Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Dignity (4)
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"......"
Lee Seo-yeon stared blankly at her sword.
Only the hilt and guard remained.
It had become utterly useless scrap that couldn't even be called a sword anymore. With a flick of her wrist, Lee Seo-yeon let it drop from her hand, her arm hanging limply at her side.
'......I lost.'
It wasn't just a loss.
It was an overwhelming defeat.
'...Not once did I even touch him.'
She hadn't thought it would be an easy win.
Though she hadn't seen his full strength, her opponent was the top-ranked student.
She had no intention of letting her guard down even slightly.
Even so... even without him manifesting sword energy or using skills.
Lee Yoo-jin. She hadn't landed a single blow on him.
'...When was the last time I lost this badly?'
If memory served, it was when she was seven, right after awakening her sword talent—about three days in.
Her older brother, three years her senior, had offered to teach her the sword... and beaten her mercilessly.
She still remembered that day vividly.
'It hurt...'
There wasn't a spot on her that didn't ache.
She had cried so much from the pain.
But the very next day, she asked her little big brother for more lessons.
And then... she returned the favor.
At first, she mimicked his swordsmanship.
Midway, she refined it.
And in the end, she claimed it for herself.
She snapped her little big brother's wooden sword and repaid him in full for the pain of those lessons.
No—double.
She had learned that it was only right to repay what you received twofold.
But this time... she wasn't sure.
'I don't even know why I lost.'
There was no lesson to be had.
No pain, either.
Just... utter domination.
Lee Seo-yeon lifted her head and looked at Lee Yoo-jin.
Her gaze drifted lower, to the weapon in his hands.
A gun.
A firearm.
A weapon no superhuman would use.
Yet Lee Yoo-jin wielded one.
More than skillfully—like magic.
She had reflexively deflected the bullets, but truthfully, it had chilled her to the bone.
Even as her hands shook and the shots veered off course.
In the blink of an eye, those bullets curved mid-flight, hurtling straight toward her hand and head.
And in an instant, right up close.
If not for her grueling training, she wouldn't have noticed in time—she'd have dropped her sword defenselessly and taken a bullet to the head.
Lee Yoo-jin's marksmanship was beyond the realm of normal.
'...Is that his talent?'
Otherwise, the bullets wouldn't curve so sharply or move fast enough to slip from her sight.
So Lee Seo-yeon.
'I'm curious.'
She wanted to know.
Why Lee Yoo-jin had pitied her.
Why Lee Yoo-jin wielded a firearm instead of a melee weapon.
She wanted to know.
No—she would know.
'If there's no lesson to learn...'
She'd make one.
Lee Seo-yeon's eyes gleamed at Lee Yoo-jin with an unsettling spark.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I won.
Though Lee Seo-yeon's sword wasn't Dainsleif but a training blade.
And though I'd used mana, I hadn't unleashed sword energy.
Still, a win was a win.
An overwhelming one, at that.
'Whew, cheats are straight-up busted!'
The talent purchase helped, sure, but honestly? Crushing Lee Seo-yeon this easily came down to one thing: 'Super Accuracy'.
'I could've won without cheats, no problem...'
But not in a single minute flat.
Without cheats against Lee Seo-yeon? I'd guess...
About seven minutes.
No, precisely seven to ten.
Sword and shield in hand, I'd dodge like mad to read her attack patterns first.
Once I had them down, I'd counter accordingly and chip away at her steadily.
Like those soul-crushing games famous for grinding down player morale.
But thanks to the cheat, I skipped all that hassle.
Smothering a grin of satisfaction, I safety-checked my pistol.
Switched it to safe and holstered it in my tactical vest—
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Lee Seo-yeon's talent, "Sword Prodigy (S)", pioneers a new path. "......?"
A message popped up in front of me.
'......What the hell?'
Sometimes, when a major character gains a new insight or breakthrough, the system notifies me like this.
But... this was a first.
'Lee Seo-yeon's Sword Prodigy pioneering a new path?'
That talent was practically her identity.
'Not a bad thing...'
Suddenly?
What had she realized?
I had no clue what she'd gleaned from our fight.
Never happened before.
But a talent branching into new territory? Good news, not bad. So I decided to take it positively.
'No way the Sword Prodigy's new path is firearms, right?'
I thought that, then chuckled and dismissed it.
Why would the sword genius ditch blades for guns?
