Chapter 64

Chapter 64

I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy.

Episode 64: Usurper (7)

-Yu-hwa, you must always remain elegant.

These were her grandfather’s words.

-The weak lash out because they are non-existent. They try to take even more. But the strong must show generosity. Because that is the right of the powerful who have plenty.

Hong Yu-hwa was the very embodiment of a competitive spirit.

She couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment it started. Was it when Grandfather made them compete and she knocked them down? Or perhaps when she went from being non-existent to existing?

She was not sure.

But she did exist. Was it pride? Or maybe arrogance?

‘I want to win.’

Even if it meant stealing the abilities of others.

Even if it meant…

Hong Yu-hwa opened her eyes.

Crack.

She heard something break inside her.

Crack, crack, crack.

‘Is it because I never showed desperation?’

She was determined to win by any means necessary.

Her talent responded to that desire.

Whoosh!

A red lotus bloomed.

That was also Hong Yu-hwa’s pride.

Because her grandfather never spoke falsely.

-Do not steal from others.

-Do not covet what others have.

-Always compete fairly, and one day you will take my place.

Hong Yu-hwa was also an embodiment of talent.

It was Grandfather’s teaching, but Hong Yu-hwa believed it too.

She did.

Until she met Kim Seo-hyun.

She encountered Ershil with superior magical skills.

And she met Lee Seo-ha, who existed more completely than anyone else.

The world was vast.

And the world they showed her differed from the one her grandfather had taught her, yet,

It was quite fascinating.

Above Hong Yu-hwa’s head…

A small crown formed.

Intuitively, Hong Yu-hwa realized she had awakened some ‘talent.’

“Ha…”

A hollow, yet joyful smile formed.

She sensed the talents of everyone around her. And she understood her talent was to ‘choose’ and ‘plunder’ their talents.

Then, first of all,

Hong Yu-hwa extended her slender arm. Her target was the Minotaur that had been resurrected from death.

Just the act of choosing.

Gulp.

The sound of something being devoured echoed.

From Hong Yu-hwa’s hand.

Whoosh!

Bright, purple flames erupted. Death blossomed.

Let’s rewind time a little, right before the Minotaur’s demise.

“It’s a seed,”

Celestial said this.

Seo Ye-bin’s eyebrows twitched.

A seed.

It came from outer space.

This object could reincarnate a monster with alien powers upon death if planted within it. If used on humans, it would forcibly transform them into Mines.

“It was odd. The Vicious Abomination showed up, but there was no damage from them.”

“That’s not too surprising. It was quite dangerous because of the barrier.”

A barrier.

A barrier that trapped everyone inside. A formidable one that even Song Ra-hee, known as the Witch of Pama, couldn’t shatter.

The barrier dissolved quickly once Lee Seo-ha intervened.

‘Should I offer more compensation?’

Seo Ye-bin smiled bitterly.

-Woooooo!

Darkness cloaked the Minotaur in its grasp.

Purple flames burst forth.

“What are you going to do?”

Celestial and the Emperor.

These two were transcendent beings with renowned titles. To students, such a monster represented the epitome of despair, but to these beings, they had the might to plunge hundreds of monsters into despondency.

They were true transcendents.

“Well.”

Seo Ye-bin glanced at Lee Seo-ha.

‘Still.’

He was always invisible.

That was why Lee Seo-ha intrigued Seo Ye-bin.

She had prided herself on having a keener eye for talent than Celestial, but now she questioned her certainty.

Kwaang!

Lee Seo-ha hoisted his sword. The Minotaur tightened its fist and struck. Lee Seo-ha recoiled.

“If we’re discussing chances of victory, maybe 10%…?”

“To my eyes, it seems more like 30%.”

“Really?”

Celestial peered ahead.

He still couldn’t discern Lee Seo-ha, yet he began to gauge the power he held.

That boy.

“……!”

Celestial’s attention shifted.

Toward the red-haired girl, Hong Yu-hwa.

“What’s happening?”

“Goodness, ‘Negation’ has such power? No, this is also the ‘Affirmation’ ability of the Star Girl.”

