Episode 7
When I first made this plan, I had a small worry.
In the game, Ingmire’s sword could only swing to the left—but this was reality.
What if Jephrin just switched hands and attacked the other way? Then I’d be finished. I wouldn’t even be able to react before losing.
So I thought hard about whether to go through with this plan. Would it work?
In the end, I was sure—Jephrin wouldn’t be able to use “Crescent Slash” with the opposite hand.
It’s like asking the soccer god “Ho****” to kick a free kick with his weak foot. Even after 100 tries, he probably wouldn’t score once.
Changing your stance suddenly like that? Way too hard.
So I smiled. I was right. My guess was correct. Jephrin hesitated—he couldn’t use Crescent Slash.
He bit his lip in frustration, then suddenly charged at me. His body leaned forward.
Just from his stance, I could tell which move it was.
It was “Moon Slash”—the second fastest move after Crescent Slash.
In the game, when fighting a character like this, the best defense was to keep your sword on the left and block the top.
So that’s exactly what I did.
His attack was lightning fast, but I was ready. I twisted my body and blocked his sword hard.
CLANG!
Sparks flew from our blades. My hand throbbed from the shock.
I gripped my sword tightly and took a deep breath.
It was my first time in a real sword fight. My breathing was heavy. My hand trembled.
The hit had been so strong, I almost dropped my sword.
But Jephrin wasn’t much better off.
If you hit the outer part of a blade, it causes more damage. I aimed for that spot.
Jephrin’s body wobbled for a second. He recovered quickly, but he didn’t look steady.
“Didn’t you say the match would be over in one minute?”
“Yeah! But now I’m not so sure. Could Jephrin actually lose?”
“Just look at it—it might happen.”
“That’d be crazy!”
Jephrin clenched his teeth.
He couldn’t let this happen. He had prepared so perfectly—how could he lose like this?
He would fight back with everything he had.
Win. Win. I have to win.
Even if I couldn’t read his mind, I knew exactly what he was thinking.
And in that mindset, his view would narrow—he’d only focus on the next move.
And just then, I left my left side open, as if by mistake.
It was the first real opening I’d shown this match. A perfect chance for him to use Crescent Slash.
From Jephrin’s point of view, this was a gift. He had to take it.
I waited like a fisherman watching his bait.
“Hup!”
He inhaled loudly.
Before he even swung, I bent my knees like I was doing a squat.
A white flash zipped right over my head.
“Wow. Great reflexes—or maybe a good sense of mana?” Katarina mumbled from the sidelines.
I ignored her.
My heart pounded like a drum. My chest tightened.
Then I moved.
After Crescent Slash, there was always a small delay.
In that moment, Jephrin could either guard or dodge.
Dodging needed a big movement, so I figured he’d choose to guard. It would look better, at least.
Normally, I’d bet he would guard.
But this time? He was too panicked.
I stepped forward with my right foot to limit his movement.
Jephrin tried to twist away, just as I expected. For a moment, his focus slipped—and my sword disappeared from his view.
“Disarm.”
In Warriors Fighter, anyone could use this basic move. It was easy to do, but only worked if you had completely outsmarted your opponent.
I hooked his sword from underneath and yanked.
CLASH!
Sparks flew as our blades scraped.
His wrist bent the wrong way, and he dropped his sword.
Clink.
It hit the ground. I stepped on it and aimed my blade at his neck.
Then I delivered the winning line:
“What’s wrong? Didn’t you say things would be different at the academy?”
I could barely breathe.
I held in my heavy breathing and spoke calmly.
Jephrin didn’t respond. His shoulders rose and fell with frustration. His bangs drooped down, hiding his face.
I leaned in to see his expression.
He looked bitter—but finally, he bowed his head.
“I lost.”
Jephrin accepted defeat.
There was still a hint of hatred in his eyes, but it felt more like loyalty to Bishot now, not pure dislike.
He had many reasons to hate me.
But maybe—just maybe—one of those reasons had faded today.
While we stood there, Katarina came forward.
She pushed us apart, then looked at me with a strange expression—like she didn’t want to admit something.
