Class Competition
The class competition had begun.
On that day, nearly every class in the Academy was packed with students who had arrived early in the morning.
They intended to give the class competition their very best until the end.
Class 12, to which Kang Hanbyeol belonged, was no exception.
“You’ve all worked hard preparing for the class competition. During the process of learning to coordinate with one another, each of you must have realized something. I hope you won’t forget those lessons and will keep them well in mind.”
“...”
“From today through next Friday, morning classes will be replaced by the class competition. Of course, classes will still be held in the mornings for any class that has been eliminated from the competition. So if you want to attend even a little less class, win as many matches as possible. Show them everything you’ve worked so hard to hone.”
The matches would begin soon.
Since this first match would determine the winners’ bracket and the losers’ bracket—in effect, serving as the dividing point that would decide whether they had any chance of winning—the students could not help but feel tense.
Suhoguk used the morning assembly period to encourage them.
The pride he felt for the students, whose efforts he knew better than anyone, was evident in his voice.
“Lastly, don’t overdo it and get hurt. Remember that managing your condition is also a basic quality expected of a Hunter. That concludes the morning assembly. We’ll be moving to the arena now. Class representatives and deputy representatives, please lead the way.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
Anything more than this would have been nothing but self-satisfaction.
An unnecessary addition.
Suhoguk kept an appropriate distance so the students would not find his words unpleasant, and ended the brief assembly.
He was simply satisfied to see a meaningful change come over the students who had been stiff with tension.
Then he had Lisa and Park Sagun take charge of leading the students.
“We’ll be heading to the arena now. Everyone, please stand.”
“Make sure you carefully check that you haven’t left anything behind. Party leaders, report to me later if there are any problems with your members’ attendance.”
The class competition would be held inside a Gate.
Lisa and Park Sagun led the students toward the Dimensional Hall, where the artificial Gate was located, in time for the scheduled start.
The students followed their instructions without complaint.
“Hanbyeol, get up too. We have to go.”
“Oh, right. I’m coming!”
Kang Hanbyeol, whose name Lisa had called, gathered his belongings and rose from his seat like the other students.
He changed Lucid, who had been in the form of a metal plaque, back into his original form and fastened him at his waist before leaving the classroom.
His steps were remarkably light.
‘How strong could he be...?’
The Black Horse Oh Clan, which was connected to his master by fate.
Having the chance to fight someone from that clan, Kang Hanbyeol could not help but feel filled with anticipation.
Moreover, Oh Jun-sik of the Black Horse Oh Clan would not be the only opponent he might meet in the class competition.
Nam Yuri of the Flame Refining Nam Clan, Yong Haerang of the Chivalrous Yong Clan, Min Arin of the Demonic Path Min Clan, Cha Eunsol of the Cycle Cha Clan, and so on....
He would have the chance to cross swords not only with his friends, but with numerous other talented fighters as well.
It was also an opportunity to challenge Do Gyeonwoo again, the person he had failed to defeat before.
‘If we both keep winning, I’ll eventually get to fight Gyeonwoo too.’
Just imagining it made his motivation surge.
There was no doubt that Do Gyeonwoo was looking forward to the battle they would have.
Otherwise, he would never have handed over information about Oh Jun-sik.
Lisa had said as much in the first place.
―Gyeonwoo said this. He gave you the information because he wants to fight Hanbyeol.
―Oh, really? He said that to you, Lisa?
When Kang Hanbyeol had heard those words, he could not help but feel pleased, as if he and Do Gyeonwoo were of one mind.
He was also happy that he seemed to have been acknowledged as Gyeonwoo’s rival.
Of course, he had wondered whether Gyeonwoo had given him the information out of consideration, thinking that Hanbyeol’s skills were insufficient.
After all, he had even conveyed it indirectly through Lisa, as if trying to spare his feelings....
He could not say his pride had not been wounded.
But when he recalled his master’s teachings, his mind became much more at ease.
―Is pride really so important? Does it put food in your belly?
―....
