After moving to the defense skill practice zone, I picked up the blue skill gem.
[Mana Shield]
<Level 3>
Creates a shield made of mana.
Shield HP: 100 + 5% of Magic Attack
Shield Defense: +30
MP Cost: 10
Duration: 2 seconds
Cooldown: 5 seconds
Unlike the simple Mana Shot, the Mana Shield came with several conditions.
To summarize: it could block 130 damage over two seconds, and as long as the incoming damage didn’t exceed 30, the shield wouldn’t lose any HP.
For example, if hit with 25 damage, the shield would block it completely and remain untouched.
But if hit with a 120-damage strike, the shield would absorb 90 damage, leaving 10 HP.
Even at 10 HP, the shield wouldn’t break unless hit with more than 30 damage.
However, if struck by a 50-damage hit—20 more than its defense—the shield would break, and the user would take the remaining 40 damage. Only the shield's remaining HP reduces damage at that point; its defense no longer factors in.
It was a low-level skill, but its versatility made it a staple in the early stages.
I stood about 30 meters in front of a rubber bullet launcher.
When the red light on the side of the barrel lit up, I activated the skill.
A translucent, inverted-pentagon shield of blue mana materialized in front of me.
Thwack!!
The shield shuddered as the round struck it with a sharp crack. I watched the rubber bullet bounce off and roll along the ground.
I remember testing this in the game without a shield… it took off about 5 HP.
The training rounds were designed to simulate real combat—they were imbued with mana, after all.
Come to think of it, my HP was currently only 15. That meant just three shots would kill me…
“Hey? Yein, are you okay?”
Lumina looked at me curiously as I took a cautious step back.
“…It’s nothing. You're up.”
“Ah, okay.”
As she stepped up to the line, I retreated another step and swallowed my frustration over Nam Yein’s pitiful stats.
That’s when I saw a shadow closing in from the side.
I glanced over—sure enough, the spiky blond from Class A and his two lackeys had wandered over.
Lumina noticed them too and stopped mid-skill to stare.
“You’re Lumina, right?”
One of the lackeys—a towering brute who had to be at least two meters tall—spoke.
“Uh? Y-Yeah…”
Lumina replied, clearly startled that someone was talking to her.
“Your ability is Stealth, right? Complete concealment and zero presence?”
“Well, um…”
“Starting today, you’re part of our squad.”
“…Huh?”
Lumina blinked, stunned as if she hadn’t fully processed what she’d just heard.
Honestly, I didn’t get it either.
“Congrats. We’re hitting a dungeon this weekend, so we’ll begin mock combat training tonight at 9 to get in sync.”
“W-Wait, hold on a second…” Lumina panicked, “I already have a squad…”
“No need to worry.” The shorter but absurdly stocky one smiled, “Squad changes are totally allowed.”
“Just file the paperwork with the staff office,” added the tall one.
“Besides, technically, you're not even in a registered squad yet.”
Hoh…
I was slightly impressed by how thoroughly they’d done their homework.
They hadn’t just come after her ability—they’d looked into her situation.
“Y-Yein…”
Lumina looked to me, eyes pleading.
She clearly had no idea what to do.
“What’s there to hesitate about?”
Finally, the blond opened his mouth.
“You’re choosing between a dropout with two F-grade aptitudes and a peak of only C, or a squad with four members averaging A. There’s no comparison.”
“Exactly. No comparison needed.” I took a step closer to Lumina and replied, “Because joining you wouldn’t benefit her at all.”
All three of them stiffened at once.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” the blond asked.
“You don’t want to grow alongside Lumina—you just want to use her. She’s a convenient tool for ensuring the precious Chen Meiling gets a guaranteed promotion.”
Their faces flashed with surprise.
“Am I wrong, Jin Cheongwang?”
I stared directly at the blond.
“…Who the hell are you?”
Jin Cheongwang narrowed his eyes.
