Shio-ram.
Once known as the Silent Mage during her prime… now she’s the headmistress of the Tower of Growth, Neriel Claidya, who founded this educational institution.
Moreover, it’s the best superhuman training institution in the world, with no equal in sight.
It’s undeniably the place where every budding talent in the world desperately wishes to step foot.
From this very place, a student was presented as an exceptional case under the principal’s orders to receive blatant privileges, a special admission student.
In the past 120 or so years, there hadn’t been a single instance of such a thing; it was seen merely as a painting to bolster the students’ will to study.
But a student actually sat in that seat.
The first of its kind in Shio-ram, the special admission student whom the head of the Tower of Growth has publicly stated is eagerly anticipated.
It was only natural for the world to be in an uproar.
The name Lee Ha-yul spread far and wide.
Special admission student. Following closely behind was Lee Ha-yul.
And then came the peculiar characteristics: blind, mute, frail body, sensing-type unique ability, orphan.
Blind and incapable of verbal communication. His body weak and his unique ability unsuitable for combat.
He didn’t exactly fit the conditions for a hero to deal with dungeons and monsters.
It was only natural for suspicion to follow.
[Scotland, Shipnah: A series of dungeon runs amok. A disaster that struck without warning.]
[Scotland Government: “Currently assessing the extent and scale.” State of emergency declared.]
[The outer wall of the shattered disaster. Is the hero who saved the city a student from Shio-ram?]
Doubt persisted, but Lee Ha-yul had consistently proven himself.
The smoothly heroic actions reported from within Shio-ram were relayed to officials, while tales of his exploits in Shipnah reached civilians.
The news had spread.
But there were few who had actually witnessed it.
Word trickled out quietly. Faintly blurry videos cut short by dozens of lines of news about the knight and the student’s confidentiality.
Though this was enough to guarantee his qualifications, a small number remained unconvinced. There were still some who had yet to feel it firsthand.
“Crazy…”
One person who couldn’t fully accept it muttered.
Others sitting nearby heard the mumbling but couldn’t reply.
They were likely having similar thoughts.
The stage for the sparring match was set far below the audience seats. Even with a few adults standing on each other’s shoulders, they still couldn’t reach it.
– Rumble…!
Waves crashed violently, more than capable of swallowing a few people whole, colliding against the barrier with abandon.
The lowest-ranked audience member shrank back, startled by the wave reaching up close.
The stage had turned blue as if a tsunami had arrived. The ground was nowhere to be seen; it had long since transformed into a raging sea.
– Rumble!
In the center of that turbulent sea, two figures clashed.
A massive swirl erupted. Waves were ripped apart and scattered in all directions, the impact shaking the very ocean.
The crashing whirlpool negated each other and dispersed. The aftermath sent the waters into another shake, and newly formed opposing whirlpools collided repeatedly.
“Wow…”
“What is that…”
Everyone found themselves speechless.
The blue engulfed them up to their feet.
The fierce waves seemed poised to crash down at any moment.
A whirlpool powerful enough to crush the very flesh of an ordinary civilian.
This scene had etched itself deeply into every spectator’s mind.
Two individuals were embroiled in fierce combat on stage.
Baek Ahrin. The heir of the Changhae Clan. A surefire up-and-coming star who deserves the title.
It was common knowledge. The might of the Changhae Clan and any information about the successor was sometimes seen even in mainstream news.
However, information on the opponent… Lee Ha-yul was very scant.
Most of those seated here had no true understanding of Lee Ha-yul’s potential or skill.
In fact, a significant number had come precisely to uncover that potential.
In the end, those who came with such aims had partially fulfilled their purpose.
If today’s assessment were to be conveyed, even the few who couldn’t shake their confusion would mostly disappear.
*
“Whoa…”
A gasp escaped. Mouth agape, unable to contain the amazement.
Was that too vague? Baek Ahrin pondered her expression.
Admiration? Surprise? Shock? Satisfaction? A glimmer of hope? Desire?
It was complex, making it difficult to quantify each feeling individually. Yet, it didn’t seem necessary to break it down that finely.
It was simply a cumulative emotion she felt in this moment.
Baek Ahrin smiled brightly as she gazed at the scene before her.
The stage had long since filled with water, becoming a sea.
Expansion ability, tsunami.
The reliance that elemental capable users have on their environment. An expansion ability that alters the very environment to suit oneself.
It consumes an enormous amount of mana… but with her vast mana capacity and having guzzled down potions like snacks, even someone like Baek Ahrin could manage that consumption.
Since it’s the environment made for herself, Baek Ahrin could stand with ease on that sea.
– Boom!
But she wasn’t the only one standing on the water.
