Magic is Inferior

Most of the cadets resented his arrogance in saying that he would only "accept" the best one percent of the class, not through scouting or big offers.

Especially in an academy of geniuses, the true geniuses were outraged.

'I heard he was a survivor, but I didn't expect him to be so arrogant.'

Chen So-yeon, the granddaughter of the head of the Divine Sword Guild, was one of them.

'Do you think you can be arrogant because you've recently made a name for yourself? There are many cadets here who are associated with the Ten Guilds.'

This is Class A of the Hunter Academy's graduating class.

It was a gathering place for geniuses who were destined for a great future. It wasn't as if the cadets of such a special class were being treated with favorable treatment and offered contracts, but 'show me your skills'?

However, apart from such anger and antipathy, the students did not openly express their dissatisfaction.

Part of this is due to the trust placed in Kim Jin-soo, a chief of the Hunter Association, but it was also due to the fact that few students are willing to take a chance on Leon, who is no ordinary person.

Isn't he a survivor, the one who attacked the Cheongju Gate and closed it?

His confidence comes with a track record, so cadets are bound to be cautious.

Of course, there are quite a few people in the Top 10 guilds who have accomplished such feats and the Divine Sword Guild is a prime example.

"Guild Leader, I have a question."

Chen So-yeon raised her hand and Chief Kim Jin-soo's eyes widened.

'I've been careless!'

Leon's official title is His Majesty, the Lionheart King of the otherworldly Lionheart Kingdom. That much information has been released by the government.

It's a general rule that survivors from other worlds should be treated with respect for their culture. Of course, they're ignored unless they have the skills to do so.

Leon was not a typical survivor.

He was classist, discriminatory, authoritarian, and a bit of a nutcase to watch from the sidelines but the problem was that he was too strong.

"Please, Your Majesty! Grant me a…"

"Tell me your name."

Contrary to Chief Kim Jin-soo's worries, Leon replied calmly.

"It is...Chen So-yeon."

"Are you a noble?"

"Oh, no...."

There is no such thing as aristocracy in modern Korea but L eon shook his head at her answer.

"So you're a commoner. I don't blame you for your ignorance, but in the future, be careful with the way you address people."

"What…!"

Chen So-yeon's face turned bright red as she was instantly turned into an uneducated commoner. However, she quickly regained her composure and asked with a cold gaze.

"You said you'd 'try us out', but haven't you already received our evaluation data?"

The scouts receive the cadets' information before the draft so they can gauge their worth and make an offer.

Leon had received that analysis from the Hunter's Association.

"What does a piece of paper tell you? This king will look beyond it and see you for who you are."

"What....?"

"I'll tell you the opposite. Why should I let you in? Tell me why I should let you in."

It's not like this is a job interview and they're asking you why they should hire you…Leon's expression is too sincere for a pressure interview.

"This king will teach you. You should be honored to know that you can be a servant of the Lionheart King."

"".......""

The students' reactions were even more dumbfounded and Han Soo-ho realized that Ha-ri would have a hard time under such a person.

"You Majesty the Lionheart King."

Regardless, Soo-ho cautiously raised his hand.

"Your question is granted."

"You said you… teach, but what…is it about?"

It wasn't uncommon for guilds with senior Hunters to personally mark and teach the rookies they drafted because their know-how is invaluable.

In fact, Hunters under the tutelage of senior Hunters were often promoted quickly.

"This king will teach you four things: swordsmanship, spearmanship, horsemanship, and theology."

"...?"

The cadets murmured.

Hunters could learn swordsmanship or spearmanship but only if they specialize in swordsmanship or spearmanship.

Those who specialize in other skills take up other weapons, and swords and spears are strictly for ease of use, not to delve deeper.

Besides, horsemanship, you don't learn horsemanship because you're not going to get off your horse at the gate, do you?

-No, apart from everything else, what's the point of a theological education?

-To be our pastor?

Not surprisingly, someone raised their hand.

