No one in the training arena could easily open their mouth.
The physical difference between Na-me and the middle school students was such that even David and Goliath would be humbled.
At least David was a robust young man who could take down lions and bears, but Na-me appeared to those around her as nothing more than a weak child, and nothing less.
“Uh… no… how…?”
Even Professor Cheon Kyu-jin, who received news about Na-me with detached acceptance, was trembling his hands.
“Cheon Byeong-ho! What the heck did you teach Na-me?!”
“How would I know?! That’s her unique magic!”
“What? Unique magic? Is that Na-me?!”
Principal Gu On-yu covered her mouth with her hand and looked seriously at Na-me.
The two Altair students collapsed without even a proper resistance.
In just three minutes, an unbelievable scene unfolded.
Na-me not only manifested her aura outside her body but seemed to handle it at a level of mastery.
The speed of her momentary double casting was so fast that even a current military wizard couldn’t replicate it.
“This is…”
Extremely dangerous.
The feelings that Principal Gu experienced when he first encountered Ham Cho-rong 40 years ago resurfaced.
It contained ambiguous meanings.
One indicated that the area around the child handling such incredible power was dangerous, and the other expressed concern over the possibility of that child being exposed to a perilous situation.
“Na-me won…?”
“What kind of magic is that…?”
“Did they really fall? Those kids who were so strong just now?”
“What in the world is that horn…?”
Her eyes darted left and right.
Lost gasps from the audience surged from everywhere.
Whether one knew magic or not, the outcome was nothing short of shocking.
“Is this even possible?! She won! The NoName participant from Sephiron defeated two upperclassmen who are seven years older!”
“I can say with confidence that we’re witnessing a historic moment, dear viewers! Did you see the sight of a small 8-year-old girl from the Republic of Korea handling her aura outside her body? I thought Jesus had returned!”
“There has never been such an anomaly in the history of the Academy Competition! Yes, I assure you! Starting tonight, the whole world might be buzzing!”
“The external manifestation of aura, double casting, and even the highly advanced 0 circle magic known as circuit reconstruction displayed while drastically conserving mana was truly remarkable. And! The NoName participant has hardly spent any of her mana! The remaining wall durability shows 99% for the micro wall and 96% for the normal one, presenting a performance close to perfect. Is this student really just 8 years old? The term genius is no longer adequate for her!”
It was the same chaos in the commentary and casting rooms.
They stood up from their chairs, eager to see Na-me from up close.
To make matters worse, streaming apps, including Twish, crashed, forcing people to converge to terrestrial broadcasting.
Over 10 million global viewers gathered, excluding those from China, Russia, and the Middle East.
In the midst of the world’s attention, she stood up with both hands on the ground.
[casting: simple]
A crude great sword emerged from the yellow earth.
Its size could indeed match her height.
Two Altair students absorbed the scene with dry expressions.
“Do you seriously think you can swing something that heavy?”
The granddaughter of Cardinal Jo Yi-hwan, Jo Soo-yeon, instead of getting scared, smirked with a mocking tone as her bright red lips moved.
“Of course.”
The hand of the Demon King that looked rather frail helped wield the great sword.
A long shadow crisscrossed across the training arena, falling at their feet.
“Why not just advertise that you’re the spawn of Satan to the whole world?”
“Aren’t the seniors at an age where they enjoy this kind of thing? Didn’t you graduate from middle-school syndrome already?”
“Na-me, I’m genuinely worried about you. You might get divine punishment playing around like that?”
“Divine punishment? I’ve been punished since I was born for nothing I did wrong.”
COO-OOOM-!
Na-me plunged the great sword mercilessly into the cold ground and suddenly frowned.
“Are you saying it’s all God’s will that I was trapped in a capsule?”
There was no reply.
The end of the conversation heralded the beginning of the clash.
The gazes that had met momentarily went astray.
A holy light burst forth from Lee Jae-hwan and Jo Soo-yeon, then split into two paths.
THUMP THUMP THUMP-
The vibration of their feet pounding the ground resonated against the outer walls.
A massive hand swung the great sword horizontally toward the light emanating in a long arc.
VWOOOOSH-
It was slow, but it was heavy.
The fierce wind whipped through the students, ruffling their neatly arranged hair.
Lee Jae-hwan dove through the gap created between the great sword and the hand, overlapping his index and middle fingers to focus his aura into a point.
