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“Standing Duel refers literally to the act of standing against each other in competition – a magical duel – avoiding magic by moving your body is not permitted. Inflicting physical damage in place of magic is not permitted. The entire workshop must proceed with magic alone. If the rules are broken, for whatever reason, the student will receive an F.”

“I have a question…”

“Speak it.”

“What happens if you’re seriously injured?”

It was natural to ask such a question. It was the threat of damage caused by the magic that made the students nervous. Defeating a monster in a real-world class did not hold many risks of serious injury, but the confrontation between wizards is a little bit different. Inevitably, one of the two participants must be defeated. There is little to fear for a fortified warrior in this respect – they have trained rigorously to harden their skin. Still, for a weak-of-flesh wizard having to endure magical firepower, the result could very easily be a fatal wound.

Baek Dong-seok laughed,

“Don’t look so nervous! Shield magic has been installed into the floor of the battlefield to ensure your protection from, particularly powerful magic. If you remain in the designated location, the shield will be automatically equipped as soon as the magic approaches dangerous levels. So, play by the rules: stay standing. It’s for your safety.”

The students relaxed a little.

Yes, they’re experiencing education in magic, but they are still only in their late teens – still children, with active imaginations, and imagination without experience is a breeding ground for fear. Professor Baek Dong-seok must train them as hunters.

“There are two things I’ll pay particular attention to in this match. That is, how effectively you use magic and how calm you can remain in a distressing situation that may result in your enchantment. Your defeat does not necessarily translate to a low score. I want to see you battle like a wizard, regardless of the outcome.”

The need for explanation had passed. The professor stood back and pointed to two students in turn.

“You, number one. Number two. Step forward.”

* * *

The first two competitors were well-matched. They fought intensely: a hot firepower battle; number one used a wind-cutter against his opponent, and the body of number two was smashed into with force – this caused blue light to manifest upon the floor, and a protective shield sprung up and over the fight, as number two fell to the floor, more through shock than the pain of the attack. As Dong-seok anticipated, there were no accidents. Number one came out victorious.

“Park han,”

Baek Dong-seok began,

“you made two fatal mistakes. You gave up half-way through a cast because you thought you were too late to defend against the wind-cutter…but you had time to stop it; even if you are hit by magic, you should maintain your focus. To lose focus means disqualification for a wizard.”

The next battle proceeded swiftly.

As the fight played out before them, Oh Jin-young, who had been assigned the number thirteen, glanced over at Kang Min-hyuk. He nudged his friend and said,

“Maybe my opponent is Kang Min-hyuk?”

“Perhaps…he’s number fourteen, so if we continue moving through the numbers, it makes sense that you’ll face him.”

“Ah…this just got fun.”

Oh, Jin-young smiled.

He didn’t like Kang Min-hyuk. Although it wasn’t the person he didn’t like, he didn’t like his background more accurately. Ten years ago, when Oh Jin-young was still a child, he’d taken a preliminary test for Suhomun. For Jin-young Oh, initiation into Suhomun was his dream, so he trained hard for the exam at a very early age. Kang Min-hyuk’s father was present at the test and spoke bluntly.

“To be honest, Jin-young has no talent as a warrior. How about giving up on the hunter’s path? He has been born without a scrap of talent; the ordinary life of an ordinary person may be best for Jin-young.”

When all the same age children as Jin-young joined Suho gate, he couldn’t cross the threshold. The memories from that time were still vivid. Fortunately, he found his magic talent and lived his life as a wizard, but just hearing the term Guardian Gate still affected him.

He hated most about Kang Min-hyuk because he gave up his position as a successor to Suhomun. It was a position that every young man aspired to be in, and Kang Min-hyuk threw it away, then entered the department of magic, and acted as though it was nothing at all.

It annoyed Jin-young. He wasn’t the only student who felt this way.

Coming from the mainstream background of Suhomun, he’d generated a tremendous reputation in a very short space of time. The fact that the mainstream had invaded the territory of the obscure was entirely unacceptable.

“Is Kang Min-hyuk in the first circle?”

“Of course,…he must be. He’s intelligent, but nobody can form the second circle in just a few months. He’s probably the easiest opponent in the class!”

“Right?!”

