Everyone has a room in their heart that they live with.
In that space, one can run around freely like a pure young child, and perhaps even vent about their boss that they couldn’t in reality.
How to decorate that room is entirely up to the individual, but I have fully entrusted that authority to these poor children.
“Schadenfreude.”
The ‘me’ who has been with me the longest.
It was also the nickname given to me by my attendants in my childhood, as my misfortunes were their joys.
I awakened the self that constitutes the foundation of my current memories.
[Get me out of here.]
Schadenfreude, having lost all power and remaining only with instinct, earnestly pleaded while drooping its body.
It was a request I couldn’t possibly fulfill, so I shook my head.
Because I can’t showcase my unique magic here.
“What I want is the Second Princess, Josephine Floria Kaizen.”
[Simple-minded girl.]
“Yeah, I know.”
The second unique magic, remodeled from the erosion of jealousy, can replicate the circuit patterns of an opponent seen with one’s eyes.
But that’s merely the function of the unique magic, not the ability of the erosion itself.
As appetite controls metabolism, laziness transforms the nature of aura, and rage interferes with barriers,
Schadenfreude can likewise imitate the nature of an aura.
[But it seems that people don’t die as easily these days?]
“…”
Only for those it has directly killed by destroying their Aura Heart.
[Jealousy: Aura Synchronization – Josephine]
*
The expression on Oh Deok-jae’s face revealed undeniable confusion.
‘The atmosphere has completely changed… Is it the aura’s influence?’
Oh Deok-jae had long realized that it made no sense to judge Na-me by age.
But the sensation he felt for the first time sounded alarms in his mind.
He received a similar beastly and ferocious vibe from Lee Min-young of the same grade.
‘No matter how much aura is used, one cannot surpass the limits of the body… No, keep all possibilities open. I mustn’t be careless.’
Na-me proudly wrapped her entire body in golden aura and sprang from her position, while Deok-jae simultaneously set up a magic circle.
[Casting: Coefficient Adjustment]
[Casting: Sinkhole]
Gathering his breath, Na-me glanced sideways at the magic circles being cast.
She fixed herself to the ground using the sharp aura that surged from the soles of her shoes, leaping over the weak ground in a zigzag to close the gap.
In awe-inspiring sight, Deok-jae broke the magic circle and raised his guard to withstand Na-me’s attack head-on.
Bang!
Fwaam!
The ruthless low kick, followed by a spinning middle kick aimed straight at his abdomen, mercilessly battered Deok-jae’s body.
Squeaaaal!
Na-me dove in close, slicing through the air with her fists unrestrained.
Deok-jae’s eyes darted around, searching for an opportunity to counterattack, losing his balance.
With every attack from Na-me, the beast-like golden aura swirled, biting into his flesh.
Each hit chipped away at Deok-jae’s small particle barrier.
Had he taken a direct hit, his bones would have shattered.
At that moment, Na-me’s eyes glinted ominously, her legs firmly planted against the ground.
[Minor Casting: Smoke Screen]
Amidst the whirlwind of attacks, she completed a magic circle.
As she extended her left hand, a magic circle was cast right in front of Deok-jae’s face.
The casting time was drastically shortened.
As he raised his arm to break the magic circle, his guard shattered just then, and a harsh wind sound assaulted his ears again.
“Huff!”
Kwaaaaang!
The blow struck directly at the center of his abdomen.
Starting from Na-me’s legs, the advanced manipulation of aura flowed through her waist, shoulders, and arms.
It was an extremely simple attack but paradoxically held the most powerful force; with a thunderous explosion, Deok-jae’s body folded in half and flew back.
“Cough!”
Swoosh!
Simultaneously, a strong shockwave generated around Na-me swept across the ground.
“Ugh… Even with a barrier, that stings…”
Deok-jae stood up, using his hands to support himself on two knees.
His resilience was considerable, but his clothes looked like rags.
“Looks like you’re running low on aura. Right?”
“I still have enough.”
“The scoreboard shows 10%. That’s a lie. I have a feeling that if I don’t beat you this year, I never will.”
“You’ll probably have a tough time this year too. It’s best not to expect to beat me.”
“Hahahaha!”
He slowly lifted his arms and ultimately burst into madness.
“Haa… Haa… So you came out so confidently! Hwaaaaaaa!”
[Casting: Coefficient Compression]
[Casting: Collaborative Casting: Hydraulic Lift]
With skilled double casting, Deok-jae slammed his fist into the ground.
A magic circle formed circularly beneath Na-me’s feet, propelling her body high into the air.
“No matter how tough you are, in the air…!”
[Wide Casting: Arc Discharge]
[Casting: Collaborative Casting: Insulation Rupture]
Kwaaajijijik!
Relentless bombardment fell from the sky.
