Baek Yuseol often found himself pondering, “Why is it always me?”

Standing on the platform, he pulled out his wand, its sleek silver surface familiar in his grip. Although it was called a “wand” here, he’d only ever used it like a hilt for cutting down enemies. Not once had it been used to cast magic in the way most people expected.

“Well, shall we get started?”

Reflecting back, it had always been this way since the first semester. Professors seemed inexplicably drawn to him, often calling him up for demonstrations during practical exercises. One memorable instance was Professor Vareion’s magic defense class, where he’d first learned to deflect or slice through spells.

Situations like this had pushed him forward, becoming a driving force in his development. Still, the question remained: “Why me?”

With a sigh, Baek Yuseol raised his wand, an irritated frown on his face. Scarlet, the new professor, met his look with her signature playful smile, gracefully waving her wand as if orchestrating a performance.

“Seriously… who does she think she is, some kind of Harry Potter?”

No real witch used a wand that way. But as her hand moved, an ominous dark magic circle materialized in the air, radiating an unsettling energy.

“What… is that?”  
“Is that… black magic?”

Somehow, no one seemed to question why an ordinary professor could use black magic. When she introduced herself, she had claimed to be a master illusionist who had extensively researched dark magic, and the students had just believed her.

For the students, her charm spell was likely the main reason for this unquestioning acceptance.

“Black magic, by nature, corrupts,” she announced with a smug tone. “It taints white magic, rendering even shields useless.”

Her nonchalant explanation made Baek Yuseol’s stomach churn, but he kept his gaze steady on the magic circle. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down—a genuine black magic spell might actually pierce his heart if he did.

He swallowed dryly. As he sidestepped cautiously, Scarlet waved her wand once more, whispering the incantation for her spell as if singing a tune.

“The Spear of Ruin…”

The shadowy spear hurtled toward him, and Baek Yuseol swiftly activated his Teliphon sword, slicing the spear in two. But to his shock, the sword’s blade started darkening, slowly overtaken by the black mana.

“What the…?!”

In all his encounters with black magic, he had never seen his weapon become tainted like this. Quickly, he dispelled the mana from his sword before it was fully corrupted.

“Black magic is like a disease,” Scarlet continued with a smirk. “It spreads without warning and can even infect the caster… so be careful.”

With a light chuckle, she waved her wand again, and dozens of similar dark magic circles appeared around her.

“Baek Yuseol, that was an improper defense. Your techniques are getting tainted by black magic. How will you handle this?”

Baek Yuseol’s expression twisted with frustration as he braced himself. In this world, he had learned one of the most effective self-defense techniques:

“Full-speed sprint!”

With all his might, he sprinted across the room, narrowly avoiding the onslaught of shadowy spears that rained down behind him. But some of the spears changed trajectory mid-air, aiming directly at his path.

“Isn’t that… a bit dangerous?”  
“Yeah, it looks risky…”

As even the students grew uneasy, Baek Yuseol grit his teeth and reactivated his Teliphon sword. Could he block it? He had a way, but it required intense focus, something he couldn’t summon in an instant.

He shut his eyes, reaching out mentally to Ihanel, who was resting near the Third World Tree.

*Ihanel… help me.*

The response came not in words, but in a sudden surge of clarity as his mind sharpened, allowing him to activate the Celestial Art breathing technique.

Activating this required immense concentration, but with Ihanel sharing a part of her mind, he could now multitask.

Baek Yuseol opened his eyes, a flash of bright light briefly glinting within them. Noticing his change, Scarlet smiled with fascination.

This time, instead of running, he raised his sword with deliberate precision.

A system prompt appeared: *The derived skill, ‘Focused Concentration,’ from the Yeonhongchun Samwol’s Blessing, is activated.*

With a swift slice, he bisected the shadowy spear, which vanished without leaving a trace of black mana on his blade.

He had accurately targeted a weak point in the magic circle, cutting through the spell without contamination. Scarlet’s eyes widened in surprise. She had only seen one other person display such precision in swordsmanship.

And that breathing technique… It was almost identical to a certain man’s. A mage had no need for such a method to concentrate mana, yet this unique technique belonged solely to one individual throughout history.

