The Taker and the Taken (6)
The Taker and the Taken (6)
I left my Cheonbyeon and other accessories with the official and headed toward the arena.
It is forbidden to borrow the power of external objects during the exam. This is because it is a place for testing to confirm the students' own abilities.
'Still, this is a bit uncomfortable.'
Having daggers hanging all over me was very uncomfortable.
I stretched and checked my body one last time.
"Lee Si-woo-nim, please prepare for your match~."
A member of the Fairy Race with pointed ears said. I was guided up onto the stage. A translucent mana barrier wrapped around the stage in a semicircular shape, and outside of it, I could feel the gazes of thousands of people.
A buzzing sound was loud. Emotions that could not be expressed in words surfaced to the surface. A feeling where pressure and thrill coexisted.
As I was feeling that, I saw Han Jong-woo on the other side.
Han Jong-woo, walking heavily and looking at me with calm eyes.
He quietly lifted his weapon, the Great Sword.
I also quietly drew my sword. Seureung, the sound of steel tickled my ears.
I raised my sword and aimed it at Han Jong-woo.
"Then, we will have the match between Class A student Han Jong-woo and student Lee Si-woo!"
The member of the Fairy Race acting as the referee cast magic on me and Han Jong-woo. Magic Barrier. The only beings capable of breaking this barrier at the student level are the Twin Heroes. In other words, there is no need to hold back.
"Is this your first time fighting like this?"
"Because Na-yeon always stopped me whenever I tried to fight."
Han Jong-woo said, looking at me.
"And this time, there is no one to stop us."
"That's true."
Rather, the people around us were cheering. They were probably even running betting pools.
"Then students, please get ready. We will start immediately."
Saying that, the member of the Fairy Race began to count.
"Three."
Han Jong-woo quietly began to discharge mana outside his body.
"Two."
The mana quietly caused ripples and was molded, and soon it began to transform into armor that wrapped around Han Jong-woo's entire body.
It was his unique ability, Magap.
In that state, Han Jong-woo's physical abilities skyrocket. Naturally, his defense and magic resistance increase even more than that. Later, when Han Jong-woo rises to High Rank, he ignores most sword energy and charges in that state to crush his opponents.
However, such a powerful ability always comes with a price. That kind of ability is commonly said to not be very cost-effective.
A normal student would be collapsing just from maintaining that armor for a minute, but... Han Jong-woo, born as the son of the chairman of Korea's representative guild, grew up eating all kinds of medicinal herbs that are good for the body from the moment he was born. If I were to be strict, he could probably maintain it for about 15 minutes.
That is why Han Jong-woo's specialty is short-term battles.
"One."
Han Jong-woo, wearing the armor, bent his waist and took a charging stance with one hand on the ground.
I took out a dagger. I wore a mask. When I infused mana, purple lightning sparked and bloomed from the dagger.
"Start!"
Pang!
The sound of air bursting was heard, and Han Jong-woo charged.
At the same time, I threw the dagger.
The dagger split due to the trait Sword Control. From one to two. From two to three. Three daggers with purple lightning blooming on them rushed at Han Jong-woo.
Han Jong-woo moved to the side. But it was useless. Because the trait of Sword Control was applied to them.
The daggers curved according to my will.
"Annoying tricks!"
Uung! The Great Sword trembled finely. Blue light bloomed from the Great Sword. The blue blade extended long.
Kang!
Blue light and purple light collided. Sword energy flashed. Han Jong-woo's Great Sword struck away the daggers. Kangkang! He struck the daggers away, but the daggers aimed at Han Jong-woo again. It is the efficacy of the trait, Sword Control. It boasts excellent ability in one-on-one combat.
"Tsk."
Han Jong-woo clicked his tongue lowly. He glanced around and gripped the Great Sword tightly. Mana added radiance to the Great Sword. And he swung the Great Sword widely.
Jjaeng!
He broke the dagger. The clone of the broken dagger disappeared as an illusion, and the main body fell to the ground with its blade broken in two.
'Hmm...'
Sword Control is certainly good for one-on-one, but... the mana consumption was severe. A quarter of my mana was gone.
I could see Han Jong-woo quietly catching his breath as well. If we were to calculate the cost of mana consumption, Han Jong-woo was at an absolute disadvantage, but if we were to calculate by percentage, I was at a disadvantage.
I threw the dagger sheath to the ground. I held my sword.
Han Jong-woo charged quickly.
And he swung the Great Sword widely. A huge wind pressure arose.
