Chapter 6: Qualification ③

A week had passed since then.

Right now, I was spinning in circles.

Squatting like a dog.

One turn, two turns, ten turns, twenty…

By the time I reached a hundred, a cheer broke out.

“Wow~ Amazing!”

The girls showered me with applause.

But I couldn’t care less about applause—I was about to die from dizziness.

I clamped a hand over my mouth to hold back the nausea when a girl lightly tapped my shoulder.

“That must’ve been tough, right? Take a break and eat this!”

A soboro bun.

How very kind of her.

I shoved it into my mouth by force, and she giggled with delight.

Behind her, the class rep stood with arms crossed, watching the scene with satisfaction.

Whenever I faced this kind of raw malice, I couldn’t help but think of my time back in the city.

I used to call Dohyeon “mister” and give him stuff like ginseng candy. That was my way of messing with him using all the tricks I had. Looking back now, I realize how innocent it all was.

If these kids had been there instead, things would’ve gotten out of hand. Dohyeon might have broken up with Seoran in horror.

That thought made me chuckle inwardly.

When the kids finally got bored of playing with me and wandered off, that was my break time.

After puking everything I’d crammed into my stomach into a toilet, I went up to the roof to catch some air.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

I tensed up on reflex.

But the moment I saw who it was, the tension melted away.

I replied casually.

“What’s up?”

Yuryeon frowned at my words.

“Why do you only talk down to me?”

“We’re the same age.”

“Everyone here is the same age.”

“…Does it bother you? I’ll change it then.”

She let out a snort and relaxed her expression.

“You’re not fooling me. You’ve gotten way more timid. You used to be bolder.”

“Yeah?”

It was an unexpected observation.

But thinking about it, it made sense. It’d be weirder not to shrink a little in this situation.

“Seems like you’re getting along real well with those losers.”

“…Losers?”

“Yeah. The losers of Class 8. Don’t you know how people treat them?”

I nodded.

Yuryeon scoffed.

Completely condescending.

“They’re no different from you. If you’re their toy, then they’re ours. The weakest class out of all eight. I think their class rep’s rank was in the six-thousands? The rest are just trash.”

Six-thousands…

Honestly, I had no idea how strong that was supposed to be.

“They’re just small fry. At best, they’ll end up barely holding on in some lower-tier city, trying to act like leaders.”

Villains usually operated in groups of three or four, called “groups.”

The one with command over the group was known as the leader.

“…Didn’t you say you hated me? Why are you explaining all this so kindly?”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

So she did want something.

I nodded, now understanding.

“Go ahead. I’ll answer anything.”

“What are you planning to do if you take control of Class 8?”

That was an unexpected question.

And a pointless hypothetical.

“Hard to imagine.”

“Why? Aside from that gorilla…”

There’s no one left in that class who can beat you.

“Duel, begin.”

Flames erupted at Yuryeon’s feet.

The moment she aimed at me, the column of fire bent toward my direction.

A massive blaze engulfed my vision.

If it hit, I’d be dead. Even a graze would mean third-degree burns.

I summoned my mana.

Within a two-meter radius—my territory—seven spheres of darkness condensed.

“Release.”

The spheres of darkness shot toward the whirlwind like arrows.

The tornado and the seven dark spheres collided in the center.
The fiercely burning flames gradually weakened the moment they touched the darkness.

Yuryeon, who had been circling behind the flames, clicked her tongue.

“It was easier when you didn’t know how to release them.”

In the end, Yuryeon charged straight at me.

Every time her foot struck the ground, the surface peeled away like skin.

I fired more dark spheres at her as she charged in at terrifying speed.

The weakness of dark-type spells was their slow speed.
But dodging them once they picked up momentum wasn’t easy.

And yet, Yuryeon managed to do it.

“…….”

She twisted her body in bizarre, fluid movements, avoiding every single sphere.
The way she flowed through the air like a dancer made me silently click my tongue in admiration.

She reached me in no time and took a stance for a straight punch.

As I’d said before, that wasn’t a punch—it was a weapon.
If it landed cleanly, it was game over.

“Wall.”

A plume of dark smoke rose from the ground, forming a wall.
Yuryeon’s figure vanished behind it.

In that moment, I clenched my fist.

“Materialize.”

The smoke shimmered with a glossy sheen.
Just before her punch connected, the smoke transformed into solid matter.

Clang!

The wall shattered like glass, sending fragments of darkness scattering.
The materialization wasn’t solid enough yet.

Yuryeon appeared on the other side of the wall, smiling boldly.

I stepped back.

“You’re not getting away!”

She darted in through the gap in the broken wall.
Just as she did, I waved my hand.

“Dematerialize.”

The dark wall turned soft and dissolved into smoke in an instant.

Yuryeon was now stuck between clouds of darkness.

Darkness gathered on both her left and right sides.
I summoned all my concentration.

“Enhance properties.”

Suddenly, a powerful magnetic force emerged from the orbs of darkness.
Her arms, just about to swing, were pulled toward the two sides.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

She struggled to break free, but the force pulling her arms was unyielding.

