Chapter 106
Dewdrops formed on the lawn, and the chirping of birds filled the air as the morning Sparring Hall was bustling with students’ voices.
“Hey, hey, look at that…”
“What’s going on… Wow…”
Among them, two people stood out prominently in the students’ eyes—
Nova and Stella.
“Four hundred ninety-eight… Four hundred ninety-nine… Five hundred…!”
“Whoa… Your form is all off… Are you even doing it right?”
Nova struggled through his push-ups, a common sight in the sweaty sparring hall.
However, there was a reason he caught the attention of the boys.
“You’re still not getting it right… Add ten more.”
“Five hundred come on…!!”
While he was doing sit-ups, Stella was sitting cross-legged, reading a book on his back.
That sight made many boys gasp in surprise.
“Wow… I’m so jealous…”
“Who the heck is that guy?”
Especially for the aspiring knights, such a scene brought much envy. Most of the female students had entered the Magic Department, Knight Department, or Martial Arts Department, so there were no peers for them to hang out with like that.
Meanwhile, Nova, receiving that stretch, had an expression twisted in discomfort and agony.
“Ugh…!!”
The sound of bones cracking could be heard as tears welled up in Nova’s eyes from the stretching.
“Next! Do some sit-ups!”
As Nova performed his sit-ups normally, Stella slipped off one of her socks and stuffed it into her pocket.
“What’s up? I was just going to follow your lead…”
“Don’t mind me, just keep going. Just so you know, I mean no harm.”
“What the… Kugh!!”
Stella’s bare foot began mercilessly pressing down on Nova’s abdomen as he rose and fell during his sit-ups, causing his screams to echo.
“You gotta have a solid core to do it right.”
“Kugh. Just take it easy… Ugh…”
Countless killing intents flew towards Nova. You could sense a mix of emotions like jealousy and envy among the onlookers.
“Alright, that’s enough! Let’s take a break before real training starts.”
“Huff. Huff… Is this… not training?”
“What are you talking about? This is just a warm-up, and now it’s really starting.”
With Nova collapsing on the ground, Stella calmly sat down on a nearby chair and began sipping her Bubble Tea. Unable to contain himself, Nova threw out a comment.
“Aren’t you eating too many sweets? If you keep that up, you’ll get fat.”
“No, I won’t~ Besides, it doesn’t affect me since I exercise a lot~”
“You’re such a pain! Seriously…”
But Stella’s words were the truth. Unlike Nova, who came out at eight, Stella had been training since six in the morning.
He had witnessed that she was at least twice as strong as him, so he had no rebuttal.
Moreover, she claimed that managing her magic power required a lot of energy, so she had to eat more.
“But if you only eat sweets, your teeth will rot.”
“Shut up already… I get it…”
However, instead of stopping, Stella downed the remaining Bubble Tea in one go, blushing, as Nova looked at her in disbelief.
“I’ll stop eating sweets after this… only sweets…”
“Then you’ll eat something else?”
“I-I have to eat rice, don’t I?!”
“Okay! I got it!”
With her usual intake of three to four servings of rice while maintaining her shape, Nova had no intention to comment on her diet…
He was just amazed that she wouldn’t gain weight despite all she ate.
“You’re not even growing…”
“Do you want to die? What did you say?”
“Nothing at all.”
Just as they were catching their breath, Shia and Serena entered the sparring hall.
“We’re here~ Did you two eat?”
The arrival of more beautiful girls made the students stir with excitement.
“Look, those pretty girls are back again…”
“What is that guy doing? I want to kill him…”
Seeing the two, Stella waved her hand warmly.
“You’re here? Did you bring me something to eat?”
“Hey.”
“Of course! I brought you some inari sushi, stir-fried meat and vegetables, and other goodies.”
“Wow, that sounds delicious… I’ll enjoy this!”
Stella’s face lit up with pure joy as she prepared to eat her lunch. Serena set down a bundle filled with something next to her.
“I brought what you asked for; is this enough?”
“Nom nom… Oh, really? Let’s see…”
Inside the bundle were Recovery Potions. Upon seeing the contents, Stella wore a satisfied expression.
“This looks good just by looking at it! Just like from an alchemy house.”
“Of course, who made them~ But what are you going to do with all those recovery potions?”
“You’ll find out after I finish eating, right, Nova?”
At her words, Nova shivered slightly.
“Are we really doing that today?”
“Get yourself ready for what’s to come.”
Looking at Nova, who resignedly ate his food, Serena wore a puzzled expression.
*
After mealtime, Nova and Stella positioned themselves in a part of the large sparring hall and faced each other.
Shia and Serena watched the scene from the stands.
“Are they really going to spar each other?”
“It looks that way, but the atmosphere feels a bit…”
It felt more than just a casual spar. Tension tightened the air, and Nova’s heart raced as he sensed every move of Stella.
