Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Did He Piss Himself?
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'Hmm, what did they prepare?'
I racked my brain quickly.
Lots of possibilities came to mind.
They could have committed foul play through some covert magic. Or maybe slipped me some weird drug, or tampered with the weapon I was holding.
Of course, there was no real need to worry too much.
Dugu Huayan had said as much.
With my current skill level, there was nothing to fret over.
I trusted her.
Rather than worrying, I felt a stronger urge to thoroughly crush their plans. I wanted to see Ma-sam's despairing face.
Murmurs rose from the crowd.
Suddenly, a noisy commotion erupted among the spectators.
"Already at 300k viewers!"
"No way!"
"Does that mean we'll hit 500k in the finals later?"
"How many's Kim Kang-rok at right now?"
"Kim Kang-rok's still at 200k!"
Eavesdropping a bit, it seemed they were talking about viewer counts. I realized a whopping 300,000 people were watching this matchup.
'300,000 people watching this?'
Well, the story between me and Ma-sam was pretty famous. We used to be streamer and manager, broke up, and ended up as bitter enemies. A showdown like this was bound to draw big numbers.
'No way I'm losing a matchup like this.'
Whoever lost this duel would carry that label for life. It was a straight-up one-on-one between two guys, after all.
I gripped the real sword I'd brought tightly.
And Ma-sam was doing the same.
At that moment, the referee—who'd been hyping up the crowd—shouted loudly.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Now, let the long-awaited duel begin! The duel I'd been waiting for was finally starting.
I raised my sword and slowly approached Ma-sam.
I wasn't letting my guard down. I wasn't some grandmaster. I could get caught off guard by an unexpected move.
And it looked like Ma-sam felt the same.
The smile had vanished from Ma-sam's face. He moved slowly toward the center, just like me.
'Team 4 learned the Scattered Remnant Snow Sword.'
This was another famous sword style. It was on par with the Iron Thorn Sword Technique we'd learned.
Unlike the straightforward Iron Thorn style, though, this one used illusions. I'd have to watch out for feints.
Just then, Ma-sam—who'd been approaching cautiously—let out a massive kiai.
"Taaah!"
And he launched a surprise thrust.
'Huh?'
There was no rule saying we had to stick to the tournament sword styles. Other techniques were fair game.
Was that why?
I hadn't seen this coming.
'No way he'd go for a fencing lunge...'
Fencing existed in this world too. And Ma-sam executed a textbook fencing thrust.
He lunged forward with a big step, extending his sword long.
And the speed was impressive.
'This fast?'
It was way quicker than the Ma-sam I knew.
Questions swirled in my mind, but I raised my sword anyway. I blocked Ma-sam's attack.
'Second Form: Iron Wall Lock.'
It was a guard that angled the broad side of the blade forward to deflect the enemy, immediately transitioning into a counter.
I prepared to strike right after defending.
'He won't block this.'
No matter how much faster Ma-sam's attack had gotten, he couldn't stop the follow-up.
But my prediction was off.
Claaang—!!
I definitely blocked Ma-sam's attack with my sword. No doubt about it.
But my body lifted slightly backward.
Thanks to Ma-sam's ridiculous strength.
'Crazy.'
I scrapped the counter plan. I was too busy fending off Ma-sam's onslaught.
Claaang—!!
Claaang—!!
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Oh! What's this? Park Jae-ho, the young hero everyone thought would win easily, is getting pushed back! I shouldn't have blocked that thrust head-on. I should've parried it aside and counterattacked.
But I went with the form I'd learned and paid the price.
"Kekekeke! How's that? Surprised?"
Ma-sam even had the leisure to taunt me mid-attack.
My balance was shot right now. I couldn't properly evade his strikes. I was just barely defending.
Then, Dugu Huayan's voice shouted from behind.
"That's not right! That's not normal strength!"
She was spot on. This wasn't normal power. It felt like he'd used internal energy.
But using internal energy would've been spotted by the other team leaders instantly. Plus, Ma-sam didn't have a drop of it in him. So it wasn't that.
'Then what is it?'
He must've pulled some unknown trick. That much was clear.
But I didn't give up.
I could've stopped the duel and lodged a protest. That might've exposed Ma-sam's cheating.
But this wasn't a real martial tournament.
It was broadcast content watched by thousands.
And broadcasts needed to be entertaining. Halting the duel to argue would've been a total buzzkill.
