Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: 1st Place VS 152nd Place (4)
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The explosion subsided within the arena.
-Beep! Beeeep!
Urgent whistles blared one after another.
The cracked barrier was deactivated, and a swarm of medics rushed in to check on the cadets' conditions.
"If we treat them right now, there shouldn't be any major aftereffects. What about over there?"
"This side is... no, pretty serious. We'll have to see after treatment."
They poured potions generously into the wounds and checked the pupils.
The audience watched the two unconscious figures in silence.
The match was over.
But not a single person rose from their seat. They were too focused on calming their pounding hearts.
As if doubting the scene they'd just witnessed, the spectators merely stroked the collars of their shirts with trembling hands.
"...Insane."
The sighs escaping their lips told no lies.
They had just witnessed one man's debut with their own eyes.
Regardless of the official win or loss.
What did that even matter?
Both cadets had burned themselves out, showcasing their full prowess.
That was all there was to it.
The star of this match was already decided.
Lee Si-heon.
Cornus, seated in the VIP section, stared blankly ahead.
"Si-eon..."
A stabbing sensation poked at her chest. A lump formed, an inexplicable urge to go to him.
Her emotions, scarred by trauma and thoroughly blocked off, only made her more aware of her gaze lingering on him a bit longer. She couldn't even properly grasp the feeling of worry.
Cornus turned her head. At the edge of her vision, her father was squinting.
"Cornus."
"...Dad?"
"Who is that guy?"
Normally, Cornus's father, San Hyeok-won, conveyed his intentions through her secretary or spoke with her directly only rarely.
Because she struggled to remember names and express emotions.
But this time, the man addressed Cornus himself.
His eyes, still unsettled with heightened emotion, resembled a serpent's, making the viewer shudder.
"......"
Cornus didn't respond. Various thoughts crossed her mind.
To put it simply, San Hyeok-won had his eye on Jeong Si-woo.
He had long coveted him as a candidate for the World Tree's husband and a talent with immense potential.
And now, that Jeong Si-woo had been pushed back, even if just for a moment.
By a man who hadn't made a name for himself in twenty years.
"He's Lee Si-heon."
Unable to bear it, Ji-ho spoke up on Cornus's behalf.
San Hyeok-won furrowed his brow sharply and muttered to another secretary behind him.
"Lee Si-heon... Look into him."
"Yes, sir."
Everyone was probably paying attention to him now.
For better or worse.
Someone might even be after his neck.
*****
It was a close call.
Maybe not quite.
At the very least, they'd clashed with everything they had. That much was true.
In terms of pure skill, I was a bit lacking too.
It was absurd that I'd caught up to Jeong Si-woo's skills, honed over twenty years, in just four months.
Well... it was a match plenty good enough to show off my polished techniques. My master might be a little pissed, though.
Baek-do was no doubt cackling his ass off. I could picture him burning with excitement over winning the bet without even looking.
I had no idea how I looked in others' eyes.
Honestly, now that it was over, I felt a mix of relief and bitterness.
I just lost.
Not I let him win.
I lost.
With my bones and mana circuits shattered, I'd fought on through gritted teeth and sheer spite.
Jeong Si-woo looked fine on the surface, but he was practically half-dead. Same for me.
It was a brutal match where we'd poured out everything.
I stared blankly at the ceiling, replaying the fight in my mind.
...If we'd kept going like that, one of us would've died.
Jeong Si-woo had been ready to burn his very life force.
In the truest sense, he'd staked his life on this one match.
And I wasn't strong enough to stop him short of knocking him out.
Because our skills were too evenly matched.
Torn mana circuits, bone shards piercing lungs. We were both critically injured, sustaining the fight on willpower alone.
No matter how advanced this world's medicine or potions were, they couldn't revive the dead.
Jeong Si-woo's death wouldn't just be an accident.
The death of a top-tier talent treated like royalty would spell unpredictable consequences, especially with how my reputation had shifted.
That was the first reason I hesitated.
-Clunk.
The hospital room door opened.
"You're he—"
Cheon-do entered, her face somehow icy as she set the mask down on the bedside table.
"—re?"
-Thud.
The hand placing the mask trembled with tension.
"...Master?"
No response.
Cheon-do looked down at me with a terrifying gaze devoid of any emotion.
A fear like my guts were being ripped out. The air grew cold.
"No mistakes to own up to?"
"......"
I'd broken my promise.
Even though I'd pushed to the absolute limit and collapsed, Cheon-do saw right through my intentions.
"Anything to say?"
"I'm sorry."
"That's not what you should be saying, Lee Si-heon."
Cheon-do stepped closer.