Jin-young’s laughter filled the air. A battle between second and first circle? The result was obvious. Jin-young had the confidence that he’d crush Kang Min-hyuk.

“I have to destroy that cheeky Min-hyuk. No matter the depth of his knowledge, something that exists only in your head holds little value.”

His body warmed up to face the challenge. Sang-hoon was also interested in the upcoming fight between Jin-young and Min-hyuk.

It was a good matchup. Jin-young was not a bad wizard, so he posed a strong opponent for Min-hyuk. It was an excellent opportunity to check out Min-hyuk’s skills.

It didn’t matter if he won or lost; it was his overall performance that mattered. If he showed adequate magical talent, Sang-hoon would join him to aid his magical growth.

The match finally began.

It ended so quickly; the battle was a blur.

“Fireball.”

Quaaaang!

Bbbbrrrrrrrrrr!

Fortunately for Oh Jin-young, the protective shield immediately came into effect, sheltering him from the powerful fire-magic. He fell to his knees. The students stood and stared, shuffling in awkward surprise at Kang Min-hyuk’s victory.

“He’s using second circle magic?”

The revelation shocked the students.

* * *

Sang-hoon had to admit that he was impressed. It was hard to believe and even harder to accept, but it was possible to be born with innate abilities to be naturally equipped to be outstanding in your field. Of course, this talent requires nurturing – time and effort must be invested in the studies, but the speed at which a truly gifted individual can progress will always be swifter than those learning from scratch.

The time it took for Kang Min-hyuk to learn magic was brief; his talent as a researcher remains unmatched, but that’s not the extent of his abilities.

Baek Dong-seok approached Min-hyuk with an expression of disbelief,

“Kang Min-hyuk…have you formed the second circle?”

“Yes.”

The students were confused by his concise response; silence fell over them as they wondered how such growth was possible. Elementary school students are occasionally capable of expressing the intellect of college students, but it was nearly unheard of for them to accelerate their physical growth in such a fashion. Kang Min-hyuk did it.

It took a lot of effort, and usually, a few years for wizards to progress from first to the second circle – everybody in the room knew it. Oh, Jin-young looked up at Kang Min-hyuk from his position on the floor, all of his former intentions lost.

“He’s definitely a genius.”

The depth of knowledge, proven by his success in the academic competition, was his magical talents expressed for everybody to see.

Baek Dong-seok offered his critique of the battle,

“…Kang Min-hyuk’s technique was excellent. He attacked quickly, leaving no time for his opponent to defend…had this been a real battle, Oh Jin-young would have died from a single blow…”

With that, the match was over.

As the students left the room, they gazed at Kang Min-hyuk with the slow realization that he may have been more of a monster than they thought…

* * *

Sang-hoon was the clear victor in his duel.

Although he was a senior in the Department of Magic, Kang Min-hyuk’s image wouldn’t leave his mind throughout the standing battle.

“How the hell did he do it?”

It wasn’t just the formation of the second circle that shocked Sang-hoon, but his casting speed. Jin-young wasn’t vigilant; he was so eager to beat Kang Min-hyuk that he began to cast the moment he stepped into battle…however, Kang Min-hyuk was swifter Jin-young immediately lost his will.

However, it was Kang Min-hyuk who completed the magic first. Oh, Jin-young didn’t dare retaliate. Sang-hoon compared himself to Min-hyuk – if they were to use magic simultaneously, who would complete their cast first? He doubted it…even though he came from a magical family and had trained since childhood, Sang-hoon wasn’t convinced that he could finish casting sooner than Kang Min-hyuk. The battle had confirmed Min-hyuk’s skills, but Sang-hoon fell into more questions. He was so impressed by the amazing talent of Kang Min-hyuk that he could barely sleep.

He made a decision…

The next day, Sang-hoon approached Min-hyuk directly.

“Kang Min-hyuk! Let’s duel.”

Sang-hoon was renowned as the best in class in the first-year department of magic in terms of one-on-one confrontation; he thought Kang Min-hyuk might refuse to face him. However, Kang Min-hyuk’s reaction was unexpected…as though waiting for this moment, he laughed.

“Okay!”

Oh, Jin-young was immediately defeated…Sang-hoon wasn’t sure how the fight would play out.