After my father passed away,I finally returned to school—albeit late.
"Sorry I'm late."
"I heard from Instructor Go Changsu. Your father came by, didn't he?"
A stir rippled through the classroom.Given how much attention my relationship with the Magic God Family drew across Obelisk Academy, that reaction was only natural.
"Yes."
"Well, I'm not the kind of instructor who scolds a student dealing with circumstances like that. Sit down."
A soft laugh broke out at the instructor's joke.
"Thank you."
I bowed politely and took my seat.
"Now then, let's continue. We were talking about how to algorithmize a spell and register it into an artificial intelligence system, correct?"
"Yes, sir. You had just finished explaining up to the point of inscribing it onto an AI chip."
"Right. Then we'll move straight into open-source magic registered in the 'Library.'"
As I sat down, I half-listened to the lecture—letting his words pass through one ear and out the other. My mind was elsewhere.
'Good. The first step went smoothly.'
Father had accepted my proposal without hesitation.
'Of course, not because he believes in me—but because he figured he had nothing to lose.'
Which was exactly what I'd intended when I made the offer.
'Either way, I've crossed the first threshold.'
All that was left now was to achieve an outstanding result in the midterm comprehensive evaluation.
'Top ten. Not exactly easy, but not impossible either.'
If it were the me from before I inherited Bytenor-style magic, it might've been impossible.But now? It wasn't beyond reach.
'Alright, let's see. I've got eight days to prepare…'
A faint thrill ran through me—I had a feeling these eight days would be well worth it.
In the blink of an eye, two days passed.It was now Friday, April 24th.
Even though all classes had ended, not a single student had left the room.
"Whew… I'm nervous. What kind of test do you think it'll be?"
"Last year was a monster extermination trial. Maybe this time it'll be duels between students?"
Today, the format of the midterm comprehensive evaluation was going to be revealed, so everyone was waiting in suspense.
"I kinda hope it's a great beast battle again."
"I'd rather it be a duel. I'm terrible at multitasking or large-scale magic."
Everyone was praying for an exam that played to their strengths—when suddenly,
"Everyone, take your seats."
Instructor Go Changsu entered to announce the test format.
The room instantly went silent as every student sat up straight.
"I'll skip the preamble and get straight to it."
As soon as those words left his mouth, tension gripped the classroom.
Everyone was silently praying—Please, let it be the one I'm good at.
"This midterm comprehensive evaluation will be a duel examination—specifically, a 1-on-1 tournament."
The moment he said it, two completely different reactions erupted at once.
"Oh, hell yes! Duels!""1-on-1s are my specialty!"
Half the class cheered.
"Ugh, why duels of all things?""I'm so screwed.""1-on-1s? Really…?"
And the other half despaired.
As for me—I was among the cheering ones.
Personally, I preferred duels.
"The tournament will be held over three days, from April 30th to May 2nd (Saturday)."
Naturally, a tournament couldn't be finished in a single day.The test period had been extended accordingly.
"The Round of 16 will be held on Saturday, and representatives from external corporations and the magic tower will be attending as guests—so do your best to impress them."
The mention of corporations and the magic tower caused another uproar.
"If you make it to the top 16, you'll definitely catch someone's eye!""Even if the quarterfinals are tough, top 16 might be doable…""My dream's to get into the Blue Magic Tower."
The atmosphere buzzed with motivation.
Luck alone could land you a sponsorship—or even a direct invitation—from one of the colored towers.
"Now, for the most important part—the matchups."
The instructor fiddled with a small device.The classroom lights dimmed, and a holographic screen flickered to life.
"The brackets were divided into sixteen groups according to academic rank, then randomized within each group."
In other words, they had arranged it so top-ranked students wouldn't all end up in the same group.
"Additionally, students will be graded individually on their performance, so don't lose hope even if you face a tough opponent."
In short, even if you were unlucky enough to face a top-tier mage right away,showing strong performance could still earn you a high score.
"Of course, if you display an utterly disgraceful showing, you'll be marked as 'Below Standard' and expelled accordingly. So don't slack off."
At that, every gaze in the room subtly shifted toward me.
Among all students ever enrolled at Obelisk Academy, only a handful had ever received that dreaded 'Below Standard' mark.