"I, uh, I specialize in…archery?"

"You're a misfit. That kind of weaponry belongs to the infantry. This king is here to find knights, not infantry."

"You're too much...."

The archery specialist throws his hands up in frustration as another archery specialist raises his hand in protest.

"Archery is a great skill, and ranged dealers are essential for gate capture!"

"Don't you dare raise your voice, you lowlife!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…?!"

It was an even more repulsive epithet, but Leon's [Ranged Abomination] effectively shut the student up.

"Arrows have their limits. Only perfection, with no limits to growth, is the pinnacle a knight should strive for."

"No...."

"Of course, I don't intend to argue with long-range but it is a crude form of combat and can never be a mainstay in a hundred-man battle where sword and flesh meet."

In short, archer is a supporting role. The theory is that a melee cold weapon trained to the extreme will surpass even ranged weapons.

"In the first place, holy law…I mean, is magic universal? If you have the firepower of magic, what's the point of relying on a gimmick? If you run out of arrows, will you just grab a dagger and charge?"

"Ugh…!"

It's a harsh statement, but in reality, the ability of archers to fight for long periods of time has been debated.

In a field gate where supplies were scarce or in a large-scale battle, the number of arrows would be limited.

"So mages don't need to join Your Majesty's guild?"

Raising her hand was a mage girl, one of the few in the entire grade, let alone Class A.

Usually, mage cadets aren't interested in the draft because they go to the mage tower after graduating from the academy.

"Certainly a wizard is handy to have, and there's nothing this king can teach you about that."

Well, sure.

Given his range aversion, it's unlikely he'd use magic or anything like that.

"But if you study theology, this king can teach you some simple holy laws."

"'Theology'?"

That was the most questionable thing. Swordsmanship, spearmanship, and horsemanship aside, what the hell does he mean by teaching theology?

"What does holy law have to do with theology?"

"Yes, it does. Holy law is an expression of faith."

-What is this, magic in a different name?

-I'm curious about otherworldly magic.

-But you say you're a knight. What kind of magic is swordplay?

-That sounds like fantasy to me, given your faith. Why not a priest-healer from a game?

-The light is on the side of the righteous, or something.

Most people don't believe Leon's words since normally magic is a gift that few are born with.

Of the five thousand cadets at Hunter Academy, only a hundred are mages. That's a rare talent.

It's an even rarer profession in general, given that the mage cadets are being weeded out by the Tower.

'Those who teach swordsmanship and spearmanship, also use magic?' Suspicion flares in Leon's eyes.

"You seem to think that magic is a blessing granted only to the most gifted."

'Isn't that obvious? '

Leon continued.

"Holy law is not reserved for a select few. Anyone can do it if they're willing to learn."

"That's ridiculous."

Chen So-yeon raised her hand to speak up, momentarily embarrassed by the words she had unwittingly uttered.

"The way a normal Martial Realm Hunter and a Magic Realm Hunter utilize mana is different. While the Martial Realm uses internal force that condenses mana from within, the Magical Realm is an external force that radiates outward."

"So?"

At Leon's so-what attitude, Chen So-Yeon chewed her lip and continued.

"There are geniuses who can use both at the same time, but they're even rarer than mages. Your Majesty said that anyone can do it, right?"

"Indeed. It's not a powerful holy law, but there are holy laws that even a street farmer can use if it's necessary for their livelihood."

Chen So-yeon's gaze narrowed.

"It's theoretically impossible."

"Don't try to understand it with logic. It's not something that can be learned. But since you don't believe me, I'll tell you one more thing."

Leon's next words would have stunned even a mage girl who had approached him out of curiosity.

"Magic is inferior to the holy law."

""...!!""

What the hell?

The previous statements aside, what was this bombshell?

The mage cadets in Class A shuddered and raised their hands, unable to contain their outrage, and Leon waved away the questions.

"Mage Cadet Kim Dae-Su. Inferior… what do you mean?"

