[Moving to the battleground 'Ruined Lands Under Rain' shortly.]

The characteristic announcement of Stella Dome hummed in their ears, and in a blink, they were transported to the ruins.

Flash!

When they opened their eyes, a dilapidated ruin stretched out in front of them. A control tower that seemed out of place stood tall, flanked by smaller guard towers arranged in formation.

"Oh, so this is the battleground," Aizel said, tapping the ground lightly and bringing a hand to her waist. She instinctively reached for her staff but found nothing there.

"Oh."

It finally dawned on her that all weapons needed to be purchased from the shop within the battleground.

“You can open the shop at the control tower. At the start, you receive 1,500 mana, so buying a staff and a mana stone is standard practice.”

Weapons for casting magic and mana are, of course, essential.

After confirming that each had purchased a wand, staff, and mana stones, Pulleim continued her explanation.

“As you read in the strategy book, upgrading items like robes and boots is as important as upgrading your staff.”

Although they had memorized the types of items, understanding which item was optimal in which situation was still a mystery.

They lacked actual gameplay experience.

“Next, we need to choose spells. It’s best to pick only one powerful spell, like what we’d call an ‘ultimate,’ since the stronger the spell, the longer its cooldown. You can’t use it frequently.”

“A spell you can use only once per battle but that can change the game?” Haewonryang asked, and Pulleim nodded.

“Exactly. Sometimes, strategies involve using two or three ultimates, but that’s rare. It’s inefficient. After selecting your main spell, there’s one essential spell everyone must choose.”

“The shield spell, right?” 

The spells they could use were limited. While *all spells* were allowed, including shield spells, this led to the first major issue.

“Yuseol, what about you? What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean?” 

Baek Yuseol showed his spell registration slot to Pulleim.

Only one spell—*Blink*.

That was all he had.

“Hmm... Are you sure you'll be okay without a shield? It’s one of the essential spells, and it can make or break a battle.”

“Well, I'll just try not to get hit.” 

Without a basic shield, being exposed to magic could mean being instantly defeated.

The only saving grace was that items for defense existed, albeit with long cooldowns, and upgrading robes would incrementally increase base defense.

However, investing more resources in defense rather than offense was already a disadvantage. 

As an offensive dealer, investing in defense meant sacrificing attack power.

Even as she tried to reassure herself with, “He’s Baek Yuseol; he’ll manage,” his expression didn’t inspire confidence. He didn’t seem sure of his own skills in this setting.

‘Plus, he can’t use *Blink* freely in the arena...’

While he could use *Blink* unlimited times in real life, in the arena, he needed to consume a set amount of mana for fairness.

Moreover, as an offensive dealer without any combat spells to take down opponents quickly...

No matter how capable Baek Yuseol was, the penalties he faced in the arena were significant.

‘Now that I think about it...’

Pulleim realized how foolish she was to be so confident in victory. All the conditions that made them powerful in reality were useless here.

‘So that’s why...’

Gayurin’s provocation made sense. No matter how powerful they were in real life, Gayurin’s team, trained for limited-resource strategy in the arena, would be far more adept.

“Yuseol, will you be okay?” 

“Yeah. Let’s just play a mock match first so I can get a feel for it.” 

With her host privileges, Pulleim set up the arena system and summoned AI players for the opposing team.

The AI might not perform beyond a certain level, but for novice players, it was still threatening enough.

“I’ll set the AI difficulty to level 1. We’re starting from scratch, after all.” 

Then Mayuseong spoke up.

“Is there a higher difficulty? Why don’t we go with the hardest?” 

“I know you’re excited, but that’s too much. Even pro players struggle with the highest difficulty in Stella.”

“The AI on higher difficulties gets item and mana boosts. The Stella Dome system also grants it 90% accuracy in spellcasting and lightning-fast reflexes. We just can’t outgrow that.” 

“Ah...” 

“Got it? So we...”

Pulleim stopped, sensing an odd atmosphere.

Baek Yuseol, Mayuseong, Haewonryang, and even Aizel were looking at her with gleaming eyes.

“You crazy idiots...”

In the end, Pulleim’s finger moved from [Level 1] to the far-right [Level 12].

“Fine. Don’t blame me if we get completely wrecked.”

Click!

[Level 12 AI has appeared in the enemy team’s base.]

[Match starts in 1 minute.]

[Good luck.]

---

The *League of Spirits* matches at Stella were prestigious, drawing in plenty of outside attention due to their storied history.

As it was one of the most popular sports in the world, outside experts frequently visited Stella to scout promising talent.

