I Became the Academy’s Munchkin Sniper

Before the duel began, in the waiting room of the arena, only Cathlyn and Ivel remained, creating a tense silence.

In the mentee magic duel, the mentor’s presence was essential, allowing them to observe their mentee’s matches up close. 

Most mentors would shake hands and wish each other a good match, but this depended on the individuals involved.

Ivel and Cathlyn were near-rivals.

Ivel held the top rank among first-year students, while Cathlyn was currently the top among second-years.

Their competition for the first and second positions, with only a slight difference in ranking, meant they didn’t get along well.

Cathlyn looked at Ivel with a smug expression, while Ivel simply watched Kyle with half-closed eyes.

“You seem confident, Ivel.”

Cathlyn couldn’t understand why Ivel seemed so calm, even nodding off, before her own mentee’s match. She knew that Luin had matched Ciel in every duel so far, thanks to the high-quality mana enhancer she had secretly given him. 

Originally, Luin wasn’t nearly this strong, and she believed it was her guidance that had improved him.

Cathlyn had no doubt Luin would crush Kyle.

“Can’t you be quiet? I’m tired.”

Ivel, however, didn’t have the energy to engage. She was exhausted.

She hoped Kyle would win, but she wasn’t as fixated on victory as Cathlyn was. 

Over the past week, Kyle had shown considerable growth, achieving good results in the mentorship magic duels. 

For someone who had been at the bottom of the Magic Department just a month ago, it was an impressive feat.

For her, that was enough.

Even if Kyle lost, it wouldn’t matter much to her. His grades could be supplemented by written and practical exams.

What mattered to her was that Kyle had followed her lessons well.

Sigh!

‘There’s so much to do after this duel.’

Ivel worried about the work she’d have after the duels. Unlike the teamwork-based monster combat training, each student would receive individual scores for this event.

“Four times the work…”

Ivel sighed, looking ahead. Kyle and Luin were exchanging words.

The duel seemed to have started.

Despite her fatigue, Ivel focused on the match. She couldn’t ignore Kyle’s duel, after all.

“What… is that?”

Suddenly, Ivel’s fatigue vanished.

Dozens of red magic circles appeared in the air. She analyzed them quickly; all of them were advanced mid-level spells…

Not even Ciel could do something like this.

It was unbelievable.

Realizing something was wrong, Ivel turned sharply to Cathlyn and shouted,

“Cathlyn—! What did you do?! I knew you were getting reckless lately, but are you cheating now? Do you think that’s acceptable?!”

There was no way Luin could pull this off without Cathlyn doing something to help him.

Ivel felt ready to confront Cathlyn, but Cathlyn wasn’t looking at her. She seemed just as shocked.

“Cathlyn…?”

“Luin? What on earth is going on…?”

Cathlyn stared at Luin, her mouth slightly open. She was his mentor and knew his capabilities well.

Luin didn’t have the skill to cast multiple mid-level spells simultaneously.

Even with the enhancer, this was impossible.

“Cathlyn…! You really crossed the line this time…!”

“I-I didn’t do anything! Honestly! All I gave him was a mana enhancer!”

“And you think that’s okay?”

As Ivel and Cathlyn were about to argue further, a ‘bang’ echoed through the arena.

A bullet, filled with a thousand units of mana, was fired, piercing through Luin’s shield and hitting him squarely in the abdomen.

Luin staggered slightly, but it didn’t do much damage.

Kyle suppressed his disappointment.

“Seems like Insight didn’t activate.”

With that realization, Kyle decided to buy time using magic and daggers.

Having made his decision, he charged into the flames.

——-

Act 1, Scene 3.

The battle with Luin, the mid-boss, was straightforward. The player was designed to be unable to defeat Luin through physical means alone.

As the duel progressed, Luin unleashed spells without pause. He was almost as formidable as Ciel. 

No matter how much damage he took, he recovered quickly and continuously casted mid-level spells with almost no casting time.

The player facing Luin would undoubtedly feel the unfairness of the battle, but the solution lay elsewhere.

From the beginning…! You aren’t meant to fight him…!

The time to actually deal damage to Luin came only in Phase 2, when demonic features, like horns, began to emerge, and his transformation into a demon progressed further.

Until then, the player could only wait, minimizing mana consumption and focusing on dodging and parrying Luin’s attacks until he demonizes. 

The key to dealing with Luin was making him unstable; the more the player dodged his magic, the faster the countdown to Phase 2 shortened. Conversely, getting hit increased the time needed to withstand his attacks.

“Come closer, and I’ll burn you to ashes!”

I opted to get within his range. A mage’s weakness is close combat. If the opponent is distant, the mage only has to focus on the front, but once a knight or rogue gets close, they become vulnerable from all angles.

