episode_0172

“What is this…? Why the blade… ”

“Are you giving up…?”

Baek Gwang was a renowned emission powerhouse that possessed its own magic. It wasn’t easy to guess the intentions of its successor, Jin Ye-seo, who came out equipped with weapons only used by circulation power magicians.

But despite the commotion, which was like a ripple, the blonde schoolgirl seemed completely unfazed.

-Both sides. Facing each other… greeting each other.

Jin Ye-seo and the masked boy only shook hands briefly. Not only was there no greeting, but there was no provocation either.

Although they were said to be enemies, the reality was that Jin Ye-seo was unilaterally losing things.

It is not at all strange to harbor resentment that borders on murderous intent. The judges are also comprised of professors with outstanding skills. So that they can be subdued in times of emergency.

-Both sides ready. One, two…

The host’s voice flowed through the amplifier. The masked male student bent his waist and took a pose that looked like a beast pounced on him. Jin Ye-seo also took out his blade and prepared himself.

She closed her eyes tightly as if she was steeling herself. Then, she began to write a magic formula, moving her fingers gracefully.

Those who had guessed that he had brought the blade as a show or a desperate measure had no choice but to keep their mouths shut. The breathless spectators were all watching Jin Ye-seo’s movements.

And the next moment.

“Huh… ?”

“Over there… !”

The air begins to ripple around Jin Ye-seo, as if waves are spreading out. Soon, particles of fresh green light, just like Jin Ye-seo’s eyes, begin to swirl around like the wind.

“That’s… ‘color’!”

Professor Kwon Chan-yeol shouted, adjusting his glasses.

The shock was so great that even the professors who were present as judges stood up. This caused a huge uproar among the audience that was incomparable to what happened just now.

Color and scent created by the chemical reaction of particles and body components.

Although not everyone who has been named in Category 1 is like this, those who have manifested color and scent have been judged to be wizards who have surpassed the singularity without exception.

Among the students in the current cradle, only three are classified in that grade.

Paechun, Jeokhwa, and Heukryun.

And that was the moment when Baek Gwang’s name was added next to it.

“When did you change your major to circulatory system? Do the professors know?”

“There was something you were aiming for…!”

Unlike others, Jin Ye-seo did not have bad relationships with her classmates. Rather, she had enough popularity and manners to act as the leader of a group of first-year female students.

In an instant, the training ground began to fill with voices cheering her on.

Of course, there are not only those who welcome the current trend.

“… ”

Yeon Min-ha, a second-year student, tilts her head as if she is uncomfortable with the cheering, while her expression is distorted.

“Words, nonsense… !”

And this female student who has been hidden in the shadow of Jinyeseo the whole time. She has fallen into the shackles of Lee Inja’s self-pity.

Moon Yeo-ul.

“How…!”

She cried out in horror.

***

The noise from the stands didn’t really bother Jin Ye-seo, who was holding the blade. There were only two people in this space at the moment.

Jin Ye-seo. And the masked male student who is standing in a pose as if he is about to rush in from afar.

“… Ugh.”

She let out a short groan at the faint phantom pain she felt in her lower abdomen. It was a chronic symptom that she always experienced before sparring with him because her body remembered it.

Jin Ye-seo quickly shook off her slight fear as she focused again. On the other hand, she felt a strange sense of relief at the vicious aura that the man was giving off.

If I had been caught up in unnecessary pity and treated myself as if I were looking at a beggar, I would have felt even worse.

Around her, green particles of light were blinking like falling leaves. This too was a great blessing and gift from being with the man.

‘Then… it would be polite to write it properly.’

Jinyeseo created a magic formula that she had combined herself, and raised her entire body’s power to the max. Her expanded senses allowed her to feel even the boiling blood flow and trembling muscles. The colored particles in all directions thumped like a heartbeat.

-Suddenly…

“One… Two… !”

The host’s voice cut into her ears as if it were a death sentence. She gripped the blade’s handle tightly as if she was going to crush it, amid the seeping tension.

“… Three!”

-Wow!

Finally, the signal to start the duel. Along with it, thunderous cheers pour in from all directions.

-Bang!

The two jumped out at the same time without saying who would go first. The point of collision was exactly in the middle of the training ground. A loud noise like a bomb exploding rang out, piercing your ears. Immediately afterwards, a strong shock wave swept over, and sparks flashed from the blades that touched.

