Chapter 122: Name? Kim Sang-hyeok. Specialty? Personality Excretion. [R-18]

*

“Let the match begin!”

Friday morning, at Essol Academy’s indoor training facility.

To monitor the final, third round of the fierce exchange event as it reached its climax, even more camera equipment than on the first day had been mobilized.

The person in charge of the event, Master Hunter Seridwen, and even the Student Council President—who was present in case of an emergency—were there from the morning to watch the final round.

And with that, a war role-play on a scale completely different from before had begun.

Injuries began to mount from the very start, and the academy’s emergency medical team scrambled into action.

“Stretcher here!”

“Don’t let them pile up. Move them quickly!”

Students with minor injuries that could be treated instantly with healing magic were sent to a temporary clinic managed by Student Council member Evangeline.

Those who needed to be monitored were moved to the academy’s infirmary.

In an environment that closely mirrored actual combat—where anyone who went missing without even using their return item was effectively treated as dead—students with high potential began to stand out.

Stella, who showed the audacity to blow away the castle gate right from the start, made a particularly strong impression.

“Who is that girl?”

“Her magical power seems incredibly high.”

In addition to Stella, who had caught their eye, another first-year student, Sarika Milpi, saw her evaluation rise after she elevated her “Storm Sword Style” to a more practical, combat-ready level.

“She’d be great if she could freely control the wind.”

“Wasn’t there a third-year with a similar talent?”

“This year’s first-years are truly amazing.”

The murmuring among the scouts grew louder.

It was a sign that the real deal had appeared.

Quintia.

The daughter of the Sword Saint, Justia. A swordswoman with a delicate, beautiful face and astonishing skill with the blade who had captured everyone’s hearts, she was even being called a candidate for the next Master Hunter.

The monitoring screen focused solely on her.

“That’s not the skill of a first-year.”

“She’s already far surpassed even S-rank pro hunters.”

“She’s really doing it all by herself.”

Thanks to Kim Sang-hyeok’s actions in the second round, the Imperial Army had lost their crown to the Rebel Army, and their subsequent weakening was unavoidable.

The monitors made it clear that there was a significant disparity in the number of troops.

There were even frequent scenes of a single rebel soldier overpowering two or three imperial soldiers.

The balance of power had crumbled.

Many analysts predicted that the fortress would be breached within three hours even if left alone.

But forget three hours—the rebel students’ morale was so high that the south gate was breached just ten minutes into the match.

At that point, the Imperial Army already looked defeated.

They had no way to stop the flood of troops pouring into the fortress, and even more rebel soldiers were swarming the north.

But Quintia was single-handedly maintaining the broken balance of power.

To use an analogy, she was lifting an incredibly heavy log that should have been carried by many, all by herself.

“Hah!!”

A person strong enough to change the flow of the entire game with her own skill.

Among the first-years, only three were considered to be that powerful.

Hilaria of the “Climbing” talent.

Kibelle the “Necromancer.”

And finally, the Sword Saint’s daughter, Quintia.

Even among these three top prospects, Quintia was in a class of her own. Her market value was already estimated at over 100 million Coins.

Her swordsmanship, which cut down hundreds of rebel soldiers in an instant, was no longer the work of a mere mortal.

It was a skill worthy of the gods’ favor.

A slash that tore through space itself…

It was meaningless to even discuss the performance of her skills anymore.

“Six Flashes, Eight Thunders!”

One swing became a thunderbolt; a second became a flash of light.

Quintia single-handedly held back the surging tide of the Rebel Army, defending the north gate like an iron wall.

Meanwhile, Kibelle, who was defending the east gate, was doing much the same.

In terms of defensive ability, she almost seemed superior.

A power that surpassed even a swordswoman who could cut down hundreds.

“Hilaria isn’t here, so this side looks like it’ll be over soon…”

Kibelle took off her glasses.

“The fact that I can’t see her makes me even more anxious.”

In truth, Kibelle’s power wasn’t so much in summoning and commanding the dead, but in her exceptional ability to let spirits possess her.

