Episode 83: Exchange Battle (6)
“Haah…”
A deep breath escaped me.
My shoulders trembled slightly, my palms were drenched in sweat, and the excessively drawn mana raged within my body.
I withdrew my spear and took a step back.
The jade-green aura that had enveloped the spear gradually faded away.
The power of a Fragment.
Pasa Hyeonjeong.
“Ugh…”
With a groan, I slumped to the ground.
Lately, with nothing urgent to do—or rather, with some breathing room until the exchange battle began—I had been trying to spend time looking inward instead of just giving things to those around me.
Even now, I had been diligently training in the practice hall.
It was the weekend, but the indoor training ground was empty.
Perhaps because it was still early, no one else was here.
The dim lighting barely illuminated the space, and the only sound filling the hall was my own.
As I mentioned, not everyone was participating in the exchange battle, so most students were using this time to rest.
What I wanted to focus on was simple.
====
[Authority: Fragment of Harmony]
① Pasa Hyeonjeong
— Destroy what is corrupt and reveal what is true.]
② ???
③ ???
====
My Fragment—the power of Jung Haein.
“This is hard.”
I was being completely honest.
It was ridiculously difficult.
I wanted to unlock the second expansion of my authority.
Fragment.
The most alien yet essential power in this world.
The fundamental force that allowed resistance against high-ranking Demonic humans or Evil Gods.
Yu Hana’s Fragment of Order.
Kang Arin’s Fragment of Void (Nihility).
Cheon Yeoul’s Fragment of Longing.
And Sung Siwoo’s—or rather, my—Fragment of Harmony.
There were exactly four Fragments in this world.
No more, no less. Exactly four.
Each had a different origin, yet they shared one clear trait.
Fragments granted the power to resist Demonic humans.
My first expanded authority, Pasa Hyeonjeong, was no exception.
But the issue was that a Fragment’s potential didn’t end there.
The development of a Fragment’s expanded authorities depended entirely on its wielder.
That was one of the interesting aspects of raising Sung Siwoo, the original protagonist.
“…But what about me?”
I had no clue.
I was familiar with Sung Siwoo’s growth path, but Jung Haein’s route was completely unknown to me.
With Pasa Hyeonjeong as the foundation, my Fragment had begun to expand—but I had no idea where it would lead.
After all, I was seeing Pasa Hyeonjeong itself for the first time.
Sung Siwoo had Demon Resistance.
Yu Hana had Butterfly of Slaughter.
Kang Arin had Path of Domination, Eradication of Evil
Cheon Yeoul had Sacred Flame.
The names, directions, and characteristics were all different.
But they all shared one thing in common:
Their first expanded authority always granted resistance against Demonic humans.
And the moment the second expanded authority was unlocked, their power leaped to an entirely new level.
That was why, having obtained a Fragment early, I wanted to achieve my second expansion as soon as possible.
So I had been attempting all sorts of methods lately…
“…Still a long way to go.”
Honestly, it was greedy of me.
It was still far too early for me to knock on that door.
“This is killing me.”
I had pushed myself to the limit, squeezing out every drop of mana and throwing my body into training.
And yet, all I had done was pretend to knock on that second door.
As I gasped for breath, taking a moment to rest—
Clank.
The sound of the training room door opening.
Someone had just entered.
I loosened my posture and remained seated, thinking that my time having the training hall all to myself had come to an end. Slowly, I turned my head.
‘Huh?’
There stood a familiar face.
Joo Seo-jun. And beside him, a cute-looking female student.
I couldn’t remember her name, but I was sure she was from Gaon Academy. I had passed by her a few times before.
The two entered the training hall, smiling together, unaware of my presence. Their casual conversation and gestures, the comfortable way they looked at each other—
‘Are they dating?’
That was the first impression I got.
I had no interest in meddling in other people’s relationships, so I got up from my seat.
“There’s really no one here, right? A senior told me this was the perfect secret spot….”
The girl spoke excitedly.
Joo Seo-jun glanced inside, his gaze meeting mine. He smirked before turning to the girl and saying,
“There is someone here.”
I corrected him.
“No, you were right. There’s no one. I was just leaving.”
I had already finished my training, so I figured I might as well make my exit.
Just as I was about to walk past them—
“Haein… that’s your name, right?”
Joo Seo-jun called out, making me pause and turn around.
His face came into view—a strikingly handsome guy radiating confidence.
I gave a slight nod, signaling him to continue.
