“Quiet down.”
The voices of the trainees subsided at the instructor’s single remark.
The trainees who had just finished their duel removed their protective gear with the help of assistant instructors.
When the winner removed his helmet, his face was beaming with triumph. The loser’s face was the exact opposite.
“Isn’t 20 seconds shorter than I thought?”
“On the other hand, isn’t the distance a bit far?”
“Actually, 20 seconds is long if you think about real-life situations.”
The mages whispered in low voices.
Excluding Team 25A, most of the trainees had never actually fought hunters before.
Lacking a point of comparison, they tended to repeat themselves.
“Alright, next!”
The instructor called out the second pair for the duel.
They, too, stood facing each other while wearing protective gear.
If the first duel was filled with anticipation and interest, a faint tension now hung in the air.
A swordsman took a stance, ready to dash forward with his sword. A mage stood ready to cast, drawing up mana.
“Start!”
With the instructor’s signal, the swordsman and the mage sprang into action.
Magic flew, and the swordsman sprinted.
The swordsman dodged the magic with his well-developed kinetic vision.
The mage, panicked, had his casting interrupted.
As the magic circle scattered, a look of despair was clearly visible on his face.
He tried to fire magic belatedly, but it missed every time.
For a mage, every single missed attack was painful. And with each miss, the distance closed rapidly.
Thud.
The swordsman, who had approached before anyone knew it, pointed his plastic sword at the mage’s neck.
Since there was plenty of time left, his posture looked quite stylish.
“Isn’t this too disadvantageous for the mage?”
When the mages lost consecutively, one of them raised a question.
A swordsman sitting right next to him immediately interjected.
“The distance is far, right? We’re breaking through that with just our bare bodies, so what’s unfair? The risk is just higher when the magic fails. The first round was pretty even.”
“That’s why there’s protective gear, isn’t there? Honestly, in a real fight, if you just use fire magic, we’d block it…”
“That’s why I’m saying it’s the same. We wouldn’t break through such a long distance with our bare bodies in a real fight either.”
The two exchanged a few more words while glancing at the instructor, but they shut their mouths the moment they made eye contact with him.
Meanwhile, the next participants had already stepped forward. They stood in their designated spots, wearing their protective gear.
“Start!”
The third duel began with the instructor’s signal.
The swordsman ran toward the mage.
However, this duel went a bit differently.
While suppressing the swordsman’s breakthrough by firing Magic Missiles consecutively, the mage accurately used 2nd Circle attack magic whenever there was an opening to tie the swordsman’s feet down.
Once his feet were tied, the swordsman couldn’t move forward.
This was because he had no opening to dash through the continuous barrage of magic.
But that was only temporary.
The moment he allowed one attack to hit, he began to be struck by every subsequent attack that flew his way.
The advantage of long-range attacks was clearly demonstrated.
The swordsman was pummeled by magic fired from afar until he had exhausted all his time.
Cases where the mage won were usually when their casting was faster and more accurate compared to the swordsman’s movements.
Although 1st Circle magic didn’t show much stopping power, hitting with 2nd Circle magic was enough to push back even a swordsman.
It also hurt quite a bit due to the impact.
The key was to use 1st Circle magic for harassment and then land a 2nd Circle spell.
If the mage failed to cast a larger spell, they would immediately allow the distance to be closed and lose.
Cases where the swordsman won depended on evasion of magic and fast breakthrough power.
Some even predicted where the magic would land to avoid it, or used fake movements to make the mage waste a turn.
If a 2nd Circle spell was dodged, the swordsman gained a significant advantage because it took quite a while for the mage to prepare a new spell.
The atmosphere of the class gradually heated up.
Before long, the score was 4 to 4.
Now, only one duel remained.
“Trainee Ryu Ji-kwang and Trainee Kim Song-cheol, step forward.”
The names of the two trainees were called.
“Man, is this even possible… It’s that big brother….”
“We don’t know yet. We don’t know yet. We don’t know yet…”
“Still, Ji-kwang is the best out of everyone here.”
When the names of Ryu Ji-kwang and Kim Song-cheol were mentioned simultaneously, a mixture of faint hope and despair appeared on the swordsmen’s side.
On the other hand, the mages’ side became high-spirited as if they had already won.
It was a natural reaction.
There was no one among the trainees who didn’t know Kim Song-cheol.