While magic warriors had to graduate to become officially recognized, *League of Spirits* players could drop out and go pro at any time.

This year, the academy was brimming with first-year prodigies, and the participation of top-notch talents who were already making waves as magic warriors had drawn the interest of team owners, coaches, and pro players alike.

“Ugh, arrogant brats. It’s disgusting.”

A young pro player sneered, shaking his head.

“There’s always some cocky kid who thinks they’re hot stuff.”

The many officials watching various student practices through monitors immediately knew who he was referring to.

‘He’s bad-mouthing Pulleim’s team.’

‘Can’t blame him.’

Despite being a sport where you didn’t bet your life, *League of Spirits* was often looked down on by magic warriors.

But no matter how trivial they made it seem, they had no idea how intense the battle in *League of Spirits* could get.

Winning required as much, if not more, strategic acumen as a real fight. Yet every year, there were cases of overly confident prodigies diving into the competition.

“Sure, those kids are impressive, but they seem to underestimate *League of Spirits*.”

“Of course. That’s why they act so nonchalant.”

While countless teams were playing their matches, Pulleim’s team was a sight to behold.

They looked clueless as if they’d just arrived at the battlefield for the first time, unsure even of what items to buy, needing a lengthy explanation from their leader.

“They’re clearly underestimating *League of Spirits*.”

To enter the Stella league without even basic practice was sheer arrogance.

While the pros boiled with frustration, team officials scouting for new talent were shaking their heads.

‘That’s a waste.’

‘Ugh. I expected more from these so-called geniuses, but if this is all they prepared... disappointing.’

The next moment, the pros couldn’t hold back their laughter.

[Level 12 AI has appeared in the enemy’s red team.]

An AI opponent. Reserved for complete novices. But the difficulty level was off.

“They don’t even know the proper difficulty settings.”

“A level 12 AI is hard for even high-ranking amateurs to handle.”

“It’s impossible to match their superior items and strategic use of limited spells.”

Those so-called geniuses would be crushed, no doubt.

No matter how powerful they were in real life, the *League of Spirits* battlefield was a whole different story.

“What spells did they choose?”

Only seven spells allowed. One had to be a shield spell, and for those in a knight position, a power-jump type spell was essential, further limiting options.

“Huh?”

Seeing the spells chosen by the five students, the officials couldn’t hide their disappointment.

They had expected the heirloom magic of the Full Moon Tower or unique bloodline spells, but their choices were surprisingly ordinary.

While it made sense not to use bloodline or legacy magic due to high mana costs, those spells could sometimes be game-changers, flipping the match in an instant.

“The only interesting ones seem to be that girl who looks like a middle schooler and Baek Yuseol.”

“Her name’s Pulleim, Coach.”

“Oh, right. The one said to use angelic magic?”

“Yes. She uses spells from elves, dwarves, beastfolk—basically all other races.”

But what did that matter if their available spells were limited?

Still, Pulleim’s spell slots were filled with unusual choices, piquing the officials’ curiosity.

“And that Baek Yuseol... is he really only using one spell?”

“Is he brave or just stupid?”

“I heard he’s got some condition that only lets him use *Blink*.”

“Whatever it is, that’s irrelevant. No matter how great he is in reality, he’s hopeless in *League of Spirits*.”

With only *Blink*, which was solely for mobility, and no offensive spells, Baek Yuseol was nothing but dead weight in the game.

“He’d be better off not playing. Dying just feeds mana to the enemy.”

“True, hah.”

Knowing Baek Yuseol’s reputation, the pros watched intently, hoping he’d suffer a crushing defeat in the game.

Other matches had already faded from their view.

“They’re finally moving. That took long enough.”

*League of Spirits* began with five players spreading across

 three lanes, clearing enemy monsters and protecting their towers.

It wasn’t necessary to kill every monster personally. The allied tower would chip away at their health, and players could last-hit for mana.

Early on, when mana was scarce, this strategy was key... but...

“Pfft.”

“What’s he doing?”

“So much for being a genius.”

Mayuseong, stationed at the central lane that often determined the team’s fate and morale, made a fool of himself right from the start by spamming spells recklessly at mini-monsters.

With limited spells early on, casting magic indiscriminately as soon as it was off cooldown was laughable and marked him as an amateur.

Eventually, he managed to clear the monsters and gain mana but quickly ran out of energy and had to retreat, leaving incoming waves to slam into the tower and putting his team at a resource disadvantage.

“He must be used to endless mana.”

