Descent of the Legendary Archmage

12 hours had passed since the survival test started.

The current time is 11 PM. The sun disappeared a long time ago, and only the half moon remained, subtly illuminating the pitch black forest.

The mountainous regions in May were quite chilly. It's the type of weather where without mana circulation, you'll freeze to death.

Crackle- crackle-

The firewood crackled in a warm, friendly way.

The sound of the emerald turtle skewers being cooked on the fire was beautiful.

I used that sound as ASMR, closed my eyes and concentrated my mind. I already have my master's robe on. But since there were many eyes watching, I wrapped a suitable cloth over it.

Vrr, vrr, vrr

In an instant, the insides of the robe were filled with highly dense mana. I felt the mana that had reached saturation throughout my entire body as I relieved the fatigue that had built up for the past 12 hours.

'2 hours? That's more than enough time.'

By the way, I'm not circulating my mana like this so defenselessly because I'm stupid.

It's not like I'm an idiot or anything so there would be no way I would wear my master's robe which amplifies the enemy's magic attacks two-fold, without any countermeasures would I?

'This 2-hour grace period's made this test so much easier.'

There's a grace period between 11 PM and 1 AM on the first day where battles are prohibited.

Though of course, this rule doesn't exist in the international standard survival competitions or the Olympiad survival competitions. This is a special rule made only for students.

'As expected, Korea is quite strict with the safety measures.'

The rules should be kept the same as the International or Olympiad's competition rules.

The time is cut in half, and the rules are friendly.

This is why no one from Korea has won a gold medal at the Olympiad yet.

Overseas, starting at 17 years old, they are made to be taught a curriculum that prepares them for the Olympiad and all kinds of international competitions, so of course, there's no way it would be a fair fight.

'To take a step forward on an international scale, the Obelisk Academy will have to change.'

What good is the Obelisk Academy being an internationally prestigious institution in its own right? When it's nothing compared to a real prestigious institution like Harvard's affiliated academy.

'No one here is even dreaming of becoming the best...'

It's really sad.

Even though we have two 8th circle mages.

And even though we have a Magic tower.

If we just put our minds to it, we're bound to be able to reach the next step.

'I wonder if the preconception will change if I win the gold medal.'

I do hope so. Since if Korea's influence grows, the influence of the Magic Shin Clan, Korea's best family, will grow as well.

'Should I aim for other competitions besides the Olympiad as well?'

Something like the Oxford scholarship competition would be nice.

Since mage's like symbols like those. If I win all of them, it'll help when I take off into the world in the future.

It would be good to win everything I can while I'm still enrolled at the academy.

'How many competitions were there for me to participate in again?'

While I had been immersed in my thoughts, the meat had already cooked.

The meat of the emerald turtle on the skewer was a glossy yellow. It looked very tasty with all that fat on it.

“This color's heavenly.”

The meat of most monsters with mana is delicious.

Among them, however, the meat of the emerald turtle is famous for its deliciousness.

I circulated my mana, which was now as easy to maintain as breathing was, as I took a bite out of the emerald turtle skewer.

"Oh..."

The meat is very tender, probably due to there being mana constantly circulating in the shell.

It's definitely delicious.

'It feels like I've come camping alone.'

Since there's no need to worry about an attack. If I just had a tent, then it would literally be camping.

With those thoughts, I continued to eat the emerald turtle skewers.

Rustle-

'Grass?'

I heard the sound of someone coming through the bushes. I silently turned my head towards the bush, though I wasn't on guard.

It's still the grace period, so a fight won't break out.

'It's probably just a student who got drawn in by the smell of the emerald turtle's meat.'

Perhaps a student who was resting nearby could not resist their hunger and approached me. Though what appeared out from the bushes was a combination that was unexpected.

* * *

“Huh? Look what the cat dragged in."

"...Hello?"

Soonchan and Adella.

It was strange how two people who had no relation with each other, other than the fact that they knew me, were there together.

"Why are you two together?"

"Huh? Oh. We were fighting right until the grace period.”

"I see."

During their battle, the grace period occurred, and so a truce was forcibly created. So that's why they were together.

“I thought that maybe you two were cooperating.”

“Are you crazy?"

“As if we would cooperate.”

Soonchan snorted as if telling me to stop saying such nonsense.