'It'd ruin Dugu Huayan's content.'
We could sort out the truth later. First, I had to win. That would make for better viewing after.
I relaxed my grip on the sword.
My balance was finally steadying a bit.
"Die!"
Ma-sam thrust his real sword at my throat like he meant to kill me. Blindingly fast.
It still didn't make sense.
But I stopped trying to figure it out.
I just let my instincts move my body.
'Don't get too tied to the forms.'
I tilted my head just a fraction.
By the book, I'd raise my sword for Iron Wall Lock again. But I didn't.
I just shifted my neck aside slightly.
Whoosh—!
I watched Ma-sam's sword narrowly miss my throat.
It was a razor-close moment.
I even saw Dugu Huayan flinch. She must've been ready to intervene.
But it wasn't needed.
I lifted my foot and slammed it into Ma-sam's gut with all my strength.
Thud—!!
"Urk!"
Stronger power and speed didn't mean tougher durability. Ma-sam clearly took the hit.
Our distance opened up just right.
The perfect range for First Form: Iron Thorn Flash Strike.
That's exactly why I'd kicked his belly. I'd planned it from when I relaxed my arms. That was how big the gap in our pure sword skills was.
'He must've drilled that first thrust to death.'
Conveniently, my hands were down, sword included.
I relaxed and swung the sword at max speed.
The blade arced upward diagonally in a flash. One target.
'Ma-sam's throat.'
I thrust like I didn't care if he died.
The First Form of Iron Thorn Sword Technique: Iron Thorn Flash Strike unfolded.
Flash!
The speed was unimaginable. A faint line lingered in the air. That's how fast it was.
And the blade flew straight for Ma-sam's throat.
I hated Ma-sam. Hated him a lot.
Not enough to kill him, though.
But if he got hurt in this duel, that was on him. Holding a real sword meant being prepared for that.
Hadn't Ma-sam tried to kill me too?
'Got him.'
I saw the blade reach Ma-sam's throat. No way he could block it. Too late now.
That's when it happened.
Claaang—!!
Claaang—!!
Sparks flew in midair. Suddenly, four blades appeared before me.
"What...?"
I looked shocked.
All four team leaders had rushed in front of me. They blocked my sword with their swords, saber, and spear.
Then, Dugu Huayan—who'd jumped onto the stage—spoke up.
"Well done. Trainee Park Jae-ho. This is our victory."
"Huh?"
I glanced at Ma-sam at her words.
And there he was, falling on his ass.
Thud.
"Eek! Y-you're gonna kill me!"
Ma-sam's pants were soaked yellow. His white uniform made it stand out perfectly.
'Did he piss himself?'
Probably from nearly dying.
That's when I pieced it together.
'Oh, Ma-sam was about to die, so the team leaders blocked it.'
I'd unleashed Iron Thorn Flash Strike at full power. Ma-sam couldn't have stopped it. The leaders knew, so they dashed in to block.
"This lowly one was truly shocked! To progress this much in just two weeks..."
"Whew, we had to pull you out somehow..."
The two leaders excluding the mysterious one looked impressed. My thrust must've wowed them.
Either way, I'd won the duel.
Proof came as the referee's voice boomed.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The winner of this duel is... Young Hero Park Jae-ho!! Waaaaaaaaah—!!
Park Jae-ho—!! Park Jae-ho—!! Park Jae-ho—!!
I lowered my sword. Then I looked at the cheering crowd.
If I were just a regular martial artist, I'd have calmly stepped off stage.
But I wasn't. I was a streamer.
And streamers knew how to put on a show.
I thrust my sword skyward.
Snap—!
Raised it with crisp form.
My little performance.
Waaaaaaaaah—!!
Kyahhhhh—!!
The cheers exploded louder.
This was it.
Online attention via streams was great, but this live roar was intoxicating. I could get hooked.
'Is this why athletes train so hard?'
And so, I capped my first duel with victory.
Maybe because I'd made such an impression as vanguard?
"Haat!"
"Hyat!"
Ja-jang-ja-jang and Se-ing snagged the next two wins. We'd basically clinched the finals.
Our team's morale was sky-high.
"Kyaaa! We won!"
"We won!"
Everyone was thrilled. Even the usually timid Se-ing was jumping around.
Of course, too early to relax.
The final opponent was still ahead.
Instead of jumping, I eyed Team 2, our finals foes.
Specifically, their strongest: Kim Shin-hyeok.