The Unsurpassed Maiden

Se Heon was looking at Mi Young like a lost child, and it pains the black haired girl seeing him looking like that.

However, a duty is a duty so she doesn't have to mix her emotions with anything outside of the arena.

Mi Young fixes herself as she thinks about their plan.

"Today, we are going to witness the battles of different Mages from different factions." The MC starts, he waits for a few seconds before he continues his sentence "However, unlike the previous class battles where the same factions battle against each other, the academy heads have decided to make a twist. So today, we will going to witness different students from different factions battle against each other. The faction who will have the most win will be hailed as the top faction in the whole academy."

Everyone started murmuring with each other. But the MC has more to say. "However, there will be a twist for these battles. Each group is given two hundred points as their starting points. This point is divided into six, depending on your role. There are six members who all have different roles on their own. The first member is the tank who will have an equivalent of 20 points. Next are the seers who will have 30 points each. Members four and five will be the supporters and they will have 35 points each. And the last is the captain which is equivalent to 50 points. It's up for the captains to decide who plays who. After deciding which role should each member take, all members from both parties shall draw a number on the box in the middle of the arena. Those two people from both groups who will draw out the same number will have to face each other on the battlefield. And whoever wins the battle shall gain the points equivalent to the role of their opponent."

Mi Young tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat once more as she felt the eyes of the rest of her team focusing on her.

"Hey, calm down." Shi Yun says beside her. Mi Young looks at him and she sees the resemblance between Shi Yun and his older brother and she can't help but to feel more uneasy. She remembered the look on Se Heon's face.

"Mi Young, it's not like you're going to kill each other so relax." Jong In says as he pats Mi Young's back. "Se Heon will be okay. Aside from that, what are the odds that you would be facing each other, right?"

"Right." Mi Young says, trying to stay positive.

"Good, that's more like you." Jong In whispers. "Now, let's decide on our role shall we?"

After a couple of minutes, Mi Young's team finally decided on the roles each of them will take.

Mi Young as the captain, Shi Yun and Jong In as the supporters, Hoshi and Moon Byul as the Seers, and Ha Ru as their tank.

When Mi Young checks the other team on the other end of the arena, it looks like they have decided on their roles as well based on the way they are already nodding their heads to one another. Mi Young searches for Se Heon's eyes but the other boy was looking down at the ground, looking lost.

"Now that everyone has finally decided on their roles, please step forward and draw out your numbers from the box at the center. After doing so, raise your numbers so the goal keepers can keep track on who will fight against who. Then, you can go back to your team." The MC says. He waits for the whole team to walk towards the center of the arena before he repeats the mechanics of the game once more.

Mi Young can feel her heartbeat getting louder as they get closer to the white box. She can feel her nerves about to explode with how nervous she is.

When they stopped in front of the other team, all of the other members bowed to them except Mi Young and Se Heon who were looking at each other with mixed expressions.

It was Se Heon who looked away first before he drew out his own number from the box.

Mi Young draws out her number as well.

"Now, raise your numbers." The MC announces through the speakers.

Mi Young sees the golden number four on the end of her stick and she tries to look for the same number from the opponents.

When she saw the number four of the enemy, she immediately looked down to see whose hands were holding it. And to her surprise, it was no other than the person she was praying not to go against.

"Se Heon…" Mi Young whispers.

The other party looked at the number she was holding before he smiled sadly at her, "I'm sorry."

Mi Young nodded her head in understanding.

She remembered that talk she had with Se Heon back when they were still climbing up the Rocky Mountain back in the past.

"Why would the class battle be that important to you?" Mi Young asks when the boy questioned her about the class battle.

 

"Well, for me it would be like the path that would determine my life." Se Heon answers, looking at the horizon beyond them.

 

"What do you mean?"

 

Se Heon looks at Mi Young before he answers, "The results of the class battle will determine if I would still be called a Jeon or not."

 

"So you mean to say if you fail they will cast you out? Just like Ji Sung?"