“If we were to get caught, we'd immediately be subject to disciplinary action, so we'd have to be crazy to...”

In the Battle Survival Test, cooperation between competitors is prohibited.

Of course, this rule only exists in the Academy's Battle Survival Test and does not exist in international competitions.

"To be fair, Adella wouldn't do something as crazy as that. Though I can't say the same about you."

"Oi. Even I wouldn't do something so stupid.”

For your information, exchanging information with each other during maintenance is not a violation of the rules.

"Sigh. I'm tired."

Soonchan made idle remarks as he slumped down next to me. He then grabbed an emerald turtle skewer that was cooking over the fire.

“But how can you steal so nonchalantly? People would think that I left that piece of meat for you."

"Come on, now. We're too close to not share everything with each other!"

In this test, sharing food isn't that big of a deal. It's not a test that particularly lacks any food so in that regard it’s quite lenient. And in the first place, they give out rations before the test starts.

"...If you think about it this way, the rules really have been changed a lot.”

How can you spare time for maintenance, even food, which is the beauty of survival? How can you have a grace period as well as not having to hunt for food, the charm of these survival tests?

“Then, thanks for the meal!”

Soonchan heartily laughed as he took a bite.

No.

As he tried to take a bite.

"Don't move."

If I hadn't stopped him, he'd have taken a bite full of meat.

“Do I look like a pushover to you?”

How dare he try to take me for a fool.

“Tsk."

Soonchan clicked his tongue.

I really got caught? That's what his expression said.

"Hey man. Why are you like this.”

His expression soon became sly.

"Since when did you become so stingy over just a piece of meat?"

He rubs his hands with an expression that's telling me to ‘Go away’.

“Sigh.

It's not that I'm being miserly over the meat. There's a lot of meat left in the emerald turtle. So much so that even if three people were to eat it there would be leftovers.

Since I'm going to have to bin it anyways, I have no qualms about sharing it.

“How dare you try to pig on the meat I cooked with all my heart.”

It's just a waste of the meat that I grilled perfectly to the best of my ability.

“So while I'm being nice, put down that skewer and cook it yourself. Unless you want to eat your rations."

I laughed softly. Judging by the slight trembling in Soonchan's eyes, it must have been a very scary smile.

"...Tsk. You penny pincher.''

Soonchan, who had given up on robbing my meat, grumbled while pouting.

Then, soon, as if blinded by the splendor of the meat next to him, his eyes lit up.

"Yeah. You can eat that."

As I said, there was a lot of meat. It'd be better to share it around instead of just throwing it away.

"Okay. Thanks. The emergency rations taste like crap."

Soonchan threw the emergency food he had been supplied with and picked up a tree branch that was nearby. He used wind magic to sharpen it, and after making a new skewer he put it on the fire.

“Adella come sit down as well.”

I said this to Adella, who was standing blankly.

"Sorry? Oh..."

Was the conversation between me and Soonchan unusual?

It was as if she was mesmerized.

“Sit down and eat. If we have leftovers I'm going to have to throw them out anyways.”

"Hey! How come you made me cook it myself!"

Soonchan butted in.

“Are you and Adella the same?”

I snorted and handed Adella a skewer.

“Wow, I see how it is. Hoes over bros is what you're saying, huh? I see how it is! Fine!"

Soonchan seemed genuinely hurt.

At the same time, his stomach rumbled. He must be genuinely hungry.

I laughed.

“Hey. Why are you actually getting pissed off?"

I only wanted to mess with him because he slyly sat down next to me and tried to take some meat.

It's not like I genuinely didn't want to share with him.

“Just eat as well. In return, grill the rest of the meat. Cool?"

"Cool."

Soonchan smiled broadly as he took the skewer. And bit in straight away.

“It's good, huh? "

"...The hell is this? Why is it so good?"

His eyes widened into circles.

His expression said that it was much tastier than he had expected it to be.

“Adella, eat before it gets cold.”

"Ah, yes."

Adella, who was still dazed, took a bite out of the skewer that was handed to her. She covered her mouth with one hand as she chewed on it like a bunny.

'Looks like she thought it was good.'

The speed at which her jaw moved was unusual. It was only after she had completely swallowed the food that Adella opened her mouth to speak.

"...This isn't the meat of a honey bear?"

