigorously.
I feel like kids these days are lacking the drive.
I keep consciously holding back, but it seems like my “old man” mindset is surfacing more often these days.
“Hmm? Who are they?”
There were several men in black suits gathered inside the gym.
No matter how I look at it, they didn’t seem to belong to the academy.
Si-hoo and Yuna quietly observed them from one corner.
“Who are those people?”
“I don’t know either. They showed up out of the blue while we were practicing.”
Among the men stood a girl dressed differently.
She wore a white top and a striking dark blue skirt that rose up to her navel.
A black belt was tightly tied around her waist to keep her skirt from slipping down.
When she turned her head towards us, her high ponytail swayed behind her.
Surprisingly youthful, her face seemed quite young.
“Younger than I expected?”
“Huh? Younger? She looks way older than us, though.”
Ji-hye expressed her confusion at my musing.
Yeah, I guess she’s like an elder to you guys.
Since they entered the Elementary Division premises, they must have received formal permission from the foundation and the academy.
Just as I was about to send a message to Principal Gu On-yu, they spoke to us first.
‘Translation magic?’
The girl placed her hands on her knees and bowed her head in greeting.
“Nice to meet you. I am Katsuhata Emika, formally walking the path of a wizard from the Katsuhata Sect. We have come to visit Sephiron Academy to meet NoName.”
*
The Katsuhata Sect, which first accepted the 1st Circle Unique Magic ‘Adela’, achieved an undefeated victory at the Emperor’s Cup in Japan.
The principle of magic is so innovative that numerous theoretical magic scholars have begun developing similar spells.
This is due to the fundamental problem inherent in the unique magic of ‘Adela.’
“Adela is truly a revolutionary magic. But what if one could cast it alone…?”
Why is it that a helper is absolutely necessary when amplifying and transferring power?
Is it really something that cannot be solved alone?
Despite having proposals that could address the fundamental limitations of Japanese swordsmanship, it’s tragic that it cannot be utilized in individual competitions like the National Exchange Tournament.
Meanwhile, rumors began circulating in Japan’s net society that the creator of this unique magic is an eight-year-old girl.
It all started with an entertainment program exported to Japan.
Most of the public opinion was that someone else must have helped promote the genius girl, but Emika didn’t think so.
“Then, shouldn’t we just check it out ourselves?”
If NoName is indeed the true creator of the unique magic, she would surely be well aware of its limitations.
Isn’t it reasonable to think that together, we could further enhance it?
This trip to Korea holds the future of Japan.
Thus began a smooth journey to Korea.
When the news that the heir of Katsuhata was visiting Korea broke, many local fans warmly welcomed her at Incheon Airport.
Many media outlets speculated about her purpose for visiting.
While touring popular tourist spots in Seoul to keep the public’s interest at bay, they finally arrived at their real destination.
Sephiron Academy.
“Why is Korea entrusting its talented individuals to foreign institutions for nurturing?”
It’s a system unimaginable in Japan.
With such questions in mind, Emika entered the academy’s gym.
Maybe she had dyed her hair; a girl with red twin tails was relentlessly pressuring a boy.
But the boy wasn’t backing down either.
He skillfully blocked targeted strikes with magic and countered with aura strikes elsewhere.
Envy – a talent not inferior to those heirs focusing on ‘Kwon.’
Emika admired their duel briefly.
“Where is NoName, though?”
According to the principal’s guidance, I should be able to meet her in the gym around this time after classes.
The Katsuhata Sect team decided to wait here for a moment, and by coincidence, Si-hoo and Yuna became aware of their presence too.
Creek—
Finally, the door opened, and a girl with two ice creams in her hands entered the auditorium.
Emika, who was squatting down, stood up and turned her head.
“So tiny…!”
The twin-tailed hair almost brushed the floor.
Moreover, her uniquely shaped hair ties caught attention.
NoName.
The girl with the unusual name meaning ‘No Name’ in Japanese.
She exuded the vibe of a hidden genius straight out of an anime, making Emika’s heart flutter.
But regardless of the age of the other party, one must always maintain courtesy when meeting someone from another country.
Emika bowed her head and introduced herself.
But the response that followed was something she didn’t expect.
“So who are you?”
At Na-me’s question, Emika’s expression became sour.
“I am from the Katsuhata Sect…”
“I heard that part already.”
“Katsuhata Emika.”
“Uh-huh.”
“This year, we won the Emperor’s Cup… Don’t you really know who I am?”
“Hmmm… not really…”
“Hey! Isn’t the Emperor the Japanese Emperor? Is it about Emperor’s belly?”
“Yuna, be quiet…”
The expressions of Emika and her attendants twisted into grimaces.
But thanks to Na-me and Si-hoo’s quick thinking in controlling Yuna’s mouth, it didn’t escalate beyond that.
“We have come to discuss the unique magic with Na-me.”
“Ah, you should have said that sooner.”
Na-me snapped her fingers, signifying she understood.
Finally, Emika let out a sigh of relief.
“So you came a long way because you wanted to duel with me!”
“Wait, what?”
“You want to duel with Na-me?”
“Wow, awesome!”
“Wait? Is that what it means?”
Si-hoo questioned, catching on late.
Regardless, Na-me grabbed her wrist and led her to the center of the auditorium.
She handed over protective gear and kindly set up an aura barrier herself.
“Eeh! Hold on just a second!”
Being pulled by an eight-year-old, I was about to end up fighting without any choice.
What were her attendants doing?
Right now, the age difference between NoName and Emika is a whopping 6 years.
Even the Emperor’s Cup, known for its significant age gaps among participants, has never experienced such a gap.
Without any handicaps, this duel seems ridiculously uneven.
Emika’s attendants were cooling off in front of a large fan brought by the academy kids, probably sweltering in their summer suits.
“Katsuhata Emika.”
Standing opposite the girl, Na-me called her name to grab her attention.
“Oh yes, Na-me.”
“I watched the National Exchange Tournament, and you were impressive. You have considerable talent.”
“Oh… you saw that… Thank you…”
Emika’s cheeks turned bright red.
The National Exchange Tournament was something Emika wanted to hide.
Given how many matches she had won throughout her life, it’s painful that she’s being recognized for just that video…
“Hold on… You said you didn’t know me earlier?”
Emika’s eyes grew wide in disbelief.
Saying she watched the National Exchange Tournament was the same as saying she recognized her, wasn’t it?
“Oh! I think I remember now… Or maybe not… We’ll know better once we start fighting, right?”
Na-me smiled innocently.
“If you need a wooden sword in the middle, let me know, Nameless Swordswoman. I’ll wait a moment.”