“You won.”
Then she added:
“I’m sorry. I made a mistake. There are all kinds of geniuses in this world. I underestimated you.”
“Yeah, Jephrin’s swordsmanship was beautiful. I admit, it blinded me.”
As I was wondering if I could finally collapse and breathe, she placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Your style is boring, honestly. You play defensively, using only basic moves and waiting to counter. Until someone fights you, they won’t understand your skill.”
She rambled a lot, but I just nodded and said,
“Ah, I see.”
“Yeah, even if you had confidence, I understand why you wouldn’t trust me to see it. My bad.”
All her talk meant one thing:
I was ranked first place.
If Koromang heard this, he’d probably faint.
Meanwhile…
Koromang was worried about me.
He respected my choice not to use special admission, but he was afraid I’d fail the entrance exam.
He knew I’d trained hard at the family’s training ground, but still—it wasn’t long enough.
Even though he knew most students weren’t that great, every night before bed, he imagined the worst.
What if I made a mistake?
What if I failed and had to come home?
How would he comfort me?
“What?! Don’t lie! That guy beat Jephrin?!”
Jericho slammed his shoe on the floor, drawing attention.
He didn’t care about the stares.
“Raphael beat Jephrin?!”
Jericho had always been proud of his talent. He worked hard and was top-tier among his age group.
Except for one person.
Jephrin—the bodyguard of that noble lady Raphael followed around.
He only saw him fight a few times, but he knew.
Jephrin was real. A true genius.
Jericho considered himself talented, but no matter how hard he worked, he couldn’t catch up to Jephrin.
“That’s impossible!”
If this was true, Jericho might have to give up his dream of being Lord.
He rushed to find Evelyn.
There was about a week between the entrance exam and the start of the semester.
I stayed at an inn near the academy instead of going back to the territory. Most students did the same.
Some were busy making friends already, but not me. I stayed quiet in my room, practicing mana control.
Finally, the entrance ceremony came.
Each department had a top student seated in the front. I was sitting as the top of the Swordsmanship Department.
From there, I could clearly see the major characters of Cinderella Rhapsody.
First, the one giving the speech—Academy Headmaster Franz Locus.
He was known to be the strongest in magic, second only to dragons.
Not just among humans, but among demons and elves too.
Franz stared daggers at the long-haired mage sitting next to me. Not me—him.
I’d seen that guy briefly during the exam. He’d bragged about his mana using a magic stone.
He was the top student of the Magic Department.
Ian Roadbreaker.
He looked bored with life. He yawned so wide I thought his face might split.
Franz twitched his eyebrow. Was he annoyed by the yawn?
Then I felt it—waves of mana clashing between them. They were fighting subtly, using their mana.
Franz didn’t stop talking during his speech, and Ian kept nodding off like nothing was happening.
Franz glared again. He clearly knew who Ian was.
Ian Roadbreaker.
The Lord of the Magic Tower in the West.
The strongest mana controller in this world.
He was expected to surpass Franz as the greatest archmage by graduation.
One of the most favored male leads in the story.
“He was also my sister’s favorite.”
Ian wasn’t just loved by the world—he was the author’s favorite too.
He was emotionless. He didn’t care about beauty or looks, which was why he was the only person who fell for Bishot’s inner self.
Honestly, I thought that was super cheesy and skipped a lot of his parts when reading.
On top of that, Ian had one more condition: severe insomnia.
He hadn’t slept more than an hour straight in years. The constant lack of sleep gave him migraines and body pain.
The only cure?
Bishot.
For some unknown reason, Ian could sleep peacefully only when she was nearby.
Why?
How?
No one knew. Probably not even my sister. She just threw it in as a trope. When I asked, she told me to stop overthinking it.
In the end, this setup meant one thing:
Bishot saw Ian as the only person who saw her true self.
And Ian saw Bishot as the only thing that gave him peace.
They were destined to be special to each other.
If they met, they had to grow close.
Which meant… I’d be in danger again.
To survive, I had to stop them.
Jephrin was only the first problem.
Ian Roadbreaker was next.
