novelraw Chapter 61 : Toward Class 3 (4)
Chapter 61 : Toward Class 3 (4)
Chapter 61: Toward Class 3 (4)
“Hm… This isn’t exactly ideal, but I guess it can’t be helped.”
That night.
I secretly snuck into Hei’s dorm room.
Right now, before my eyes, Hei was snoring away, sprawled on his bed in a weird position, even having kicked off his blanket.
I carefully placed my hand on his forehead and hesitated for a moment.
‘It’s not the right thing to do… but since this is also tied to my own problem, there’s no other way.’
If I could spar hundreds of times in his place, this would be an easy problem.
But Hei was still unable to overcome the wall that was Lamic Vir.
The end of the semester was approaching, and I couldn’t let him keep such unstable grades.
Since the school rule stated that if even one of us three got expelled, the other two would be expelled as well, this was the drastic measure I decided to take.
“Hei, use my mana too.”
Through the hand I had placed on his forehead, I activated Linking and infused him with a portion of my mana.
It was only a small amount—something insignificant to me—but I believed it would be enough for Hei to face Lamic Vir.
Fire was indeed weak against water, but if the mana itself was a little special, that disadvantage could easily be overcome.
After all, it wasn’t an unwinnable matchup like that of Water and Flewd.
After infusing a part of my mana into Hei, I quietly left the dormitory.
“This feels… unpleasant.”
Even though I hypnotized myself into believing it was for my own good, there was no denying that it was far from proper.
The bit of mana I gave wouldn’t stay with Hei permanently.
Just like how water on the skin naturally evaporates over time, forcibly infused mana would eventually fade away completely.
Its effective duration would probably be no more than a single day.
Still, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of discomfort.
I had never used Linking in such a way before, and my master surely wouldn’t have wanted me to either.
‘Please forgive me, Master. It seems the situation has finally pushed me to this.’
With that uneasy feeling weighing on me, I returned to my dorm room and fell asleep.
The next morning, I met Hei in the dining hall—he looked like he was in peak condition.
“Wow! Why does my body feel so light today?”
His voice was full of energy, and his complexion bright.
He excitedly piled up food on his plate and sat beside me.
It had been a long time since we’d had breakfast together.
‘Because I infused him with my mana.’
I knew the reason behind his sudden surge of energy, but I couldn’t tell him.
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
That was all I said instead.
“Yeah! I feel like I won’t lose to anyone today!”
“That’s good.”
My guilt still lingered, so my tone came out stiffer than I intended.
“So, who should I spar with today?”
Hei ate as he manifested his Mob and looked for a sparring partner.
Normally, others would challenge him first—but today, he was the one taking the initiative.
A sign of overflowing confidence.
“How about Lamic Vir? With your condition today, it might be worth a try.”
I asked casually.
“Hmm… Lamic Vir…”
“His points are 194. If you win, you’ll take 50% of that—so 97.”
“My points are 74 right now…”
“171. If you win.”
That would be enough to put him within the ranked list.
“Hmm…”
He still seemed uncertain.
It was understandable—though he had beaten Lamic Vir before, it hadn’t been a clean victory. The unease still lingered deep inside him.
“Hei, even if you lose, you’ll only lose one point. You’ve got nothing to lose. And you said you’re in top condition today, right? I doubt you’ll burn out. At least, that’s how I see it.”
“Maybe I should just go for it—boldly?”
“Yeah, boldly.”
Perhaps because his Synchronization had progressed, one of the innate traits of the Fire Element—impulsiveness—was starting to show.
For someone as indecisive as Hei usually was, that kind of determination was a welcome improvement.
“Screw it! Let’s do this!”
And so, Hei challenged Lamic Vir to a duel.
‘I won’t lose. After all, my mana is with him too.’
While Hei’s duel took place, I anxiously waited in my dorm for the results.
Leaning against the wall beside my bed, I stared fixedly at my Mob.
[Ranking Board]
Artel - 255
Kiena - 204
Mihael Russel - 200
Banshi - 198
Nohill Hapert - 185
Hei - 171
“Oh!”
Lamic Vir’s name had vanished, replaced by Hei’s.
“He… did it.”
All I had done was inject a small amount of my mana.
Of course, that alone provided considerable strength—but it didn’t guarantee victory.
In the end, that mana was now Hei’s. Only by mastering it himself could its true brilliance shine.
That meant Hei had handled it well.
“At least that’s one thing less to worry about.”
I suddenly found myself wondering how Lamic Vir must have felt.
From now until the last Friday of December— the days when we couldn’t afford to let our guard down had begun.
Time passed, and Monday of the final week of December dawned.
A new breeze of change swept through Class 1.
Specifically—hair color.
Hei’s hair had grown significantly red, now more crimson than black.
It meant his Synchronization was progressing smoothly.
In my previous life’s standards, a graduating Class 1 student with a 30% Synchronization rate was considered exceptional—but Hei had already surpassed 60%.
