Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy.

Episode 10: Kim Ara (1)

“Oh, what’s this? Who’s challenging the top student?”

“Park Woon-hyuk? Isn’t he nothing without his weapon?”

Lee Seo-ha leisurely ascended to the sparring ground. His opponent on the other side was Park Woon-hyuk.

Over 190 cm tall, his muscular body, honed since childhood, appeared more intimidating than Lee Seo-ha, who was just over 180 cm.

“Park Woon-hyuk is physically strong, after all. The top student, according to rumors, is involved with magic. And this time, he got a pretty decent Moon Blade in the weapon selection. That’s scary, right?”

“Really? Then, will Park Woon-hyuk win?”

“I’m not sure. The top student is quite an enigmatic figure.”

Seo Ga-yeon agreed with the last comment.

Her opponent during the entrance exam had been an orc warrior. Its formidable physical strength was still threatening enough to make her tremble.

Lee Seo-ha must have faced a superior opponent.

‘It’s hard for a magician to beat a warrior.’

That saying was common. Magicians were versatile, focusing on ‘firepower’. But Lee Seo-ha had defeated that entity in an instant and had arrived at first place.

Furthermore, during dungeon exploration, he had moved as if he was walking through his own house.

Seo Ga-yeon had been there at the time, but still couldn’t grasp Lee Seo-ha’s true nature. Maybe, in this duel, she might catch a glimpse of it.

“Weapons will be used for a real battle. Mana is not allowed. And wear this bracelet. It suppresses mana. If you show any sign of using mana, the instructor will intervene immediately.”

The instructor repeated to Lee Seo-ha that one must accept defeat gracefully and not use their talent.

“Wow, instructor Park Jeon-ji really seems to have ties with Park Woon-hyuk’s company.”

“Poor Lee Seo-ha.”

Lee Seo-ha lazily nodded. Park Woon-hyuk, with a look of complaint, quietly mouthed something to the instructor, who then told them to prepare for the match.

“Begin.”

As the instructor’s word ended, Park Woon-hyuk moved.

‘I’ll decide the match early on.’

Park Woon-hyuk thought this while looking at Lee Seo-ha. He was like a strange being that fell from the sky.

His goal always had been Kim Seo-hyun.

Always ranking above him, yet never once defeated.

But this was different.

This man, Lee Seo-ha, had appeared suddenly. Kim Seo-hyun had never looked at him before, but now he was burning with a fighting spirit.

Honestly, it was frightening.

Despite various restrictions by the instructor, the thought of winning didn’t come easily.

Thud!

He stomped the ground.

The weapon he received during the weapon selection was a Moon Blade. He swung the Moon Blade and Lee Seo-ha dodged to the side.

‘His movements are big.’

The top student was not familiar with close combat. He already showed weakness in physical endurance during training.

A sign of lacking physical training.

He twisted his wrist. He dropped the Moon Blade from below to the sky. Clang! It was blocked by a black sword.

Park Woon-hyuk retrieved his Moon Blade.

And then a thrust. Though it was not a spear, he used the length of the weapon to his advantage.

But the top student dodged again.

‘Specialized in evasion?’

He must have engaged in close combat before. Park Woon-hyuk quickly considered the situation.

Swinging the Moon Blade, slashing, and stabbing.

All his attacks were futile. It was as if the opponent had mana, moving quickly.

But that couldn’t be.

Otherwise, the instructor or bracelet would have reacted.

Zzzing!

The Moon Blade and black sword collided and Park Woon-hyuk’s smile ceased.

The Moon Blade was pushed back. Spears didn’t transfer force as well as swords, yet it was being overpowered.

But he was a warrior.

Different from the magician, the top student.

‘Time to change the strategy.’

Park Woon-hyuk, confident, flicked his sword. If his strength was superior, he would rely on martial arts.

Then he would win.

…That’s what he thought.

‘What’s this?’

As the fight intensified, the top student’s hair became drenched in sweat—a sign of fatigue. If the battle dragged on, Park Woon-hyuk’s chances of winning would increase.

‘What exactly is this?’

Yet Park Woon-hyuk didn’t feel confident about winning.

He prided himself on close combat.

For years, since the age of five, he had trained to make the spear an extension of his body. That effort was not in vain.

But Lee Seo-ha, the top student, was getting familiar with his moves.

Weapons clashed, hands engaged.

Clearly, he was pressuring his opponent.

Yet the battle felt frustrating.

Just a bit more and he might win, but the image of Park Woon-hyuk ‘winning’ over Lee Seo-ha became blurry.

Lee Seo-ha’s eyes sharply focused on his spear.

Swoosh.

The spear was swung. But with a simple nod, the Moon Blade was dodged. It was as if he anticipated his attacks.

The attacks got smoother. The defense became more precise. His footwork became more extraordinary.

It was as if a master stood beside him.

Lee Seo-ha was growing with something that used his existence as nourishment. No, it was different. It was more like regaining strength than growth──.

Clash!

The sword and Moon Blade collided. As Park Woon-hyuk retrieved the Moon Blade, Lee Seo-ha moved.

