Festival (3)
Festival (3)
.......
.......
A ripple passed through the eyes of the students who had been waiting for their turn, utterly certain of victory.
Even from a distance, they'd thought Kang Seok-ho's ambush and judgment were sound. But it had been blocked. Completely and utterly.
Their faces hardened as they looked at Kang Seok-ho, who was receiving intensive treatment from the priests waiting below the stage.
'Is there something else going on in his head?'
Yoon I-seul, watching from the back, glanced at Baek Ha-na—who was glaring coldly at the backs of the frozen students—and thought to herself.
'I was going to say something, but staying quiet for now seems like the better move.'
Since they'd used the same strategy from the very beginning, the opponents had apparently figured out their intentions and devised a new counter-strategy.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have blocked Kang Seok-ho's unorthodox attack so perfectly, as if they'd been waiting for it. Though, to be fair, his approach was a bit too obvious.
"Min A-yeong."
Cheon Ji-ho, who had taken over after Kang Han-na collapsed in a daze, called the next name.
"Yes!!"
A short-haired first-year rose from her seat.
Cheon Ji-ho hesitated for a moment, then approached Min A-yeong and lightly patted her shoulder.
"A little tension is healthy, but getting so nervous your body locks up won't help you."
"......Yes!!"
Min A-yeong's stiff shoulders relaxed a little.
"Good. It's a match, so winning matters—but consider this a chance to see the results of all your hard work. Go and come back."
"Understood!!"
Min A-yeong gave her own cheeks a light slap and ran toward the stage where Jaden was waiting.
'Mmm.......'
Just one more match, and then it would be break time.
Which meant one more student had to step onto that stage.
Cheon Ji-ho wanted to say something to that student, but he kept his lips sealed. The top-ranking senior had been explicit when sending him here: no advice whatsoever.
'...Looks like I'll be planted face-first into the floor soon, just like Professor Jaden.'
He'd gotten carried away by the students' winning streak and clapped like an idiot, forgetting his place. What if he'd come to his senses after the second match and warned them?
The strategy would have been exposed sooner or later, but at least Kang Seok-ho wouldn't have lost, and they could have closed the first set with a satisfying clean sweep.
Cheon Ji-ho scratched his head with his one good arm and smiled bitterly.
'We pulled the same trick seven times straight. Only a moron wouldn't catch on.'
This was practically the finals.
By all rights, the fact that their so-called strategy had been completely exposed should have left him on edge—but Cheon Ji-ho wasn't particularly shaken.
Thirty academies had entered the Round of 32.
Fifteen would advance to the Round of 16.
Normally, one team would receive a bye straight to the quarterfinals, but the Ceremony handled the numbers differently: the losing teams from the Round of 32 would face each other in Commander Battles, and the survivor would be sent back up into the Round of 16.
'Even if we lose here, we've still got one more shot.......'
Feeling a cold stare drilling into the back of his head, Cheon Ji-ho was sure of one thing.
Out of all thirty kings, their king was unquestionably the strongest.
**
[ The first set concludes with First Academy taking the final victory. ]
[ Arena Academy still leads 37 to 18, but with the second and third sets remaining, you absolutely must not let your guard down. ]
[ Yes, exactly. The score could flip at any moment, so please stay tuned for the remaining second and third sets as well! We'll see you again in thirty minutes. ]
As the closing broadcast ended, the spectator seats grew bustling.
.......
.......
And a heavy silence settled over the competitors' waiting room.
Baek Ha-na, tense herself, briefly put aside the seniors who couldn't meet her eyes and spoke to her classmates who had competed in the first set.
"Good work, everyone."
It was a genuine greeting, free of sarcasm, but neither the winners nor the losers could manage a proper reply.
The faces of Kang Seok-ho—who had tasted defeat—and the male student who had fought the last match were especially dark.
"Lift your heads. You can face them again and pay them back."
"Well...... yeah, that's true."
Kang Seok-ho answered in a deflated voice.
Smack—!!
"Gah?!"
A crisp slap echoed as Kang Seok-ho leaped into the air.
Na Ju-hee, her eyes slit like a viper's, had swung her mana-wrapped palm straight across his back.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
It must have really hurt—Kang Seok-ho's eyes were even glistening with tears as he shouted at Na Ju-hee.
"Don't act like it's the end of the world just because you lost once. The matchup wasn't in your favor from the start, and if we're pointing fingers, the ones who charged in without thinking are a lot more to blame than you."
.......
Kang Seok-ho stared at Na Ju-hee, slightly startled.
Ever since the Grade Evaluation, they'd been distant, practically strangers. He never expected her to comfort him.
"If you get it, then pull yourself together and figure out how to win. Got it?"
"......If I face him again, I'll win. No question."
"Hmph. Try losing again. That'll be the end of you."
Only after seeing his expression brighten did Na Ju-hee sniff and return to Baek Ha-na's side.