―Well, it would be wrong to say it isn’t important at all. Pride is ultimately the desire to protect yourself. How could someone without that desire live in this world or try to protect others? It’s not good to have too much pride, but having none at all is a problem too. But in a battle, it isn’t important.
―Because life and death hang in the balance?
―That’s right. In a battle where life and death are at stake, the first priority must be my life. You have to survive before you can do anything at all. There’s no harm in taking care of your pride afterward. Hanbyeol, what did I say about the person who wins?
―A coward, Master!
―You remember well. Keep it in mind. To win a battle—no... to survive, you must sometimes know how to be cowardly and servile. If an enemy shows you mercy, be grateful. There’s no reason to let your pride be hurt. You don’t need to consider it humiliating. In a battle where the coward wins, an enemy who gives up on being cowardly can no longer stand against you. You can show them what you’re made of next time. And when that time comes, that enemy will surely regret having shown you mercy.
According to his master’s teachings, Do Gyeonwoo had given up on being cowardly.
He had let his guard down around Hanbyeol.
That carelessness would one day lead to a future in which he lost to Hanbyeol.
By then, it would be too late for regret.
‘Just wait, Gyeonwoo.’
He would grow strong enough to surpass Do Gyeonwoo without fail.
And to do that, he first had to defeat Oh Jun-sik.
Having made that vow in his heart, Kang Hanbyeol stepped into the artificial Gate with the students of his class.
His vision was dyed gray for an instant, and when he came to his senses, a forest stretched out around him.
[You have entered a Gate.]
[Gray: Northern Forest II of Erwin Territory]
[This Gate has already been conquered.]
“Erwin Territory?”
“If it’s Erwin... it was a territory that belonged to the Empire. Long ago...”
Kang Hanbyeol checked the Gate’s name through the message that had appeared.
Lisa, who had received the same message, also knitted her brows.
Around two hundred years ago, during the Great Cataclysm, the Grace Empire crossed over into this world together with the World Tree to escape destruction.
However, a considerable portion of the Empire’s territory had been unable to cross over with it.
Erwin Territory was one of those places.
In other words, this was a world that had failed to escape destruction and had been subsumed into a Gate.
“According to the last records in history, it became a barren land after a severe famine, but it’s so lush here....”
“....”
Although it had been more than two hundred years ago, long before any of them had been born, they could not simply regard it with indifference.
Lisa and the other students whose motherland was the Grace Empire wore complicated expressions.
Kang Hanbyeol, Park Sagun, and the other students held their tongues, not wanting to upset them for no reason.
Meanwhile, the students of Class 25, their opponents in the class competition, had also been summoned to the forest.
Oh Jun-sik of the Black Horse Oh Clan sought out Kang Hanbyeol to exchange greetings before the match.
“Hi, Hanbyeol. Let’s have a good fight today. Let’s not resent each other even if one of us loses.”
“That’s what I wanted too. But you didn’t bring it today, I see? The drink.”
“Ah... you drank it?”
“No? I didn’t drink it because it seemed like you’d put something in it. I’m asking out of genuine curiosity—what exactly did you put in it?”
“Nothing much. Just a sleeping pill. You must be tired from training, so I thought you could get some proper rest. I considered putting in a laxative, but I didn’t think it would have much effect. Unless you happened to watch the competition on the very day.... I gave it to you in the first place to show that I wanted us to get along, so I didn’t want to make you hostile toward me.”
“What? So it really was just a sleeping pill. I knew it wasn’t poison.”
“If it had been, you would have counterattacked me for attempted murder. I couldn’t bring shame upon my clan’s name either.”
Though it was not a subject one would normally discuss with a smile, the two shook hands and exchanged words with easygoing expressions.
“Still, that’s a shame. If you’d brought a drink again this time, I was planning to pour it straight into your mouth.”
“I prepared something just in case, but fortunately I didn’t take it out. Look forward to it. I’ll show you something even more cowardly than that during the match.”
“That’s how a battle is supposed to be fought. Come at me as cowardly as you like. I’ll fight cowardly too.”
Tightening their grips on each other’s hands, the two pulled up the corners of their mouths.
And so, the match began.
* * *
We had done everything we could prepare for.
