Sparring Bet: Oppa Victory
I bolted out of the house in a rush and managed to hail a taxi, arriving at the training hall just in time for our appointment.
Identity confirmed. Entry permitted.
Passing through an entrance that looked like the door to an underground warehouse, I stepped into the training hall. There stood Siriel, arms crossed, dressed in the distinctive combat gear of the moon elves, waiting for me.
"Haa. I messaged you just in case, but you really forgot, didn't you?"
"Haha..."
It had been only a few days since we'd agreed that instead of her teaching An Jeong-hwa, we'd spar every Saturday, so yeah, it was my bad for spacing out. I could only laugh awkwardly. She scanned my disheveled outfit—clearly thrown on in a hurry—and sighed, gesturing toward the back.
"At least you're not late. Follow me."
Trailing Siriel into the training dungeon, I found Master Hose waiting, his muscular frame still hard to reconcile with his status as a grand archmage. He didn't seem thrilled about this setup, letting out a sigh as he spoke.
"Hoo. It always ends up like this. Do you really need to fight to feel satisfied?"
To Master Hose, who viewed our spars negatively, Siriel replied matter-of-factly.
"Of course. Why wouldn't we fight when I'm obviously stronger?"
Siriel bristled at that. "Ha? You haven't even seen my full power, and you think you'll win for sure? Let's see if that confidence holds up after you lose."
"You won't get to see it if you're too scared to lose."
"Hmph. This time it'll be different from last time."
"Me too. You didn't think that was my full power, did you?"
In truth, I hadn't gone all out against her clumsy swordplay last time, and even in just a few days, my physical stats and skills had improved dramatically. No matter what hidden power she had up her sleeve, I was confident I could handle it.
She threw my own words from before right back at me, and her eyebrows twisted into an inverted V.
"If you're so sure, wanna bet? Loser uses honorifics with the winner. How's that?"
"Daughter, that's going a bit far..."
"Dad, stay out of it!"
"Urgh."
Master Hose tried to intervene, but Siriel—blood rushing to her head—was beyond hearing him.
"I'm already using honorifics, aren't I?"
"Not that fake polite talk that just grates on my nerves—you mean real respect, like to a superior!"
"Then if I win, you won't mind if I use casual speech?"
"Of course. But if I win, you'll call me noona."
"Might be a bit of an age gap for 'oppa,' but... fine."
"...In human years, I'm younger than you?"
I just shrugged, and she glared at me before silently taking position on the opposite side, creating some distance and drawing her weapon.
Siriel's weapon was a bow made of vine-like stems. Oddly, there was no quiver of arrows or bowstring connecting the limbs.
"You won't cry foul if I use a bow, right?"
"Of course not. I'll use my throwing daggers too."
I showed her the daggers I used for ambushes upfront—though this was just sparring, not real combat, and I doubted I'd even need them.
"Hoo. Before we start, let me explain. I'll cast impact absorption spells on both of you. If a lethal hit lands, the barrier turns red, and the first one to turn red loses. Agreed?"
"Yes."
We nodded, and a transparent barrier-like shield enveloped my body. It didn't hinder movement at all. Testing it by slapping my forearm, the barrier rippled, absorbing the shock completely.
"It won't break even at full power, so make the most of the spar—give it everything. Begin!"
At Master Hose's signal, Siriel widened the gap and nocked her bow. Her hands glowed blue as mana strings formed on the bow's limbs.
"Sylph!"
Pulling back the mana string, she summoned a low-grade wind spirit, Sylph. With its aid, she formed and loosed a wind arrow.
Shaaaak—!
The transparent arrow, made of wind, was nearly invisible to the naked eye, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. But I'd been watching her every move closely, so I was already shifting position before she released.
I dodged swiftly and charged straight at her. You never give an archer distance.
"One shot's not enough, huh? Then... Sylph!"
Seeing me evade, she nocked again without pause. Summoning another Sylph—now two—she fired two wind arrows at once, aimed at different spots.
This time, trusting my instincts, I threw myself aside boldly.
Shaaaak—!