At a slight distance, a new type rushed forth, shattering the waves as it sped closer.
An energy coiled around the new type—a clear green aura, more pronounced than before—swallowing the waves and pushing them aside as it closed the distance.
– Bubble…
Behind Baek Ahrin, a floating aqua sphere emerged.
It previously numbered only a dozen, but now it had multiplied to nearly fifty.
– Whoosh!
Dozens of streams of water split the air. The resounding bursts were nothing like before.
The pure output had risen, and considering the mix of ice particles in the streams blasted forth, it was unlikely they could be handled with mere strength.
– Whoosh!
From the opposite side, streams of water shot back. The same aqua sphere unleashed water pressure lines.
The output was a mere ten lines. Both quantities and output paled in comparison.
They couldn’t absorb them all. Even with the strengthened pressurized water, it was a daunting difference.
From this perspective, it appeared that Baek Ahrin was undeniably winning.
– Thunder!
And it seemed that way—until now.
Behind Lee Ha-yul, streams of mana swirled amid over twenty aqua spheres, weaving an intricate spell.
In the chaos of battle, he blended magic execution with speed casting.
Swift casting designed for emergency maneuvers during frantic combats.
Multi-casting that manifested several spells instead of one.
Despite that, the complex formulae densely packed in as if prepared for disruption or malfunction.
An array of attack spells, from the lowest to middle-tier, adorned the air.
Dozens of water pressure lines collided with more than twenty from the outside, along with countless spells.
– Boom!
Waves crashing from the impact scattered into shards. Seizing that opportunity, Lee Ha-yul pounced across the sea.
Baek Ahrin raised her hand as the distance closed.
– Crackle!
The waters beneath Lee Ha-yul froze instantaneously. The transition from water magic to coldness happened in an instant.
The frozen sea ensnared Lee Ha-yul’s ankles, and spikes of ice shot up to tear him apart.
Boom! A deafening noise erupted. The mid-tier spell, “Shockwave,” unleashed from Lee Ha-yul’s legs shattered the imposing ice.
Gusts of flames clashed with the incoming ice, though not all were eliminated, the dulled spikes couldn’t hold Lee Ha-yul.
“What a colorful sight.”
In that moment of stalling, Lee Ha-yul’s appearance sparked such reflections within Baek Ahrin.
Crimson. Elemental fire spirits swirling around, igniting the water as it turned to steam.
Green. Air spirits behind Lee Ha-yul conjured gusts that accelerated the new type.
Blue. Water spirits easing the pressure of incoming waves, allowing him to stand atop the sea.
Brown. Earth spirits brushing the ground, suppressing the overwhelming tide while sometimes shooting up to block attacks.
While not participating in direct combat, fire, water, wind, and earth spirits provided indirect support for enabling the battle to flow smoothly.
Oddly, there were no lightning spirits. Perhaps too difficult to harness in this massive mana-infused space?
“Hah.”
Baek Ahrin chuckled lightly. Such a wealth of talents.
An adept handling of elemental magic almost entirely rooted in innate abilities.
Imitating the expansion abilities of others, along with martial prowess mirroring Changhae Clan techniques.
The swift, complicated casting of magic, intermeshing seamlessly to do so with precision.
All of it brought about… a level of mana control that was nothing less than extraordinary.
Despite being blindfolded, it felt like a sense of all-seeing was endowed to his sensing type ability.
Such a wealth of talents.
Baek Ahrin had heard others refer to it, and now she found herself saying it about someone else.
It was whimsically amusing.
No, the situation was genuinely enjoyable. A tiny glimpse of hope seemed to grow larger.
And especially that part.
It was delightful to see the fire spirit melting the ice.
Baek Ahrin smiled brightly as she gripped the spear in her hand.
A spear shaped from ice. It felt refreshingly chilling, almost uncomfortably so, in her grasp.
Drawing forth the core’s mana. A vast amount of mana flowed through the circuits into the spear.
Rumble! A jam-packed fusion of chilling clarity and powerful energy surged and swollen in size.
A spear that had become quite huge, cloaked in a monumental aura.
It was an undeniable foreboding of an impending strike.
Lee Ha-yul reacted to it. Pulling his arm back, the gathered mana and momentum began to rise.
A signal in response to the strike.
He could refuse it. He could evade the oncoming strike and squeeze in smaller attacks.
But logically, even he might think that was an unfavorable assumption.
A protracted battle held no real advantages for him.
Moreover, if victorious, he had to think about what came next.
Winning in a drawn-out struggle would not benefit either side, drained of all energy in the end.
There was no reason to drag this into a marathon; thus, he accepted the blatant strike.
