108. Interpersonal Combat Practical (4)
108. Interpersonal Combat Practical (4)
"Go, Kang Poppy! Bite!"
Twitch.
That damn Yellow Dog, who does he think he's—!
A vein instantly bulged on Kang Do-hee's forehead at being treated like a dog.
But her body, honest as ever, was already throwing a punch at his command.
BOOM—!
She succeeded in driving her fist into Instructor Hong Ji-na's completely unguarded abdomen.
I can't believe that actually worked....
— I'll take on that wild boar Instructor first. Before she uses a particular weapon, I'll hide it in my subspace and stall while bluffing. Then the moment she reaches for it— that's when you step in.
When she'd first heard his strategy, her only reaction had been bewilderment.
Honestly, she'd thought it was impossible.
Instructor Hong Ji-na had this bizarre combat style where she laid out all her weapons on the ground and switched between them at will.
Since her attack patterns shifted randomly, the appropriate countermeasure kept changing, and even gauging the distance was difficult.
And trying to exploit the gaps between one weapon and the next was equally futile—her switching speed was simply too fast.
For Kang Do-hee, who thrived at point-blank range, she was a tricky opponent—practically a natural enemy.
And yet, he predicted which weapon the Instructor would use and stuffed it into his subspace... It's absurd.
Pfft—
A laugh slipped out before she could stop it.
He really isn't right in the head.
She knew because she'd watched Jin Yu-ha's movements from behind, from start to finish.
That every single one of his actions was a meticulously calculated motion.
Even in the middle of that chaotic flurry of clashing blades, he'd identified that the Instructor's next weapon would be the greatsword
and used his body to exquisitely screen the spot, making Instructor Hong Ji-na believe the greatsword was still there.
On top of that, the sheer audacity of casually pocketing the weapon into his subspace and then continuing to attack as if nothing had happened.
What was astonishing was that all of this had unfolded in the middle of live combat.
...That Yellow Dog bastard, he's getting stronger and stronger. His growth is practically visible.
He was different from one week to the next—growing practically day by day.
When she'd first seen him, there had definitely been a gap between them that she couldn't ignore,
but before she knew it, Jin Yu-ha had pulled up right behind her.
And yet, what filled Kang Do-hee's chest wasn't negative emotions like an inferiority complex or jealousy—it was a competitive fighting spirit.
[ Now! You have to press her while that wild boar Instructor is rattled! She didn't block it, so the damage should still be lingering! ]
An urgent voice came through the earpiece plugged into her ear.
"Yeah. A male Yellow Dog did this much for me—if I just sat back sucking my thumb and watching, that'd be a disqualification as a woman."
Kang Do-hee twisted her lips up into a wide grin.
BANG—!!!
She powered into her thighs and kicked off, a violent shockwave erupting from her toes.
Whoooosh!
Blazing crimson Mana engulfed her entire body,
and her hair tossed as if caught in a gale.
Berserk.
Kang Do-hee's presence swelled explosively in an instant.
Hong Ji-na, still grimacing and clutching her stomach after taking that solid blow to the abdomen,
lifted her head at the sudden surge of heat she felt.
She'd never seen Kang Do-hee's skill before, so astonishment spread across Hong Ji-na's face.
...Flames?
But apart from that emotion, her hand moved on its own, searching for her next weapon.
However.
Once again, her hand groped empty air.
You goddamn little rat...!
Slip—
Before she knew it, Jin Yu-ha had shifted beside her, tossed the greatsword aside, and stowed the spear she'd been about to grab into his subspace!
"It was here a moment ago... now it's gone?"
Jin Yu-ha spread both hands wide and spoke in a deliberately infuriating voice.
"This stupid trick again...."
Hong Ji-na gnashed her teeth and tried to snatch at Jin Yu-ha,
but he nimbly pulled his body back and said,
"Do you really have time to worry about me? Even for an Instructor, Berserk isn't exactly something you can afford to be careless about, is it?"
Whoosh!
Shit!
Hong Ji-na's eyes flared wide with alarm as she twisted her body sideways.
Kang Do-hee's kick, launched mid-flight, grazed her cheek.
Slash!
As if sliced by a sharp blade, a red gash opened across her cheek and blood sprayed.
I—I let her land two hits on me...?
Thwack!
Hong Ji-na raised her arm to block Kang Do-hee's follow-up attack.
The force, a full tier heavier than before, drew a groan from her.
"Kgh!"
A speed and destructive power that far exceeded all expectations.
...My weapon!
When her hand groped empty air yet again, Hong Ji-na's face twisted into sheer incomprehension.
How the hell did it come to this...?
She felt as if every piece of common sense she'd built up over the years was being demolished in real time.
