Chapter 272

In the underground arcade space of the Aquila Hotel, children in casual clothes and school uniforms were intermingled.

Among them, a group led by Name was also wandering around.

The somewhat dim lighting and the mirror ball spinning from the ceiling gave off a distinct vibe of an illegal arcade.

“Look, it’s the punch machine!

“The high score is 9570 points… Wow, how do you even beat that?”

“Name is too short to reach it, right? You can’t even touch it, haha.”

“…”

“Hey, don’t tease Name! Name, let’s go check that out over there.”

Yuna, holding Name’s small puffed cheeks, led her around the place.

Since it was only the first day, there wasn’t much sign of competition between the Seviron and Altear students.

Especially among the younger students, awkwardness prevailed over competitiveness or hostility, creating an atmosphere where they avoided bumping into each other.

“There are too many people here and there…”

Iharu said with a gloomy expression.

Popular attractions like bowling, air hockey, and pool were all occupied by someone at every station.

Meanwhile, Name, after licking the soft serve ice cream she got from a vending machine with her tiny tongue, offered her opinion.

“Want to go watch the duel? My legs hurt from walking too long.”

“Are you tired? Guys, Name says she’s tired!”

“Hey, there’s an open spot over there. Let’s hurry before someone takes it!”

Various lengths of practice wands were available on the wand rack.

The upper-grade elementary students who had secured the entrance were gathering their wands and entering the training hall.

“I think they’re sixth graders.”

“Are they from our academy? I can’t tell since they aren’t in uniforms.”

“Chomp.”

“Hey, Name, can I have a lick of your ice cream too?”

“I already ate it all.”

“Ah!”

Worried that her snack might be taken away, Name quickly finished the remaining ice cream while hiding behind the crystalline barrier that provided a barrier against small and large projectiles.

Yuna pouted a little, but Name’s promise to buy her another one later eased her mood.

Beeep-!

In the meantime, a sound signifying the start of the duel echoed.

Crackle-crackle-

A female student cast an electric spell with her wand, shooting it directly toward the male student who was charging forward.

As imposing as the lightning may be, it didn’t descend in a straight line, and her magic branched out into dozens of tendrils.

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“If he takes a direct hit, the barrier will break in no time.”

“What kind of magic is that, Name?”

“It’s probably just a basic arc discharge spell.”

“Then who do you think will win?”

Name lowered her head.

Without long contemplation, she spoke in a dry tone.

“I don’t know. Honestly, both of them are about the same in skill.”

It was clear that no matter how outstanding the children’s skills were, they didn’t meet Name’s standards.

“They look like they’re fighting really well, though…”

“Moving quickly isn’t everything. There shouldn’t be any unnecessary movements.”

“No Name, can you tell me what exactly is unnecessary movement?”

The sharp question from Shin Si Hoo cut in, making Name chuckle lightly.

She scooted closer to Si Hoo and added her explanation.

“Look closely. First, the steps are the issue. While the electric magic is being cast, rushing in like that guy is generally the way to go. But as he gets closer to the magic circle, his strides get shorter, and he starts making more small movements, right? He’s instinctively trying to dodge the magic, but it’s actually a foolish move. It might just make things worse.”

“Ohhh…”

“And once they’re close, they should either break the spell, pin the caster down, or disrupt the magic from close range, but they’re just doing a hitting contest, which means he’ll end up taking damage from the electric magic and be left in a poor position.”

“So according to you, Name, that girl should win easily, right?”

“Well, it’s hard to say until it’s over.”

“Why?”

The moment Name finished her explanation, the female student seemed unable to withstand the continuous hits and abandoned her guard, stepping backward.

Her back hit the cushioned wall.

Seizing the opportunity, the boy leaped without hesitation.

“Ghhhaaaah!”

The boy’s right hand and left foot blazed with red flames.

“Looks like that settles the match. That guy won.”

Clang-!

The sharp sound echoed as the barrier broke away.

The fist filled with aura directly hit the girl’s face.

As the girl barely regained her composure and tried to reconstruct the remaining barrier, the boy spun in the air and extended his long legs.

A 720-degree spinning kick.

Boom-!

