episode_0051

The match began quickly and swiftly.

It took a while to gather all the participants.

But it seemed like everything was prepared in advance.

Therefore, without any hesitation, it started right away.

“Don’t be too surprised~?”

As the warm smile of the female professor waved her hand, the entire arena was filled with a blue light.

Each intricate and dense magic spread out.

It seemed like she was the one in charge of maintaining the barrier here.

Moonbora let out a short exclamation.

“Even upon seeing it again, Lady Amelia’s magic is truly remarkable.”

“Is that person Lady Amelia?”

“Oh, no. Let me explain since it might be unclear.”

Grand Magus Amelia.

A woman with the title ‘Magic Queen.’

The unique ability she possessed was an unbelievable power that turned imagination into reality.

“Of course, there are many restrictions…such as serious constraints like the fact that the illusions created cannot cause actual harm, but nonetheless, it is a great power.”

Before her death, Amelia supposedly donated her power to the academy through some means, with a ‘vow’ engraved that it could only be used for public purposes.

“Oh, so what we’re witnessing now is…”

“Yes, that’s correct. It’s called [Fantasmagoria], the ultimate skill that is known as the unbeatable masterpiece in other academies.”

According to Moonbora, the ‘virtual training’ seen in academies or elsewhere is all imitation products researched based on Amelia’s power.

But they are said to be inferior to the original.

Moonbora didn’t spare any praise, but I just brushed it off.

In simple terms, it summons virtual enemies that are deemed to showcase the strength of the exam participants well.

It’s a weakened version of fighting compared to the original.

“It’s practically a rule of the academy world.”

And now, the power of [Fantasmagoria] was unfolding.

*

Boom!

A small explosion.

Followed by billowing smoke spreading out.

Emerging from there was a young woman with her hair tied in two strands.

She didn’t look much different in age from us, and she was also an exam participant.

“Seems like a class.”

The sword she wielded emitted a unique buzzing sound like a chainsaw.

The faint scratch icon left on the enemy after being slashed indicated a decrease in the enemy’s defense.

Commonly known as [Armor Break].

A CC skill like a lifeline for class.

While Swordsman is typically classified as a main dealer class, due to this effect, they are often used as supporters as well.

If the enemy is in an [Armor Break] state, she also possesses the trait [Barrier Breaker], which amplifies all damage, making her DPS considerable.

But the opponent wasn’t too favorable.

The enemy she faced was a walking purple mushroom the size of a person’s torso.

A C-rank mid-boss called .

As the woman’s sword cut through Mushroomber’s torso, a purple toxic gas sprayed out with a hiss.

It was a derivative skill of [Poison], called [Poison Gas].

It was a nightmare for melee dealers, leaving a long-lasting toxic cloud.

Just dealing with that was tough enough, but Mushroomber’s severed body was slowly regenerating.

It was a unique recovery skill exclusive to the mushroom clan called [Mushroom’s Regeneration].

“A dirty combination we have here.”

An extreme combination that would make you involuntarily ask about your parents’ well-being.

As a class with weak basic stats and firepower in exchange for [Armor Break], it was almost impossible to overcome this situation.

As time passed, the arena filled with poison, and the woman grew increasingly exhausted.

With her chin poisoned all the way to her neck, she eventually dropped her sword and collapsed on the ground.

“The match is over~ Well done~”

When the professor pointed his finger, the poisonous clouds and mushroom burrs that had filled the air disappeared in an instant.

Simultaneously, the two branches that were convulsing from the poison returned to normal.

It was like a magical situation, even upon a second glance.

However, seeing no surprised reactions from those around, it seemed like this was normal.

“Nice move.”

“Not bad. Keep striving harder.”

“Just with [defense reduction] alone, you’ve shown your potential enough. Be proud.”

“T-thank you…”

The two branches listened to the professor’s words and left.

Following that, the next participant’s name echoed out.

“Participant number 322, Moon Bora, will you come forward if you’re here?”

