Chapter 21: 3-Minute Reign

“There is nothing I can say except that I am sorry.”

After the entire incident concluded.

Edelin and Yeeun were called to a reception room set up in a corner of the office.

Seojun was bowing his head before them.

As a senior manager of a branch.

Guilt for involving an ordinary person and shame for being unable to stop that man due to pressure overwhelmed him.

“It is fine.”

“Once again, I wish to express my apologies.
Here is my business card.
If you ever need any help or face any trouble outside, please contact me anytime.”

“There is truly no need for that.”

“It would put my mind at ease.
Please accept it, just in case something happens.”

Edelin reluctantly accepted the business card he offered.

There was nothing to lose by keeping it.

At the very least, if something happened to her sister, he could serve as reliable support.

‘Truthfully, I’m the one who benefited.’

She had come to the Mage Association branch to resolve the Nightmare coiled within her circle.

She ended up making a bet unintentionally.

But thanks to that, she gained the ability to wield the Nightmare’s energy as freely as her own mana.

‘Modern magic was interesting too.’

Along with the structure of new modern magical items.

The incantations of modern magic and the formulas activated based on those spells.

For a mage, experiencing this for the first time was pure dopamine-releasing joy.

If anything, she had gained from it.

From Edelin’s perspective, there was absolutely no harm done.

Perhaps that was why Edelin’s reaction seemed lukewarm.

“So, about that…”

Misunderstanding Edelin’s indifferent response, Seojun brought up the main topic.

“So… did you come here to register as a mage with our branch?”

From Seojun’s standpoint, she was talent he absolutely wanted to secure.

An ordinary person with almost no discernible mana fluctuations externally.

Hadn’t she clearly stated her purpose for visiting was to test her magical aptitude?

‘This child is undoubtedly a genius.
She might become an incredible mage for Korea in the future.’

Although she had borrowed the staff’s power.

That concept required the user’s mental strength, intelligence, and control to follow through.

If she had the skill to manifest 3rd Circle magic with a staff containing 4th Circle mana.

It meant she could potentially use even higher-level magic.

“Hmm… That was the plan, but now my thoughts have changed.”

“Changed, you mean…?”

“It is because I have already concluded my business.
It would be correct to say the mage license is no longer necessary.”

To use the training room where natural mana flowed.

Kim Hyunah had told her she needed to become a mage.

She had intended to become a mage and train the Nightmare through long practice in the training room.

But thanks to the abundant mana in the staff, that reason had vanished.

‘There’s no reason to become a mage and get entangled in troublesome matters.’

Since ancient times, the rule is that once you belong to a group, you must follow its rules.

She also had a promise with her sister.

And for the time being, she planned to stay holed up at home playing Continent.

To raise her Circle level.

She didn’t want to be disturbed by external factors.

“Umm… Then how about this?”

Noticing Edelin’s thoughts, Seojun quickly brought over a document.

Edelin and Yeeun glanced over the paper.

The content was an application form for a mage license.

“If you register as a mage and join the branch.
I will recommend you for an honorary mage position.”

“Honorary mage position?”

“That’s right.
If you simply register as a mage, you won’t bear any duties or responsibilities.
You just get the license and can use the association’s internal privileges.”

In short, pass off the annoying stuff.
Come only when you want to.

The intriguing offer piqued her interest.

“I believe becoming a mage wouldn’t be a bad thing either.
Using magic in reality is prohibited without a license…”

“What?”

That was an extremely important point for Edelin.

She had been cheesing troublesome house chores with Clean magic.

Was using magic in reality legally forbidden?

Edelin quickly picked up the pen.

“Do I just sign here?”

“Uh… You just need to fill in some basic personal information.”

“Is that so?
Understood.”

Seeing Edelin’s 180-degree attitude change, a bewildered Seojun received the document with the personal details filled in.

“Is it done now?”

“Please wait a moment.
Let me confirm… Hmm?”

‘Was she a foreigner?’

The unusual name Edelin Persephone.