"Literally. Inferior. Next."

"I'm Mage Cadet Chae Na-lin. Why is it inferior?"

"Because a mage's magic is only the result of an equation. Next."

"I am Chen So-yeon…. I'm not sure what that means."

"Hmm...."

This is where Leon realized he needed to explain the crucial difference between magic and holy law.

"For example, let's say you have a spell that uses fire. What can you do with that fire?"

"Burn…isn't that right?"

"Yes, that is the proper use of fire. But here's the thing. How far can you burn with that fire?"

That depends on the firepower.

If it's a bonfire, it'll only burn meat, but if it's a thermal power plant, it'll burn a lot of fuel.

"Mage girl there, Chae Na-lin, come forward."

"Yes, eh?"

The designated Cadet Chae Na-lin glanced around, then cautiously stepped forward. Leon found a suitable object and called out to Chief Kim Jin-soo, who was looking at him uneasily.

"Chief Jin-soo, I assume you have some training equipment here?"

"Uh, yeah, that's right."

"If you have a shield, that would be great."

Without asking about Leon's intentions, Chief Kim immediately grabbed a training shield. It was a semi-large round shield that could completely cover a person.

"Hmm, not bad for a trainee's equipment."

That's the equipment of the Hunter Academy. The most expensive education in the country, paid for by taxes.

In fact, the training shields are made of the highest quality minerals of the normal grade. It's safe to say they're semi-rare grade.

"How long would it take to burn this shield with magic?"

"Tae, burn?"

"Yes. Think of it as burning it out. Without melting it."

"Impossible!"

Cadet Chae Na-lin was right. Setting fire to iron would melt it, not burn it. Even that would require a great deal of firepower.

Especially for a hunter's shield which was made from a crystalline stone.

"Impossible?"

"Eh, if you're an S-class mage, it might be possible…but you still need to melt it!"

"Yes, that's your limitation."

""?????""

Leon said to the dumbfounded students.

"Your magic isn't technically magic, it's just the result of a rational equation. It should be called witchcraft, not magic."

The cadets stared at him in disbelief and disgust.

Unable to blame them for their ignorance, Leon began to focus his energy on his fingers.

"This king believes that the sacred flames of the God of War and Flame will consume this shield. It could end in a melting point, if this king wishes. It's up to him."

What's a little faith going to do?

To everyone's surprise, however, fire began to erupt from Leon's fingertips.

Is he really using magic?

But the cadets' surprise didn't end there.

The moment the tiny flames touched the shield the shield turned to ash and disappeared.

It didn't even melt, just turned to ash and disappeared in an instant.

"What…!"

""...?!!""

A muffled shout filled the lecture hall as everyone doubted their eyes, trying to interpret what just happened. But the eyes, nor the mind, can interpret what has just happened, only the results.

Only that the fire 'consumed' the shield.

How?

The equation for the most important intermediate step in the use of magic is missing entirely.

You create the fire, the fire consumes it.

Only the result is visible in reality.

"This is the difference between magic and holy law."

The obvious was said, and the obvious was done so Leon didn't boast about how great his "miracle" was since it was just something he could do with the illogical power of faith.

This is not innovation or novelty. It's something else entirely.

The holy law…no, Leon's very existence is 'different' from this planet.

-Really…can anyone learn this?

-Is this what theological education is for?

-I can be a mage…I mean, a priest?

The cadets look at Leon differently.

From an otherworldly pseudo-authoritarian to the indescribable 'real'.

"You can really do that──!"

It was then that the bell rings, signaling the end of 8th period, and the heavy atmosphere is lifted.

"Hmm, time's up."

Leon stepped down from the lectern without hesitation, knowing that he had used up his allotted time.

"This king will pick only the one percent jade (geniuses). Those who consider themselves Jade, those who wish to become knights, must prove their worth at this king's gates."

Only the charred remains of his shield lay where Leon had left it.