Episode 27: The Battle for the Ordinary Person [End]

[Minor revisions were made to the latter part of Episode 26. Please take note before reading]

“………..”

After sending Kang A-yul and Lee Seo-yun to the arena, I leisurely took my seat in the spectator stands to watch their duel.

‘There are a lot of people.’

-Murmuring crowd

-Hey, looks like it’s about to start.

The spectator seats were half-filled with everyone from bored freshmen to third-years waiting for guild internships. The duel starting right after classes and rumors about Kang A-yul and Lee Seo-yun facing off had spread throughout the academy, drawing this unusually large crowd.

‘Well, both are top-ranked students after all.’

-That’s Kang A-yul? The Sword Saint’s granddaughter?

-Yeah. Sigh… I’m interning at Myeonggeom Guild. Wonder if I’ll do well.

-If you pretend to be close with her, you might get a good position?

-Stop it. Countless third-years got wrecked challenging her last year.

-True, the current student council president who simultaneously fought the top two third-years was impressive too… but she was a magician. As swordsmen, these two are on another level… I almost feel bad for that blind girl.

Most spectators predicted Kang A-yul’s easy victory. The third-years especially, who were essentially killing time like high schoolers after exams before their April guild internships, filled the stands.

-Wait, why’s the blind girl holding a sword? I thought she was a support-type magician.

-Dunno. Heard she’s a transfer student… probably bought her way in. Like that Kim director’s son or nephew… you know, the one who caused trouble during the entrance exam and got demoted three ranks before dropping out? She probably just rode that bus.

Lee Seo-yun received similar treatment to the disgraced admission fraudsters – dismissed as a privileged transfer student picking fights above her station.

-Damn, if you transferred in, you should just lay low. She’s really asking for trouble everywhere.

-Seriously. These country bumpkins who couldn’t even get into provincial academies without connections piss me off just for being at Raon Academy.

“…But Seo-yun Yang is the real deal.”

As I considered moving to a single seat to avoid attention, familiar faces appeared behind me.

-Ecclesia, is this where the second-year seniors are dueling?

-Yes. By watching skilled fighters, we can improve ourselves too.

-Ecclesia Yang, Jian Yang. I saved seats for you.

-Thanks, Sakura. Where’s Arin?

-Probably sleeping in the library or went back to the dorm first.

Somehow, the main protagonist’s group had come to watch. Impressive how he’d already befriended Ecclesia and Hanae Sakura on the first day – a stark contrast to my game self who took weeks to approach heroines for team assignments.

‘Hmm, he hasn’t gotten close to Yu Eun-ha yet. Normally she’d be tsundere toward him since the entrance exam incident.’

Keeping my mask and sunglasses on to avoid recognition, I decided against approaching them and focused on the duel below.

“Ah, sorry if we’re too loud…”

“No, I just… can’t see the duel well from here. Moving somewhere with a better view.”

After politely dismissing Sakura’s concern, I grabbed onion cheese popcorn and zero cola from a concession stand. The combatants were doing final checks – Lee Seo-yun holding her wooden sword in iaido stance, Kang A-yul conjuring floating magic swords.

-Beeeeep!

The starting signal echoed as both coated their training swords with mana.

-Thud!

They vanished instantly.

…

…

…

-Clang! Boom! Crackle!

The protective barrier trembled under their shockwaves. Their movements seemed inhuman even with my B+ agility stat matching Kang A-yul’s and surpassing the injured Lee Seo-yun’s.

‘My body still doesn’t move as smoothly as in the game.’

Without system assists, manually calculating mana control and sightlines felt cumbersome. Restricted from using [Hypnotic Evil Eye] and [Fragment of Mephisto] inside the academy to avoid alerting the Seven Archdemons’ spies, I could only rely on Recovery (S), Stellar Magic, and psychokinesis.

-Fizz

“…This is inconvenient.”

Below, Lee Seo-yun deflected hundreds of swords raining from all directions with her unique swordsmanship. But inevitably, one pierced her abdomen.

-Agh!

Her HP bar plummeted from 100 to 12 as she collapsed.

“How about it? Surrender now and I won’t knock you out.”

“…You could end this by striking my neck right now.”

Kang A-yul mockingly tapped Lee Seo-yun’s chin with her wooden sword as the latter knelt gasping.

“When the barrier fully drops, the exhaustion hits brutally. You won’t even manage basic training in that state. Just drop your sword and…”

“No.”

“Fine. Crumbling before overwhelming power might be a good experience…”

Kang A-yul summoned a 10-meter magic sword above, but—

“I can see it now. Those sluggish sword trajectories.”

-Crash!

“And your swordsmanship… hard to believe you’re the Sword Saint’s granddaughter.”

-Slash!

“Do you really think such skills qualify you as vice president?”

“You bitch… Gah?!”

Lee Seo-yun bisected the greatsword and slashed Kang A-yul’s torso. Simultaneously, Kang A-yul’s magic sword impaled Lee Seo-yun’s waist—their HP bars hitting zero for a draw.

As the barrier faded and I moved to help them up—

‘…!’

They charged at each other with murderous intent, wooden swords glowing lethally.

-Huh?! The barrier’s down?!

-Those crazy bastards!!! They’ll kill someone!

Panicked shouts erupted around us. My body moved faster than ever before.

-BOOM!

“…That’s enough.”

I intercepted their clash. The cost—my right arm shattered, left arm grotesquely bent—was cheap for preventing fatalities.

“Your… arm?!”

“Se-ah Yang, are you okay?!”

Their voices sounded distant. The adrenaline crash hit hard.

“Are you… crazy? The barrier’s been down…”

Darkness encroached my vision. Collapsing here would cause endless complications…

-Thud!

“Yun Se-ah!”

“Se-ah Yang!”

Their screams were the last thing I heard before consciousness fled.