Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Top Student (4)
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Shing!
The sound of a sword being drawn.
Bang!
The sound of a bullet being fired.
Ting!
The sound of the bullet striking the hilt.
Clack!
The sound of the sword sliding back into its sheath.
In the eerily silent space, where not even a whisper of human conversation could be heard despite the presence of people.
Shing! Bang! Ting! Clack!
Only those four sounds echoed repeatedly.
After a brief moment passed like that.
"Uwaaaah! Draw! Draw!! Draaaaw─!!"
Park Sung-woo cried out in near-despair, repeatedly shouting "Draw!" as he pulled his sword.
But my gun didn't permit his draw.
Shing!
Your one shing.
Bang!
My one bang.
Three shings and three bangs like that.
And only after three clacks sounded.
Thud.
Park Sung-woo's knees buckled.
"Why..., why can't I draw...?"
Park Sung-woo stared blankly at the floor with a dazed expression.
At the sight, I glanced at Kang Cheol-su.
"...Top Student, even so, shouldn't we at least see what the 7th rank can do?"
I nodded at the instructor's words, which basically meant to go easy.
I'd already decided to stop blocking his draws anyway.
"Hey, Park Sung-woo. I won't block you drawing it anymore, so give it a try. Draw."
"...W-what?! You won't block it?!"
No sooner had I said I wouldn't block the draw than Park Sung-woo sprang up like a coiled spring.
He immediately assumed his stance, preparing to draw.
"...Watch closely. This is my full-power lightspeed draw!"
...That cringeworthy line made me think I should keep blocking it so he'd never say it again.
"Draaaaw─!!"
Maybe thrilled at finally getting to draw, Park Sung-woo let out the loudest yell yet as he pulled his sword.
Flash!
Light poured from Park Sung-woo's sheath.
Shiiiing......
He called it his full-power draw.
And sure enough, unlike before, there was no friction sound from the sheath, and the sharp blade emerged with a slow, drawn-out ring.
"...Dieee─!!"
Fueled by rage from his repeated blocks, Park Sung-woo screamed "kill" at me with bloodshot eyes.
But unfortunately, I couldn't accept his sincerity.
"And sorry about this."
Bang─!
Riiiing...!
"Wha...!"
"I said I wouldn't block you drawing it, not that I wouldn't block the draw."
I hadn't said anything wrong.
Because the instructor, Kang Cheol-su, said we needed to see Park Sung-woo's skills, I said I wouldn't block him drawing, but not that I wouldn't block the draw itself.
And while I felt a bit bad for Park Sung-woo, who had put real effort into his draw this time.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Super Accuracy [ON] I currently had the cheat 'Super Accuracy' activated.
'Man..., this cheat's performance is the real deal.'
Until I stepped into the arena, I hadn't grasped exactly what Super Accuracy did.
But sparring with Park Sung-woo now let me understand its effects to some extent.
Super Accuracy.
I'd figured out two effects so far.
There wasn't a detailed explanation like with item appraisals, but true to its simple name, it delivered exactly those effects.
First, this cheat guaranteed hits on whatever spot I wanted.
For reference, I knew how to use a gun, but I wasn't a marksman.
Yet once I switched it to 'ON,' the chance of missing dropped to 0%.
Even if I didn't aim precisely or aimed somewhere random, the bullet flew straight to wherever I was focusing, wherever I wanted to hit.
A bullet fired at the ground would curve sharply to strike the target.
'And..., I haven't tested melee weapons yet.'
There'd be plenty of chances to experiment.
And even without testing, I had a hunch it would work the same for melee as for this gun.
Why? Because the moment I activated Super Accuracy, a strange sensation emanated from my gun hand.
It felt like it was saying, 'No matter how you shoot, it'll hit for sure, guaranteed.'
And that same sensation pulsed from my left hand gripping the sword.
Unlike the ranged gun, for the melee sword, it meant 'even a sloppy swing traces a perfect path.'
This alone was cheat-level overpowered.
But the even more broken effect was the second one.
Crash.
"...It broke?"
It penetrated the mana-based firearm resistance that all superhumans possessed.
"...Didn't Park Sung-woo infuse mana into his swing?"
"...He did. I clearly saw mana enveloping the blade."
"What kind of ability does the Top Student even have? Are the rumors about him having S-rank talents or skills true?"
A commotion erupted from the stands.
Most spectators alternated between looks of shock at Park Sung-woo's broken sword and me.
Kang Cheol-su's small eyes widened slightly in surprise too.
The reason for everyone's shock?
I'd shattered the preconceptions all superhumans held.
Firearms were good weapons, sure.
But only against low-tier villains, Fallen, or monsters appearing in the modern world.
Firearms worked on low-tier villains, Fallen, and monsters because their mana or demonic energy proficiency was low or nonexistent.
Plus, they lacked the physical strength to deflect bullets.
On the flip side, high mana or demonic energy proficiency, or superior physical strength, rendered firearms useless.
Even with low physical strength, as long as they could wield mana or demonic energy, its inherent firearm resistance turned guns into worthless scrap.
And crucially, the reason superhumans didn't use firearms?
You could infuse mana into the gun itself, but the bullets it fired held none.
That's why most superhumans wielded melee weapons.
You could infuse mana directly into strikes, so old-era cold weapons gained favor, while modern firearms fell out of grace.
