NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20.2
“He’s a monster.”
This was Leia’s impression of the duel that just took place- someone who was a part of the Five Greats of the Empire.
“To think that he has only been learning magic for about a month… he’s indeed a ‘genius’. I could still understand if it was just the amount of magic power output of Jung Ji-hoo’s which stood out…”
She paused for a moment and then continued.
“But his attribute confuses me. When the [Stone] And [Heaven] Attributes collided in the duel just now, the [Stone] Attribute one-sidedly lost its power. Because of that, Kyle lost his attribute magic. He was then forced to fight a losing battle.”
‘Is that so?’
Dave was stunned by the majesty of the magic storm, so he couldn’t confirm the specifics of the events that took place within.
But if one of the strongest in the Empire said that was the case, then that must have been the proceedings.
“I think it’s probably a characteristic of the attribute itself... It’s not an exaggeration to say that the exact ability and conditions to utilise it will require further research, but the power to neutralize an opponent’s attribute is already a cheat.”
‘She’s a monster... And even though these same words are coming out of this monster’s mouth, they are not lacking in credibility.’
He thought so while looking sideways at Leah, who was staring blankly at the gymnasium where the duel had just ended, and recalled her background.
Her case was special.
She was a dagger of the empire that awakened and destroyed the village where she lived at the tender age of 11 due to ‘attribute overload’.
Unlike the vast majority of awakeners who awakened at the age of 20, the phenomenon of awakening at a younger age was called ‘attribute overload’.
As it was a special event, one could gain tremendous power, but as a result of the early awakening, one’s lifespan was greatly shortened.
Under the mask of the 19-year-old, her face was probably crumbling and decaying in real-time.
“Then... I’d like to ask you a question.”
The 2nd prince asked a question that he wanted an answer to, pertaining to the aftermath of the duel.
“How long will it be until Jeong Ji-Hoo can stand his ground and prevent his death by the current Imperial Five Greats?”
“Dave, be careful of what you say. Jihoo is not an enemy of the Empire.”
“Yet. That’s not something anyone could say for sure to be the case forever.”
Soniel’s voice was cold, but Dave didn’t care.
Because, as a member of the Imperial Family, he knew he had to examine all possibilities for the future.
“I can’t say for sure, but given his tremendous growth rate, I think it should be at least until he graduates from the academy.”
“Graduation... It’s still earlier than I expected.”
“Your Highness, don’t worry too much. For this very reason, my post was transferred to the academy.”
Leah touched her dagger in the shadows without reason and said—
“For whoever is the enemy of the Empire, my shadows will decapitate them.”
***
“Ahyeong-ah! Did you see it?! Isn’t Jihoo so cool?!”
“Yeah, he was really great!”
I could hear Ji-hye’s joyful voice following Jeong Ji-hoo’s retreating figure as he was leaving the gymnasium.
She was so happy with his victory that she seemed to forget for a moment the reluctance she felt towards being around Ah-yeong.
“Jihoo, he’s really...! He’s amazing.”
“Wow... Are you sure he transferred to this world in the same condition as us? Was he actually able to use magic back on Earth or something?”
“...Me too, I want to be like that...”
“We have to listen carefully to what the executives advise us to do in the future.”
I could hear the voices of my classmates full of envy—
“Shit, what the hell have I been doing all this while?”
“Hyun-woo, I’m going to start going to the gym from today... Can you tell me what to do?”
“Oh! Of course!”
And I could hear voices reflecting on themselves for having been negligent all this while and promising themselves to put in more effort in the future.
As expected of you Jihoo, you’re great...
Now many of our classmates who have seen your prowess will start trying.
What I have kept trying to do, you solve at once.
It was not always like this with regard to such activities.
That’s why Jihoo’s duel was shocking.
At school, Jihoo was not a reliable sportsman.
He was the kind of guy who brought workbooks with him and studied even during PE class.
But he showed off a very high level of skill today.
We’ve seen magic before, but we’ve never seen someone fighting with magic.
The sight of a classmate of ours teasing his opponent must have been a great stimulus to everyone.
And it’s the same for me too.
I, Park Min-ho, felt confident.
Kyle, whom I watched in the duel, was an opponent I could defeat with my sword.
However, I do not have the confidence to achieve a landslide victory like Jihoo just did.
I thought I had trained enough for a month, but I was complacent.
From now on, I will resolve myself to work even harder and reduce my spare time.
***
Meanwhile, Min Hye-rin was thinking very differently from her classmates.
Her attribute sense had suddenly activated during the duel.
Finally, she was able to utilize her attributes, albeit in small amounts.
The stress, which had been accumulating inside of her because of the lack of changes to her senses, completely disappeared.
She didn’t know why, but this was also probably thanks to spectating the duel.
‘Really···. You always find some way to help me.’
The anger Jihoo felt for her led him to duel a graduate of the academy, taking away her troubles from her plate.
‘He is my target. He is a friend who always does things for me. He is the only one equal to me; the only... Man.’
Min Hye-rin’s feelings of goodwill and her interest gradually began to develop into a crush.
***
‘Master won the duel!?’
He had won a splendid victory against her enemy, the 1st Prince’s subordinate.
It wasn’t that he was directly fighting for her sake, but it was natural for Ireina to feel a sense of exhilaration after watching her Master thwart the 1st Prince.
And for that reason, for the first time since becoming his maid, she felt a sense of servitude towards him.
‘No, this is just... It’s a reward. Yes, just a reward. He is the person who avenged my family’s enemies even just a little, so it’s only natural I do this for him.’
Ireina quietly entered his bedroom.
She did so quietly, so as not to disturb her master.
Her master was tired and decided to take a nap for a while.
But the slightly swollen bump on his trousers informed Ireina that he would be waking up anytime now.
‘This is just because it looks painful... Yes, only for that reason.’
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