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The students were amazed and shocked by the ability Lee Ha-yoon displayed.

“As expected of an S-Class, huh?”

“So cool, I think I’m falling for her.”

“Having someone like that in the same year is just unfair…”

“Thank goodness for the special admissions. I wouldn’t stand a chance competing with Ha-yoon.”

The students and the dorm supervisor were completely captivated.

Meanwhile, Jeong Gyeoul started to move.

‘I can’t let Ha-yoon do all the work.’

Gyeoul stepped forward and used telekinesis to pick up two feathers that had fallen to the ground.

“With these… I can use them as weapons, right?”

Holding the feathers in both hands, Gyeoul tested them on a skeleton, and the parts they touched immediately melted.

“…What is she doing now?”

“Why is she picking up feathers? She’s a Super Ability user. Is she seriously planning to fight?”

“Shouldn’t someone stop her?”

“Gyeoul! It’s dangerous!”

But Gyeoul turned a deaf ear to their warnings.

“Don’t worry!”

Shrugging her shoulders, Gyeoul dusted off her hands and feet and started walking.

Gradually picking up speed, she charged at the group of skeletons.

Even for a Physical Awakened, her movements were impressive. She quickly destroyed five skeletons in front of her and began to unleash her telekinesis.

Dozens of feathers, which were practically top-tier weapons against skeletons, were embedded in the ground nearby.

Feathers were still falling from above.

Gyeoul selected a few dozen intact feathers and floated them in the air.

Whoosh—

The feathers flew around the skeletons as if they had a will of their own, beginning to tear through them.

“…What is that? Is that even possible?”

“What kind of magic control is that?”

The students were stunned.

The same awe they had for Ha-yoon was now directed at Gyeoul.

“That’s not just speed, it’s incredibly smooth. Did you see how she changes direction mid-flight?”

“How is she C-Class? The measurement must be wrong!”

“I heard even a B-Class Hero with Kinesis can’t control more than 15 at once…”

“At this level, I’d believe she’s an active A-Class Hero…”

“She’s been taking classes at the Clock Tower… She’s no pushover.”

Despite being the youngest Awakened, many students had dismissed Gyeoul after she was measured as C-Class during the entrance ceremony.

But the ability she was showing now was far beyond C-Class.

“…What kind of bloodline does the Demon King’s family have?”

“Special admissions aren’t special for nothing.”

“She’s a Super Ability user… but she uses her body better than me, a Physical user… Should I just drop out of the Academy?”

While the students were amazed by Gyeoul and Ha-yoon’s abilities, the “White Winter” duo had already taken care of most of the skeletons.

“…I didn’t even have time to mentally prepare.”

The dorm supervisor, who had been ready to sacrifice herself to get the students to the shelter, let out a sigh of relief.

The other Physical students who had stepped forward to fight didn’t even get a chance to act.

One step ahead, one step behind.

Ha-yoon and Gyeoul destroyed the remaining two skeletons and returned to the students.

“I thought they were just pretty and cute juniors…”

“Let’s be grateful they’re willing to be friends with us.”

“…Yeah. I should buy them some snacks.”

Even Lee Chae-song and Lee Chae-rin looked at them differently.

***

Oops.

In the heat of battle, I forgot Jeong Ha-yul’s warning.

-You’re not at a level that can be considered C-Class. You’ll definitely be measured as C-Class, but… just hide it. If you get caught, it’ll be a hassle.

I got too carried away fighting the skeletons and ended up showing more than I intended.

I should have held back and retreated…

Sure enough, the dorm supervisor approached with a serious expression.

“You…”

I thought about making excuses, like Ha-yoon had infused me with magic power or helped me control it, and promising to be more careful in the future…

“You guys are really cool!”

“…Huh?”

As soon as the dorm supervisor, known as the “Tiger,” finished her fuss, the other students started cheering.

“Jeong Gyeoul and Lee Ha-yoon are so cool!”

“You’re amazing for your age!”

“Sisters, I love you! Take me with you!”

…Who’s calling us sisters? There’s no one younger than us here.

The female students, who usually just whispered and stared at us, had changed.

Honestly, since enrolling, we’ve been subtly ostracized.

What you’d call “silent bullying” or “loners.”

With the Demon King and Taebaek Group looming behind us, no one dared to openly bully us.

No one talked to us or tried to befriend us.

But now…

“Gyeoul, are you really C-Class? How are you so strong?”

“What did you learn at the Clock Tower? You’re so cool.”

“Can you teach me sometime if you have time?”

“Ha-yoon! What was that magic just now? I’ve never seen it before!”

“I thought you only controlled the four elements? That was light attribute, right?”

“Grand Mage Heinz suits you better than Grand Mage Lee Ha-yoon!”

The students swarmed around Ha-yoon and me, bombarding us with questions.

Please, stop.

I feel like I’m going to lose my mind…

I almost miss being silently bullied.

This kind of attention…

I hate it!

“Enough! Let’s move out!”

The dorm supervisor, who had been fawning over us like a fan, returned to her usual tiger-like demeanor.

The students finally calmed down and formed ranks.