As soon as the words ended, Moon Bora stood up abruptly.

‘Hoo…’ Taking a short deep breath to calm herself, she raised her head towards the front.

Walking gracefully with her right hand brushing through her hair, she was enough to captivate the audience.

Well, of course…

“Bora, stay strong!”

“Bora Bora, stay strong!”

“……”

Despite the oblivious cheers from her two companions, the haughty atmosphere was slightly broken.

Standing on the arena, Moon Bora nodded briefly.

“I’m ready.”

“Then, let’s begin.”

Zap―!

As soon as the words ended, a blue light spread outwards.

In front of Moon Bora, a large amount of data gathered.

It soon took on a form.

“Roar!!!”

A deafening roar echoed through the air.

In front of her stood a giant gorilla over 4 meters tall, with fur as red as blood, glaring at Moon Bora with a fierce gaze.

.

It was the offspring of the that had troubled Moon Bora two months ago.

*

“Roar!!!”

The fur on Redback’s chest ignited, and flames began to emit from its body.

If Silverback focused on damage reduction with its [stone skin] attribute as a boss,

Redback was a creature that added elemental damage with its [flame body] attribute.

Normally, enveloping oneself in flames would cause self-harm.

However, Redback charged forward as if completely unaffected by the flames.

This was possible not only because Redback had a high [fire resistance] value but also because of its uncommon [fireproof skin] durability attribute.

‘Fast.’

As a typical dealer type, Redback was faster than Silverback.

Therefore, Moon Bora focused on using ice to defend herself rather than dodging halfway.

With a flick of her finger, a transparent ice pillar shot up with a clang-!

Although it was the same [ice pillar] as before, its power and range were different.

It was the moment when Moon Bora’s true strength, freed from the shackles of , was revealed.

Clang-!

“Crackle!”

Moon Bora successfully blocked Redback’s attack.

She then reached into her chest to begin her counterattack, while the onlooker, Yuseha, clenched her fists.

*

‘…! It’s all or nothing!’

Moon Bora.

She was nothing more than an ordinary 4★ character, but she was exceptionally popular among the ‘guides.’

Her outstanding beauty and figure.

Well-drawn illustrations.

An unusual staff protruding between her chest.

But it was not just any staff; it was a unique form.

With a handle and a barrel.

Even a cartridge for reloading.

It was almost like a firearm.

‘Moon Bora’s unique ability.’

【Gun’s Weapon】

Her equipped staff allowed her to store it in a pocket dimension and transform its shape with ‘firearm’ adjustments.

The first time the hardcore fans saw this appearance, they cheered.

A gun in a fantasy world without firearms!?

However, soon disappointment spread among the crowd.

‘…Increase in range.’

The [Gun Weapon]’s performance was nothing but that.

It didn’t increase the power of the staff.

Nor did it enhance the range of magic.

It didn’t even improve casting speed.

After all, with just a little magic, the staff could shoot long-range basic attacks.

There was no merit in increasing range with firearms like guns in a world where such weapons didn’t exist at all.

Thinking about it, it was obvious that in a world where only swords, spears, bows, and staffs were the main weapons, such a thing would be more of a scam than anything else.

That’s why Moonbora was treated as a character without a [Unique Ability].

This led to her being unable to shine as a dealer class, despite being a .

But, it’s okay.

“……”

Moonbora pulled the cartridge converted from a staff with a gun.

Then, she took out a magazine made of magic from her ample chest and loaded it.

Yes, that’s it.

‘Loading from the chest.’

This unique and intimidating finishing move, known as [Mid-Loading], with its distinctive bouncing bust animation and the dedicated illustration that showed it off, captivated the hardcore fans.

There was a sentence that received numerous recommendations from ‘Gosla’.

[The reason for raising Moonbora is because of her chest. If you refute, that bastard is not a man.]

└I agree.

└I agree.

└I agree.