Now was the time to prove all the effort we had put in.
With the first match of the class competition before us, each of us steeled ourselves.
Hong Yena, standing at the lectern, delivered a sermon to us.
“This saying is famous in the Hunter world. Effort may betray you, but talent never will. I also believe there’s truth to it. But just for today, I hope that saying is wrong. Because I know how much passion and effort you’ve poured into preparing for the class competition.”
“....”
“And even if talent is more important, that doesn’t mean I’m denying or disparaging effort. Talent alone cannot make you the best in this field. Talent is merely potential. It only shines when effort is added to it....”
Hong Yena spoke so fluently that one might have suspected she had memorized the speech beforehand.
Even normally, her words and behavior subtly suggested, “I’m a highly learned person. I’m the Seven-Colored Witch, renowned as a master of the seven-element magic system.” But today, she was being especially conceited.
We were the ones who had rolled around for days without even getting proper sleep.
And yet we had to listen to her lecture, as she sang the praises of youth and passion with an unusually hopeful attitude.
That was when Min Arin jabbed me in the side.
“Hey, when are you going to say it?”
“...Do I really have to say it as the representative? We can all say it together.”
“You’re supposed to say something like this as the representative.”
“Aren’t you the representative? If you want to get technical, you’re the representative and I’m the deputy representative....”
“Are you really going to do this to a fellow representative? Besides, you’re the one who found out about it, and out of all of us, you’re the closest to Instructor Yena. You’ll get scolded less.”
“I’ll get scolded just as much either way....”
Min Arin whispered in a small voice, repeatedly urging me to set off the bomb.
Under the glares of the class students who had grown much closer after training together recently—including Arin—I had no choice but to sigh.
It couldn’t be helped.
I decided to set off the bomb, just as they so strongly wished.
“Witch.”
“What is it all of a sudden?”
As Hong Yena continued her speech, I raised my hand and interrupted her.
No, I demanded an explanation.
“So why did you help Haneul inherit her rank at this particular time?”
“....”
“I heard the other class instructors bought their students late-night snacks because they were training until late. But you didn’t even show your face once.... And then you went and helped Haneul—I mean, a student from the opposing class—inherit her rank.... Witch, isn’t that taking things too far?”
“...I’m that girl’s master. As her master, that much is....”
“Aren’t we your students too? If you want to be technical, aren’t we your disciples as well?”
“....”
“There are several students among us, including Arin and me, who could inherit our ranks if you helped us just a little. This is hurtful, you know? You’re always saying you’re busy, so now those of us who spent all this time worrying about your mood feel like fools.”
“Ugh....”
“Witch, do you want us to lose?”
Perhaps she had never expected to be called out so openly in front of everyone, because Hong Yena visibly faltered.
Unable to refute anything I said, she twisted her face into a grimace.
It was a stark contrast to the haughty, cynical expression she usually wore.
“I do understand how you feel, but could you at least listen to me first? You see, it’s just that....”
“Aren’t we your students, Instructor!?”
“Where on earth were you and what were you doing while we were training!?”
“You’re not dating someone, are you? Don’t date anyone, ever!”
“Pay some attention to us too!”
“Explain yourself! Instructor, wake up!”
“....”
Thus, the bomb I had set off created an atmosphere of condemnation directed at Hong Yena.
Min Arin and the others, as if they had been waiting for this moment, immediately poured out all their pent-up grievances.
Among them was Yoo Noeul, who occasionally observed our training and offered advice.
“Instructor! The other instructors said you’ve never dated anyone in your entire life—is that true!? They said you got worked up at a drinking party and declared that you’d remain single for life, saying, ‘I’m married to magic.’ Is that really true?”
“H-How did you know that...?”
“....”
Yoon Noeul, who enjoyed teasing people, had not the slightest hesitation about poking at Hong Yena, either.
Even so, that kind of prank was a little….
For a moment, I felt sorry for Hong Yena, whose mouth had fallen open.
In any case, her joining in made the atmosphere even livelier.
Eventually, Hong Yena raised the white flag.
