Unpassable Bridge (1)

Against Mark's expectations, the black iron bars bent like rubber, curling upward into a noose-like shape.

It looked as if a wire had been twisted into a perfect circle.

"Ahhh! What the hell!"

As Mark recoiled in shock, his body passed cleanly through the enormous ring.

Though it wasn't an immediate threat, the transformed iron bar's hardness was nearing that of solid steel.

'Why is this happening?'

At that moment, a mechanical female voice rang out.

—Warning. Warning. Activating the mechanism of the Unpassable Bridge. Level 10. Level 10.

"...What?"

It wasn't just the reason for the mechanism's activation that was unclear—the difficulty level itself was shocking. Level 10 was the highest difficulty of the Unpassable Bridge.

Black iron bars shot out, twisting and bending, forming ominous and grotesque obstacles.

"W-what is that?"

Considering that Class Four's training difficulty was only Level 6, it was easy to imagine the terror of the onlookers.

"What's going on?! Why did the mechanism suddenly activate?!"

The instructors were thrown into chaos.

The obstacles meant for graduating students were not only intricate in form but also dangerously fast, significantly increasing the risk of injury.

"Damn it!"

Saad was the first to react, immediately casting spatial movement to teleport to the control room. The remaining instructors turned to the principal.

"Headmaster, what should we do? The promotion exam—"

The only students left were Shirone and Mark.

With the competition so close that no victor could be predicted, halting the exam now would undoubtedly lead to controversy.

Especially for a promotion exam of this magnitude—moving up to Class Two wasn't just about the students. The powerful families backing them would surely interfere.

'This isn't just any promotion. It's advancement to Class Two. Even the eliminated students will demand fairness.'

The instructors' concerns were valid, but Alpheas's face contorted in anger.

"Are you really asking that right now?! Cancel the exam immediately and send the signal to stop!"

The loud boom of spatial movement echoed as Saad landed on the ground, scowling as he rushed toward the control room.

"Whoever is behind this… you're dead."

An incident where the mechanism of the Unpassable Bridge malfunctioned at the prestigious Alpheas Magic Academy?

'It's probably Baek.'

Convinced that it was simply the control operator's mistake, he reached for the control room door and yanked it violently.

"Huh?"

The door was locked.

That moment of hesitation planted a new suspicion—maybe this wasn't a mistake after all.

His eyes darkened.

"You think you can challenge me?"

As he raised his right hand, a blazing inferno erupted from his palm. Through Spirit Zone, he sensed the presence inside.

'What?'

Someone was sitting against the iron door.

If he unleashed magic now, they would be burned alive. He decided to issue a warning first.

"Open the door. I'm about to cast Fire Strike. If you don't, you'll die."

"I don't care. No, please… just do it."

Saad's eyes widened.

"Maria?"

Though he wasn't her assigned instructor, he recognized her as a student who had been attending since his own time in the graduating class.

"It's you, isn't it? What the hell are you doing? The promotion exam is in chaos! This is serious!"

"I'm sorry… I caused another disaster."

"Let's talk face to face."

"Professor… Am I going to be expelled now? No… maybe even sent to prison?"

"No, Maria. I don't know what's going on, but I'll listen."

"It was like a dream. I only realized after I did it… I think I've lost my mind. I'm so sorry."

"Then open the door. I don't want to use force."

"I don't want to live anymore, Professor. What should I do now?"

"..."

Hearing her trembling voice, Saad let the flames in his palm quietly die down.

The thought of stopping the mechanism to restore the exam had already left his mind.

'Erlang Maria.'

What kind of student was she?

Quiet. Timid. A girl whose name rarely appeared in any school records.

"Fine. I get it."

Scratching his head, Saad turned away, sitting on the nearby railing as if he wanted to think about anything but this situation.

"If you don't want to come out, then don't."

Maria didn't respond.

But the fact that she didn't shake the door handle or shout meant she was at least calming down.

In the silence, Saad looked up at the sky.

'Still the same.'

The sky of Alpheas Magic Academy, so bright and blue that he used to hate it.

"Professor."

"...What?"

"Do you hate me?"

"You don't know? I don't hate women."

"Why is the world so unfair?"

"You don't like unfairness? Then again, it's rare to be born as pretty as you."

"You're a genius wizard, Professor. You wouldn't understand what it's like to have no talent. No matter how hard I try, all I feel is despair. It's like nothing will ever work out. Do you know what that feels like?"

"Of course I do."

Maria turned toward the door in shock.

"You do?"

"Let's see… It's been four years since I became a teacher. I graduated from this school when I was twenty-two, so I must have been in my final year when you entered. You know I studied at Alpheas, right?"

"Yes."

"Then think back. Have you ever heard of a genius named Saad?"

Maria hesitated. She hadn't.

Considering how Shirone had become the talk of the academy immediately upon admission, it was strange.

"No… I don't think I have."

"Of course not. I was an average student, with mediocre grades and no talent. My family wasn't wealthy either. I spent most of my time outside, getting into fights."

"You, Professor?"

"It took me two years to advance each class. I even repeated the final year three times. If anything, I had it slightly better than you. Haha."

Maria pouted.

Saad smirked, as if he could see her expression through the door.

"It's all the same, isn't it? Unless you're the best, you'll hit a wall eventually. I did too. I barely clawed my way to the final year, but I was always last place."

"Then how did you…?"

"Become a respected professor? Haha! Pure luck. A grumpy old wizard took me under his wing and beat some sense into me. He told me, 'Dreaming of success without the courage to sacrifice anything is just lying to yourself.'"

Maria fell silent, deep in thought.