A thick yellow haze of sand settled heavily, making even breathing painful. The mages struggled through the dust, desperately searching for something.

“Cough…!”  
“I found it, Captain!”  
“Where is it?”

At a subordinate’s shout, the mage called captain summoned a gust of wind, clearing a partial view and revealing fragments of a massive fallen monolith.

“This… this can’t be…”

The *Heaven’s Ninefold Seal Formation* (*天下九築防鎭*) was one of the most powerful sealing formations in existence, created to subdue even the mightiest beings. The nine great seal stones, each forged under the hand of a ninth-class archmage, had been further fortified with the aid of the Elf King and Dwarf Emperor, achieving an almost godlike level of perfection.

With such a barrier, it was believed that Tamgal Toiwal would remain sealed for another hundred years. But now, these seal stones lay shattered.

One by one, the mages fell to their knees, faces drained of color. The calamities that Tamgal Toiwal would unleash were unimaginable, utterly insurmountable by any earthly being. Sealing him away was the only option. But an unwelcome visitor had disrupted everything.

The gray-haired man.

At first, they thought he was merely a mysterious mage. Now, however, everyone knew the truth.

He was one of the Twelve Moons—specifically, Hui Gong Siwol, the master of spatial manipulation.

“Captain, why… why would one of the Twelve Moons interfere with us?”

The Twelve Moons were bound by an ancient principle: they did not interfere in each other’s affairs. It was an enormous rule passed down from the Prime Sorcerer.

But today, that rule had been shattered in front of countless witnesses.

“…I don’t know.”

The captain didn’t even want to think about it. Perhaps he was too human to process the magnitude of this catastrophe.

“Captain! We’ve found the archmage!”

The captain, shaken from his stupor by the shout, hurried over, using wind magic to clear the sand around him. Still, the dust was so pervasive that it was difficult to breathe.

After running for a while, he found a young silver-haired boy stumbling near the collapsed monolith. Despite his appearance—barely a high school student at most—he was over 200 years old, an archmage with centuries of experience.

The archmage, Elteman Elthwin, looked up, his expression wearied just as a tremendous tremor rippled across the area.

*Rumble…*

Elteman let out a wry laugh.

“This is… a disaster…”

The seal stones were shattered, and Tamgal Toiwal was on the brink of awakening. And this was his reaction?

“Archmage… what do we do now?”

For a long moment, he held his face in his hands, unable to speak. Those who had always seen Elteman Elthwin, the revered archmage, as the pinnacle of calm and control were struck by his despair.

“For now, I might be able to put him back to sleep temporarily… but he’ll begin to stir in a few months.”

“Then… what are we supposed to do?”

Elteman shook his head, unable to answer.

“I will handle it.”

A calm voice broke the silence, and the mages clutched their chests, feeling a strange comfort. Amidst the yellow sandstorm, a single, serene patch of beauty appeared. Their defender, who had struggled to create even the smallest gap in the sandstorm, was awestruck by what he saw.

In the middle of the harsh, yellow sand, a woman walked serenely as if in an enchanted forest. A breeze of pink cherry blossoms followed her, and wherever she stepped, flowers of all colors bloomed.

“Elven Queen…”

Bringing life to this desolate wasteland as she walked, Ggot Seorin gazed sadly at the fractured seal stones.

“If you give me some time… I’ll try to speak with Tamgal Toiwal.”

Her face was hidden behind a veil, but Elteman could tell that she was struggling to hide her fatigue.

“How?” he asked.

“It’s said in the ancient records that the first Elf King once communicated with Tamgal Toiwal and soothed him. I will try as well.”

“It will be incredibly dangerous. Are you certain?”

Ggot Seorin looked up, her eyes filled with sorrow. As if responding to her determination, the sandstorm calmed, revealing the ancient landscape of the mountain range.

“This place… is home to all faeries. Without the world tree, they cannot survive. I must protect it.”

“…Yes. That’s true.”

If Tamgal Toiwal awakened, there was a real possibility that the world tree itself would fall. Such a loss would endanger the entire continent, as the world tree’s roots supported the heart of Aether.

“Do you have a plan?”

She shook her head.

“I don’t know.”

There were no records of how the first Elf King had communicated with Tamgal Toiwal. After that event, the first king disappeared, leaving no further trace.

But it was thanks to that Elf King’s intervention that the disaster had not occurred.

Though it forced her to take on the throne at a young age, Ggot Seorin held no resentment. Thanks to her ancestor’s sacrifice, the faeries could still live in the world.

“I don’t know exactly how… but I have to try.”

Elteman spoke the words she could not bring herself to say, and she nodded softly, smiling.

“It is my destiny.”

---

Meanwhile, the *Countering Dark Magic* class had become explosively popular among the students, with the classroom packed to capacity each session. It was the ultimate satisfaction for any instructor. However, for Scarlet, it was unlikely that this meant much—she hadn’t come to Stella Academy solely to teach.

Lately, though, Baek Yuseol found himself reconsidering that assumption.

“So, everyone~ Did you understand everything?”

“Yes!”

The students’ enthusiastic response echoed throughout the hall.

Scarlet had a remarkable talent for teaching, and her lessons proved immensely beneficial to the students. Even Baek Yuseol, who knew next to nothing about magic, found himself gaining insights from her teachings.

