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With slightly curly, short hair, light freckles, droopy eyes, and black pupils, Jo Yerin was an ordinary girl.
In fact, she was so ordinary that you could find someone like her just about anywhere.
She was a second-year student in Class D at Stella Academy, and her small stature and plain appearance made her unremarkable.
Of course, since she had been admitted to Stella Academy, Jo Yerin had been the brightest and most outstanding student in her hometown.
But here, she was neither especially bad nor exceptionally good—just another average student.
Her personality wasn’t abrasive, and perhaps it was her fear of casting offensive spells on others that made her ill-suited to become a magic warrior. However, with her family and teachers back home expecting great things from her, giving up here wasn't an option.
That’s when she turned to League of Spirits.
It was a sport where she could attack others without hurting anyone. Drawn to this, Jo Yerin joined the LOS club, but even there, she couldn’t shine. She was always being pushed around and sidelined.
One day, as she practiced alone, hoping for a team of her own, someone approached her.
"Jo Yerin? Here's your team."
Without knowing the people she was teamed up with, she found herself part of a group called Maorun White, with two boys and two girls.
They weren’t magic warrior students; they had transferred in through technical programs.
“Is she the second-year student?”
“She seems a little clueless to be aiming for magic warrior status, don’t you think?”
“Whatever, as long as she can fight.”
The four of them seemed to know each other well and openly excluded Jo Yerin from the group.
Used to being treated this way, Jo Yerin told herself that she just needed to do her best and didn’t pay much attention to it.
However, it seemed her presence still bothered them.
“Hey, you idiot! Are you even a magic warrior student? We lost because of you!”
“Hurry up and back us up! Don’t you know the top lane always needs support?”
“Ugh, useless.”
The insults came flying constantly.
‘You're the one who messed up. It was on the minimap—you could have noticed and dodged in time.’
Jo Yerin didn’t believe she had done anything wrong, but she was too timid to say anything, so she silently endured it.
Months passed, and their bullying didn’t stop.
[Defeat! Maorun White Team]
Even after their loss in the academy selection match, the blame still fell on Jo Yerin.
“You idiot. You couldn’t even block that? How many times did I tell you to come and back me up?”
“But the enemy knight was right in front of me. You should have moved in after assessing the situation...”
“So now you’re saying it’s my fault? You crazy idiot! You know I can get you kicked out if I tell the professor, right?”
“That’s... Not what I meant...”
“Damn it. If that guy had transferred in, we would have had five people, and we wouldn’t have to use this useless girl.”
“Hey, cut it out.”
The mention of the transfer made one of the teammates panic and try to stop the conversation. It seemed to be a sensitive subject, but Jo Yerin, whose mental state was already worn thin, paid little attention.
‘We’ve already lost two in a row…’
It seemed hopeless for them to qualify for the selection tournament. Even if they won every remaining match, it would only get them into the top three by a slim margin. But with no teamwork in their group, it was impossible.
If they failed again this year, Jo Yerin would have no choice but to give up on LOS entirely.
[Players who have completed their match, please wait in the lounge.]
As Jo Yerin trudged out of the stadium with her head hung low, listening to the announcement, a shadow fell over her.
She slowly raised her head. At first, it was hard to make out who it was, as her bangs almost covered her eyes, but soon she realized who it was and widened her eyes in surprise.
‘Baek Yu-Seol?’
The boy in front of her was much taller than she remembered, his face more mature. His name tag read, ‘1st Year, Class S, Baek Yu-Seol.’ Jo Yerin gulped nervously.
What was the student everyone was talking about doing here all of a sudden?
“Hello, senior.”
“W-Wait, me?”
“Yes, Jo Yerin, right? But why are you speaking so formally?”
“Oh, uh, sorry…”
“No need to apologize.”
‘Idiot!’
Jo Yerin berated herself inwardly. She was a senior, but here she was, acting like a fool in front of a younger student.
“This is, uh… The second time we’ve met, right?”
She tried to steer the conversation as a senior would, but Baek Yu-Seol tilted his head in confusion.
“Isn’t this the first time?”
“Oh no, we met during the first semester. In the cafeteria, remember? I dropped my tray and you caught it using your teleportation spell…”
“Oh.”
‘How can I remember that?’
Baek Yu-Seol chuckled to himself but didn’t say it out loud.
“Right, then I guess this is technically our second meeting.”
“Yeah… So, why are you here?”
