Chapter 98. One-on-One Duel (4)
After my match ended, the next one was Lucy's turn.
She was worried about fighting Elise, so I should check in on her.
I headed to the waiting area where Lucy was stationed.
"Oh? Lee Hoyeon! I watched your match—it was great!"
"Thanks. I came to cheer you on."
Of course, even if I said that, it would be tough for Lucy to win.
Elise is a broken-tier character who could match Nam Daeun once her mana disorder is fixed.
Especially since her talent as a magic swordsman gives her versatile fighting ability, which is great for one-on-one battles.
Still, I needed to keep a straight face and cheer for Lucy.
"Thanks. I'll do my best!"
"Yeah. It's starting soon. I'll be in the waiting room. Let's grab lunch later."
"Got it~!"
★ Heroine Status Screen
[Lucy]
- [ Affection: 88 ]
- [ Lust: 40 ]
- [ Appetite: 30 ]
- [ Fatigue: 35 ]
Current Status: Even if I lose this time, I'll do better next time…!
Thankfully, even if she loses, it won't affect her mentality.
Bittersweet, but Lucy seems to understand the difference.
I saw her off with a smile to the end.
*
"I expected it, but it's still a shame...."
As expected, Lucy lost her match.
Still, the match itself was good.
She showed off her overwhelming firepower properly.
Elise just countered too well—but Lucy still did great, so she'll score well.
Then came Nam Daeun's match, and of course, she completely dominated.
She cut down her opponent in three seconds. They probably didn't even realize how they lost.
[Match over! The winner is Cadet Nam Daeun of Class A! We'll now take a break until 1:30 PM to allow cadets to rest and have lunch. Spectators, please enjoy your lunch and return to your seats by 1:30!]
With Nam Daeun's match over, the semifinals were set: Lee Hoyeon vs. Kim Younghan, Elise vs. Nam Daeun.
Since I'd promised to eat lunch with Lucy, I sent her a message and went to her waiting room.
"Lucy. I'm here."
"Yeah, come in!"
When I opened the door, Lumi was also sitting inside.
"Oh, Lumi's here too?"
I guess she stayed to join us for lunch after I invited them.
"Hoyeon, you were so cool."
"Thanks."
"Lumi, you didn't tell me I was cool. Are you ignoring me just because I lost?"
Lucy clung to Lumi and pouted.
"Hoyeon greeted me in the arena... but you didn't even say hi."
"Ah... sorry. I forgot."
See? The little details really matter.
I built up my image with something that simple.
"Let's go get lunch. Where do you want to go?"
"The student cafeteria is too crowded! Let's eat out!"
"I'm fine with anything."
They gave plenty of time for lunch and semifinalist rest, so we had time.
"Alright. Let's head out."
Eating outside for once didn't sound bad.
*
I came back after having lunch outside with the twins, Lucy and Lumi.
Even if she didn't show it, Lucy seemed a little bothered by her loss, so Lumi and I tried hard to cheer her up.
I decided to wait in the player's lounge with the twins until my match began.
"You have to make it to the finals and avenge me. Got it?"
"Don't worry."
"Hoyeon, I know you can win the whole thing…!"
I relaxed while chatting with the twins.
Though realistically, I probably won't meet Elise in the finals, so I can't really avenge her... oh well.
[The semifinals will begin shortly. Spectators, please return to your seats.]
"Looks like it's about to start. I'm heading to the player waiting area."
"Okay! Good luck! You better win! I'll be watching!"
"Hoyeon, do your best…!"
"Thanks."
I headed to the waiting area, powered by Lucy and Lumi's cheers.
It felt a little strange thinking I'd be fighting Kim Younghan.
"Cadet Lee Hoyeon, please prepare to enter the arena."
"Yes. Understood."
Since each match from the semifinals on is important, I could tell the staff were being extra considerate of my condition.
Guided politely by the staff, I stepped onto the arena.
