With her slightly curly bobbed hair, light freckles, droopy eyes, and dark pupils, Cho Yerin didn’t stand out much. A second-year in Class D at Stella Academy, she had a small stature and an unassuming presence. Although back in her hometown, she was a top student, at Stella, she was neither outstanding nor hopeless—a typical student, just “Student A.”

Her personality was mild, and though she had joined the Magic Warrior track, the idea of casting offensive magic on others unsettled her. Even so, with the expectations of her family, teachers, and friends back home, she couldn’t give up here.

That was when she discovered the *League of Spirits*.

A sport where she could attack others without anyone getting hurt.

Cho Yerin joined the Rios club, drawn to its harmless competition. But even there, she was pushed aside and overlooked, never quite shining.

She spent her days practicing alone, hoping for a team someday. Then, out of the blue:

"Cadet Cho Yerin? Here's your team."

She was assigned to a team called *Maorun White*, comprised of four unfamiliar faces: two boys and two girls. They weren't magic warriors but had joined Stella through technical subject transfers.

"Is this the second-year cadet?"

"Doesn't seem very sharp for someone in the Magic Warrior program."

“Leave her be. As long as she can fight.”

The other four seemed to know each other well and openly ignored her. She, however, decided not to let it bother her as long as she could do her part.

But they clearly found her presence annoying.

“You idiot! Are you even a magic cadet? We lost because of you!”

“Get your head in the game and back us up properly! You know you’re supposed to cover the Ascension Lane!”

“Ugh, useless.”

Insults flew at her constantly.

*It wasn’t my fault,* she thought, *I saw it on the minimap. If you’d paid attention and avoided it, you wouldn’t have gotten hit.* But too timid to speak up, she held her tongue.

Months passed, and nothing changed. Her team continued to ostracize her.

[Defeat! Maorun White Team]

Now, after their second consecutive loss in the school preliminaries, the blame fell squarely on her.

“Ugh, you can’t even defend that spot? How many times did I tell you to run up and back me up?”

“But there was a knight from the other team blocking…”

“So, it’s my fault now? Are you stupid? You know if I tell the instructor, you’re done, right?”

“Th-that’s…”

“Damn it. If that other student had transferred in, we’d have a full team of five, and we wouldn’t have had to use this useless girl.”

“Let’s not talk about that,” another teammate quickly interrupted. Clearly, it was a sensitive topic, though Cho Yerin, lost in her own misery, barely registered it.

*Two straight losses…*

Their chances of advancing were nearly nonexistent. They’d have to win every remaining match to break into the top three, but with their lack of teamwork, it seemed impossible.

If they failed again, Cho Yerin knew she’d have to give up on her dreams of *League of Spirits*.

[Players are advised to wait in the lounge after their match.]

With her head down, she trudged out of the arena, only to stop when a shadow fell over her. She slowly looked up.

At first, the figure was unclear, his bangs partially covering his eyes. But as her gaze focused, her eyes widened.

“Baek Yuseol?”

The boy, taller and more mature than she remembered, wore a name tag that read “1st Year, Class S, Baek Yuseol.”

Cho Yerin swallowed nervously.

Why was the famous cadet suddenly here?

“Hello, Senior,” he greeted.

“M-me?”

“Yes, Cadet Cho Yerin. But why the formal speech?”

“Oh, uh… sorry…”

“No need to apologize.”

*You fool!* she cursed herself. How embarrassing for a senior to act this way in front of a junior.

“Um, this is our second time meeting… right?”

Trying to steer the conversation, she struggled to project an air of seniority, but Baek Yuseol tilted his head.

“Isn’t this the first time?”

“Oh, no. We met once in the cafeteria last semester. I dropped my tray, and you used *Blink* to catch it…”

“Oh.”

*How could you even remember that?* he thought but managed a smile.

“Yes, I suppose we’ve met before, then.”

“Right… so, um, what brings you here?”

“Actually, I came to speak to you, Cadet Cho Yerin. I know your team has lost twice in the preliminaries, right?”

At his words, she looked down, disheartened. Baek Yuseol glanced around, then leaned in closer.

“Senior, don’t you want to win?”

“What?”

“I see potential in you. You’ve got good judgment and decent combat skills, but you’re held back by your team.”

“I’m not really…”

“Trust me. I’m Baek Yuseol. The genius whose brain practically spins in its sleep.”

“Oh! Right! The greatest genius of all time!”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Um, the school newspaper?”

“Anyway,” he continued, “I have a way for you to win, and I’ll show you how.”

Cho Yerin hesitated, glancing nervously at her team in the corner. They were laughing among themselves, not paying her any attention.

“Are those the Maorun area transfers?”

“Yeah… I’m just a stand-in. They were supposed to have another member transfer in, but he couldn’t, so they got me.”

“Oh, right. That poor guy’s probably rolling away in some endless hamster wheel right now.”

“H-hamster wheel?”

“Nothing. So here’s the plan. You know your next opponents are the Patrice team, right?”

“Yeah…”

“I’ll work out a detailed strategy for you. Try acting independently—go in alone.”

“W-what? If I do that…”

“You’re afraid they’ll be angry with you? Who cares? Weren’t you already thinking about leaving if your team lost again?”

“Ah…”

Baek Yuseol’s words struck a chord. Her mind went blank as she processed his spot-on assessment.

“If you fight as usual, you’ll lose anyway. So why not take a gamble and try things my way?”

She bit her lip, still hesitant.

“If I go off alone… will they follow?”

“They will. You’re still part of the team, and they know how crucial each member is. Right now, they’re probably even more desperate to win than you are.”