*“The Mage Slayer… Ha Taeryeong.”*

With excitement blazing in her gaze, Scarlet launched a series of even more powerful spells, testing Baek Yuseol’s every move. He deflected each attack with his sword, his movements precise and minimal.

“Wh-what is that?!”  
“How is he doing this…?”

The students gasped as Baek Yuseol effortlessly blocked each spell, as if he knew the exact point to strike to neutralize them. Despite his composure, Baek Yuseol was nearing his limit. Maintaining both the Celestial Art and Focused Concentration was nearly impossible to sustain.

*It’s him… just like that man.*  

As if Ha Taeryeong’s shadow hovered behind him, guiding his every move.

Scarlet’s smirk widened as she called out, “Show me more! You haven’t fully replicated his swordsmanship yet, Baek Yuseol!”

Sensing something was wrong, the students watched as Scarlet’s attacks grew faster and more potent. Though Baek Yuseol was blocking them all, even a single misstep would mean serious injury.

Just then, Scarlet unleashed a massive black sphere.

“Ugh…!” Baek Yuseol staggered, his focus wavering.

As he lost his balance, a wall of ice suddenly rose in front of him, blocking the dark magic just in time.

*Crash!*

Baek Yuseol barely managed to regain his footing, the room falling silent. Scarlet halted, staring blankly at the ice wall before turning her head.

“Professor, you’ve gone too far.”

There stood a blue-haired girl, her staff firmly in hand and a resolute expression on her face—Aizel.

“Oh my! Aizel…” Scarlet forced a smile, quickly composing herself. “How courageous of you! Stepping up to protect your fellow student, even at the risk of punishment. Such camaraderie! And you completely blocked my spell.”

The students noticed that the ice hadn’t absorbed any of the black mana, remaining pure.

“Remarkable! But of course, you know I would never harm a student, don’t you? I was prepared to stop in time,” Scarlet said with a light tone, and the students nodded in agreement, reassured by her casual demeanor.

“Both Baek Yuseol and Aizel showed excellent skills today. I think they deserve some points for that. Now, as we move into theory, I have an assignment for you: discover how these students were able to counter the black magic. Class dismissed!”

With the bell ringing, Scarlet swiftly exited the room, leaving the students murmuring amongst themselves.

Aizel hurried up to Baek Yuseol.

“Are you alright?”  
“No.”

“Oh no…” She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief, gently wiping his sweat.

“That was genuinely dangerous,” she murmured.  
“It was. If you hadn’t intervened, I’d be looking at a 12-week recovery,” he replied dryly.

“Th-that bad?”

Aizel had hesitated to intervene, believing Baek Yuseol capable of handling it. But when she saw him falter, her instincts took over, her spell activating on its own. Even though he had warned her not to draw attention just ten minutes earlier, she felt no regrets. Better to draw Scarlet’s ire than to risk Baek Yuseol getting hurt.

“That professor… something is definitely off. Why doesn’t anyone suspect her?”  
“It’s one of her specialties,” Baek Yuseol muttered, dabbing his forehead with Aizel’s handkerchief.

“Now you see why you need to be careful. Even as a temporary professor, she’ll probably stay until the principal returns.”

Though no one knew exactly where Eltemun Eltewin was or why he’d disappeared, Baek Yuseol had a sense that the principal’s absence would be prolonged.

Turning to Aizel, he asked, “How did you block that black magic earlier?”

Scarlet’s black magic was far beyond what a first-year should be able to counter. Even Flame or Mayuseong would struggle without innate advantages.

Aizel hesitated, toying with a strand of her blue hair, gently tapping her foot against a piece of ice.

“To be honest, I don’t really know. It’s the first time I’ve cast magic so quickly without a spell or magic circle… I just… thought I needed to, and the ice appeared.”

Baek Yuseol nodded, satisfied, and walked out of the classroom.

Aizel watched him leave, feeling both proud and frustrated. She sensed she’d unlocked a new ability, yet had no idea what it truly meant. Only Baek Yuse

ol seemed to understand.

*Someday… he’ll tell me,* she thought.  

Baek Yuseol might be silent now, but both Aizel and Hong Biyeon knew that if he ever came to fully trust them, he would share everything, asking them to face destiny together.