The Taker and the Taken (5)
The Taker and the Taken (5)
After Nam Da-yoon said goodbye to my parents, we decided to head to a nearby cafe since it was awkward just standing on the street.
"Sorry, I have to get going right away. Actually, I just stopped by to see Siwoo. Villains are so rampant these days... I'm so busy I don't think I'll be able to watch the match..."
"No, no, everyone knows how busy you are, Nam Da-yoon-nim. Just coming to cheer for our son will be a huge boost. Right, Siwoo?"
My father waved his hands dismissively at Nam Da-yoon's words. I nodded in agreement.
"Is that so? Oh, and you can speak comfortably, Siwoo-abunim. You're... older than me."
"C-could I?"
Father smiled proudly, while Mom had a strange expression. She looked at me and Nam Da-yoon with eyes filled with pride, trouble, and worry.
"......Well, there are couples with big age gaps these days."
At my mother's quiet mutter, Nam Da-yoon blushed. Father just had a question mark floating over his head.
And so, Nam Da-yoon gave Monkey an autograph and went on her way.
We hung out for a bit, then just headed to the dueling arena. There was still over an hour left, but hey, leaving early isn't a bad thing.
"There are so many people."
Yoon Seung-ha said lazily. I nodded in agreement.
The area near the stadium was packed. The stadium, which could accommodate about 5,000 spectators, was so full from the entrance that it was hard to even find a place to step.
I saw hot dogs at a stand, so I ordered a few and handed them out to the group.
"I don't want any."
Monkey refused.
It looked like she was really into Yoon Seung-ha and wanted to show him only her pretty side. But that wasn't Yoon Seung-ha's type.
"Seung-ha likes women who eat heartily. And he loves hot dogs."
"Thanks for the food, Oppa."
She was a girl who changed her stance really quickly. But she wasn't eating heartily; she was devouring it like a beast. When she got sauce all over her mouth, Mom sighed.
I glanced briefly at Yoon Seung-ha, who was laughing, "Haha," in an awkward manner.
Skin like white jade.
Silvery hair that shimmered, and eyes that sparkled like starlight thanks to the eyes he gained after awakening his ability.
He was pretty enough to make even a man look twice. Even most girls would lose their luster standing next to him.
In fact, because of that appearance, he had often been targeted by gay male villains.
Of course, I had no intention of targeting men.
"Ah, cadets, please come this way."
As we arrived at the stadium, an official guided us. There was a passage next to the main entrance to the stadium.
"Well then, son, fighting~!"
I answered my mom's encouragement with an awkward smile, saying I'd do my best.
"Seung-ha Oppa, fighting too!"
......What about me?
Well, I didn't expect anything anyway.
Really.
Leaving the Gorilla's greeting behind, we entered one by one.
The place the official guided us to was quite large, and Lee Ji-ah, Im Na-yeon, and Han Jong-woo were already there. Kang Hannam too. I glanced around and saw various weapons arranged. There were also people who looked like staff.
"What are those weapons?"
"Ah, those? They said they put them out in case any cadets had issues with their weapons."
Lee Ji-ah answered my question.
Looking at them with a casual glance, there were no traces of wear or handling.
They were all brand new.
"Can I try swinging this?"
"Yes, you can."
I reached out and grabbed a sword. The grip was good. The balance was good, too. When I tapped the blade with my hand, it rang beautifully. It was clearly a high-quality item.
It must have been made by the Fairy Race, commonly known as dwarves.
Swish-
I also liked the sound of it cutting through the air. I picked up ten daggers. There was a belt provided for holding daggers, so it wasn't difficult to pack them. A bit uncomfortable, though.
"What, you use daggers too? Those kinds of miscellaneous weapons won't help you reach the peak."
Yoon Chae-rin said with a slightly dissatisfied expression.
The peak.
It refers to the level of Sword Qi. A level of mastery every hero dreams of.