“Fine, I get it, I get it. I said I get it, so please stop now. If you keep making this much noise, the other classes will hear us too. I’m sorry, I was wrong. I don’t think I took your circumstances into consideration. I apologize. So what do you want me to do for you?”
Hong Yena let out a long sigh, her face haggard after only a few minutes.
We had been aiming for her declaration of surrender, and we cheered triumphantly.
Then we made our demands.
“Buy us food like you did for the other classes! Something really expensive!”
“Steak! I want steak!”
“Let’s go to a buffet! Not just any buffet—a hotel buffet!”
“Instructor! Please help me advance to the 4th Tier!”
“I want the 3rd Tier, Witch.”
Students’ pleas poured in from every direction.
Though Hong Yena clicked her tongue and looked flustered, in the end she had no choice but to accept the situation.
“Whew…. Fine, I understand. Regardless of how the class competition turns out, I’ll arrange a post-match gathering. Later, have the class representative and vice-representative compile a list of what everyone wants to eat…. And for those who want to advance their tiers, I’ll personally assist with the ritual once each. Other than Arin and Gyeonu, is there anyone else?”
I had already been planning to learn 3rd-Tier magic next semester, so this worked out perfectly.
I would have to set a date soon and ask Hong Yena to assist with my tier advancement.
Having reached the level where we could advance to the next tier, Min Arin and I applauded.
* * *
The road to the Dimensional Hall was congested.
It couldn’t be helped, since students from the other classes were also scheduled to participate in the class competition.
Today was probably the busiest day of all, with students from every grade taking part.
Thanks to that, Min Arin and I, who had to lead our classmates, were having the time of our lives—in the worst possible sense.
It was only after we arrived in front of the artificial gate that I checked Kang Hanbyeol’s messages.
[Kang Hanbyeol]: I’ll definitely win and come back!
[Kang Hanbyeol]: See you at the class competition!!
[Kang Hanbyeol]: Don’t regret it when the time comes, lol
Several minutes had already passed since she sent them.
I replied to cheer on Kang Hanbyeol, who would be fighting Oh Junsik.
[Me]: Right, make sure you win
[Me]: Do your best
‘But what does she mean by don’t regret it?’
I had no idea.
Since I couldn’t guess what she meant, I decided to ask her once she read my messages.
But even as time passed, the read receipt never appeared.
She must have entered the gate.
‘It sounded like she was joking, so I’ll ask her about it later if I remember.’
I couldn’t keep waiting for Kang Hanbyeol’s reply.
Deciding it was nothing important, I stepped into the gate with my classmates.
[You have entered the gate.]
[Gray: Northern Forest I of the Erwin Territory]
[This gate has already been conquered.]
I brushed aside the messages floating before me with my hand.
Summoned into the gate’s world, I looked around.
It was a quiet forest with nothing particularly noteworthy about it.
If there was anything worth mentioning, it would be the fortress walls visible in the distance.
‘What could be beyond them?’
Judging by the gate’s name, there might be a place called the Erwin Territory.
Or perhaps the forest we were in belonged to the Erwin Territory, while the land beyond the fortress lay outside it….
There was no point in thinking about it anyway.
The area beyond the fortress looked hazy, suggesting that the world saved within this gate extended only that far.
In gaming terms, the fortress walls were the boundary of the map, and it was impossible to cross them.
‘Even if we did cross them, there probably wouldn’t be anything there.’
Generally speaking, areas outside a map were spaces that had never been programmed.
A void where nothing existed.
There was no reason to take an interest in it.
What I should be interested in was….
‘Ah, there she is.’
Among the students summoned into the gate were students from the other classes as well.
When I spotted a pair of rabbit ears among them, I quietly approached.
Then I stood behind Yeon Haneul and covered her eyes with my hands.
“Guess who?”
“Huh?”
I could clearly feel her eyelids and soft skin against my palms.
Yeon Haneul’s rabbit ears twitched.
Soon, the corners of her mouth curled up into a grin, and her voice carried a note of delight.
“Let’s see. Who are you?”
As if she didn’t already know.
