NOVPUBMatthew Summerit’s back was soaked in cold sweat.
As time dragged on, it felt as if his mind and soul were slowly being eaten away by invisible worms—an overwhelming sense of dread.
When in life would one ever feel such tension again?
‘But right now, I’m feeling it.’
It felt like the man standing before him—Ludger Cherish—could devour him whole at any moment.
His instincts screamed that he had to attack before he was consumed.
But Matthew Summerit couldn’t recklessly cast a spell.
It was because of the sheer pressure emanating from Ludger.
‘Such overwhelming presence... Is he really a fellow first-year instructor? I can’t believe it.’
Ludger wasn’t even pointing his wand at him.
Normally, Matthew would have flown into a rage, thinking he was being mocked.
But not now.
‘He’s a mage who uses source code magic capable of instantly manifesting any spell. He doesn’t need to aim his wand. It’s not carelessness—it’s that he simply doesn’t need to.’
He already knew the details.
To outsiders, Ludger might look like he was just standing there, doing nothing—but Matthew knew better.
Ludger was already in full combat mode.
Just look at that relaxed posture.
It was clearly bait—showing an opening to provoke a careless attack.
And the moment someone took that bait, they’d be met with a storm of counterattacks.
Thinking this way made Ludger seem like an impenetrable fortress, not showing even the tiniest opening.
‘Ludger Cherish! He’s terrifying.’
Matthew bit down on his lip.
Others said Ludger was overrated, but he didn’t believe that.
No—at first, he had doubted the rumors.
But now, face-to-face, wand raised toward him, those doubts had vanished completely.
This man was the real deal.
That relaxed posture, pretending to be composed.
That way of holding his wand so lightly, not even pointing it.
Even that gaze—waiting calmly for a spell to come flying his way.
It was all the bearing of someone who knew they would win. A true absolute.
“Kgh!”
His breathing grew heavier. The sweat dripping from his brow stung his eyes.
Ludger, who had been waiting for his opponent to finally cast something, began to furrow his brow in confusion.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
Matthew looked visibly unwell—even Ludger began to feel concerned.
Was he feeling sick? Injured? And yet still chose to come out here?
Maybe both.
The audience watching the duel seemed just as puzzled.
“What the...? Why are they just standing there doing nothing for five minutes?”
“Is something going on?”
Even Rine, sitting off to the side of the spectator seats, was bewildered.
“Senior, why aren’t either of them moving even though the match started a while ago?”
“Hmph. Rine, you still have much to learn.”
“...Huh?”
Erendir, seated beside her, puffed herself up proudly.
“Look closely. Professor Matthew is clearly nervous—he’s even sweating.”
“Yes, but...?”
“Don’t you see what that means? Their battle has already begun.”
“Their battle... already began?”
Rine’s surprised voice naturally drew the attention of those around them.
Erendir continued, now completely thrilled by the attention.
“Don’t you know? The fights of true masters don’t require flashy magic. It’s already begun—right now, just like this!”
“Oooh...”
The eavesdropping crowd began nodding slowly in agreement.
It sounded plausible.
And since it came from none other than the Third Princess herself, it sounded even more convincing.
“But... Professor Ludger just looks kind of bored.”
Rine muttered under her breath—quietly, the only one with a different take.
She didn’t know why she felt that way, but it was just a hunch.
Still, with her senior sounding so confident, Rine couldn’t exactly voice her doubts.
At that moment, Matthew Summerit finally moved.
He couldn’t bear the suffocating pressure any longer.
‘Tch. Fine. If it’s come to this, I’ll show him what I’ve got!’
Gritting his teeth, Matthew began preparing a spell.
Lines of mana etched themselves into the air as the incantation formed—and finally, a spell took shape.
As the array glowed, a white flower of ice bloomed in midair.
It was a 3rd-circle elemental spell: [Exploding Ice Flower].
The moment the flower bloomed, it detonated—countless icy petals surged toward Ludger.
Crash! Shrrrkk!
The magic was both powerful and beautiful. A chorus of awe rang from part of the crowd.
[Oooh! Incredible! A dazzling display of ice magic, unfurled in an instant! How will Professor Ludger defend against this!?]
‘With this, no matter how skilled you are—!’
Matthew, confident in his impending victory, widened his eyes at the next sight.
The ice petals flying toward Ludger evaporated in an instant, vanishing completely.
At some point, flames had begun swirling around Ludger, forming a thin protective wall.
‘That’s fire-elemental defense magic [Wavering Wall]? When? I didn’t even see the chant—so that’s the rumored source code magic?’
Matthew had made the first move—but it had been blocked effortlessly.
He had poured real effort into that attack, but it hadn’t even left a scratch. The shock hit him hard.
‘What the hell...?’
On the other hand, Ludger was baffled.
The attack had been too weak.
‘That’s it? Really?’
He had expected to let a few spells through after a convincing defense, but the opening move had been too feeble. He blocked it just once and waited for the follow-up—but none came.
