Quarterfinals – Match 4.
The match between Shin Hayul and Ha Sangjun was utterly one-sided.
"Man, this feels anticlimactic."
"Yeah, the Round of 16 was just too amazing."
Even the audience watching live was reacting half-heartedly.
"At this rate, even the finals might be boring."
"Agreed. Probably a snoozefest."
The eighth match of the Round of 16 had practically been a preview of the finals.
A masterpiece of twists upon twists—
a match so spectacular it made you gasp just thinking about it.
After witnessing something like that, it was only natural that the crowd's excitement threshold had skyrocketed.
Of course, not everyone had lost interest.
"Hey, look over there."
"She's already awake? Guess high-level mages really do recover fast."
Adela Steart.
Her eyes still shone brightly, focused and intense.
"What's she staring at so hard?"
"Maybe she's looking for Shin Hayul's weakness so she can get revenge."
If looks could kill, Shin Hayul would have already been reduced to ashes.
That was how fierce Adela's gaze was.
"Well, can you blame her? She got knocked out in the Round of 16 because of him."
"Yeah, that's gotta sting."
At first glance, her expression could've been mistaken for resentment or fury.
But in truth, it was quite the opposite.
'That Aero Shot—he slowed it down on purpose to increase its power.'
Her eyes burned not with hatred, but with excitement and admiration.
A scholar's hunger to absorb everything from her opponent.
'So reducing the speed like that can be used to catch your opponent off guard, huh?'
To Adela, Shin Hayul was a textbook.
The ultimate reference,
showing her things she could never have imagined herself.
'He tricked his opponent into guarding against second-circle magic, only to sneak in a first-circle spell.'
'Ah, so Wood Bind can be used not just to bind the feet, but also to blind the eyes.'
Before her stood the perfect lesson—
one she could never hope to obtain anywhere else.
Her heart blazed hotter than ever.
She wanted to absorb everything about that man.
That single thought consumed her.
'What else will he show me next?'
The past year of Adela's life had been painfully dull.
She had learned magic exactly as the textbooks prescribed,
and practiced the techniques her family dictated.
It was all rational, efficient, and precise—
but utterly boring.
'He really is different.'
Since childhood, she had chased after that genius named Shin Hayul.
No textbook could ever satisfy her.
'Just watching him makes my heart race.'
Shin Hayul had always toyed with her using methods she couldn't even conceive of.
The standard formulas of the Mystics Family had never worked on him.
She could still recall his mischievous grin as he told her,
"If you follow what's written in the book, you'll just make yourself easy to exploit."
'I want to see more… learn more… steal more.'
To Adela, Shin Hayul was a superstar.
A radiant star shining alone in a world of uniformity.
He was the light she had chased all along—
a first-magnitude star that had been dimmed for a time behind the clouds,
but now was shining brighter than ever.
'Someday, I want to be like that.'
That was where her ideals lay—
clear and vivid.
Without realizing it, Adela reached out her hand.
'Someday, I want to surpass him.'
With the very things she had stolen from him,
she wanted to defeat him one day.
Thump.
Her heart pounded.
For the first time in a year,
she felt alive again.
"Match over! Winner—Shin Hayul!"
"Waaahhhhhhh!!"
Adela's brilliant eyes followed Shin Hayul's retreating back.
Watching him, she couldn't help but smile.
"…Wow. I think that's the first time I've seen Adela smile."
"She's even prettier when she does."
Adela rose from her seat and dashed out of the stands.
Her destination was obvious.
There were so many things she wanted to ask.
"Um…!"
After the duel, Adela was waiting for me.
She looked flushed, still a little breathless.
"You're awake? How's your body?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"That's a relief."
Considering that the final Blast Lance had landed cleanly,
I thought it would take much longer for her to regain consciousness.
Yet she had woken up in just two hours—
her mental fortitude was remarkable.
"So, what brings you here?"
Her clothes were a bit wrinkled,
and her golden hair was messy—
she must've rushed straight to me the moment she woke up.
