Slaughtering the Pig
"Sparring Match Number Nine! Jeonghye versus Henry!"
At Zaphia's call, I rose from my seat and stepped out onto the arena.
Henry stood across from me, his face drawn tight in an expression of grim determination.
"Seeing that face try to look all tragic and resolute... makes him look like an absolute, you know."
｢A total asshole?｣
"Hey now."
It would have been one thing if he had some noble cause to be so solemn, but picking a fight out of nowhere and betting on the outcome only to put on that kind of face just made my stomach churn.
We walked from opposite edges of the ring toward the center, locking eyes. Watching us, Zaphia let out a heavy sigh.
"Haah... A sparring match is an official examination, you hear me? An exam! Not a venue for your petty bets!"
Apparently, our duel—staked on a 'grant one wish' coupon—had become quite the sensation.
｢What is this, a circus? Why the hell are first- and third-years gathered here too?｣
Sure enough, the stands where the second-years usually waited were packed with name tags in colors rarely seen around here. The crowd had grown exponentially compared to my match on the first day.
"Hey, Henry! You better not lose!"
"If you win that wish, make sure to invite me along!"
Some were hollering just to draw attention to themselves, ostensibly cheering Henry on. Whether that kind of 'cheering' actually helped him, though, was another matter entirely.
Well, back when I was in school, I would've run over to watch if a fistfight broke out, too.
Toss a bizarre bet on top of it, and of course it looked entertaining.
Zaphia strode between the two of us. "No matter what ridiculous stakes you two came up with, keep one thing in mind." She grabbed Henry and me by the shoulders, her grip iron-firm. "Sparring must always be taken seriously. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Henry didn't even bother answering; he simply backed away with a scoff.
"Alright! Take your positions!"
I turned and stepped inside the red circle marked behind me.
"Time limit is ten minutes! The match continues until one party is deemed incapacitated! Now, ready..." Zaphia lifted a whistle to her lips and began counting down. "One... two..."
Three!
And with that, the match began.
Clang—!
Immediately after the signal dropped, Henry drew the rapier sheathed at his hip.
"Man, that weapon looks disgustingly wrong on you."
"Shut your mouth!"
His body was built like a bloated bandit chieftain, yet he was brandishing a dainty little rapier. Jeonghye had warned me beforehand, but seeing it in person made the contrast even more absurd.
｢Here he comes.｣
Henry surged forward, rapier leveled straight at me. Perhaps he took inspiration from my match against Bella, thinking I had no answer for a sudden, aggressive rush. Unfortunately for him, I was no longer the same person I was back then.
Charging in, Henry thrust his rapier forward with all his might. Or rather, he tried to.
"Hup—!"
Baaam!
With a sharp exhalation, I threw a punch, unleashing a tremendous blast of wind pressure. This was the strategy Jeonghye and I had prepared: crushing the opponent through sheer volume of qi.
"Gah?!"
Evidently having never anticipated such a counter, Henry's hefty frame went airborne, hurtling backward.
Thud—!
He crashed onto the stone floor with a dull, heavy impact.
"Y-You... you were supposed to—!"
"Have an underdeveloped dantian? That was true."
Until a few days ago, that is.
However, having vast reserves of qi was one thing; I currently lacked any refined martial techniques to finish Henry off cleanly. Pulling his bulky body back up, Henry charged at me once more. I had noticed it earlier, but for someone carrying that much weight, he was surprisingly nimble. Not on Bella's level, of course, but fast enough.
｢Alright, time for defense.｣
Unlike his reckless charge a moment ago, Henry kept his stance disciplined as he closed in. As his thrust shot toward me—
Clang!
I parried the strike simply by channeling qi into my forearm and hardening it. Henry was visibly rattled, his complexion turning an ashen shade of pale.
"Eeek—!"
Shaking off his shock, Henry gritted his teeth and slashed his blade.
｢Why did I say students are easy to deal with?｣
"Because they can't handle variables."
Academy cadets had a habit of trying to execute precisely what they were taught by the book. Like Form One, Form Two of some swordsmanship syllabus. As I deflected Henry's relentless flurries, Jeonghye chimed in.
｢They give them fancy names, but it's nothing special. It's just a rigid plan. First, thrust. Next, break their balance. Then... blah blah blah.｣
Henry seemed no different. He was straining with everything he had to land a single clean hit, sweating bullets all the while. Even to someone like me, who was essentially a novice to actual combat, a clear pattern began to emerge.
｢The fight was already over the second he got sent flying at the start. He lost his cool.｣
A feint toward the head, followed by a thrust toward the shoulder. And after that—
"This one, right?"
As Henry drew his rapier back to slash across my neck, the trajectory of his blade unfolded before my eyes like second nature. Channeling as much qi as my fist could hold, I punched straight into its path.
Shatter—!
Colliding head-on with my qi-infused fist, Henry's rapier broke into pieces.
And toward the utterly defenseless Henry—
"W-Wait! The duel's over! You wouldn't hit a defenseless oppo—"
I drove my fist straight into his gut with everything I had.
"Guh-huuuk—!"
"The instructor decides when the match is over, not you, dumbass."
Henry squealed like a dying pig before slumping to the ground, unconscious.
Seemingly pleased by my words, Professor Zaphia clapped me hard on the shoulder. Thwack, thwack!
"Such delightful manners. Wherever did you learn to speak so eloquently?"
Aside from the exchange between Zaphia and me, not a single sound echoed across the arena. The packed stands, overflowing with students, had fallen dead silent.
Looking down at Henry sprawled pathetically on the stone floor, Professor Zaphia muttered, "Well, it might seem a bit excessive, but I'm the one who told you to treat it like a real battle." Clearing her throat with a loud hrmph, she bellowed, "Winner! Jeonghye!"
"Yay~."
Naturally, not a single soul cheered for my victory celebration.
"It actually worked."
｢Were you doubting me?｣
"No, I trusted you."
It was myself I didn't trust.
Sure, I had learned a bit of martial arts in my past life, but I figured that was a far cry from actual 'combat.' Yet the match had unfolded exactly as Jeonghye predicted, without straying an inch.
Apparently, our match had caused even more of a stir than I expected. Professor Zaphia herself had taken an interest.
'Your fighting style has changed drastically. What, were you hiding your true strength all this time?'
｢Hiding my strength, my ass.｣
Zaphia's question had clearly rubbed Jeonghye the wrong way. In the Simsang World, we could peer into each other's memories. Mutual consent was required, of course, but it had allowed me to witness how Jeonghye used to fight.
The way Jeonghye fought was nothing short of breathtaking. If I had to sum it up... 'radically efficient qi management'? She would infuse her body with the bare minimum qi necessary to deflect the enemy's assault, parrying continuously until the opponent grew exhausted and slipped up—then delivering a single, lethal counterblow. It was a combat doctrine pushed to the very peak of efficiency.
By contrast, what I had displayed against Henry was the exact polar opposite: steamrolling him under the sheer weight of overwhelming qi. That was probably why everyone was so stunned. A person who had completely reinvented herself in the span of a single week.
After the duel wrapped up, I headed straight back to the dorms. It felt a little strange to admit—especially coming from someone who had just been teetering on the verge of life and death—but to be honest, it was actually kind of fun. Wondering if I was going crazy, I asked Jeonghye, and she gave a surprisingly approving reply.
｢It's a hell of a lot better than whining about how you don't want to fight. Unlike a certain someone.｣
I had no clue who that 'certain someone' was, but it didn't sound particularly friendly.
Back in my dorm room, I sat on the bed, assumed a meditative posture, and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I was inside the mental world.
"Yo."
｢You're here?｣
Jeonghye, who had been sitting in front of the screen—which was what we decided to call the interface that shared our field of vision—stood up and walked over.
｢You did way better than I expected.｣
"Well, I had a great teacher."
"Cut the crap," Jeonghye scoffed playfully, nudging my shoulder.
"Anyway, we took care of Henry... What should we do about the wish later?"
｢Oh? You already have something in mind?｣
I had an idea. From what I dug up, Henry came from quite a wealthy merchant family. If he tried to feign ignorance or wiggle out of it, well, I'd just have to challenge him to another duel.
"Setting that aside... what do we do now?" I asked Jeonghye as she smiled in front of me.
Our most pressing hurdle was cleared, after all.
At my question, Jeonghye met my gaze and declared:
｢You're going to learn a proper martial art.｣
A martial art. A proper martial art, no less.
The reality of being inside a novel world really hit home. If my dad were here, he would've lost his mind with excitement.
｢Ah, but to do that, we need to retrieve the martial arts manual.｣
"Wait, you aren't going to teach me yours?"
I had naturally assumed I'd be learning whatever technique Jeonghye used, but apparently that wasn't the case.
｢It'd be too difficult for you. Besides, you have qi pouring out of your ears, so there's no reason to fight like I do.｣
"Is that so?"
I felt a slight prick of disappointment, but Jeonghye must have had her reasons.
"So where do we get this manual?"
At my question, Jeonghye let out a deep, weary sigh.
｢Haaaah...｣
"What, is it in some hard-to-reach place?"
Jeonghye shook her head.
｢...No, not really.｣
Just where on earth did we have to go for her to broadcast her reluctance this openly?
Jeonghye took a deep breath before blurting out the destination.
｢My home.｣
"Your home?"
A location I had never in a million years anticipated.
Not to sound rude, but... you had a family?