"Sorry."
"It's fine."
At Na Ju-hee's slight bow, Baek Ha-na answered gently.
"Th-thanks...."
"......?"
Baek Ha-na tilted her head for a moment as Na Ju-hee ducked her head and scurried to the back.
But she quickly composed herself and addressed the seniors, who had regained at least a little of their spirit thanks to Na Ju-hee.
"Even if we lose today, we still have one more chance. So don't put too much pressure on yourselves for these matches."
"Yeah......."
"We'll give it our best."
"Shit, we're not little kids—why the hell did we get so excited at the start?"
"Right? It's not like we were possessed or something."
It wasn't much, but the knowledge that there was still one more chance helped the upperclassmen bounce back quickly.
They, too, were absolutely certain their king would win the Commander Battle.
"They say to give your all in everything, but I'll make an exception this time. This is a competition. Strategy is necessary. So give it your all, but I think it's best to keep a hidden card in reserve."
"Will do."
"I don't have a hidden card but... understood."
"So we're running a recon round, right?"
"Tch...... should've fought each other tooth and nail in the artificial rift instead of just cracking skulls."
Before long, the upperclassmen had fully recovered and were tossing out suggestions. The heavy atmosphere in the waiting room grew noticeably lighter.
"Ha-na."
"Hm?"
Having said her piece, Baek Ha-na—who had been about to unwrap a chocolate—turned her head.
"If we're aiming for the next match, I think it'd be best for me, Senior Yoon I-seul, and Na Ju-hee to forfeit. What do you think?"
"Well, my abilities are already fully exposed, so it wouldn't make much difference for me, but forfeiting might be a good idea for the newcomers, Seo-hee and Ju-hee."
"I don't mind."
Yoon I-seul responded favorably to Nam Seo-hee's suggestion, and Na Ju-hee nodded, signaling she'd go along if asked.
"I'd like that, but it would make things harder for the three of you, so no."
"I'm fine."
"I'm fine too. I'm not the type to care much about what other people think."
"We're going to win anyway, so what's there to make things hard?"
Baek Ha-na blinked blankly at their three responses.
"What's wrong?"
"No, it's just......."
At Nam Seo-hee's question, Baek Ha-na scratched her cheek.
"Seems like everyone forgot, but... if we lose even once, we agreed to receive special instruction from Professor Baek Woo-jin over the break."
"......!!"
Not just Nam Seo-hee and Na Ju-hee—even Yoon I-seul, whose composure rarely cracked, went wide-eyed.
Seeing their reactions, Baek Ha-na tilted her head.
"...You really forgot?"
The three nodded rapidly and opened their mouths.
"I'll just win."
"My abilities are already exposed anyway......."
"...It's my first tournament. Losing feels a bit wrong."
All three had changed their tune with remarkable speed.
"Ah, no!!"
"Aaaagh!!"
Kang Seok-ho and the other defeated male student let out simultaneous screams of anguish.
And they weren't the only ones.
"H-ha, Ha-na? Can't we just use our hidden cards too?"
"Yeah! I've been thinking it over, and if we respond calmly, I think we can definitely win."
"The matchup's in my favor too!!"
The upperclassmen, suddenly aware of the fire under their feet, began to panic.
Boom—!!
"Shut up, you bastards!!"
Kang Han-na kicked the waiting room door open, stormed in, and glared at the students with demonic eyes, snarling.
"I said rest quietly!! Quietly!! And Kang Seok-ho, Kim Seung-hyeon!!"
"Yes!!"
"Y-yes!!"
The two who had been wailing shot up from their seats.
They had the distinct feeling that if they didn't, Kang Han-na's trembling fist would crack their skulls wide open on the spot.
"The moment we get back to the hotel, you two are coming with me to the underground training room."
"Understood!!"
"Yes!!"
Even their resounding replies did nothing to soothe Kang Han-na's fury. If anything, the furrow between her brows only deepened.
"And the rest of you little shits. If you lose, you'd better brace yourselves. I'll run you ragged until the Round of 16 starts. Got it?!"
"Yes—!!"
Slam——!!
Kang Han-na glared at the students with axe-blade eyes, then wrenched the door open with even more force than she'd used coming in and stormed out.
.......
.......
The students all thought the same thing.
Death by a close-range fist would probably come faster than the fire spreading under their feet.
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[ Ah!! Yoon I-seul!! She looks even stronger than last year!! She overwhelms her opponent in an instant and clinches the win!! ]
[ Truly remarkable. But putting that aside, it's such a shame. Following newcomer Nam Seo-hee, Yoon I-seul also secures a victory and racks up points, but it still can't overturn the match. ]
[ That's right. It's heartbreaking that even if Baek Ha-na—another newcomer like Nam Seo-hee—defeats Jane Moore, it still won't be enough to flip the outcome. ]
And that thought became reality.