Episode 42 (4)
For the members of Group 3 placed in the South, the situation was tricky from the beginning.
There were two streets in the South – the group’s chosen strategy was to place four reinforced warriors on each. The wizard came up with a tactic to cover both sides depending on the central building’s state. The team believed they’d concocted a reliable strategy, but their combat experience wasn’t advanced enough, and they overlooked the potential that reality didn’t always play out according to their calculations.
Orcs appeared at the gate. Contrary to their plan, the majority attacked in the right direction.
“Agghhh!”
“Damn!”
From then on, the South was plunged into chaos. As they left to help the right, the South students were forced to give up Mercury’s advantage. All previously safe spaces were exposed. They dealt with the orcs who ran wild, and any sign of a strategy had disintegrated. Everybody battled the enemy in front of them in a concentrated effort to survive.
“Wind cutter!”
Sassasak!
The wizard’s magic was cast down from the roof. However, with only the second circle magic, it was difficult to inflict damage on D-class orcs; at best, a few were injured. The wizard’s firepower wasn’t strong like Kang Min-hyuk’s, and his input was mediocre at best. He also lacked an ally to strengthen his magic, in the way that Kang Min-hyuk and Sang-hoon worked together. No matter the advantages attained through a Mercury Battle, a solitary second wizard didn’t have many options. The situation was critical.
Nevertheless, the students in the South were able to withstand because of the reinforced warriors’ strength.
Thwack!
Bbbbbrrrrr!
“Don’t hold back!”
The South district leader was a student named Song Gi-baek, who cut down the orcs with his bright aura. He was recognized as a more proficient swordsman than Lee Jang-hoo. His leadership skills were also exemplary – his team struggled at his side and refused to surrender until the very end, despite the overwhelming chaos mixed with their shortness of breath. They slashed and slashed again and again, and their tenacity eventually pushed the Orcs back. From then on, the far side of the South was safe; there were only three more angles to secure, but that didn’t mean the end of the Suseongjeon. There was still a lot of time left.
A fierce battle ensued.
In case of injury, guards would have to be sent in as soon as possible, so the professors checked the South’s progress in real-time. South Korean students never fell. Their fierce fighting spirit held their place for quite some time, but in the last ten minutes, the flames waned. They had hit the limit of their stamina at an impressive fifty minutes in. Although the number of Orcs was significantly less than the North, their fight was tough from the beginning.
Pow!
A loud gagging sound filled the air as an Orc hit a student. As the swordsman fell to the floor, Orcs stormed into the void. No Orcs were passing through the gate anymore, but many remained on the ground. The warriors didn’t have the power to deal with the remaining Orcs, and the wizard on the roof used up all his mana. He wanted to engage in battle, but he didn’t dare to leave the rooftop and join the physical fight. It appeared the Southern line of defense was on the brink of collapse.
A familiar voice split through the din.
“Attaaaack!!”
“Aaagggghhhhh!!”
The students from the North had arrived. Divided into three groups, they began to slaughter the orcs the second they arrived. They had the same physical strength as the Southern students, but they couldn’t disregard their classmates’ danger. The situation was quickly reversed. With the Orc’s summons cut off, the North Korean students’ help kindled a flame of hope. An Orc’s head rolled about the blood-stained ground. Jang-hoo kicked the still-standing torso and looked down at Song Gi-baek, who was riddled with fatigue.
“OK?”
“We’re ok, but what happened in the North?”
Song Gi-baek’s eyes burned.
With time still left for Suseongjeon, they couldn’t understand the situation when they arrived. The team that took the North had to cover a wide range with many Orcs, so how had they managed to come and help the South with time to spare? Lee Jang-hoo laughed, shrugging.
“We had a real wizard in the North, one that defied all expectations. You’ll see later.”
After the training, the videos would be shown. Lee Jang-hoo wanted everyone to experience the shock he had received, rather than explaining it himself.
* * *
A piercing beep signaled the end of the training. The students who had completed the Suseongjeon gathered in one place to meet Kim Moo-jin, who outlined the situation.
“A total of 10 teams played Suseongjeon. Three were injured and had to stop, and five failed Mercury by opening the road. Only the first and third groups succeeded in the Suseongjeon mission.”
Silence fell in. A whopping eight groups failed Mercury…most students bowed their heads in recognition of their failure, but group one raised theirs proudly.
“We definitely won.”
One student beamed. He seemed so sure.
Group one had arranged in advance to ensure that only the elite of the department of swordsmanship was included. Their use of a simple, systematic method like Kang Min-hyuk’s use of the blood transfusion pack completely succeeded in Mercury. They had convinced themselves that they’d come out on top. Considering the huge number of Orcs, for any group to endure for an hour was a great accomplishment.
“Group three have won Suseongjeon!”
“What!? No way!”
The leader of Group 1 jumped up from his seat.