KA-KA-KAH-!
A gap formed as if a giant needle had stabbed through the great sword and the hand.
Jo Soo-yeon dove into the exquisite gap created by Lee Jae-hwan.
She opened her pale palm and injected mana into the previously inscribed magic circle.
[casting: Gungnir’s spear]
KU-GUN-GUUUUM-!
The holy spear of light that pierced Jesus Christ,
shot through the great sword and the Demon King’s hand towards Na-me without hesitation.
Just as her hand regenerated, it grasped the spear’s tip.
In a situation of intense tension, the delicate balance of power was established.
Even as the keen blade approached right in front of her, Na-me didn’t blink once.
There was no time to catch her breath.
“You’re making a foolish move.”
In a split second, Na-me severed the hand gripping the great sword and released her aura once more.
A surge of aura bubbled from her back, soon taking the form of a wing that enveloped Na-me.
The spear of Gungnir, which had been coming in like a bullet, pierced with a crunch into the wing of aura.
Jo Soo-yeon smoothly let go of the spear’s handle and distanced herself from Na-me along with Lee Jae-hwan.
As their gazes met again, Jo Soo-yeon wore a much more cunning smirk.
“Soon after, blood and water began to flow. BOOM.”
CHAIN CAST: Gungnir’s Spear – EXPLODE!
KA-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-!!
The overwhelming burst of light that erupted from the spear inflicted torment on the audience’s eyes and eardrums.
“May those who wish to be servants of Satan face divine punishment! Receive God’s wrath! KYAHAHAHA!”
Jo Soo-yeon raised her arms and cackled maniacally.
PWWWWENG-!
PATABOOM-!
A deluge of crimson water burst forth, meeting the atmosphere and triggering successive explosions.
As the serene explosions continued, Lee Jae-hwan’s eyebrows twitched.
“Still no reaction?”
“… There is.”
“It’s scarily tough. I’ll handle the rest!”
“Don’t get cocky.”
Immediately, Lee Jae-hwan knelt to bury five fingers into the sandy ground.
[Creation: Setting Barrier]
[Universal casting: Redwood Barrier]
Centered around the explosion zone, a dome took shape.
Mana threads, modeled after the roots of a sequoia tree, sprouted from the ground.
SHWAAAH-!
A giant whip ruthlessly swung down on Na-me from the dense fog of blood.
As the dome shrank in size, the barrier became densely packed with whipping roots.
“Na-me!”
“NoName!”
Unlike outside the training arena, the voices of the audience were all clear inside.
Na-me’s name bounced around the audience seats repeatedly.
They genuinely worried for the child taking beatings from the middle school 3rd graders.
“Damn it, why won’t she just submit? How is she tougher than Lee Min-young?”
Jo Soo-yeon scratched her itchy neck in annoyance.
Surely, using the Redwood Barrier and Gungnir’s spear against a child was excessive treatment.
But since they had decided to reveal their hidden magic, they had to showcase overwhelming prowess.
That was the way to save face for the representative of the Green Party and the Cardinal.
Even if it meant going against an 8-year-old kid.
In the expressions of Lee Jae-hwan and Jo Soo-yeon, there wasn’t a trace of worry or guilt.
“What a pity. I was just getting started. Is your body weaker than expected?”
“I haven’t run in a while, so I’m really tired. Referee, can you open the curtain already? What the heck is this mess?”
As the two students turned to head back to the waiting room, they suddenly froze.
A chilling killing intent latched onto their ankles.
[casting: Arabesque Knot – Water]
KYAAAACK!
“Jo Soo-yeon?!”
KEHACK!
THUD-!
Jo Soo-yeon, who had landed on her rear end, was pulled magnetically towards the center of the training arena.
She clutched her increasingly tightening throat, gasping for breath as her face turned redder and redder.
Her excessively blood-filled head felt like it would burst at any moment.
“Earth grants rest to the dead, metal provides respite to the fugitive, and water offers consciousness to the deceiver.”
“Grrk… you crazy…!”
“Is it possible to fool the public by calling this mere divine punishment with just ethylene oxide and propylene for an explosion?”
COUGH! COUGH-COUGH! You wrathful bastard, let go of me right now!
Having lost her composure, Jo Soo-yeon rolled on the ground, trying to unravel the thread.
Yet every time she did, Na-me pulled the thread wrapped around Jo Soo-yeon’s neck tighter, causing her resistance to gradually fade.