Celestial mumbled, his expression dazed as he looked at Hong Yu-hwa.

Seo Ye-bin’s gaze followed suit, resting on Hong Yu-hwa.

Whoosh.

Above her head, a Crimson Lotus blossomed, quickly transforming into a crown that settled above her head.

‘…What?’

On instinct, Seo Ye-bin experienced a flash of ‘hostility’ towards Hong Yu-hwa.

She shouldn’t be a threat to Seo Ye-bin, yet in that moment, Seo Ye-bin sensed ‘danger’ from her and went on the defensive.

Hong Yu-hwa extended her hand toward the Minotaur, which was surrounded by darkness.

“……”

“……!”

From Hong Yu-hwa’s hand, death unfurled.

Kwaang!

A black fist that had been struck with the power of Black Heaven hurtled towards me.

-Dodge!

-Seo-ha!

Calls from both Black Heaven and Eternal Heaven filled my ears. I felt a chilling sensation and kicked off the air.

Paang!

I dodged again, the sound of the air tearing resounding through the space.

‘This is the end.’

Simply kicking through the air to fight was no longer sufficient. I needed to unleash the Black Wings.

I quickly pulled an elixir from the void space and placed it in my mouth.

[You have consumed the Elixir of Strength! Strength increased by 5 for 30 minutes!]

[You have consumed the Elixir of Agility! Agility increased by 5 for 30 minutes!]

[You have consumed the Elixir of Stamina! Stamina increased by 5 for 30 minutes!]

Then, I touched the black bracelet to conjure a Black Sword.

While wielding the Black Sword with Nyeom, I created footholds and aimed some at the eyes.

Kang!

Yet attacks devoid of the Energy of Defying Heaven proved futile.

‘Troublesome.’

Both defensive and offensive capabilities were formidable.

If either had been weaker, the situation might be different.

Whoosh!

The flame was equally vexing. Purple flames surged, triggering alarms in my senses. Even though I found them bothersome, a single misstep could result in a fatal blow.

My opponent had hundreds of coins to my one.

‘Ha.’

Damn this cursed game.

I sighed and infused it with the Energy of Defying Heaven.

‘Can’t use the ultimate move.’

Abyss.

It boasted tremendous power, but the consumption of Energy of Defying Heaven was severe. Using it just once would retire me from this fight.

Gradually whittle down the stamina, then deliver a big blow.

“Seo-ha!”

An urgent shout was heard.

Kim Seo-hyun, holding an old sword, rushed in.

“Park Woon-hyuk, I’ll block it, so strike immediately!”

“Got it!”

The Minotaur raised its foot high.

And then brought it down hard. Kim Seo-hyun swiftly approached and drew a Taiji with his sword.

Taiji Swordplay.

The Taiji was drawn. The circular form of Taiji flowed with the Minotaur’s kick.

“What kind of strength is this…!”

Kim Seo-hyun, though astonished, created a dragon with his other hand.

Kwaddeuk!

From the ground, a dragon shape sprang up, binding the Minotaur.

“Haat!”

Park Woon-hyuk, leaping like lightning, had wind and lightning linger on his spear.

“Wind-Thunder Strike!”

The scene of shouting out technique names was quite ridiculous, but the attack itself was not.

Dozens of thunder and wind-imbued slashes scratched the surface of the Minotaur.

“…My Wind-Thunder Strike left just a mere scratch?”

“Don’t get distracted, move aside.”

Ershil rushed out.

The star in her eyes rotated.

“Dream in the Midst of Flowers.”

Blue butterflies appeared. Dozens of them lingered.

Dream in the Midst of Flowers.

A technique by the master of illusion magic, embedding her illusions into reality. It consumes a lot of magic power, but it allows attacking monsters and humans strong against illusions by making the illusions stay in reality.

Butterflies stuck to it. The Minotaur’s black skin turned white.

-Woooooo!

‘Damage is going in.’

I kicked off the ground.

I activated Divine Sight. Black Flash Step. And as I closed the distance.