Among the monsters in this test area, excluding the Emerald Turtle, the only monster that can be eaten is the honey bear. So that's why she must've thought that.

"Huh? It's not? I thought that it definitely would be honey bear meat.”

Soonchan seems to have never eaten honey bear meat.

“Do you think that honey bear would taste this good?”

“Then what kind of meat is this?”

“What do you think it could be?”

I looked at both Soonchan and Adella with a playful smile.

"...No way. Could it be the Emerald Turtle?"

Since Adella had probably eaten these kinds of monster meat frequently ever since she was young, she figured out what kind of meat this was at once. And so she must have concluded the only monster of that rank in this test arena was the Emerald Turtle.

"Come on, now. How would it be an emerald turtle..."

"She's right. It's emerald turtle meat."

Soonchan stopped talking for a moment.

Then he turns his head and looks at me.

''She's right?"

"Yeah."

His eyes enlarged like the eyes of a rabbit, and with his mouth wide open, he looked quite ugly.

“So. You killed the Emerald Turtle, is what you're saying?"

"Yeah."

"Holy shit..."

He exclaims, 'Jesus Christ,' as he expresses his genuine surprise.

A guy who has never stepped out of Korea is exclaiming in a foreign language.

"How..."

Adella still had an astonished expression on her face.

"How did you defeat the Emerald Turtle? I've never heard of any mage under the 5th circle defeating one..."

''It was a good matchup for me."

This was the truth. If it had been another C-ranked monster, it would have been difficult. Because the emerald turtle hides in its shell for 6 seconds, I had enough time to observe its magic formula and its mana.

Had the monster not been an emerald turtle, I wouldn't have even thought about attacking it.

“There's no way that the matchup was good for you...”

Adella was speechless with a look of disbelief on her face.

"With only 2 circle magic, you can't even pierce its head. Since your strength is your control, there's no way it would be a good matchup. Just how...”

Come to think of it, today was the first time I had used 3rd circle magic at an official event. Then it would be natural for her to be this surprised.

“Well. It’s not like I can only use 2nd circle magic.”

I gently moved mana. My mana instantly became a flame. And soared into the air.

'3rd circle magic, Burning Impaction.'

This was the short-range 3rd circle magic that Baek Sahyuk used at me in the past.

“I can use 3rd circle magic now."

"..."

Their souls left their bodies.

Their expressions tell me that they're questioning what they just witnessed.

"...You really didn't take any strange drugs, did you?"

Soonchan examines my face.

"No."

"And you didn't implant illegal artificial intelligence?"

This time, he looks behind my neck.

"No, really. You checked last time, right?”

“He's doing this again."

“...I did. Mhm."

Then he smiles again with a mesmerized expression on his face.

“Then what? Did you improve Memorize twofold with that alteration magic or whatever?"

"That's right."

"...How bullshit is that.”

I could feel the sincerity from Soonchan's murmuring.

“Then, did you subdue the Emerald Turtle by attacking its head with 3rd circle magic?”

"Nope. I just pierced its shell.”

"...Sorry?"

"What?"

The two were shocked again.

''Mm. Did I hear wrong?"

Soonchan rubbed his ears. He can't seem to believe what he just heard

"You should've heard well though?"

"Come on, now. I must've heard wrong. So can you tell me again? What did you say you did?"

"I pierced the Emerald Turtle's shell itself and destroyed its heart."

I took a bite out of the meat that had been cooked.

"..."

"..."

They both looked at me in disbelief. As if asking me if what I said made sense.

“If you don’t believe me, then watch the VOD after the test's over. There must have been at least four drones filming me, so you’ll be able to see it from different angles.”

I took another bite of the meat.

Mm. Delicious.

“Ah, I guess you'll see for yourself before then.” I grinned as I gently wiped the fat from my lips.

“After all, we’re going to be fighting tomorrow.”

Tomorrow. When the zone of the training ground is reduced to a 1km radius, we will definitely fight.

“I’ll show you then.”

Just how broken interference magic is.

There was a momentary silence, and then Adella said with a small smile.

"...It's funny."

"What is?"

"No nothing."

“It's just that I was going to say that exact thing.”

"What you were going to say?"

"Yes."

Adella spoke with a slightly more flushed expression than usual.

“I had something I wanted to show you as well.”