Humans and demons are not equal.
The difference between the short-lived and the long-lived species can never be reversed.
Kamigin has believed this without question his entire life.
‘Isn’t it common sense that needs no explanation?’
The entirety of a human’s life is but a blink to a demon.
Even if someone devotes their life to gaining experience, they cannot possibly reach the same heights.
In the face of a skill honed over a near eternity, a mortal’s achievements lose their value.
‘That was supposed to be the common sense, wasn’t it?’
Yet now, before his eyes, that very common sense is being overturned.
It was fine when he first saw the meteor fall.
After hearing how Marbas met his end, he expected an attack of this level.
Even when the opponent started replicating his spells, he was unperturbed.
He figured that, with limits to the opponent’s magic, he could block it about three times.
But when the opponent began recklessly modifying the spell, that was the moment he had no choice but to sense his own defeat.
Haphazardly arranged runes.
The arrangement and structure were so chaotic that it was impossible to understand the intention behind them.
But each seemingly meaningless element, when combined in this complex way, began to take on significance.
‘Why was half of the spell’s components missing?’ To trigger a failure and make the magic run wild.
‘Why would he do something as reckless as that?’
To enjoy the power boost from the wild magic while pushing the backlash onto his enemy.
“Why did he think he could push the backlash onto his enemy?”
“Because he had already taken control of Kamigin’s magic circuits.”
A precision so fine that even Kamigin hadn’t noticed it.
He had never let his guard down, and the human had only met a few demons before, so he couldn’t possibly have a deep understanding of the demon’s system and structure.
Yet, as if none of that mattered, the man succeeded in stealing control of the magic circuits.
At some point, he found himself bound to the man’s spell, forced to bear the risks that should have been directed toward that man.
‘Even this alone is shocking enough.’
But what’s even harder to believe is what the man is doing now.
The spell, which should have dissipated soon after being used, lasts only a moment before the magic within it scatters back into the air.
In that fleeting moment, he seizes the residual magic and constructs another spell from it. While theoretically possible, it’s an act beyond the realm of common sense.
A spell that would take even an archmage an entire day to complete, he rebuilds in less than a second.
A speed of casting that defies all common sense.
This overwhelming efficiency allows him to cast the grand magic, Meteor, thousands of times.
〈Unique Spell No. 1: Meteor Shower〉
The man looks down on him with an arrogant smile.
A gaze filled with overt contempt, as if to say, “No matter how much you struggle, you will never reach me.”
But the emotion filling the demon’s chest isn’t anger—it’s awe.
At this moment, he can only admit that the common sense he’s held his entire life was flawed.
‘It doesn’t matter if one’s lifespan is short or long.’
Even those who live for a fleeting moment can overwhelm those who live for eternity.
A true genius.
Before someone born to stand at the peak, the limits of one’s race don’t matter.
Hundreds, thousands of stars begin to fall.
A noble light that was once only meant to be gazed upon is now dragged down to the earth by a mere human’s will.
Seeing this sight, Kamigin smiles weakly.
***
“Well, at this point, I don’t even feel resentment.”
He could still resist if he wanted to.
Taking a student hostage is an option, as is attempting self-destruction.
But he finds no meaning in doing so.
No matter what he tries, he doesn’t think he can win against that man, and from that realization, the outcome of the battle is already decided.
“I’ll humbly admit it—my utter defeat.”
The loser is buried, and the winner continues to live.
He has no intention of protesting the laws of battle now.
Kamigin quietly looks up at the sky.
The vast night sky, A shower of falling stars, A maddeningly beautiful sight captured in his gaze.
‘Maybe we truly will fail.’
Just a single variable.
Only one human.
Yet that one human might overpower us all and alter an unchangeable fate.
With this final thought, Kamigin closes his eyes.
A thunderous roar engulfs the earth.
A dazzling light fills the world.
The demon calmly accepts his end.
The subspace barrier surrounding me and the students dissipates, having barely fulfilled its purpose.
In front of me lies a wasteland, unrecognizable from its previous state.
It looks like a meteor might have crashed here.
‘Considering an actual meteor did fall, it’s not surprising.’
The demon surrendered without resistance, unexpectedly compliant.
I didn’t even need to deliver a final blow—I watched as its body couldn’t hold up and crumbled to ashes in the end.
It might have been overkill, but it was the right decision.
If I hadn’t crushed its fighting spirit in one go, it would have definitely kept up its mischief until the end.
‘Looks like I managed to survive this time too.’
This opponent was incomparably tougher than any I’d faced before, but I somehow managed to win by bending the rules.
Surviving another ordeal despite the odds.
Plus, I even managed to fulfill a childhood dream of mine.
Naturally, I’m… regretting it now.
‘Perhaps this is why I still haven’t been fired.’
I lost my composure and failed to think calmly.
Excited at the thought of achieving a once-abandoned dream, I forgot to consider what was best.
I should’ve cast a simple Sleep spell on the students and professors.
That way, I could have avoided the penalty of increased reputation.
Instead, I stomped on an obvious landmine with full force.
…Though, I did have my reasons.’
The frustration of creating a spell with all my heart, only to find my magic power weaker than a five-year-old’s, so I couldn’t use it.
After managing to pull myself together, I thought I’d at least share the spell with others and went to the Magic Tower, only to be turned away as if I was joking.
The despair of being insulted as if I’d created an impractical, far-fetched spell, unable to defend myself because I couldn’t demonstrate it.
With all this pent up, how was I supposed to think of a Sleep spell to hide my battle scene?
No one else has ever been this unlucky.
‘But it’s all just excuses at this point.’
Reality is merciless.
No matter the reasons, the fact that I made a mistake is unchangeable, so I brace myself to pay the price for my foolishness and look around.
I can feel the piercing stares that have been on me for a while.
People stare at me with their mouths agape, still processing what just happened.
It takes a moment for them to regain their senses in the face of this overwhelming situation.
As they slowly comprehend, they find their voices again.
“Professoooor!”
The students of Class A and those attending the self-study lectures cheer as they run toward me, their uniforms soaked with tears and snot.
They already had complete trust in me, so while they’re a bit surprised, they act as if they knew I’d pull through.
“Sir, how… how on earth did you do that?”
In contrast, the professors and students who don’t know me well remain stunned, struggling to accept this as reality.
Some pinch their cheeks to check if they’re dreaming, others look at me with horrified eyes, as if I’m some kind of eldritch creature, while others stand there, stammering, at a loss for words.
The reactions are polar opposites, yet in both cases, my reputation is skyrocketing in real time.
It’s getting harder by the minute to get fired.
But I have no choice but to accept it without complaint.
This disaster is one I’ve brought upon myself.
‘Well… if it’s just to this extent, it’s manageable.’
The higher you climb, the more spectacular the fall.
The higher my reputation, the greater the disappointment when I eventually make a fool of myself.
So, this much is still within my limits.
This much would have still been within my limits…
***
Footsteps echo from afar.
I see the great ancient dragon walking toward me, wings folded.
But her expression is entirely different from usual.
Eyes devoid of life.
With a solemn face, she lowers her head before me.
“I am unfit to be the principal. Please, take over as the Academy’s principal in my stead, Riyan.”
…No matter how much, this is beyond what I can handle.