The elegant water magic Lee Ha-yul had employed elegantly entwined around his arm.
And then, the insides of the water magic turned cold, crystallizing in a flurry.
Thereafter, they crunched—and the swirling crisp ice crystals imbued within the water magic took shape.
Wary and fluid, the water combat style combined with the ice functionality aimed for direct confrontation.
The seamless flow of that process was astonishing. Such mastery reflected incredible learning.
Baek Ahrin smiled contentedly as she drew her spear back.
The distance was closing. The configuration, apart from the spear in Baek Ahrin’s grasp, resembled their initial clash.
‘Expansion ability.’
A slight difference. Just as Lee Ha-yul hesitated for a moment, he unleashed a technique swirled in the spiraling waters.
A perfect amalgamation of water and ice surged across the sea.
The output was remarkable. His hair untied, swirling in the wind, the fierce gusts buffeting against him with a lethal chill.
Directly struck, it would surely deal significant damage even to Baek Ahrin who had an affinity for water and ice.
In that moment, Baek Ahrin felt a peculiar mix of disappointment and relief.
Had Lee Ha-yul drawn upon his Gop-hwa and Changhae, or other means…
Victory could hardly be guaranteed.
With the swirling tide now nearly upon him, Baek Ahrin lifted her spear.
Expansion ability.
Following the tidal wave, her own expansion ability. It felt deeply unsettling to use personally, yet…
“Sorry, but I must win for the wager.”
Baek Ahrin thrust her spear forward.
Expansion ability.
“Ice Sea.”
A whisper as if to suggest. The continuation of mana and unique abilities expanded from there.
The mana contained within the spear. The mana retained inside her body. All surrounding water magic transitioned wholly to cold.
Coldness surged forth.
.
.
.
The wildly surging azure world became a still, white landscape.
The waves froze in place, and frost settled upon the audience shields.
– Crackling…
A chilling wave began at her right arm, an almost unbearable unpleasantness creeping in.
Even the expression on her mask quivered slightly.
As discomfort swelled, Baek Ahrin turned her gaze forward.
“……!”
Her eyes widened.
A black palm halted just shy of her face.
So close to the spot where the Ice Sea manifested. Naturally, it should have turned white from the freezing effect.
But Lee Ha-yul wasn’t frozen.
He had managed to protect himself from the Ice Sea’s influence, revealing only a hand wrapped in a glove.
– Heh, heh…
His breath visible in the icy air.
His somewhat outstretched arm trembled uncontrollably.
It seemed he lacked the strength to move at all, remaining completely still.
Yet he was not frozen.
He wasn’t being engulfed by the cold.
He wasn’t succumbing to the bitter chill.
If Lee Ha-yul retained some strength, the outcome might have been different.
“……Hah.”
A small laugh escaped. A faint flicker of hope seemed to grow larger within her.
Her once-still heart began to race.
Something lodged within her heart felt displeased. For Baek Ahrin, it was rather pleasant.
With a broad smile, she abruptly hugged the frozen Lee Ha-yul. His head buried firmly into her chest.
Lee Ha-yul, bearing an odd expression, almost jolted in surprise.
He squirmed, floundering in her embrace.
Struggling. He seemed bewildered.
There was no sign of discomfort or rejection. Upon witnessing it, Baek Ahrin’s smile only deepened.
He seemed to have eased enough to allow the hug.
“I win, don’t I?”
For a moment, Lee Ha-yul, who had been fidgeting in her grasp, suddenly halted. He then rubbed his face and looked up.
Though his sight was absent, his expression conveyed mild grievances as if to scream unfairness.
Her conscience pricked a little. Right before the first move, she had disturbed his state of mind, then slid in her expansion ability through whatever opening was created.
“…But winning means I get to take your day for tomorrow, okay?”
Baek Ahrin inclined her head. Objectively chilly… yet, to her, warmly unfamiliar Lee Ha-yul’s earlobe brushed against her lips.
“Clear your schedule for tomorrow. Got it?”
A whisper into his ear, her breath tickling him.
Lee Ha-yul shuddered slightly, then nodded his head.
*
In the players’ waiting room set underground.
It was well-equipped. Plush beds and sofas.
A fridge full of various drinks and a heap of snacks piled up high…
Not to mention the hologram floating above, broadcasting the ongoing main match.
Just as the match concluded… there was Baek Ahrin, embracing Lee Ha-yul.
“……What the hell…”
In the corner, lounging back against the sofa, one person held a glass floating ice cubes above.
– Drip!
The ice melted. The mixture of drinks and ice blended and bubbled, steaming into vapor.
“What the hell is that bitch?”
Hong Yeon-hwa cursed vehemently, trying to keep from smashing her glass.
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