Before long, Hong Yeon-hwa and I headed to the arena.
When I scanned my student ID at the terminal, a notification appeared that was a little different from usual.
[‘Lock’ has been applied.]
[The following skills/traits cannot be used.]
1. Amplification (A)
2. Wind Force (A+)
3. Harmonized Flow (S)
4. Celestial Shift (S)
5. Vendetta (S)
6. Elemental Resistance (S)
7. Retrocovery (S)
8. Distortion
9. Déjà Vu (S)
10. Chain Explosion (S)
That’s a lot.
With [Amplification] sealed, I couldn’t artificially boost my ranks.
There was no way [Wind Force] was going to escape the Lock when it was one of my absolute core components.
And both of my broken blocking/deflection skills, [Harmonized Flow] and [Celestial Shift], had been sealed at the same time.
Still, the rest aren’t too bad.
They didn’t account for that much of my overall fighting power.
For example, even with [Distortion] and [Retrocovery] sealed, all I had to do was avoid getting hit in the first place.
[Déjà Vu] and [Chain Explosion] were more like added bonuses anyway.
Somehow, [Pulverize Zone] survived too.
It was S-rank, but apparently the others had taken priority.
Aside from that, I still had some useful options like Spiral Explosion, Frozen Spirit Shot, and Mutual Destruction Eye.
I dismissed the notification and asked Hong Yeon-hwa,
“What’d they lock?”
“Fire Pillar, Aqua Flame, and…”
Well, she did tend to start every battle by laying down magic circles.
Now that it was sealed, she would probably have a hard time using combo spells like Hydra and Burning Chick as well.
Aqua Flame also synergized with every fire spell she had, so it seemed to have been judged as something she used frequently.
Her third Lock had landed on another spell she used fairly often too.
I casually asked another question.
“You’ll be fine without them, right?”
“Mhmm.”
Hong Yeon-hwa answered confidently, and we scanned our student IDs at the terminal again to enter matchmaking.
[Kim Ho 900 points Hong Yeon-hwa 800 points]
With the soft reset, everyone who had scored 900 points or higher last year had been adjusted down to 600.
I’d been over a thousand, of course, and apparently Hong Yeon-hwa had barely managed to cross the 900-point mark herself.
The first week was for placements.
Four people competed, with points awarded based on their finishing positions.
First place got 100 points, second got 50, third got 25, and last place got zero.
I took first three times in a row.
That added another 300 points to the 600 I had after the soft reset.
Hong Yeon-hwa, on the other hand, had been flattened into a pancake by my [Pulverize Zone], inevitably leaving her in fourth place.
Apparently, she’d taken first in her other two matches and picked up 200 points that way.
She can make it up from here.
She was easily one of the top second-years, so wouldn’t she climb back up in no time?
After waiting for a while with that thought in mind, we found a match, and the scoreboard displayed both teams’ information.
[Kim Ho 900 points Hong Yeon-hwa 800 points]
vs
[Song Cheon-hye 825 points Lee Seul-bi 850 points]
Just then, I felt someone staring at me and turned my head.
Song Cheon-hye was glaring at me from a short distance away.
Her expression was a mixture of hurt and sulky.
She’d probably worked up the courage to ask me, only for Hong Yeon-hwa to cut in ahead of her.
Still, dealing with the side effects came first.
I gave Song Cheon-hye a little nod to say I’d see her inside, then headed toward the stage with Hong Yeon-hwa.
We stepped onto the teleportation circles one after another.
The next moment, a vast field spread out before us.
Whoooosh—
A gentle breeze swept through the ankle-high grass.
Feeling my hair flutter lightly in the wind, we stared at the magic circle across from us.
When Song Cheon-hye appeared with a sullen look on her face, I spoke to her.
“You found a partner pretty quick, though.”
“We were already planning to team up, you know?”
“Then why ask me?”
If she already had a partner, there hadn’t really been any need to ask me in the first place.
Song Cheon-hye’s expression grew even more sullen as she grumbled,
“If you’d said yes, just this once… Never mind. I don’t have to apologize either, so this actually worked out better.”
