“No, seriously, why did you aim to become a Magician with such stats and skills? If I were in your shoes, I would’ve switched to a Defender a long time ago. Even if you can’t cast high-tier magic, there’s the possibility of being a frontliner who can spam magic on the battlefield—why didn’t you think about that? And with the precedent of Thomas Andrea, why did you stubbornly stick with Magician…?”
“Uh… can you calm down just a little?”
Maybe because she heard too much, Hong Bi-yeon’s eyes began to whirl around.
“Uh-oh.”
Instantly, I felt like I was the past me who used to scold in the middle of games with the ding-ding sound of a lecture bell.
Anyway, that’s not important. Since Hong Bi-yeon’s brain seems overheated, explaining things in detail would only fall on deaf ears… I should summarize it in three simple lines.
“Uh… anyway, I can guarantee it. You, Bi-yeon, have potential.”
<><><><><><><><><>
<Profile>
<Name: Hong Bi-yeon>
<Age: 19>
<Tendency: Curiosity, Growth>
<Skill List>
<Swift Leap (A)> (5/5)
<You can move by a short distance teleportation. If you spend stacks, you can use it consecutively.>(Cooldown:15 seconds)
<Giant Strength (B)> (2/2)
<For a short period of around 10 seconds, you can unleash strength twice of your normal capability.>(Cooldown:5 minutes)
<Hardening (A)>
<For a short moment, increases durability of held objects greatly.>
<Stats>
<Strength:B>
<Defense:C+>
<Magical Power:B>
<Health:B>
<Agility:C+>
<Luck:B>
<><><><><><><><><>
Really, she has talent.
‘Did Hong Bi-yeon really see her skill list?’
No, usually, with a skillset like this, one would think they should choose between Striker or Defender… so why is she so obsessed with becoming a Magician? I don’t understand at all.
Of course, she does have talent for magic. A B-rank magical power is more than sufficient… but why is she so fixated on being a Magician? I really don’t get it…
‘Is it due to inferiority complex towards Seong Ah-rin?’
“To summarize, there’s potential in going the magician route, but this is truly a stat setup ideal for a Defender. Moreover, you possess a different style of magical power than other Defenders. With your strength stat, your defense should be more than enough too…”
“Okay, I like using magic. Carrying a shield and blocking bullets at the front line is not my thing.”
‘Oh come on.’
It was simply Defender bias.
While thinking whether I should have just made her drink the black potion… I began seriously pondering how to handle Hong Bi-yeon who possesses such an incredible amount of talent unexpectedly.
‘Really, if nurtured well, she might grow to match the protagonist’s party eventually…’
In fact, Hong Bi-yeon is strong enough that even the protagonist struggled against her when she went berserk. She certainly has the potential.
With her high B-rank magical power combined with tank-like strength and defense, she can be a magic user who spams widespread spells deep in enemy territory while being a Defender… Really, she’s a perfect candidate for upfront deployment.
‘The only problem is breaking her shield bias…’
“Then, I have one question for you.”
“…”
“If you describe how the skills you possess make you stronger as a Magician, I’ll give you 10 points.”
At that, Hong Bi-yeon’s body trembled slightly.
“Uh… With Giant Strength, I can wield heavy staves. And using Hardening, I can increase durability just in time to cast powerful magic when necessary… ”
“I’ll give you 8 points out of 10.”
First off, Hong Bi-yeon is indeed capable of casting magic in the described manner.
Even with that weird skillset, to aim for a Magician and still stay within the top 50 of second-year’s Class A… she’s done everything right.
“Certainly, with that method, you could become a decent hero who pays the bills. You’d certainly be effective as a Magician even in the dangerous Gates.”
“Right? So stop lecturing me and…”
“To someone like Seong Ah-rin, you would never be able to measure up. You’ll be stuck in the position of a loser, content to live the rest of your life as a second-class Magician.”
“You… !!!”
At my harsh words, Hong Bi-yeon glared daggers at me.
-“Guaaaaaaah…!”
She was about to grab my cheek and hit me, but managed to regain her senses and stopped herself.
“So, are you telling me to abandon the path of Magician that I’ve dedicated my life to training for? And instead settle for being a bullet sponge?”
However, she was deeply hurt.
I don’t have any interest in nurturing a mentally weak girl who breaks down easily due to harsh words. Therefore, I need to boost her confidence strongly.
“Do you know what a Reverse Calculation Device is?”