As I turned to look at Lee Seo-yeon—
"Semifinals Group A: Top seed Lee Yoo-jin vs. third seed Lee Seo-yeon. Victory to Lee Yoo-jin."
Instructor Crusher approached and announced the result.
📱 Smart Watch Update - Semifinals -
> [A]
> [01] [Lee Yoo-jin] [Win]
> [03] [Lee Seo-yeon] [Loss]
The bracket results pinged on my smart watch.
And the updated event quest.
📜 EVENT QUEST 📜 【Dignity】
Defeat key figures to demonstrate the prestige of the top seed.
□ Defeat Lee Seo-yeon. (Complete)
□ Defeat Arthur Pendragon.
Rewards: 10,000 points (plus bonus based on performance), B-Grade Item Selection, B-Grade Talent & Skill Selection, 3x Random Cheat Tickets Failure: Favor drops from all major supporting characters. As if congratulating me, the quest window appeared unbidden. I smirked and closed it.
Right on cue, Crusher approached.
"Top seed, I've been thinking about your combat style since earlier..."
He trailed off, then raised mana to erect a barrier blocking sound and presence.
With a serious look, he continued.
"What's your connection to the 9th Subjugation Unit?"
I shook my head immediately.
"None at all."
Yet.
"......Really?"
Crusher eyed me dubiously.
Fair enough.
My fighting style mirrored the 9th Subjugation Unit's.
No—matched it exactly, just tweaked to my preferences.
So, what was the 9th Subjugation Unit?
An unofficial Hunter Association hit squad for purging Fallen. A band of vengeful ghosts who'd lost family, lovers, friends to them.
True to form, they pulled no punches against Fallen.
Like dropping bombs on their nests.
Firing mini railguns from extreme range.
Luring them into fake villages and blowing the whole thing sky-high.
But they weren't weak or low-tier.
Most members were mid-to-high heroes.
The commander? Top-tier, nearing transcendent.
Why guns, like me?
To make Fallen suffer.
Firearms might not pierce superhumans.
But without mana, even they feel the pain.
Same for Fallen.
And these heroes were veterans against them, using specialized anti-Fallen ammo.
Melted gold, salt-loaded, holy water-infused, etc.
Stuff that wrecked demons.
Why the mental yet? Summer internship. I'd intern there.
To snag one talent.
'Evil with evil.'
Not becoming evil to slay it.
Becoming the blade to cut it.
It dealt bonus damage to all demon-related stuff.
Exclusive to the 9th.
Had to get in.
To fight Fallen and alien threats.
"...Fine, I'll take your word for it."
Crusher patted my shoulder lightly, still dead serious.
From that, I knew he wasn't convinced—probably thought we were linked.
Or since I was an orphan, maybe my parents died on duty there.
Whatever. Misunderstanding worked for me, so I let it slide.
"Ahem."
Crusher cleared his throat and dropped the barrier.
"...No feedback needed for the top seed this time."
Meaning I'd aced it, no advice required. He turned to Lee Seo-yeon and continued.
Pointing out her mistakes, what she should've done—tons of pointers.
Then he tapped his smart watch, activating auto-repair and cleanup on the arena.
"Top seed Lee Yoo-jin and third seed Lee Seo-yeon, return to the stands. Group B: Second seed Arthur Pendragon and fifth seed Noah, match starts in five minutes. Get down here early."
""Yes, sir.""
Arthur and Noah replied in unison, rising from the stands.
Lee Seo-yeon and I climbed back up.
En route, Arthur and Noah nodded our way in acknowledgment and passed.
I sat beside Asuka, who was buzzing, "Top seed, that was insane!" sharing match thoughts.
Lee Seo-yeon...
"......"
Sat right next to me, just like Asuka.
Left: Lee Seo-yeon.
Right: Asuka.
The city's top two beauties flanking me.
Naturally... piercing glares stabbed from all sides.
'Why, though......?'
Perplexed, I glanced at Lee Seo-yeon.
Our eyes met—she'd been looking.
Tilt.
She cocked her head innocently, clueless.
I sighed inwardly and faced the arena.
And reflected.
My initial plan upon first seeing Lee Seo-yeon: minimize contact, help her secretly now and then.
Gone.
All of it.
Ah.
I'm scared.
Of what's to come from tangling with Lee Seo-yeon.
The Sword Star's endless meddling.