Magical Girl.
Literally translated, it means a girl who uses magic.
To be more specific, it's a genre that includes elements like magic wands or transformations.
So it didn't make sense to me.
'A magical girl?'
Where in the world?
A towering height of 190 cm.
Ronnie Coleman-like bulging muscles to the point of telling someone to go away.
A personality that embodied masculinity itself.
There seemed to be little connection to the term 'magical girl'.
"Hahaha! I knew you would react like that."
I must have looked at him strangely without realizing it.
Seeing Seo Woojin's expression, Gu Dong-hwan burst out laughing.
"As you can see, it's not a job that suits me well."
Seo Woojin nodded at his muttering that it would have been perfect if there was a profession called 'bodybuilder'.
"But I'm satisfied in my own way. My level is over 30, and the skills suit my taste."
No matter how you looked at it, it didn't look like he was using magic with a tough, muscular appearance…
"You will be able to see more details when the training begins."
Then he shouted, 'Look forward to it, it's about to be released!'
To be honest, Seo Woojin was a bit curious.
What kind of appearance he would have.
In many ways.
"Line up!"
At that moment, the instructor came in and called out to the heroes.
'Ludian?'
The identity of the instructor was Ludian.
He looked a little haggard after all the hard work he had done in the ruins.
But his sharp gaze was still there.
As Ludian looked around at the heroes who were beginning to line up, his eyes met Seo Woojin's.
'Hello.'
Seo Woojin greeted him with a nod of his head.
Ludian also recognized Seo Woojin and nodded slightly.
However, it was only for a moment.
Ludian opened his mouth with a stern expression.
"You may have heard that today's training is individual sparring."
At these words, the excitement returned to the heroes' faces.
"But just sparring might not boost your morale. Therefore, today's training will be conducted in a tournament format."
"A tournament?"
"You mean a competition?"
A murmur of voices arose.
"But simply determining rankings won't keep motivation alive, so rewards will be given according to performance."
"What are those?"
A curious hero asked.
Then Ludian looked to the side.
"These are items bestowed by His Imperial Majesty."
There were exactly ten items on display.
Swords, bows, books, and so on.
Even though they were said to have been given by the Emperor himself, each of them had an extraordinary aura.
'Amazing?'
Seo Woojin looked at the sword among them.
It was made of the same black metal as his black sword.
But the only similarity was the appearance.
'The sword itself has mana in it.'
In the past, he might not have noticed it.
However, the enhanced senses of the evolved Seo Woojin were so sharp that he could detect an ant crawling 100 meters away.
Detecting the faint flow of mana was child's play.
'I want it.'
The sword Van Slaine gave him wasn't bad.
He had used it quite well so far.
However, compared to the weapons used by other heroes, it was lacking.
Didn't even Van Slaine, who gave it to him, feel sorry for him?
Thinking about the future, he wanted to secure at least one good sword.
'What should I do?'
To be honest, it wasn't very difficult to stay in the top ranks.
At that moment, the only person worthy of being Seo Woojin's opponent was Baek Siwoo.
However, he hesitated for a moment.
Should he really show off his skills?
Might it cause unnecessary suspicion?
'It's amusing to think about such things at this point.'
Seo Woojin had already attracted the attention of many.
Even if he had a slightly stronger presence now, it wouldn't change much.
'Should I stop being afraid and just show what I've got?'
It's meaningless anyway.
I must have gained strength beyond imagination, so it would have been better to show it generously.
At least that way, he wouldn't get into any annoying fights.
'Alright, let's go.'
Getting some attention and getting such a good sword was definitely a win-win.
Seo Woojin decided to stop paying attention to his surroundings.
"We will now announce the tournament brackets."
Meanwhile, Ludian finished explaining the training and moved on to the next order.
"The first match in Group A is between Park Hanna and Kim Hyeryeong."
"The first match in Group B is between Jang Pilsu and Kang Jinpyo."
Ludian's announcements continued.
And shortly after.
"The third match in Group D is between Lee Jinho and Seo Woojin."
Seo Woojin's name was called out.
'Lee Jinho?'
The name sounded familiar.
Seo Woojin looked around with a grin.
And then he found out who Lee Jinho was.
A man looked at him with a dark face.
It was the guy who challenged Seo Woojin on the first day of the academy and got knocked out with a single punch.
Seo Woojin smiled mischievously.
"What is a magic girl?"
Irene suddenly asked on the waiting bench set up on one side of the training ground, curious about the conversation between Seo Woojin and Gu Dong-hwan.
"Is he some kind of magician?"
"Uh…"
That's not a wrong assumption.
Anyway, since he uses magic.
However, it might be a bit different from the magic in this world.
"Well, it's a little hard to explain in detail."
With a dazzling transformation accompanied by a brilliant waving of his wand, Gu Donghwan, wearing a beautiful dress with an iridescent glow, how do you even describe that?
"You'll see when you see."
Seo Woojin said, avoiding Irene's curious eyes.
"We will start the first match of each group."
At the same time as Ludian's words, the heroes rushed forward.
The ten people standing on the five martial arts stages began to sharpen their skills and face their respective opponents.
"Begin."
Kwaang!
With the declaration of the start, the battle began.