The other lanes were faring a bit better. Pulleim on the top lane attacked aggressively but smartly used the tower’s help. Haewonryang and Aizel on the bottom lane caught on quickly and conserved their mana.

Meanwhile, Baek Yuseol, patrolling the maze-like side lanes of the *Ruined Lands Under Rain* map...

Despite investing zero mana into lane minions, Baek Yuseol dodged monster attacks with uncanny precision and brought them down without taking a single hit.

It was the kind of maneuver that would be impossible without extensive practice.

“What? Has that kid played this before?”

At that moment, team scouts and officials realized something odd about these students. And they were right.

What looked like blind flailing and rule ignorance transformed into active coordination.

Using optimal paths and spells to clear minions, timing waves for offensive pushes, their growth was rapid.

[Blue Team Death!]

But that was their limit.

The Level 12 AI was relentless.

Decked out with superior starting items, it unleashed four spells simultaneously, overwhelming Pulleim’s team.

Unable to gather enough resources, the team was overwhelmed by the AI’s relentless assault.

Pulleim’s team suffered consecutive deaths.

The widening growth gap, toppling towers.

A complete and utter defeat was inevitable.

“See? They’re being crushed.”

“Kind of anticlimactic.”

“If they’d started with Level 1 AI, at least we could gauge their potential. They went too far, too fast.”

“Haha, serves them right. Their egos must be shattered now. They probably realize how out of their depth they are.”

As one by one, the officials snickered and shifted their attention to other matches...

The seasoned pros couldn’t look away from Pulleim’s team, even as it was being thoroughly defeated.

“Why are you still watching that match? Waiting to see them fall apart to the last?”

“No, not exactly...”

One player pointed to Mayuseong’s screen.

“Look at this.”

“Huh. They’re getting crushed.”

“Is that really what you see?”

It was absurd that someone so clueless could be a coach, but the player swallowed his frustration and explained.

“At first, they were taking inefficient trades, losing out in spell exchanges, and taking more damage.”

“Right, even Mayuseong looks pathetic. Still getting pounded.”

“Yes, and that’s strange.”

“What?”

The player continued, “The AI grows at a rate of 10, while they grow at a mere 1. At this mid-point, the gap should be insurmountable.”

“Exactly.”

“But... they’re trading blows at the same level as in the early game.”

“What?”

The gap in power should have meant a one-sided massacre. Yet they were holding their own, as if time hadn’t passed.

“That’s because Mayuseong has fully analyzed the enemy’s pattern. He’s using it against them, countering with maximum efficiency. If it weren’t for the AI’s cheat-like growth rate, they’d be dominating.”

“Hmm...”

The coach thought it over, half-doubting the analysis.

Countering attacks without magic, dodging with movements alone, chipping away at the enemy’s health with minimal mana expenditure—all to land one decisive hit. 

A strategy that seasoned amateurs could pull off, sure.

‘Wait.’

Amateurs?

The realization sent a chill down the coach’s spine.

‘Isn’t this their first game?’

Officials who had overheard turned back to Pulleim’s team. The situation was the same as before.

Pulleim’s team was taking hits, struggling.

But... the power gap should’ve crushed them entirely, yet they were fighting like in the beginning.

“They still don’t have the basics, like placing a radar for vision control.”

Which made it all the more shocking.

“They’re handling it purely on reaction and instinct.”

“But their coordination is a mess. No proper team fights.”

When it came to full-team skirmishes, the coordination was laughable.

They didn’t seem to know each other’s spells, making combos impossible and often interfering with one another.

But in individual combat? Their skills were astonishing.

“This...”

Thoughts raced through the pros’ minds.

Would they win if they played another match against the Level 12 AI? Was there a slight chance they could pull it off?

That was their conclusion.

[Blue Team Defeat.]

When Pulleim’s team’s control tower fell and defeat was declared, the pros watched, eyes bright with anticipation, waiting for the next match.

But they didn’t understand Pulleim’s team at all.

- Whew, so tired!

- Don’t you think we’ve practiced enough?

- No?

- I think we have. Let’s go eat.

- I’m hungry, Yuseol.

- Agreed. Skipping dinner at 7 disrupts my body’s natural rhythm.

- Hey, you maniacs! We’ve only played one round!

- I’m getting spicy pork cutlet and cold noodles. Don’t come if you don’t want to.

- I can’t resist that. I’m coming too.

- Oh! Me too!

And so, the five students disappeared, leaving the arena.

The match ended after just one round.

“...What?”

The pro team officials stared in disbelief at the empty arena.

“What are they...”

They started questioning whether the team was even serious about competing.