He bent low at the waist.

Park Woon-hyuk swung the Moon Blade once more.

Lee Seo-ha’s black sword responded.

The black sword swung from inside out. The Moon Blade collided with it and was flung away, accompanied by pain in his hand.

‘I won this.’

I felt incredulous.

I defeated Park Woon-hyuk.

He was among the top of Korea’s Hero School. If he had used mana, I wouldn’t have lasted 30 seconds.

-Strange. The blade is quite useful, but such rapid growth is unexpected?

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword, floating in the air, wondered. Maybe it was the spiritual power. No one could see the Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

I ignored it, looking at the instructor. Speaking to her now would make me seem insane.

“The winner is… Lee Seo-ha!”

The instructor’s announcement turned the students’ stunned faces into ones of shock.

“What, what’s this? Did anyone record that?”

“A growth-type talent? Crazy, he’s doing everything alone!”

“If that’s a growth-type, what talent is it? Such an unbelievable…”

Everyone was mistaken. The power and speed came from circulating the Energy of Defying Heaven internally, following the Black Heavenly Demon Sword’s advice.

-I helped, but master did well too. Seems like my master has an interesting talent.

The blade wasn’t very impressed, it seemed.

As I looked at the Black Heavenly Demon Sword with such eyes, it chuckled.

-I didn’t mean you’re bad at fighting. Not a genius, but skilled enough.

I descended from the sparring ground. As I did so, Kim Seo-hyun appeared. His sky-blue eyes were twinkling.

“Seo-ha, that was really impressive.”

“What, just this much.”

“At first, I was really nervous, but the way you adapted and pushed back was impressive! But how about your strength? Is it talent? Or skill? The bracelet didn’t react, so it must be high stats or a constantly applied talent…”

Kim Seo-hyun was good, but the problem was he talked too much once he started.

I nodded appropriately to Kim Seo-hyun’s words, and then I saw Kim Ara and Seo Ga-yeon.

“…When will you teach me?”

Kim Ara approached and asked. I remembered I had negotiated with her. A way to escape from the Overlord.

“Let’s talk about it later. It’s not good to discuss it here.”

Kim Ara nodded at my words. Beside her, Kim Seo-hyun’s eyes twinkled with curiosity.

Don’t make such a scary suggestion.

Dating a girl who can rip off a mountain in the middle of a fight? I might end up dead.

The Overlord was terrifyingly strong.

Not just as a leader of a force, but possessing monstrous strength at the world’s apex.

In other words, he didn’t really have a force. He had ‘followers’ who admired his strength, but they were just that—followers.

The Overlord was complicated. Neither good nor evil.

Neutral.

And he hated Mines. It might seem like he was good, but there was another reason that he was not.

But let’s set that story aside for now.

“The way to escape the Overlord is simple.”

Really simple, indeed.

“Just kill the Overlord.”

“…”

Kim Ara stared at me incredulously.

“The Overlord?”

“Yes.”

In truth, Kim Ara did succeed with this method, but it was meaningless because Kim Seo-hyun died as well.

“Well, that was a joke. There’s another way.”

Kim Ara glared at me as if she wanted to kill me, prompting me to quickly change my tune.

“Why do you think the Overlord is so obsessed with you?”

“…Because I’m the only heir.”

I chuckled lightly.

In reality, outside of fighting Mines, the Overlord was just a person with charisma.

Moreover, he portrayed himself as being excessively fond of his daughter.

The heir had already been decided. It wasn’t Kim Ara, but rather the eldest son.

The eldest son was moderately capable, greedy, and knew his place well.

“The issue is straightforward. You just need to become stronger.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You’re having trouble controlling your power, aren’t you? During sparring, you’re so careful, afraid of killing or seriously injuring someone.”

“…”

“I’ll help you. And I’ll teach you how to wield your power effectively.”

“But how does that relate to the Overlord?”

“The Overlord’s power is hereditary. And you’ve inherited it, perhaps even more potently.”

“…Me?”

“Yes.”

It was indeed a simple matter.

If Kim Ara recognized her power and pursued the right path, the Overlord wouldn’t be able to suppress her. The reason for his repression was straightforward.

The Overlord had numerous enemies.

More than just a few.

He called for the annihilation of Mines and executed anyone associated with them without a second thought.

If he believed his daughter could defend herself, he would likely just check in on her occasionally.

“So, you need to grow independently here at Korea Hero School.”

“…”

Kim Ara fell into deep thought. I observed her.

Her purple bangs obscured half of her face, rendering her expression unreadable.

She was quite pretty in the illustrations, though not as much as my favorite character from the second year…

“So, I’ll be here to help you grow from now on.”

I smiled and extended my hand.

Of course, I was also securing Kim Ara, a super-fast ‘bus driver’.

With Kim Ara’s power, clearing dungeons would be easy. I would make sure to give her proper rewards so she wouldn’t feel too aggrieved.

“Okay. I’ll trust you this one time.”

Kim Ara quietly took my hand.

I smiled brightly.