‘How should I do this…’
Kim Song-cheol’s mind was complicated as he put on his protective gear.
It was because of the worry over ‘how’ he should win.
Looking at the level of the others, it seemed like he could end it instantly if he put his mind to it.
But this was training.
It wasn’t just about winning; he had to deal with his opponent moderately so that they could also get some training done.
While Kim Song-cheol was pondering, the preparations for the duel were already finished.
When he came to his senses, he was wearing armor, and Trainee Ryu Ji-kwang was in front of him with sparkling eyes, ready to run.
“Start!”
Along with the instructor’s loud signal, Ryu Ji-kwang started running, his figure getting closer by the second.
‘First…’
Kim Song-cheol first fired a single Magic Missile.
Thwack!
Ryu Ji-kwang swung his sword at an angle and deflected the Magic Missile.
It was a technique shown by trainees who were quite skilled with the sword.
Rather than the fact that he deflected the Magic Missile, Kim Song-cheol was surprised by Ryu Ji-kwang’s speed.
‘He’s faster than the others.’
Even though he had only wasted one turn on a Magic Missile, the distance had narrowed considerably.
Zap zap zap!
Kim Song-cheol fired Magic Missiles consecutively.
Six or seven Magic Missiles flew out in sequence.
It wasn’t even his maximum casting speed, but the trainees were left speechless.
“What is that?”
“How are so many flying out at once…?”
No matter how simple Magic Missile was, they had never seen it fired in such rapid succession.
However, Ryu Ji-kwang did not panic.
He flipped his body in an instant, leaping over the torrent of Magic Missiles like hurdles, and as soon as he landed on the floor, he shot forward with incredible speed.
Kim Song-cheol fired another Magic Missile, but this time Ryu Ji-kwang just endured it with his body and closed in.
Thud, thud, thud!
He deflected one or two, but the rest he just tanked with his body.
Even though it must have been quite painful compared to other Magic Missiles, he just ran with a scowl.
‘He’s just coming straight in…’
It was meant to be dodged, and the speed was slow enough to dodge.
He had told him to train in dodging magic, but to think he would just trust his protective gear and charge in.
‘He’ll dodge this one.’
Kim Song-cheol intentionally cast Lightning Spear slowly.
Of course, it was slow compared to his maximum speed, but objectively, it was not slow at all.
Crackle!
The Lightning Spear was fired toward Ryu Ji-kwang. Ryu Ji-kwang let the Lightning Spear glide past him by slightly twisting his shoulder.
It was a very small movement, and his speed didn’t slow down at all.
‘Look at this guy?’
Kim Song-cheol laughed as if he found it absurd.
Ryu Ji-kwang was actually hiding his skills.
To be this serious about a mere training exercise.
It was something Kim Song-cheol hadn’t grasped.
Thanks to that, Ryu Ji-kwang was right in front of his nose.
“He won.”
The swordsmen were already shouting out victory.
The gap between the two was only a few meters.
At this distance, most mages have essentially lost. Furthermore, Ryu Ji-kwang accelerated even more at the last moment, increasing his speed.
Only now had he revealed all his skill.
‘He’s fast, isn’t he?’
To that, Kim Song-cheol hastily cast the 2nd Circle magic, Air Blast.
The moment Ryu Ji-kwang’s sword reached out, a magic circle appeared between the two, and a sudden gale struck.
“Uh…?”
Along with a small voice, Ryu Ji-kwang’s body soared into the sky.
He flew up as if he would almost touch the ceiling.
Considering the high ceiling of the gym, it was nearly 10 meters.
The problem was that Kim Song-cheol had adjusted the angle because he was worried Ryu would get hurt if he fell backward.
“Whoa!?”
Shouts of alarm erupted from the trainees.
No matter how much of a swordsman he was, falling from a height of 10 meters would definitely cause an injury.
‘I’m screwed…’
Kim Song-cheol’s heart grew urgent.
He had never used Air Blast on a human before.
Human bodies were lighter than he thought, and his Air Blast’s power was much stronger than other trainees’.
The list of magic he currently possessed flashed through Kim Song-cheol’s mind.
But there was no usable magic.
In the Republic of Korea, most people purchased attack-oriented magic.
The only usable magic right now was the 3rd Circle Telekinesis, but Kim Song-cheol was supposedly at the 2nd Circle level.
“He’s falling!”
