Ch.241241 – Übermensch Dodgeball

<241 – Superhuman Dodgeball>

Individual dodgeball is essentially a practice run for team dodgeball.

Unlike individual dodgeball where only one first-place winner can earn a maximum of 10 points, in class competition dodgeball, an entire group can earn up to 100 points.

All class competition events invariably have their own “practice events.”

‘Experiencing this with Sing, Hestia, and Mr. Ocheon will definitely help us in the class competition!’

That’s also why I chose the most painful-looking ball!

As a bonus, I’m curious about this senior from the advanced class I’ve never seen before—Deadcat.

‘New characters from the advanced class are usually villains!’

A skilled villain senior.

In other words, someone in the Sing or Zhang position of the sophomore year.

‘I might be a bit disappointed if they get knocked out in one hit?’

I gripped the steel ball firmly and cast multiple spells in rapid succession.

Red, blue, black!

As the ball kept changing colors, both spectating Isabelle and participating Son Ocheon’s expressions hardened.

“Here I go!”

Even Sing couldn’t catch this strike.

Deflecting it might be possible, but catching it would be another story.

Even Hestia would struggle.

Trying to catch it with inadequate strength would leave your palms completely shredded, given the power behind it.

‘Now, behold my Level 1 Tri-color Ball!’

Surely they can handle a simple greeting, right?

* *

People often mistakenly think knights only use physical attacks and mages only use magical attacks.

From a master’s perspective, that’s laughable.

Knights, seeking to overcome the limitations of physical force, focus on elemental attack power and lean toward magical attacks.

Mages, wanting to use the same spells more powerfully, pursue faster and heavier physical attack power.

This means strong knights have high magical attack power, and strong mages have high physical attack power!

‘That’s a spell with incredibly high physical attack power.’

The steel ball thrown by Oknodie carried savage magical attack power visible even from the sidelines.

The tri-colored flashing ball was wrapped in crimson flames, something bright blue, and pitch-black dark mana.

Whatever this dodgeball was, it seemed powerful enough to exorcise even demons.

‘Is dodgeball some kind of magical ritual tool used by Imperial Knights for demon exorcism ceremonies?’

Hestia imagined what would happen if that merciless strike came flying at her.

First, her palm would definitely split open.

Next, she would suffer terrible burns.

While reducing the impact of the steel ball and preparing to throw it back, her hand would take extreme damage from the burns.

Without surrounding her palm with considerable mana, she couldn’t catch it or throw it back.

Her burned palm would stick to the steel ball, unable to separate from it.

But even if she managed to throw it hastily, the power would be minimal.

A second-year advanced class senior wouldn’t be easily defeated.

She would need to charge up properly with full determination.

‘First strike is ridiculously important in this match.’

Hestia realized why Oknodie had taken the lowest-scoring position.

She had understood this fact from the beginning.

That wild instinct to instinctively take the most advantageous position in an unfamiliar competition!

A bestial sense no less impressive than the monkey beastkin Son Ocheon.

Oknodie might be a baby, but she was a baby of the wild.

‘But what are the effects of that blue thing and the dark mana?’

The frightening aspect of Oknodie’s strike was that you couldn’t read all its properties just by looking at it.

How would Senior Deadcat receive such a ball?

Hestia witnessed the answer.

“!!”

Deadcat took the hit with her body!

With a bang, Deadcat’s form flew backward.

‘Wait, after all that posturing, she gets knocked out in one hit!?’

A defeat so helpless it was bewildering!

But what happened next was even more surprising.

The body of Deadcat, which had been flying vertically into the distance just moments ago, scattered like an afterimage and reappeared in her original position.

Deadcat casually caught the ball, which was floating in the air with reduced impact, with one hand.

Only slight fatigue was visible in her languid eyes.

“That hurts. Almost as much as Mandela’s.”

“Wow! Senior, you use such an interesting technique.”

Deadcat’s gaze fell on the ball spinning in her hand, emitting white smoke.

As if asking, are you really the one saying that?

Hestia had one more concern besides this bizarre senior.

“Sing. Why didn’t you ambush her?”

Sing, who had seemed ready to swing his sword at close range at the first opportunity, had maintained his stance without moving an inch.

“…I would have died.”

“Died?”

“If I had swung my sword just now. I guarantee I would have died instantly.”

“!?”

“Good instincts, junior.”