That could only mean one thing.
"I… wanted to talk about the match."
"You mean you want to do a feedback review?"
"Yes."
Going over the fight and analyzing it together—
that was all she wanted.
"You still have the semifinals and finals ahead, so if you're tired, we can—"
She fidgeted with her fingers, looking down nervously.
The sight made me chuckle without meaning to.
"No, it's fine. Feedback's good training for me, too. Let's do it now."
Before I entered the academy, this kind of thing happened all the time.
Especially after a sparring match, she always insisted on a review.
And back then, she used to fidget exactly like that.
Some things never change.
"Yes! Then, about the first exchange—you used the Barrier to jump, right?"
And the moment I agreed, her hesitation vanished completely,
replaced by passionate focus.
"When you dodged Earth Needles—was that all part of your plan?
If it was, how did you know I'd use Earth Needles?"
"Before you cast it—remember how my posture seemed unstable while dodging?
That was intentional. I lowered my stance on purpose."
"Ah, so the setup started even then. And hiding Wind Spear in the sunlight—"
"That was all part of the plan, too."
"I knew it! Then—"
Our feedback session continued all the way until the semifinals began.
And the more we talked, the clearer Adela's smile became.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
In the top floor of a skyscraper owned by the Magus Divine Clan,
two people were having a serious conversation.
Both were staring intently at a monitor.
"Oppa, are you really just going to sit back and watch?"
"Watch what?"
On the massive holographic screen taking up half the room,
Shin Hayul's semifinal match was being broadcast live.
"Are you seriously going to just let him be?"
The woman—Shin Se-ah, Hayul's elder sister and the eldest daughter of the clan—
glared at the man with a sharp expression.
"Of course I am. What else should I do?"
Her brother—Shin Ji-han, the eldest son—shrugged carelessly.
"Ugh, seriously! How can you be so calm? Didn't you hear?
Father's planning to bring Hayul back into the family!"
It was true.
Shin In-hyuk, their father, had already decided to reinstate Shin Hayul into the clan.
Partly because he had lost a bet to Hayul,
but mostly because the current Shin Hayul was no longer the same as a year ago—
he was now someone truly worth watching.
Once today's matches ended,
Shin Hayul would once again be recognized as a member of the Magus Divine Clan—
and enjoy all the privileges that came with it.
"Of course I heard."
"Ugh, this is so frustrating!"
Shin Se-ah pounded her chest, her expression screaming that she was about to explode.
"What's the problem?"
"Do I really need to spell it out for you?"
Her tone had grown sharper—almost hysterical.
"If Shin Hayul comes back into the family, both your position and mine as successors will be at risk again! Did you already forget how things were just a year ago? Are you stupid, oppa?"
The Magus Divine Clan was a house founded on ruthless meritocracy.
Firstborn, eldest daughter—none of that mattered.
Tradition dictated that the family headship went to the most capable mage, regardless of age or gender.
Naturally, up until a year ago, Shin Hayul had enjoyed overwhelming support.
He was practically treated as the next clan head.
"So we'll just end up like ornaments again, sitting pretty while he takes everything…"
That was why Se-ah was so on edge.
If Hayul returned, the influence she had worked so hard to build over the past year could vanish overnight.
"Se-ah, things are different now."
Unlike his sister, Shin Ji-han remained calm, smiling leisurely.
"The Hayul from a year ago and the Hayul now are two completely different people. You're losing your objectivity because you're still stuck in the past."
To Ji-han, Hayul's return wasn't the least bit concerning.
"A year ago, Hayul was a supernova—the world's rising star.
But now, he's just trash."
Ji-han's gaze locked on the image of Hayul on the screen.
"But everyone's saying how amazing he looks…"
Ji-han snorted in amusement.
"Of course they'd say that. If a basketball player with one arm played as well as someone with two, everyone would call it a miracle. Even if it's just an ordinary play."
A mage without an AI system was like a basketball player missing an arm.