I stepped back diagonally. Han Jong-woo retrieved the Great Sword and swung it widely again.
'Annoying.'
Making movements large is accompanied by an increase in power. It is a natural story, but... at the same time, weaknesses are exposed. However, as far as Han Jong-woo was concerned, it was a different story. He compensates for his weaknesses with the Magap wrapping his body. And he makes strong attacks with large movements.
'To the point where I can't block it with parrying.'
I glanced at the wind pressure accompanying the sword and made a judgment.
Than I thought.
'It's much more doable?'
I stacked masks. My muscular strength amplified, and my senses became sharp. My magic power amplified, and its density increased. As Han Jong-woo's Great Sword was swung widely once again.
Kwaang!
Purple lightning and blue sword energy collided. My body was pushed back a little, but I expected this much. As Han Jong-woo tried to swing his sword again, I opened my hand.
Magap is annoying.
It significantly increases the user's physical abilities and greatly increases defense and resistance.
It makes them tough both physically and magically. It consumes a lot of the user's magic power, but conversely, as long as the magic power is supported, there is no problem. A normal student would be gasping just from maintaining Magap, but Han Jong-woo can do that.
Pajik, purple lightning bloomed from my hand. I realized the image of striking the inside.
Penetration Strike.
It was a technique I learned briefly from Yoon Seung-ha during dungeon practice. It was a technique I learned properly while going in and out of Nam Da-yoon's house.
I conceived the image of striking the enemy's inside.
Using my Qi precisely, I stirred up the opponent's inside.
When I placed my hand on the side of the Magap, blue light flared strongly, and a strong repulsive force arose. The side part of the Magap protecting Han Jong-woo was torn, as if it had been ripped apart.
"What?!"
Han Jong-woo was surprised and flared up his magic power. Magic power arose in the part where the Magap was torn, and it tried to regenerate. That won't happen. Using the trait of Sword Control, three daggers shot out from the dagger sheath I had placed on the ground earlier.
The target was the torn part of the armor. Han Jong-woo tried to strike them away with his Great Sword. That won't happen. I swung my sword at his Great Sword. Han Jong-woo retreated.
I persistently swung my sword and controlled the daggers. His stance collapsed, and the areas he allowed increased. Left thigh, right arm.
The armor was gradually stripped off.
Han Jong-woo retreated and looked at me with calm eyes.
He must be timing it.
If I were to provoke him a little, he would get angry and rush at me. For example.
'Na-yeon was great.'
If I told him that lightly, his face would turn beet red and he would rush at me. And he would completely become my enemy.
That won't do. Han Jong-woo is a kid I don't like, but I still needed him.
I counted the numbers in my heart and timed it. I pushed Sword Control to the limit and pulled out all the daggers. While being wary of one of the characteristics of Magap, I dismantled the armor.
Right shoulder, right thigh. When I destroyed the armor up to that point, Han Jong-woo's magic power expanded as if it were exploding.
Magic power dwelled in the armor, and they headed toward me as if they were exploding.
He expanded his magic power. His magic power rose rapidly as if it were running wild. I formed a spell. Shield. It is a low-level magic, and it is a simple magic that anyone who learns it as an introductory course can use.
However, the attack of the armor fragments was fierce. I was anxious with just one shield.
I controlled the daggers with Sword Control to protect my major vital points. I trusted my Stamina of 20 to endure the rest of the parts.
'Fucking hurts.'
I gritted my teeth. The fragments of the armor pierced through the shield and tore up my body. Still, thanks to the Stamina that rose to 20, it was bearable. It was bearable.
When I opened my eyes and looked, I saw a shield riddled with holes from armor fragments, daggers that were cracked or broken here and there, and at the end of it, I saw a scene where Han Jong-woo was swinging down his Great Sword.
I swung my sword. Purple lightning crackled and blocked Han Jong-woo's sword. And.
Hoek.
Lightly parrying. Han Jong-woo's Great Sword soared upward. Han Jong-woo gritted his teeth and put strength into it to swing it down as it was, but.
My sword headed for Han Jong-woo's neck faster. Han Jong-woo trying to swing down his Great Sword, and me bringing my sword to Han Jong-woo's body.
Hwiik-!
The sound of a whistle blowing was heard. An official called my name and called me the winner. I whistled and headed outside.
The duel ended. A quiet arena. I glanced around. Everyone was looking at the arena in embarrassment. My parents were also gaping.
"......It's amazing, as expected."
