—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Huh?”
The first to sense the shift were the seasoned fighters in the audience.
“Hmm…”
A cloying, viscous killing intent clung to the air like a damp mist, prickling their skin.
It snagged their attention, demanding to be acknowledged, analyzed, dissected. Like predators assessing prey, they instinctively sought to identify the source, to gauge its strength, to understand its nature.
“That’s… intense.”
“That level of killing intent… it’s usually innate, wouldn’t you say?”
What surprised them most was that this aura wasn’t intentionally projected. It emanated from Lee Seok-hyun naturally, unconsciously, as he stepped onto the stage and the tension of the impending battle mounted.
It was a primal instinct, a subconscious urge to eliminate any potential threats, to protect his allies, to distinguish friend from foe.
“Like a cornered animal protecting its young.”
The sheer ferocity of the aura, so unlike anything they’d expect from a human, much less a 17-year-old student, sent a ripple of excitement through the audience.
They had pegged Lee Seok-hyun as a brilliant strategist, a master tactician capable of outmaneuvering his opponents and leading his forces to victory. But this… this was something else entirely. A primal, untamed power lurking beneath the surface. A beast in human form.
The revelation only intensified their desire to recruit him, to harness that raw power, to mold it to their own purposes.
And amidst that fervor, the match began.
–Kiiiiiiiiiiiiing.
“What’s that sound?”
As the match started, a high-pitched whirring sound filled the arena.
The team matches were broadcast with full audio, so the audience could clearly hear the strange noise.
–Ka-kak, ka-kak.
It wasn’t a smooth, consistent hum, but a grating, grinding sound, like gears stripping, metal scraping against metal.
The unpleasant noise reverberated through the coliseum, a jarring, almost physical sensation that made them wince.
Like the incessant drone of construction equipment, it was a constant, oppressive presence. Eventually, however, they tuned it out, their minds filtering it as background noise.
And in that brief window, while the audience adjusted to the unsettling sound, a Tanteroi student collapsed.
To the untrained eye, it happened in the blink of an eye. One moment Lee Seok-hyun was at the edge of the arena, the next he was in the center, a Tanteroi student lying unconscious at his feet. But the reality was far more brutal, far more calculated.
“…Did he… just use his killing intent?”
“Yes. He used it to make him flinch, then exploited that opening to take him down. He was the slowest to react.”
–Thump.
As Lee Hwa-ryeong explained what had just happened, another Tanteroi student fell.
Lee Seok-hyun moved through their ranks like a wolf among sheep, his dominance absolute.
“It’s unusual to see such a disparity in skill between students, especially in the same year.”
“They’re simply overwhelmed. It’s common in first-year matches… Besides, Lee Seok-hyun did defeat an Archdemon.”
“…Was that… actually true?”
“We watched it together. Are you doubting what you saw?”
“No, it’s just… with all the protective magic and support he received… I assumed he was rescued…”
“Don’t repeat that anywhere else. Such doubts can be misinterpreted as a lack of faith in our students’ abilities.”
“…”
‘Could it really be true? Unbelievable.’
The man swallowed his disbelief, turning his attention back to the screen.
“That… seems a bit excessive, doesn’t it?”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t think he’s in control…”
“An interesting perspective.”
Those accustomed to power often mistook brutality for a lack of control. They assumed Lee Seok-hyun was rampaging, his actions driven by instinct rather than strategy.
They’d forgotten what it was like to be weak, to struggle, to fight for survival.
They’d grown complacent, their own strength blinding them to the desperation of those less powerful.
But the man in the tailored suit saw things differently.
Poised between weakness and strength, inexperience and mastery, he still remembered what it was like to struggle. He could see the calculated precision in Lee Seok-hyun’s movements, the strategic brilliance behind his brutal efficiency.
He was the only one in the audience who truly understood what was happening. He recognized that Lee Seok-hyun wasn’t simply lashing out; he was systematically dismantling his opponents, exploiting their weaknesses, and maximizing every advantage.
He saw the truth that others missed.
–Kiiiiiiiiiiiiing.
–Ka-kak, ka-kak.
The grating, grinding sound filled the arena.
“Block him!”
“Wait…!”
Three Tanteroi students collapsed in quick succession, their defenses crumbling before Lee Seok-hyun’s relentless assault. They’d never faced an opponent like this, never experienced this level of speed and power. They were completely outmatched.
“Seok-hyun!”
“Stop him!”
Just as Lee Seok-hyun was about to eliminate the last remaining Tanteroi student, his teammates intervened.