-Kagak… Kagak… !

If the particles hadn’t been reinforced, the impact would have shattered it long ago. Jinyeseo looked at him, feeling the tingling sensation in her palm. And she could tell. The man was also making eye contact with her through the mask.

“… ”

It’s a situation where she feels like she’s been pushed to the edge of a cliff. All that’s left for Jin Ye-seo is her last chance. With just one defeat, she’ll fall into the abyss.

But what seeps through my skin is not desperation, but pleasure. My body feels light as if I could fly, and my mind could not be clearer.

“Haa!”

-bang!

At this, Jin Ye-seo had to hold back the smile that was about to bloom on its own. On the other hand, the question that was stuck in her head wouldn’t go away.

Why, even in this situation, do I feel so full of joy?

-Bang!

-visor!

Metallic noises continued to loudly ring in his ears. The two had already had dozens of sparring matches. Jin Ye-seo remembered his habits with her body, not her head.

-Bang!

A downward strike aimed at the upper body is more likely to be followed by a knee strike.

-Kagan! Kang!

The digging movement that seems to blow the chin is a deceptive movement to hide the horizontal slash that will follow.

-Bang!

The fist of the left hand that targets the stomach like a greedy snake at every moment of opportunity.

Jin Ye-seo was avoiding his attacks with both precision and skill. On the other hand, she did not forget to aim her sharp sword to counterattack.

-Kagakak!

The blade pierces in an instant. The man uses superhuman reflexes to bend his waist back and narrowly avoids it.

The sharp metallic sound of the mask and blade rubbing against each other. A close fight that is incomparable to the previous fights. The audience cheers for the mountain to go away.

‘good…!’

It’s working. It’s being worked. That’s what Jin Ye-seo thought. It was the moment when the blade, which had been gradually getting closer over the past dozens of sparring sessions, first touched him.

“Pressure down!”

-Kagan! Kang!

Jin Ye-seo, riding on the momentum, fiercely charges at the man. Every time she swung her blade, a bright green light flashed in the air.

-Bang!

‘I’ve always wanted to fight you. That’s great. I never thought I’d get the chance.’

-Bam! Kwaang!

‘Surrender.’

‘Ugh… no… no… ‘

-Kagak! Kagak!

‘Help me.’

-Kang! Kaang!

Every time I share the sum, past memories flash through my mind. It was a part that I found incredibly fascinating.

He was a man I absolutely hated and loathed. Not only did he openly defy Baek Seo-yeon, his senior whom he desperately followed, but he also obstructed his own path at every turn.

If it was just a simple sabotage, how could he have harbored such intense hatred? Jin Ye-seo had lost everything to him.

The glorious top spot in the first year class, the attention of the professors, and even defeating her brutally and humiliatingly several times.

The magic stagnated and even the person she thought was her friend left her. Jinyeseo collapsed like that. She fell into the abyss and wandered and wandered in the darkness with no end in sight.

But how could I have known?

The person who had destroyed Jinyeseo was actually the only one who could save her from the swamp.

“Haa!”

-bang!

Green particles fluttered like butterflies as they scattered in the shock. The audience let out exclamations at the sweet scent that spread along with them.

Jin Ye-seo thought that the past few weeks with him had been the happiest of her life.

It couldn’t be helped. Not only did he train in the circulatory magic he so desperately wanted, he even created his own color and fragrance.

-Kang! Kaang!

Every moment of her experience with men was new. She also came to know that the man she had thought was a useless villain was actually a better person than she had thought. He was a man who had a strong and trustworthy side, but also a dangerous side that made her nervous.

And before he knew it, he was dealing with him without putting up any walls.

Even though I deliberately tried to calm my mind and raise my alertness as much as possible, it ended up being useless.

-Bang!

Recently, Jinyeseo had been suffering from a strange feeling that felt like a fever. She thought it was an expression of deep friendship.

He was someone who cared for me to the point of devotion, even though he didn’t need to. He was the first friend of the opposite sex I had ever made.

If such a person abandons you and hangs out with others, it is only natural to feel hurt and angry.

I used to think that way.

‘…ah.’

But at the end of that thought, Jin Ye-seo ended up shaking her head.

‘…I see.’

Jinyeseo was finally able to realize it.