‘Age… thirty-one?’

Seojun looked back and forth between the document.
And Edelin.
Then handed the document to Yeeun.

“Excuse me.
Could I trouble you to confirm the document?”

“Yes?”

Yeeun received the document.

After briefly looking it over, Yeeun glared at Edelin.

“Oppa.
How can you not know your own personal details?”

“What, what do you mean?
Aren’t these my correct details?
If 12 years passed since 19, isn’t that 31!
This body knows its exact personal information!”

“No.
Remember the new ID card we got?
Don’t you remember?”

The two started bickering.

Seojun watched them, confused.

“It should be correct now.”

Receiving the corrected document, Seojun checked it once more.

Name: Edelin Persephone -> Han Yesul
Age: 31 -> 20

“Ah, yes.
Confirmed.
You may leave now.
Thank you.”

Since the person who appeared to be her companion corrected the information.

It must undoubtedly be true.

“No.
Who decided to change my name to Yesul?
My name is Edelin… No, I mean Yesung.”

“Looking like that and calling yourself Yesung?
Not over my dead body.”

“Then why is the age 20!”

“Looking like that and being 31?
Are you kidding, Oppa?
Go look in the mirror at home before you talk”

Watching the ‘sisters’ bicker even as they left the branch, Seojun scratched his head.

What was this feeling, like a storm had just passed?

Returning to his desk, Seojun registered Edelin’s information into the system according to the document.

Not as a 1st Circle Mage.

But as an official 3rd Circle Mage.

21-2

“Kuaaaangh.
How on earth did that person called High School Girl-chan do this!”

21 hours had already passed since Contest Mode opened.

Most parties had now reached the final Named boss, yet not a single one had cleared it.

• lololol You know what?

• High School Girl did that with pure skill, without such mechanics.

• Do you understand now, human?

• That High School Girl-chan is the world’s number 1 mage?

• The World’s Best Mage is High School Girl-chan.

Mage Sua tore at her hair.

Thanks to countless non-stop attempts, the strategy for the King of Shadow Nightmares had long been revealed.

But knowing the strategy is meaningless if you can’t execute it.

It was futile against the King’s relentless patterns and destructive attack power.

What remained was a battle of the streamers’ concentration and physical skill.

[ Contest Mode Time Remaining: 2 hours 12 minutes 32 seconds ]

Even the remaining time was pressing.

• What happens if we can’t clear it in time?

• What do you mean what happens.

• You don’t get the rewards lolll

Maybe it would be better if no one got the rewards together.

Mage Sua, hit hard by burnout, hadn’t entirely dismissed the thought for a moment.

But she didn’t want to give up on this important raid where wealth, fame, and growth specs were at stake.

“I’ll try just one or two more times.”

Steeling her resolve, Mage Sua got up and moved.

[ The insignificant microorganism struggles futilely. ]

Starting with the boss’s nerve-grating message.

The raid began by taking the empty orb placed on the altar and absorbing the Nightmare’s energy.

‘Just 3 times.
I only need to succeed 3 times.’

The method Edelin used to defeat the King of Shadow Nightmares: absorbing and destroying the Shadow Nightmare’s energy.

The key to the strategy was a modified mechanic allowing other job classes, besides mages, to perform it fairly.

The empty orb on the altar.

Accumulate the King’s energy in the orb while dodging the Shadow Nightmare’s attacks.

“First one cleared!”

As she returned the energy-filled orb to the first altar, the boss let out a scream of pain.

Upon taking the second orb, the patterns of the Shadow Nightmare’s whips changed completely.

‘It’s manageable up to here.’

If you dodge the whip coming from the front left.

The next attack direction is invariably the front right or the back hand.

If you know the direction beforehand, dodging isn’t difficult, but.

Because of the damn debuff that slowed movement speed, she had to move her body in advance.

The Shadow Nightmare’s whip grazed past her shoulder.

It was close, but she survived for now.

“Second one cleared too!”

She quickly returned the orb and grabbed the third one.