"Whirlwind…"
Seo Woojin stuck out his tongue.
Their movements were so outstanding that it was hard to believe that they were the same person who froze in front of a troll earlier.
"It looks like the Demonic Realm Expedition had some effect."
For a week, the heroes fought a brutal battle.
Although they did not die due to the protection of the knights, they were able to gain enough practical experience.
Thanks to that, there was no hesitation in their actions in the battle.
"Fire Rain!"
A rain of fire rained down.
"Heavy Slash!"
An axe swung like a raging wolf.
"They've grown a lot, right?"
When Seo Woojin asked, Irene nodded.
"Indeed, the growth rate of the heroes is beyond imagination."
It had only been one year.
In that short time, most of the heroes had become powerful enough to be intimidating.
However, unlike before, there was no sense of jealousy in her words.
There was only the determination to work even harder.
"Match 1 completed!"
In a brief moment, the winners and losers of the first match were determined.
The victorious heroes cheered and the defeated ones sighed.
Despite the intense battle, no one was injured.
"The wizards of the Sky Tower cast a shock-absorbing spell."
It was a spell that absorbed a certain amount of shock to prevent injuries.
Of course, there was a limit to the amount of shock it could absorb.
However, since it wasn't a matter of life and death, the heroes wouldn't use their full power.
"The danger of magic breaking during this sparring is rare."
Seo Woojin nodded at Eileen's explanation.
The Academy, no. The Empire seems to be actively investing a lot in the safety of the Heroes.
"We will start the second round."
"Ah, it's starting."
Seo Woojin pointed to one side.
There, a combat android with a striking appearance was stepping onto the stage more noticeably than anyone else.
"What kind of performance will it show?"
Seo Woojin had a slightly worried expression.
Surely, it won't really transform, will it?
But Ludian's voice echoed.
"Begin."
As the match began, another spectacular battle unfolded.
Except for one place—the stage where the combat android was.
"Huh?"
Curious about what was happening, attention turned in that direction.
"That looks impressive?"
The Hero facing the combat android was a man with a well-built physique wielding a sword.
However, he seemed slightly unsettled.
It appeared that he might be intimidated by the size of the combat android.
"Well, I'd be scared too."
Indeed, the physicality of the combat android was overwhelming.
"Uh-haha! Let's fight our best!"
The combat android burst into its unique hearty laughter.
Then, it raised its hand swiftly.
"Wait, could it be?"
Seo Woojin made an expression as if to say, "No way."
But once again, it turned out that "could it be" became a reality.
"Trans-for-ma-tion!"
A dazzling light in vivid colors burst out to the point of blinding the eyes.
Shalalala—It felt as if there were sound effects playing.
"Hmm…"
Although he hoped it wasn't true, the combat android had indisputably transformed.
Into a "magical girl."
As the light disappeared, the Heroes in the audience screamed.
"What is that!"
"Ah, my eyes!"
Gu Dong-hwan appeared.
Muscles flexed beneath the cute yellow outfit.
"…What is that?"
Irene opened her eyes wide.
"That's a 'magical girl.'"
Well, to be precise, it would be more fitting to call it a "magical troublemaker" rather than a girl.
Seo Woojin felt embarrassed for no reason.
"Uh-haha-haha! Come at me!"
Gu Dong-hwan, without a hint of embarrassment, taunted while snapping his fingers.
However, the other person had a more frightened expression than before.
"Oh no."
Realizing that his opponent was tense, Gu Dong-hwan clicked his tongue.
"I wanted to have an exciting fight, but it's a shame."
With so much fear, a proper fight wouldn't be possible.
"Then I'll go first."
Gu Dong-hwan clenched his fist the size of a pot lid and took a boxing stance.
"He's serious."
Seeing this, Seo Woojin let out a bitter laugh.
What magic girl steps forward and throws hooks and straight punches?
Gu Dong-hwan's fist smashed through the opponent's body.
Thud!
Each punch felt heavy enough to separate bone from flesh.
"Ugh, ugh!"
The opponent who was hit by Reversible couldn't breathe properly and fell forward.
"Euhahaha!"
Raising both hands, Gu Dong-hwan celebrated his victory, and Seo Woojin made a disgusted face.
"No magic, not even a girl.'
What part of that is 'magic girl'?
Seo Woojin looked at Irene.
Sure enough, she seemed a bit shocked and had a dazed expression on her face.
"Sir Woojin."
Irene suddenly turned to Seo Woojin.
"Huh? Why? Is something wrong?"
Irene asked worriedly, shaking her head.
" It's nothing, but I want to talk about something else."
"Something else?"
As if asking what it was, Irene spoke with a worried expression.
"If Sir Woojin wins the match, the next opponent will be…"
Seo Woojin quickly looked at the tournament schedule.
Ah.
It was a disaster.
If he made a mistake, he might end up facing that 'Magic Pervert Hell Girl'.
"Do you think you can win?"
To be honest, he didn't really want to fight.
It wasn't a matter of strength or weakness; the psychological impact seemed too severe.
"Well, I have to try."
Swallowing dry saliva, Seo Woojin looked at Gu Dong-hwan in the yellow dress who was laughing in the arena.
Whether it was a coincidence or not, their eyes had just met.