Among Seong Ah-rin’s nearly infinite magical assaults, one of the strongest was a spell that even a B-class Magician would have to pour all their effort into to barely activate.
[Infinity Ray.]
Rather than twisting formulas into complex computations, Seong Ah-rin’s approach felt raw and overwhelming, a brute-force strategy that relied on sheer quantity. Her strong determination was palpable.
In comparison, my attack was nothing but a black void… mere darkness.
Its only additional effect was a powerful gravitational pull that strongly sucked in everything around it. But even so…
‘There’s a clear difference between S and S+.’
The streak of light from the [Infinity Ray], which should have traveled in a straight line, was sharply bent and sucked into the massive black sphere due to the overwhelming gravitational mass it possessed.
‘Looks like I won’t be having a peaceful day.’
Though I’m not sure if it’s because I’m the Student Council President, it didn’t seem like it would be much of a problem even if my circle of acquaintances expanded a little. Maybe just from two or three people tagging along, I thought.
-BOOM! BWAH!
‘As expected, her natural talent is truly unparalleled.’
Watching her effortlessly casting multiple incantations without a hint of hesitation as she launched an attack against me while the [Infinity Ray] was being drawn into the black sphere, Seong Ah-rin demonstrated the skill expected of an S-class Magician.
‘I can’t lose like this—it’d be too embarrassing after making such a big show earlier.’
Currently, the black sphere was delaying its forward progress as it absorbed various spells cast by Seong Ah-rin. Floating mid-air, I estimated about 4 to 5 seconds was all the freedom I had before being overwhelmed by her spells.
“Bach, maximum output…!”
A white sphere, about the size of a soccer ball, formed in my left hand. It quickly grew in size, becoming as massive as a car.
Looking down, the black sphere had also expanded significantly after absorbing numerous spells from Seong Ah-rin, nearly matching the size of the white one.
‘The shortfall can be compensated for with my own magical power…’
Alright, with Seong Ah-rin’s various spells approaching, it’s time to finish this.
I could feel her fiery sphere getting closer, as a warm sensation spread under my feet.
“Launch.”
I relinquished control and sent the white sphere hurtling toward the black one using my spiritual energy. The white sphere rebounded all of Seong Ah-rin’s spells like it was solving their formulas, beginning its rapid descent. Eve, who had seen this technique before at the Golden Guild, quickly understood what was about to happen and gathered the guild leaders and high-ranking hunters to channel their power into the protective barrier.
“BOOM.”
Having repelled all the spells, the white sphere reached the black one and began transforming into a silvery mass with a strange sound emanating from it.
“Void, maximum output.”
And as I moved my hand…
-KWAHAAAAAAAAANG!!!
Space itself began to collapse. Seong Ah-rin, who had unleashed tidal waves and various area-of-effect spells as a final desperate measure, deployed a powerful barrier. However…
-DING!
“Ugh…!!”
Thrown back by the shockwave of Void into the out-of-bounds area, Seong Ah-rin was sent flying across the arena.
-KWAAAAAAAAANG!
Colliding with the wall, Seong Ah-rin’s head slumped, losing consciousness, and my victory seemed secure.
-KHRRRR… KWAAAAAAAAANG!!!
Looking down, I watched as the unstable Void raged beneath me.
‘It’s time to calm it down.’
Even I couldn’t unravel the insane spell formula, so I swiftly formed a crystal shard, about the size of a soccer ball, using Azathoth’s [Crystal Maker (S)], and hurled it precisely at the center of the Void.
‘This crystal made with Azathoth’s <Crystal Maker (S)> should stabilize it adequately.’
Fortunately, the Void ceased its wild fluctuations, and with the barrier nearly collapsing…
And as the barrier finally shattered, giving us a glimpse of the consequences that could have ensued if we had acted any slower.
Well, that’s one thing…
[“Victor—President Yoon Se-ah!”]
And thus, the chaotic bout with Seong Ah-rin concluded.
…
…
…
-KLUNK!
“Seriously, I almost died there.”
I lack the magical energy to even hover in the air now.
‘It’s thanks to Eve’s thicker barrier that things ended this way… I should never do something like that again.’
Launching the Void recklessly was fine up until the point where the insane spells refused to subside, and I had to expend 20% of my total mana just to calm the Void.
Had I increased the size of the Void even further—beyond my capacity to control—it would have transformed into an uncontrollable mass of chaotic energy. Perhaps it’s fortunate that I didn’t lose control completely.
