Chapter 99 – Midterm (2)
How long had it been since she had been passionately immersed in something?
Azalea was exceptional. To the extent of devising a plan for revenge that spanned several years since her childhood. Although it led to the immaturity of her interpersonal relationships, her achievements never became tainted.
-Azalea, you’ll have to get busier and busier.
For a while, she lived without any pleasure in her life. There comes a time when everything must change, even at all costs.
For her, that time was now. When she was told that she had to shoulder the company and her family’s legacy. When she met him, who caught her eye, and confided her thoughts to him. Since then, Azalea could confidently say that she had found her path clearly.
-I have to stand out in this exam. Otherwise, I can’t even start… just forget the person you have in mind for now.
-Leading a family isn’t an easy task. Shouldn’t we go out?
– The Forest Keeper Selection
At most, a single semester. Merely a few days beyond several fortnights.
For some, it was a stage they could make amends on at any time.
However, like the others, Azalea had something at stake in this competition.
– *Tiiing~*
[Unregistered number]
<010-842x-xxxx>
The call arrived just before the qualifying round.
Azalea sighed and answered it.
It wasn’t long before a subdued voice emerged.
[…….]
“Why did you call?”
[…I came to see you today.]
Jin Yeo-hee, Azalea’s mother.
Ever since she was freed from brainwashing, she had apologized repeatedly to her daughter.
Without offering any excuses or justifications, she simply repeated her apologies.
She knew all too well that her actions were unforgivable.
Regardless of how things turned out, her father would not return.
“Whether you watch or not… hang up.”
Azalea put her cellphone into the players’ basket.
With a wand fastened to her waist, Azalea exhaled deeply.
‘Once this is over…’
After this trial, she would have some respite. There were many tasks to complete and stories to share.
Not dark tales, but rather bright, pink-tinged ones… No, they were more akin to blitzkriegs. In her mind, Azalea recalled the faces of several women.
– Should I ask to meet Lee Si-heon?
She didn’t know where they had heard it from, but these people seemed to cling to the mere sight of a vision. Strange things shouldn’t be allowed to latch on.
…Of course.
Azalea’s thoughts were possible because she was unaware that Lee Si-heon’s face had been revealed.
‘If I participate in the Forest Keeper Selection, I won’t be able to see him for a while…’
So, she needed to be honest with him beforehand. This was a form of obsession, but she didn’t realize it.
“Group C. Azalea.”
The door to the waiting room opened, and she moved her feet with determination.
The eyes of the cadets sitting in the audience turned to her. Azalea confirmed the audience with just a side glance.
Sitting hidden in that corner… her own mother.
Let’s not think about it. Azalea, who took her eyes off Jin Yeo-hee, assumed a posture and gripped her wand.
“It starts in ten seconds. Please get ready.”
A tournament of midterms at best. It is a kind of test consisting of eventuality.
But after it was revealed a few years ago that it served as a reference match when selecting candidates for the Forest Keeper trials… it was treated as a contest with considerable influence behind the scenes.
Now this match also falls under the scrutiny of the guild’s managers and the observing followers of the World Tree.
In other words, it meant that the performance here could increase the likelihood of being selected for the trials.
There is only one crux of the match.
It’s not about winning or losing; it’s about revealing one’s potential without reservations.
“Please have a good match.”
“Please have a good match.”
Azalea, having exchanged greetings and moved away, looked at the opponent before her.
Ranked 19th. She had met him once before… a mage from the Jeong Jin-ban faction. He seemed to have prepared diligently for this tournament, as he gazed back at Azalea with a tense expression.
`My ranking is… 6th.`
Victory would be no surprise. Azalea gestured.
– Start!
The referee’s announcement was swiftly given.
“… Dears.”
A spirit in the form of a stag, enveloped in a light green wind, emerged behind her. Azalea seemed to absorb the mana emanating from the spirit entirely. And just like that – she revealed a glowing blade from within her wand.
A single swipe of the sword.
– Thud!
“…Ugh!”
That alone manipulated the surrounding environment. The body of the student, who had been reciting a spell, was flung outwards.
– Beep!
The whistle that determined victory or defeat sounded.
Observing the cadet lose without uttering a single sound, Azalea sheathed the weapon—a fusion of a wand and a sword—back into her waist.