The atmosphere was filled with tension and unease, and it felt like the air was vibrating.
The first move was made by Stella.
“When are you going to stop just staring?”
Though they were ten meters apart, she lunged at Nova in an instant.
Boom!!!
A tremendous crash emerged from the spot where he had just been standing, drawing the attention of nearby students.
Nova wiped sweat from his forehead as he gazed at the spot he had just vacated.
“This is insane…”
“Is there time to marvel? You look pretty relaxed, huh?”
Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed overhead.
What he saw was Stella, with a cold expression, leaping into the air and raising her legs.
Her expression was the complete opposite of her usual cute looks, and at that moment, he felt the chill of death.
‘If I don’t dodge, I’ll die.’
Nova twisted his body desperately once more.
Boom!
Stella’s foot narrowly missed his face by a hair’s breadth. A powerful shockwave exploded outward, causing the ground to twist and crack beneath them. Dust and debris flew into the air, making the very air tremble. It felt exactly like an earthquake had hit.
“Isn’t this too much?!”
“This is crazy…”
Taking advantage of the brief moment when her feet were grounded, a counterattack came flying back.
In an instant, Nova summoned a wooden sword and swung it toward her neck without hesitation.
It wouldn’t kill her since it was a wooden sword, but for an ordinary person, it would be a lethal strike.
Crack!
His eyes widened at the unfolding scene. Even before his attack could connect, the wooden sword shattered into pieces.
‘A chop? She broke it with that?!’
If he had only felt the sensation, he wouldn’t have believed it at all.
It felt unequivocally like their blades had met.
Stella, flowing with grace, made a second strike.
The blade of the remaining wooden sword was sent flying.
Before Nova could retaliate, there came a third strike.
Her hand landed squarely on Nova’s abdomen.
Stella’s Attack
As the fingers of one hand piled atop the other and her foot touched the ground, the sound of ice shattering echoed through the air. Instantaneously, power coursed through her legs and a wave radiated gently behind her.
Kugh!!
Blood erupted from Nova’s mouth as he gasped.
The deadly sound of the impact froze everyone nearby.
“We need to stop this immediately…”
“Hold on a second…”
Serena, with a pale expression, reached out to stop them, and pointed to where Nova was.
He, shakingly pulled a potion from his pocket and gulped it down immediately.
Stella, her expression remaining cold, spoke to him.
“You just died once.”
Glug… Puff… Yeah, I definitely felt that.
As soon as he drank the potion, Nova’s body recovered instantly. Once he regained his stance, Stella also readied herself for another round.
And just like that, a breath-stealing, deadly battle commenced once more.
“This isn’t… a spar… it’s just a slaughter…”
“Were you this prepared to have so many potions ready?”
Shia and Serena couldn’t hide their shock at the battle unfolding before them.
The other students present stared blankly at the two.
*
Blood splattered everywhere. With each snap of flesh and cracking of bones, it felt as if their hearts were shattering as well. But one could not stop; this was a necessary process.
Nova said he wanted to be strong, and they felt his sincere desire fully.
So, they had to give it everything they had in response.
With every strike, they sent signals, telling Nova to dodge, or he’d die.
Right now, Nova was probably visualizing his own death in his mind non-stop.
“Don’t forget that sensation. Feel the death on your skin.”
What he imagined was not an illusion; she was just adjusting it so that it wouldn’t happen. If she made even the slightest mistake, he would die instantly.
It was harder than she thought it would be, considering it was her first time adjusting to it and fighting.
While fighting directly, she felt it.
Nova was holding back his strength.
“Hey, are you messing with me?”
“Huh?”
“I said come at me with the intent to kill, so why the heck are you holding back?!”
Perhaps struck at the core, Nova found it hard to respond.
What kind of mindset did she have about practicing together?
Was it just a joke? Just pity?
‘If you’re still not going all out…’
She released her true intent to kill, infused with sincerity, towards him.
The air grew heavy as if it froze around them.
She compressed a massive amount of magic power into her hands.
Stella’s Evil Intent
Her hand sliced through the air, creating a chilling wind.
The spear of death filled with malice whistled through the air.
Just as it was about to pierce Nova’s throat, an imposing voice boomed out.
“That’s enough!”
Like teleportation, Han In-young appeared between them in an instant, blocking Stella and Nova.
Only now did she regain her composure.
“I… almost killed Nova just now…”
“You don’t get it, do you? You were about to die yourself.”
“What?”
When she finally regained her senses, she noticed Nova’s palm was held firmly by a hand, preventing him from moving.
His expression had gone pale. He may have had the same thought as her.
“Are these young folks all just crazy… Do you both seriously intend to kill each other?”
A foreign man in unique clothing shook his head while chewing on something.
She recognized his face from somewhere, and upon seeing him, Nova’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You… No way!”
