Chapter 322
Noble’s headquarters.
Carr, who was in charge of defending the base, made a stunned expression.
“What? The Glory students are only defending?”
For Carr, who was responsible for collecting information through multiple channels and planning strategies, this was an unexpected report.
‘Did Chloe notice?’
If it was Chloe, she could have changed the plan in case the information was leaked.
Carr looked troubled.
“Hey, how about sending siege weapons to the assault team?”
“Yeah. If the Glory kids are all defending, it’ll be hard to break through with our current forces.”
The remaining Noble students talked amongst themselves.
The students who stayed behind to defend the base were mostly from the Magic Department—students specialized more in support and base defense than in direct combat.
It was right when the Noble students were setting up their base defense plan.
Thunk—!
“Huh?”
Something flew and struck a student in the back.
The light on the bracelet showing the player’s life instantly went out.
The Noble student, who had received a death judgment, was forcibly sent to the resurrection point.
The faces of the other Noble students froze at once.
“W-what happened?”
Just as a female student from the Magic Department looked around in panic—
“Hello?”
A gentle voice rang out.
Carr’s eyes widened in horror.
“Chen Xia? How did you get in here!”
“I snuck in.”
With a bright smile, Chen Xia’s face looked beautiful. But that smile was like that of a reaper.
Shk—!
Chen Xia raised her hand. In it was a throwing dagger.
“Run!”
“Kyaaaaah!”
“Get away from me!”
For mages—especially those specialized in support and defense—close combat with a knight was a hopeless fight.
And if the opponent’s skill level was far superior, it became downright terrifying.
Especially when the opponent was Chen Xia of the Shadows—a woman specialized in hunting Hero Hunters.
As the Noble students scattered in all directions, Chen Xia smiled faintly and went after Carr.
“Out of everyone, why chase the weakest one?!”
“Sir Carr, do you know what the basic rule of hunting is?”
“How the hell would I know that?!”
“You start by taking out the weakest one!”
“You’re from the Knights Department! Don’t you have any knightly honor?!”
“I’m from the Shadows.”
“Kyaaaaaah!”
Carr screamed, full of terror.
Being chased by Chen Xia was nothing short of pure horror.
Just as Chen Xia was closing the distance—
Fwoosh! Rumble—!
A massive fireball flew toward her.
Chen Xia easily dodged the attack and tilted her head.
“Got the guts to come all the way into enemy territory, huh?”
“Emio!”
“Emio’s back!”
The Noble students’ faces brightened.
He wasn’t considered one of the top second-years, but Emio was strong enough to take on Chen Xia.
“You arrogant girl.”
As soon as Emio’s cold words fell, the ground beneath Chen Xia began to tremble.
“Earth’s Restraint.”
The moment he completed the incantation, giant hands rose from the ground and grabbed Chen Xia.
When Emio clenched his fist irritably, immense pressure crushed the earth holding her.
Crack—!
A chilling sound echoed.
Emio smirked.
Though it looked like a sudden spell, he had been channeling that magic since the moment he detected Chen Xia’s presence.
‘Chen Xia isn’t like Celia or Duran, who have overwhelming destructive power.’
She was considered equal in skill to Celia and Duran within the Knights Department, but her specialization was entirely different.
‘In close combat, mages are weak against knights. But with this much distance, mages have the upper hand!’
Especially those like Celia and Duran—knights who possessed devastating firepower capable of wide-area attacks—were tough even for mages to deal with.
But Chen Xia was different.
As long as she maintained her distance, she could control the battle.
‘Leo Plov!’
Grit—!
Emio clenched his teeth.
Even if he had been careless, being taken down helplessly in front of the world as a top mage student was humiliating.
‘That bastard! Attacking me by surprise like a coward…!’
As he cursed Leo and began gathering mana—
Boom—!
The earth’s restraint holding Chen Xia suddenly warped like mud.
Emio’s face stiffened.
Bang—!
The solid earthen prison exploded.
Chen Xia stood with her fist outstretched, her eyes locking with Emio’s.
With light steps, she brushed the dust off her clothes and smiled faintly.
“You didn’t finish the job, Emio.”
Emio’s face twisted, but soon his lips curled into a grin.
“Escaping that spell was impressive, but I still have the upper hand.”
Emio didn’t consider himself inferior to the top students when it came to raw combat power.
As a soldier’s son, he’d learned battle-oriented magic since childhood.
Armed with practical offensive spells, he was a well-balanced combat mage—fully prepared for real combat.
“The place where a mage can unleash the greatest power is none other than a base.”
Emio shouted confidently.
Indeed, dormitory bases were filled with complex defensive enchantments to enhance their magic’s power.
“And now, with the ‘distance’ advantage on my side, I’m even more unbeatable.”
Emio pulled a mana orb from his pocket.
The small orb hovered around him.
“Besides, my family’s been taking out low-class assassins like you for generations.”
Being a military family that fought countless wars, they naturally made many enemies—especially among the Shadows.
“I’m used to your kind’s dirty tricks.”
He spat out the words.
Chen Xia blinked wide-eyed.
“And?”
“What?”
“I understand this is a favorable situation for you, Emio, but…”
Chen Xia tilted her head with genuine curiosity.
“Does it really matter? I’m going to win anyway.”
Emio’s face distorted.
“Do you think you’re Leo Plov?”
“I may not be Sir Leo, but I think I can handle someone like you easily.” (T/N: Moving forward, I will use “Sir” when Chen Xia addresses Leo instead of Young Master.)
