Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Victory Over Four Teams
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“Ha, surrender!”
“Surrendering means fewer points, you punk! Just die!!”
“W-wait! You can’t kill him! Snap out of it, Do-jin sunbae!”
Every team placed great importance on harmony.
They were designed to unleash ideal performance when all four members cooperated.
Not to mention, the second-year teams had been syncing up for nearly a year. Losing even one or two members didn’t just cut their power by 25 or 50 percent—it was far worse.
“Urk!”
The second-year teams, who had lost a teammate right at the start due to Jae-hyeok dropping Thunderclap, couldn’t even reach half their usual strength.
Already lower-ranked teams with rating scores below 1,200, they were helpless against Baek Do-jin, Chae Da-hee, and Park Hae-rin’s prowess.
Their morale had been broken from the outset, too.
A freshman who dropped lightning and wiped out half of sixteen people?
It was hard to believe even after seeing it.
A player specialized in one attribute?
Not uncommon.
But lightning was rare.
Even among active players, few handled bolts of that magnitude.
In Korea, maybe just the Silla House folks.
‘I heard House Kang lived by the blade alone...’
One second-year, staggering from a magitech greatsword to the crown of his head, barely managed to ask Jae-hyeok as he was about to collapse.
“You... not House Kang? Some Silla House bastard?”
“How much trashy drama has this guy watched? Did he spend his childhood glued to the TV with grandma? What a filial little shit.”
Before Jae-hyeok could respond, Baek Do-jin stepped in.
He smacked the nonsense-spouting guy on the head again with the flat of his greatsword and clicked his tongue.
“Gurk... so frustrating...”
Thud!
The boy collapsed with two bumps on his head.
“It’s over.”
The situation was settled.
Four second-year teams.
Sixteen people total.
Not a single one stood unscathed.
All unconscious or covered in wounds, combat ineffective.
“Ugh, it’s dooone.”
Chae Da-hee groaned as she slumped down.
Hae-rin, leaning against a lamppost, was drenched in sweat.
“Haha! We won! We beat sixteen with four!!”
Baek Do-jin jumped around cheering, his dark circles under his eyes insanely deep.
He looked like he’d pass out if he fell.
Jae-hyeok sprinkled potions on their bodies as he spoke.
“Calm down and rest first. Save some stamina for special training.”
“?”
“?”
His teammates doubted their ears.
Though exhausted, they’d been joyful from the huge accomplishment—now their faces hardened instantly.
“After all this, more training?”
“Huh, training gets replaced by real combat!”
Do-jin and Da-hee protested immediately.
But it fell on deaf ears.
“Who said to go through all this trouble? When did I tell you to fight?”
“Hey...! You threw the first punch...!”
Do-jin, raising his voice in disbelief, suddenly shut his mouth.
Sneakily.
He spotted Hae-rin, who had started walking ahead while they argued.
-First place gets exempt from two special training sessions.
Recalling Jae-hyeok’s condition, he glared with axe-like eyes.
“Hey, Park Hae-rin! You sneaky bastard! Kyaaah!”
“Eek!”
Do-jin, eyes rolled back, let out a beastly roar.
Mostly nonsense, but sometimes like a feral beast—and this was the latter.
Pressed by his cackling pursuit, Hae-rin paled.
Second-years were second-years, no matter what—she felt that truth anew and maxed her speed.
“Hmph!”
Do-jin snorted dismissively and activated his skill.
[Swift Step]
That’s right.
Burning with rage, he knew no moderation.
Even in battle, he’d held back with Swift Step—now he used it to overtake Hae-rin.
But...
Crash! Bang! Thud!!
Using the high-focus Swift Step in an agitated state was suicidal.
Do-jin didn’t reach his target.
He appeared on the road 100 meters ahead of Hae-rin, smashing his head, bouncing like a rubber ball, then spinning wildly through the air.
“Whoa.”
Hae-rin’s eyes sparkled like she’d seen a rare circus act.
Do-jin, spinning several times before perfectly slotting into a nearby bench like a coffin and lying neatly—that scene wouldn’t even appear in a cartoon.
“Looks just like he’s laid out in a casket.”
Jae-hyeok assessed Do-jin on the bench that way.
“......”
Hae-rin couldn’t deny it.
So she felt guilty.
Do-jin lay straight, hands on chest, trembling with only whites showing—she couldn’t ignore him and offered aid.
“Still don’t know Do-jin sunbae’s head is harder than stone?”
Da-hee closed in sharply during the moment.