Yeon Haneul gently took hold of my hand and giggled, pretending not to recognize me.
Following her lead, I laughed and continued.
“Who else could it be? Your childhood friend who’ll be fighting you today.”
“Oh, what? Then you’re my enemy? I’ll have to hit you with my sledgehammer.”
“The match hasn’t even started yet. Do you really want to fight me that badly?”
“Hmm, what should I do….”
“I want us to stay friendly until then. You don’t?”
“No, I do.”
Yeon Haneul responded happily.
I soon removed my hand from her eyes.
She merely tilted her head back and looked up at me.
Her smiling eyes curved, and her lips gleamed.
“When did you get here?”
“Just now. As soon as I came in, you really stood out.”
“Because of my ears again?”
“That too… But even with my eyes closed, I somehow noticed you. Wherever you are, my eyes just go to you.”
“What? That’s ridiculous….”
“I’m serious.”
“Then you could find me no matter where I was?”
“Of course.”
“Hmph, really? I’ll see about that later.”
I carefully placed a hand on her shoulder in case Yeon Haneul fell backward.
Leaning her back against me, she gave me a playful sidelong glance.
We would soon meet as enemies, but until then we spent our time together and wished each other good luck.
“Don’t get hurt, and do your best, okay?”
“You too, Haneul. See you later.”
A short while later, we moved to our respective sides and the match began.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss
(183) [Illustration]
In the class competition, the bases of each class were located at a linear distance from one another.
However, since the objective of the match was not simply to take the shortest route to the opposing class’s base, there was more than one route that could be used.
Making full use of the environment serving as the stage and finding a way to reach the opposing class’s base while preserving as much of one’s forces as possible were also important factors in the evaluation.
Accordingly, after receiving a map of the gate thirty minutes before the match began, we chose a route for infiltrating the enemy base and carried it out according to plan.
“How much farther until we reach Class 8’s base?”
“At our current speed, we can get there in ten minutes!”
“That won’t take long. Good. We’ll maintain this speed, but from now on, keep your presence concealed as much as possible. We’re close enough for anyone with sharp senses to notice us.”
“Gyeonu, what should we do about the monsters around us? If we take them down, they’ll count toward our score…. Won’t they also get in the way of the battle?”
“The strongest monsters appearing in this gate are Rank 2. They don’t seem particularly dangerous, so ignore them. We might lose time dealing with them, or they could notice our presence.”
The number of members in Class 17, the class I belonged to, was fifty.
I had formed a vanguard of twenty students with high mobility and powerful firepower, and we were running through the forest toward the enemy base.
Even though we were now close to our destination, we had yet to encounter the enemy.
The implication was clear.
‘Haneul’s class must be taking a different route.’
The vanguard formed by the opposing class was probably also secretly heading toward our class’s base.
That didn’t mean we could turn back.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t worried about our rear, but we had our own role to fulfill.
The ones responsible for stopping them were not us, but the defensive force commanded by Min Arin.
I decided to entrust the students remaining at our base with watching our backs and focus on my own role.
“Prepare for ambushes and traps. Rangers, be especially careful.”
Before long, we entered a range where the enemy could reach us.
Placing the rangers at the front, I slowed our pace while remaining wary of a possible surprise attack.
That was when a report came in.
“Presence detected ahead! It’s the enemy!”
“How many?”
Apparently, the opposing class intended to intercept us here.
Preparing for the battle that was about to begin, I was about to give our classmates their orders.
But upon hearing the report that followed, I had no choice but to suspend my judgment.
“There’s only one enemy! It’s Bunny—Yeon Haneul!”
“…Haneul?”
Yeon Haneul was waiting ahead.
Hearing that she was the only one who had come out to face us, my classmates could not help but grow wary.
“What are we going to do?”
“…”
It might be a trap.
There could be enemies hiding nearby, concealing their presence around Yeon Haneul.
Since we didn’t know the opposing class’s intentions, it felt dangerous to charge in recklessly.
My classmates asked for my opinion with that sentiment in mind.
Reading their anxiety, I thought for a moment before speaking.
“It’s fine. Let’s keep going. There probably isn’t an ambush besides Haneul.”