Lee Seul-bi watched her rationalize it away with a wry smile.
It seemed like she’d been willing to switch partners without complaint if the need arose, so I supposed Lee Seul-bi was rooting for Song Cheon-hye in her own way.
But then Hong Yeon-hwa stepped forward and declared confidently,
“Yeah, you two should keep teaming up from now on. And stay out of our way.”
When I looked over at her, she flinched and her face turned red.
Apparently, those side effects were acting up again.
She covered her face with both hands and slowly backed away.
Song Cheon-hye bristled for a moment, then asked with a slightly concerned look,
“She’s acting kind of strange today, isn’t she?”
“……”
“She was always forward, but never this much.”
“……”
Hong Yeon-hwa seemed too mortified to even lift her head, much less answer, so I gave a vague explanation in her place.
“It’s hard to explain the details, but think of it as a penalty.”
“Did you use a wish ticket on her or something?”
“Why? You want me to use one on you too?”
“…No, I’m good.”
Song Cheon-hye shook her head, her face turning pale.
Then, apparently worried I might say something else, she quickly changed the subject and gestured toward the scoreboard with her eyes.
“Looks like we’re about to start.”
“Yeah. We’ll talk later.”
Before long, both sides drew their weapons and prepared for battle.
Even Hong Yeon-hwa managed to suppress her embarrassment for the moment and focused on our opponents.
Then the countdown began.
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Start!]
[Kim Ho 100% Hong Yeon-hwa 100%]
vs
[Song Cheon-hye 100% Lee Seul-bi 100%]
Hong Yeon-hwa and Lee Seul-bi immediately began casting.
Naturally, Hong Yeon-hwa was the first to complete her spell.
Her signature Fire Pillar might have been sealed, but her trademark casting speed hadn’t gone anywhere.
Fwoooosh—
The ruby glowed red as flames surged upward, gathered together, and formed three massive fireballs.
Then, at a gesture from Hong Yeon-hwa, they began hurtling toward the opposing team.
Fwoooosh!
Lee Seul-bi looked anxious, but she calmly finished casting her spell, and a torrent of water surged into the air like a waterfall.
Whooooooooooosh—!
The water compressed into the shape of a huge greatsword, then sliced through the incoming fireballs one after another.
Boom, boom, boom!
Explosions erupted repeatedly in midair, and scorching heat washed over the arena.
About six-four.
When Hong Yeon-hwa had [Aqua Flame], it had been closer to eight-two or even nine-one, but now she was under the effects of the Lock.
Lee Seul-bi seemed to notice that right away too.
Apparently deciding she had a better chance than expected, she eagerly continued casting.
Boom, boom, boom!
Flames and torrents of water continued colliding in midair.
Meanwhile, Song Cheon-hye was rapidly closing in.
Electricity gathered around both of her hands.
Fzzzzzzzzzt—
Normally, she fought by wielding lightning like short spears and throwing them at close range, but this time she seemed to be preparing a different lightning spell.
“Looks like you got hit with a Lock.”
“What about you?”
“You’ll find out.”
I stepped forward to meet her and cast [Twister].
Whoooosh—
“……!”
Song Cheon-hye immediately went on guard.
But she didn’t slow down, apparently having prepared a way to deal with it.
The distance between us rapidly shrank, and I shouted out the name of my skill with all the gusto of an old-school cartoon protagonist.
“Wind—!”
“!!”
Song Cheon-hye watched my every move, then kicked off the ground and darted sideways the instant I swung my hand.
She was trying to dodge Wind Force, or at least avoid taking a direct hit.
Except I don’t have it.
It was the first thing that got sealed.
I finished shouting the name of my move.
“—Force—just kidding. Frozen Spirit Shot.”
Boom!
A blast of cold shot forward and exploded.
Frost spread across Song Cheon-hye’s upper body, only to disappear as a brilliant light burst from her.
Apparently, she had cast [Purification].
She charged at me again with an incredulous look on her face.
“Who puts that much effort into a fake-out?”
“Who falls for a fake-out like that?”
“Ah, seriously.”
Fzzzzzzzzt!