“I see…”

To her, it didn’t make sense, but Baek Yuseol was confident. If her team didn’t qualify, those dark mages would likely face dire consequences.

“Me, leading a fight…”

She seemed nervous. For the first time, she’d be initiating a battle. Both her team and she would be unfamiliar with it.

But they could win.

*Cho Yerin was never meant to be on this team in the first place.*

In the original story, she had been part of a stronger team, serving as a natural strategist who led them to victory. Yet due to a twist in the story, she ended up on the dark mages’ team, unable to reach her full potential.

Once she came to her senses, her team’s chances of winning would increase significantly.

“Now, here’s the breakdown…”

Baek Yuseol went through the strategies for each of her upcoming opponents, meticulously analyzing each detail. Though it took a while, Cho Yerin understood everything he said, quickly realizing the value of the information he was giving her.

“But… why are you helping me? We’re supposed to be competitors.”

It was true. Why would he suddenly show up and help her?

But giving a serious answer would only arouse suspicion.

“Well, helping others is what I do. Anyway, good luck. Go all the way to the finals.”

With that, Baek Yuseol disappeared, and Cho Yerin clutched her notes to her chest.

“I’m going to win too!”

She was tired of always losing.

Now that she was at Stella, it was time for a change.

“Let’s do this!”

Her quiet cheer barely reached above a whisper, but as she nervously looked around, she ducked her head and shuffled away.

Some things, like her shyness, wouldn’t change overnight.

---

“So, you went and helped another team?” Aizel asked incredulously as she watched Baek Yuseol eating his bread.

“There were reasons for it.”

“Hmph. You always have your reasons, but skipping dinner, practically our team’s meeting time, to help another team…”

“It doesn’t matter. Our team won’t face them in the tournament.”

Aizel’s frustration eased slightly.

If they did face Maorun White, Baek Yuseol would probably have persuaded Pulleim to intentionally lose.

However, it wasn’t as simple as throwing a single match. Maorun White’s record was already poor.

Luckily, the heavens seemed to favor them, as a future star player like Cho Yerin was on their team.

With a bit of guidance, Maorun White would now have a good chance of winning.

*That would mean…*

Baek Yuseol would have fully completed Professor Reidin’s request, securing his agreement to help Anella transfer.

“We’ve already earned plenty of points, anyway,” Pulleim said, stretching her arms.

More importantly, their next match was against Gayurin’s *Emerald Stella Team*.

In the original story,

 Aizel faced Gayurin and ultimately overcame her, symbolizing personal growth. However, in the game adaptation…

Pulleim went on a destructive rampage.

The Rios segment focused more on the protagonist’s action scenes than on emotional arcs with other characters.

“Oh, the next match is starting,” Aizel said, making Pulleim and Baek Yuseol look up.

[Emerald Stella vs. Today’s Members]

Both were strong teams with reasonable chances of advancing, but Pulleim and Baek Yuseol could predict the outcome.

“Gayurin’s side will lose.”

“Really? I thought the Emerald Team was stronger…”

“Yeah, but they’ll lose.”

He didn’t explain why.

Gayurin would make a mistake, leading her team to defeat and setting up a desperate situation where they’d have to face Pulleim’s team.

[Victory! Today’s Members]

[Defeat! Emerald Stella Team]

As expected, Gayurin’s solo play led to her team’s defeat. Now, if they lost one more match, their hopes of advancing would be dashed.

Crushing that hope was part of the protagonist’s role.

Of course, this mattered more to Pulleim than Baek Yuseol. But at that moment…

[Maorun White vs. Black Circus]

Cho Yerin, clutching her staff nervously, faced her four grim-looking dark mage teammates. Their faces suggested they knew this match was their last chance too.

*They’ll win.*

Watching Cho Yerin step forward confidently as the match began, Baek Yuseol was sure of it.

---

**Hawol Plain, Lotus Inn**

“Here are last year’s test questions. This is the mock exam compilation for this year. Here’s a spellcasting manual, a solution book, and a collection of essays on multidimensional perspectives in magical architecture theory. This year’s essay topic, so study up.”

*Thump! Thump! Thud!*

As the stack of thick books grew, Anella stopped her studies, staring blankly at the mounting pile.

“That should be enough. I have errands to run, so I’ll be off.”

“Wait a moment!”

Anella quickly stopped the maid, who looked back, puzzled.

“Need anything? Orange juice? Candy?”

“I’m not a child…”

It stung her pride.

Though Anella had been granted lodging at *Jelliel’s Starcloud Trading Company* thanks to Baek Yuseol’s request, and though she appreciated the opportunity to study…

The lessons were moving too fast.

Way too fast.

“You’re aiming to transfer this year, right? Miss Jelliel took Baek Yuseol’s request seriously, so she’s set a tight schedule. Oh, and a Stella alum will be tutoring you soon. He’s young, but since he needed a lab, she convinced him to teach you.”

With a playful grin, the maid disappeared, leaving Anella to slump in despair.

“I hate studying…”

Why had she thought becoming human would bring a “happy life”?

She’d imagined herself frolicking in nature, butterflies and squirrels by her side. Now that all seemed childish.

Humans, it turned out, were a species that studied and worked endlessly just to survive.

“Ughhh…”

It felt like her very soul was draining away, but she could almost picture Jelliel yanking her back to her studies.

She knew Jelliel would stop at nothing to get her into Stella.

“Save me…”

Somewhere within the Lotus Inn, Anella’s despairing voice could be faintly heard. But with Lady Jelliel keeping her hidden, no one could discern the source of the sound.

A pity.