 

Se Heon nodded with a smile. However, his smile didn't reach his eyes. "Dual users are indeed rare and important. However, to our prideful clan, if you are a dual user who can't even control his flames, then you're good as nothing. All the Jeons can think about is the power of a Pyro user. So if I still can't control my Pyro element, then I'm good as out."

 

Mi Young didn't know what to say after that. But after a couple of minutes of silence she looks at Se Heon in the eyes before saying, "Then they're not called family if they think more about their reputation than their blood."

 

"I guess that's the way of the Jeons." Se Heon chuckles sadly.

Mi Young went back to reality when she hears the sound of the bell ringing, a signal that the class battle has begun.

While they were walking back to their area, Mi Young could only think of Se Heon's sad look and how he always wanted to be called a Jeon.

Mi Young nodded her head as she finally knew what to do.

The first people who went into battle were the ones who drew out the number 1. Good thing their tank, Ha Ru, was the first to go in battle because he was the most nervous one.

Each battle will only last for fifteen minutes. However, draws are not allowed in this class battle so even if both parties are still standing up at the end of fifteen minutes, the one who will be declared as the winner will be the one with lesser injuries.

The first battle ended up with Ha Run winning as soon as the battle clock chimed. He finishes his move with a fireball hitting his opponent directly at his stomach.

When he heard his name being declared as the winner, he cried in excitement and joy. The overjoyed expression on his face is somehow heartwarming to look at.

Mi Young couldn't help but wonder if Se Heon would also look like that if he won the battle with Mi Young. The girl pushes those thoughts away as she focuses on the next battle, which was the battle between Jong In and Jin.

Mi Young knows how Jin hates all Pyro users which is why she was hoping for Jong In to be okay at the end of the battle. Jin can be 'too excited' when it comes to battling Pyro users.

While Jong In was on the battlefield, Mi Young couldn't stop herself from being too concerned for her friend. She can see that the Pyro user was doing his best. Mi Young can even see how much progress he has achieved. However, Jin is such an aggressive opponent and compared to Jong In, Jin has experienced a lot of battles in the past.

So at the end, Jong In loses, but everyone commended him with how much prowess and dignity he showed.

"You fought hard." Mi Young hears Shi Yun say which made Jong In smile because even the expressionless Shi Yun complimented him.

The next battle was between Ho Shi and the other seer from the Geo faction. They ended up with a draw but Ho Shi was hailed as the winner since he has less injuries than the Geo user.

And then it was time for Mi Young and Se Heon's battle.

Jong In casted Mi Young a concerned look before he gives her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. All will be fine. I don't know what's going on between you and Se Heon but I'm sure you two will get over it." Jong In says as he pats Mi Young's back one last time.

When Mi Young turned to look at Se Heon's younger brother, Shi Yun, the other boy wasn't looking at her but she knows Shi Yun is having mixed emotions right now so she lets him be.

As Mi Young steps on the battlefield, everyone watching on the bleachers couldn't stop their cheers as they waited for the battle between the two captains to start.

Mi Young can even hear some of them betting between her and Se Heon.

"I bet Mi Young's going to win! I heard her Pyro element is so strong compared to Jeon's."

"Nah. When it comes to experience, Se Heon had faced a lot of battles than the Pyro girl. I bet Se Heon's going to win."

"I will bet my villa that Se Heon is going to win."

"I bet my boyfriend that Kang is going to win. Have you seen her performance during the entrance exam?"

Despite the tension and nervousness seeping into her whole system, Mi Young tried her best to ignore all those whispers as she walked closer towards the center of the field where her opponent was already waiting.

When Mi Young stopped a few feet away from Se Heon, the other party gave her another sad smile.

"I guess we don't have any choice." Se Heon starts. "Me fighting for my name and you fighting for your dream."

"We don't have to do this, Se Heon."

"Yeah we don't but we have our goals to protect." Se Heon answered. His eyes were sad and he looked confused as well. "I guess, may the best captain win?"

Mi Young only nodded with a sad smile.

And just like that, the bell rings, signaling the start of their battle.