Yoo Seora, Part 5
“I haven’t the slightest clue what this man is thinking.”
If her Constellation were still here, would they have known? Somehow, she doubted even a Constellation could have unravelled the mysteries of his mind. After all, who could possibly understand an archery cadet who wanted to wager on a duel of swordsmanship?
Of course, it was also true that her heart had already closed off toward Constellations. The moment she threw herself from the rooftop, her relationship with her Constellation had ended for good. In the end, this wager was all she had left.
‘But what is the point of this wager?’
It was exactly as Sung Yu-rang had said. A Constellation who possessed no power to enforce their commands was utterly meaningless. Therefore, this bet was pointless, regardless of the outcome.
And yet, she was curious. Why had he proposed such a meaningless bet? Why did it have to be swordsmanship? Her guilt toward Sung Yu-rang, who had thrown himself off the building to save her, combined with her curiosity about his wager—that was why she had followed him here.
“Now, draw your sword.”
Sung Yu-rang spoke with a smile. She had felt this way for a while now, but she couldn't help but wonder where that effortless composure of his came from. When she ran into him around the academy, he often seemed a bit clumsy, but the moment a battle began, his entire demeanor shifted.
‘It’s not like he’s actually strong, either.’
Aside from the strange ability he had used to save her just now, his only notable trait was an Overload skill that seemed far weaker than her own—perhaps due to a thinner bloodline. His overall physical capabilities and archery skills were subpar, even by the standards of the archery class.
Yet, whenever a battle started, he consistently maintained his composure against cadets far stronger than himself, always pulling his own weight.
‘So, what is he planning this time?’
In Yoo Seora’s eyes, Sung Yu-rang might not have been cold-blooded, but he was certainly a strategist in his own right—even if that aspect of him was often overshadowed by Instructor Setia during mock battles. What could he possibly be scheming now?
‘I suppose the only way to find out is to see for myself.’
She drew her sword, just as he had instructed. But when Sung Yu-rang saw the weapon in her hand, an awkward smile touched his lips.
“I don’t think that sword represents your full strength, does it?”
The weapon she had drawn was not a Holy Relic. Since Sung Yu-rang was holding an ordinary sword that didn't look like a relic either, she had intended to match his level. Besides, even without a Holy Relic, she was entirely confident she could defeat an archery cadet like him.
“I told you, didn’t I? The condition of our wager is that we both go all out.”
...Whatever. For now, she had no choice but to humor him. It wasn't as if she had anything to lose by fighting at full strength anyway.
“Will this do?”
She drew her Holy Relic, the Sacred Replicant.
Though it possessed no flashy special traits, it was replicated from a legendary holy sword, meaning its durability and sharpness were second to none. Upon seeing the blade, Sung Yu-rang nodded in approval.
“Then let’s begin.”
Sung Yu-rang raised his ordinary-looking sword. She still had no idea what he was playing at, but Yoo Seora raised her own blade to face him. However, Sung Yu-rang showed no intention of making the first move.
‘Is he giving me the first strike as well?’
He was as baffling as ever, but she was too tired to argue. It would be simple enough to prove she could defeat him even without using Overload. With that thought, she accepted the initiative.
She closed the distance between them in a single heartbeat. The physical disparity between her and Sung Yu-rang was already immense. Without even activating Overload, she swung her sword at him.
‘Huh?’
To her surprise, Sung Yu-rang blocked her strike. It wasn't a desperate, last-second parry either; he looked remarkably composed.
She knew the archery class was currently focusing strictly on the basics, meaning they weren't taught elective swordsmanship courses yet. And yet, his stance and form already showed a solid foundation.
‘Has he trained in swordsmanship somewhere before?’
But a mere foundation wouldn't be enough to withstand a continuous onslaught. Indeed, while Sung Yu-rang blocked her initial strike, he seemed unable to launch a counterattack. She immediately pressed her advantage, unleashing a flurry of blows.
Yet, Sung Yu-rang deflected every single one of her consecutive strikes. Just as Yoo Seora began to realize something was deeply amiss, Sung Yu-rang finally spoke.
“I told you. You need to go all out.”
She had been planning to do exactly that. She channeled her Overload trait to reinforce her sword. She had a total of ten exchanges left before the weapon broke. If she couldn't finish it within those ten clashes...
‘No, there's no way I won't finish it.’
He belonged to the archery class, and she was in the swordsmanship class. It was absurd to think that she, who had defeated the ace of Swordsmanship Class 1, could lose to him. Yet, Sung Yu-rang's unwavering composure filled her with an inexplicable sense of unease.
‘But how?’
Sung Yu-rang was actually parrying her strikes, even though they were reinforced by Overload. What was more, there was a strange familiarity in his swordsmanship. It was a style she had faced quite recently.
‘Could it be?’
It was just like that time. On the fourth exchange, Sung Yu-rang's demeanor suddenly shifted.
“Do you really think this is the best you can do?”
Deflecting her blade, Sung Yu-rang transitioned to the offensive. Only then did Yoo Seora realize.
‘This swordsmanship...!’
It was the exact same style used by Elsie, the girl who had utterly defeated her. No, there was a difference. Sung Yu-rang’s swordsmanship lacked the chilling madness that clung to Elsie.
‘Where did this level of skill come from?’
It was the cleanest swordsmanship she had ever witnessed. He executed only the necessary movements at the precise moments required. Yet, there was not a single opening in his sequence of forms, leaving her absolutely no room to counter.
‘Why on earth is someone like him in the archery class?’
Only now did Yoo Seora understand why he had always seemed so relaxed. He was genuinely strong. Strong enough to defeat any cadet who dared challenge him.