If a mage is forced into close range, they normally adjust their spell targeting to account for the opponent’s location, but Luin was different from the norm.

“Gah. Stay back!”

He threw fireballs at my ever-shifting position, and in an instant, flames erupted from the ground around Luin.

Fwoosh!

‘This is dangerous.’

I immediately lifted myself with a gust spell, spinning in mid-air and landing at an angle. However, flames surged from the ground again as I touched down, scorching my skin even through my basic shield.

Ssssss—

“Ugh—”

The gap between basic and mid-level magic was vast. It was impossible to block his mid-level spells with a basic shield alone.

This likely extended the timer.

Still, I had an advantage the player didn’t. My ability to talk shit.

“Oh. Looks like an ordinary demonic power.”

“W-what are you talking about? This is my power…!”

“I know it’s not. You made a pact with a demon, didn’t you? Is that how you got into Artena Academy?”

“S-shut that mouth of yours!”

Trash talk. Successful.

Luin’s state grew even more unstable.

“I’ll kill you!”

With dozens of red magic circles appearing around him, Luin was finally starting to lose control.

At this rate, Phase 2 would begin soon.

Sorry to say, but once we hit Phase 2, I intended to end this fight immediately. When his species changes to demonic, I can deal bonus damage.

I just needed to hold out a little longer.

I charged toward Luin.

“Burn!!”

Pillars of fire swept across the arena. Countless fireballs chased after me, while bursts of flame erupted from the ground randomly, creating a hellish landscape.

At this point, it was impossible to visually distinguish all the attacks, let alone dodge them.

So, I released a portion of my ‘Clairvoyance’.

[Releasing a portion of ‘Clairvoyance’!]

[Clairvoyance has evolved to Mythical grade: Omniscient Gaze!]

Then, I gained the vision of an absolute being.

I could see the flow of mana, the structure of magic circuits, the paths of the flames, and the demonic aura leaking from Luin’s rampage.

All this information flowed into my mind, guided by my optic nerves.

[Activating Magic-Enhanced Strike!]

Now, I could do this.

I gripped my mana-infused dagger tightly, analyzing the core circuits of the approaching fireballs and slashed them down.

Swish—

The magic was dispelled.

Once I succeeded the first time, it wasn’t difficult to keep going.

I started running, slicing through the incoming spells as I advanced.

“W-what kind of nonsense is this—!”

Luin, in a panic, intensified the barrage of spells, but I dispelled each one. 

With ‘Clairvoyance’ upgraded to ‘Omniscient Gaze’, I could dispel all his magic.

‘This is exactly why I learned enhanced strikes from Ivel.’

Though it quickly drained my magic power, there was no better defense.

“Is that all?”

I taunted, looking directly at Luin. He had stopped casting spells and stood there, panting and exhausted.

‘It’s happening.’

Just as in the original story, he was succumbing. This was the price of using demonic power beyond his limits.

Soon, dark energy erupted, swirling around the arena.

Boom!

Horns sprouted from Luin’s head, and his green eyes turned a bloody red. A reddish barrier surrounded the arena.

 Luin looked at his grotesquely transformed hands, then spoke.

[I’ll kill you… At any cost.]

Now that he had become a fallen one, he had nothing left to lose. He’d probably try to kill me quickly and escape the Magic Tower afterward.

“Fine.”

But he didn’t know one thing.

“Give it your best shot.”

He had no idea how much I’d anticipated this moment, just the two of us.

I aimed at Luin.

[You have selected the light element.]

[The target’s element is darkness.]  

[There is a significant level gap between you and the target.]  

[Insight is activated!]

[Your level, stats, and skill grades have temporarily increased!]  

[Damage amplification applied!]  

[ Kyle ]

Lv: 60  

Species: Human  

Gender: Male  

Titles: The Most Notorious Scoundrel, Demon Slayer  

Mana: 4000/6000  

Karma: 15  

Unique Trait: Sniping Master  

Traits: Perfect Accuracy, Crisis Detection, Rapid Fire, Touch of Death, Iron Man, Indomitable Spirit  

[Stat Details]

Invested Stat Points: 0  

Strength: 35  

Stamina: 35  

Endurance: 35  

Intelligence: 35  

Perception: 35  

Mana Perception: 18  

Spirit Perception: 17  

[Talent Details]

Elements: Multiple  

Affinities: Multiple  

Growth Efficiency: A+  

[Active Skill Details]

Liberation, Ignition, Water Control, Gust, Dagger Technique, Basic Shield, Mana-Enhanced Strike  

[Passive Skill Details]

Shooting Proficiency: B+  

Combat Sense: B+  

Mana Efficiency: B+  

Firepower: B+  

Firepower Control: B+  

Crafting: B+  

Butchery: B+  

Judging by everything, I doubted we’d even reach Phase 3.