Anyone who saw it once would understand why her talent was valued even higher than the Sword Saint’s.

Every rebel soldier who entered Kibelle’s line of sight froze in place as if turned to stone.

Her blue eyes flickered with a mystical olive light, emitting a special wave of magical power that dominated the battlefield.

“Hnngh… Hah… Kgh…!”

Having exhausted her concentration, Kibelle squeezed her eyes shut to rest.

Her vision wouldn’t return for a while, even with her glasses on.

But the situation had already tipped overwhelmingly in her favor.

Because she was always left defenseless after using her special eyes, Hilaria’s role was normally to protect her.

The defensive nature of this battle allowed her to use her power freely, but it was a power she couldn’t easily use when surrounded by enemies.

“Quintia is just overwhelming.”

“There’s something mesmerizing about Kibelle’s power the more you see it.”

“Is Hilaria not here yet?”

There was one reason the scouts were eagerly awaiting her appearance.

Because not even those walls, dozens of meters high, could stop her.

“There she is!”

When Hilaria appeared on screen, climbing the fortress wall, everyone cheered.

She had a star quality that drove people wild with her appearance alone.

The sight of her coolly advancing, swatting away fire magic with her massive greatsword, was breathtaking.

Dihrit Ade, her opponent, was too busy running for his life.

“I said let’s have a good, clean fight, general to general. Why do you keep running away!”

“Stay away from me!!”

“You’re always following that Sturdy Senior around. Huh? Come on, play with me!”

“Hiek! I told you to stay away!”

Dihrit had given up on fighting Hilaria early on and disappeared into a secret passage in the fortress.

It was at this point that the situation took a strange turn.

“We’re on Kim Sang-hyeok!”

“He’s already moved to the center of the fortress?”

“What? It hasn’t even been an hour since the third round started?”

Like a spirit determined to clock out on time, while everyone else was fighting hard to earn points, Kim Sang-hyeok’s squad alone was heading for the queen’s room in the center of the fortress with a strange knack for breaking through.

Seridwen’s red eyes glittered like jewels.

“Interesting. How did he figure out the back routes?”

It was a difference in scouting skills.

Kim Sang-hyeok’s ability to grasp the map was superior to anyone else’s in the exchange event, and his leadership in utilizing that knowledge was also excellent. To the scouts, Hena was just a C-rank magician who lacked initiative and had relatively weak abilities, but when she was next to Kim Sang-hyeok, their evaluation of her changed.

“A magician with Void magic?”

“She’s not bad.”

“A support-type like her is rare these days.”

Kim Sang-hyeok vaulted over walls with ease using Hena’s abilities.

As many scouts began to watch him, wondering what kind of variable he would introduce next…

About an hour and twenty minutes had passed.

Kim Sang-hyeok easily subdued the queen, creating a victory with his own power.

“Is it really over?”

“The more I see it, the more it looks like the White Devil’s fighting style.”

Isabella blinked.

She said nothing, but she was watching Kim Sang-hyeok.

She had confirmed back in the second round that his movements in battle resembled her own.

It was impossible not to be proud of that sight.

She felt a sense of satisfaction, as if watching her own disciple’s rapid progress.

This was, of course, separate from the trouble he caused by using Personality Excretion indiscriminately.

Kim Sang-hyeok…

However.

“Quintia is coming! She’s too fast!”

“She’s not about to let him have an easy win.”

To use a chess analogy, Kim Sang-hyeok was like a knight, creating variables by avoiding the enemy’s powerful pieces to attempt a checkmate.

But when Quintia burst in, a strange tension filled the air.

The atmosphere was split in two.

There were those who thought it was all over now that Quintia had arrived, and those who thought that if it was Kim Sang-hyeok, he might just be able to do something.

…She’s fast.

The Student Council President was inwardly impressed as she watched Quintia’s movements.

She saw that Quintia’s skill in rescuing a hostage captured by the enemy was extraordinary.