And one of those rare cases… was me.
'Four total, if I recall.'
In this year's second-year class, I was the only one who had been marked Below Standard.
In other words, I was the only student currently standing on the edge of expulsion.
'Not that it matters anymore.'
I ignored the glances directed my way and focused on what really mattered.
'Now, the brackets…'
That was the real concern.
"Whoa. No way.""Hey, check Group H, second match!"
A few students had already spotted what I just noticed.
The murmurs grew louder—and the stares toward me intensified.
"No freaking way… those two are fighting?"
[Group H – Match 2]Baek Sahyuk vs. Shin Hayul
Baek Sahyuk.Among the twenty-two third-circle users in the second-year class,he ranked near the very top.
And more importantly—
"Baek Sahyuk absolutely hates Shin Hayul, doesn't he?""He's always saying that if he gets the chance, he'll beat him half to death.""Looks like he finally got his wish."
Ever since he suffered a humiliating defeat against me five years ago in the Youth Magic Tournament,he'd been holding a grudge—picking fights with me whenever he could.
"Man, Shin Hayul's luck is just awful.""Seriously, even till the very end…""Did the heavens abandon him or what?"
Everyone's gazes turned sympathetic.
But my thoughts were different.
Unlucky?
Hardly.
'No… this is a golden opportunity.'
There was no opponent more perfect for my first match than Baek Sahyuk—in terms of skill, personality, and publicity.
News of our impending match spread through the entire second-year class like wildfire.
"Did you hear? Baek Sahyuk said he's going to destroy Shin Hayul.""Yeah, to the point he can't even compete in the loser's bracket!"
Rumors about me had always spread fast, but this time was different—the speed and intensity were on another level.
"They say Shin Hayul's the one who gave Baek Sahyuk the nickname 'Crybaby' after beating him five years ago.""And that loss screwed up his chances in his family's heir competition.""No wonder Baek Sahyuk flies into a rage whenever Hayul's name comes up."
Our bad blood ran deep.
The Magic God Family and the Baek Clan had never gotten along to begin with,and that incident five years ago had been the final nail in the coffin.
Telling people not to be interested in this matchup was pointless—it was too good a story.
"Honestly, though, Shin Hayul didn't really do anything wrong. He just won fair and square.""Exactly. Baek Sahyuk lost and threw a tantrum—he brought it on himself."
"Even the Baek Family's control over the media couldn't cover that up? Just how pathetic did he look out there?"
That pretty much summed up our relationship.
I had simply won a fair match —but Baek Sahyuk had never forgiven me for it,and ever since, he's been obsessed with trying to kill me.
"Honestly, I bet Shin Hayul wants to kill him too. Considering what Baek Sahyuk did back in our first year…""Yeah. Just watching it made me feel bad for him."
To Baek Sahyuk, I — now branded Incompatible — was easy prey.
He spent all of first year hounding me like a snake,always lurking, always scheming —and it was maddening.
'The worst of it was when he burned all of my old grimoires.'
I'd ignored most of his harassment, treating him like filth not worth touching.But that one incident… I couldn't let go.
'I worked so hard to collect those.'
Just thinking about it made my blood boil again.
"Hey, shh! He's coming."
Sure enough, from down the hall came Baek Sahyuk —wearing a face like a demon freshly dragged out of hell.
His muscular frame and tall stature fit that cruel expression perfectly.A head of short, roughly cut hair full of deliberate scratches screamed:I'm the kind of guy you don't mess with.
"Been a while, huh? Defective product."
Baek Sahyuk.
He looked down at me with his hands shoved in his pockets,and the murmurs around us swelled.Every student nearby was watching, eyes glinting with curiosity.
"Our little defective one— bad luck, huh?You've been hiding in your room to avoid me,and yet here we are — paired together for a duel."
He tapped my shoulder mockingly,a smirk curling across his lips.
Jealousy and venom flickered in his eyes like poison.
"I heard this is your last exam. The family tossed you aside, right? Krrk, hah!"
He was talking about the new 'expulsion-for-below-standard' rule that my father had enacted.
"Our poor defective boy.Must be tough knowing you'll be expelled soon.And to top it off, you'll get your ass beaten bloody by me before you go~?"