[The match between Cadet Lee Hoyeon of Class A and Cadet Kim Younghan of Class A will begin shortly!]
"Pretty boy. Hey hey."
Kim Younghan greeted me as soon as I entered the arena.
"Why do you keep calling me pretty boy lately?"
"Because my friend Lee Hoyeon has gone too far ahead... I kinda miss him."
"What the hell. I'm not holding back, so brace yourself."
It's almost the finals. I can't afford to make some dumb mistake by getting careless.
I need to go all out.
"Scary..."
Kim Younghan raised his sword and gave a bitter smile, while I gathered my mana.
[5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Start!]
As soon as the signal was given, my Combat Sense surged.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
'What the...'
He's stronger than I thought?
Combat Sense was warning me that Kim Younghan was a far more dangerous opponent than Do Jinhyuk.
Kim Younghan approached with his signature thorned sword.
'Clairvoyance.'
Clang!
I blocked his blade with Cotton Guard and created distance.
Without acceleration, Kim Younghan was faster than me.
But if I used 'Clairvoyance' to read his sword's trajectory in advance, I could handle it.
Kim Younghan kept charging in, trying to close the distance.
Even when his strikes were blocked and his cadet uniform caught fire from counterattacks, Kim Younghan kept up his relentless offense, ignoring his own injuries.
Bang!
I used fireballs and Cotton Guard to buy time and create distance from Kim Younghan.
"Why are you going so hard?"
"Because I want to see your full strength. You haven't even used the skills you used against Do Jinhyuk."
"That's because the right situation hasn't come up yet."
Acceleration and Spiral aren't skills I can just throw out freely.
With my limited mana, I can only use them once or twice, so I need to time them perfectly.
"Yeah...?"
Kim Younghan raised his sword again.
Despite all the small wounds covering him, there wasn't a hint of giving up in his expression.
'Guess I should wrap this up soon.'
Kim Younghan charged me again, and we exchanged blows.
After dodging his attack without injury, I cast a fireball at him as he retreated.
If the distance increases, I can attack one-sidedly—this was a chance I couldn't miss.
But just before I fired the fireball, my Combat Sense sent out a danger alert.
My heart thudded with an eerie unease, worse than when I faced two ogres at once.
I immediately threw myself to the right.
I couldn't ignore that overwhelming sense of danger—it was pure instinct.
CRACKCRACKCRACK!
A terrifying noise rang out as something grazed my cheek.
"Wow... no one's ever dodged that from the start before. You really are a monster."
Kim Younghan was crouched on the ground, staring at me with his mouth open.
And where I had just been standing, a crimson spike over 3 meters tall had erupted from the floor.
"...What the hell is that."
My cheek felt hot.
When I wiped it with the back of my hand, red liquid smeared onto it.
"...Blood?"
Of course, I was still inside the mana field, so it wasn't a real injury.
It was just one of the systems meant to simulate pain for real combat training.
But the fact that it was sharp enough to inflict that kind of pain was undeniable.
That was close.
If I'd reacted even a moment later, I probably would've lost.
The spike would've pierced me, and the safety protocol would've kicked in.
"That was my trump card... I can't believe it failed."
Kim Younghan muttered with clear regret.
"...Dude. You're supposed to save that kind of move for the finals. That scared the crap outta me."
"That was the plan. But you're too strong. I had to win the semifinals first to even reach the finals."
What the hell.
Anyone could see that spike wasn't something a cadet should be able to summon.
I'd never heard of anyone summoning something that massive with that kind of physical force.
It even ignored my 'Clairvoyance' and [Mana Sensitivity], so it must be some kind of innate authority, not a mana-based skill. I didn't think he had something like that up his sleeve.
"I wanted to finish the one-on-one tournament with a surprise win by rookie Kim Younghan. But you ruined it."
"...If it's any consolation, even if you made it to the finals without using that, you wouldn't have beaten Nam Daeun."