But I'd broken that.
Shattered the fixed notions all superhumans held.
But more than that...
'Park Sung-woo, you bastard.'
He wasn't just saying "die"—he really tried to kill me?
He knew even a training sword becomes razor-sharp with mana infused.
And he still went full power on the draw?
'No wonder Kang Cheol-su's arms were unfolded.'
Kang Cheol-su had his arms crossed since taking referee duty, but now they were loose.
One foot slightly forward suggested he was about to move.
But before he could, I'd blocked the draw and snapped the blade, leaving him in an awkward stance.
A bit embarrassed, Kang Cheol-su scratched the scar on his forehead.
"...I-it can't be..."
Park Sung-woo knelt, face like the world had ended, staring at his broken sword.
"M-my sword..., my sword broke...!"
'...What the hell is this guy on about?'
Training weapons littered the racks everywhere—why act like his prized blade was shattered?
I was starting to get sick of this incomprehensible guy's antics.
Time to shut him up.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
"...Gahk!"
Park Sung-woo let out an agonized scream and toppled backward.
His eyes rolled back as he passed out, a large lump bulging on his forehead.
At the sight, I blew the smoke from my gun and said,
"Draw service is now over."
I'd broken him so thoroughly that he'd never go all-out on a draw again.
Thinking that, I looked at Kang Cheol-su.
He approached and checked Park Sung-woo's condition.
"Hm, knocked out clean."
Kang Cheol-su chuckled at Park Sung-woo's unscathed blackout.
He'd overseen countless spars, but never one ending in a perfect knockout without a scratch.
The forehead lump was big, but it didn't count as an injury.
"Impressive skills, Top Student. No need for me to give feedback."
Kang Cheol-su patted my shoulder with a satisfied grin.
'The praise is nice, but...'
Can you stop patting my shoulder?
Kang Cheol-su, your hand hurts like hell!
He might think I was overreacting to a light tap.
But his moniker was Crusher.
And before coming to the training grounds, he'd casually split a desk of steel-like strength in half with a smack.
That hand was now tapping my shoulder.
The shoulder of the lowest-stat kid here out of everyone!
"Ah, oops."
Finally noticing my state, Kang Cheol-su stopped.
"...Top Student, you okay?"
Seeing my sweat-drenched face, he realized his mistake and asked after me.
In response, I let my arm dangle limply and said,
"...Feels like my shoulder's dislocated."
Kang Cheol-su scratched his forehead scar with a troubled look.
"Darn, I can't fix a dislocation with my strength..., Ah! This'll do."
He fiddled with his subspace-ring, then pulled something out and offered it.
"Here, drink this potion. It'll heal a dislocation in no time."
It was a potion.
"No thanks, I'm fine. Already healed."
I raised my limp arm high, showing off my recovery.
At that, Kang Cheol-su grinned.
"Oh? Good to hear."
He added, "Potions really are reliable, huh."
"Anyway, Group A match: Top Student Lee Yoo-jin's victory."
Kang Cheol-su tapped his smart watch.
My smart watch chimed with an alert.
Checking it, I saw:
⚔ MATCH RESULT ⚔ [A] Group: A 01 Lee Yoo-jin: WIN 07 Park Sung-woo: LOSS The results for my Group A bracket had arrived.
"Top Student, rest in the stands until your next match."
With that, Kang Cheol-su hoisted the unconscious Park Sung-woo under one arm like light luggage and addressed the stands.
"Group B starts in three minutes, so come down and get ready. I'll drop this guy off at the infirmary meanwhile."
"...Yes, sir."
"Got it~!"
Lee Seo-yeon and Asuka from Group B stood up.
They descended the stairs and entered the arena.
"Top Student!"
Asuka rushed straight to me upon entering.
"That was an amazing match! Though only you were amazing, Top Student!"
Asuka beamed at me with sparkling eyes.
Overwhelmed by her starry gaze, I gave an awkward smile.
"Th-thanks."
"Ah! You're talking casually to me, Top Student?"
"Ah..., should I switch back to polite speech if you don't like it?"
"No, no! I love casual! Especially from you, Top Student!"
She added, 'We're friends, after all!' and laughed brightly with a hehe.
Then I felt a gaze from beside Asuka.
Turning, my eyes met Lee Seo-yeon's steady stare.
"......"
She nodded slightly, saying nothing, as if acknowledging my hard-fought win.
I could only muster another awkward smile.
"Top Student! Watch my match closely!"
Asuka clenched her small fist, then glanced at Lee Seo-yeon beside her and corrected herself with an oops face.
"Watch our match closely!"
Cute murmurs of "So cute" rippled through the stands at her perky display.
I agreed.
'She is cute.'
Her usual self, anyway.
I wondered if "cute" would still fly from the stands once their match started.
But for now, she was undeniably adorable.
"Anyway, good luck to both of you."
"Fight-ing!"
"......"
Nod.
Asuka pumped her tiny fist high with a cheer at my encouragement, while Lee Seo-yeon gave a small nod.
I headed back to the stands and sat close to the arena.
Three minutes later, Kang Cheol-su returned after dropping Park Sung-woo at the infirmary.
And shortly after.
Clangclangclangclang!
Lee Seo-yeon and Asuka's match began.