The moment you reach this level, the treatment you receive changes entirely. Each one is comparable to a nuclear weapon, a walking nuclear weapon that can raze a city in less than an hour.
It's hard to reach that point even if you devote yourself to a single weapon. So, I must look strange trying to use so many weapons.
"It's just that I don't have any long-range or mid-range attacks."
I said, spinning a dagger in my hand.
Come to think of it, who will I fight this time?
The best case would be someone other than the Twin Heroes or Eun Sua.
My greatest strength is the technique utilizing the Thousand-Hand Universal Tool Kit. It's not something you'd see at a student level; it's a technique that can rival High Rank heroes. Since Nam Da-yoon said so, that must be certain.
However, technique isn't everything. My biggest vulnerability is the overwhelming 'power' that even technique can't handle.
The ones who handle that power best are Yoon Chae-rin and Eun Sua.
Yoon Seung-ha is also tricky. Unlike the original story, he hasn't learned martial arts, but that's why he's even trickier. Because the eyes where the star clusters dwell are good for evading attacks.
The best opponent at this point would be someone like Lee Ji-ah. Im Na-yeon wouldn't be bad either. Han Jong-woo is quite tricky, but it's manageable somehow.
'Because my stamina is 20.'
I'll drag it into a long battle and somehow strip off his armor and take him down. For that, an axe or a greatsword with good destructive power wouldn't be bad.
Just as I was thinking about this and that, a mechanical beeping sound started coming from the electronic display board on the opposite wall.
[Arena 1 Duel]
[Yoon Chae-rin vs. Eun Sua]
Oh, this was a good start.
Yoon Chae-rin and Eun Sua.
A duel between a martial artist and a magic swordsman.
Eun Sua, who wields magic and swings the Seven-colored Sword, is superior in power struggles, but Eun Sua's way of fighting was very lacking compared to Yoon Chae-rin.
Yoon Chae-rin is not someone you can overwhelm with power alone.
Yoon Chae-rin and Eun Sua walked toward the arena with heavy steps.
Starting with Eun Sua, Im Na-yeon, Lee Ji-ah, and Yoon Seung-ha also got up from their seats and left. Im Na-yeon was matched with Lee Ji-ah again, and Yoon Seung-ha was matched with a student from another class. That's how my acquaintances started leaving one by one.
Quietly. A burning gaze struck the back of my head.
When I turned around, Han Jong-woo was looking at me with a burning gaze. I sighed inwardly. Han Jong-woo. Looks like my energy is going to be drained from the first day.
Han Jong-woo's gang was also glaring at me. Starting with Kang Hannam, I saw 7 people whose names I didn't know but whose faces were familiar.
Too lazy to start a staring contest already, I sat on a nearby chair.
"You're fighting Han Jong-woo already? After entering, you fought a mid-tier student, a month later you beat Kang Hannam, and now you're fighting Han Jong-woo in the midterm exam? What kind of power have you been hiding?"
Someone spoke to me while I was sitting. I saw dirty blonde hair. A subtly handsome face. His black eyes looked full of curiosity.
I know his face, of course, and his name too. If you play as Yoon Seung-ha, he appears as his friend and is a valuable intelligence agent who brings all sorts of information.
The reason is very simple: Jung Han-seo is the 7th son of the cousin of the guild leader who leads the intelligence organization, Yeonhwa.
'Listing it out like this, it's really strange.'
In Korea, connections were a major issue. Jung Han-seo's ability was also quite good. Later, he even takes Kim Ho-dong to Yeonhwa and gets his merits recognized to some extent.
Compared to Im Na-yeon, whose family is the only daughter of the chairman of the No. 1 conglomerate in Korea, or Han Jong-woo, the son of the guild master of a guild representing Korea, he pales in comparison... but those two just have absurd backgrounds.
"Your name was... Jung Han-seo, right?"
"Oh, you know my name too? Have I been recognized for my ability? Or did you just memorize the names of the entire student body?"