We set off for the shelter under the dorm supervisor’s guidance.

The supervisor kept glancing at Ha-yoon, but I pretended not to notice.

Stop looking at her with those deer-like eyes…

You’re ruining your tiger image…

After about five minutes of walking, we encountered another group of skeletons.

“More skeletons…?”

“About the same number as before?”

“This time, let’s not leave it all to Ha-yoon and Gyeoul. Let’s do something too.”

This is a good sign.

It’s great that they’re overcoming their panic and preparing to fight.

But…

Can’t you feel it?

The overwhelming number of skeletons closing in from all sides?

“Be careful! There are way more than before!”

“…?”

They were surrounding us from all directions.

The number of skeletons… was beyond counting.

Roughly five or six times more than before.

…This is bad.

I expected the students to panic again, but surprisingly, they seemed fine.

“We’ll help too!”

Now they’re starting to look like Hero candidates.

They each gathered their magic power, preparing for the upcoming battle.

Ha-yoon and I decided to fight the same way as before, but this time, we’d cover the other students as much as possible.

Boom—

The battle began with Chae-song’s punch.

Is this the same Lee Chae-song who’s always polite, shy, and timid?

My heart swells with pride.

She could be called Little Jeong Ha-yul.

Anyway, as Chae-song stepped forward, other Physical students joined the fight.

Of course, Ha-yoon and I did too.

I had used up more magic power than I thought in the previous fight, so I gave up on controlling each feather individually.

Whoosh—

Just like Ha-yoon shooting feathers from the sky.

I shot feathers from the ground.

Whoosh, whoosh—

Unlike Ha-yoon, who seemed to produce and shoot feathers endlessly, I had to retrieve them once they ran out. But as a telekinetic, I showed off my skill by causing damage even during retrieval.

The dorm supervisor, like me earlier, was running through the skeletons with feathers in both hands.

Of course, her speed was incomparable to mine.

The other students were holding up well too.

Ha-yoon, the dorm supervisor, and I were taking down skeletons at an incredible rate.

At this pace, we’d finish the battle even faster than before.

Flash—

Magic?

The enemies weren’t just skeleton warriors.

Magic came flying at us at an incredible speed.

It was aimed precisely at Ha-yoon and me.

I dodged the magic aimed at me, minimizing the damage, and used telekinesis to pull down the magic aimed at Ha-yoon.

I got a little hurt, but Ha-yoon’s safety was the priority.

I’ve trained with Jeong Ha-yul to pull projectiles and magic, changing their trajectories, so of course, I protected her…

“Ahhh!”

A scream came from above.

The two magic spells flying at us weren’t the only ones.

Ha-yoon lost her wings and fell.

“No!”

I used telekinesis to catch the falling Ha-yoon and pulled her toward me.

She had been hit directly by magic near her heart.

I quickly checked her wound.

Fortunately, there wasn’t much damage.

It seemed her S-Class resistance had saved her.

Ha-yoon seemed to have fainted from the shock of the opponent’s magic power.

In cases like this, she should recover over time.

It was a small mercy.

‘Mercy my foot, you idiot…’

Even though she’s an S-Class trained by Jeong Ha-yul, this is Ha-yoon’s first real battle.

She might have let her guard down since only skeleton warriors had appeared so far.

The tension and excitement of battle might have narrowed her focus.

But I shouldn’t have let that happen.

I had plenty of warnings from Lin Hazel, and I knew the enemies weren’t just skeletons!

I should have protected Ha-yoon.

I should have been more careful…

Despite my burning emotions, my mind regained its cool.

If I mess up here, it’s game over.

While protecting the unconscious Ha-yoon, I looked around.

“…What is this? How are skeletons moving so organized?”

“I only learned how to fight monsters! How do I fight skeletons?”

The students were panicking again.

Naturally, my brow furrowed.

This isn’t going to work.

The students are frozen.

The dorm supervisor can’t handle this alone.

Ha-yoon is unconscious.

And to make matters worse, I’m almost out of magic power.

The students are starting to get hurt.

‘Support… is there no support?’

I looked further away.

Smoke was rising from various places, so it wasn’t just here that was a battlefield.

It’s unlikely we’ll get help from the instructors.

Even if they come, who knows how many will die in the meantime.

We need to break through and get to the shelter…

“Ahhh! Help me!”

“Su-bin! Get lost, you skeleton bastards!”

I turned toward the desperate cry and saw a student named Su-bin on the ground.

Dozens of skeletons surrounded her, raising their swords to strike.

Whoosh—

I quickly shot the feathers I was holding toward her.

“Th-thank you!”

I barely saved Su-bin, but dangerous situations kept popping up everywhere.

“Chae-song unnie!”

“Yes, Gyeoul!”

I called out to Lee Chae-song, who seemed the most energetic.

The dorm supervisor was out of the question.

If she left, there would be massive casualties.

“Cover me for a bit.”

“Huh…?”

“Just for a moment.”

She looked confused but immediately stood in front of me, taking a defensive stance.

Just a little, just a little longer.

Hold on, Chae-song.

 

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