“Ah, sorry for stopping you when you were on your way out.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s nothing major… Could you pass a message to Chae-ha for me? I haven’t seen her in ages—she’s completely shut herself away. But I get the feeling you see her often….”
Yoon Chae-ha had been busy honing her newly acquired power. She barely left her room after class.
She had been sending me messages, though.
Lately, even in the mornings, she kept asking me strange questions, so I had been ignoring her.
“What’s the message?”
“Hmm… Just tell her that in the upcoming individual matches, we’ll probably face off at some point. And that I’ve changed a lot since the old days. She should know that.”
He said it with a confident smile, his eyes brimming with determination.
I studied him for a moment.
Without thinking, I found myself nodding.
Joo Seo-jun was growing stronger. And at an impressive rate.
“I’ll tell her.”
“Oh, thanks.”
With that, I responded briefly and resumed my steps.
Behind me, I heard the girl’s voice.
“…Who’s Chae-ha?”
“A friend.”
Joo Seo-jun answered simply.
I chuckled at that.
Suddenly, an image of the two of them facing off in the individual matches played out in my mind.
These days, Yoon Chae-ha was focusing more on refining her internal energy rather than practicing magic.
Meanwhile, Joo Seo-jun was visibly growing stronger—both inside and out.
‘I don’t know….’
A thought crossed my mind.
Honestly, in the past, I wouldn’t have even considered the possibility of Yoon Chae-ha losing.
The fact that I was questioning it now meant Joo Seo-jun had improved that much.
Of course, Yoon Chae-ha wasn’t an easy opponent either.
‘This will be interesting.’
Looks like we’ll have to wait and see.
***
A dormitory room filled with the strong scent of lavender.
“Why isn’t there a reply?”
Yoon Chae-ha rested her arms on her knees, staring blankly at her watch.
Just a moment ago—
[summer]: Who would win in a fight, a Tyrannosaurus or a Carcharodontosaurus?
She had sent that message.
It was an unusually random question for her. In fact, she had surprised herself the moment she sent it.
“I can’t believe I sent something like that.”
…And then, she got left on read.
For a whole 29 minutes. Ah, it just became 30 minutes.
Her face remained expressionless, but her eyes somehow looked betrayed.
Beside her watch, on her open desk, lay a thick magazine.
[The Laws of Relationships Even a Shut-in Mage is Curious About ~ The Ultimate 199 Flirting Techniques!]
She had found it tucked away in a dusty corner of the academy bookstore, hidden in the magazine section where no one seemed to look.
At first, she had flipped through it with a puzzled expression, thinking, “What even is this?”
But then—
“Matters of the heart are harder than magic! ♥”
“Find out your intimacy level based on the average number of texts per day!”
“Meaningful touches vs. habitual ones! How to tell the difference!”
The ridiculous headlines made her scoff, but strangely, she couldn’t put it down.
[Try asking a completely unexpected and random question to someone you’re interested in! If you have an intellectual image, show your charming contrast with a touch of airheadedness!]
That one line convinced her.
And so, she had chosen one of the “Ultimate 199 Flirting Techniques” and sent the message.
Resting her chin in her palm, Yoon Chae-ha checked her watch again.
“….”
Still no reply.
She pressed her lips together and glanced at the book on her desk.
The title stood out again—
[The Laws of Relationships Even a Shut-in Mage is Curious About~]
“Ah, damn it.”
She must have lost her mind.
She had been completely lured in by that shut-in mage keyword.
After all, she was quite the shut-in, and very much a mage.
If the magazine’s publishers had planned this as a marketing tactic, it was a complete success.
“…I should just burn—”
Just as she was muttering to herself—
Ding!
“!”
Her ears perked up. Her eyes widened.
Yoon Chae-ha instantly grabbed her watch.
[belief_]: Sorry, I was training and saw it but didn’t get to reply.
[belief_]: But seriously, what kind of questions are you asking? What saurus??
[belief_]: Do I have to answer? Give me a sec to think about it.
“Hehe….”
Her lips curled into a smile.
Her fingers lightly clenched the hem of her clothes.
This feeling that kept creeping up on her lately—
For Yoon Chae-ha, it was so unfamiliar, so new, and that made it all the more exciting.
A strangely soft, warm sensation rose up to her throat.
“…Was it real?”
She stole another glance at her desk.
“…….”
Thump.
Carefully, she closed the magazine.
As if she were handling a precious grimoire—ever so gently.