Chapter 25
This was a conversation held before the midterms began.
“Wait a minute. Did I hear you wrong? Let me get this straight… The classroom is too crowded. It’s noisy. Therefore, we need to cut the number of students in half. Um… Ki-hyuk, are you in your right mind? Are you really suggesting disbanding entire groups for such a trivial reason?”
“Doesn’t it sound fun? Right, Jun-woo?”
“I agree. It sounds fun. I’m in favor.”
“Seriously, Jun-woo, you’re too influenced by Ki-hyuk. You’re hopeless.”
Despite Merehem’s desperate attempts to argue, there were only three members in the group. The principle of majority rule had already sealed the decision.
“…This is hopeless. Am I the only sane one here? I’m so confused.”
“Give it up, Merry. The water’s already spilled.”
“It hasn’t spilled yet!”
“Alright, alright. Let’s pick our targets then. First, Group 14. They seem to be the most talkative. If we crush them first, the rumors will spread nicely.”
“I don’t like Group 11. There are too many of them.”
“A valid point. Noted. Group 11. Anyone else?”
“Group 9. They’re pretty skilled.”
“Pretty skilled? I’m not familiar with them, but if they’re good, it’ll make the fight more interesting. Noted. Group 9.”
“You’re all wrong. Both of you are terribly wrong.”
“So, Merry, do you have a suggestion?”
“…Sigh, Group 6. They’re insufferable.”
“Weren’t they the ones caught skipping classes through proxies?”
“I think I heard about that. They were warned for sending proxies to the gate trials, right? We can’t let something like that slide. Good call, Merry.”
Once the prey was chosen, the next step was to decide on the strategy.
“Let’s summarize. First, I’ll make a scene. Three or four groups? Crushing them decisively should naturally draw all the academy’s attention towards me. Their defenses will tighten up.”
“Is that when Jun-woo and I take over?”
“Yep, challenge them to duels non-stop. With me in the background, no one will be foolish enough to respond with a team battle. There are hardly any students who could beat either of you one-on-one. You’ll be able to hunt comfortably. What do you think of the plan I’ve laid out?”
“It’ll be fun.”
“Hmm, I admit, it does sound entertaining.”
“But I want to face someone one-on-one as well.”
“You’re not ready for that yet. How about a match to test?”
“Sure, bring it on.”
“Good grief, you battle maniacs.”
Most people believe Park Ki-hyuk’s antics are the result of his impulsive and dirty personality. But in truth, from selecting the prey to deciding the hunting order, everything was meticulously planned in advance.
“Here they come!”
“They’ve blocked us…!!”
Blocking Han Jun-woo’s path, the enemies formed an impenetrable wall.
But the opponent was Han Jun-woo.
With his dazzling footwork, masterful weight shifting, and the mysterious control of a dancer’s instincts.
The human barricade crumbled like sand.
“Damn it! We lost him.”
“Run! Quickly!!”
As the first line of defense collapsed pitifully, magic attacks started to rain down.
Even during the midterm period, direct attacks were forbidden in non-official duels.
However, that just means you can use anything as long as it doesn’t directly hit the target.
The ground sank into depressions, and walls sprang up in front of him.
Illusions disoriented the mind, and the friction of the floor was altered to cause him to slip. A variety of crowd-control spells came crashing down.
But.
Han Jun-woo’s speed never faltered.
Magic hindering his path? He’d already be past it before the spell was complete.
Illusions meant to confuse him? Compared to what Ki-hyuk put him through, these were child’s play.
Han Jun-woo had inherited the blood of the Dancer.
He could control his own senses, others’ perceptions, and now even the space around him. Could such weak crowd-control spells really hinder him?
In an instant, he broke through the second line of defense, and finally, his target came into view.
“Ahhh! Just hold him off for a little longer!”
During the midterm period.
There was essentially only one way to avoid challenges.
Reaching a safe zone.
If you managed to reach a designated safe zone, such as a classroom, the library, or the dormitory, you could avoid being challenged and be free from duels.
In other words, you could protect your coins.