“Rubbish.”
Emio gathered mana.
“I’ll crush you!”
Massive mana flared violently.
‘I’ve always despised you low-born Shadows pretending to be heroes.’
Hatred flashed in Emio’s eyes.
But Chen Xia only smiled faintly.
Rumors about her had already spread among the students—many harbored hostility or disgust toward Shadows, regardless of grade.
She was used to those looks.
But… she didn’t care.
Because the person she believed to be the truest hero had recognized her.
‘You’ll become a hero loved by everyone.’
Since the moment she’d held that mature, gentle hand, she’d vowed never to stop chasing the dream of being a hero.
Compared to the light Leo had shown her, others’ scorn meant nothing.
As she recalled the boy who had validated her with the Book of Shadows, Chen Xia stirred her aura.
Vwooom—!
She stepped forward using [Aura Step].
Emio sneered and dodged easily with [Fly].
“What a brainless attack.”
But Chen Xia didn’t stop. She kept pressing forward relentlessly.
Emio dodged her strikes, firing spells in return.
‘I’m faster than you, Chen Xia!’
Emio smirked.
‘There’s nothing easier to hunt than a reckless knight!’
He kept launching spells.
“[Fire Bolt]!”
Whoosh—!
“[Wind Cutter]!”
Fwooo—!
“[Magic Missile]!”
Combining three spells, he boosted both their power and tracking accuracy before unleashing them.
Kwagagagagak—!
Blades of fiery explosions engulfed Chen Xia.
Yet she moved gracefully—like she was dancing.
Emio’s expression contorted as she slipped through every attack fluidly.
“You little—!”
As Emio prepared to cast a stronger spell, Chen Xia jumped into the air and threw a dagger.
“Heh, like I’d get hit by such a petty—”
Tch—!
He suddenly felt a sting on his cheek.
Then Chen Xia, who should’ve been falling, gently stepped onto something invisible midair.
Emio froze, hurriedly chanting.
“[Search]!”
Mana filled his eyes, revealing countless thin, invisible threads stretched throughout the area.
“When did you…?!”
“I told you, no matter how favorable things look for you, the result won’t change.”
Standing on the threads, Chen Xia smiled faintly.
“Celia or Duran might’ve rushed in head-on to defeat you, but that’s not my style. I prefer traps.”
“Coward.”
“What a strange thing to say, Emio. I’m deep in enemy territory right now—how much braver can I get?” (T/N: BURRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!)
Chen Xia smiled brightly and stretched out her hand.
Snap!
“Guh!”
Invisible threads wrapped around Emio’s neck.
“Abad or Chelsea wouldn’t have fallen for this, of course.”
“Hah! You think cheap threads like these can—”
Emio’s vision blurred.
“Spiders,” Chen Xia whispered softly.
“Inject venom into trapped prey before eating them.”
Then she made a playful biting motion in the air and winked.
“Scary, isn’t it?”
It was an innocent, cute expression—but in that moment, it was utterly chilling.
“Ugh… ack!”
As Emio’s vision faded, Chen Xia smiled and pulled the thread.
The light on his bracelet vanished.
Within an instant, Emio was down.
Seeing that, the remaining Magic Department students shouted.
“We’re ready to fight too!”
Boom—!
All around, golems created as guardians rose up.
“Prepare yourself!”
“I don’t know why you came here, but even you won’t last if we all attack together, Chen Xia!”
Fierce voices rang out.
Chen Xia scanned them all and smiled brightly.
“Miss Chloe predicted that Noble and Harmony would attack together. So Sir Leo was assigned to intercept any enemies attacking from the rear.”
Chen Xia withdrew her aura.
“I was tasked with infiltrating other dorms and gathering intel.”
A perfect plan—possible only because Chen Xia was a Shadow.
“So then…”
Her eyes narrowed.
“I don’t see Sir Carr anywhere.”
The Noble students froze instantly.
Chen Xia’s gaze sharpened.
“Sir Abad, really. What a funny idea.”
At her words, one of the female students burst out defensively.
“T-that’s not what you think—!”
‘You idiot!’
‘Why would you say that out loud?!’
The Noble students clutched their heads and screamed.
—
Celia gripped her sword and charged toward Glory’s fortress wall.
Fwoosh—!
Flames burst wildly from her blade.
Kwagagagagagak—!
With blazing eyes, she struck the wall with a fiery blade.
“How is that even a knight?!”
“She’s basically a siege weapon!”
“She’s more like a mage than a knight!”
The Glory students defending against Harmony’s assault cried out in dismay.
Even though defending a base gave them a huge advantage, Glory’s defense relied solely on Chloe.
So whenever the dorm leaders—Celia or Abad—launched a coordinated assault, the fortress walls barely held.
‘Why hasn’t Walden come back yet? Chelsea said Noble’s Duran and Eliza also haven’t returned.’
Celia frowned.
‘Are they fighting Leo?’
Just as she pondered—
Fwoosh—! Whoosh—!
The flames around her suddenly scattered.
Celia flinched.
Step, step—
Someone emerged through the dissipating fire.
When she saw the figure, Celia’s eyes widened.
“Leo?”
Celia tensed, raising her guard.
Leo looked at his cousin and spoke.
“Come to think of it…”
“…?”
“We’ve never had a real fight, have we?”
As Leo smiled faintly, every hair on Celia’s body stood on end. (T/N: It’s Celia’s turn!)