May 1st, 1:30 p.m.
I was watching Soonchan's match live from the stands.
"Ji Soonchan. For someone from a merchant family, he's holding up pretty well."
"Yeah, seriously."
Soonchan was a promising talent, skilled enough to rank within the top 20 among all second-year students.
But his opponent was far too strong.
"Still, Adela really is on another level."
Adela Steart.
Her Korean name: Wi Jisoo.
A half-French, half-Korean prodigy—one who had never fallen from first place since the day she entered the academy.
"Ha… vision magic, I'm so jealous."
"Right? That's the real definition of a golden spoon."
In this world, there exists a special kind of magic known as vision magic.
It's passed down through bloodline succession, and unlike the spells listed in the Open Source Library, it's not something one can learn just because they want to.
"She's not a golden spoon—she's platinum."
"Yeah, she's learned not one, but two vision magics."
The prestigious Steart family of France.
The renowned Shinbiwi family of Korea.
Born between those two lineages, Adela Steart naturally mastered both families' signature vision magics.
"Moonlight Bullet. That one never stops being amazing."
"Man, that effect is insane."
One of her vision magics was a special-element, non-standard spell inherited from the Shinbiwi family.
A fusion of light and darkness—
commonly referred to as "Moon" attribute magic.
The name came from how the harmony of light and shadow resembled moonlight descending from the heavens.
"Look at that range."
"How are you even supposed to counter something like that?"
One of the greatest strengths of vision magic is secrecy.
Unlike open-source spells—whose range, distance, power, and characteristics are all documented—vision magics are shrouded in mystery.
In modern magical duels, where battles play out like chess or Go and reading your opponent's moves is key, secrecy becomes the ultimate weapon.
'Of course, you could try gathering data by analyzing footage…'
But no matter what, information about vision magics is far more uncertain compared to open-source spells.
"The range and power of that thing… are you telling me that's a 3rd-circle spell?"
"God, that's depressing."
Most vision magics boast overwhelming performance.
It may be called a 3rd-circle spell, but it could easily be classified as a 3.5-circle spell.
And that's just one of countless advantages vision magic holds.
"Adela truly is remarkable."
While I was focused on the duel between Soonchan and Adela, a male voice suddenly sounded by my ear.
"Gasp! L-Lord Blue Tower Master!"
"M-Mr. Kim Kangin!"
Before I even looked, the people around me erupted in shouts.
"It's been a while."
The Blue Tower Master rested a hand on my shoulder and sat down beside me.
"It's an honor to see you again, sir. Have you been well?"
"Yes, of course. Too well, in fact! Hahaha!"
He smiled the same way he had a year ago.
"Wow. To see the Blue Tower Master this close…"
"Should I… ask for an autograph?"
"No, wait—is he here to see Shin Hayul?"
The whispers grew louder.
"Thank you for notarizing that for me. It helped me focus on the exams."
"I was worried I might've overstepped, but I'm glad it helped."
He replied with his trademark gentle smile.
"By the way, I was surprised. I didn't expect you to have reached the 4th circle, Hayul."
"I was lucky."
"Still as humble as ever."
Kim Kangin, the Blue Tower Master.
Korea's youngest 8th-circle mage—
a symbol of Korean magic itself.
His hobby: talking with talented people.
"And the Wind Spear you used yesterday—
may I ask what kind of magic formula you employed?"
And his other hobby: analyzing magic.
He must've been intrigued by the special nature of the Wind Spear I used yesterday and decided to approach me.
"What kind of mage would just share their personal vision so casually?"
"Hmm. I suppose not."
He smiled faintly and turned his gaze toward Adela in the arena, showing no trace of disappointment.
He had expected from the start that I wouldn't reveal my magical secrets.
"Then I suppose you have no intention of selling the modified Wind Spear formula either?"
"No, I don't."
Not that I could even if I wanted to.
I hadn't modified the Wind Spear's formula at all.
"You're quite firm about it. James will be disappointed."
"...The Red Tower Master?"
"Yes. He contacted me early this morning. Said he wanted to buy your improved Wind Spear formula."
Kim Kangin chuckled behind his hand.
"I've never seen him that excited. He couldn't stop praising you."
The Red Tower Master was notorious for being stingy with praise.
Hearing that he openly complimented me felt… strange.
"So I take it you have no intention of revealing your newly developed magics either."
"None."
As I said, there's no way for me to share my magic.
Not unless someone else has the same Bytener-type magical constitution as I do.
"Oh ho."
Kim Kangin's eyes gleamed curiously.
"Then may I take that to mean you have other improved magics like Wind Spear?"
"Yes."
"...Fascinating."
The Blue Tower Master smiled as though he were truly entertained.
"Well then, I'll take my leave."
He stood up, gently patted my shoulder, and smiled.
"Oh, right—
I'm looking forward to seeing you in the main tournament."
With that, the Blue Tower Master left the stands.
"Here comes the loser."
I greeted Soonchan with a big grin.
"...Yeah, thanks, you real piece of work."
He frowned, twitching his brow.
"How was it?"
I handed him a sports drink.
"How do you think? You saw it yourself. She was incredible."
He took a bitter sip.
"She's grown way stronger since last year. All I could do was hang on."
"Still, you held out pretty well."
"Anyone could, if they gave up on counterattacking."
He sighed deeply.
"Ugh. Just my luck. Out of everyone, I had to meet Adela in the round of 32."
"Yeah, man. Your luck really sucks."
I teased him with a grin.
"...Fine. Then I'll pray you meet Adela in the round of 16."
He ground his teeth and smiled.
"I'd love that, actually."
Just then, a woman's voice came from behind us.
"Adela Steart…"
Adela herself had just stepped out of the waiting room, expressionless as always.