For those who lacked confidence in their skills—the lower-ranked students—every coin was precious. And for those lower-ranked groups, where performance wasn’t just about grades but also the risk of disbandment, they would spend the entire day fleeing to classrooms and, in the evenings, retreating to the safety of the dorms.
Just like the leader of Group 8, who was now racing towards a classroom with his teammates trying to protect him.
Currently, the Group 8 leader had only 4 coins left.
The minimum bet for a duel was 5 coins, and with fewer than that, this was his last chance.
If he wanted his group to survive, he had to escape!
Of course, as it was the last chance, they could have gathered all their members to make a final stand. There’s a saying about cornered rats biting cats, and it was indeed a strategy often employed.
But their opponent was too fearsome.
Their opponent was Group 20.
Park Ki-hyuk’s group, known as the Calamity.
If all of Group 8’s members rushed at Han Jun-woo to avoid a one-on-one, Park Ki-hyuk himself would step in.
It would be like trying to escape a wolf only to run into a tiger.
They had to avoid him at all costs! They had to block him! They had to flee!
The Group 8 leader clenched his teeth and ran.
He heard the desperate cries of his teammates but didn’t look back. His focus was solely on the classroom door, on getting through it as quickly as possible.
Ten steps, eight steps, six steps.
He was almost there.
Just one more step, please, just one more step.
He lunged toward the classroom door, practically flying.
But.
In that final step, in the moment of suspended time when he was airborne.
Just as his foot was about to touch the door.
He felt a chill down his spine, and his body was yanked backward.
“Arghhhh!”
The Group 8 leader tumbled onto the hallway floor.
Han Jun-woo stood over him, looking down.
“Caught you.”
Meanwhile, at Academy Field No. 2.
Amidst the crowd, Merehem was engaged in a duel.
Clang!
“Argh!”
Clang!
“Fall down already!”
Clang!
“Huff, huff. Hiding behind a shield, how cowardly!!”
Exhausted from pounding on the shield, Merehem’s opponent looked at her with pathetic eyes.
‘Honestly, what a waste of time.’
Merehem didn’t like to admit it, but she knew.
Among her friends, she was the weakest.
The reason clueless Jun-woo hadn’t gone extinct yet was purely because of his skill.
And Park Ki-hyuk? Is there any need to explain? He’s Park Ki-hyuk.
Hanging out with such people, Merehem sometimes wondered if she was simply insignificant.
The truth?
It’s a huge misunderstanding.
Boom!!
With a shield charge from Merehem, her opponent was flung back. The bizarre sound of impact, like being hit by a vehicle, caused everyone to hold their breath.
The man didn’t even have time to scream; he passed out after colliding with the wall.
Gulp.
Tension filled the air as Merehem brushed back her hair.
She tilted her massive mace towards the next opponent.
“Next, please.”
The infamous Group 20.
Since disbanding their seventh group, they had become notorious as the academy’s worst villains.
Within Group 20, Merehem was considered, to put it nicely, the most human, and to put it bluntly, the most approachable.
Eighty percent win rate? Does that sound weak?
Watch carefully.
Han Jun-woo has a hundred percent win rate. Perfect, in every match.
His “Dancer” ability, which allows him to control senses, is almost unbeatable in a one-on-one duel. Even Park Ki-hyuk vouches for him, so that says it all.
And Park Ki-hyuk himself? As mentioned before, if you face him, you’re doomed, so there’s no need to elaborate.
For these reasons, anyone with a grudge against Group 20 had started to gather around Merehem.
The woman standing resolutely in front of her now had been thoroughly beaten by Han Jun-woo a few days ago while trying to avoid Park Ki-hyuk, and she had come here seeking revenge.
Merehem couldn’t understand the logic.
When she thought about it, it was absurd.
Why are you taking out your frustrations here after being beaten elsewhere?
At first, it had hurt her pride. It was proof that she was being looked down on.
‘I’m not someone to be underestimated.’
She had spent her life looking down on others as a princess.
Yet, the first friends she made turned out to be Han Jun-woo and Park Ki-hyuk.
This was what people meant by feeling relatively insignificant.
Something hot and furious surged up from deep within Merehem’s chest.
‘The more I think about it, the angrier I get!’
The most primal of human instincts.
