episode_0004

[Spirit Mark ‘Boundary of Winter’ inflicts the debuff ‘Frostbite’ on the player. As time passes, the player’s movements slow down, and the damage taken increases.] [Player’s ‘Cold Resistance’ effect resists the ‘Boundary of Winter,’ reducing the debuff increase of ‘Frostbite.’]

“Ugh…”

A sudden chill enveloped Cyan, who was lightly dressed as usual. Slowly rotating her magic from her cold fingertips, Cyan fixed her gaze on Yerena.

A deadly snowstorm swept across the northern continent, narrowing her field of vision. A white hell unfolded over the training ground.

[Spirit Mark ‘Boundary of Winter’ inflicts the debuff ‘Decreased Field of Vision’ on the player. As time passes, the player’s field of vision narrows.]

Yerena observed Cyan, who appeared noticeably tense. Though they had only exchanged a few blows, in Yerena’s mind, Cyan was no longer just an ordinary student.

If she didn’t finish this decisively, she would be the one in trouble. How long had it been since she felt such thoughts? With a sense of unease creeping up in her heart, Yerena pierced the snow-covered ground with her long sword.

With a thud, the snow exploded, obscuring Yerena’s figure. Cyan’s purple eyes narrowed.

“Hoo…”

A breath escaped Cyan’s lips, dissipating into a faint mist. Slowly closing her eyes, the girl relinquished her sight and relied on her other senses, gripping her sword.

Her heightened senses navigated through the artificial snowstorm. The wind was sharp but consistent, amidst an oddly peculiar current.

Simultaneously, a flash shot through the snowstorm. Cyan raised her sword almost simultaneously.

Clang! Despite the clear clash of swords, the sound that echoed was a heavy metallic clang. Cyan deflected Yerena’s sharp thrust and stepped closer with determination.

Meanwhile, a glint of light shone through the torn glove on Cyan’s hand. The blessing of the stars bestowed upon humans shone with a dark light.

Within breathing distance, Cyan activated the Spirit Mark with a sly smile.

[Spirit Mark ‘Blink’ activated]

“Spirit Mark us…ed…bl…ink…?!”

Yerena’s astonished cry elongated like a stretched rubber band, as a strange sensation enveloped Cyan’s body.

A split second fragmented into dozens of moments. Black particles scattered where Cyan had stood. Yerena’s silver eyes widened.

“This…!”

As Yerena stared blankly at the spot where Cyan had vanished, she narrowly evaded a sword strike from behind.

Cyan had clearly been in front of her. Another Cyan swung a sword from behind. Before she could even question it, Cyan’s figure disappeared once again before Yerena’s eyes.

“Huh?”

Yerena, who had only faced demons in her life, had never encountered a Spirit Mark user. Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, Yerena began to falter.

If she continued like this, she would definitely lose. Though she knew this fact clearly in her mind, she couldn’t think of a way to turn the situation around. Her sword sliced through Cyan’s illusion, scattering dark particles.

Thud! Simultaneously, with a cheerful metallic sound, Yerena’s sword flew through the air.

“…Huh?”

Amidst the chilling silence, only Yerena’s bewildered voice could be heard. She sheathed her sword as the barrier disappeared.

A delayed gasp of astonishment echoed through the room.

“…The winner is temporary Class A, student number 13, Cyan!”

[Main Quest – Chapter 1] [Accept the duel with the top academy student, ‘Yerena Frost.’][Completed] [Rewards are being calculated…]

[Reward calculation complete] [You can now check the player’s stats in the status window.]

[Player ID: Cyan] [Lv: 45] [Strength: D+] [Agility: C+] [Endurance: C-] [Mental Strength: B] [Magic Power: D-]

My stats are higher than I thought. That was my first thought as I looked at the status window.

The typical graduation level of an academy student is 40. A knight from the Empire’s elite Royal Knights is usually level 55. And at this point, Yerena Frost is at level 50.

Relieved that I had overcome a major hurdle, I descended from the dueling arena with a light heart.

“Did I… lose?”

Yerena Frost’s feeble mutter lingered in the ring.

Hoping to lead a more normal academy life from now on.

…

The day after winning the duel, I found myself at the training ground at dawn as usual.

Even though I had defeated Yerena Frost in the duel, my skills were still lacking.

The victory yesterday was only because I knew Yerena Frost’s movements. If it had been our first meeting in the game, I would have been easily overwhelmed.

“I can’t settle for this.”

So, I had no intention of settling for mediocrity here.

