Seoul Holder Academy East Hall.

A B-grade monster appeared in one of the classrooms. This fact quickly spread among the students who rushed out of their classrooms in fear. Monsters sometimes emerge from the gaps in the present world rather than from dungeons. Well, this is not uncommon, it’s rare to encounter such a high-grade one like this B-grade monster. Furthermore, it’s extremely unusual for a monster to appear in an academy with a [Magic Barrier], especially in the East Hall, which is the main classroom for intermediate-level students.

B-grade monsters require the combined effort of five C-grade Holders to be hunted down. And to think that this is happening in an intermediate-level classroom where the highest grade of students is D-grade… It seemed impossible to handle such a powerful monster.

Kang Juyeon hurriedly made her way to the East Hall classroom. She was one of the first to hear about the incident, even before the academy faculty or other higher-grade Holders. The next class she was supposed to attend was a common lecture for intermediate-level students about <The History and Information of Monsters>, so she was already on her way to the East Hall.

-Eek!!

The monster let out a chilling scream to announce its presence. In response, Kang Juyeon’s friend, Moon Ga-eun, grabbed her by the collar and said, “Juyeon, I think it’s this way?”

The sound came from the nearby classroom, which was now in chaos. The classroom was a mess, with desks and lecture tools scattered around, and the bodies of some students lying in various states of disarray. It was a complete battlefield.

And within that chaos, a man caught Kang Juyeon’s attention. “Do Jae-hyun… again?”

During the practical duel for the Academy entrance exam, Jae-hyun was the one who stood out the most. He was unremarkable in many ways, but he somehow made a strong impression on her. Now, he was fighting against the B-grade monster.

‘Is the intermediate class a B-grate monster class?’

Incredibly, he was managing to hold himself against the difficult opponent, the Sizzling Salamander. This lizard Holder possessed both high physical strength and the ability to control fire, making it a challenging B-grade monster to deal with. Most intermediate-level students were E to D-grade Holders and were no match for a B-grade monster, let alone one who had just recently been promoted from a lower class like Jae-hyun.

‘However…’ Jae-hyun’s battle with the Sizzling Salamander seemed somewhat balanced. While he appeared to be outdueled in terms of physical strength, he skillfully evaded the attacks using his swordsmanship. The ice fragments stuck to the monster’s body posed a significant inconvenience to the Sizzling Salamander due to its extreme vulnerability to cold-based magic.

-Eek!!

“Argh…!!”

But suddenly, the Sizzling Salamander managed to strike Jae-hyun with a swift and powerful blow, sending him crashing into the classroom wall. It was clear that Jae-hyun was already in bad shape. His body was burned and covered in bruises from the monster’s powerful attacks. He had pushed himself to the absolute limit.

“Jae-hyun…!!”

At that moment, a girl on one side of the classroom shouted his name. It was Kim Chae-eun, the girl who was always with him. Kang Juyeon finally realized that the two of them were fighting the B-grade monster alone, standing in for other students who were too scared to engage in the battle.

Moreover, Kang Juyeon noticed that the [Freezing] rune magic that proved effective against the Sizzling Salamander was coming from Chae-eun. Witnessing this, Kang Juyeon herself began preparing her primary battle magic, [Flame], a powerful skill capable of unleashing formidable flames.

Her classmates were able to buy her so much time but they can’t hold still for forever.

“Ga-eun. Support me.”

“Ah, okay!”

Moon Ga-eun also brought out her bow, she was surprised by how well they fought.

Her own ability was the possessed skill [Wind Archer], a rare rune.Ready for [intense attack], Juyeon prepared to cast her magic too, [Flame], a derived skill of [Unquenchable Flame] rune. It was the highest level of battle magic she could use.

While fire magic might not have much effect on a fire-controlling creature like the Sizzling Salamander, sometimes a strong attack could override elemental advantages. Kang Juyeon poured all her magical power into the skill, determined to blast the monster away.

The two Holders who were graded high even among the intermediate-level students, one B-grade and one C-grade, were about to unleash their ultimate attacks… and the Sizzling Salamander was the target of their combined force.

***

ippotranslations

***

-Kei, keeee….

A feeble and unexpected sound flowed from the monster that had been roaring until now. It was the result of being directly hit by Kang Juyeon’s magic and Moon Ga-eun’s arrows.