Compared to other students, his rapid progress was remarkable—and it was clear my mana had played a major part in it.
Of course, I was in the same state as Hei.
Now there was more red than black in my hair, giving it a somewhat messy, uneven color.
I could change not only my hair but even my eye color whenever I wished, but there was always an average balance to maintain.
Since I had to keep that in mind, I adjusted my state according to the other students’ Synchronization levels.
Moreover, because I was a dual caster of Fire and Darkness, maintaining an even blend of both was ideal.
But from now on, there would be another factor—my eyes. After all, I was a “Double Caster.”
‘If I reach around Class 5 like this, should I change my eyes into heterochromia then?’
Recalling Sylarid, whom I had once fought, both of his eyes had shown colors of two different elements.
So I wondered if making mine half and half would be the best choice.
Having lived my entire life with white eyes, the thought of changing them into two different colors felt strange and foreign.
Kiena, being a Summoner, naturally had black hair, so there was no visible change in her.
She still maintained her place among the top ranks.
And so, by the end of November—
Only five days remained.
Within those five days, the students who would advance to Class 3 and Class 2 would be decided.
[Ranking Board]
Artel - 281
Kiena - 233
Mihael Russel - 221
Banshi - 220
Nohill Hapert - 218
Hei - 200
Banshi had promised me something, so she purposely avoided too many duels and maintained her steady position at fourth place.
Kiena had nothing to worry about, and Hei only needed to break into the top three.
As soon as the new school rule was announced—that any student who defeated someone with more than 250 points would automatically qualify for special promotion—I was flooded with duel requests.
But there wasn’t a single student who could defeat me; the gap only grew wider.
Eventually, even the students gave up, and no one challenged me anymore, leaving my points untouched.
I decided to visit Hei’s dormitory.
“What’s up, Artel?”
“Hei, if you beat just one of the ranked students, you can reach first place. They all have over 200 points now.”
Once a student with 200 or more points lost, their points would instantly drop to zero.
That meant Hei only needed to make good use of his remaining time and climb up in one decisive strike.
“So?”
“How about dueling Nohill Hapert on Friday? You can beat him easily, right?”
If he challenged and defeated someone too early, he’d have to hold his rank for too long, putting him at a disadvantage.
That’s why it was much smarter to win against Nohill Hapert on Friday evening—right before the grading period ended. Even maintaining that position for just a few minutes would guarantee his special promotion.
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“Oh, really?”
To have thought that far—how commendable.
At that moment, Hei’s Mob buzzed incessantly.
It seemed that students outside the rankings were continuously sending him duel requests.
Since Hei had exactly 200 points, they were likely challenging him with hopeful dreams of breaking into the rankings if they managed to win.
“Busy, aren’t I? Anyway, if I just beat Nohill Hapert on Friday, the three of us can move up to Class 3 together, right?”
“Of course.”
“I can’t wait—for the three of us to be in Class 3.”
Hei’s heart was already halfway there.
And it was no wonder—compared to Lamic Vir, Nohill Hapert was not a mountain but a hill.
After that, I left the dormitory with Hei, and he headed straight for the dueling grounds.
“Good luck, Hei.”
“Yeah! Toward Class 3!”
After a string of victories, Hei had become more confident, lively, and dignified than before.
Draco Tyrant turned his gaze away from the sealing stone and looked up at the full moon hanging in the sky, lost in thought.
The Underworld was already under his control, just as he desired.
But even after scouring the Mage District for months, he hadn’t found a single building or person connected to Archis Eimer.
‘Two heads of families who lost their memories… That’s definitely Linking. But… there shouldn’t be any mages left who can use it.’
No one understood that better than the one who had once experienced it himself.
Even before he became the Archmage, Draco Tyrant had known only one other mage capable of using Linking—
His teacher, the Archmage of that era, Archis Eimer.
Yet now, three hundred years after Archis Eimer’s disappearance, another mage using Linking had appeared.
A mere Class 1 student of the Ed Branch School.
It sounded absurd, but if there existed some secret faction or family connected to Archis Eimer, it was at least possible.
Still, just as no one is truly spotless, no secret remains hidden forever. If one searches with enough intent, some trace is bound to be found.
And yet, after all these months, he hadn’t uncovered a single clue—that was what truly defied reason.
Then, an idea suddenly came to him.
“Gatekeeper.”
When he quietly called for the Gatekeeper, his voice, deepened by the surrounding darkness, sounded even more ominous.
“Yes, my Full Moon.”
“Summon Daemon and Ignito. Right now—to the top.”
“As you command, my lord.”
The Gatekeeper immediately took out another Mob upon receiving the order.
“This is a summons from the Full Moon. Both of you are to report to the top immediately.”
– Captain of the Royal Guard, Lamic Daemon, reporting.
– Vice Captain, Draco Ignito, reporting.
The two men’s voices echoed in succession before the connection ended.
They were the Captain and Vice Captain of the Archmage’s elite guard under Draco Tyrant’s command.