“How has group three ranked first? We completed Mercury without any injuries! There’s no way they could have been better than us, so why have you chosen them over us?”
The rest of group one readily (and noisily) agreed with their leader.
“We demand an explanation!”
Kim Moo-jin remained calm.
“Group one: you succeeded in Mercury. Group three: you have succeeded in sweeping. You’re all probably aware of what that means.”
“… … It’s sweeping up?”
The leader of Group one was embarrassed. Sweep was an unexpected word.
“Do you mean they wiped the monsters out completely?!”
“Yes. Group three cleared all orcs before the hour was reached. Civilian protection is extremely important, but the ideal result is to kill every single Orc. The third group succeeded in both challenges.”
It was irrefutable. If group three had done all that Kim Moo-jin claimed, nobody could argue their victory, but many students were unconvinced.
Kim Moo-jin noticed the lack of belief on their faces and set up the screen for video playback.
“You have to see it to believe it. This time, I’ll show Group three’s video first.”
Pop!
The video appeared on the screen. For the entire hour that elapsed, no student or professor could utter a word.
* * *
A wizard is also a hunter. They can be powerful allies when dealing with many enemies – it worked to a warrior’s advantage to recognize the importance of a wizard’s role, so why does the department of swordsmanship continuously reject the department of magic? It was because of the perception handed down from adults.
“The wizard is weak.”
“Wizards have no future.”
“Wizards are lower than fortified warriors.”
Due to the stereotypes of society, the students of the Department of Swordsmanship were forced into prejudice. Even wizards developed a prejudiced idea of themselves…at a low level, they were encouraged to see themselves as inferior in the face of warriors’ physical force. It wasn’t until they reached the third circle or above that they could be recognized as proficient hunters.
The division between the two professions grew wider and wider over time. Knowing the wizard is in a position of Eul for life, swordsmanship students always looked down upon the department of magic – it had been that way for many years. However, the recording witnessed by the students went against everything they’d believed about the interplay between wizards and warriors.
[Boom!]
[Bbbbbrrrrrr!]
Kang Min-hyuk’s powerful flames struck the Orcs and sent them wailing to the floor. It wasn’t a type of magic the swordsmanship students were familiar with. In their little world of the Academy, second circle magic and the occasional burst of the third circle were all that existed, but when they saw the strength of the fourth circle, they were enchanted.
It didn’t matter how Kang Min-hyuk got to the third circle. The fact that a wizard could do this was a new shock to the swordsmanship students. It showed them the potential of a true mage.
At the end of the video, as the final Orc fell, even group one had to concede, confessing that group three were the better team. However, it wasn’t only the swordsmanship students who were surprised by the prowess of Min-hyuk. Even with their more informed knowledge of wizardry, the magic students stared at Kang Min-hyuk in amazement.
“Group three’s result is a rare and special case. Although the choice of distributing personnel and utilizing the terrain was good, if it were not for Kang Min-hyuk’s magic, the Orcs would never have been wiped out.”
Kim Moo-jin paused for a moment as his gaze caught Kang Min-hyuk’s. His eyes expressed both intrigue and concern.
“Kang Min-hyuk.”
“Yes.”
“I have a personal question. Would it be okay to ask?”
“Yes, you can ask.”
Kang Min-hyuk was a genius. Thanks to his outstanding talent, he formed Circle 3. However, regardless of his level of intelligence, an insoluble problem prevailed. It was a problem that had plagued wizards for all time: the weak spot of every mage.
“You have used the 3rd Circle magic 16 times in this Suseongjeon. If you include the 2nd circle magic you used before, that makes twenty casts in one hour. That’s…I mean, it’s physically impossible. A wizard’s circle is limited, and no matter how many drugs are administered, a third circle wizard can never use magic more than ten times. What do you make of this?”
Everyone’s eyes were focused on Kang Min-hyuk.
Even Lee Jang-hoo, who had directly witnessed the spectacle, had doubts about the constant use of magic.
Everyone wished for an explanation. Kang Min-hyuk suspected such a reaction and was prepared to answer.
“There is a technique called a mana fairy tale.”
“Mana fairy tale? What is that?”
“It’s a way to reduce mana consumption by magic using natural mana.”
Kim Moo-jin’s eyes widened.
Mana fairy tale was a technique he’d never heard of.
“In all my strength as a fortified warrior, the world of wizards remains a mystery to me. If I had such a skill, I would also know about mana fairy tales.”
“It’s natural for you to be unaware of the technique.”
Kang Min-hyuk looked up at Kim Moo-jin.
In the face of the professor’s suspicion and awe, Kang Min-hyuk dropped a bomb that would shock everyone.
“You couldn’t know about it because the mana fairy tale is a skill I created.”
Showtime.
Kang Min-hyuk chose to be the main character of the joint class.