In the original story, Nam Daeun won the tournament anyway, so his plan would've failed regardless.
Nam Daeun's authority—[Spatial Domination].
The surrounding area would already be under her control. There's no way she wouldn't notice a spike that huge forming.
"That kind of talk hurts my pride, man. Anyway, since my ace in the hole didn't work, I'll forfeit. Ref! I'm forfeiting!"
Kim Younghan admitted defeat without hesitation.
I doubt summoning that spike was his only move—he probably had some gas left in the tank—but maybe he didn't want to reveal the rest.
[Ah! Cadet Kim Younghan forfeits after his surprise attack fails. The winner is Cadet Lee Hoyeon of Class A! Let's give him a round of applause!]
As the mana barrier dissolved, I walked over to Kim Younghan, who gave me a bitter smile.
"Hey. You're not gonna sulk just because you lost, right?"
"Of course not. Gotta stay close to pretty boys like you if I want to catch some of the scraps."
Thankfully, Kim Younghan didn't seem too bothered by the loss.
"After that match, you're gonna be swarmed with annoying people. Heh."
Kim Younghan's pretty good-looking too, and now that he showed off a hidden power, people will definitely flock to him.
"Well, it gives you more options for post-graduation."
Lie.
No one knows it yet, but Kim Younghan is the heir to a major guild.
He's just a crazy guy who enrolled in the academy to prove himself without using the guild's name.
"Anyway, good work."
"You too. Since you beat me, you better win the whole thing."
"Yeah, I'll do my best."
Kim Younghan turned and walked off the arena, and I waved at the spectators as I stepped down.
*
"That was a shame. But that last sneak attack was seriously good."
Watching from the stands, Im Sol smiled at Lee Hoyeon's victory.
"Right? How the hell did he dodge that? What are we gonna do about our young master."
"What?"
"Nothing, nothing. I meant Cadet Lee Hoyeon is amazing for dodging that. I'll be right back—I need the bathroom."
Min Yeji gathered her things and slipped out of the spectator stands.
She arrived at a location after checking her smartwatch, where Kim Younghan was already waiting.
"Young master. Great effort. That was such a close call. I didn't think your sneak attack would be blocked."
"Right...? You saw it too, Yeji? That guy's a monster. Didn't you say you were already in touch with him about recruitment? How's that going?"
Kim Younghan greeted Min Yeji with a tone far more serious than usual.
"Oh... well, it's going alright. But it seems like Cadet Lee Hoyeon isn't interested in joining any guild. Honestly, he's not even replying to other guilds. I'm the only one who managed to get through, you know that, right?"
"Of course I do. That's why you're paid so much. Anyway, keep pushing. If we can bring Hoyeon in, Ironblood Guild becoming Korea's number one won't just be a dream."
Kim Younghan was already named heir to the Ironblood Guild internally, even if he didn't show it outwardly.
He'd planned to make the announcement if he won the tournament, but that didn't work out.
"Yes, yes. Naturally. By the way, you seem pretty close to Cadet Lee Hoyeon. Are you just befriending him now so you can recruit him later? Impressive~."
It'd be great if Lee Hoyeon joined Ironblood, but that's not why they're friends.
"That's not it. Hoyeon's just a friend. He's fun to be around."
*
After finishing my match, I returned to the waiting room to watch Elise and Nam Daeun's match.
Of course, the medical team came by to fully restore my stamina and mana.
They had to make sure I was in peak condition before the final match.
As I cracked open one of the canned drinks prepared in the waiting room, a system window popped up before me.
『A Sub Quest has been delivered.』
[The Man Who Takes First in the Practical Exam!]
You already secured first place in the written exam!
Now become the ultimate all-rounder by taking first in the practical exam too!
- Reward: All heroines' affection +1
----------------------
"...Huh?"
A sub-quest I absolutely couldn't afford to miss had just popped up.