Fantasy Libary 23

Title: The Wandering Star Swordsman

“What’s happening?”

“That explosion was massive. Is someone dueling?”

“With all that commotion, who could it be?”

“Not sure, but maybe one of the Page One. No one else could cause such a ruckus.”

“Let’s check it out!”

“If it’s a duel involving Page One, we can’t miss it!”

As the conversation spread, many students at Seidoukan Academy, drawn by the massive explosion, began heading toward the girls’ dormitory.

Ark also glanced in the same direction, watching as repeated explosions erupted from the area. A faint smile appeared on his face.

“So, it’s begun?”

Muttering softly, Ark made his way toward the girls’ dormitory.

Along the way, students heading in the same direction noticed him and immediately recognized who he was.

“Isn’t that the Wandering Star Swordsman?”

“The one who’s been trending lately?”

“Yeah, that’s him...”

A wave of whispers erupted around him.

—The Wandering Star Swordsman.

This was the title Ark had earned after becoming the thirteenth-ranked student at Seidoukan Academy.

Titles for prominent figures at Asterisk were common and not surprising.

For instance, Kirin was known as the Lightning Blade, while Claudia held the title of Thousand Sights Monarch. These titles often surpassed their real names in terms of fame. Now, Ark had gained similar recognition.

As for why his title was the Wandering Star Swordsman, the reason was simple.

<Shining like starlight amidst the heatwave>—this was the strongest impression Ark left during his performances in the Official Ranking Battles. Thus, the title was born.

Ignoring the stares and whispers around him, Ark walked straight toward the dormitory area.

When he arrived, a large crowd had already gathered to watch.

Yes, to watch.

As speculated earlier, a duel was taking place here.

One of the duelists was a girl with long pink hair cascading down her back, exuding a sharp and commanding aura.

Information about her immediately came to Ark’s mind.

“Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld, a first-year high school student at Seidoukan Academy. One of the Page One, currently ranked fifth. Title: The Blazing Witch.”

At the moment, she stood in the arena with a slightly embarrassed expression. Her body radiated strong Prana, forming countless swirling fragments of starlight around her.

Under the influence of her power, the Mana in the surrounding area became turbulent, transforming into blazing flames. These flames coalesced into fiery spears, which the girl hurled with precision toward her opponent.

Watching this display, Ark felt a slight interest.

“Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen a Witch’s abilities up close.”

Among Genestella, there was a rare group of individuals born with the natural ability to connect with Mana, manifesting extraordinary phenomena.

These individuals were known as Sorcerers for males and Witches for females. Like Ogar Lux, they possessed unique and remarkable abilities.

Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld was one such individual—a Witch who controlled fire.

The earlier explosion was caused by her releasing her power to attack her opponent.

And her opponent was a boy who appeared to be around Ark’s age.

The boy had a slender build and messy dark purple hair. His demeanor was lethargic, giving off an indifferent vibe. He seemed like the type who wouldn’t leave a strong impression at first glance.

However, as the target of Julis’ relentless attacks, his lazy expression had now turned into a grimace. He frantically dodged the fiery spears, which exploded with tremendous force near him one after another, creating bursts of flame.

Each dodge left him flustered, appearing utterly helpless.

“Who is that guy?”

“No idea. I’ve never seen him before.”

“I checked the Named Charts, and he’s not listed.”

It seemed no one in the crowd recognized the boy.

“So, he’s unranked, huh?”

“What? I thought his opponent would at least be one of the Page One or, at worst, someone ranked.”

“No one dares to duel the Blazing Witch? That takes guts.”

“Well, say what you will—he’s managing to dodge all her attacks, even if he looks pitiful doing it.”

“Could he be another Wandering Star Swordsman?”

“Doubt it...”

The crowd buzzed with excited discussions, and Ark’s name even came up in their chatter. Hearing this while blending into the crowd, Ark shrugged lightly.

He wanted to say... “That guy is nothing like me. I was weak back then, but he’s just playing dumb to surprise them.”

Although this was Ark’s first time seeing the boy, he immediately recognized who he was.

He wasn’t a student of Seidoukan Academy—at least not until today.

He was a special transfer student, someone destined to attract a lot of attention in the future.

He was... “Amagiri Ayato”, Ark murmured softly, followed by a small smile. “So, the protagonist of the original story has finally appeared.”

If he remembered correctly, the conflict between the two was entirely due to Ayato’s thoughtless actions. He had barged into the girls’ dormitory and ended up in Julis’ room, an understandable act that branded him as a pervert and earned the wrath of the Blazing Witch.

As the battle between them grew more intense—or rather, as Julis grew more frustrated at her inability to land a decisive blow and began releasing even more fire, causing endless explosions—Ark wondered if he should intervene.

“Huh?”

His attention was suddenly drawn to a familiar figure standing at the edge of the crowd.

“Toudou Kirin?”

Ark was surprised. “What’s she doing here?”

She seemed to be avoiding attention, shrinking back and trying hard to minimize her presence. Considering how much attention Ark received as Rank Thirteen, it was almost certain that Rank One showing up here would cause a commotion.

Ark hadn’t expected her to appear, but then again, this was the girls’ dormitory. Her presence here might not be too strange... right?

“Should I greet her?”

Ark hesitated. After openly challenging her, would casually greeting her now make him seem too nonchalant?

As he debated, he noticed Kirin’s gaze suddenly sharpen.

The young girl turned her head, staring intently in a specific direction.

“What’s that...?”

Instinctively, Ark followed her line of sight.

What entered his vision was a streak of light.

The light was an arrow—an arrow made of pure mana.

The projectile shot through the air like a bullet, breaking the sound barrier without a sound as it sped toward its target.

The target was Julis, who was at that moment gathering a massive amount of fire to prepare some kind of ultimate attack.

“Danger!”

In the arena, Ayato had just dodged one of Julis’ fiery spears when his pupils contracted, and he shouted a warning.

At the same time, Ark saw Kirin move.

*SWOOSH!*

The petite girl shot into the arena at an incredible speed, outpacing the mana arrow. In an instant, she appeared in front of Julis.

*CLANG!*

With a flash of her silver sword, she drew her katana and deflected the incoming arrow with a precise strike.

“What?”

Julis looked bewildered, frozen in place as she tried to process what had just happened.

Kirin sheathed her katana and stood upright, then turned to say something to Julis. However, her expression suddenly changed.

*WHOOSH!*

The sound of another arrow splitting the air reached their ears.

But this time, someone else moved even faster than the arrow.

*CLANG!*

A second figure appeared in front of Kirin, drawing a sword with a pristine white blade. With a swift slash, the arrow was split in two.