< Chapter 129: Team Battle (4) >
The first day of the practical exam passed by like a shot arrow.
Even though we only have one match per day for 5 days, which is a relaxed schedule, I’m not physically tired.
However, the stares from those around me are mentally exhausting.
“…”
On the short path from the classroom to the school gate, I felt like a monkey in a zoo.
“Look there. That’s Kang Seo-yul.”
“Oh, the one with the triple attribute? It’s my first time seeing him in person.”
The seniors’ stares are especially intense.
“Have you seen his magic? Our magic club is joining the battle for Kang Seo-yul. Make sure you don’t miss out.”
“Yes. Of course.”
With the end of the finals, the ban on club activities is also lifted.
Perhaps it’s because of that the seniors’ eyes shimmer with greed.
“Wow, Kang Seo-yul was definitely the MVP today.”
“I was at a loss for words.”
“Like an onion? The more you peel, the more layers you find.”
“Won’t scouts from ‘The Circle’ come for him this time?”
Hearing such direct praises makes me feel awkward. It’s as if there’s a ticklish sensation on my back.
“He’s quite handsome.”
“He looks even better in person.”
“Pictures don’t capture all of his charm.”
Mixed in were also some beauty reviews from the female seniors.
“So annoying.”
“He’s so lucky.”
“Utterly jealous of his talent.”
There were also cadets who openly displayed their jealousy.
“Ugh.”
I can’t stand it anymore.
It feels like sitting on a bed of thorns.
I ran as fast as I could.
Past the school gate, I ran all the way to a quiet park.
“Sigh.”
Finally, some peace.
I did anticipate this level of attention, but am I just too naive? I never get used to being the center of attention.
“It’ll be worse tomorrow, won’t it?”
The thought of dealing with scouts and reporters again makes me slightly regretful.
…Well, it was necessary to achieve my goals, so it can’t be helped.
Mmm-
“Huh?”
That’s when my phone vibrated.
[From Maiden Critines]
It was a call from Maiden.
“This is perfect.”
I was planning to call her once I got home, so this is timely.
“Hello?”
―Kid. You made another scene?
Maiden chuckled mischievously.
“You’re making it sound like I committed a crime or something.”
I too chuckled mischievously.
“What are you calling for today?”
―Why? Can’t I call without a reason?
“It’s not that, but given the timing of your call, I thought there might be a reason.”
Considering it’s such a busy time and she went out of her way to call, there must be something.
―Well, there’s no particular reason.
Maiden confidently said.
―I just thought it might be time for you, Kid, to call, so I did it first.
“…Excuse me?”
I was momentarily flabbergasted.
―What do you mean by ‘Excuse me?’ Weren’t you planning to call me? You probably have a favor to ask, right?
“Uh…”
Indeed, I was planning to call her as soon as I got home.
And it’s true that I had a favor to ask.
“How did you know?”
―How would I know? Because this old lady is standing right on top of your head.
Maiden chuckled.
“Do you also know what I’m about to ask for?”
Did she anticipate even this?
―I know.
…You do? Seriously?
―You’re planning to ask for an article, aren’t you?
“Ah.”
My eyes slowly widened.
―The headline of the article will probably be something like ‘Cadet Kang Seo-yul announces he possesses the trait to control all attributes!’
“……”
My mouth opened wider in disbelief.
―The primary objective is to make it known to the public in advance that you possess all the attributes, so in the future, whether it’s the fourth, fifth, or any other attribute magic, it won’t
seem odd.
“……”
How can she precisely deduce this, a plan I haven’t shared with anyone, just from the fact that I’ve made my wind attribute magic public?
―Your ultimate goal is to enhance your own name value and, with a forward-looking approach, lay the groundwork to increase your influence and authority as a superhuman. Right?
“Wow……”
It was a deduction so accurate it couldn’t be more perfect.
It’s as if she entered my mind and came out.
―Why aren’t you responding? Am I wrong? Should I not publish the article?
“No. You’re right. Absolutely right.”
I chuckled.
This is really unbelievable.
“…You truly have been on top of my head.”
I was amazed by Maiden’s insight. How fortunate I am to have someone like this on my side.
“Since you know everything, there’s no need for a long explanation. May I ask you to publish the article?”
―Sure. I’ve prepared everything in advance. I can publish it right away. Should I?
“…You’ve prepared it already?”
Her proactivity is also off the charts.
Lightning fast.