In front of Deadcat’s indifferent gaze, everyone’s tension escalated except for Oknodie.

“Now it’s my turn.”

The steel ball in Deadcat’s hand bounced against the floor like a basketball, making thump-thump sounds.

Hestia’s eyes widened.

“Property transformation! Everyone be careful. This senior’s attack is…”

That was all she could say.

Hestia witnessed the bouncing ball defy physical laws, bouncing toward her at a low angle near her legs.

<Hestia Hammer Technique>

<Pull Strike>

Hestia swung her hammer like hitting a golf ball.

The steel ball, which had seemed as light as a rubber ball, collided with the hammer, producing a metal sound that struck the eardrums, like steel hitting steel.

‘Heavy. As I thought, this attack is…!’

Category – Transformation Magic

Activation – Property Transformation

Specialization – Latency, Multiple Manifestation, ???

At least 4-circle property transformation magic.

And she could skillfully manipulate form change’s continuous manifestation and timing—an incredible expert.

In an extremely brief moment.

Deadcat’s ability manifested at tremendous speed.

Once, while changing it to bounce softly like a rubber ball, adapting eyes to its up-and-down movement.

Twice, changing its form at the moment of contact with the ground to make it bounce at a nearly horizontal, low angle.

Three times, when the hammer and steel ball collided.

As a result, Hestia somehow managed to deflect the steel ball.

But she couldn’t catch it.

Swoosh

Hestia was immediately teleported outside the court.

The instructor pointed to the scoreboard to show the score.

━━━

Hestia

In-court survival time: 21 seconds.

Position score: 5 points.

Total: 105 points.

━━━

“Everyone be careful. That senior calculated all attack timings from a distance!”

Magic consumes extremely high resources the further it gets from one’s body.

Remotely controlling a fast-moving ball like that would be difficult even for a second-year advanced class student.

This meant that from the moment the ball left her palm, all consecutive manifestations were already calculated.

Swish

It didn’t end with just one attack.

The ball that bounced off the hammer ricocheted off the wall like a rubber ball and returned to Deadcat’s hand.

As if she had predicted Hestia would hit it at that angle.

The fourth manifestation of transformation changed the angle, and the fifth brought it back to her hand.

From the moment the ball left her hand, she had calculated everything—Hestia’s elimination and the ball’s recovery.

Hestia felt fear.

She couldn’t guarantee she would survive if she faced such a senior with design and calculation abilities in a serious battlefield.

“You’re next.”

Deadcat’s terrifying steel ball now flew toward Son Ocheon.

Irregular angle.

Changing properties.

Hestia knew all its characteristics from her earlier experience.

But does knowing about it mean you can block it…?

To avoid injury, the only option was to deflect it with a weapon.

Deadcat naturally expected that.

But Son Ocheon defied common sense.

Instead of using the long staff he was holding, he caught the ball with both hands.

CRASH!!

Creating a long groove in the ground as he was pushed back, Son Ocheon.

He was pushed beyond the white line, confirming his elimination.

━━━

Son Ocheon

In-court survival time: 30 seconds.

Position score: 5 points.

Total: 150 points.

━━━

“Foolish.”

Deadcat said.

If he was going to be eliminated anyway, why suffer injuries that left his hands dripping with blood?

It wasn’t rational, she implied.

Son Ocheon didn’t deny it.

“I know. It was a foolish thing to do. But what I did wasn’t completely useless.”

Son Ocheon firmly gripped the ball until the last moment of his elimination.

To prevent the form transformation Deadcat had embedded in the ball from bouncing off the ground and returning to her hands.

As a result, the steel ball completed its form transformation in Son Ocheon’s hands and couldn’t return to Deadcat.

Instead, the ball was sucked right into Oknodie’s palm, who was closest.

“Hahaha! See that? The fruit of my great achievement.”

“That was amazing, Uncle Ocheon!”

What strange magic is that now?

I’m no longer surprised by Oknodie’s peculiarity of casually using magic she’s never learned.

I only hope one thing.

“Give her a taste of her own medicine. That arrogant senior who lives to bully juniors.”

As if responding to his wish, the ball gripped in Oknodie’s hand began to emit light once again.

From red to blue to black.

Not stopping at three colors, but continuing further.

From gray to brown to purple.

“This time it’s Level 2 Six-color Ball!”

For the first time, tension appeared on Deadcat’s face at the ominous amount of mana contained in the ball.