Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Clash in the Finals
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#74
"Won against an A-rank hero?"
"It was an overwhelming match."
Agna furrowed her brow at her subordinate's report.
She then picked up the document detailing the match and began reading.
'An A-rank level 34 'Magical Girl'....'
To her, Goo Dong-hwan's appearance wasn't important.
What caught her eye was only the rank, level, and class.
"Where does this put him in the rankings?"
"Excluding the five S-ranks and above, we'd rank him around fourth. But since we can't accurately gauge his abilities yet, he could rank even higher."
At least fourth place.
That made him someone the Empire and Crusiel absolutely had to watch.
'And yet he lost?'
Agna thought of Seo Woo-jin.
He was definitely a hero who couldn't be judged by rank alone.
'I need to meet him soon.'
She had planned to meet him in person anyway to learn more about Seo Woo-jin.
Agna decided to move that timeline up a bit.
"Tonight. After the sparring training ends, invite him to have dinner together."
"I'll pass that along."
Her subordinate left the room.
Left alone, Agna read the document on Seo Woo-jin and Goo Dong-hwan's match with a curious expression.
Over and over again.
* * *
Seo Woo-jin wore a troubled look.
'I didn't expect her to be listening from behind.'
He hadn't imagined Gye Soo-ji would be there.
"I didn't mean to offend."
Seo Woo-jin bowed his head toward her in apology.
"The apology's fine. More than that...."
Gye Soo-ji scanned Seo Woo-jin from head to toe.
Then she smiled and said,
"I'd like to spar with you sometime myself."
Seo Woo-jin groaned in reluctance.
'I do want to give it a shot for real.'
But not right now.
They were in the middle of sparring training.
And meeting her during the matches would be tough too.
According to the bracket, he'd only see her in the finals.
"Isn't now a bad time?"
At Seo Woo-jin's words, Gye Soo-ji nodded.
"I didn't mean right this second."
"Then...?"
"Make some time soon. I hear you train separately with a group."
Under Gye Soo-ji's gaze, as if confirming, Seo Woo-jin didn't deny it.
The fact that he sparred with a few heroes was already widely known.
"Sure."
Seo Woo-jin, who had wanted to cross hands with her from the start, gladly accepted her proposal.
'Fighter, huh....'
Excluding the combat class, there was no other info.
All he knew from watching Lee Ji-ah's match was that she was skilled in bare-handed brawling.
Even that ended in one hit, so it wasn't precise.
'Not that it matters.'
What mattered was that Gye Soo-ji was strong.
If she joined their training, it would definitely help Seo Woo-jin a lot.
'And get a bit closer while I'm at it.'
Seo Woo-jin was gradually building his influence among the heroes.
* * *
"Uhaha! This is embarrassing."
Goo Dong-hwan scratched his head as he approached.
"How's your body holding up?"
"As you can see, perfectly fine!"
It wasn't just talk.
The deep gash across his torso showed no trace of injury.
"Good to hear."
Without the priests from the Holy Kingdom of Iyer dispatched here, he wouldn't have recovered this fast.
'Their holy power is impressive.'
To heal that much damage in just a few hours.
Getting friendly with heroes of that class would be quite helpful.
'Trouble is, the only one's Seong Yu-ra....'
Seo Woo-jin frowned.
No matter how he thought about it, he had no desire to get close to that jerk.
Well, she probably felt the same about him.
Seo Woo-jin decided to scout for more recovery-specialized heroes during this event as he turned his gaze to the arena.
"You've already locked in the finals, Woo-jin?"
"Yeah. Got lucky."
After Goo Dong-hwan, he'd only faced average heroes.
They had decent skill, but far from enough to satisfy Seo Woo-jin.
He'd beaten them one by one without much effort and somehow made it to the finals.
"Opponent's gotta be that guy, right?"
He didn't name him, but it wasn't hard to guess Baek Si-woo.
"Probably the highest odds, yeah?"
The match they were watching now was the final semifinal.
Baek Si-woo versus Gye Soo-ji.
Their fight looked plenty intense.
"She's holding her own well."
Goo Dong-hwan pointed at Gye Soo-ji with an impressed look.
"Blocking the 'Sword God’s' blade with her bare fists."
Seo Woo-jin nodded.
Gye Soo-ji was definitely a cut above the other heroes.
"What's her class anyway?"
"'Fighter,' I heard."
At Seo Woo-jin's answer, Goo Dong-hwan tilted his head.
"From Baekje, maybe?"
"Not sure on the details myself."
To them, 'Fighter' was a class from novels or games.
They didn't know exactly what they were.
'Kind of like rivals to the Hwarang, I thought.'
Even that wasn't accurate.
From what Seo Woo-jin saw, Gye Soo-ji's 'Fighter' was close to what he expected: a brawler.
But not limited to strikes—it was more like comprehensive martial arts.
