Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Translator: Penny
Episode 26: The Battle for the Commoner [2]
Episode 26: The Mortal Scramble [2]
No, what's happening? I'm going crazy.
After Kang A-yul's battle in Practical Combat, I should have sensed something was amiss when he returned with a dissatisfied expression.
But to see him grabbing a transfer student by the collar, unable to contain his anger...
These are talents who should be working together to save the world! If they keep fighting like this, it'll be a disaster!
What a mess.
"Miss Ayul, don't you think it's a bit inappropriate for the Vice President to be grabbing a transfer student by the collar?"
"N-no, it's not like that! He took my seat first...!"
"?"
Only then did I notice the unfamiliar bag on Kang A-yul's seat.
Why was an old school bag there instead of the Divine Sword Guild-branded bag Kang A-yul always carried, the one bearing the seal of Kang Jin-myeong's guild?
"Wait, that bag..."
It looks like the same bag Lee Cheon-ma used when he took the Elixir...
"We've finally met," the Narrow-Eyed woman said, swiftly seizing my hands with both of hers.
"Uh, excuse me, but who are you...?"
"I am Lee Seo-yun, the direct disciple of the Sword Demon, Lee Cheon-ma."
Ah, so this is Lee Seo-yun.
In the original story, Lee Seo-yun was a disposable character, appearing briefly to highlight the Sword Demon's tragic circumstances before disappearing entirely.
She was the direct cause of the Sword Demon's obsession with swords, and the fundamental catalyst for his later transformation into an S-Rank villain after being gaslighted by Shena.
Eve said I'd be shocked, so this must be why.
The owner of that overwhelming fighting spirit I sensed back then... it was her.
Information
Name: Lee Seo-yun
Age: 19
Alignment: Good, Lawful
Skill List
Song of the Sword (S)
Greatly enhances understanding of swordsmanship. Allows for complete synchronization of senses and mana with the blade.
Acceleration (A)
For 30 seconds, reaction speed, physical damage, and movement speed are greatly increased. (Cooldown: 120 minutes)
Flash Step (A) (5/5)
Allows for short-range teleportation. Consuming stacks enables consecutive uses. (Recharge time: 15 seconds)
Frail Body (F)
Recently recovered from injury. Defense, health, strength, and agility are reduced by one rank.
Attributes
Strength: B
Defense: C
Mana: C
Stamina: B
Agility: A
Luck: F
'It says my stats have decreased by one rank... If I add them back to their original values... Agility would be A+?!'
To think such a powerful character was killed simply because she was a reason for the Sword Demon's corruption... The world truly is cruelly indifferent.
'If even the protagonist is this strong, and Lee Seo-yun, who was originally just a nameless extra, is also this powerful... It's good, but...'
It's almost as if I'm being warned that without these powerful supporting characters, this story would be impossible to clear easily...
'Whatever. If I feed them the opportunities I already know about and strengthen them, we'll take him down easily enough.'
Come to think of it, I've been standing here silently for too long, lost in thought, and haven't been listening to Lee Seo-yun.
"If it weren't for Miss Se-a, I'd still be dying in that hospital bed..."
"Let's not dwell on such grim stories anymore. Welcome, Miss Seo-yun."
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Se-a. May I call you Chairman?"
"No need for formalities. You can call me by my name."
As I shook hands with Lee Seo-yun, I felt a piercing gaze from the side.
"........."
Turning my head, I saw Kang A-yul glaring at me, as expected.
"Hey, so what are we going to do about her seat?" Kang A-yul asked, his expression betraying a desperate hope that I would side with him.
This is tricky.
Taking one side would mean losing the favor of the other.
The fairest and most decisive method...
Indeed, the most reliable solution was...
"Let's settle this with a duel."
What else could we do? Since ancient times, duels have been the most sacred form of combat, passed down through generations... (omitted)
Raon Academy's training grounds buzzed with activity.
The stands were packed with students who had come to witness the duel between the Vice Student Council President and the rumored transfer student.
"...I didn't expect so many people to show up."
I had only reserved the training grounds for a brief sparring session, but the reservation list, displayed publicly, had turned into an advertisement, drawing a massive crowd of cadets.
"The loser will have a hard time showing their face around here. I'm willing to let you surrender now and move to a seat nearby."
"...I've heard that the one making such offers is usually the most nervous..."
In the waiting room, two figures stood glaring at each other, wooden swords in hand.
Information
Name: Kang A-yul
Age: 19
Alignment: Good
Skills:
- Sword Manipulation (S): Can create and wield a materialized mana sword.
- Future Sight (A): Grants the ability to see 2-3 seconds into the future.
- Sword Saint's Blessing (S): Provides additional bonuses to all sword-related actions.
Stats:
- Strength: B
- Defense: C+
- Mana: B+
- Stamina: A
- Agility: B+
- Luck: B
Who would believe these stats belong to a 19-year-old?
These two were at a level where they could enter the Gates right now without raising an eyebrow.
Would the Sword Saint's Blessing (S), which enhances all sword-related actions, prevail? Or would the Song of the Sword (S), which allows one to project their mana through their understanding of the blade, emerge victorious?
Either outcome would be interesting.
If Kang A-yul wins, would people react with something like, "As expected of the Vice President. I always believed in her"? If Lee Seo-yun wins, reactions might range from "A monster rookie has arrived!" to "The Vice President was all hype."
But none of that matters to me.
If anyone were around, I'd tell them to grab some popcorn—there's nothing we can do anyway.
"Have you decided on the rules for the match? Will it be like the Practical Combat class...?"
"Yes, we'll go with the standard format: whoever reduces their opponent's health bar to zero wins."
"A barrier that can withstand attacks strong enough to take a life... If only we'd had something like this when training with Master."
When a duel begins, a massive dome-shaped barrier unfolds over the training ground.
Within this barrier, even if limbs are severed, the cadet won't die. An AI precisely calculates the damage inflicted by each attack, deducting the corresponding amount from the cadet's health bar. When the health bar reaches zero, the match automatically ends.
Personally, I'm not a fan of this system. It makes my Recovery (S) ability rather useless.
Even if I recover health with Recovery, the health deducted from the bar never replenishes. This is especially frustrating when I recall losing to Kang A-yul by a single point in Practical Combat class.
If only my true abilities weren't restricted, I could have won.
Fighting with my abilities limited was incredibly difficult. Preparing the Void took too long, leaving me only able to dodge Kang A-yul's attacks. Even trying to use Constellation Magic was futile, as the spell required an excessively long preparation time.
If it were a 2-on-2 battle instead of a 1-on-1, I could have used Constellation Magic. What a shame.
Since no Striker or Defender was going to magically appear from the sky to buy me the time I needed to prepare Constellation Magic, I had to adapt.
"Then, please watch from the stands, Miss Se-a."
"What's there to watch? You'll be flying over here in an instant."
From a distance, the two of them might have looked like rivals bickering...
Crack! Crunch...!!
"Your arm...!"
"Miss Se-a?!"
Who could have imagined they would attack each other with such ferocity that I had to sacrifice both my arms to block their blows?