This kind of attack would never hit Seo Ji-an directly. It could breach the barrier and come straight at me, and things are just too complicated.
‘I can only hope Kang Ayul wins.’
Looking at the bracket, having defeated Seong Ah-rin in the 128 round and assuming victory against all opponents, my next opponents will include Baek Sia in the 64 round, Sakura in the 32, Ecclesia in the 16, and Ryu Shin-woo in the 8.
‘Real tournament brackets, huh?’
A more grueling preliminary round than the semifinals—this Mad Tournament seems a bit off.
At least the good part is that I won’t have to face Yoo Eun-ha. Na Yoo-bin and Yoo Eun-ha are both in the opposite brackets, facing Seo Ji-an.
‘With Na Yoo-bin in the 32 round and Yoo Eun-ha in the 8, Kang Ayul should reach the 4… I hope those three bring out Seo Ji-an’s full potential.’
Until now, I haven’t had the chance to watch a proper match involving Seo Ji-an.
To be precise, I’ve never seen Seo Ji-an going all out during a match.
Even when asking Yoo Eun-ha about Seo Ji-an’s fighting style, all I learned was that he’s good at close combat.
Trying to ask more only confirmed my body’s need for rest after surpassing its limits, leaving no choice but to return to the dorm for sleep.
I’ll check Seong Ah-rin’s condition with Yoo Eun-ha later. For now, I’ll try to get some proper rest on the bed.
…
…
…
Baek Sia conceded in the 64 round, handing me an easy win. It seemed she had already exacted her personal revenge and advised me not to push myself further, considering my exhausting battle from the day before.
Upon hearing about the influx of emergency patients in the infirmary, I suspect it might have been Baek Sia’s doing.
‘What kind of mental shock must it have been to pass out from shock while fighting inside the barrier?’
Indeed, full armor can be impressive.
Resting comfortably, I headed to the field to watch Seo Ji-an’s 64 round match but was disappointed as his opponent fell immediately after I arrived, leaving me unable to gauge Seo Ji-an’s true strength.
In the 32 round, there was a match between Na Yoo-bin and Seo Ji-an, so I anticipated seeing Seo Ji-an’s full power, but Na Yoo-bin didn’t appear, resulting in Seo Ji-an’s automatic victory.
It turned out Na Yoo-bin was found in the virtual training room, continuously battling strong monsters until his stamina depleted and he fainted for a day.
In the 16 round, Seo Ji-an’s opponent suddenly conceded, allowing Seo Ji-an’s automatic victory again. On the other hand, I defeated my opponent easily with just 10% of my Void magic.
In the 8 round, the highly anticipated match between Seo Ji-an and Yoo Eun-ha didn’t occur.
Ryu Shin-woo proved stubbornly resilient, and by the time I rushed over after finishing my match with him, only the result was left.
Apparently, Yoo Eun-ha had narrowly lost after a fierce battle.
Finally, the day of the semifinal arrived.
“There, as the President tossed her opponent away effortlessly, she has reached the finals without any trouble!”
“Yes, with this, the third-years are eliminated. Will we see the same final matchup as last year, or will a new challenger step up?”
I easily defeated my opponent Extra 1 and waited idly until the match between Kang Ayul and Seo Ji-an began.
“And now! First, let’s welcome the Vice President of Raon Academy—Vice President Kang Ayul!”
-AHOOOOOO!
Entering the arena to overwhelming cheers, the crowd mostly believed Kang Ayul would win easily. After all, Kang Ayul had achieved most of her victories between the 256 and 4 rounds within 2 to 3 minutes, whereas Seo Ji-an had often won by narrow margins, and there was even the instance in the 8 round against Yoo Eun-ha where he nearly lost.
‘While they may not realize it, the top first-year students have long surpassed the average third-years.’
Seo Ji-an, who possesses the unreasonable skill <Victory’s Path (UR)>, is theoretically unbeatable against anyone.
Please, Kang Ayul, just win against Seo Ji-an without any issues. With the <Sword Sage’s Blessing (S)> boosting Kang Ayul, we can hope to nullify Seo Ji-an’s <Victory’s Path> and secure a win, but…
“Ugh… quite surprising…”
-THUD!
“Here, Vice President has fallen! Thus, Seo Ji-an issues a challenge to President Yoon Se-ah for the position of Student Council President!”
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