I slowly reached out and grabbed Yuryeon’s slender neck.

“…Duel over. Iran wins.”

With those words, my concentration snapped.

“Haa…”

My head spun.
Maybe I’d pushed my talent too far.

I stumbled away from Yuryeon and collapsed to the ground.

…I finally won.

Even though there was the penalty of mana restrictions, this was still my first victory since turning to villainy.

It was definitely something worth celebrating.

“W-Wait, Master! I was just a bit flustered…”

“Only make excuses that’ll work in a real fight.”

Durek cut Yuryeon off and walked over to me.

I looked up and met his gaze.

“Release, domain manifestation, simultaneous deployment, materialization, material-to-immaterial transformation… and finally property enhancement.
Hard to believe that’s just two weeks of progress.”

Wonder gleamed in his eyes.

“Your talent is exceptional. Don’t waste a single moment—train relentlessly.
If you do, one day, you may earn a place in the Assembly.”

The Assembly.

A council where group leaders gathered to unify the scattered villain factions and discuss the future.
A summit for the highest-ranking villains.

He never handed out praise so easily, but today, he was laying it on thick.

I smiled quietly.

“At this point, you’re worthy of being called a true villain.”

He murmured to himself, then looked down at me once more.

“Iran, you will also participate in the Assembly Battle six months from now.”

Assembly Battle?

“Once the Assembly ends, each leader selects talents appropriate for their squad from Telon. The Assembly Battle is the event where prospects prove themselves in front of those leaders.”

He nodded toward the still-deflated Yuryeon.

“She’ll be participating this year too. In fact, every student in your dorm will be there.”

Now that I think about it, our class was called Assembly Class 8.
I always wondered what that meant—now I know.
No one bothered to explain it before.

“Make a name for yourself in the battle. Catch the eye of the Undying One.”

The new leader of Nova Squad, who filled the void left by Gwangma’s death.

He never appeared in the original story. But the name sounded familiar.

Naturally so.
He’s the main nemesis of Nova’s signature hero—Lee Seoran.

“Think you can manage it?”

No need to ask.
It’s a hurdle I have to cross if I ever want to reach Seoran.

“What rank should I be aiming for?”

“Nova is full of top-tier heroes. There’s no place for mediocrity.
That said, if you can make it into the top 3,000, you’ll be safe.”

Three thousand…
Yuryeon’s current rank was around 2,100, so she’d make it easily.

A sudden question crossed my mind.

“What rank am I now?”

He gave a curt reply.

“Mid-5,000s, at best.”

“…Got it.”

I smiled brightly.

On the way back to the dorms, I snuck a glance at Yuryeon and spoke.

“That thing about the leader seat… he probably just said it offhand.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“You know, what he said about me maybe becoming a squad leader someday.”

“…Ah.”

This was the same girl who once tried to cave in my temple just for mentioning a third-place ranking.
The last thing I needed was to make another enemy over something that dumb.

“I’m not taking it seriously.”

“Yeah?”

I was relieved to hear that—until she smiled cryptically.

“Because I know it’s absolutely impossible.”

“…….”

Well, as long as she’s not mad anymore, I guess I’ll take it.
Still, that was one hell of a loaded statement.

“Don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying your goal will fail.”

“…?”

“I hope your revenge succeeds.
Today, I thought—maybe it’s not such a far-fetched dream after all.”

I didn’t fully get it, so I replayed her words in my head.
She laughed at my puzzled expression.

“Even if you’ve got the talent… you’ll never make it as a villain.”

“…….”

“You’re just not that kind of person.”

Right then, we arrived at the dorm.
Yuryeon waved her hand and walked in ahead of me.

“You haven’t forgotten our promise, right?”

“Nope.”

“Good. Then have fun~”

Her words floated around my head.
I kept turning them over and over until I stepped into Class 8.

And the moment I did—

“There you are! What took you so long, cutie!”

Every student turned to look at me.
The scene gave me déjà vu. All other thoughts vanished from my mind.

“A round of applause for today’s star!”

Clap, clap, clap.
Everyone followed the class rep’s lead and clapped.

What the hell was this?

As I was trying to piece it together, the class rep explained on her own.

“You don’t remember? Don’t tell me you forgot such a glorious day?”

“…What day?”

“Why, it’s—”

Her expression twisted into something sadistic.

“—the day your protection period ends, Irani~”

“…….”

Finally, it all made sense.

I glanced around the classroom.

The girls looked intrigued and amused.
The boys looked both eager and excited.

“Up until now, only the big sisters had Iani to themselves.
Guess the big brothers were getting jealous.”

“…….”

“So starting today, the boys are joining in too!
Unlike us soft-hearted girls, they say they’ll play rough…
Doesn’t that sound fun?”

There was a twisted joy in the rep’s eyes.
Like she’d been waiting for this moment her entire life.

She was expecting a reaction—so I gave her one.

“Well now…”

Yeah. This really does…

“Sound fun.”

I smiled brighter than I ever had.