“You mean Yeon Haneul came out to face all of us alone? No matter how strong she is, she’d be at a disadvantage by herself….”
“She wouldn’t be unaware of that. And yet she came out alone, which means….”
“…”
“She wants to come out and fight me one-on-one.”
It wasn’t that I had no doubts.
I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that waiting for us ahead was part of some scheme.
But my instincts as Yeon Haneul’s childhood friend, who had known her for a long time, were telling me otherwise.
She had sent me a message.
Let’s fight just the two of us, without anyone else interfering.
“It might take a little longer, but we could detour around her and keep going.”
“…No. If we do that, they’ll begin their assault before us. Having Haneul behind us is also a risk. Someone needs to keep her occupied.”
I could more or less guess what the opposing class, and Yeon Haneul herself, were aiming for.
They intended to keep me, the strongest force in our class, tied down here.
Should we play along with their intentions or not?
After weighing the pros and cons in my head, I decided to go along with them.
I absolutely did not make this decision because I wanted to meet Yeon Haneul.
“I’ll handle Haneul. Don’t look back—go straight ahead and capture the flag.”
“…All right. Good luck.”
Before long, Yeon Haneul came into view.
Holding Sanullim in her hands, she was looking directly at me.
Our eyes met, and I stopped in front of her.
“Gyeonu! We’ll leave the rear to you!”
“We’ll go on ahead!”
“Make sure you win!”
The students, having received my instructions beforehand, did not slow down. They passed me and disappeared behind Yeon Haneul.
She paid them no attention, keeping only me in her sight.
Likewise, I never took my eyes off the girl standing before me.
Meeting as enemies, we both drew arcs with our lips.
“I knew it. I knew you’d do this, Gyeonu.”
“I had a feeling this was how it would turn out too.”
“Are you ready to fight me now? You’re really going to hit me?”
“Sorry, but I have no intention of going easy on you. So let’s not hold it against each other.”
“Okay. No holding it against each other.”
Without either of us waiting for the other.
We stepped toward one another.
Immediately afterward, my sword unleashed blue lightning, and Yeon Haneul’s Sanullim roared.
* * *
At that time.
Min Arin was defending the base together with the students who had remained behind.
She positioned the students around the flag inside the tent, leaving no openings in their defenses.
She had installed magic that would sound an alarm whenever it detected a presence approaching the base, ordered the assassins to set various traps, and even sent a sharp-eyed ranger up into the tallest nearby tree.
They were fully prepared for an enemy infiltration.
“Don’t let your guard down for even a moment. If you notice anything even slightly strange, don’t overlook it—tell me immediately. We have no idea what tricks they might try to pull. And make sure to report to me before you go to the bathroom.”
This was the first time since the entrance examination that Min Arin would formally compete against Yeon Haneul.
Conscious of her as a rival, Min Arin absolutely did not want to lose the match.
She had no intention of loosening the reins.
There was also a wager that the loser would grant the winner a wish.
Under the circumstances, she had no choice but to be highly motivated.
‘This time, I’ll make it perfectly clear just how incredible I am.’
Min Arin had already written down as many as a hundred wishes she could demand of Yeon Haneul in her diary.
Writing her name with her butt, dancing in revealing clothes in front of Min Arin, singing “The Wild Rabbit Song” in a cute, adorable, and sexy manner, putting on a maid’s outfit and waiting on her hand and foot, acting like a baby for an entire day, and so on.
As she imagined each wish in turn, Min Arin was already looking forward to seeing Yeon Haneul endure the shame of fulfilling them.
The grueling training she had undergone over the past few days had all been for today.
Not merely to make time to be with Do Gyeonwoo and satisfy her ulterior motives.
Though, she wondered if she had even managed to satisfy those motives in the first place.
That was because he was forever slipping away whenever they had private time.
For instance, whenever they ordered a late-night meal.
―Hey! You were the one who said we should have chicken! But you’re not going to eat!?
―Sorry. You guys eat first. I’m going outside for a bit.
For Do Gyeonwoo, late-night meals were merely a means. His real objective lay elsewhere.