His laugh was cold and slimy —just like a snake's.
"We'll see about that. Who gets beaten is anyone's guess."
I brushed his hand off and returned his smirk.
"Heh. Even in a mess like this, you've still got that pride, huh?"
Baek Sahyuk laughed harshly.Then he bent forward, locking eyes with me from up close,and his glare turned murderous.
"Wake up, you idiot.How long are you gonna cling to your past glory and pretend you're still something special?"
I could almost hear the hiss of a white serpent's tongue —his killing intent was that vile.
"Right now, you're nothing.Just a worthless piece of trash.If you're trash, then act like it —crawl on the floor, grovel before your betters, and beg to survive. Got it?"
That same disgusting look in his eyes —I'd seen it every day since entering Obelisk Academy.
I met his stare head-on and laughed.
"You really haven't changed, have you?"
"…What?"
"Still all bark, no bite.Same as five years ago.Not a damn thing's changed."
His face twisted into a snarl.
"…You little bastard."
As expected, Baek Sahyuk's patience was shorter than his fingers —his fury erupted almost instantly.
"What's the matter? Hate being compared to me that much,Baek Sahyuk the dimwit?"
"You son of a—!"
I was angry too — of course I was.A year's worth of humiliation had built up,and now that I had confidence in my Bytenor-style magic,it was the perfect time to let it all out.
But losing control here would be foolish.True anger isn't something you explode with.It's something you forge cold,and then unleash when it cuts deepest.
I wasn't stupid enough to let rage dictate me.
"If it bothers you that much,I can call you a genius instead.Would you prefer that, Genius Baek Sahyuk?"
My tone stayed calm — rational.
And bringing up that word, genius, wasn't just to provoke him.It had purpose.
"You fallen piece of trash…"
"Funny hearing that from someone who's never even fallen far enough to rise again."
My goal was simple:to brand the word genius into Baek Sahyuk's mind —so that even subconsciously,he'd recall this conversation later.
"You know what they say?" I said quietly."Once a genius, always a genius."
I hoped that when he remembered my words later,that line would echo the loudest.
"I'll show you why that saying exists — on April 30th."
I forced the corner of my lips into a smirk.
"Look forward to it… dimwit."
"AAAAAARGH!"
Back in his room, Baek Sahyuk rampaged,unable to contain his fury.
"That damned defective bastard!"
Just remembering Shin Hayul's calm,unflinching face made his blood boil.
That smug expression!
He wanted to tear it apart —the same expression Hayul had worn five years ago in the Youth Magic Tournament finals.
He wanted to watch that face twist in despair —to see Shin Hayul broken, lifeless,like a corpse that had given up on the world.
That was why he'd spent the past year tormenting him nonstop.Yet even now, Hayul's composure hadn't cracked.
"Trash like him…"
Even burdened with the fatal handicap of being Incompatible,Hayul kept pushing forward —and that persistence infuriated him.
Compared to his own stagnation since that loss,it was unbearable.
"He should've just stayed rotting in a storage room where he belongs."
More than anything, Baek Sahyuk hated that a defective productcould still make him feel this way.
"I was just going to humiliate him a little and drive him out…"
His eyes gleamed like a serpent's.
He pulled out his phone and made a call.
"It's me. Leak the article."
The Baek Family had deep ties to the entertainment and media world.Manipulating the press was one of their specialties —an area where even the Magic God Family couldn't compete.
"The headline…"
He recalled Shin Hayul's last words.
'You know what they say? Once a genius, always a genius.''Look forward to it, dimwit.'
Just remembering that smug face made his jaw tighten.
Show him why that saying exists, huh?A defective piece of trash like you? Climbing back up?
A cruel smile spread across his face.
"If 'genius' is what you love to hear so much,then fine — I'll make sure you hear it loud and clear."
He smirked and spoke into the phone.
"Headline: 'Shin Hayul Announces the Triumphant Return of a Genius — Declares to the World: Expect Greatness on April 30th.' That should do nicely."
Baek Sahyuk's mind was consumed with thoughts of payback —of public humiliation.
April 30th.This time, it'll be you standing where I once stood —disgraced before the entire nation.
Baek Sahyuk's laughter rang out —cold, venomous, and cruel.