Woo Do-hyun had been the first to sense the shift in Lee Seok-hyun’s aura, the uncontrolled surge of killing intent. Mijuran and Meiri, recognizing the danger, reacted instantly.
Mijuran and Meiri moved to flank Lee Seok-hyun, while Meiri cast an illusion spell, attempting to disorient him, to create an opening. Mijuran aimed for a quick, decisive blow to the back of his head, hoping to knock him unconscious.
“Don’t… hurt him…”
But Lee Seok-hyun, already pushed to his limit, didn’t even register their presence. His mind, consumed by the primal urge to eliminate any perceived threat, had overridden his sense of reason.
Bellos’s magic, Woo Do-hyun’s swordsmanship, Mijuran’s martial arts, Meiri’s Shinbi magic—nothing could stop him. He was a force of nature, his power unchecked, his only focus on destroying his opponents.
Their hesitation, their reluctance to harm a teammate, a friend, only fueled his rampage.
“This… this is perfect.”
Arak, quickly assessing the situation, seized the opportunity and joined the fray, his forces now allied with Mirinae against their own teammate. The odds shifted dramatically; it was now nine against one.
Gainard, observing the scene, saw nothing out of the ordinary. He’d witnessed countless unexpected turns of events in the arena. Unusual tactics, sudden shifts in momentum, unexpected alliances—these were all part of the competition’s chaotic nature.
Besides, Lee Seok-hyun’s physical condition had been thoroughly checked before the match. He saw no reason to intervene.
What he failed to realize was that Lee Seok-hyun’s mind was a battlefield of its own, a fractured landscape of conflicting memories.
“Never again… I won’t lose again…”
Lee Seok-hyun, his mind a maelstrom of past trauma and present danger, was a ticking time bomb. The memories of the Death Meteor attack, of his friends’ deaths, fueled his rage, his desperation.
He was on the verge of a complete breakdown.
–Pak! Thump! Crack! Bang!
The sounds of the one-sided beatdown echoed through the arena. Lee Seok-hyun, his movements fluid and precise, effortlessly dodged their attacks, his counter-strikes landing with brutal efficiency.
“This is… unbelievable…”
“He’s… unstoppable.”
The guild representatives watched in awe and horror. Some, eager to recruit him, doubled down on their efforts, while others, realizing the potential danger of such uncontrolled power, quietly withdrew their offers. They’d come seeking a talented student, not a volatile weapon.
“…Seok-hyun is… high-maintenance.”
Finally, the rampage ended.
Lee Seok-hyun, his body exhausted, his mind spent, collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
As if mirroring his fall, Arak, his hope extinguished, also crumpled, his body battered and bruised.
“I made a wager with a monster.”
Four minutes.
In just four minutes, Lee Seok-hyun had single-handedly decimated Tanteroi Academy and brought his own teammates to the brink of defeat.
His reputation, already legendary, soared to new heights.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
He awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling.
‘This time, it’s truly unfamiliar.’
He remembered being subdued by his teammates, the world fading to black… but now he was here, in a strange, unknown room.
‘Lately, the bad luck’s been relentless.’
Just when he thought he could finally rest after the Death Meteor incident and Raystember’s attack, he’d lost control and gone on a rampage. And now this.
His first thought was that he’d missed the rewards for the team match. Even if he’d recovered quickly, the rapid-fire nature of the competition meant he’d undoubtedly missed the remaining matches.
“…At least they seem to be doing well without me.”
Bellos and Woo Do-hyun, leading the charge, followed by Benras and Kim Seok-cheol. A formidable team…
“…?”
‘Why Benras and Kim Seok-cheol?’
‘Where were Meiri and Mijuran?’
As he pondered this, a commotion erupted outside the room.
“Meiri, I’ll change the cold compress, so don’t worry and focus on the next match.”
“…No, I should do it… I just feel… I have to…”
He heard Mijuran and Meiri arguing, their voices sharp, strained.
Mijuran seemed annoyed, her words clipped, while Meiri’s tone was unusually insistent. It was a strange dynamic, unlike their usual easygoing interactions. He was utterly bewildered.
–Click.
The door opened, and the source of the commotion became clear.
Two girls stood there, clutching a small, damp cloth between them, their faces inches apart, their eyes locked in a silent battle of wills.
The absurdity of the scene was almost comical. A twenty-centimeter square of fabric, the object of such intense contention… it was a truly bizarre sight.
And then he realized the true horror of the situation. This petty squabble was about him.
“Seok-hyun, who do you want to apply the cold compress?”
The question, loaded with unspoken tension, hung in the air.
He was trapped.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