A low voice of admiration was heard. When I turned my head, I saw grey hair and golden eyes. And ears on her head that resembled those of a dog. Was there a Beast-kin among the Fairy Race? Instead of that thought, there was a woman so pretty that I just stared at her face blankly. She was so cute that I wanted to hug her and roll around.
"W, what? Did the son of Gwangseongja lose?"
"Wasn't Lee Si-woo only good at technique?"
"He even used magic, even if it was unstable with the Sword Control trait! What on earth is his unique ability?"
"His physical abilities are completely different from the data that came out at admission!"
"Wasn't Lee Si-woo a scholarship student because he was smart?"
"Find out quickly! All the data on Lee Si-woo! Damn it, this year's students are all outstanding, so I don't know how much money will be wasted......!"
"The world's greatest brain and the top-tier skill among the 1st years, who are called the golden generation. His value is going to skyrocket."
"It's not just that. He has excellent Sword Control ability in one-on-one combat and is good at using magic? Game over, right."
"This year's 1st years really have a lot to see. The 2nd year's 'Geobhwa' is no joke, with that guy who handles dozens of spirits, plus Eun Sua who is designated as the prospective Tower Master of the Ivory Tower, and even a skilled person who beats Eun Sua."
People who looked like officials here and there were also astonished. My nose went up. Although we are usually at each other's throats, we are siblings in the end.
There was no way I would feel bad when my family was being praised.
She stood up quietly.
"Hana, where are you going?"
"To pick some flowers."
My parents looked at me with a strange expression, but I hummed and headed to the bathroom. Come to think of it, where is the bathroom? Well, it will appear if I walk. While walking, I saw a pretty statue, so I stopped for a moment and took out my phone.
A product that costs nearly 1.5 million won for the latest model. I moved to the side of the statue with the phone Lee Si-woo bought me so I could study hard, then I made a V-sign with my hand and took a selfie. I didn't like it, so I took about 30 shots. After posting it on SNS, I went looking for the bathroom.
Had I walked for a long time like that? I saw the man who fought my brother a little while ago. He looked teary-eyed, perhaps because he was frustrated.
'He's handsome.'
Not as much as Yoon Seung-ha-nim, though.
I swallowed that thought and rummaged through my pocket.
I grabbed the handkerchief Lee Si-woo gave me as a gift in my pocket. I handed the handkerchief over slyly.
"......You are."
"Hana. Lee Ha-na."
"Why this?"
"Don't cry like a loser, man. You were confident when you fought a little while ago. People can lose once in their life."
"But he......"
"That person is that person, and you are you. They say a gentleman's revenge can take 10 years. Chew on bear gall and get your revenge."
"Is... that so?"
"Yes. That's right. So don't make that face, and stand tall. Shoulders back!"
Saying that, I felt proud inside. The image of me giving advice to a slightly rough man. It resembled the female lead in the drama I had always dreamed of...!
Above all, I had a decent appearance.
Lee Si-woo calls me a monkey or a gorilla, but even just going to school, I was the one who got confessed to once a day......no, once or twice a week.
I glanced at Han Jong-woo. Han Jong-woo looking at me with blank eyes. It seems he has fallen for me. A woman like me is a sinful woman.......
Lee Ha-na praised herself like that and headed to the other side.
After that, she wandered around messily trying to find the bathroom.
While quietly heading to the bathroom, I happened to see the scene from a moment ago. I shook my head while looking at the monkey acting out lines I had seen many times somewhere.
Acting like the female lead in a drama who looks quite bold, she must be thinking inside, 'Just now, I was kind of cool.'
But Han Jong-woo's expression was strange. He was staring blankly at the spot where the monkey had passed by. Endlessly.
"...Did it, go well?"
I don't know.
Maybe it wouldn't be bad to watch him for a while since it's a chance to get close to Han Jong-woo.
And the next day, it was when I was taking a break after the duel ended.
Strange rumors began to circulate.
The rumor that Im Na-yeon and I are dating.
Someone asked, and the fact that Im Na-yeon blushed and stammered was the deciding factor.
Among the students, naturally, such a story spread as fast as it could be unbelievable. As all sorts of things were added to it, it eventually turned into a rumor that Im Na-yeon and I are madly in love with each other and are planning to hold a wedding ceremony when we graduate from the academy.
And.
"Actually, you do not like Im Na-yeon. Deep in your heart, you love Kim Harin, but due to realistic problems, you are dating Im Na-yeon... And you realized that while dating Im Na-yeon, you were in love with Kim Harin."
Kim Harin was hypnotizing me.