When I checked their sparring in the last class, they weren't anywhere near this level...!
She knew, of course, that Kang Do-hee had already made a decent name for herself under the moniker 'Fighting Dog' before even enrolling.
And she'd figured Jin Yu-ha must possess considerable skill, given he'd been stirring up noisy issues since the start of the semester.
Watching Kang Do-hee and Jin Yu-ha's sparring match last time, she'd nodded to herself, acknowledging they certainly had the ability to back it up.
But among all the students who'd entered Velvet Academy over the years, such individuals hadn't exactly been rare.
No matter how much of a name they'd made for themselves on the outside, no matter how outstanding their abilities seemed among cadets,
in the end, they were still just cadets.
First-years, at that.
Faced with her Weapon Manifestation, the normal response was to feel the difference in class and tuck tail.
But these two acted as if that difference in class didn't even exist.
Jin Yu-ha, preempting every weapon she reached for with uncanny precision, as if he were sitting inside her skull.
And Kang Do-hee, unleashing attacks that even an Instructor couldn't dismiss.
They complemented each other, linked together as if they were a single body.
It was as if they were systematically taking her down the way you'd tackle a monster.
"...What the hell are these kids!"
The composure vanished from Hong Ji-na's face, and high praise burst from her lips.
*
Whoooosh—
Kang Do-hee's Berserk blazed, pouring out attacks at dazzling speed.
Fists and feet, feet and fists clashed as the fierce battle raged on.
BOOM—!
Crack!
Thwack!
The longer the fight continued, the faster Kang Do-hee's speed became, her body raging fiercely like a swirling flame.
And after I'd stolen Hong Ji-na's weapons several more times,
she seemed to finally give up on reaching for them altogether, meeting Kang Do-hee bare-handed.
Poppy in Berserk mode—not even an Instructor can ignore that. It's one of Velvetsra's officially acknowledged strongest skills.
With Kang Do-hee pouring on such flashy offense, Hong Ji-na's attention naturally fixated on her.
Even so, Kang Do-hee can't win right now.
The basic physical difference—the stat gap—was there, so the moment Berserk ended, Hong Ji-na's counterattack would begin.
And being helplessly overwhelmed by that counterattack was the predetermined outcome.
Of course, we didn't necessarily have to beat Hong Ji-na here and now.
But....
If I give up just because the situation is tough, Instructor Baek Seol-hee won't let me hear the end of it. And I need the experience of winning against an enemy stronger than us.
— When facing an enemy who is difficult to defeat, hide your sword.
I recalled Instructor Baek Seol-hee's voice in my head and lowered my gaze, steadying my focus.
A decisive finishing move must make no sound.
I sharpened my concentration.
I erased my presence.
Quietly.
Making it seem, in this space right now, as if only the two of them were fighting.
Free of any stray thoughts,
I waited for that single moment when an opening would reveal itself, channeling precision into my fingertips.
Shff.
I slid Moonlight into its scabbard.
The scabbard enveloped the blade smoothly, like a caress.
Tap.
I rested my hand lightly on the hilt.
Thwack—!!!
Kang Do-hee detonated her Mana and threw a punch.
Without flinching, Hong Ji-na thrust her own fist forward.
Fist met fist, sending ripples through the air.
And in that moment.
Swish—
My eyes caught the nimble movement of her other hand—the one she hadn't thrown.
The hidden dagger concealed in Hong Ji-na's hand reflected the light, stabbing at my vision.
That was the trump card she'd been hiding.
The moment an opponent is most prone to let their guard down... is the very instant they reveal their hidden ace....
Quiet Mana silently seeped into the blade.
Shring—
Moonlight, which had been sheathed in the scabbard, was drawn at an agonizingly slow speed, as if time had frozen.
Quick Draw.
In an instant, the languid speed accelerated, and Moonlight shot forth with lightning-like velocity.
──────────────
The tip of the blade soundlessly carved a horizontal arc through the air.
"!"
And a moment too late, Hong Ji-na's mouth fell open in horror.
* * *
Vwoom—
Vwoom—
Kang Do-hee and Hong Ji-na.
The outlines of their bodies blurred, and both were summoned outside the sparring arena.
Kang Do-hee—pierced through by the hidden dagger Hong Ji-na had launched.
And Hong Ji-na—cut down by Jin Yu-ha's sword.
Both wore dazed expressions.
No, as if only those two were wearing such expressions.
Every gaze in the sparring arena converged on a single point.
There, in the middle of a field planted with all manner of weapons like a graveyard of soldiers, stood a man holding a blue sword drawn.
"......."
A heavy silence settled over the sparring arena.
For the first time since Velvet Academy's founding, an instructor had been defeated by a first-year cadet.