It required a combination of agility to exploit the enemy’s openings and a technique to naturally steal their center of balance to pull someone away without being noticed.

Like her mother, Quintia seems to have plenty of aptitude as a Hero.

He was a tough opponent for Kim Sang-hyeok, who had only just begun to awaken to his fighting style.

“…No.”

Seridwen was so anxious that her voice escaped her lips.

“If he fights her, he’ll lose.”

Quintia was not an opponent who would tolerate even the slightest clumsy attack. Especially not in a direct confrontation like this.

Indeed, the result was a crushing defeat on the very first exchange, and sighs of disappointment could be heard from all over.

“Aah.”

“He was doing really well for a D-rank.”

“I guess this is it. She’s on a different level.”

Just as everyone was predicting Quintia’s 100% victory, a strange atmosphere descended.

The audio couldn’t pick up what Kim Sang-hyeok was saying, but…

He didn’t look like someone who had given up the fight.

What is he trying to do?

The Student Council President didn’t think Kim Sang-hyeok, who had even put away his gun, had anything left that could change the situation.

It was then.

Quintia made a bizarre, unexpected move. She began swinging her sword wildly around her, as if terrified.

It just seemed like some kind of invisible exchange was taking place.

…Is that… that power?

Isabella tilted her head.

Because she couldn’t see it.

“Isabella. You can’t see it?”

Just then, Seridwen spoke.

“No. What is it, ma’am?”

“That kid… what in the world is he…? What gods’ favor is he receiving?”

Seridwen muttered blankly.

He has another dangerous power. That’s what it sounded like. Isabella was aware of it, too.

But she never imagined that the power—the one that had, until now, only caused a slight bump in the car or an accidental kiss—was capable of terrifying Quintia.

“Isabella. Prepare to intervene.”

“Ma’am?”

“…We might have to stop the exchange event.”

That, too, was an unexpected statement.

Isabella couldn’t even begin to guess why Seridwen, who usually acted as if a student’s death was nothing to worry about, was feeling such a sense of crisis.

Was there something even more terrifying than Personality Excretion?

If so, what in the world was about to happen?

Kim Sang-hyeok… you are…

Then.

The moment Kim Sang-hyeok held up a feather and smiled faintly, the gasps of the female students who had come to watch could be heard from all around.

Seridwen’s eyes went wide as well.

“Wh-what the…”

Suddenly, the taut tension dissipated.

“Get the audio!”

The camera crew focused on Kim Sang-hyeok’s lips.

“The 100-million-Coin girl really is strong. Ah, I can’t win!”

Did he… admit defeat?

It was a strange sight: the winner’s legs were trembling, while the loser was smiling with a sense of relief.

“You were holding back by not using the feather, right?”

Seeing Kim Sang-hyeok, who was spitting up blood as he coolly exited the Gravity Wave, the Student Council President was already shouting.

“Evangeline! Get the medical team ready!”

“Huh? Ah, yes!!”

Soon, Kim Sang-hyeok, who had escaped the Gravity Wave with Hena, was carried away on a stretcher.

He appeared to have lost consciousness from the sudden blood loss.

Isabella hurried over to check his condition, moving with the medical team.

“How is Kim Sang-hyeok? Does he need a transfusion?”

“He’s fine, President. None of his internal organs were injured.”

“Really?”

Isabella examined Kim Sang-hyeok’s face in detail and felt a sense of relief.

Just what honorable choice did you make to be smiling like that?

In the end, he was taken down by Quintia in the third round, becoming a victim of the famous “Anything-Less-Than-Quintia-Is-Trash” meme.

But just by looking at his expression, she could tell that he had given his all and participated in the exchange event without any regrets.

“I really thought it was going to end in an hour.”

“Seriously. He’s an amazing D-rank.”

“Everyone’s going to be watching the Jelly Man from now on.”

Kim Sang-hyeok’s market evaluation was set at 590,000 Coins.

And in the remarks section, it was written:

「Personality Excretion」

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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