The identity of the emotion that I felt for the first time in my life, an emotion that cannot be described in words.

The source of that sweet yet hazy taste.

What it was that you truly wanted.

And the reason why I wanted this moment to last forever.

***

The walls were destroyed. The floor was shattered. Traces of a fierce fight were everywhere in the training ground.

“Haa… Haa… ”

In the suddenly quiet training ground, only the sound of someone breathing heavily could be heard.

A disheveled head of hair, a drooping right arm that was motionless, and a body that trembled with all its might.

A blonde schoolgirl, wearing a tattered and torn uniform, was barely holding herself up by leaning on a blade stuck upside down.

Thud thud. A shadow of someone appears on the other side of the dust cloud, accompanied by the sound of footsteps. Soon, a tall man with a smooth white mask appears on his face.

“Sigh… ”

The man also suffered injuries here and there, but unlike Jin Ye-seo, he did not appear to have suffered any major injuries.

Just by looking at the contrasting appearances of the two, it was possible to easily guess the winner of the fight.

Even though they had expressed color and fragrance, they were unable to overcome it in the end. The faces of the watching audience were filled with regret and lament.

However, for some reason, a faint smile appeared on Jin Ye-seo’s lips when she saw the man.

“Haa… I lost again. Are you really… a monster?”

Jin Ye-seo opened her trembling lips and barely managed to let out a voice. Her tone was more relieved than regretful.

“… ”

He looked troubled. Even though he was wearing a mask, you could tell.

“… What are you doing? Don’t finish it quickly… ”

-Hey! Just look at me once!

-Yeah! Don’t you feel bad for Yeseo? This is really too much…!

-Stop! Excessive booing may result in expulsion and penalty points. Students in the stands, please be quiet!

Instead of the man’s answer, what was heard was the loud boos of the spectators watching the ranking match, and the voice of the professor struggling to stop them.

“Don’t mind the boos… Hurry up… ”

Jin Ye-seo turned a deaf ear to all that noise. Then she urged the masked boy on again.

“Everyone is watching. It’s between you and me. We’re like enemies… ”

“… ”

Jin Ye-seo threw a provocative joke at the man who was standing there without moving an inch.

“… That’s what you’re good at. Intimidating women with force. Getting drunk like that. You’re not scared in front of people, are you? Huh? ”

“But… ”

Unlike Jin Ye-seo who was chuckling, the man’s voice was filled with hesitation.

He faithfully followed her request during the training session, but it seemed that he was reluctant to finish it.

“Do as you always have. Roughly… and forcefully. Otherwise, other people might get suspicious of us… ”

“… ”

After a brief silence, the man’s feet finally began to move again. Now he was close enough that I could feel his breath.

“Hey.”

Jin Ye-seo, looking at him, only then raised the corners of her lips slightly as if she was satisfied.

“Thank you for everything. Thanks to you, I’ve had a really fun few weeks.”

“… ”

“More than all my past lives combined… ”

All that was to be said was said. Now, only the winner’s final performance remained.

The man with his arm outstretched grabbed Jin Ye-seo by the neck and strangled her. It was a rather gentle touch, so it felt more like a faint pleasure than pain.

“Haauk… Heuk… ”

“… I’m sorry.”

The masked male student, holding up the book of truth with one hand, whispered so that only she could hear.

“I’ll take it easy.”

-Pfft!

“… Sigh.”

A dull pain spread along the area below her navel. For a moment, Jinyeseo felt as if the sky had turned upside down.

“Ugh… Idiot… Look… ”

The feeling of the cold stone floor seeping into the ball right away.

Jin Ye-seo could tell that he had thrown her to the floor of the training hall. She couldn’t help but smile, thinking that this was a kind gesture.

“Slowly… you said… ”

A complete defeat with no room for words. But for some reason, rather than fear of the future to come, a strange sense of anticipation takes precedence.

The consciousness that was gradually becoming hazy soon darkened. The announcer’s voice announced the winner. And the loud jeers toward the masked male student filled the training hall.

“… ”

The masked boy stood there for a while, staring at her. Then, without even saying a word about his victory, he left the training grounds without saying a word.

The last ranking match of the first quarter, which had everyone talking, ended just like that.

And a few days later, just before the social period started.

The rumor that the servant who received the letter from the head of the five families had come to find Jinyeseo spread like wildfire among the students.