“I came to talk to you about something. You’ve lost two matches in the selection tournament, right?”
At those words, Jo Yerin hung her head even lower, looking sullen. Baek Yu-Seol glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then leaned closer to her.
"Huh?”
Before Jo Yerin could pull back in surprise, Baek Yu-Seol whispered softly.
“Don’t you want to win, senior?”
“Wh-what?”
“I see potential in you. You have good judgment, and your fighting skills are decent, but your team is holding you back, preventing you from showing your full potential.”
“I’m not really…”
“No, trust me. You know who I am, right? I’m Baek Yu-Seol. I’ve got a mind sharp enough to outsmart anyone.”
“Oh, right! You’re the ‘Greatest Genius Who Defies the Gods’!”
“… Where did you hear that nickname?”
“Uh, just in the school paper.”
“Never mind that. The point is, I can teach you how to win by playing to your strengths—quickly.”
Jo Yerin hesitated and glanced over her shoulder. Nearby, four students were laughing among themselves: her teammates from the Maorun White team.
“Are those the kids from the Maorun region?”
“Yeah… I’m just an extra. The student who was supposed to join didn’t transfer, so they put me in.”
“Oh, right. That kid must be stuck in the eternal grind somewhere by now.”
“The grind?”
“Never mind. Anyway, your next match is against the Petrus team, right?”
“I’ll come up with a detailed strategy for you. All you need to do is act on your own—charge in solo.”
“W-what? If I do that—”
“If you do that, your teammates won’t be happy, right? Who cares? Weren’t you planning on leaving the team if you lost again?”
“Ah…”
Baek Yu-Seol’s words hit the mark, and Jo Yerin blinked in surprise.
“And if you keep playing like this, you’re going to lose the next match anyway. If you're going to lose, wouldn’t it be better to take a gamble and follow my advice?”
Jo Yerin hesitated and looked around nervously before speaking cautiously.
"Even if I act alone... Will they follow me?"
"They will. After all, you’re still part of the team, and they know how much of an impact it would be if one member is missing. Trust me, they probably want to win even more than you do right now."
"Really...?"
Though Jo Yerin couldn't quite understand this, Baek Yu-Seol was confident. If they didn’t make it to the finals, who knew what might happen to them as dark magic users.
"And I’ll be leading the charge...?"
She looked a bit nervous.
To initiate a team fight?
That had never happened before. Neither her teammates nor she herself had ever been in such a situation. But Baek Yu-Seol was sure of one thing: they would win.
"Jo Yerin, you're not supposed to be in that team in the first place."
In the original game, she belonged to a better team and had a natural role as a strategist, guiding her teammates to victory. However, because the story had shifted, she was stuck in the spot of the missing dark magic user, unable to truly shine.
If she could regain her composure, the team would have a strong chance of winning.
"Now, let's go over this..."
Baek Yu-Seol carefully explained the upcoming teams they would face, breaking down strategies one by one.
Though it took some time, Jo Yerin understood everything Baek Yu-Seol explained and quickly realized how valuable his guidance was.
"But… Is it okay for you to do this? We're all competitors, after all."
It dawned on her that Baek Yu-Seol was helping a competitor.
Why would he do that?
But if he offered a serious explanation, it would only make him look more suspicious.
"Hey, sometimes it's just nice to help out. Anyway, good luck. Make it to the finals."
With that, Baek Yu-Seol disappeared, leaving Jo Yerin clutching the notes and strategies he’d given her.
"I’m going to win too!"
She was tired of constantly losing. Now that she was at Stella Academy, something had to change.
"Let’s do this!"
She whispered to herself with a small burst of determination, though quickly lowered her voice and glanced around nervously, wondering if anyone had heard. Her personality, it seemed, wouldn’t change so easily.
———
"So... you were helping out another team?"
Eisel was clearly shocked as she watched Baek Yu-Seol eat his bread.
"There were reasons."
"Hmm... I know you always have reasons, but skipping out on our dinner, which is practically a team meeting, to help another team?"
"It doesn’t matter. We’re not even going to face them in the tournament."
At least that was a relief. If they had to go against the Maorun White team, Baek Yu-Seol might have had to persuade Flame to throw the match on purpose.
But he quickly realized that losing one match wouldn’t be enough.
Maorun White’s current performance was disastrous. The only saving grace was that, as if fate had smiled upon them, Jo Yerin—a future talented player—was part of the team.