Anyway, she was a character who had established a legendary commemorative monument.

“Kkuheuk. This is it.”

“…Mm?”

To see this with my own eyes.

Of course, it was just the excitement of being a hardcore fan without any ulterior motives.

Don’t misunderstand.

Thud!

As she thought, the battle progressed methodically.

“Kwaaah!”

Moonbora, covered in flames all over her body, deftly fired her staff gun at the enemy.

In an instant, the firepower surrounding Redback’s body became even stronger.

Deciding that this was not enough, she further increased the firepower of [Flame Body].

Redback pushed her shoulders forward and took precise aim at Moonbora.

Then, with a bang, Redback rushed forward.

Her threatening skill, a derivative of [Charge], called [Charge Crush], made a menacing noise.

Upon impact, it not only dealt powerful physical damage but also included a strong status effect that could stun for up to 5 seconds.

“……”

However, Moonbora calmly surveyed the battlefield without any signs of panic.

She flicked her fingers and created ice pillars under her feet.

The pillars continued like dominoes, allowing Moonbora to escape the range of [Charge Crush] as if she were a living snake.

Thud!

In the end, the clumsy ice only collided with [Charge Crush].

‘…As expected of Moonbora.’

She fought well.

She wasn’t just a promising rookie with the nickname .

She seemed to be aware of Redback’s weaknesses, as she kept her distance appropriately.

Redback could emit flames, but she lacked the ability to apply them.

This meant that she couldn’t manipulate flames like [Fireball] to form a ball or shoot fire from her mouth.

Furthermore, her endurance was low, making it impossible for her to set the entire arena on fire as time passed.

As a result, as time passed, Redback accumulated damage from [Ice Pillars] and basic attacks.

“Kwae…Kreuk…!”

“Let’s finish this.”

Moonbora’s staff spun gracefully in her hand.

With a click, she took aim at Redback.

“[Icicle].”

Thud!

The magic bullet flew like a bullet and hit Redback.

A sharp coldness froze her whole body, and ice crystals bloomed around her like sharp thorns.

‘As expected…’

[Icicle]. A skill of Rare grade.

[Frozen Territory] was a derivative skill of the Hero-grade ability that Moonbora possessed from the beginning.

You have to work hard to learn it.

It seems like she hasn’t just been lazing around for the past two months since the breakup.

With a crackling sound, Redback’s body shattered and disappeared.

Moonbora briefly glanced at it before turning her gaze towards the professors.

“As expected, impressive.”

“Excellent.”

“…Hmm.”

Moonbora received a much better response than the other examinees.

She just nodded briefly and turned back.

There were murmurs all around.

– Wow, is really different… Dealing calmly with [Freeze] even though it has weak firepower.

– Is he really just a C-rank promising talent? Our methods are different?

Moonbora heard those words and pondered.

‘…Different.’

Is it really different?

Moonbora didn’t think she was born with something special.

It may sound unlucky to others, but it was a sincere thought.

‘I really was born with something.’

It would have been her older sister.

And also.

The man in front of her right now, Yuseha.

“Smirk.”

“…?”

Yuseha stood up and raised his thumb as he returned to his seat.

Moonbora felt a bit relieved by his innocent smile devoid of ulterior motives, jealousy, or awe.

“Excuse me. We are technically competitors, right?”

“So what~”

“…Sigh.”

Moonbora sighed and sat back down.

He’s really a smooth-talking guy.

‘…That’s why it’s hard to believe.’

Moonbora slowly raised her gaze.

She met eyes with the one who had signaled her when she received her evaluation earlier.

The female professor with beige hair sitting at the very end.

Pang Jina, the last evaluator who remained silent when Yuseha asked.

She ranked second in the academy and also bore the fearsome nickname .

“…”

She subtly nodded her head towards the others.

Moonbora blinked in response.

She silently prayed that her judgment of Yuseha would be correct.

‘…Please, Yuseha.’

Let this kind man not be what I fear the most.