“Just some dropout with F, F, C stats. Didn’t you research me too?”
“This little punk—”
“Doesn’t even know his place—”
The lackeys began stepping forward in anger, but Jin Cheongwang raised a hand to stop them.
“Stand down.”
“But he just insulted Meiling—!”
Before the tall one could finish, Jin Cheongwang’s body briefly shimmered with gold.
“We’re in class. Didn’t you hear me?”
Immediately, the towering lackey and his stocky partner froze with fear.
“So you’re not just leeching off Lumina’s ability, huh?”
Oho.
That insult was as sharp as his spiky hair.
Though, to be fair, right now I was basically a leech. Without Lumina, I could only clear a single type of dungeon.
“You’d better watch that mouth—especially here in Gwangcheon.”
“Thanks for the advice. We’ll be heading off to practice our other skills now. You guys have fun too.”
I glanced past them.
Following my gaze, they turned—only to find Kim Sangsik staring in our direction.
They immediately backed off and walked over to the rubber bullet launcher as if nothing had happened.
“Come on, Lumina.”
“O-Okay.”
We headed toward the movement skill practice zone.
“Yein, what did you say back there?”
Lumina whispered while glancing over her shoulder.
“What did you mean about them using me?”
“Those three exist for the sake of one person’s school life.” I kept my voice low, “Have you heard of Chen Meiling?”
“Yeah. She’s in their squad, right?”
“You know Forward, the company?”
“Of course. They’re the foundation that built our academy.”
“Chen Meiling is one of the executives’ daughters.”
“!”
Lumina’s eyes and mouth popped wide open.
“And those guys are her hand-picked support team. They’re probably getting paid. The teachers are all in on it too—giving her special treatment. She doesn’t even need to show up for class or field training.”
“H-How do you know all that?”
I smiled.
“There’s always a way to know.”
Just play the game.
“Not that it’s a secret. Most of Class A has probably figured it out. But no one’s brave enough to raise a fairness complaint against a school controlled by Forward.”
“I-I see…”
Lumina clutched her chest and glanced around cautiously, worried someone might have overheard.
“That’s why they’re not trying to be your teammates. They want to turn you into an ability mule for Chen Meiling. Sure, you’d benefit from joining them—access to better dungeons, plenty of money—but…”
“…Lumina?”
“……”
Her expression suddenly turned serious.
“I’m not joining their squad! I’d much rather be with you, Yein!”
“W-Whoa…”
She said it so loudly I instinctively leaned back a bit.
“A-ah…”
Lumina froze, her face turning bright red.
“B-Because… we… we promised! That we’d help each other…”
She started speaking so quickly that I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“….”
Lumina lowered her head, avoiding my gaze.
“But there’s one thing those guys said that I can’t argue with.”
“W-What is it?”
“We still haven’t formed a squad.”
“Ah…”
According to the rules, a squad needed at least three members.
“But don’t worry. I already know who I’m going to invite next.”
“W-Who?”
Lumina, her face returning to its normal color, asked curiously.
“Chen Meiling.”
“…What?”
At first, Lumina looked confused. Then, after a moment, she stared at me like I was insane.
That look hurt a little.
“To do that, we need to make sure Meiling hears our names first.”
“W-Wait, don’t tell me… That’s why you provoked those guys?”
She looked appalled. I just smiled.
Time to show them that I might be a leech, but I’m no ordinary leech.
I turned my gaze to Jin Cheongwang and his lackeys, who were now standing in front of the rubber bullet launcher.
Jin Cheongwang was staring right back at me.
About fifty minutes later…
The students lined up by class again in front of Kim Sangsik.
Beside him now stood a massive robot—brought out at some point without anyone noticing.
It had a thick, round, boulder-like body, with limbs attached, but no head.
It was a training robot developed by Forward and used across various academies for Hunter candidates.
“We’ll now begin the test.”
Kim Sangsik raised his voice.