The Arcana Academy was far from a hopeful world. There was no convenient feature like resurrection in reality.

Thanks to yesterday’s duel with Yerena Frost, I could now add her to my sword’s imaginary world.

I was starting to get tired of facing the Viscount’s son anyway, so this was a good turn of events.

“I wonder why Lady Ellen hasn’t arrived yet.”

As I organized the fleeting thoughts in my mind, I leaned against the large door of the training ground. With a creaking sound, the door moved.

“…Huh?”

I was the only student who came to the training ground at five in the morning. Normally, the place should have been locked at this hour, and I had expected it to be.

As the door opened too easily, I stumbled backward. Just before falling, the Spirit Mark engraved on my left hand glowed, transforming my body into particles.

With a momentous effort, I regained my balance using ‘Blink’ and peeked into the training ground beyond the slightly ajar door.

“It seems like you missed out on being first today, Cyan?”

“Ah, Lady Ellen?”

As Lady Ellen opened the door to the training ground, she muttered.

“By the way, that girl is quite remarkable. Or should I say, stubborn.”

Lady Ellen’s gaze pointed to a corner of the training ground. In the dimly lit dawn training room, a girl with silver hair tied in a ponytail was wielding a sword.

Repeating similar movements as she reviewed yesterday’s duel, she subtly adjusted her stance.

It had only been a day, but Yerena’s swordsmanship had undeniably improved from yesterday. She was indeed the protagonist of the third-year story.

However, to me, Yerena seemed vulnerable for some reason. Like a girl pushing herself too hard, swinging her sword.

“I want to get rid of my stubbornness and distractions, so I’ll continue training a bit longer.”

“Oh, really. Has she been like this since yesterday?”

At Lady Ellen’s words, I couldn’t help but shudder involuntarily.

In the third-year duel event, Yerena Frost only showed a bit more interest in the protagonist after losing. She wouldn’t go to such lengths.

Perhaps it was because I had been entangled with Yerena since the first year. As someone who could only do the first part of the Arcana Academy and had been possessed, I couldn’t know the reason. I didn’t even know Yerena’s past.

“Yes. It seems the defeat yesterday was quite a shock. But I’m a bit worried. If she doesn’t eat and continues like this, her body will deteriorate. Yet, she seems to be gaining some insight, so I can’t interrupt her training recklessly.”

Lady Ellen spoke with a complex tone, placing her hand on my head.

“Ah?”

“And I’m sorry. I think I’ve been underestimating you too much. You fought better than I expected.”

“You don’t need to say that. I was supposed to lose in the fight anyway.”

Even if Yerena had known about my Spirit Mark, I wouldn’t have easily gained the upper hand against her.

Moreover, as I mentioned earlier, if I hadn’t encountered Yerena in the game, I would have lost before even using the Spirit Mark.

“So, Cyan is a humble child?”

“Ahaha…”

I chuckled awkwardly and turned my gaze back to Yerena. Her appearance, swinging her sword, looked too precarious.

I wanted to know why Yerena was acting this way. Half of my heart was filled with concern for the girl who swung her sword without rest and without sleep, and the other half was mixed with worry.

Approaching her cautiously, I thought about why she was like this.

“Hoo, hoo…huff…!”

Unlike the perfect trajectory of her previous strikes, Yerena looked visibly exhausted. She seemed on the verge of collapse.

“Hoo, agh…?!”

As her body reached its limit, Yerena’s balance faltered. Her body swayed as she stumbled.

“Yerena?”

As Yerena faltered, her center of gravity shifted. As she lost her balance, I managed to grab the hand that was swinging through the air just before she fell. My Spirit Mark glowed black on my palm as my body turned into particles.

The distance between Yerena and me compressed. In an instant, my figure appeared before her eyes, and Yerena’s silver eyes widened in surprise.

“Be careful!”

Fortunately, I managed to grab the hand that was about to strike the air before Yerena fell. With my enhanced strength stat surpassing even Yerena’s by 10 cm, I supported her body.

Holding Yerena’s wrist with my right hand and supporting her waist with my left, I pulled her closer until our bodies were almost touching, with only thin clothing separating us. Her sweet scent wafted through the air.

“…Huh?”

Yerena’s face flushed like a ripe persimmon. Her usually calm silver eyes trembled. Was she embarrassed to show such a side of herself? I hoped I hadn’t unnecessarily intruded.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to ponder over her embarrassment.

Yerena, whose strength had waned, lost consciousness in my arms, her body still cradled against me.