Chapter 36
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Translator: Xrecker
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Men Become Friends Through Fighting (7)
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Shu Yeon-hwa’s heart pounded with anticipation for the day’s duel.
‘I wonder how Mr. Si-han will adjust his skills for a match against Mr. Arsvald! This is the perfect chance to witness the power of the man who single-handedly annihilated a band of brigands!’
To wipe out an entire bandit group alone was, without question, a remarkable feat.
However, when considered carefully, it was an achievement Shu Yeon-hwa herself could accomplish, if she put her mind to it. But that was only possible because of who she was.
The talisman arts, passed down through the Shu family for generations, allowed her to conjure a protective ward. Shielded by this, she could face nearly any foe without fear of injury. It was this impenetrable defense that had earned her family the nickname "the Iron Wall."
But Lee Si-han was not of the Shu family.
Furthermore, he certainly wouldn't possess a skill like the protective ward that allowed for such a safe and stable combat style. His weapon of choice was a spear.
This meant he had single-handedly defeated the brigand leader and all their lieutenants while deftly evading every one of their attacks. Naturally, the level of difficulty was leagues beyond what she would have faced.
It was this realization that had first ignited Shu Yeon-hwa's intense curiosity in Lee Si-han. While the thrill of his later compliments had somewhat overshadowed this initial interest, her desire to witness his true abilities remained unwavering.
As the practical sparring class began, her excitement surged as she watched Arsvald Zenedict and Lee Si-han ascend the dueling stage to begin their match.
‘Mr. Si-han! Even if this is just a courtesy match, please, show me what you can do!’
What she witnessed next, however, was an utterly unbelievable scene.
‘That… that’s what they call a courtesy match just to work up a good sweat?’
In the early stages, Shu Yeon-hwa watched, captivated. The sight of Lee Si-han dodging the bolts of lightning magic Arsvald Zenedict hurled at him with fluid, refined movements was worthy of admiration.
There wasn't a single wasted motion in his evasions; it was as if he was dodging using only perfectly optimized movements.
And what happened next was truly astonishing.
Lowering his stance, Lee Si-han exploded forward, his spear lancing directly at Arsvald Zenedict’s face. The suddenness of the attack stole the breath from not only Shu Yeon-hwa but every student watching.
Fortunately, Arsvald Zenedict tilted his head back to dodge; otherwise, a very gruesome scene would have unfolded before their eyes.
Yet, as he retreated from Arsvald Zenedict’s counterattack, Lee Si-han calmly stated that he had intended to stop if Arsvald hadn't dodged. If that was true, it was a clear demonstration of his incredible control and skill.
What followed was less a duel and more a ferocious battle.
When Arsvald Zenedict unleashed a barrage of spells, Si-han would narrowly evade the magic before closing the distance to swing his spear. Arsvald Zenedict, in turn, would dodge the spear by a hair's breadth before launching a counterattack, a deadly dance they repeated over and over.
On the surface, it could only be seen as a life-or-death struggle, not a spar.
"Shouldn't somebody stop them?"
"This is too brutal for a duel."
"But Professor Delt isn't stopping them."
"More importantly, those two are smiling while they're fighting like that."
The students murmured amongst themselves.
It was true that their actions were brutal. But the corners of the mouths of the two duelists were turned upward.
Si-han was pleased that the match was proceeding so well. Arsvald Zenedict, on the other hand, couldn't contain his excitement at the thought that the ‘cool,’ thrilling battle with a closely matched opponent he had only ever imagined was becoming a reality.
His initial fear from dodging the first spear thrust had vanished. After evading it several times, his confidence soared, and the thought that ‘I’m better at dodging than I thought! I’m amazing, aren't I?’ was erasing any anxiety in his heart.
"How about this! Thunder Cage of Punishment!"
A massive orb of crackling electricity formed above Arsvald Zenedict's head and flew toward Si-han.
The next moment, Shu Yeon-hwa and all the other students witnessed an unbelievable sight.
"Screw Sting!"
Instead of dodging, Si-han met the attack head-on, calling out his skill's name as he rotated his spear and thrust it toward the Thunder Cage of Punishment.
It was the moment the extended spear met the cage of lightning.
Si-han’s spear pierced clean through the Thunder Cage of Punishment, and the magical construct, unable to maintain its form, dissipated and scattered into the air.
‘He pierced through magic?’
Countering magic wasn’t entirely unheard of. Some warriors could shatter spells with a warhammer or slice through them with a sword.
But that was only effective against magic with a solid, physical form, like earth magic. It wasn’t meant to be used against formless magic, like the lightning Arsvald Zenedict wielded.
Yet, Lee Si-han had done it.
"He pierced through my magic!?"
Arsvald Zenedict’s eyes widened in shock. He had assumed that even if Si-han extended his spear, he would just get electrocuted. Instead, Si-han had pierced it and nullified the magic itself.
Ignoring Arsvald Zenedict's bewilderment, Si-han casually rested his spear on his shoulder and let out a heavy breath.
"Haaah…"
That posture made it seem as though the magic nullification he had just performed was no easy feat.
And that feeling…
"Let's settle this now, Arsvald Zenedict."
