Semester Wrap-Up (5)
"Give me your number.."
"My number?"
In this load too, Yoon Seoa asked for Kang Minji's number.
"For real?"
The difference this time was that I'd prepared two bottles of special potions to boost both Kang Minji and Yoon Seoa.
I'd decided to skip the stress-relief effect from the Special Semen skill. Just the physical enhancement applied to two bottles of special potion.
'Cumming five times is impossible..'
Even managing two on my own was tough—four was inhuman.
Both of them had already drunk the potions.
Yoon Seoa's reaction was a bit less intense than before, but the physical enhancement alone was valuable enough, so I quoted 3 million again.
In other words, the value of my semen had doubled.
Kang Minji, who initially refused, saw Yoon Seoa drink it and followed suit.
'She looks the part, but do I really seem that untrustworthy?'
Anyway, things weren't going badly up to this point.
"Wait... just a sec! I'll give it to you! Uh, mind if I drop the formalities?"
"Do whatever."
I watched the two of them while lost in thought.
With the physical enhancement potion, Kang Minji was now on par with Kang Juwon physically.
Yet she'd still lost to him—so how could I make her win?
"When you two spar... let me come along."
"Huh? Yeah! Let's do that. Take care of me from now on, Seoa."
"Yeah... thanks."
'Sparring... might not be a bad idea.'
There was still time before the spar with Kang Juwon began.
Maybe mimicking his moves beforehand would help Kang Minji.
"Alright, then let's head to the sparring area, Minji."
"What?"
"I'm good with that.."
We were following Yoon Seoa.
"Seoa, is it really okay for us to come here?"
"Yeah... if I allow it, you can join."
We boarded the elevator to the Diamond Training Room, reserved for top-ranked students only.
The glass elevator offered a full view outside, the scenery shifting with each floor.
I knew they ranked facilities by grades to fuel endless competition, but wasn't this a bit much?
"The discrimination feels too extreme."
Our training rooms reeked of sweat, but this place had a cutting-edge hotel vibe.
We passed a corridor that practically begged for classical music, and the entrance appeared.
Yoon Seoa tapped her smartwatch, and with an approval chime, the Diamond Training Room opened.
The moment we stepped in, lights flickered on in the previously dark space.
"Whoa... cool."
"Come in."
"Not that big, though?"
"Wait.."
Yoon Seoa fiddled with the remote, and a gate materialized in the walled-off section—suddenly, the room expanded endlessly.
"Whoa.."
"She uses this space all alone?"
Kang Minji and I could only gape at the Diamond Training Room.
"Don't enter till I set it up.."
I tried stepping into the vast space but got stopped by Yoon Seoa.
Soon after she finished configuring, a sparring arena appeared on one wall, and equipment storage on the other.
"You can come in now."
"What're you waiting for, Minji? Get ready."
The goal before her one-on-one with Kang Juwon was to warm up with a spar against me.
"...Yeah, warming up's important too."
Kang Minji and I grabbed swords and gauntlets from the corner.
Both had padded exteriors, so they wouldn't hurt much even on impact.
"Kang Juwon... Kang Juwon.."
What Kang Minji needed was experience against Kang Juwon.
She already had sparring experience with me, so she was somewhat used to fighting swordsmen.
'I'm not that amazing, but I have plenty of sword sparring experience.'
Kang Juwon's swordsmanship wasn't bad, but it wasn't exceptional either.
'Pure sword skill without abilities? I might even be better..'
The issue was his acceleration ability.
Without it, he couldn't breach Kang Minji's guard—but with it, everything changed.
Anyone could see how advantageous moving a tempo faster than your opponent was.
Defense alone wouldn't win. Even successful blocks damaged her shield from the impact.
'Kang Juwon's distance control is top-tier.'
His swordplay might lack, but he excelled at exploiting advantages.
He maximized his longer reach for attacks and used acceleration to deny distance.
Even when Kang Minji used her explosion ability, he rendered it meaningless with acceleration.
'Tough... really tough.'
For now, I'd mimic his movements.
"Hoo... been a while."
"Yeah."
Yoon Seoa stood by like a referee.
"Shield us?"
"Nah, we're good. You already lent us the training room—no need."
Kang Minji figured asking for more would be shameless, but a shield gave psychological breathing room.
Same conditions as the actual spar, so best to simulate real combat.
"Actually, that'd be great. Please."
"Yeah."
"Seoa, no.."
With Yoon Seoa's help, shields enveloped Kang Minji and me.
Once ready, Yoon Seoa called quietly.