If a person with such insight and initiative was my enemy…
I shuddered. The mere thought is horrifying.
―Kid? Are you not going to answer?
“Oh, I’m sorry. I got lost in thought for a moment. Please go ahead.”
Alright. Let’s set the internet on fire.
* * *
The next day.
[Cadet Kang Seo-yul reveals he’s not a triple attribute holder but possesses all attributes!]
[Shock! The world’s first to hold all magical attributes!]
[Considering the utility and efficiency of attribute magic, Cadet Kang Seo-yul’s value exceeds that of an S-rank superhuman!]
[‘Master’ of ‘The One’ guild expresses interest in Kang Seo-yul.]
[Kang Seo-yul recreates, albeit in a smaller form, the fusion magic of the ‘Witch of Fire’ and ‘Wind Emperor’! A person with innate magical talent!]
It was total chaos.
The main portal sites were plastered with my name, and the news was filled with articles about me.
“It’s really blazing.”
The small spark thrown by Ms. Maiden was now a roaring fire, fueled by the relentless articles from journalists.
With this, whatever attribute I reveal in the future, people won’t pay much attention.
“Because it’s Kang Seo-yul.”
Such would be the sentiment. It was a success.
…That said, I’m currently the center of attention.
Better to think of it as having taken a precautionary measure in advance.
“Ancestor, it’s time.”
“Has it been that long already?”
I was snapped out of my thoughts by Jia’s words.
Looking at the clock, it was 11:21. Less than 10 minutes were left before the match started.
Time passed.
“Let’s head out then.”
“Alright.”
We left the waiting room and walked through the corridor leading to the arena.
“I’ll be counting on you for the offense today.”
“Don’t worry.”
We quietly made our way toward the arena.
“Let’s win quickly and take a rest.”
* * *
Thursday.
It’s the fourth day of the practical exam.
I easily won the second and third matches.
In both games, I completely dominated.
The second opponent, having seemingly learned nothing from watching the first game, came with an all-in strategy and was ruthlessly crushed by me.
The third opponent tried to strategize by dividing their offense and defense, but it was in vain. Assuming they could stop both me, who has a buff from the advantage rule, and Jia by dividing their forces 2/3 was futile.
They faced total defeat as they were beaten one by one.
Untouchable.
No one could stop us.
And today is Thursday.
It’s the day we face Si-yeon’s team.
“Seo-yul, how’s your conscience doing?”
Just then, Chul-jin approached me with a sly smile.
Such politeness.
He’s even concerned about the state of my conscience.
“It’s good. How about your cunning? Still in top form?”
I shot back.
“No, a thug with no conscience recently hit me hard on the head. I’ve been bedridden.”
“That’s unfortunate. Should I come for a sick visit?”
We looked at each other and laughed.
It felt like sparks were flying between our eyes.
“Have you planned your strategy well?”
“Of course~ Obviously. Thanks to someone who put me under pressure from day one, it was a bit tough.”
By “pressure,” he meant me using wind attribute magic and fusion magic.
“What are you talking about?”
I pretended not to understand.
“As if you don’t know. Even if you maintain a 1-offense 4-defense formation, you’re threatening that we can’t win.”
On the first match day.
Me, using the wind attribute magic followed by fusion magic was a silent warning to Chul-jin.
‘Are you going to continue with your all-in strategy on Si-yeon? Because this is what I’ll do. Still going to use it?’
That was the gist of it.
“If you’d kept it a secret till today, we would’ve been caught off guard. Aren’t you too merciful?
Especially for giving a warning in advance.”
Chul-jin laughed stiffly.
“There should be that kind of bond between us, shouldn’t there? Hahaha.”
I laughed as well.
“And it’s practically the finals. It wouldn’t be fun if it ended just like that. You guys should also have some time to appeal to the scouts.”
It was a confident smile.
“Wow~ Your consideration is overflowing.”
A vein popped on Chul-jin’s forehead. It seemed he had reached the limit of his patience.
“Alright. Then I should make it interesting. Look forward to it. It’ll be very entertaining.”
With those words, Chul-jin turned away.
“I’ll look forward to it. See you in 2 hours.”
I waved at Chul-jin as he walked away.
Once Chul-jin completely disappeared from sight, Jia, who had been silently listening to the conversation, spoke up.
“There seems to be no hindrance to your plan, Ancestor.”
She looked impressed.
“Exactly. Chul-jin has a stronger pride than I thought.”
I hadn’t anticipated it going this smoothly.