‘And he expects me to beat this?’
Could a wager be any more absurd? Winning was an absolute impossibility. In the blink of an eye, the ten exchanges concluded, and her sword shattered into pieces.
‘It’s over.’
She finally saw the truth. The swordsmanship she had been so proud of... was nothing. Rather than feeling devastated, she felt a strange sense of relief. She had nothing left. She was certain of it now. If this were reality, she wouldn't even mind if Sung Yu-rang's blade pierced her chest.
‘Just end it already.’
Contrary to her wishes, however, Sung Yu-rang did not deliver a finishing blow. Instead, he lowered his sword and spoke to the empty air.
“Please restore Yoo Seora’s sword.”
Instantly, her shattered blade reformed in her hand.
“Why?” she asked, bewildered. “This is a virtual space. The sword would have been restored once we logged out anyway.”
“Because our wager isn't over yet.”
“What do you mean by that...?”
The outcome of the wager was already crystal clear. It was an undeniable fact that she could not defeat him. So what was he trying to pull?
“I told you,” he repeated. “The condition of the wager was for you to go all out.”
Hearing those words, a surge of resentment and anger flared within her. Clenching her fists, she practically screamed at him.
“You seem to be under some bizarre delusion about me, but this is my absolute limit! I'm not some genius like you!”
There was no way she could win. She had truly given it her all. What he was doing now was nothing short of mockery.
“A genius?”
But Sung Yu-rang only offered a bitter smile.
“I never thought the day would come when I'd hear those words. And to hear them from you... I'm honored.”
For some reason, his words sounded far too sincere to be mockery. Even her anger, which had flared up just a moment ago, began to subside at the sight of his melancholy expression.
“Honored...? What is that supposed to mean?”
“Do you truly believe that is your limit?”
She nodded.
“Then you won't object if I claim a temporary victory in our wager for now, correct?”
“I suppose not.”
Though she felt a lingering sense of unease, she had no grounds to refute him. At that, he spoke—no, he commanded.
“Then, as your Constellation, I command you: have more conviction in yourself.”
“Excuse me?”
“What you lack isn't speed, strength, or technique. It's conviction.”
He pointed toward her Sacred Replicant.
“Normally, you reinforce your Holy Relic to distribute its durability over ten exchanges, right?”
She nodded.
“That is exactly what I mean by a lack of conviction. Why are you already preparing for the next clash?”
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was utterly absurd.
“But what if the attack misses?”
At her question, Sung Yu-rang tilted his head, then executed a massive diagonal slash through the air.
“If you swing it like this, how could it possibly miss?”
It was technically true, but at the same time, completely ridiculous.
“An attack like that is incredibly easy to block.”
“Is it? I don't think they'll be able to block it.”
What was he even talking about now?
“As far as I know, Overload is the most powerful reinforcement ability in this world, despite the drawback of consuming durability.”
“So?”
“If you divide that power into ten strikes, you only gain a slight advantage over others. But what if you pour all of that explosive power into a single, solitary strike?”
In reality—outside of mock battles—the very idea of destroying a Holy Relic via Overload was an insane proposition. Consequently, she had never even considered trying it. Of course it would be powerful, but...
“What happens after that?”
“Why worry about what comes after? That single strike will end everything anyway.”
“Everything?”
“Yes. Of course, with your current 2-star Holy Relic, there will be some limitations. But even so, there isn't a single hero candidate who could withstand being cut by it.”
He spoke with absolute confidence. In that moment, the underlying implication of his words dawned on her.
“Does that include you as well?”
At her question, a smile spread across his face—a smile that, for some reason, looked genuinely amused.
“Well, I'm not entirely sure about that myself. Why don't we find out?”
He was right. This was a virtual space anyway. Opportunities like this didn't come often. There was no reason not to try.
She channeled Overload into the restored Sacred Replicant. Unlike her usual method, she pushed the intensity to its absolute limit, concentrating all its durability into a single, devastating clash.
Immediately, a torrent of power unlike anything she had ever felt began to surge from the blade.
‘This is...’
Sung Yu-rang was right. With this... she might truly be able to cut down anything. Even Sung Yu-rang, who had seemed completely invincible just moments ago.
“Here I come.”
She recalled the movement Sung Yu-rang had demonstrated earlier—a massive, sweeping diagonal slash that left the opponent with no room to escape. She felt an absolute certainty that this single strike would be enough.
‘Let’s do this.’
Inhaling deeply, she took a step forward and unleashed a massive swing.
A diagonal crescent of dark energy tore through the air as if rending space itself. Sung Yu-rang stood directly in its path. The effortless composure he had maintained until now vanished, replaced by an expression of absolute gravity.
‘This is it...!’
In that split second, a memory flashed through her mind—the strike of the high-grade hero she had witnessed that day. With nothing but a 2-star Holy Relic, she was matching that very same level of power.
“Yes... exactly like that.”
A sudden gale whipped around Sung Yu-rang's sword. Simultaneously, the silhouette of his blade stretched into a bizarre, distorted shape. And then...
‘Has time stopped?’
Within the frozen flow of time, he moved. Her slash, which felt powerful enough to cleave the world in two, was slowly drawn into his sword. And then... it vanished entirely.
‘What in the...?’
When the dust settled, her sword was shattered. Sung Yu-rang stood before her, completely unscathed. He was drenched in sweat and panting heavily, but the mere fact that he had survived such a monstrous attack was nothing short of miraculous.
“If you had been holding a 3-star Holy Relic, it would have been impossible for me to block that,” he said casually.
“But since a 2-star was the best you could do today, I'll take the win for our wager.”
He was a far more shameless bastard than she had given him credit for.