“…Yeah, it’s the equipment that Mage use to reverse-calculate the opponent’s spells. It’s pretty huge, like the size of a staff, so the portability and efficiency are terrible. That’s why it’s such a big deal to reverse-calculate magic without using the device…”
“If I emerge victorious against Seo-yoon tomorrow, and then Ah-rin as my next opponent, you know that, right? I have two matches tomorrow.”
“…So?”
I picked up the staff that Hong Bi-yeon dropped.
Judging by how heavy it was, it seemed to be made of only the strongest materials, looking much more substantial than it appeared.
“I’ll prove it to you. That there’s a very wide and quite fun road ahead for you, Bi-yeon.”
-Ka-ga-ga-ga-gak…!!
Then, gripping the staff with my hands, I bent it completely.
“That, that’s…!”
“Don’t worry, I know a cute junior craftsman who can help.”
Now, it’s about time we should head back.
“Will you watch my match tomorrow?”
I’m not sure why I made this choice.
Hong Bi-yeon was originally destined to consume drugs and become vital growth experience for the protagonist.
Was it because we were in the same class? Or did I see my former self who used to be ostracized by my peers reflected in her?
I’m not sure…
It’s not out of pity, nor affection, but a strange feeling.
‘Haha, looks like when an old-timer meets a newbie, it triggers the desire to mentor.’
It was the sensation of seeing something cute.
…
…
…
The next day.
[“Alright! Within the blink of an eye, Student Council President’s powerful psychokinesis has sent Seo-yoon cadet flying out of the arena!”]
[“Yes, Cadet Seo-yoon has been doing well with handling psychokinesis up till now… but who would have thought she would envelop herself like a sandwich with the arena’s floor and then throw herself out of the ring like that?”]
“….Hiiing.”
“Don’t cry too much, Seo-yoon.”
“But… but I lost so ignominiously! I wanted to show Se-ah how much I’ve grown!”
Seo-yoon was defeated by me instantly.
Naturally, knowing about my psychokinesis, I expected her counter-strategy of grabbing me and flying out… but I didn’t expect it to work so well. This method will come in handy in the finals.
“Puhufff! How could you lose so pitifully?”
Kang Ayul approached with a smirk on her face to mock the teary-eyed Seo-yoon.
“What do you want, Ayul, who lost twice to me?”
“Hey! Then let’s go again!”
“No way~ The wounds from fighting Se-ah hurt too much?”
“Even you didn’t take any hurt and… #$%!!”
Unfortunately, Ayul was knocked out with a super counter punch from Seo-yoon.
While watching their antics, my phone started to vibrate. There’s only one person who could send a message at this point…
[Baek Sia]
[President, the ‘thing’ I mentioned before is complete!]
“….Of course, it was a good decision to plant a hook ahead.”
“….Se-ah?”
Just as I was smiling at Baek Sia’s message, Seo-yoon and Ayul who witnessed my expression suddenly rushed toward me.
“You… you can make such an expression…?!”
“One more time! Can you show me that incredibly gentle, content, and satisfied look again…!?”
But the look they saw on my face… was just a forced and unnatural smile trying to appear pleasant.
…
…
…
[Seong Ah-rin] vs [Yoon Se-ah]
And then, looking at the pairings of the 256th round that led to the 128th… my name was written there alongside Seong Ah-rin’s.
This 128 match is mostly filled with mediocre ones, so it’s naturally the most anticipated showdown.
“Hmm, against Seong Ah-rin, whether I win or lose makes little difference mentally.”
However, this is a different story.
[“Alright! This can be considered the only true super match of the 128th round! The current Student Council President of Raon Academy, Yoon Se-ah, versus Seong Ah-rin, the disciple of the S-class Hero, famous as the ‘Rex Tyrannos’, Choi Won-ho!”]
[“We all know the overwhelming power of President Yoon already. Even if Seong Ah-rin’s first round was extremely dominant… don’t you think the President is very likely to win easily?”]
As I passed through the golden gate, Seong Ah-rin on the opposite side greeted me with a wave.
“Nice to see you again, President.”
“Nice to see you too. The message I conveyed through Eun-ha—did you hear it well? Has your master made it for you?”
“Yeah, he said if I don’t want to die, I should come with full force.”
I looked at her staff, as she spoke.
One of the two masterpieces painstakingly crafted by the Artisan who made the staff used by S-Class Hero Choi Won-ho.
‘Elternum + Blue Dragon’s Orb…’
Wow, what a broken weapon she’s brought.
Anyway, I’ve got something comparable.
[“Ah! The President is bringing out a special weapon against Seong Ah-rin’s staff…” ]
[“A round shield?! Isn’t this too dismissive towards Seong Ah-rin, President?!”]
Ah, it’s not a shield, I should clarify that.