“Yes. He’s known as a genius in his own right. He’d naturally get upset if he felt belittled.”
“I didn’t belittle him. On the contrary, I was wary of him.”
Considering Chul-jin’s flexible thinking, Ha Si-yeon’s physical prowess, and the solid backup of the grown-up Choi Jihun, they are the team I’m most cautious about.
That’s why I made my move right from the start.
“Then let’s start preparing for the match.”
“Yes. Are we proceeding with the strategy as planned?”
“Yes.”
I grinned.
“I need to give Chul-jin a life lesson.”
Chul-jin’s critical weakness is that when he’s flustered, his thinking becomes one-dimensional and overly cautious.
If he addresses this flaw, he can grow even further.
“As a side benefit, let’s boost both my ranking and yours, Jia.”
Considering Si-yeon has been soaring high recently, there’s a need to pull her down to second place again.
“…Yes.”
Jia nodded with a peculiar expression on her face.
* * *
It’s 2:55 p.m. on Thursday.
Just before the match between Team Kang Seo-yul and Team Ha Si-yeon, both with records of 3 wins and 0 losses, is about to start.
“It’s starting!”
“Make sure to record every single move!”
“If you mess up, you’ll be scolded by the Guild Master!”
The stands were packed to the brim. Not just industry insiders and reporters, but also regular citizens filled the seats.
“Ah, I’m getting nervous too. Who do you think will win?”
“Kang Seo-yul might win, right? He possesses all the elemental attributes for the first time in the world.”
“Team Kang Seo-yul will probably win. The other team members are said to be from the Shinwa Group, ranked second.”
For most people, the primary goal was to see Kang Seo-yul in action.
“You never know. The opposing team also has some well-known promising players.”
“Even with the advantage buff, it’s hard to overcome the numerical difference, isn’t it?”
It wasn’t just Kang Seo-yul; the other members were also star-studded.
“Anyway, this match is definitely going to be epic, right?”
“I agree.”
In a world where the competition between superhumans had become a sport, the cadets’ rivalry also resembled a sports match.
“Do you think he will use fusion magic? That’s why I came to watch.”
“He probably will, given the opponent.”
A high-quality prospective player match.
This match was exactly that.
“Oh, it’s starting!”
At that moment, the match began.
Both sides started their moves simultaneously.
“…Huh?”
The audience widened their eyes in surprise as if taken aback.
“Both are going all-in?”
Team Ha Si-yeon remained still despite the start of the match. They adopted a defense-only strategy, foregoing any offense.
On the other hand, Team Kang Seo-yul seemed to care little for the flag and simultaneously charged forward, giving up defense in favor of an all-out attack.
“…Incredible.”
“If this continues…”
Excitement shone in the eyes of the spectators.
“A head-to-head battle!”
The moment for an epic match had arrived.
* * *
“Whew. Are they really coming?”
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the audience seats, four men and women were seated, each in their unique posture.
“Yeah. They’re coming.”
Maestro.
“Heh heh. But do we really need four executives to move for such a trivial matter?”
Alchemist.
“More than that, I want to enlighten all these damned people in this audience right now~ Can I?”
Saint.
“…Refrain. It’s bothersome when the area stealth is deactivated.”
And Hermit.
The four executives of the ‘Truth’s Saviors’ were surveying various parts of the audience.
“Let me tell you in advance, keep them alive.”
A slight chill ran from Maestro’s eyes.
“Hehe. I know. As long as we don’t kill them, right? As long as we don’t kill…”
Alchemist laughed disdainfully.
“We need to gather information. Restrain from using any chemicals that may mentally break them.”
“Oh? Is that so? Quite a buzzkill.”
Alchemist clicked his tongue.
“Maestro. They seem to have arrived.”
Hermit pointed in a direction.
There stood two women.
Yu Hwa, wearing a suit and sunglasses, and Maiden, who had a rather large carrier with her.
Seeing the two, a smile curled up at the corners of Maestro’s lips.
“Then, we will commence the operation in 10 minutes.”
All four of them stood up.
“The objective is the capture of the guild leader of Bihon, Yu Hwa. Let me reiterate, You absolutely must not kill her. It’s the Boss’s order. Ensure she’s captured alive.”
A fierce light burst from Maestro’s eyes.
At the mention of the Boss’s order, both Alchemist and Saint looked serious.
“…”
Hermit was looking at those three executives with a peculiar gaze.
< Chapter 129: Team Battle (4) > End.
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