When someone with such a handicap performs decently, attention naturally follows.
"And come on—he used to be a genius prodigy, a global sensation. Of course people are fascinated. Right?"
All that hype around Hayul now—nothing but illusion.
"Besides, think about it calmly and objectively. The reason Hayul's dominating right now is obvious."
"Objectively…? Ah."
Realization flashed across Se-ah's face.
"Hayul's a four-circle mage, and all his opponents so far have been third-circle."
"Exactly. Even if it weren't him, any four-circle mage would have crushed them."
In modern magic theory, the difference in circles was the most reliable indicator of victory.
The historical win rate between third- and fourth-circle mages was about 1 to 9.
Fourth-circle mages had over a 90% success rate.
"Hayul's just barely compensating for his fatal flaw as an incompatible type with clever tricks and a lucky acquisition of that rare spell.
Objectively speaking, he's far weaker than an average four-circle mage."
If a regular four-circle mage had fought Adela instead of Hayul,
they probably would've won without half the struggle.
"I see. So no matter how flashy he gets, a defect is still a defect."
Se-ah sighed in relief.
"Now you get it, right? Why I said there's nothing to worry about?"
"Yeah. No matter what he does, he'll never beat a mage of the same level."
"Exactly. Even if Hayul somehow reaches the fifth or sixth circle, he'll still never surpass us. So there's no reason to care."
That was their conclusion—
that Shin Hayul could never defeat a mage on equal footing.
A statement that would've made the actual two-circle Shin Hayul laugh out loud if he'd heard it.
"And if, by some chance, he ever does start to show real potential—
we can always take care of it then."
"As expected of you, oppa. You've thought everything through."
"Of course."
The two of them exchanged satisfied smiles.
The mid-term evaluation had ended.
"Match over! Winner—Shin Hayul!"
"Waaaaaaaahhh!!"
"Shin Hayul's amazing!"
"What a great match!"
The winner, naturally, was me.
None of the remaining opponents were anywhere near Adela's level,
so I advanced without any real danger.
"Congratulations. As your supervising instructor, I'm proud of your achievement."
Instructor Go Chang-su stepped forward to offer his praise.
"Thank you, sir."
Applause erupted from all around.
Cheers that were meant for me alone.
Voices calling my name.
The roar of victory—it was intoxicating,
a drug that made my heart pound uncontrollably.
"…So annoying."
"He's still just an incompatible reject."
"Can't stand how he keeps leeching off that rare spell of his."
A few jealous murmurs slipped through the crowd,
but even that didn't bother me in the slightest.
Jealousy, after all, only comes from those who've already admitted they can't surpass you.
In other words—
anyone looking at me with envy was already a potential loser.
'I've dealt with every kind of stare over the past year. This is nothing.'
I'd long since stopped caring about petty sneers.
Ignoring them, I fully savored the joy of victory.
"Hayul! We're throwing a celebration party!"
Soon-chan slung his arm around my shoulder.
"Yeah! We have to!"
"Our class just produced the tournament champion! It's mandatory!"
"What, were you planning not to? I thought it was already decided!"
My classmates from Class 2-1 crowded around me,
their faces bright with genuine excitement.
"Instructor, you're coming too, right?"
"You don't have to beat around the bush just to say someone needs to pay the bill."
"Aww, come on, Instructor, that's not what we meant!"
Soon-chan laughed, throwing his arm around my neck.
"C'mon, what's there to think about? Let's go! Instructor's buying!"
His smile was so bright—
as if my victory made him happier than his own.
Seeing that, I couldn't help but smile too.
Honestly, with this kind of atmosphere,
a party didn't sound half bad.
But—
"Sorry. I'd love to, but I already have an appointment."
"…An appointment?"
"Yeah."
Unfortunately, I had a prior engagement.
[Father]
[We'll have much to discuss.]
[Come home immediately after the finals.]
[I'll send a car.]
An appointment I couldn't ignore.
After all—
for the first time in a year,
I was going home.