"That was a good fight. You worked hard."
She offered Soonchan a polite, stiff greeting.
"Ah, y-yes. I learned a lot from the match."
Soonchan replied with an awkward smile, unable to even look her in the face.
It wasn't because he was shy or harbored feelings for her—
he was simply overwhelmed by her presence.
"I look forward to facing you again someday."
"Y-yes. I'll do my best to show a better performance next time."
Her mixed heritage, her striking beauty, and her golden hair—all added to that overwhelming aura.
A mysterious charisma radiated from her doll-like appearance.
Eyes so powerful that anyone who met them instinctively averted their gaze.
And tying all of that aura together—her overwhelming magical skill.
It wasn't just Soonchan. Most students acted awkwardly when facing Adela.
"Been a while."
After finishing her greeting with Soonchan, Adela turned her gaze toward me.
"Yeah."
For the record, I was included among those students who felt awkward around her.
But not because I was overwhelmed by her aura or beauty.
"I heard the news. You finally found your path."
"...Yeah."
It was the kind of awkwardness that came from a complicated relationship.
"I'm glad."
Adela and I had known each other even before entering the Academy.
The Madogod family and the Shinbiwi family had a fairly close relationship,
so we often met at exchange events and formal gatherings.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that."
If I had to describe our relationship in one word, it would be rivals.
Although, truthfully, that rivalry existed only from her side.
Still, among my generation, the only one who could have been called my rival was Adela.
"I'm glad you've returned to the reason I chose Obelisk Academy."
Adela had given up studying abroad in France and entered Obelisk Academy—
because of me.
I could still remember her declaring that she'd defeat me no matter what.
"Well… I did find my own path, sure, but I'm not exactly someone worth setting as your goal anymore."
Because when I entered Obelisk Academy, I was branded an inapt mage and fell from grace overnight.
And with that, Adela's purpose had disappeared too.
After that, our relationship drifted apart completely.
For the past year, we hadn't even had a proper conversation.
Neither of us knew how to face the other anymore.
"For now, maybe so."
Her eyes gleamed.
"But I believe you'll soon become my goal again."
Her gaze was impossible to read—mysterious and profound.
"The Shin Hayul I know… that's the kind of man he is."
Her expression was—yes,
like a fisherman lost at sea catching sight of a lighthouse's light through the fog.
Adela Steart was watching Shin Hayul's match alone from the stands.
"Wow, that Wind Spear really is unbeatable."
"Everyone's been crushed by that spell so far, huh?"
"Baek Sahyuk, Ji Minhu—none of their 3rd-circle magics worked against it."
Hayul's opponent in the round of 32 was Ji Minhu,
a 3rd-circle prodigy, just like Baek Sahyuk—
in fact, one even more highly rated than him.
"He's like a 1st-circle archmage."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I dunno. That's what they're calling him online—
a 1st-circle archmage who humiliates his opponents with clever 1st-circle magic."
And right now, that Ji Minhu was being utterly dominated by Shin Hayul.
Hayul wasn't even using any grand or flashy spells.
'He's predicting every single spell, exploiting each weak point, and completely toying with his opponent.'
Even simple beginner-level spells turned deadly in his hands.
A 1st-circle Water spell blocked a 3rd-circle Explosion.
A 1st-circle Wind spell distorted the trajectory of enemy magic.
"How do you even counter that Wind Spear?"
"You can block it, but it just flies back again—and even when you try to erase it, it changes course."
To Adela, Hayul's battle looked like a piece of art.
A duel that only someone like Shin Hayul could perform.
By now, Ji Minhu was probably wondering—
Is he reading my mind?
'He's back.'
A shiver ran down Adela's spine.
That was Shin Hayul.
The dueling monster who counterattacked stronger than anything you could prepare for.
The man who had given Adela her first defeat—
the one who used to be her ultimate goal.
'My idol has returned.'
When she heard he'd recovered, she'd felt like flying through the sky.
Like a sailor lost at sea who had finally found a lighthouse.
"Match over! Winner—Shin Hayul!"
"Whoa!"
"Unbelievable!"
"Shin Hayul's amazing!"
As the crowd roared, Adela's eyes burned with yearning.
'…I want to fight him.'
She wanted to cross blades with the current Shin Hayul.
Inside her chest, the flame of competition blazed bright once more.
That night, 10 p.m.
I sat staring grimly at the just-released main-tournament bracket.
[Match 8]
[Shin Hayul vs. Adela Steart]
"...Soonchan's getting punched tomorrow."
Soonchan's curse had come true.
My round-of-16 opponent was Adela.
I sighed deeply.
Adela's vision magic was too much for me right now—
no, it was the perfect counter to my current fighting style.
'My strategy revolves around sealing the opponent based on gathered information.
But vision magic's inherent secrecy makes that matchup utterly terrible.'
The last time I fought Adela was before I received the AI system, when I was 17.
Back then, she wasn't very skilled with her vision magic.
Naturally, I had no data on her current spells.
'There's no way I can beat her with 1st-circle magic alone and zero solid intel.'
Adela was that powerful.
At least, for the current me, there was no way to win.
'But I have to.'
My goal was to rank within the top ten in this exam.
To do that, I had to beat Adela and advance to the quarterfinals.
And right now, there was only one way I could possibly do that.
"...I was planning to wait until I'd mastered it, but…"
There was no helping it.
With a determined expression, I opened [Lei Bell Bytener].
[If you believe your spirit has reached its utmost peak,
then infuse your mana into the magic circle on page 203.]
[That circle will guide you to a new realm.]
[Once more, do not rush. Impatience is poison to magic.
Only when your heart has truly reached its limit should you use this magic circle.]