Magic Survival was the highlight of the Academy Battle, but the number of students allowed to participate was inevitably limited for each academy.

Stella Academy consistently produced a higher number of participants each year, with sometimes as few as five and as many as seven participants.

If the story had followed the original game's progression, there would have been nearly ten participants this year.

However, due to some twist in the plot, Stella's Magic Survival participants were limited to just seven this year.

Of course, even this number was significantly higher compared to other academies.

Still, as the magical society hosting the Academy Battle conducted internal evaluations of the participants, there were no objections regarding fairness.

It was Stella, after all.

For that reason, this situation was accepted.

Kwak!

Kurrung!

Shya...!

Dark clouds gathered, and a downpour began.

It was a climate change manipulated through the virtual reality control of Stella Dome.

Midway through the game, the survival area had significantly narrowed down.

Second Year, Class S, Denmark.

"Haha, what an entertaining duel."

"Ugh... damn... it..."

He looked at the student from another academy lying in front of him and laughed heartily.

With an extraordinary muscular build, he was renowned for being a specialist in magical hand-to-hand combat, making him a formidable one-on-one fighter.

Most opponents would go out of their way to avoid facing him.

Well, if they couldn't avoid him and ended up facing him, they'd end up eliminated like this.

[KILL! Denmark → Merilde]

As he was eliminated and expelled from the area, the student named Merilde left behind some parting words.

"Damn Stella bastards..."

As he turned into light and disappeared, Denmark scratched his head nonchalantly.

"Well, I didn't do much."

Stella was notorious for sending powerful winners into the fray each year, so for Denmark, making his first appearance this year felt somewhat unfair.

[57/100]

As the competition had only reached the mid-stage, numerous students had already been eliminated.

In the early stages, clashes were more frequent due to the higher probability of encountering enemies.

However, as it progressed into the mid to late stages, kills became less frequent.

Participants who had finished farming artifacts would quietly find their positions and lurk.

"Ugh, the boring time has come."

For Denmark, it was indeed a dull period.

Fighting, more fighting!

Isn't that what a Survival Tournament is all about?

He found it really boring to use geographical features, boast about winning strategies while hiding, and just aiming for the opportunity to win.

For this reason, Denmark studied strategic tactics.

To defeat opponents?

No, not at all.

It was genuinely for a simple reason.

'To find out where the little rats might be hiding.'

In Denmark’s mind, it was already vividly clear where those sneaky guys, like mice, might be hiding.

"Oh, interesting things seem to be happening."

Since he sensed a skirmish starting in a nearby town, Denmark wasted no time and headed towards it.

There was nothing as exciting and enjoyable as intervening in a chaotic battle!

If you really want to win in a battle royale, there was one thing you must avoid at all costs – going on a rampage alone.

While the rule generally states that participants should fight alone, when a powerful common enemy appears, participants often form an unspoken alliance to exclude that threat.

This unwritten alliance was also a reason why those labeled as 'strong candidates for victory' oddly never managed to win every year.

Baek Yu-Seol.

He was particularly one of the strong candidates for victory.

The Academy Battle required participants to be at least seventeen years old.

However, the average age of participants was usually eighteen or older, considering that it took at least a year or more to accumulate practical experience for real battles.

For this reason, Baek Yu-Seol, who participated in Magic Survival at the young age of seventeen, naturally attracted attention.

It was especially so since this competition was where the most intense and fierce battles took place.

"Is he completely insane?"

Hana Bonyu, a novice from the Master Descartes Academy, couldn't hide his bewildered expression as he looked at Baek Yu-Seol, who engaged in the battle far away.

He was already anticipating intense pressure in the later stages, but to create such chaos in a densely populated town was quite surprising.

"Moreover... isn't that blatant bullying?"

Teaming up was not only a violation of the rules but also one of the most disliked behaviors by the audience.

It made the games less interesting.

Although there were cases of public enemies being eliminated first through concentrated attacks, blatantly attacking together to eliminate an opponent was strictly prohibited.

What was even more amusing was...

'Why can't those three capture one person?'

Magic related to magnifying vision required special characteristics, and unless one possessed magical sight, it was impossible to use it.

Therefore, it was impossible to grasp the situation there at a glance.

'Even so, isn't he alone?'

Thud!

A loud explosion echoed as Baek Yu-Seol soared into the sky, but soon after, the sound of a teleportation spell was heard, and he descended back to the ground.

"... Quite impressive."

A mage who controlled Flash.

Even a high-level archmage couldn't perform such a feat.

Baek Yu-Seol suddenly appeared on the rooftop of the building on the left, then rushed out from a collapsing bridge on the opposite side, or flew from the window frame below.

Baek Yu-Seol demonstrated a mobility which gave off the illusion as if several people were moving at once.

He dominated his opponents one sidedly.

Whirrrr...!

While absentmindedly watching the battle, a sudden gust of wind swept in.