…was clearly imprinted in the students' minds the moment they heard his words signaling the end of the duel.
"I will show you my ultimate technique."
As Si-han settled into a new stance, Arsvald Zenedict trembled—not with fear, but with excitement and a thrill. It was because he was hearing dialogue similar to the final duel scene he had imagined in his head.
"...! Alright! If you're going to do that, then I shall deploy my ultimate technique as well!"
Arsvald Zenedict gathered his mana and shouted loudly.
"Thunderstorm of… Judgment!"
Just as a giant mass of lightning formed above the dueling stage and was about to strike the ground…
"Severing Spear."
KRA-KOOM!
The moment Si-han spoke, a massive spear materialized and slammed into the floor of the stage.
"Ugh…!"
With a stunned groan from Arsvald Zenedict, the lightning descended with a deafening CRACK-BOOM!
And Si-han charged forward.
"...!"
Shu Yeon-hwa, and every student there except for Delt, thought his actions were reckless.
They thought he was charging recklessly toward the place where the lightning was striking, like a moth drawn to a flame. He looked like a fool trying to use the evasion techniques he'd shown so far to dodge the lightning.
But the moment the lightning began to fall in earnest, all the students’ eyes widened in surprise at the phenomenon that occurred.
The Thunderstorm of Judgment that Arsvald Zenedict had cast was focused, striking the Severing Spear that was still embedded in the ground.
The spear stuck in the ground had acted as a lightning rod.
Arsvald Zenedict had been momentarily blinded by the shockwave when the Severing Spear fell, and in that brief time, Si-han had advanced toward him.
When Arsvald Zenedict opened his eyes again…
"It's my victory."
Si-han had his spear pointed at Arsvald Zenedict’s throat.
"Ugh…!"
To anyone's eyes, and even to Arsvald Zenedict himself, Si-han’s victory was clear.
"That's enough! Both of you fought well."
Delt’s voice announced the end of the duel.
I had made Arsvald use his skills continuously, and in the end, we finished by deploying our ultimate techniques against each other.
This should be a result that even Arsvald could accept.
Originally, I thought I wouldn't get much out of this courtesy match, but during the duel, I learned something unexpected.
One was that my Penetration skill could nullify magic.
When the Thunder Cage of Punishment was approaching, I thought that even though it was electricity, since it was a tightly packed sphere, it might work. So, I thrust my spear.
[You have pierced the Thunder Cage of Punishment.]
I could pierce through magic.
So far, so good. I saw the spherical Thunder Cage scatter after I pierced it.
However, perhaps because it was electricity, I couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation when the dissipating energy touched my body. At least, that was probably all I felt because the magic had been nullified and its power was reduced.
It stung so much that I had to exhale and wait for the stinging to subside.
‘Next time, it would be better to just dodge it directly instead of trying to pierce it.’
In the end, I finished it off by using the falling Thunderstorm of Judgment and my Severing Spear as a lightning rod.
I had tried it as a test, and the result was a success.
After hearing Delt’s voice announce the end of the duel, I retracted my spear and extended my hand to Arsvald.
"It was a good match, Arsvald Zenedict."
"Ugh…!"
But Arsvald crossed his arms and turned his head away.
"E-even if you won, it was by a hair's breadth! If your spear hadn't blocked the Thunderstorm of Judgment at the end, I could have easily counterattacked!"
His strong desire for self-display and intense competitive spirit were on full display. On top of that, Arsvald Zenedict's personality of hating to lose was clear as day.
At first, I had thought about making a bet before the duel to get him to join the group. But on second thought, with Arsvald's personality, he would probably get fixated on the loss and stay in a sulky mood, so I decided to change my approach.
In other words: the "a rival who fought a close battle can't stand by and watch the other get stronger alone" strategy!
"Arsvald Zenedict, won't you join my group? I think I could improve my skills even more if you joined."
"What? W-why would I join a group you created! I'm not joining any group!"
Arsvald Zenedict, trying to maintain his aloof lone wolf image.
But I already knew your personality.
"That's a shame. I thought you'd be a good opponent… but I guess I can't expect anything from you in the future."
"What? What do you mean by that?"
"I was lucky to have won against you today."
"Right, I was just unlucky today!"
"But it won't be like that in the future."
"What did you say?"
"As you know, I'm going to create a group and become stronger by focusing on practical activities that are clearly different from other groups. To the point where I won't need luck."
"What…!"
"And even if you don't join, I'll be actively sparring with the members who do join and honing my skills."
After a rough explanation, I let out a light smirk.
"It would be quite a sight to see you being overwhelmed by me."
Arsvald flinched, and a look of anger appeared on his face.
"Ugh…! D-do you think I'd let that happen! Fine! I'll join that group you're creating! I'll show you that I'm much stronger than you!"
Arsvald had taken the bait.
"Good, I'll be in your care. Please sign the group establishment application form later."
"Huh? Uh…?"
"If you're both done, come down!"
"Understood. Let's go down, Arsvald Zenedict."
"I don't need you to tell me to go down!"
Even as we were walking down from the dueling stage together, Arsvald tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
It's too late to think it's strange.
Because I'm never letting you go.