I pushed the Energy of Defying Heaven into the Black Heaven. The blade of the Black Heaven Sword, fed with Energy of Defying Heaven, shimmered with black energy.

Sword Aura.

No, it’s not. This was simply infusing Energy of Defying Heaven roughly and creating a blade with control over the Energy of Defying Heaven.

Even though it couldn’t cut through concepts.

‘It’s worth a try.’

Whoosh!

The purple flames spread widely, trying to engulf me.

Pat!

Black Shadow Step.

[The proficiency of Black Shadow Step has increased.]

[The proficiency of Black Shadow Step has become ‘Mastered’. Interferes with space.]

In my vision, everything began to be outlined in white against a black background. I passed through the purple flames as ‘space’ folded.

And grabbed the Black Heaven in reverse.

If I could drive it into the horn.

Flash.

The eyes of the Minotaur turned purple.

My senses warned me.

Whoosh!

The purple flames condensed into a single point.

‘There’s even an added pattern.’

I chuckled bitterly.

I created a Black Sword. Right beneath my feet.

It wasn’t the right size for Black Flash Sword Technique. Gritting my teeth, I kicked off the Black Sword to leap.

Paaang!

Piercing the air, a purple flash soared. A beam condensed from Morale. It aimed for my heart.

‘Can’t dodge…’

It was intuition.

Gained from countless battles.

-Master!

I reached out.

Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven. I slammed almost all of it, leaving 30%, into my hand. And then Nyeom.

Black Scales.

Black scales sprouted on my hand.

‘Like this.’

I would break through.

That was the only option. Betting my life, it was the method with the highest chance of success.

Death approached vividly.

Paaat!

The purple flash collided. I felt the heat. Even the indirect impact stung my skin.

‘Kuk.’

My hands trembled. Energy of Defying Heaven leaked out wildly. I gritted my teeth.

‘More.’

Just a little more.

What felt like an eternity was only a few seconds. The intensity of the burning purple flash weakened and then ceased.

Then a bewildered Minotaur materialized.

I raised the Black Heaven.

And just like that,

‘Huh?’

I lost my balance. Why? My limbs were fine.

-Kuhu.

The Minotaur’s eyes curved into crescents. It lifted its hand. Purple flames ignited.

I clenched my teeth. Nyeom. The power of the Energy of Defying Heaven condensed in the Black Heaven, and I drove it right into the Minotaur’s chest.

And the purple flames.

Vanished.

“It’s not as great as I thought?”

A haughty voice echoed.

In the midst of falling,

Someone caught me in a princess carry.

“You’re weaker than I thought, you.”

I smiled reflexively.

Hong Yu-hwa, donning a crown of Crimson Lotus and smiling haughtily, said that while conjuring purple flames.

“Just watch from there.”

“Stealing the final blow? After we’ve drained it of all its blood.”

“Hmm, I guess it might seem that way. Can you stand?”

“Yes.”

Leaning on Hong Yu-hwa’s shoulder, I managed to stand. Stabilizing my body with Nyeom was barely enough.

“The weak point is the horn on its head.”

“It seems so. The mana is concentrated there.”

“But can you properly use it now?”

“Yes.”

Hong Yu-hwa said, her smile annoyingly smug.

Woong!

The air vibrated.

Hong Yu-hwa extended her right hand. Emitting a red light, a magic book materialized. She extended her left hand. Purple flames ignited.

Red and purple merged, condensing into a single point.

“Ershil.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll borrow your talent for a bit.”

Hong Yu-hwa said, reaching out to Ershil. Magical power surged, converging into one point.

Ki Flare.

Paaaat!

A dazzlingly bright flash sliced through everything, piercing the Minotaur’s upper body.

“Sorry, it was too weak, so I ended up killing it.”

Hong Yu-hwa spoke nonchalantly.

As I chuckled bitterly, on the verge of passing out.

“And this time too, I win. Seo-ha, you’re more pathetic than I thought.”

“…What?”

Hong Yu-hwa (2 wins, 89 losses)…

I couldn’t finish my sentence.

Consciousness slipped away as the thread of reason snapped.