"Ugh, what is this...!"

An unusual air current.

Hana Bonyu, who had confirmed that Baek Yu-Seol and three Stella students were hiding in different buildings, quickly concealed himself inside a cave.

Natural disaster.

Also known as the 'Railnadze’s Tsunami.' It was a unique phenomenon caused by the collision of magical energy and vitality in a special location.

While it didn't happen at any time, in Magic Survival, natural disasters were scheduled to occur at specific times, requiring participants to evacuate in advance.

Crackling! Crackling!

A moment later, a tremendous lightning storm swept through the outside.

While it didn’t cover the entire field, the town where Baek Yu-Seol was fighting was sufficiently engulfed.

When a natural disaster struck, hiding was the standard practice.

By now, they would have stopped the battle...

[KILL! Baek Yu-Seol → Kamaren]

"...Huh?"

At that moment, a sudden kill log message appeared.

"Wh-what’s this? Unfortunately, they hid in the same building...?"

In a one-on-one situation, it would be impossible to fend off Baek Yu-Seol, so it was entirely possible.

However...

[KILL! Baek Yu-Seol → Keizenain]

[KILL! Baek Yu-Seol → Miron]

Baek Yu-Seol’s kill logs appeared successively, meaning he had defeated every opponent who had attacked him.

'How?’

According to common sense, this was entirely incomprehensible.

Railnadze's Tsunami was still raging outside...?

As the size was enough to cover the entire nearby area, Baek Yu-Seol wouldn't be able to move easily.

Yet, how did he find and kill opponents hiding in different buildings?

Whoosh...

A moment later, as the Railnadze’s Tsunami subsided, Hana Bonyu swiftly darted outside.

Perhaps there could be another battle, but overcoming this intense curiosity was more than enough to let go of any desire for victory.

He swiftly rushed, and arrived at the town where Baek Yu-Seol and three opponents were engaged in combat, but...

"... Gone."

There was nothing left there, only the lingering traces of battle.

Suddenly, cheers from the stadium outside could be heard all the way up there.

To defeat those who had caused annoyance by teaming up and employing all sorts of fouls, Baek Yu-Seol must be the subject of enthusiastic shouts from the audience by now.

"Ugh, is Stella going to be the protagonist again this year...?"

Those Stella guys were unpleasant in many ways.

After all, the three boys who attacked Baek Yu-Seol were also Stella Academy students.

Why does Stella always choose annoying actions?

From the beginning, the title 'World's Best Magic Academy' never sat well.

'... Since it's come to this, how about trying to kill Baek Yu-Seol instead of aiming for victory?'

Even if Baek Yu-Seol managed to get 10 kills, he would be physically exhausted, and his supplies would be depleted.

In contrast, by conserving energy, Hana Bonyu gathered equipment and supplies, so he could fight in peak condition immediately if a battle were to occur.

Anyway, since Baek Yu-Seol was already presenting a splendid one-man show, winning had become meaningless.

Then, how about stealing the spotlight by killing Baek Yu-Seol?

'No matter how good Baek Yu-Seol is, he will reveal weakness!'

From that moment, Hana Bonyu began to chase Baek Yu-Seol.

Since he left such noisy traces while moving, pursuit was not difficult.

Battles occurred everywhere he went, and each time, Baek Yu-Seol secured a kill.

He often visited densely populated areas where it was challenging to hide secretly, causing quite a headache.

"Hmm?"

Chasing Baek Yu-Seol while maintaining a reasonable distance, Hana Bonyu discovered something quite strange.

"What is that...?"

Tap, tap...

Black flames were engulfing the field.

However, rather than the feeling of something burning, it felt like the flames were burning the space itself.

Strange.

Since the Magic Survival stage was implemented like reality, the magic used here also had effects similar to reality.

Fire burned wood.

It could be extinguished by water.

Fire did not light well on stones, and was at odds with lighting.

Just like that, normal interactions which occurred in reality needed to happen for things to be normal.

That dark red flame felt as if it was burning the magic of this virtual space itself.

Upon closer inspection, a feeling emerged that beyond the peeled space, 'reality' could be faintly seen.

‘No way, did he magically peel off the Stella Dome?’

As it was a space created by the Class 9 mage Eltman Eltwin, it might not easily collapse with those flames, but a strange sense of fear filled his chest, considering that it burned the virtual space itself.

How powerful of a magic would be required to burn a virtual space?

No, there was only one case where that was possible – a Dark Mage.

In virtual space, only Dark Mages could exert their power.

However, even if that was the case, it didn’t make sense.

Could any insane Dark Mage carry out a terror act in the Academy Battle where the attention of the mages was focused?

… But thinking like that, he corrected himself.

From the beginning, the mental state of Dark Mages should not be evaluated based on the standards of ordinary people.