In a mage duel, even a tenth of a second is precious.
But here—look.
His opponent had already wasted three seconds after casting.
‘Maybe I should’ve just taken the hit. No, come on. That spell wasn’t convincing enough to be worth falling for.’
If the opponent had at least used a 4th-circle spell—something with real impact—then Ludger could’ve convincingly lost.
But instead, Matthew had gone with a 3rd-circle spell and expected it to be enough.
Which left Ludger with no choice but to defend properly.
“Kgh!”
Matthew grunted and fell back.
Witnessing the true power of source code magic up close filled him with overwhelming pressure.
Such absurd speed in casting—truly inhuman.
His breath caught just from the shock of it.
‘He doesn’t look good.’
Observing Matthew’s complexion, Ludger was now convinced: the man wasn’t going to cast anything stronger.
‘He doesn’t seem well. It’d be discourteous to drag this out against someone like that.’
To waste this much time on an opponent who looked so sick...
Feeling a tinge of guilt, Ludger decided to end it quickly.
The wand he had kept pointed downward slowly began to rise.
‘He’s coming!’
Matthew instantly activated his defensive magic.
He recalled what Chris Bennimore had told him before entering the arena:
— Listen. When Ludger Cherish casts magic, don’t think about anything else. Just focus entirely on defense. Nothing else matters.
True to his role as a Seorn instructor, Matthew made a swift judgment call.
He immediately deployed a barrier of mana around him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Moments later, a barrage of spells began hammering against it.
— He casts short, fast spells. That means each one isn’t all that powerful. Plus, his mana pool is limited—he can’t keep firing for long.
Remembering Chris Bennimore’s advice, Matthew clenched his teeth and poured his mana into the barrier, reinforcing it.
The plan was to hold out and wait for an opening.
But something was off.
‘Why... why is it endless!?’
The number of spells raining down exceeded imagination.
Where most mages cast slowly, one spell at a time—Ludger was like a magical machine gun, unloading nonstop.
This was a technique made possible only through source code magic.
Matthew had underestimated it.
Crack!
The mana barrier began to fracture—and before he could reinforce it, another spell shattered it completely.
It was like opening an umbrella in the rain—only for the downpour to pierce straight through.
“Ah...”
That was the last thing he said.
The maelstrom of magic swallowed Matthew Summerit whole.
[Ooooh! After a long battle of nerves, the victory goes to Professor Ludger Cherish! An overwhelming barrage of unrelenting spells! Unbelievable speed!]
As Matthew was carried away unconscious on a stretcher, Ludger felt satisfied with the outcome.
He believed he had shown enough respect to his opponent.
Gasps and murmurs spread throughout the crowd.
‘G-Good Lord. He stayed still the whole time, and the moment his opponent reacted, he blasted him with spells.’
‘So he was conserving energy this whole time for that moment?’
‘And look at him. He’s satisfied—even after such a brutal win.’
‘Ludger Cherish... he’s terrifying. He completely toyed with a fellow instructor.’
Everyone stared at Ludger with wary eyes.
Hugo Burteg, who had desperately wished for Ludger to be crushed, clenched his fist tightly and ground his teeth.
‘That damned bastard! He can act so composed even in front of a crowd like this?’
Just the sight of Ludger’s unshaken, blank face made Hugo’s blood boil.
He slowly released the strength in his fist.
A man can’t expect to be full after just one spoonful. There were still chances left.
‘Ludger Cherish. He must have expended a great deal of mana during those matches.’
From here, the plan he’d devised with Chris Bennimore was set to begin.
‘Yes. Let him keep winning. The higher he climbs, the greater the fall.’
A chilling glint shimmered in Hugo’s eyes.
* * *
‘Hmph. My mana consumption is heavier than expected.’
Since then, Ludger had fought three additional matches.
And he had won all of them.
‘Why did it turn out like this?’ 𝚗ovp𝚞b.𝚌om
He had fully intended to throw the match somewhere along the way, but before he knew it, he had reached the finals.
Ludger found himself seriously contemplating.
If only his opponents had launched real attacks, he would have gladly taken the loss.
But none of them gave him that chance. He won, every time.
‘Why isn’t anyone attacking me properly?’
He couldn't understand it.
Each of his opponents had responded with nothing but persistent defense, as if they had all agreed beforehand.
Even when Ludger deliberately exposed openings, they simply turtled up, hiding like frightened animals in their shells. In the end, Ludger had no choice but to sigh and respond with magic.
‘This isn’t good.’
He had wanted to conserve energy. This was the opposite.
‘I’ve been trying to reduce my dosage lately, but at this rate, I’ll suffer mana exhaustion in the final round. I underestimated the festival.’
With a constitution that drained mana even by breathing, prolonged battles were never in his calculations.
For now, he was holding up—but it was certain that during the final, he’d run dry.
‘If only I’d taken a pill yesterday, I’d have lasted at least five more days. I’ll need to fetch a dose.’
During the short break before the final, Ludger left the dueling grounds and headed to the faculty office.