The girl’s body bounced a couple of times before flying off.

“Yay, I defeated Pikachu! How does my fiery fist taste? Spicier than spicy chicken noodles? It must hurt a lot!”

The boy who had won the duel taunted her, and she let out a frustrated sound.

“Just wait! I’ll definitely turn you into a grilled electric chicken next time!”

“Yeah, right. Not even a little bit, right? Doesn’t hurt at all, does it?”

“Hey! Let’s have another match!”

“Hey, wait! We have to properly educate the little one who runs away without apologizing, don’t you think?”

The duel between the sixth graders seemed to end rather anticlimactically.

“We should start brushing our teeth soon… Huh?”

Just as Name was about to get up, the boy who had just won the duel ran up to the spectator area and blocked her friends’ way.

“Hey, second graders! Did you enjoy the duel?”

The boy, narrowing his eyes, asked with a bright smile.

“Yes, it was awesome!”

Name’s innocent friends nodded in unison, praising him.

“But didn’t someone just call us average and foolish earlier…? Did you hear that?”

“Um…”

“Who dared to say that to a senior? It can’t just be my imagination. Come over and confess. If you drag this out, I’ll really get mad.”

“I said it.”

Name stepped forward.

The boy looked down at Name, who held her head high.

Even though it was the age where seniors are usually intimidating, the boy frowned at her unexpectedly confident demeanor.

“Okay. What is it that the genius from Seviron Academy found so lacking?”

“If we were to list everything from one to ten, it would be endless. I didn’t say it with bad intentions, so don’t misunderstand.”

“Really? Then would you tell me? I’m truly curious.”

The boy tossed a crystal ball key to Name.

It was a silent pressure to follow him to the training hall.

“No Name, you know, you’ve been on TV a lot lately, and now you seem really full of yourself. Were you always like this since you were born?”

“I’ve heard those kinds of things a lot.”

“This morning in the assembly hall too. I saw the seniors, but you just passed by without a greeting, staring blankly. Don’t you know the academy rules?”

“What are you talking about?”

Name took out the smallest wand and placed her hand on the crystal ball.

Her head tilted slightly.

“I’m seeing you for the first time today. You’re not from Altear Academy, are you?”

* * *

I quietly closed my eyes and focused on my body and mind.

Gold-colored mana swirled within my larger aura heart, flowing through my body.

Currently, my body was like a glass cannon.

Well, if I were to compare it to a game character, it would be similar to Arsteria, who I often used.

I was compensating for my physical frailty with the delicate manipulation of aura, but I wasn’t sure where my limits lay.

‘Am I feeling anxious right now?’

Maybe so.

Sometimes, a vague sense of anxiety washed over me, making me wonder if I might be overpowered by someone and ultimately killed.

What if someone choked me while I was sleeping?

Could I resist adequately against someone with ill intentions toward me?

No matter how much erosion attracts mana limitlessly, I wasn’t sure how long my body could hold out.

These questions might be excessive paranoia when living in modern society.

But trauma is often hard to suppress with rational thought alone.

Unless I can let go of my obsession with always becoming stronger than others, I will continue to chase an illusion of strength.

I honestly don’t want to do that.

But unfortunately, I can’t seem to stop until someone stops me.

Me, the princess, and even Name are cowards.

[Cast: Arc Discharge]

Arc discharge magic can be easily built if you know Kirchhoff’s second law and Maxwell’s equations.

The boy on the opposite side walked toward me, fists igniting with blue flames.

“You can use the same electric magic as Jimin? Impressive!”

“Sometimes I get scared of myself. I wonder what I’m doing with my life. I also think about how it would have been if I had completely forgotten the past and lived a normal life.”

“What the heck are you talking about?”

An eight-year-old child who can solve mathematical conundrums and handle thousands of spells cannot lead a normal life.

Eventually, answering the endlessly spiraling questions leads to the overwhelming inquiry of “why did I reincarnate?”

Once again, I seriously don’t know.

Let’s not think too far ahead just yet.

If I keep supporting the friend in front of me, maybe I can organize my troubled thoughts a little.

I need to finish quickly and buy Yuna ice cream later.