“Thinking back, it’s rather taxing to face two people at once. Let’s deal with one at a time.”
[casting: simple]
[Unique magic – Estasha Style Version 1 – Adella]
Once more, she wielded a weapon shaped like a plank of wood.
This time she selected a sword that suited her height.
Kneeling, Na-me assumed a ready stance, infusing the magic circle into the tip of her sword aimed at Lee Jae-hwan’s head.
A serene silence enveloped the chaotic training arena.
With her short legs stepping forward a single pace and then retreating two steps back, the sword elegantly danced in tandem.
Like a graceful sword dance, all gazes were drawn into her fluid movements.
However, the start and end of her actions were sharply defined.
CLANG-!
The crisp sound of hammering an anvil.
CLANG-!
It wasn’t fast, but it was agile.
CLANG-!
Not strong, but precise.
Na-me’s sword strikes landed in just the right places, leaving nothing to pick apart apart from its power.
‘Where in the world did she learn to wield a sword… wait, sword…?’
It suddenly clicked for Lee Jae-hwan that this was part of Adela’s preparation.
Clenching his teeth, he hastily attempted to create a barrier spell.
His fingernails scraped against the ground, chipping away.
But when Adela’s magic circle successfully made a few rotations,
the tidal wave of mana circles that had been wandering around surged forth like it was enraged.
[Unique magic – Estasha Style Version 1]
[Adella – 20 strikes]
[BREAK]
SHAZAK-!
“How could…!”
The roots of life he had created were effortlessly severed by her linear sword strike.
A blade sharpened to the extreme sliced through the weak wall.
Lee Jae-hwan’s eyes widened in shock.
‘I can’t accept this. How can she perform such magic all by herself?!’
While countless geniuses roamed this world, even Lee Jae-hwan was one of them.
He had consistently maintained the top ranks in the academy’s year standings.
For what purpose…?
To have Na-me achieve the dream of unique magic creation that mages long for, at merely the age of eight.
‘Then what have I been doing all this time at the academy?’
Fragments of jealousy disrupted his heart.
[She is not like us. I bet if we lose today, we will never win again in our lifetime.]
“Grrrhhh! I cannot lose like this! Absolutely not!”
SHIYAAAH-!
Lee Jae-hwan, who was unleashing all his aura, was unexpectedly hurled outside of the range of her sword strike.
“…!”
At the moment Na-me looked away, Jo Soo-yeon tightly wrapped her legs around Na-me’s limb, immobilizing her movements.
Na-me wobbled slightly before managing to steady herself again.
“Jae-hwan! Now!”
There was no time to think deeply.
He charged towards the girl who seemed to personify talent.
“AAAHHHHHHHHHHH!”
Screaming with all his might, he swung his arms fiercely back and forth.
The magic that emerged in such a desperate moment wasn’t the strongest spell learned at the academy nor the most complex magic taught in the party.
It was the magic she had gotten accustomed to since young through searching online with her tiny hands.
[casting: Ignition]
WHIRRRR-!
Setting her entire body ablaze.
Lee Jae-hwan’s regular barrier was shredded in real-time.
If it continued like this, he would lose and be declared eliminated before even reaching Na-me.
But as long as he could deal a loss to that little girl!
A pair of unwavering eyes locked with Na-me’s.
In such a limited space, countering a reckless self-destructive move would be nearly impossible.
Especially with such a short stature.
“That’s cool. A man should fight like that.”
The last question blossomed in Lee Jae-hwan’s mind.
In a situation where both his arms and legs were restrained, where was that composure coming from?
The answer lay above her head.
“No, look higher.”
It was at the horn.
Above Na-me, a two-circle magic circle was being drawn autonomously.
As positively charged ions collided, they heated the negatively charged electrons, causing temperatures to rise.
The heat electrons emitted vibrant sparks, and the extremely intense aura condensed above her head, releasing all at once.
[Unique magic – Demon King’s Horn]
[casting: Arc Discharge]
PIZZZZZZZZZ-!
“UAAAAAAAHHHHH!”
Lee Jae-hwan couldn’t control his scream.
Na-me suddenly brought his knees crashing down to the ground.
His face slammed onto the floor, and the noise vanished as if it were a lie.
All Na-me could do was silently pray that the barrier provided by the competition would serve its purpose.