-Oh…
The cadets couldn’t help but gape at the sight they were witnessing for the first time. Until now, their opinion of Azalea had been unified.
A mage with little talent for close combat, specializing in long-range attacks. That’s why everyone had anticipated her defeat in a contest like this.
Yet, as always, she shattered expectations. This allowed her to establish herself as a prodigy within the Academy.
“Thank you for your efforts.”
“Tha-thank you for your hard work.”
After the match…
Picking up her wand, Azalea quickened her pace, heading to another arena. Stadium 6, where Group H was competing.
One of the reasons she had finished her match so swiftly was to watch Lee Si-heon’s match. After all, shouldn’t they meet frequently in various places?
Hiding my ulterior motives like a sly snake, I approached the spectator seats and saw someone sitting there.
A woman clutching a wooden sword seemed lost in thought, gazing at the arena as if she had just finished a battle. Sweat droplets fell from her bright yellow hair.
‘Cornus…?’
She was not an unfamiliar face. In the past, she was one of the individuals summoned to rescue Lee Si-heon, who had been dragged into a dungeon by spatial magic.
Cornus blinked her large eyes as she continued to watch the match. Why had the young noblewoman of the Cornus family come here? As I mulled over this, I noticed that several guild administrators had also made their way to the spectator seats.
It was instinctual to know who had captured their interest.
A person who had recently become entangled with White Peach, a top-tier hunter, and found herself embroiled in various incidents. Yet, this individual, enshrouded in mystery with no information regarding her abilities, had attended this academy.
Azalea stared at the arena with a flustered expression, her pupils dilating in awe.
-Bang!
The sound of a powerful gunshot echoed loudly throughout the stadium.
* * * * *
The tournament marking the end of the midterm exams provided high-quality entertainment for others.
It showcased the results of rigorous training. How could that not be entertaining?
Standing in the immense stadium, I looked around and couldn’t help but chuckle.
‘Were they that curious about me?’
After all, I was the one who got entangled with White Peach and lived together. It’s only natural to be driven mad by curiosity. Ironically, the one who shattered the Ent and became the subject of many stories was ranked 152nd.
‘I wonder if Dalrae and Cornus are finished by now.’
Glancing upward, I saw Cornus sitting in her seat, already done, and watching me. She waved her hand once.
“…!”
As soon as she realized I was looking at her, she waved both her hands. Her emotionless expression contrasted with the hands that waved spiritedly.
“Anyway.”
The issue at hand was the opponent.
Currently, the arena was considerably more crowded compared to other venues. Of course, it paled in comparison to where Jung Si-woo was. However, given the presence of cameramen, it was evident that there were officials who were aware of me. There were quite a few instructors and guild executives, all attempting to evaluate me from various angles.
Perhaps within the crowd, there might be someone selecting candidates for the Forest Keeper selection event.
“Why do you have to be my opponent?”
I addressed my opponent while examining the condition of the wooden practice weapon.
“Hehehe. How did this come to be?”
An enigmatic woman with a distinctive laugh. According to records, she was a mage, but she held nothing in her hands.
I wondered if she had a small wand, but it didn’t seem like much. Her attire was so casual that I questioned whether she had come to fight at all.
“Does it matter?”
No matter the circumstances, the goal remains the same: we must race to win.
– Prepare.
The murmur of words falls away.
With a vigilant step forward, senses are honed to razor-sharp precision.
– Begin.
A flash erupts. The clamor of a whistle assaults the ears.
Every sensation in the body sharpens like a needle.
“Hush.”
Breath held back.
An eerie, ghostly feeling surges as battle commences.
Efforts amassed until now slowly ascend as newfound abilities.
Before my eyes,
a trajectory piercing the brow comes into view.
– Bang!
The deafening explosion of gunpowder resounds.
White smoke blossoms on the horizon of sight.
Instinctively turning my head, a sleek, sharpened bullet whizzes past my cheek.
– Whoosh!
The residual wind gusts over my body.
“What on earth…”
Incredulous, I question my opponent, momentarily forgetting we are in the midst of a competition.
Gu-seul lowered the pistol she held in one hand and smiled coolly.
“Phehe. Surprised, are you? You managed to dodge it.”
I was indeed taken aback.