“Cadet Baek Yuseol? How was today’s lesson? Did you learn a lot?”

After class, Scarlet called him aside, drawing envious stares from a few passing students. Scarlet’s youthful appearance and popularity as a teacher only added to their jealousy.

Baek Yuseol found her frequent requests for private conversations somewhat uncomfortable, but Scarlet seemed unfazed.

“Yes, it was very helpful.”

And he meant it. Both today’s lesson and the previous ones had significantly contributed to his growth.

Baek Yuseol was a Blink mage and, in a way, the last swordsman in this world. But thanks to a unique ability, he was merely *pretending* to be a genius. The truth was, he lacked any real talent.

Born and raised in modern times, he had wielded a sword only briefly. While he was a veteran in dealing with monsters, persona gates, and battling mages, his actual swordsmanship was lackluster.

Ha Taeryeong, a legendary swordsman, had left behind no manuals, no techniques aside from a breathing method. With Scarlet’s guidance, however, he felt himself starting to fill in the gaps in his skill.

Through her teaching, Baek Yuseol realized just how much he had been relying on “half-baked” swordsmanship.

It was like he’d been boxing with one hand tied behind his back.

And now, with Scarlet’s help, he was finally learning to use both hands. The synergy was incredible, accelerating his growth at an unimaginable pace.

“Last week, you struggled with *Clouds of Dawn,* but this week you even endured *Marshalta’s Death.* You’re amazing! I might fall for you~”

“Please… spare me.”

“It’s a joke~” Scarlet gave him a wink before disappearing from the classroom like a breeze.

With Scarlet gone, the remaining students’ admiring stares were now solely focused on him. Ignoring them, Baek Yuseol headed straight for the training ground, where Hae Wonryang was already meditating.

“You again.”

“We’re seeing each other a lot lately.”

“Seems so.”

Baek Yuseol typically trained in private, preferring meditation to enhance his mana sensitivity and breathing technique over swinging a sword. But since Scarlet had helped him discover new sword techniques, he had been practicing his swordsmanship alongside his other skills.

“Want to spar?”

Throwing off his coat, Baek Yuseol asked, while Hae Wonryang, in his training clothes, scowled.

“Aren’t you going to wear any protective gear?”

“I don’t plan to get hit.”

Provoked, Hae Wonryang immediately picked up his staff.

“Then I’ll just aim to stop short of killing you.”

Without warning, he stomped hard, shaking the ground.

The jagged stone spikes that rose unpredictably from the ground would have been difficult for any swordsman to avoid.

But Baek Yuseol saw no need to draw his sword.

*Crunch!*

“What the…?!”

With a casual step, he crushed the stone spikes underfoot, reducing them to dust.

Taking advantage of the rebound, Baek Yuseol leaped, slashing through the remaining spikes mid-air, using them as stepping stones to close in.

*Thud!*

Summoning two massive stone hands, Hae Wonryang tried to clap them together, intending to trap Baek Yuseol.

But Baek Yuseol, a Blink mage, was unfazed.

**[Blink]**

He teleported out of harm’s way, and even as the stone hands clapped together, they transformed into fists, pursuing him.

“Wha—?!”

Taken by surprise, Baek Yuseol swung his sword, splitting the enormous stone hands in half.

*That’s insane. Is this really the control of a fourth-class mage?*

Hae Wonryang’s mastery of elemental manipulation was remarkable, but it was not enough to reach Baek Yuseol.

*Zap, crackle!*

Though Hae Wonryang threw every elemental spell he had at Baek Yuseol, twisting them to their maximum efficiency, each attempt was sliced away, one after another. After ten minutes, drained of mana, Hae Wonryang finally raised both hands in surrender.

“I concede.”

“Pant… pant…”

Unlike Baek Yuseol, who had burned through his energy blocking spells, Hae Wonryang still looked relatively fresh, having used his mana efficiently.

“It doesn’t feel like I won…” Baek Yuseol muttered.

“But if we kept going, you would have. You’ve improved immensely.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I prepared countermeasures, knowing you’d cut through my spells and evade my control magic, but nothing worked. Right now, you feel… like someone without any weaknesses.”

Baek Yuseol knew that wasn’t true. His weakness was obvious—one slip, and he could die instantly. Without a mana-coated body, he was still only marginally tougher than a regular person.

“It’s been a while since I felt this way. Even against Ma Yuseong, I always saw a faint opening. But against you… I felt no such hope. Thank you. It’s a reminder for me to improve, too.”

Finished with their spar, Hae Wonryang, still full of energy, headed off to his personal training room.

Exhausted, Baek Yuseol lay on the ground, catching his breath.

For once, he felt satisfied.

He had always been the one trailing behind, struggling to catch up.

Would Hae Wonryang ever know? Not long ago, he’d been stronger. Today, that balance had shifted.

In truth, his abilities lagged compared to the progression of the episodes, and Hae Wonryang had been improving at an astonishing pace.

*Sophomore year is coming soon.*

The only significant episode left this year was *[The Exchange Student]* arc. Once that concluded, the protagonists would soar even higher, reaching the fifth class in no time.

The thought had once filled him with anxiety. His growth had limits, while they seemed boundless.

But now, he felt a newfound confidence.

Wherever they went, he could keep up.

Smiling with satisfaction, Baek Yuseol gripped his *Terriphone* tightly.