He opened his desk drawer to grab his mana recovery pill—but his eyes narrowed sharply.
‘Gone.’
He searched other places in case he had misplaced it—but it was nowhere to be found.
Crossing his arms, he scanned the area.
With a bit of focus, he spotted faint indentations in the carpet, and traces of dirt.
‘Footprints. Someone broke into my office last night.’
They probably thought they were being cautious, but they hadn’t erased all traces.
But why, of all things, would a thief steal only the mana recovery pill?
‘I see. So that’s what this is.’
All the strange events from earlier began to align like puzzle pieces, forming a clear picture.
Why had all his opponents resorted only to defense, blatantly dragging out the fights?
There was only one answer:
To exhaust his mana.
‘Someone figured out that I have low mana reserves.’
But how? Who?
Someone must have seen him take the pill. He had done everything to keep it hidden, yet it had been discovered. A surprise.
‘Ah... The banquet.’
There had been a time he’d used up a large amount of mana and had to take the pill in haste without checking his surroundings.
Someone must’ve witnessed it then.
‘To have that secret exposed... A painful slip, but unavoidable.’
After all, there are only two kinds of secrets: those that are already exposed, and those that will be.
Perfect secrets don’t exist in this world.
There were already people relentlessly chasing after him, having uncovered his hidden past.
‘Leaks are inevitable. Humans aren’t perfect.’
The real problem was that someone was using that vulnerability against him.
‘Judging by how the noble-born instructors are targeting me, it’s safe to assume the entire Hugo faction knows. Which means someone from their side spread the rumor.’
That person must’ve learned about the pill and taken it when Ludger wasn’t in the office.
This was a serious problem.
Should he make a new dose now? But time was too short.
‘Five minutes left. Just returning to the arena will take up all of that.’
Now that he had reached the final, he couldn’t just disappear.
If he suddenly left, it would damage both the academy’s honor and his own reputation.
Accepting that he had no choice, Ludger left the office and headed back toward the arena.
[Everyone! The long-awaited final match is here! Both contenders, please step up to the stage!]
With his mana at dangerously low levels, Ludger resolved to end the match quickly.
His opponent in the final was a man with a rather sly look.
Probably mid-30s. His narrow, slitted eyes and greasy smirk gave him a shifty appearance.
[Today’s final! Undefeated so far, not allowing even a single attack—Seorn’s unshakable myth, Ludger Cherish! And his opponent! Instructor of second-year Practical Magic, and a scion of House Burteg—Devian Burteg!]
‘Devian Burteg? So he’s from the same family as that Hugo.’
Just as the name implied, Devian was a relative of Hugo Burteg.
But unlike Hugo’s bulk, Devian was thin to the point of looking emaciated.
Ludger scanned his appearance quickly.
Comparing the carpet impressions from his office to the actual size of Devian’s feet—it was an exact match.
‘So it was him.’
The man who had broken into his office and stolen the pills.
The one who orchestrated all of this.
Ludger’s gaze drifted to Hugo Burteg and Chris Bennimore, seated in the audience.
Chris, having noticed the look, smirked back mockingly.
Ludger shook his head.
“...Looks like I’ve underestimated people a bit. That an instructor would stoop to such childish tricks.”
Though it was muttered to himself, Devian seemed to have heard.
“Tricks? That’s rich. Isn’t it your fault for being dumb enough to get robbed? Maybe you should’ve taken better care of your pills.”
Devian deliberately reached into his vest pocket and flashed the pill case at Ludger, making sure only he could see it.
Despite the blatant provocation, Ludger’s eyes remained calm as he stared back.
He ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) wasn’t one to be shaken by such cheap and petty taunts.
[Now then! Let the finals begin!]
At Jesse Luna’s announcement, cheers erupted from the crowd.
Ludger finally spoke, looking toward the thoroughly prepared Devian.
“Before we begin, let me give you a word of advice.”
“What, getting cold feet? Hoping for mercy now? I’m not going to go easy on you.”
“This fight... you’d best forfeit it now.”
Devian burst out laughing at Ludger’s sudden comment.
“Puhahaha! That’s the best you’ve got? Are you seriously bluffing at this point? Why not just get down on your knees and beg?”
“I’m being sincere. If you surrender now and return the stolen pills, I can still overlook this.”
“Overlook it?”
Devian’s face twisted with annoyance.
“You’re delusional. Do you even realize your situation? You still don’t get how serious this is, and you’re cracking jokes?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Devian flinched without realizing it.
The look in Ludger’s eyes had suddenly turned dark—like staring into an endless abyss.
“I don’t joke. So listen to me.”
At this point, there was no need to show mercy.
Ludger was not the type to offer compassion to those who treated him with hostility.
“This is your last chance.”
And yet, Ludger was giving Devian one final warning.
That even now, it wasn’t too late.
That if he made the right choice now, things could still be undone.
What Devian had done up to this point was nothing compared to what might soon follow.
“At the very least, it would be better to lose while I can still use magic.”