With just a little nudge, Jo Yerin would lead the Maorun White team to victory from now on.
"Which means..."
Baek Yu-Seol would fully fulfill Professor Raiden’s request. Now, Raiden had no choice but to honor his side of the deal and ensure Anella's transfer.
“Well, whatever. We’ve already racked up a lot of points. We can afford to relax a bit.”
What mattered more was the upcoming match, where they would face Ga Yu-Rin’s ‘Emerald Stella Team.’
In the original novel, it was Eisel and Ga Yu-Rin who fought, with Eisel ultimately winning and overcoming her emotional struggles. However, in the game...
Flame was the one who destroyed everything.
The concept of the LOS arc focused more on action scenes with the protagonist than any emotional lines with the male lead.
“Oh, the next match has started.”
[Emerald Stella vs. Today Members]
Both were well-known teams, and whichever advanced to the finals wouldn’t be a surprise. But Flame and Baek Yu-Seol already knew the outcome.
"Ga Yu-Rin’s team is going to lose."
"Huh, really? I thought the Emerald team was stronger."
“They are, but they’ll lose."
He couldn’t reveal why.
Ga Yu-Rin’s mistakes would lead to the team’s defeat, and they’d face Flame’s team in a desperate bid to make it to the finals. That was destiny.
[Victory! Today Members Team]
[Defeat! Emerald Stella Team]
As predicted, Ga Yu-Rin’s reckless solo actions cost Emerald Stella the game, and they lost embarrassingly.
One more loss and their hopes of making it to the finals would be crushed—a fate that was destined for the protagonist to deliver.
This was only important for Flame. For Baek Yu-Seol, it didn’t matter much.
What was more pressing was...
[Maorun White vs. Black Circus]
Jo Yerin gripped her staff tightly, trembling with fear. The four dark magic users on her team, looking like they were chewing on rocks, clearly feared what would happen if they lost again.
Their opponents looked just as anxious, knowing a loss here would end their chances as well.
"They'll win."
As the match began and Jo Yerin took the lead, moving aggressively, Baek Yu-Seol knew for sure.
———-
Waning Moon Plains, Lotus Inn.
"Here’s last year’s exam papers. This is this year’s mock exam compilation. Then here’s a book on spell crafting and solution manuals. This one is a paper on multi-spell design theory, which will be a topic in this year’s essay, so make sure to study it.”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Thick books piled up one after another.
Anella, who had been studying, stopped and stared blankly at the growing stack of materials.
“That should be enough, right? I have to run some errands for the young lady, so I’ll be off now.”
“Wait a minute!”
As Anella hastily grabbed the maid who was about to leave, the maid tilted her head in confusion.
“Hm? What’s wrong? Would you like some orange juice? Or maybe some candy?”
“I’m not a child...”
It was oddly infuriating to be treated like one.
While she was grateful that, thanks to Baek Yu-Seol's request, she had been given a place to stay at Jeliel’s Starcloud Trading Company, and she didn’t even mind the fact that she was now studying...
But the pace of the studying was way too fast!
“You said your goal was to transfer this year, right? Miss Jeliel is very serious about fulfilling Baek Yu-Seol’s requests, so she set a tight schedule for you. Oh, and soon a tutor from Stella Academy will come. He’s still young, and even though he’s busy with research, he agreed to help because Miss Jeliel rented him a research lab as a bribe."
“Oh, that’s a secret by the way.”
The maid said mischievously before darting off.
Anella’s face was clouded with despair. She slammed her head onto the desk.
“I hate studying...”
Why had she ever thought that becoming human would bring a happy life?
She had imagined herself frolicking in a bright blue sky, surrounded by butterflies, squirrels, and cats, laughing joyfully.
Now she only felt foolish for ever thinking that way.
Humans, as it turned out, were a species that had to study and work relentlessly just to survive.
“Ughhh...”
Anella felt like her soul was being sucked out of her body, but then she imagined Jeliel’s illusion appearing out of nowhere, grabbing her soul by the scruff of the neck, and stuffing it right back into her.
Jeliel would stop at nothing to get Anella into Stella Academy.
“Save meee...”
And so, from somewhere within the Lotus Inn, the pitiful wailing of a certain girl could be heard once again.
However, since Miss Jeliel was so good at keeping secrets, no one ever figured out who it was.
It was a truly unfortunate situation.
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