Startled by her pointed words, Hae-rin tried to pull back the potion she’d been about to sprinkle.
“Who’re you calling a corpse!?”
Baek Do-jin, thought passed out, shot up roaring.
Blood pouring from his head, red eyes glaring—more menacing than Gu Sukjeong yesterday.
“Monster!”
Hae-rin, wrist grabbed by Baek Do-jin, counterattacked reflexively.
“Gah! You damn! Trying to turn me into a real corpse!?”
Do-jin, struck hard in the solar plexus, recoiled but counterattacked without hesitation.
Mad dog style—no allies or juniors.
He swung his magitech greatsword with full force.
Hae-rin gritted her teeth, drew her sword, and struck back.
No words needed.
A trait Jae-hyeok admired in people.
Those who acted over endless talk.
“Aren’t you gonna stop them?”
“They spar every day, don’t they?”
“That’s not sparring, that’s fighting!”
“Same difference. Honestly, they get emotional when things don’t go their way in sparring too, right?”
“......”
Da-hee admitted it meekly and fell silent.
She watched the duel escalate in seconds, then asked cautiously.
“You okay? You didn’t want word getting out about handling lightning. But in Noble, today too... too many witnesses now...”
“What can you do.”
Normal players hid their skills as much as possible.
More trump cards, the better.
Jae-hyeok had wanted Thunderclap’s power kept secret too.
But oh well.
‘If only the annoying ones were few.’
Some bastards only behaved after a beating, forcing him to reveal power.
Thunderclap exposure wasn’t a big issue anyway.
‘Might as well use it fully now that it’s out.’
Jae-hyeok predicted things would get convenient as Thunderclap gained fame.
Enemies wary of ‘lightning’ would ignore his real weapons like Quick Draw or Iyaruggt.
Thank you very much.
‘Not something you counter even knowing about.’
Thunderclap targeted the ‘wearer.’
Thus, Jae-hyeok’s actions when dropping it evaded prediction.
Hard to counter.
Of course, the burden on Jae-hyeok was immense.
Guiding Thunderclap aimed at him toward others?
Walking a tightrope with his life.
Ordinary folk wouldn’t even try.
But Jae-hyeok couldn’t whine.
Noble, Yaksha’s son, revenge, reviving House Kang—wield the double-edged sword, etc.
No need for excuses.
“......”
Jae-hyeok watched Do-jin.
The boy who risked death with every Swift Step.
With that kid nearby, he couldn’t speak of fear or burden.
‘You’re my flame too.’
Hope, revenge, duty, bonds.
Fires forging Kang Jae-hyeok’s steel blazed even now.
***
“Challenged by four teams at once? That’s why they’re in that state?”
Archery range.
Club members eyed Do-jin and Hae-rin—black eyes turned raccoon eyes—with concern.
“I thought that beast Baek Do-jin beat up Hae-rin or something.”
“No real bastard would beat a junior... let alone a teammate... that bad.”
“......”
Baek Do-jin shrank more.
Hae-rin couldn’t lift her head either.
Whatever happened, she’d fought ready to kill—or thrash—her senior, hard to be proud.
But the darkest face among Jae-hyeok’s group was Da-hee’s.
“N-no way... lost in the end...!”
She’d forgotten the bet while deep in talk with Jae-hyeok.
For some reason, she’d just watched Do-jin and Hae-rin charge ahead worriedly.
When she snapped to.
-Baek Do-jin, Park Hae-rin joint first.
Do-jin and Hae-rin entered the range together; Da-hee still watched their backs from afar.
Arms behind his back, Jae-hyeok strolled leisurely beside her, lucky guy.
“Y-you did that on purpose? Distracted me? Playing me, Jae-hyeok!?”
“...You started the bet.”
“That’s ‘cause you made me worry! Fraud! Fraaaud!”
“Why’s she like that...?”
No Jun-yeop stared at Da-hee—pouting, stomping—in disbelief.
“Anyway, Kang Jae-hyeok, you’re cursed. Match accepts are mandatory twice daily max, yet four in a row? Training your team with forced marches backfiring?”
“Not in a row, all at once...”
Do-jin interjected, but ignored.
No Jun-yeop wasn’t broad-minded enough to react to every unbelievable claim.
“Twice daily...?”
Jae-hyeok looked intrigued.
“Didn’t get that info.”
“Huh? Student council notifies detailed rules, right? Lazy bastards.”
“Hmm...”
Jae-hyeok recalled Ban Hui-yeol’s smug face; his mouth twitched slightly.