“Wow….”

Even in my beaten-up state, I couldn’t help but marvel at the scene before me, close to being a masterpiece. Is this the power of high-grade Holders? The monster that I and Kim Chae-eun struggled against for so long was defeated in just two attacks….

Feeling a bit disappointed yet stunned, I watched as the two young women continued their conversation.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Moon Ga-eun suddenly approached me and asked about my condition. She was not present during the original story. Furthermore, Park Jin-woo, who was supposed to be here, was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps the choices of the lead characters for this semester’s lectures had changed slightly, altering the flow of events in this situation.

Nevertheless, Kang Juyeon had arrived in time to become a key member in the hunt for the Sizzling Salamander. I was relieved about that. If she hadn’t come in time, I might have really died….

“Yeah, thanks. You’re Moon Ga-eun, right?”

“Huh? You know me?”

“Of course, I do. You’re the top archer in this year’s students, almost always ranking second or third overall.”

“Hehe… not quite the second, I go back and forth between third and fourth.”

Moon Ga-eun had the same cheerful personality as I knew her to have. As the daughter of Moon Jung-hyuk, a key member of the <Royal> Clan, and a first-year Holder grading third or fourth, she was an elite compared to me.

Seeing her so casually conversing with me, it was evident that she had a very open-minded way of thinking. In the world of Holders, especially in the Academy, it was common to underestimate those of lower grades.

“More importantly, are you okay? You were hit pretty hard earlier.”

“Well, yeah, it hurts a lot… but I’ll be fine after receiving healing magic from the Recovery class.”

“You’re really amazing. Sizzling Salamander is a B-grade monster, and you managed to fight it with your intermediate-level skills….”

“To be honest, I was a bit reckless.”I had overestimated my ability to defeat the Sizzling Salamander. Since I cut off its tail the first time, I kept getting drawn into its attacks. I was burned and repeatedly beaten. In the end, I crashed into the classroom wall. It was an unavoidable difference in grade and ability.

At that moment, Kang Juyeon, who had been watching silently, turned around. It was a sign that she wanted to leave now that the monster was dealt with. A typical stern and direct action that suited her character.

Seeing that, Moon Ga-eun quickly prepared to leave as well. Since she had come here following Kang Juyeon, it was natural.

“I’ll go now. See you later, Jae-hyun!”

… Did I ever tell her my name?

I briefly wondered, but soon, my thoughts were interrupted by the crowd flooding into the classroom. Countless students and faculty members poured in, including the Student Council President I saw during the entrance ceremony.

“Is everyone okay? Recovery Class, start healing!”

“Prioritize treating the injured students!”

“Hyun-woo! No, you can’t die… please….”

“Gather the monster’s remains for research!”

They arrived so quickly, damn it…. The loudest people always come late.

I understood, but I still felt annoyed by the delay.

I turned my head to look at Kim Chae-eun. She had exhausted all her magical power using her skill and was now lying down, drained of strength. Her eyes were teary, and she was looking at me.

‘… I’m sorry.’

Kim Chae-eun probably thought I might have gone too far and allowed myself to be attacked to such an extent. She might have even thought I could die in the process.

Of course, I had anticipated Kang Juyeon’s timely arrival and the powerful force she used to finish off the monster. But Kim Chae-eun was unaware of the situation before and after that. Without Kang Juyeon, she might have been in danger as well.

So, I felt even more sorry for her.

I had forced the situation a bit too much, I should have just run away. Somehow, the monster would have been dealt with….

I will apologize to her later when I get the chance.

‘For now… We should both be treated.’

Honestly my whole body aches and I’m even too weak to stand up. I just want to go home and rest.

While I was thinking about how to properly apologize later, suddenly several information windows appeared before me, belatedly.

It was an unexpected and familiar hologram. It was a rune-related information window.

[You have won the duel! Your high contribution in the fight has been acknowledged. As a Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of your opponent’s runes. Please select the rune to duplicate.]

[1. Fiery Flame 2. Quadruped Combat 3. Lizard’s Scales]

For a moment, I felt like a fool. My head felt numb, and I couldn’t fully grasp the situation.

What is this…. Fighting against a monster turned out to be a ‘duel’?