"Let's go with the former."
Jung Han-seo laughed cheerfully at my words.
"Oops, I have something I want to ask, can I ask?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
It was Jung Han-seo's unique way of speaking. A style where if I answer his question, he'll repay me later. For me, it was something with almost nothing to lose...
"I was really curious... is that rumor true?"
"Rumor?"
"The rumor that's spreading among the kids these days."
Jung Han-seo was using 'that method of speaking', one of the ways to piss people off.
As if he were telling some huge secret, Jung Han-seo lowered his posture and came near my ear to speak.
"The, the story about you two-timing Im Na-yeon and Lee Ji-ah. That kind of rumor is going around these days. Stories of Lee Ji-ah and Im Na-yeon walking around together have been witnessed here and there-"
"What kind of bullshit is that."
I interrupted him.
I could feel a burning gaze looking at me from the direction of Han Jong-woo. I must absolutely not turn my head that way.
As I sat there, my name appeared on the electronic display board.
[Arena 1 Duel]
[Han Jong-woo vs. Lee Si-woo]
Flames were burning, scorching the surroundings. The earth was shaking, the wind was scratching sharply in all directions, and poison was spreading thickly. I watched that scene with eyes shining in red light.
"Not bad."
I said that and turned my eyes. A boy with silver hair and a lazy expression was visible. Around him were various spirits. A lizard in the shape of a flame flicking its tongue. A hawk made of gathered wind. A bipedal frog of purple light.
Her crimson eyes, which see the essence of the target, looked at the boy, but couldn't see him. Something like a star cluster around him was blocking her from probing him.
"The barrier is solid, too."
I muttered that and scanned the side. Arena 2, next to Arena 1.
Kwaaaa-
The space around it was distorted.
At its center was the Seven-colored Sword, shining in seven colors. Faded white hair. Golden eyes shining like gold were visible. Eun Sua. The successor of the Ivory Tower. She was also one of the persons of interest. If she grew up properly, she could be a being that threatens the Demon King.
The person opposing her was also no ordinary person. Flowing blonde hair and eyes of the same red light as her own.
Yoon Chae-rin muttered.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Sosu Magong.
Arms like slender jade shone pure white. She waved her arms and began to erase the Black Flame heading toward her. When she swung the Seven-colored Sword, a black beam of light kept Eun Sua's movements in check.
She was carving out the space itself while swinging the Seven-colored Sword, but those beams of light were attacks that foresaw not just one or two moves, but over a dozen. Eun Sua's movements began to become uncomfortable little by little.
The audience's admiration and cheers erupted. Those two were far beyond the level of students. It wouldn't be strange if they were active on the front lines right now.
"A shame."
However.
The Blood Demon felt it was a shame. It was a powerful ability that shook space, but the owner couldn't handle it properly. In her view, Eun Sua was being swayed by that Seven-colored Sword. If it were her, she would have applied it more precisely and in various ways.
Or perhaps handle the sword like the Sword Mistress's Sword Control. The output of the Seven-colored Sword would clearly drop, but with an ability with that level of output, even a graze could cause a serious injury.
The Blood Demon turned her eyes to look at Yoon Chae-rin. Each attack was precise. She limited the opponent's moves and increased her own. Although some movements were pathetic in her view, there were a few things she could learn from her as well.
She licked her lips with her tongue. She wanted to fight her.
'...Though my life would be in danger the moment I release my power.'
I glanced around. Although invisible to the general audience, Fairy Race and spirits were overflowing everywhere. They existed in the sky, and they existed underground. They existed even within the crowd.
...They could be dealt with somehow, but the biggest problem was the Fairy Queen.
She crossed her legs. She closed her eyes quietly. She forcibly calmed her heated body. It wasn't the time yet. When they ripened a little more...
"Haa."
It was hard to hold back because I was looking forward to that time.
Exhaling an excited breath, I watched Yoon Chae-rin and Yoon Seung-ha.