• Wow, is this it?

• Nah, from here on it’s a concentration fight.

• Possible if she breaks through the random pattern lol

Mage Sua always died during the final orb pattern.

Because, as if struggling in desperation, the boss relentlessly laid down whips randomly and cunningly without rest.

If an attack came swinging from the front left, a simultaneous attack came from the right hand – a continuous pattern.

It was hard to dodge unless you had exceptionally good visual acuity.

• Need to jump now!

When the boss’s two eyes flashed with red light.

You had to jump to dodge the Nightmare thorns spreading across the floor to overcome one pattern cycle.

“Why are you only attacking me!
Let me hit back too!”

It simply didn’t give her any time to chant magic.

Mage Sua was busy just panting and dodging.

A fatal boss mechanic for mages with relatively low stamina stats.

Thwack!

[ You have died. ]

Getting hit even once meant death.

“Kuaaaaaangh”

• Let’s give up ㅠㅠㅠ

• Most other streamer parties have given up too.

• Heard people who went as a party have the Adventurer group showing up too lol

• The only ones still challenging are the streamer here and Black Sea lolll

After repeatedly crashing against it, only about an hour remained.

At most, only one or two more attempts were possible.

Even for Black Sea, known for his good physical skills, dodging all the King’s whips was impossible.

• Is it impossible to freeze the boss?

• Like, High School Girl-chan froze the boss too.

• If that worked, wouldn’t she have done it already?

• But maybe it’s possible?

• No one has tried it.

A viewer’s comment gave Mage Sua an epiphany.

“Mindlessly dodging wasn’t the only answer; I needed to attack in between too?”

Embarking on the challenge, thinking of it as her last chance.

If she couldn’t dodge due to lack of stamina.
Shouldn’t she just eliminate the cause in the first place?

Mage Sua smoothly dodged and executed the mechanic for the first and second orbs.

When the long-awaited final third orb mechanic arrived.

She cast the simple ice magic she could chant fastest onto the Shadow King’s hand.

‘It works!’

Damage is negated by immunity, but.

She rejoiced internally seeing the status ailment apply fully.

The frozen hand is briefly stunned, or flies towards her at a much slower speed than before.

• Oooh, first raid clear angle?

• Let’s go~ Our streamer can do it.

Finally, with the third orb fully charged with energy.

Mage Sua successfully returned it to the altar.

Then.

[ Kuaaaargh.
To a mere inferior human scum! ]

The boss writhed, screamed, and struggled violently.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end.

“W-What, it’s not over?”

Seeing the King launch indiscriminate attacks, extending shadow whips in all directions.

While looking around for another mechanic, High School Girl-chan’s broadcast came to mind.

Mage Sua’s gaze fell upon the orbs.

“Break!”

She dashed over and began smashing the orbs in sequence.

One orb.

Two orbs.

Three orbs.

By the time she sequentially shattered the orbs.

[ Contest Mode has ended. ]

[ The winner is ‘Mage Sua’. ]

[ Achievement: First Clear of Shadow Nightmare awarded. ]

[ Gate 1 for all users is now liberated. ]

Along with the system message, Contest Mode concluded.

-Woooow, our streamer might not be the World’s Best Mage, but World’s Second Best is possible!
-I believed in you!

A screen flooded with countless donations and congratulatory messages.

Fellow streamers offered heartfelt congratulations, knowing the difficulty firsthand.

Viewers cheered joyfully because the streamer they supported had finally won.

• Is this the first clear stream?

• Oooh.

• This streamer is a mage too.

Even an influx of first-time viewers arrived upon hearing the news of the clear.

As the dumbfounded streamer repeatedly expressed her thanks and shared her thoughts on the clear.

• Oh.

• High School Girl-chan’s stream is up!

• What?

Watching viewers drain away like an ebbing tide due to a single viewer’s comment, less than 3 minutes after her clear.

She couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

Even though she had cleared the Contest Mode raid.

There was no beating the original.

It was truly a 3-minute reign.