Ch.279274 – Free Trial

The Academy Competition was just one day away.

Students staying at the Aquila Hotel opened their curtains to look outside.

Broadcasting vehicles were arriving one by one through the dark night, lining up in front of the hotel.

From tomorrow, the fierce battle would be broadcast nationwide, perhaps even worldwide.

Whether it was students participating in the competition for the first time or those who had already made several appearances, everyone shared the same nervous feeling.

During the quiet hours when sleep wouldn’t come.

Some students gathered around a glowing hologram projector with all the room lights turned off, focusing intently.

“Finally, 5th-ranked participant NoName. She’s a 2nd grader in elementary school but participating as a middle school division alternate. Originally she was just supposed to watch from the audience, but somehow ended up as a substitute.”

“Still so adorable looking at her again!”

“Focus, focus.”

“Can someone sub me in early? I really don’t think I can bring myself to fight a kid…”

“We’ll just have to somehow guide her into using up all her mana.”

The Altair Academy’s 3rd-year middle school students were part of a golden generation aiming for their 8th consecutive Academy Competition victory.

While the five members changed slightly each year, they had never experienced defeat since they began participating in the competition.

“We can’t let our guard down. No matter how I look at it, NoName’s innate magic… doesn’t seem normal.”

“So you think so too?”

“They might have planned this from the beginning when they registered an elementary student as a middle school alternate.”

Registering elementary students as middle school alternates for experience was a common practice at Altair Academy as well.

But that was something you could only do when there was a significant power difference that allowed for such flexibility.

“This year the teachers aren’t giving us much coaching or help.”

“Shh, be quiet! What if there’s a recording device in here?”

“Should I whisper like this then?”

“That’s better.”

The students who had been bickering refocused on the video materials.

[Attachment 1: ‘Katsuhata Emika’ Demon’s Horn Demonstration]

In their minds, the only variable was NoName’s innate magic.

“I still can’t figure it out no matter how many times I watch. I can’t even guess what kind of magic it is.”

“It must be… some kind of support magic, right?”

“Let’s assume that for now.”

The Academy Competition follows its own rules rather than those of the International Magic Sports Federation, considering student safety.

The matches are conducted as 2-on-2 rather than 1-on-1 or 5-on-5, with participants having one substitution right only when their aura barrier remains above 50%, making it a kind of winning streak competition.

In 2-on-2 matches, the combination of close-range aura users and long-range magic users shows the highest expected win rate.

“Is it a firepower pumping type? Hmm… but it doesn’t seem like that at all.”

“Let’s move on to the next video then.”

[Attachment 2: Scene from ‘World of Arsheria’ gameplay]

[NoName Official]

[Evolution Theory #WorldOfArsheria(5/5)]

[19:34]

The Demon’s Horn was a magic NoName had been using for a long time.

[If you want to call me a demon lord, then go ahead and call me that all you want.]

“Wow, that’s so badass…”

The students, still not completely over their middle school syndrome, each let out exclamations of admiration.

[Cast: Glacies Asta]

The well-developed woman jumped into the air, summoning a niobium spear as tall as a streetlight and hurled it toward Mephisto’s heart.

They only noticed that the woman’s horns glowed slightly during the process, but couldn’t figure out the effect of her innate magic.

“NoName will likely hide her innate magic until right before the match. So our job is simple. Eliminate the front-line participants decisively from the start.”

“If we quickly eliminate all four, NoName won’t be able to do anything alone, right?”

“Exactly. Even if that innate magic turns out to be combat-oriented, she can’t bring in a wooden sword-shaped wand, so we won’t be caught by surprise attacks.”

“What if, you know, NoName initiates close combat first?”

“That’s the biggest problem…”

[Attachment 3: Korea University Challenge Edition]

NoName had even defeated Altair Academy’s legend, Student Council President Shin Yeon-ho, in an informal duel.

Of course, the rules were excessively favorable to NoName, and there were indications that Shin Yeon-ho had gone easy on her, but the girl’s combat sense couldn’t be ignored.

“She seems to have perfectly mastered coordinate transformation, and her 2nd circle magic power is formidable. Water magic, air magic, and even lightning magic—doesn’t that strain her aura heart?”

Oh Deok-jae, a student wearing round glasses, explained each scene to the other students from the front.

A female student rubbed her eyes after seeing NoName deflect Raon’s spear with a clean roundhouse kick.

“Wow, look how flexible her legs are! Seungmin, can you do that?”

“If I practice.”

“This is going to be fun! I’m so excited for tomorrow’s match!”

“Yawn, I’m sleepy so I’m going back to my room.”

The students, quickly losing interest, all left Deok-jae’s room.

Oh Deok-jae adjusted his glasses as he remained in front of the still flickering hologram.

‘Demon’s Horn. Truly interesting magic. NoName, no matter how thoroughly you try to hide it, I’ll find your weakness before the match.’

The night was still long.

Oh Deok-jae took out a can of coffee and a Monster energy drink from the refrigerator, and with a cunning smile, started watching the video from the beginning again.

Only after the second hand of the clock had gone around hundreds of times did he collapse onto the carpet floor and drift off to sleep.

Warm morning sunlight filtered through the curtains.

Oh Deok-jae woke up with a start to the cooing of wood pigeons as his alarm.

Seeing the clock pointing to 8 AM, he hurriedly grabbed his toothbrush.

‘Why didn’t anyone wake me up!’

His messy hair couldn’t be helped.

At the very least, he put on his neatly ironed uniform and rushed out of the hotel.

The path from the hotel to the comprehensive arena was packed with participants’ families and acquaintances.

Broadcasting staff with large cameras on their shoulders were everywhere, requesting interviews.