“You may not use Abilities or weapons—only Skills are allowed. When the robot takes enough mana damage, its shield will deactivate. That marks the end of the test. Grading will be based on how well you defended against or evaded the enemy’s attacks, and how quickly you brought it down.”
Students from both Class A and B looked visibly tense.
“Anyone who wants to go first, raise your hand.”
The moment he said that, Jin Cheongwang’s hand shot up.
And right after—
“Yein?!”
A surprised voice rang out from behind the Class B line.
Jin Cheongwang turned his head.
Nam Yein was standing there with his hand raised.
“First is Jin Cheongwang, since he raised his hand first. Nam Yein, you’ll go after him.”
Kim Sangsik checked his tablet before calling his name.
“Everyone else, clear the area.”
The students backed away, leaving only the teacher and the two challengers.
“Jin Cheongwang, prepare yourself.”
At the teacher’s prompt, Jin Cheongwang checked his skill slots one last time and stepped up in front of the robot.
Kim Sangsik tapped his tablet, and the robot whirred to life.
“Begin!”
The robot raised an arm, pointing the barrel at Jin Cheongwang.
Bang!!
The shot was louder than the regular rubber bullet launcher—the robot fired an oversized rubber round at him.
Jin Cheongwang raised his Mana Shield at just the right moment, blocking it.
He then sprinted forward, closing the gap between him and the robot.
The robot backed away, firing continuously.
Jin Cheongwang expertly alternated between defense and movement skills, dodging or blocking every shot.
He timed his skills in a precise rhythm, avoiding cooldown overlap between his defense and movement abilities.
As Jin Cheongwang drew closer, the robot stopped moving and began unleashing an unrelenting stream of bullets—like a switch from pistol to machine gun.
When his shield disappeared due to its duration limit, Jin Cheongwang used a burst acceleration skill to dash forward, head-on.
Just as a bullet grazed past his head, he raised both hands and launched a barrage of Mana Shots.
The robot’s blue shield burst apart under the rapid-fire impact.
“Stop!!”
At Kim Sangsik’s command, Jin Cheongwang lowered his arms.
“Two minutes and three seconds. Perfect clear.”
Cheers erupted from the back.
“Cheongwang is amazing!”
“Did you see that charge at the end?!”
“Yeah! It was awesome!”
“And that Mana Shot spam—he still had MP left after all that!”
With everyone’s admiration buzzing in his ears, Jin Cheongwang allowed a small smirk to appear.
“Next, Nam Yein!”
At Kim’s call, Nam Yein stepped up.
As he passed by Jin Cheongwang, he leaned in and whispered, “I showed you the strategy, so obviously you’ll clear it faster, right?”
“……”
Nam Yein glanced at him but said nothing, walking past silently.
“Tch.”
Jin Cheongwang clicked his tongue.
Let’s see what you’ve got.
By the time Nam Yein stood before the robot, its shield had already reset.
“Begin!”
At Kim Sangsik’s command, the robot began to move.
Then—Nam Yein vanished.
The rubber bullet meant for him struck the ground with a thud.
The robot’s built-in camera swiveled rapidly, trying to locate him, but its sensors detected nothing.
Then—
Boom!
A Mana Shot slammed into the robot’s back.
The robot stumbled and fell forward with a resounding crash.
The impact sent tremors through the ground, reaching the feet of the students standing far behind.
“…Stop!”
Kim Sangsik called out in shock.
Only one shot had landed—but the robot’s shield had completely vanished.
“……”
Jin Cheongwang stared at the robot, mouth slightly open.
All the students from both Class A and B were dead silent, their eyes fixed on Nam Yein and the fallen robot.
Nam Yein walked up to the stunned Cheongwang and said quietly, “You waste too much energy.”
Then he walked past him toward the teacher.
“Ghh…”
Jin Cheongwang’s face twisted in frustration as he glared at Nam Yein.
(End of Chapter)