Calling Yeon Haneul.
And that wasn’t all. Whenever he had even a moment of free time, he would naturally follow after the students who slipped away to smoke.
Or, for example, whenever they headed back to the dormitories together after training.
―Hey! Where are you going again!? Aren’t you coming home!?
―Sorry. You go on ahead with the others. I have somewhere else to be…. Be careful on your way back tonight. Good work today, and see you tomorrow!
Just like that, he would vanish.
On days when training ended, he went to see Yeon Haneul almost every day.
Or Yeon Haneul, who happened to finish training early, would come to see him instead….
‘What does she even like about him? I’m asking her to do something for once in a while—can’t she humor me just once? She’s making me look like a fool…. I’m Min Arin of the Magic Min Clan….’
She was the very person whom others treated with deference.
At this point, Min Arin couldn’t help but feel her pride wounded.
‘What’s wrong with me? Is she blind? Hmph, just you wait…. I’ll make her cling to me someday. And when that happens, I’ll kick her to the curb—no, I’ll lord it over her.’
But Min Arin was also a woman who guarded her pride fiercely.
An ordinary woman might have been hurt and quietly abandoned her feelings before withdrawing, but in her case, her stubbornness only flared up.
She decided to divert Do Gyeonwoo’s attention—the attention he ceaselessly lavished on Yeon Haneul.
Thus, harboring secret ambitions, she swallowed her frustration and poured all her passion into this match.
Her efforts finally bore fruit.
The enemies had been detected.
“Enemies spotted in Sector Two! They’re currently advancing rapidly toward Sector One!”
“There are twenty-three enemies!”
“The vanguard is… Arin! It’s Yeon Haneul!”
The students who had remained vigilant relayed the enemies’ movements.
Upon hearing the report, Min Arin was satisfied and pulled up the corners of her mouth.
She issued her command.
“Everyone, take your positions from this moment on! Intercept them the moment they leave Sector One!”
She had grown sick and tired of enduring prolonged humiliation and persecution.
She had tolerated the threat of an iron hammer and death threats as far as she could.
Now was the time to return—not as the weakest member of the group, but as the Little Griffin.
She would bring down Yeon Haneul without fail.
Feeling that the long-awaited moment was near, Min Arin ran to the front of the formation and surveyed the battlefield.
“Yeon Haneul….”
In the distance, Yeon Haneul came into view, sprinting toward them with her rabbit ears flapping.
She was also mindlessly swinging an iron hammer and destroying traps indiscriminately.
The traps Min Arin had gone to such lengths to prepare had become useless.
The students from the opposing class were now pouring in along the path she had made.
Min Arin ground her teeth.
But the real battle had not even begun yet.
The moment the enemies emerged from Sector One, she shouted.
“Fire! Let loose! Pour it all on them! Concentrate your firepower on Yeon Haneul in particular!”
At once.
The students standing at the front alongside Min Arin activated the magic they had prepared, as though they had been waiting for this very command.
The swordsmen unleashed slashes, the rangers drew their bowstrings, the gunners showered the enemy with bullets, and the mages launched area attacks. The other students, too, each took on their respective roles.
As the commander of them all, Min Arin also rained bombardment upon the enemy formation with a Third-Tier Fire Elemental spell.
─────!!!
Roaring explosions rang out from every direction, while dazzling lights burst without pause.
It was firepower at maximum output, making full use of the advantage of defending a fortified position.
As she watched the mass of light streaking toward the enemy lines, Min Arin was overwhelmed with elation.
She predicted that a considerable number of enemies would be forced to withdraw from this attack.
That was when it happened.
‘…What?’
A black sphere suddenly appeared in the sky.
As though generating a force of attraction, the sphere sucked in every attack.
Then, the sphere shrank into a tiny dot and vanished.
Faced with this unexpected turn of events, Min Arin could only stand there dumbfounded for a moment.
“Is she seriously insane?”
The Fourth-Tier Dark Elemental spell, Dark Hole.
Having identified the spell, Min Arin instinctively clicked her tongue.