"Alright... begin."
Drawing from past spars, Kang Minji took an aggressive stance.
She charged with gauntlets covering up to her elbows.
After getting toyed with at range before, she seemed intent on closing in this time.
'Minji knows she needs to close the distance too.'
I controlled distance like Kang Juwon, striking her openings sharply—but her defense had tightened from all our training.
"Gonna run away again?"
She knew it too and taunted me, but
"This is Kang Juwon's style."
"This... is Kang Juwon's style?"
The moment I named him, Kang Minji's eyes sharpened.
She seemed even more focused now.
No wonder—she'd cried from frustration after losing pre-regression.
'But... this makes it pointless.'
Doped on my potion, Kang Minji's stats now outstripped mine.
Mimicking Kang Juwon's keep-away play was impossible like this.
'No choice..'
I reluctantly surged my mana.
She narrowed her eyes at the heightened power.
"Hey, loser. You just used mana, right?"
"Kang Juwon's ability is even better. I won't use it for attacks—just focus on dealing with it."
"If... that's how it is.."
I swung like Kang Juwon had.
Occasionally surging more mana to mimic acceleration bursts.
"If you're lying... you're dead later."
Even at a disadvantage, Kang Minji held back her mana.
She muttered his name, giving her all to the spar.
'Just recognizing when he might accelerate will change things.'
My movements were slower than his anyway.
But facing off-tempo attacks like this would build tolerance.
"Ugh.."
"You okay?"
"Fine—keep going."
She shook off the hit and stood quickly.
I worried a bit, but I wasn't using mana for attacks.
'Good thing we have Yoon Seoa's shields.'
"Anti-Magic... I see.."
I ignored Yoon Seoa's mutter from the side.
"As expected... Kang Juwon wins."
"..."
Making someone else win is definitely harder.
Beating the Skeleton Knight, Yoon Seoa—that was thanks to save-load repetitions leaving experience.
I could memorize reactions to my moves and steer into advantages.
'But Minji's different.'
She couldn't do that.
If her moves changed, so did his.
Repeats didn't build her experience, and reshaping her in short time was tough.
"Still... close."
I'd considered throwable items for her, but gauntlets limited that.
Possible in theory, but pulling a pin like a grenade? No way with those thick gauntlets.
'Even when I saved for new gear via early save files and gifted her gauntlets, she blew up at me.'
Did I think she'd like it? Favor plummeted—I scrapped that.
'She's principled, which is great... but accept this. You flatfish.'
Considering their gap, this result in short time was huge.
She fought better than before and even pressured "Kang Juwon" at times.
"Still.."
Watching her stomp the ground in frustration hurt.
A close loss was still a loss.
I wanted her victory.
Sure, not every win was guaranteed.
Against unslacking Yoon Seoa, I'd lose even after thousands of loops.
But.
'How can I let Minji cry and move on?'
My eyes drifted to Yoon Seoa.
Academy topper, victorious against countless cadets.
She might not grasp Minji's perspective as a genius, but maybe she could offer a fresh angle.
"Hey, Yoon Seoa."
"...Yeah?"
"How could Minji have won?"
Yoon Seoa was top rank.
Her strength overshadowed it, but top meant theoretical prowess too.
Slept through most classes with drowsy eyes, yet answered professors flawlessly.
'Some say she skips 'cause she knows it all.'
"Hm.."
Yoon Seoa pondered briefly.
"Kang Juwon's fast."
"Yeah, faster than Minji."
"If I were Minji... I'd use an unavoidable attack."
"Easier said than done.."
Unavoidable attack—then it hit me: her spar technique.
Ice shotgun blasting on approach.
Wide crystal spread made blocking or dodging hard.
We knew it was coming; otherwise, it'd wound like first time.
"You mean the one you shot at me? The crystals embedded in my body."
Could Minji pull that off?
"That... hurt?"
"?... Yeah, it did."
"S... sorry. Was out of it then.."
"Uh... no, it's fine."
Weird seeing her apologize now after no reaction in the arena.
Favor up, maybe.
"Anyway, use a finisher move?"
"Explosion... hard to dodge."
Finisher: most concentrated technique.
"Minji punches, so.."
Channel all mana into a punch.
Even if it didn't connect, explosion on impact.
Kang Juwon would panic.
What if she hit him with a finisher while off-guard?
"If Minji gets a Fire Punch.."
"Fire Punch?"
No... her ability was explosion. All-out blast fist.
"Yeah... Nuclear Punch. From now on, Kang Minji is Nuclear Punch."