The usual sweet peach blossom scent no longer wafted from her.
"Lee Si-heon."
I swallowed involuntarily. It was the first time I'd felt fear toward my master.
"Do you know what you've done?"
I forced my trembling heart to calm and parted my dry, cracked lips.
"Is it because I threw the match on purpose?"
"That's not all."
Cheon-do began listing them off in a low, heavy voice.
"You didn't tell me. You judged it alone and started something pointless."
I knew that already.
"You toyed with your opponent over petty sentiment."
"...That—"
"Don't interrupt. Fine, you had your reasons. After acting all high and mighty, you think I'd be happy seeing you throw it for your 'friend'?"
Cheon-do let out a sigh, then continued.
"You're my disciple. The only one in this world. Even if it was a lie. Must I watch you lose through a master's eyes?"
I had nothing to say.
No desire to make excuses. I felt it was a scolding well-deserved.
I could understand my master's feelings.
Cheon-do stared at me intently, then knelt down, bringing her face close. Her deep crimson eyes pierced through me.
"...Fine."
Her voice remained subdued.
"What exactly did you gain?"
Slowly,
I steadied my breathing. Since treatment had just finished, every breath felt like it tore my lungs.
"I pursued profit."
It wasn't like I'd lost to help Jeong Si-woo without thinking.
"What I'd gain from winning as is."
I was in a position where I needed to solidify my standing in this world.
"What I'd gain from losing."
Honor was like strong liquor—easy to get drunk on.
It was a great tool to build my position, and currently the easiest thing for me to accumulate.
"In my current state, priority is pulling guilds to my side, and getting the association and church on board."
But honor had a downside: it drew too much attention.
With groups out for my life, boosting my fame beyond necessity would only hasten my death.
"Going all the way to victory would make it far easier to build my side. 152nd place beats the top rank and wins the tournament. Stir up guilds left and right, sign some moderate contracts, cozy up, flaunt connections with Baek-do and Lady Hwang-do, and it'd grow fast."
Cheon-do listened quietly.
"Then what's the point? Honor gained that way is just bubbles."
"If my name spreads before I'm fully prepared... you think those after me will sit idle?"
They might move faster to pluck out the thorn in their side.
Cheon-do couldn't always be by my side. I was in a situation where death could come anytime.
"When the bubbles burst, all that's left are weaknesses."
"So you lost?"
"......"
An ideal religious group and guild association with power.
And terrorists emerging as a global issue.
More was visible now.
With a broad view of the chessboard, even if much remained unknown, I could roughly map the path.
Of course, my own feelings played a part too.
"...Honestly, I did want to help him. That's part of why I switched courses suddenly."
Jeong Si-woo's threats not to go easy weren't my concern.
At the point I could remove the status window, I wouldn't die from penalties.
The top-tier potions from clearing the quest? Didn't matter.
The trigger for considering this choice was simple.
"If... later, when that guy finds his little sister, today's events somehow cause a delay and things go wrong."
I'd have sleepless nights.
I'd bet a lot on this match, but there were always ways to recover.
It wasn't much of a loss for me. That's why I did it.
...Even knowing it wouldn't look good to my master.
"Excluding Jeong Si-woo as a factor, winning was the most profitable for me. But hearing his circumstances, losing became the most profitable path."
Connections, honor, future direction, personal satisfaction. That was the overall calculation.
That was it.
I closed my mouth. A long silence passed. Cheon-do, who had been staring at me, finally spoke.
"...It was back when you resolved the Ent incident."
Cheon-do stood, reminiscing as she began her tale.
"Even then, one kid caused no end of trouble."
The time I'd asked Hwang-do for a personal favor to support an orphaned child.
She was talking about the serial rampage case.
"...You're too kind by nature. That's what worries me."
Worry. Cheon-do's atmosphere softened as she slowly revealed her true feelings.
The paused peach scent began to rise again.
"Changing plans for one person. Suddenly turning cautious over a single life at stake... That personality will bring you harm someday."
From master to disciple.
"There will surely be those who betray your kind nature."
Cheon-do presented the cold reality.
"When that time comes, I'm afraid you'll be too disappointed in this world."
"Why would you say—"
"It's scary. By then, I might not be by your side."
I tried to retort, but my throat closed up.
It was a future I'd never considered.
"I won't apologize for getting angry. You were wrong. That's enough."
Cheon-do extended both arms and pulled my head into her embrace. The pain from my cracked skull vanished soon after.
"Be a bit more ruthless."
Was that something a master should say?
I was too stunned to speak.
My heart was racing too.
I simply stayed still, nestled in her warm embrace for a long while.