Ryu Ji-kwang’s body gradually accelerated and got closer to the ground.
In his haste, Kim Song-cheol used Air Blast once more.
A magic circle appeared beneath Ryu Ji-kwang as he was about to touch the floor.
Another large wind was fired, and Ryu Ji-kwang soared up again, pushed by the wind.
This time, too, he went up nearly 10 meters.
He couldn’t reduce the output much because of the thought that he had to prevent the fall first.
In the first place, he had never tried ‘using magic weakly.’
Ryu Ji-kwang touched the ceiling again and fell. Kim Song-cheol responded with Air Blast again.
This time, the power was a bit lower, so he only went up about 7 meters.
“What is that?”
“He’s completely playing with him.”
“If he used that from the start, he wouldn’t even have gotten close…?”
After it was repeated about three times, the trainees shook their heads and murmured.
It looked like an uncle playing around with his nephew.
Kim Song-cheol’s ‘Magic Bouncing’ completely drained the trainees’ competitive spirit.
It was an opponent they couldn’t compete with in the first place.
Ryu Ji-kwang, who was riding the magic bouncing, also laughed as if it were futile and lifted his helmet guard.
“Can I get one more as a service?”
“…Think that’ll happen?”
When Ryu Ji-kwang rose about 2 or 3 meters, Kim Song-cheol waved his hand to signal that it was over.
Ryu Ji-kwang flipped his body in mid-air and landed lightly.
Kim Song-cheol, who had been fiercely trying to figure out ‘how to use magic weakly’ which he had never done before, secretly wiped the sweat from his hands.
“I thought I could at least put up a fight… but I guess not. Good work.”
Ryu Ji-kwang, who had landed on the floor, took off his helmet and bowed deeply.
Kim Song-cheol smacked his lips, gave a slight nod, and then removed his protective gear.
In the end, the mage team was considered the winner, but no one really talked about the outcome of the match.
“Can you do that too?”
“No way, not to that height.”
Instead, the swordsmen and mages gathered together and talked about the output of Air Blast.
It was something that didn’t usually happen.
Also, there were mages who looked at Kim Song-cheol with eyes that shone more brightly than usual.
As Kim Song-cheol returned to his seat, they immediately poured out questions.
“Did you practice reducing the output usually?”
“I was curious about that too. Isn’t that a training most people don’t do?”
As expected, the mages had a discerning eye.
The swordsmen just thought he used it weaker and weaker, but from a mage’s perspective, gradually reducing the output was something that required incredibly delicate control.
Perhaps that’s why they didn’t think Kim Song-cheol had done it on the spot.
“Well… I practiced it occasionally.”
Kim Song-cheol sat down after giving a vague excuse.
He couldn’t say that he had broken into a cold sweat trying to fix the mistake of accidentally sending someone flying 10 meters.
The chaotic final duel came to an end.
The instructor concluded the lecture by giving a commentary on the duel and adding a few words.
He did not bring up the subject of Kim Song-cheol specifically.
“Dismissed.”
The class ended.
As Kim Song-cheol was about to head back with the other trainees…
“Trainee Kim Song-cheol.”
The instructor called out to Kim Song-cheol.
“That was an impressive duel. If you have time, give me a ride sometime too.”
The instructor was smiling.
It was as if he found Kim Song-cheol’s playfulness interesting.
“…To be honest, it was an accident. It wasn’t intended.”
Kim Song-cheol said awkwardly, scratching his temple.
“Ah… was that so?”
The instructor also seemed unaware.
“Yes. Is that why you stayed still?”
“Yes, well… anyway, it doesn’t seem like this is the place for you, does it? I’ll move you up one level.”
The instructor said he would move him up one level, but in reality, if Kim Song-cheol moved up one level from his current standing, that was the end.
In terms of magic, the 3rd Circle was one level above, and there was nothing above that.
This was because the training academy’s system dictated that one graduated upon reaching 3rd Circle mastery or the 4th Circle.
“Will it be okay?”
Kim Song-cheol asked.
“Which side are you worried about? Yourself? Or the opponent?”
“Of course me. I can still only use 2nd Circle magic.”
Since they were trainees, the difference between levels was large.
The higher-level swordsmen would be much faster and stronger.
“…Give it a try. It’ll be interesting.”
The instructor only gave a mysterious smile without a clear explanation.