Electricity surged from the fingertips of her gloved hand, sweeping across where I had been like a fan.
But there was no way I was suddenly going to let an attack that hadn’t hit me once so far land now.
I dodged it with ease, then gathered the wind once again.
Whoooosh—!
“Wind—!”
“!!”
Apparently thinking it was real this time, Song Cheon-hye once again kicked off the ground and darted sideways.
I pointed my index finger at her again.
“Wind—Frozen Spirit Shot.”
Boom!
Once again, Song Cheon-hye used her debuff cleanse to break free of the ice.
“Be honest. You don’t have Wind Force, do you?”
“Are you sure about that?”
“No matter how I look at it, you’re bluffing.”
“You got me.”
When I readily nodded, Song Cheon-hye only looked even more confused.
“……I guess we’ll find out.”
The topaz suddenly gave off a brilliant golden glow.
Then a wave of electricity spread outward from Song Cheon-hye.
[Lightning Nova]
Bzzzzzt—
An AoE attack is the right answer.
At least it couldn’t miss.
The downside was that its power was reduced accordingly.
[Elemental Resistance] was locked, but there was no need to go that far. [Sylphid Armor] alone was more than enough to defend against it.
Bzzzzzt—!
I raised my index finger while deliberately letting the wave of electricity wash over me.
At the same time, just as I had been doing all along, I used Twister as a feint.
Whoooosh—
“Frozen—!”
“!!”
Song Cheon-hye’s eyes filled with confusion.
I’d done the opposite every time so far, so was it really going to be Wind Force this time?
Or would it be Frozen Spirit Shot, just as I’d said?
In the end, she kicked off the ground for the third time and darted sideways.
And for the third time, I cast Frozen Spirit Shot at her.
“Frozen—Spirit Shot.”
Boom!
Song Cheon-hye was afflicted with the freezing debuff for the third time, only to cleanse it immediately.
She must have brought plenty of cleanses specifically because of me.
She demanded an explanation while unleashing a torrent of electricity.
“Why was it real this time?”
“Now you’re complaining even when I’m being honest.”
“You really don’t have Wind Force?”
“Nope.”
Song Cheon-hye’s face brightened.
Apparently, she figured she had a slightly better chance if my most troublesome skill was sealed.
Her gaze then shifted toward Hong Yeon-hwa.
Looks like she’s going after her first.
She must have calculated that without my forced-movement skill to push her away, it would be much harder for me to protect Hong Yeon-hwa.
I gave her a cheerful smile.
“But I do have this.”
[Octopus Arms]
[Mark of Concussion] *2
[‘Mark of Concussion (B)’ has been imprinted on the target.]
[Duration 00:00:09]
[Cooldown 00:59:59]
“……!?”
“……!”
Song Cheon-hye and Lee Seul-bi flinched and glanced into the air.
They were probably seeing a notification like this.
[‘Mark of Concussion’ has been imprinted.]
[Duration 00:00:09]
[Additional effects will occur in proportion to the distance traveled.]
Song Cheon-hye promptly stopped in place.
She had decided that all she needed to do was stay put for ten seconds.
Lee Seul-bi was a stationary battery-type mage to begin with, so she hadn’t moved from her spot anyway.
Of course, I had no intention of letting them get away with that.
I might not have Wind Force, but I could always use something else.
[Pulverize Zone]
A blue circle appeared beneath Lee Seul-bi’s feet and rapidly began to expand.
I hurriedly shouted at her.
“Hey, hey! You better get out of there, quick! You’re gonna get flattened!”
Then I signaled Hong Yeon-hwa with my eyes.
As if she had instantly understood what I meant, several fist-sized fireballs materialized and came flying at Song Cheon-hye from all directions.
Boom-boom-boom!
And from the side, I kept firing Frozen Spirit Shots at her one after another.
Throwing in a few comments as I did.
“Even I’d have a hard time with this. How are you supposed to dodge all that without moving?”
“……!”
“You gotta move! Dodge while you’re moving! More! Farther!”
“……!”
Song Cheon-hye and Lee Seul-bi’s faces filled with intense anger.
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