'Grab, break, crush.'
Her attacks could be summed up in those three words.
"Whew, first time seeing Baek Si-woo on the ropes."
Goo Dong-hwan stuck out his tongue at Gye Soo-ji lasting over ten minutes already.
'He's holding back.'
To be precise, Baek Si-woo was observing her.
Curious about this new type of hero, he wanted more experience.
If Baek Si-woo swung seriously, Gye Soo-ji couldn't last ten exchanges.
"It's about to end."
At Seo Woo-jin's words, Goo Dong-hwan focused on the match.
The even fight began tilting toward Baek Si-woo bit by bit.
'Sure enough, the guy's a monster.'
From the start of the tournament until now.
Baek Si-woo had controlled the fight exactly as he intended, without missing a single second.
Even Gye Soo-ji's fierce resistance was by his will.
'Three more exchanges.'
Seo Woo-jin's prediction was spot on.
Baek Si-woo's sword reached Gye Soo-ji's nape exactly three exchanges later.
"Whoa, as expected of the 'Sword God'...."
Goo Dong-hwan stared at Baek Si-woo in shock.
Sheathing his blade with crisp precision drew even Seo Woo-jin's admiration.
"Looks like he's my finals opponent."
"This is gonna be good, uhaha!"
The thought of watching the strongest hero face the one who beat him had Goo Dong-hwan beaming with anticipation.
'Can I win?'
Until just now, he'd been confident.
But after seeing her match, it weighed on him a bit.
'Killing Rosie Ruby must've boosted him big time.'
Baek Si-woo was showing far more refined skill than before.
'How many levels did he gain....'
Seo Woo-jin had gained two himself, so he couldn't even guess Baek Si-woo's.
"Woo-jin."
As he watched Baek Si-woo descend from the arena, Ailin spoke up beside him.
"Yeah? What?"
"You can win."
She smiled faintly after reading his expression.
"...Did I look worried?"
"A little."
Seo Woo-jin chuckled at her words.
"It's just training, not real combat. No need to stress. I'll just fight like usual."
Sure, the prize tempted him.
For Seo Woo-jin backed by Sion, a famed sword like that wasn't common.
But he wouldn't risk his neck just for a sword.
"If I lose, oh well."
He shrugged, but Ailin shook her head and repeated herself.
"You can win."
It wasn't mere cheerleading.
She truly believed with that look of conviction.
"...Right."
Seo Woo-jin stood up.
It was time for the finals.
"Uncle, fighting! You gotta win!"
"Fighting."
"After victory, let's celebrate with some lower body squats!"
As Seo Woo-jin headed slowly to the arena, cheers from the bonds formed here echoed behind him.
'...Pretend I didn't hear the last part.'
Lower body?
Just thinking about it brought on muscle pain.
"A D-rank making finals for real."
"Kinda impressive, right?"
"Impressive? Only possible 'cause it's sparring training. In real combat, he'd be toast already."
He heard the heroes' voices too.
Some acknowledged him, but most still doubted.
He ignored them.
His focus was on Baek Si-woo ascending the arena opposite.
'Thanks to Iyer's priests?'
Despite just finishing, he showed no fatigue.
They'd ensured peak condition for the match.
"Seo Woo-jin."
Baek Si-woo opened his mouth toward him with a heavy expression.
"I've waited so long for this day."
From their first meeting, Baek Si-woo had been interested in Seo Woo-jin.
Whether fortunate or not, no direct clash until now—he'd just suppressed his curiosity.
Now with the stage set, he couldn't hold back anymore.
"I was curious about your strength anyway."
"...Is that so?"
"From Gerald to the recent ruins. You've shown prowess beyond your rank."
Seo Woo-jin shook his head.
"Not sure about Gerald, but I didn't do much at the ruins. You killed Rosie Ruby."
"I heard from Yu-ra."
He clicked his tongue.
Before meeting Baek Si-woo, Seo Woo-jin had stalled the monster for over an hour.
No significant damage, but holding out that long was impressive in itself.
As Seo Woo-jin said nothing, Baek Si-woo drew his sword.
A famed sword among famed swords.
'Worthy of being called an imperial treasure.'
Seo Woo-jin inwardly sighed and drew his black sword.
Despite its ornate decorations, it looked shabby next to Baek Si-woo's.
'Others probably see me the same way.'
Famed sword and black sword. Baek Si-woo and Seo Woo-jin.
It irked him for no reason.
"Then we'll begin the finals now."
Ludein declared the start, eyes brimming with excitement as he watched them.
"Isla Thunder."
Baek Si-woo's sword blazed with lightning.
The very skill that sliced and burned off Rosie Ruby's head.
An absolute blade no ordinary hero could block.
But....
Clang-!
"...I was curious too."
About your strength.
Seo Woo-jin's sword blocked 'Isla Thunder.'