Ku-gak-gak-gak-gak!
Dozens of large and small purple lightning bolts sliced through the air, covering the ground.
The human desire to dominate nature was passed down in written form through oral legends,
and with the wisdom of sages, reborn as lightning magic that realized humanity’s wishes.
As sparks scattered in all directions and the burning smell tickled his nose,
purple mana began to gather into a point once again.
“No way!”
[Unique Magic – Demon King’s Horn]
[Casting: Grounding]
“Can a person really become stronger than the Earth?”
Na-me rendered the lightning magic completely ineffective using the Demon King’s Horn as a lightning rod.
Crackling!
As the horn voraciously consumed the lightning, she walked forward nonchalantly.
Just as Deok-jae was about to draft a new magic circle, he suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed.
“Did I run out of mana first…?”
If magic is forced to be used, it will strain not just the Aura Heart but the heart itself.
Without mana, there’s no choice but to use the aura.
“Hraaap!”
He exerted propulsion on the feet grounded on the floor.
With a speed that a normal human body could never achieve, he sprang up like a spring and wildly swung his fists.
With adrenaline pumping profusely, time felt as though it was slowing down.
Yet Na-me felt the same.
Thwak!
Na-me deflected a straightforward attack and
kicked Deok-jae’s side, completely breaking his balance.
“Ugh!”
A loud shriek erupted from deep within. Perhaps it was because the barrier was almost gone.
Chomp-
Barely managing to grab Na-me’s ankle, Deok-jae pulled hard, knocking her down.
“I will never give up…!”
With almost no mana left, Deok-jae couldn’t afford to give up on magic and created his final spell.
“Arc Discharge magic… Are you planning to self-destruct?”
“If I can’t win, then at least I shouldn’t let you win. Ha… Hahaha!”
Na-me playfully tapped his head with her small fist, but it dealt no damage at such close range.
Furthermore, he was using all his aura to hold onto Na-me’s ankle.
Just before the Maxwell equations were almost fully drafted, Na-me scooped up a handful of sand and sprayed it into his face.
“Kraaaah! My eyes!”
[Casting: Arc Discharge-]
“How dare you!”
[Dispel: Arc Discharge]
Before the magic circle could even be fully cast, Na-me successfully dispelled the results derived from the closed curve by performing a line integral.
“What? Why isn’t the magic coming out?”
Oh Deok-jae rubbed his eyes in astonishment, questioning the unexpectedly fast dispelling technique.
And the pressure of the uncast magic bore down solely on the caster.
Soon, electrifying pain enveloped his body.
“Kaaah! Huh… Aah!”
If there’s a time to be eliminated, now would be it.
Due to earlier clashes, Na-me’s hairband broke, and her long hair swirled in the wind.
As if an observer camera predicted the conclusion of the fight, it zoomed in closely on Na-me’s expression.
Her face was smudged with sweat, sand, and dirt, crinkled against the white skin.
Gogoogogook-
The aura, barely surrounding her skin, flickered like an enraged flame.
As if declaring that two suns cannot rise under one sky, the sunlight was blocked by clouds, casting shadows across the training arena.
[Casting: Uplift]
[Chain Casting: Uplift]
[Chain Casting: Uplift]
Three pillars erupted from the ground.
Weightlessly, Na-me nimbly stepped on the pillars, leaping high into the sky.
The golden aura replaced the sun.
Spinning in mid-air to maximize her rotational force, Na-me then stretched out her right leg and
stamped her heel down onto Deok-jae’s body.
[Kaizen Imperial Palace Martial Art: Earth Splitter]
Kwaaaaaaang!
The impact concentrated into one point was beyond description.
Crack!
A tremendous weight emanating from her slender frame pressed down on his flesh and muscle.
Swishhhh-
The transparent small particle barrier compressed to its limit tried to protect the participant,
but Clang!
shattered like glass, surrendering part of the shock to Deok-jae who had to bear it entirely.
Deok-jae faltered, unable to emit even the slightest scream as he collapsed.
A male body was buried in the sand, and as friction heat caused colorless smoke to rise around,
the girl who created a miracle sat awkwardly on the ground, silently gazing at the lofty sky.
A gentle breeze brushed across her face, caressing her.
Feeling too lazy to spit out the grains of sand in her mouth, she gathered her saliva and swallowed it greedily.
With just a quick wipe of her lips, she inhaled deeply up to her limits, welcomed by the cold wind.
“Huff.”
The brief and clear thoughts that came out with her hot breath from the duel were:
“The autumn wind is sweet.”
As she dusted herself off and stood up, four deputy judges and one head judge hurriedly ran to check on the participants’ well-being.
As the unprecedented duel’s victory and defeat were decided, cheers erupted from the audience, echoing all around,
and finally, it felt like autumn had arrived.