Compared to the version of the spell she knew, its power was absurdly strong.
‘Just how vast is her mana pool for it to produce that kind of power…?’
Min Arin was confident in the amount of mana within her own body as well, but she was nowhere near Yeon Haneul.
Min Arin knitted her brows.
Meanwhile, Yeon Haneul’s response did not end with Dark Hole.
An enhanced version of the Third-Tier Dark Elemental spell, Dark Raid.
Eclipse Raid, a Fourth-Tier Dark Elemental spell that unleashed bombardment imbued with the dark attribute in the direction indicated by the magic circles.
“Bread….”
I’m screwed.
Min Arin could not keep herself from cursing when she saw the dozens of magic circles appear in the sky.
As someone who had yet to reach the Fourth Tier, this was not an attack she could easily block.
But she didn’t necessarily have to block it.
In the end, all she had to do was avoid getting hit.
Having read the spell’s core through her Gift in a time no longer than a fleeting instant, Min Arin hurriedly intervened.
‘Don’t get so full of yourself just because you reached the Fourth Tier before me.’
She altered the trajectories of the bombardments.
The attacks she could not redirect were unfortunate, but she left those to the students’ luck.
Min Arin flung her hands about without pause, minimizing the damage.
Then she threw back her red hair and gave the students in her class a signal.
“Everyone, who am I!?”
“The Little Griffin of the Magic Min Clan!”
In a battle between large groups, morale was crucial.
The factor that most directly determined morale was the volume of one’s voice.
The students, whose unity had been forged through their training, answered in booming voices.
“Take flight—the Gri—ffin!”
“Spread your wings of fantasy—take flight!”
“Spread the will of magic—far and—wide!”
The grand anthem of the Magic Min Clan reverberated across the battlefield.
Min Arin, proud of her clan, puffed out her chest with a triumphant expression.
Soon, chants praising her rang out from the students as well.
“Num! Ber! One! In! The! World! The! Ma! Gic! Min! Clan!”
“Red! Hair! Yel! Low! Eyes!”
“Mil! Ky! White! Min! Ar! In!”
“So! Pret! Ty! I! Could! Die!”
“Forget Yeon Haneul!”
“Trample her!”
Morale soared in an instant.
As she listened to the cheer drawing to a close, Min Arin held her head high.
She had no concern for what expressions Yeon Haneul and the other enemies might be wearing in the distance.
“One! Ten! Hundred! Thousand! Ten! Thousand! A! Hundred! Thousand! A! Mil! Lion!”
“Love you as much as a million!”
“Min Arin! Dynamite!”
“Da-na-na-na-na-na-na, life is dynamite!”
“Da-na-na-na-na-na-na, life is Min Arin!”
At that moment, a message visible only to Do Gyeonwoo appeared before Min Arin.
[Vital energy fills your body.]
[Luck has increased by 1.]
[You have achieved an accomplishment that will be deeply engraved in the memories of many students.]
[You have obtained the title ‘Dynamite of Encouragement.’]
[Dynamite of Encouragement]
◆ Origin of the Title
―A cheer created by people acquainted with Min Arin to lift her spirits.
◆ Effects
―Earns the familiarity of others.
―Preserves up to 3% of allied stats reduced by Pressure.
―Grants 10% resistance, specifically against magic that inflicts mental status abnormalities.
―Greatly increases the solidarity of allies.
―Boosts allied morale and lowers enemy morale.
Meanwhile, Yeon Haneul, who had been left dumbfounded by the chaotic cheering, belatedly came to her senses.
Realizing that the enemies’ morale had risen, she felt a sense of crisis.
‘Their morale has completely shifted in their favor. If this continues, we’ll be in danger.’
She had to turn the tide.
Yeon Haneul—or, more precisely, Yeon Haneul’s subordinate clone—made a decision.
The clone Yeon Haneul, whose consciousness was connected to that of the original Yeon Haneul, split apart.
In an instant, the clones overwhelmed the enemy forces in number, gripping Sanullim as they charged forward.
And so, the battle between Min Arin and Yeon Haneul began in earnest….
She Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss