Sparring (3)
Sparring (3)
The spar was arranged quickly. The professor herself came over, heard the situation, and started preparing the facility.
Maybe because I was a Special Admission Cadet, she thought this spar needed extra care.
Other cadets who had been swinging their swords started quietly gathering around, too. It was definitely a noteworthy sight.
The spar would take place on one of the training hall's dedicated dueling grounds.
As I was strapping the issued sword to my waist and checking its condition, Hong Yeon-hwa approached quietly.
"Ha-yul. Are you really okay with this?"
[Yes. I'm fine.]
"If you felt forced into this, say the word. I'll take care of it."
She asked again whether I was really okay, insisting she could settle it.
Worry practically dripped from her eyes. She'd glance at me anxiously, then glare fiercely toward the male cadet on the other side of the dueling grounds, then look back at me with concern...
...One thing was certain: asking Hong Yeon-hwa to "resolve" this would probably lead to something ugly.
She seemed so preoccupied she didn't even notice her friend staring at her with a shocked expression.
"Given your situation right now, the guy who challenged you is crazy. You don't have the slightest reason to accept."
[It's fine. I accepted because I thought it was necessary, too.]
I shook my head at Yeon-hwa, repeating that I was fine.
Telling her not to worry wasn't just lip service.
I genuinely felt that a spar like this was necessary.
The training I receive from Professor Atra is a single continuous spar from start to finish, never divided into distinct stages. Because of that, I don't have a clear grasp of my own level, either.
I've definitely improved. I can guarantee that. If the me from my first day of running fought me now, I could knock him out in a single blow.
But against other cadets? I'm not so sure. I can read their movements with Spatial Perception. I can even predict their next actions to some extent. And when I compare their movements to my own, I can tell I've grown considerably.
But does that mean I can actually win in a fight? I don't know.
Professor Atra always emphasized that there are very few absolutes in combat.
The flailing of the weak can sometimes inflict fatal wounds on the strong, she'd say—meaning you should never let your guard down, under any circumstances.
I can read the cadets' movements. The ones I assume are from the Advanced Class are more difficult, but I can still read them. Those below that are quite readable.
But I've never actually fought them. I can't know the outcome. That's exactly why I need to throw myself into something like this.
I'd planned to test myself around the time of the Tower of Growth incident, but now works fine, too.
"We will now proceed with the friendly spar. Cadets, to your positions!"
The professor, having finished the preparations, called out.
Leaving behind Hong Yeon-hwa, who was watching me like a child left at the water's edge, I strode up into the dueling grounds.
The dueling grounds were massive. Several times larger than the UFC arenas I'd seen on Mitube. Since this is built to superhuman scale and not civilian, I suppose that's only natural.
The male cadet stepped up onto the opposite side. He held a sheathed sword in one hand.
What was odd was that, despite being the one who issued the challenge, his expression was incredibly tense. He was also breaking out in a cold sweat. If he was going to be like that, I wondered why he'd even challenged me.
He kept stealing glances to one side, so I checked and sensed Hong Yeon-hwa glaring at him with a terrifying expression.
Ah. Now I understood.
Once the professor confirmed the male cadet and I had taken our places, she manipulated the machine next to the dueling grounds with a holographic keyboard.
- Wooooong!
The mana embedded in the base of the dueling grounds writhed and then shot up from the perimeter, locking into a fixed shape.
The instantly surging mana formed a rectangle, enveloping the dueling grounds. Judging from my shallow knowledge, it was a protective magic barrier.
"The rules follow a friendly spar! Aura and Body Reinforcement are permitted, and please be advised: I, as the presiding professor, may halt the spar at my discretion!"
Schiiing. I drew the gripped handle. With that chillingly familiar sound I never tire of, the blade slid free.
It was a training sword, so both tip and edge were blunt.
The male cadet, expression visibly tense, settled into his stance as well.
"Combat major, Aiden Reynolds. I look forward to this."
'...Uh.'
We were doing introductions? I'd been steeling myself with tension, and now my jaw went slack.
I hesitated a moment, then shifted my two-handed grip to one hand and tapped my smartwatch.
[Special Admission, Lee Ha-yul. Pleased to meet you.]
Since I'm a Special Admission Cadet, I have no major and no graded class. So my introduction felt short compared to his.
My opponent, Aiden, flinched when he saw the hologram appear. He quickly composed himself and steadied his stance.
His posture was so well-balanced that even a novice like me could tell.
I tightened my grip on my sword handle, too.
Eyes were fixed on us. I caught occasional whispers, but on the whole, everyone was silent, focused, and watching our direction.
It was like the self-introduction time all over again.
Silence filled the surroundings, and everyone was looking this way. It was a moment when anyone would get nervous, with all that attention on them.
I'd been nervous during the self-introduction. My fingertips had trembled, and I'd made a foolish mistake by misspeaking.
'......'
I calmed my mind. I let every gaze slide away. I balanced my breathing. I naturally tightened my grip on the handle.
Tension. In a spar, it's a completely useless emotion. That's what Professor Atra taught me. The same applied now. I discarded the useless things first and focused on the opponent in front of me.
"Alright, both sides ready!"
'Fuuuu...'
I exhaled deeply and adjusted my Spatial Perception. I narrowed the range—which had been too wide for the dueling grounds—and zeroed in on my opponent.
I let the unnecessary information pass. The necessary information, I gathered at an even denser level.
"Begin!"
The instant the professor's words ended, I kicked off the ground. My body shot forward at a speed unlike before. I thrust my sword straight at Aiden.
- Clang!
My blade was deflected upward. Aiden's eyes widened in surprise. He seemed startled by the repelling force, which was greater than he'd expected.
After quickly composing himself, Aiden's sword suddenly closed in. I brought my deflected sword downward to meet it.
- Chang! Cha-chang! Scrrrape...!
The blades grazed and clashed, scattering sparks. The exchange continued.
I blocked and dodged the incoming strikes. I drove my sword into the openings that appeared.
The spar was holding. It wasn't something that would end in an instant.
I assessed the situation.
'I'm slower.'
I was the one gradually being pushed back—in raw stats and in skill. Step by step, I was being forced backward.
Then, as if unwilling to let the chance slip, Aiden's sword pressed in close. The more I swung and blocked, the more the strain on my body mounted.
But.
'This is manageable.'
More manageable than I'd thought.
A Siyoram first-year. A freshman in his second week who still hasn't entered the Tower of Growth.
The current 121st Cohort of Siyoram is famed as a golden generation. Just look at Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek A-rin, and the average is higher than other cohorts.
According to the original story, the standouts should at least reach the level of Low-Grade Heroes.
Was that the case for Aiden in front of me? He probably had a Unique Ability. Before entering Siyoram, he must have sweated blood at an academy with a brutal educational standard.
- Jjajajak! Cha-chang!
A fight was being sustained even though his stats were higher.
There are probably parts where he's holding back, of course. Even while holding back, his stats are still far higher, and he likely has plenty of leeway.
Oddly enough, he looked a little displeased, but from his hesitant reactions, he didn't seem to hold real malice.
In fact, even now during the spar, he appeared to be restraining himself appropriately.
But those are his circumstances. Just because my opponent holds back doesn't mean I have to. I'm at a disadvantage from the start. All I have to do is fight with everything I have and aim for victory.
'In that case.'
Responding to Aiden's relentless swings and thrusts, I racked my brain.
Professor Atra always said it: a fight is an exchange of hidden cards. You hold the advantage when the opponent doesn't know your cards, and you must play them at an unexpected moment—a decisive moment.
I asked myself: from an outsider's perspective, what kind of fool would I look like?
An unprecedented Special Admission Cadet.
But blind and mute. A physically frail person. In other words, a disabled person below average.
The reactions around me were proof of that. His careful handling right now was more of the same. Body Reinforcement and Aura were clearly permitted, but Aiden wasn't using them.
Because I wasn't using them. Because he assumed I couldn't.
For me, this was an opportunity. Even if it was temporary, it was exactly the kind of decisive moment Professor Atra always emphasized.
- Chang! Cha-chang!
I was slowly being pushed back. I found myself a few steps from the protective barrier, and I made it look like blocking the strikes was a struggle.
- Clang! Crrack!
Finally, a hard sensation transmitted through my heel. In that instant, Aiden tightened his grip on his sword handle.
'He took the bait.'
He bit. Convinced of victory, Aiden's attacks intensified. That was exactly what I wanted.
My guard gradually wavered. I wanted it to look that way.
- Scrrape!
In an instant, I twisted my sword. One hand, unable to withstand the shock, lost its grip. The other hand, still holding the sword, was forced wide.
My guard was open.
Aiden, certain of victory, raised his sword. A powerful downward strike from above—he probably thought the dueling grounds' system would stop it right before impact.
- Fwwwwwooong...
The sword descended. The sound of the blade slicing the air rang crystal clear.
As I was then, I couldn't respond. My arm had been knocked aside, and I was too slow to dodge.
I had to time it perfectly. As I focused every nerve, the world seemed to decelerate—as if slowing down.
- Wooooong...
As the sword came down, leaving about a hand's span of distance, I tapped my Core. The mana that burst forth spread powerfully through my entire body.
- Woong!
Vigor surged from my Core. While the world seemed to slow down, my body did the absolute opposite—accelerating and twisting away.
"What─"
Body Reinforcement Technique. The most basic physical enhancement using mana.
The descending sword grazed past my cheek. A hair's breadth difference. Aiden's face was colored with shock.
The opening after an attack. In other words, the opportunity for a counterattack.
He hadn't used Body Reinforcement. I had. For the first time since the spar began, my stats rivaled Aiden's.
I pulled back the sword that had been deflected to the side. My body, now active with Body Reinforcement, exhibited a wholly different level of performance. The blade closed in at a speed that felt several times faster.
Aiden, horrified, yanked his sword back.
- Clang!
"Urgh...!"
A clumsy defense—the sudden blow and his haste had done him in. For a moment, Aiden's feet slid along the floor as my rivaling strength pushed him far back.
His eyes flew wide in disbelief. He looked utterly bewildered.
I didn't wait for him to recover. I immediately kicked off the ground.
Boom—a different sound erupted from before. I poured the force from kicking the ground into the tip of my sword and thrust. The blade, gorged on mana, shot through the air.
Aiden gritted his teeth, and mana rose over his body. Body Reinforcement. The mana he belatedly deployed activated his body.
With that, the stat advantage reversed once more. If this strike got blocked, things would probably return to how they were before.
Aiden had made a few misjudgments.
First, he misread my skill level.
He didn't know about the training I'd received from Professor Atra. He lacked information on me and judged wrong. He assumed I couldn't predict his movements.
Second, he assumed I couldn't use Body Reinforcement.
A reasonable assumption, but he didn't account for the unexpected. That's why he left an opening like this one.
Up to this point, there wouldn't have been a major problem. The stat advantage would have swung back to him. His skill level was superior. He'd probably block this attack, and the tide would have turned again.
If it had only been up to this point.
- Wooooong!
My mana pulsed again. The blade, violently gorged on mana, trembled along with it. The mana inside the sword changed.
Crude, but with a fixed form. Though it held no proper attribute, it was energy whose fundamentals had been established.
- Ggagagagak...!
The sword tip quivered finely. The repulsive force transmitting to my arm was severe. Still, I managed a faint smile.
"......"
Aiden's expression had kept shifting.
When he issued the challenge, he'd looked reluctant—as if wondering whether this was right. When the spar began, he looked surprised. When I used Body Reinforcement, he looked shocked.
And now, his face was utterly blank. An expression holding doubt over whether what he'd witnessed was real.
- Crash
The sword spinning in the air clattered to the floor. There was no handle. The crossguard was gone, too.
What rolled on the floor was only the blade, its handle vanished. The handle was still clutched in Aiden's hand.
My sword had halted before Aiden's neck. Not by my will. The protective barrier was blocking the tip of my sword.
A blue energy flickered at the tip of my blade—a color and shape distinct from the blue barrier.
A technique every forward-position hero must master.
It was the manifestation of Aura.
Aiden's third misjudgment.
He wrongly assumed I couldn't use Aura.
In other words—all hail Mana Affinity.