Rage.
That’s right.
Merehem was a warrior with a fiery heart, just like Han Jun-woo and Park Ki-hyuk.
In an instant, the air around the dueling field changed.
Merehem threw away her shield and stepped forward.
“I’m angry now.”
Spells began to charge from all directions.
“I’m warning you.”
A variety of supportive magic circles started to surround her.
“Run when it gets dangerous.”
Merehem’s mace slammed into the ground.
She wouldn’t admit it, but the one truly taking out their frustrations might have been Merehem herself…
As the situation escalated, the ones in the most difficult position were the professors.
“This is unacceptable! Seven groups have already disbanded! We need to take immediate action.”
“Professor Park, you’re late with the news. It’s eight groups now. I just heard that Group 8 has been disbanded.”
“Those crazy kids!”
“Park Ki-hyuk, Park Ki-hyuk. He caused trouble even during club activities, and now he’s turning the academy upside down. I just don’t like him.”
“Does the Sword Tiger family even know what manners are? Park Soo-hyuk, Park Min-ji, and now Park Ki-hyuk. They’re turning the academy into a mess.”
“This is no time to be talking about this. Are we just going to stand by? If we don’t do something, more than half the students might end up like ghosts.”
Ghosts.
A term used to describe students who have lost their groups.
Students from disbanded groups cannot participate in group-based classes.
For example, “Understanding and Utilizing Positioning,” a class even Park Ki-hyuk finds beneficial.
The problem is that the Korean Academy places a strong emphasis on teamwork and leadership, so these group-based classes account for a significant portion of the curriculum. Students who can’t participate in these classes due to disbandment end up wandering the academy, earning them the nickname “ghosts.”
“I personally don’t like how Park Ki-hyuk is monopolizing the midterms either. But we have no grounds to stop him. Group 20 earned their coins through legitimate duels.”
“That’s right. The midterms are entirely the students’ affair. There’s no room for a professor’s intervention.”
“No room? How can you say that? We can change the rules even now…”
“Professor Han, let’s be honest. They’re dueling. They’re earning coins. What’s there to intervene in such a simple exam? Besides, are you ready to face off against Yggdrasil? Can you take responsibility, Professor Han?”
“Then are we just supposed to sit back and watch? Can you handle the backlash from the parents if more than half the groups get wiped out?”
“Professor Han!”
“What!!”
The professors continued to clash, sharply divided.
Despite the heated arguments between them, it was more of a venting session than anything constructive.
However, one person among them remained unusually silent.
“Come to think of it, Professor Hwang, you’ve been quiet. Don’t you have anything to say? You probably dislike Park Ki-hyuk more than anyone here.”
“I do harbor feelings about the situation, but they’re not personal. My issue with Park Ki-hyuk stems from his disrespect for the authority of professors. If he follows the rules, I have no reason to object.”
“Oh, Professor Hwang, you’re so magnanimous.”
“You’re truly a good person.”
“You flatter me.”
“Well, in any case…”
The professors, having lost interest, turned their attention elsewhere.
Each of them resumed expressing their own opinions.
But they were unaware of the sinister glint in Hwang Jun-yeop’s eyes.
Under the dark night sky.
In her dim dormitory room, the leader of Group 16, Choi Mi-jung, lay on her bed, staring at a bottle of pills.
“These are called ‘Cocktail’ pills, designed to enhance physical strength, endurance, body activity, mana recovery, control, and even anti-magic resistance. With this, your group might stand a chance against the calamity.”
“What? Underhanded tactics? Haha, Choi Mi-jung, I’m Professor Hwang Jun-yeop. Do you really think I’d stoop to such tricks with mere students like you? To tell you the truth, this medicine was sent by your father, the Vice President of the Association. He bought it from the ‘Black Market.’ If you don’t believe me, give him a call.”
“Anyway, I’ve passed it on. Whether you use it or not is your choice. But I wonder… can your group survive the weekend without it…?”
There was no pressure.
Become a hero by stopping the calamity.
Or be swept away by it and become a ghost.
The choice is yours.
In the sleepless night, the lights in Choi Mi-jung’s room remained on until the late hours.
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