There were also visitors who came as families, as if on a picnic.

“Mom, mom! Can I get one of those on my head if we go there?”

“Okay, but hold my hand so you don’t get lost in the crowd, alright?”

“Yes!”

A five-year-old child dragged their mother toward the bustling open space.

Deok-jae turned his gaze to where they were heading.

He was shocked to see a shabby wooden booth set up in the middle of the open space.

‘What is this?!’

[‘Experience the Demon’s Horn’! Lasts 8 hours free! (made by BioAkashic)]

Everyone coming out of the booth had black horns on their heads.

Not just one person, but dozens.

“Limited to the first 100 people! Not many spots left!”

The booth operator was none other than NoName herself.

“Hmm? Did you come to try it too, mister? Don’t be shy, come here and I’ll put them on your head.”

“Wait, isn’t this the innate magic you’re supposed to use in the duel?”

It was the moment when all of Deok-jae’s all-night analysis became useless.

* * *

In marketing, there’s a concept called “free trial.”

It’s a non-price sales promotion method that allows people to use a new product for free for a certain period after its release.

This helps improve brand image and spreads word-of-mouth quickly.

And among the families of academy students, there were many so-called “important people” who supported Korean society.

“Actually, my child is at Altair Academy. Could you give me one too?”

A friendly-looking man in a suit asked.

People around him gave him disapproving looks, but he didn’t care.

“May I ask what grade your child is in?”

“Sixth grade elementary.”

If they’re in sixth grade elementary, they’ll be facing the Pikachu sister and Fire Fist brother.

“Then if you promise to cheer for our Cephiron Academy only during the elementary 2nd grade versus middle school 3rd grade match, I’d be happy to provide one.”

“Haha, alright, alright! I promise.”

“Great, please get a tablet and business card from over there, then come back to me.”

When I nudged the person next to me with my elbow, there was an immediate response.

“Hello! I’m Baek Hochan, CEO of BioAkashic Corporation. Here’s my business card.”

“Ah, yes! So you’re the CEO! You look much younger than I expected?”

“I often hear that I have a baby face, haha.”

“So what exactly does this Demon’s Horn do? May I ask?”

“Of course! The product we’re providing today has the function of converting mana flow into visual information.”

“Really? Is it like VR glasses?”

“No! It feels like it’s directly embedded in your head, so it provides information much more intuitively.”

“I guess I’ll have to try it to understand.”

“Yes, we’ll prepare it for you right away!”

Even though the company was already short-staffed, Baek Hochan brought five employees to work as his slaves.

Despite the fairly cool weather, the employees struggling to carry heavy mana stones looked quite pitiful.

When I tried to help, the answer was always the same.

“No, it’s okay! NoName has an important match today. You need to save your strength. Just the thought is really appreciated!”

So I ended up sitting in the center of the booth, serving as a mascot.

“Big sister, look at the wind swirling in the sky! It’s so pretty!”

I gave a friend two or three years younger than me a small horn the size of a pinky finger.

The little one is probably seeing mana “turbulence” now.

It’s a phenomenon that often occurs when mana, which usually flows steadily, encounters artificial structures like the massive barrier surrounding the academy.

People who have never stimulated their aura hearts, especially young children, don’t sense mana well.

Therefore, these horns can provide a more thrilling view of today’s duels.

“Hello, NoName. Do you remember me?”

Just as I was taking a short break from the endless handshaking, someone with a press pass approached.

I don’t really like reporters.

“…? Who are you?”

“I’m Jang Seongmun, a reporter from QBS. We met at a press conference before, though it was in virtual reality.”

“Ah…! Now that I look, your avatar is the same. Yes, I remember you, Reporter Jang Seongmun.”

Unlike reporters who write defamatory content, he only wrote genuinely friendly articles, so I lowered my guard a little.

“You’re not using the Demon’s Horn in today’s duel, I assume?”

“No, I am. I joined the competition to promote this.”

“What? But is it okay to just give these away?”

“Reporter Jang. Do you know how long it takes for a baby’s eyes to open after birth?”

“Um… I’m not sure.”

“Pupillary reflex occurs after 2 days, and it takes 2 weeks to distinguish brightness and contrast. Even then, they can’t distinguish distant objects well until 4 months after birth.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.”

“It’s the same with the horns. With just 8 hours, they can barely see mana at most.”

Analyze all you want.

It took me several years in my past life to figure out the structure of these horns—it’s not something ordinary people can understand just by looking.

“Actually, I came to get an interview with participant NoName. How do you view this Academy Competition?”

“I view it in 4D.”

“Pardon?”

Reporter Jang Seongmun looked puzzled.

Ah… I really should stop blindly following internet culture.

“…Never mind, forget it. How do I view this competition? Well…”

I cleared my throat unnecessarily and thought carefully.

I could say I want to lead the competition to victory to repay Principal Gu On-yu’s kindness.

Or that I want to promote the Demon’s Horn to enhance BioAkashic’s reputation.

I could give a hundred different reasons, but I decided to express my genuine feelings to the camera.

“This junior has come all the way from elementary school to check the academic level of her seniors. If you underestimate me, you’ll end up with a broken nose, so everyone better be prepared.”

Whoooosh—

As I finished speaking, a large magical firework exploded in the sky.

An hourglass shape on the left, an eagle shape on the right.

The emblems representing each academy spread widely, coloring the sky in various hues.

‘Don’t get hurt, NoName!’

Hearing a familiar and affectionate female voice hidden beneath the sound of fireworks, I smiled.

Why is she worried about me?

This year’s Academy Competition will be conducted by me, NoName.

Looking up at the high autumn sky, I muttered words to myself that wouldn’t reach you.