Of course, firearms were also commonly used weapons in this world. However, for a cadet who had prepared for the academy by experiencing cold weapons and magic since a young age, who would have thought they would use a weapon that didn’t even work well against Ents or Marmuls?
*Clack*
Startled by the sound of the bolt being pulled, I twisted my body.
“It’s a non-lethal weapon. If you get hit, you’ll only get bruises.”
*Bang!*
The detonator exploded, releasing an attack infused with mana. The rising heat on my body suggested that this was not an easily avoidable strike.
Instinctively, I raised my hand and activated my magic.
*Flick!*
Improvised magic that altered the attack’s trajectory by stirring the surrounding atmosphere. The speed of the magic’s deployment was so fast that an ordinary cadet wouldn’t even be able to keep up. I chuckled at myself as I looked at the partially torn cadet’s combat uniform.
“Oh…”
The magic had no effect at all.
‘Is it an attack imbued with unique properties or containing the power of an artifact?’
…It was certainly not an ordinary encounter.
Gu-seul’s fighting style was markedly different from her previous battles with the cadets. With those opponents, much of the conflict had involved simple hand-to-hand combat. This indicated that few cadets were adept at long-range fighting. Of course, those who attempted to engage from a distance often found themselves overwhelmed when intercepted with magic.
Why had this individual concealed their abilities until now?
‘Do they want to test me?’
It was becoming apparent that a deeper inquiry into this person’s background was necessary.
‘Still, I don’t think I’ll lose…’
– Taang! Bang!
After dodging several bullets, my body began to heat up considerably. The bullets were getting faster, but not to the point where I couldn’t react.
“Aren’t you coming?”
Gu-seul’s provocation. I was so taken aback that I burst into laughter.
“You’re a dead man today.”
*Click.*
Reloading time.
In a brief moment, I harnessed my body’s magic, amplifying my speed. I stretched out my foot and took a step forward. The ground indented slightly as my body lunged forward.
Gu-seul, having reloaded, fired bullets at my soaring body.
*Bang! Ta-ang!*
A blow that rattled my entire body. As the bullets struck my shoulder and various other places accurately, I felt a sharp, throbbing pain. But… it was a fair hit.
*Ta-ang!*
Considering the reloading earlier, it was a total of seven shots. The last one whizzed past my ear, missing me by a hair’s breadth.
In an instant, the distance between us had closed. Gu-seul stepped back with a smile. The dazzling muzzle was aimed directly at my forehead.
“You’re quick.”
The trigger tightened. The sound of the chamber being pulled echoed beyond the gun’s muzzle. I had thought it was the last shot.
Did you deceive me the first time you loaded it?
The condescending words irked me, prompting a twisted retort.
“Why are you so at ease?”
I didn’t know how they managed to neutralize the magic. But with the distance between us reduced like this, I could discern any tactic employed.
Wind pressure enhancement
Gravity manipulation
Dispersing magical power in the vicinity, interfering with the easy use of magic, and freezing the firing pin
The formed ice firmly secures the barrel and slide, preventing them from recoiling
If forced to fire… it wouldn’t be my head but Gu-seul’s gun that would explode with the detonator
I was both a warrior and a mage.
I knew very well which part of a complex, precision-critical weapon could be damaged if mishandled.
“You are dead.”
As I drew nearer, I pulled back my fist imbued with magical energy. The air surrounding it began to tremble.
As a woman, after sleeping, I intended to take a hit to my body and try to alleviate my pent-up frustrations right here.
“Ah.”
Gu-seul, who was about to fire her gun, raised her hand as if she had sensed a change in the situation.
“I’ve lost. I surrender.”
A sudden declaration of surrender.
I couldn’t believe it, so I stopped my fist mid-air for a moment.
“…”
“Hehehe.”
– Beep!
The blaring sound of a whistle. Gu-seul’s sly, laughing expression was irritating to my eyes. I rolled up the sleeve of my battle attire and examined the area where I’d been shot.
There weren’t any bruises, but…
A wound remained in my heart.
“Wow, you’re incredibly strong. Insane… Ouch, why are you hitting me?! I surrendered!”
“Simply because you’re sly.”
Watching Gu-seul, who had been struck by a fist, I laughed with a sense of defeat. Regardless, this was a victory for me.