In the pursuit of desire, there was one who explosively destroyed an entire building just to kill one person in the middle of the city.

There was also one who created disturbance to tarnish the honor of a magic tower before committing suicide.

They were beings completely devoid of human emotions.

For the sake of joy and pleasure, it seemed like life didn't matter to them.

Those were the Dark Mages.

'Keep calm.'

If a Dark Mage had really entered the Magic Survival, Stella would undoubtedly have noticed.

Despite being dangerous, annoying, and detestable... It was the world's best magical institution.

'I should retreat for now. I don't know who the user of the crimson flame is, but there's no reason to get closer. That's just a human's instinctive intuition.'

At that moment.

"Aaah!!"

Beyond the flickering flames, screams of someone echoed.

Unknowingly, when he checked that place, a girl was crawling on the ground with flames on her body.

And, another boy chased that girl.

He had a strange hairstyle which resembled flames, and he was holding crimson flames in both hands.

"Hahaha, why run away? Does it hurt? You guys are magic warrior students. This should be bearable, right?"

"Ugh, uh, agh...!"

The girl with crimson flames on her body appeared to be genuinely in pain. Even her entire face was covered in tears and snot.

'What's that...'

It was an unbelievable sight.

She felt pain inside the virtual space.

Unthinkable. Hana Bonyu instinctively confirmed the mage's name tag who wielded the crimson flames.

'Berenkal.'

A name he had never heard before, an unfamiliar uniform. And... an alien gaze.

Just by feeling the pressure of magic, it was clear.

'The opponent is a predator. At least, Level 5 Danger.'

Facing a Level 5 Danger Dark Mage, it would require the presence of several professional magic warriors.

'I need to help...'

If not, the girl bathed in flames might really die.

‘But.’

‘…. Would anything change if I helped?’

Hana Bonyu achieved Class 4 when he turned nineteen this year, and his skills were at a level where he could use them quite proficiently, yet demonstrating his abilities in one-on-one combat was quite challenging.

Even if he rushed at that Dark Mage in this state, it would just be suicidal.

As Hana Bonyu hesitated while hiding behind a rock, Berenkal sneakily pursued the fleeing girl.

"Oh, are warriors so scared? Huh? Stand up properly and fight. Aren't you a magic warrior? You exist for the purpose of fighting against Dark Mages. Why are you acting like this despite that?"

It sounded like he was talking to himself, but Hana Bonyu couldn't do anything about it.

"Grr...."

Originally, not everyone attending the Magic Warrior Academy necessarily faced Dark Mages.

The majority were students like Hana Bonyu, who aimed to build a career in a safe and good job after obtaining the prestigious elite magic academy’s graduation certificate.

He never thought he’d encounter a Dark Mage in his life.

'What should I do...'

While trembling, he tried to think of a solution with his hands clenched over his mouth.

Suddenly, a rough sensation passed by his side.

Immediately after, Bang!!

With a loud noise, accompanied by a roaring sound, a thick fog rose in the place where the Dark Mage was standing.

A moment later, the fog gave away to reveal the silhouette of none other than Stella Academy's second year Class S student, Denmark.

As the responsible instructor emphasized memorizing the faces of strong candidates for victory, it was instantly recognizable.

"Haha, I felt a suspicious vibe, so I came to check... There really was a suspicious guy using suspicious magic, huh?"

Thump!

Thump!

As Denmark spoke, Berenkal had retreated far away, and he was dusting off his body.

Although it appeared like a powerful collision had occurred, there were no major injuries on his body, apart from a small scratch.

"Well, this is... I was going to hunt Baek Yu-Seol before he is eliminated by others. But look what's come my way? Hmm! Your body is muscular, so there won’t be much taste!"

The opponent was a Dark Mage.

Moreover, a very strong Dark Mage.

Anyone who saw this situation would inevitably notice the fact as long as they had a head.

However... even after knowing that fact, Denmark leisurely chuckled.

'It can't be true....'

‘He's going to lose.’

Denmark was only a year younger than him, but he already heard that he achieved Class 4.

While he was undoubtedly a talented individual, he couldn’t defeat Berenkal alone.

Even if he knew this fact better than anyone, how could he be so relaxed?

"Hmph...."

Glancing at the girl behind him, Denmark reached out his fist.

Thud!

When he did, a sharp spear shot out from his fist, penetrating the girl's chest directly.

"Ah...."

As Denmark’s magic didn't make her feel pain, the girl closed her eyes with a peaceful expression and soon turned into light.

[KILL! Denmark → Ban Yurin]

Now that she had been eliminated, the mages waiting outside quickly noticed her injuries.

There might be some lingering effects, but... if she received magical treatment, she could survive.

"Hah, what are you doing now?"

"Well, I just did what a magic warrior should do. Now that there are no obstacles, let's enjoy each other."

Eventually, he added, clashing his fists together.

"By the way... I've never once fallen since I was born."