"Ugh—"
I cleanly dodged one, but the other grazed by perilously close. The whoosh past my ear left it ringing slightly, but my legs didn't stop—I pressed toward Siriel. Hesitating here would only favor her more. Once I closed in, an archer was powerless.
"Tch!"
Apparently limited to two spirits at once, she stopped summoning more, backpedaling while peppering me with wind arrows. Her elven agility shone—arrows fired on the move nailed my position precisely. Her footwork was leagues better than when wielding a sword. Seemed her physical prowess got a boost from spirit arts too.
Constantly dodging would make closing the gap impossible.
'The power's weaker than expected?'
After evading a few, I realized the wind arrows' impact didn't match their piercing whistle. Still dangerous—even if underwhelming, they'd bruise muscle badly on bare skin. But that assumed I just took it.
Clang—
Weightless for speed and invisible, they were tricky, but their straight-line paths made prediction easy if I kept her in sight. Watching her form, I could deflect them with Abigail's sword.
After batting aside a few from the side and getting the feel, I charged head-on without dodging, slashing every incoming wind arrow.
"What the—?! Urk...! Sylph!"
Shocked, she must've realized I was closing in fast. Squeezing out all her spirit power, she summoned a third Sylph. Unlike before, the spirits merged into one massive wind arrow.
"You can't block this! Blast!"
Just as I entered sword range, she released. The giant arrow fragmented like a shotgun blast, filling the front with countless wind arrows.
Caught off-guard by her trump card, I thought fast. 'Dodge? No, too fast—my legs'll get hit first. Then... block.'
Time to use Moon Shadow Sword's form for this. Never pulled it off perfectly before... but now, maybe.
'First Form: New Moon.'
Mana flowed in sequence, activating New Moon. A massive drain hit as my sword turned pitch-black, erasing the barrage from view.
New Moon created a localized energy vacuum to nullify intangible attacks—theoretically perfect against energy projectiles. I angled it to weather the storm.
Clang—
The black moon vacuum sucked in surrounding arrows, carving escape space. But my control faltered; the imperfect moon shattered quickly.
Still, I had time to pull back. Siriel stared in shock. Before she reacted, I chained the next form.
'Third Form: Waxing Crescent.'
Surging from below into her blind spot, Waxing Crescent sliced past her side in a flash.
"Hoo."
Two Moon Shadow forms in a row left my mana tanked—exhaustion hit hard. Even twice was taxing. Needed higher mana stats for real combat fluidity.
By precisely using mana up to the limit without damaging the vessel, Mana stat increases by 1.
'Oh, nice.'
Mana ticked up perfectly timed, refilling slightly and revitalizing me. Glancing back, Siriel's barrier blazed red; she collapsed in stunned dismay.
"No way."
She muttered in disbelief, but the match was decided.
"Tch. Han Yeoul wins."
Master Hose declared it with a knowing look—like he'd predicted this. Makes sense; nothing's hidden from him. That's why he'd just sighed when she proposed the bet.
Growing up in a culture of propriety, having an older elf use honorifics felt awkward, but a bet was a bet. I claimed my prize.
"Call me oppa, Siriel?"
"Aaaargh! Cheat! It's a cheat!"
Snapping from her daze at the word "oppa," she jumped up, pointing accusingly in a whiny, un-princess-like voice. Gone was her haughty air.
"New Moon and Waxing Crescent! How does a human know moon elf secret arts like Moon Shadow Sword?!"
"I'll explain, daughter."
Sighing at her outburst, Master Hose calmed her.
"The day you challenged Han Yeoul and lost, his parents—moon elf elders—came to me for permission to pass on Moon Shadow Sword."
News to me. I'd thought they just registered me for training.
"Then how'd his parents learn it? It's our moon elf clan's sword art! I haven't even mastered it...!"
"They got it from the Tower. Legitimately acquired, so I allowed direct bloodline transmission without issue."
"Th-that..."
Speechless, Siriel drooped her long ears in despair.
I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be too down, little sis."
"Aaaaah!!"
She tore at her hair, wailing. Han Yeoul chuckled; Hose averted his eyes, shaking his head.
But neither knew the truth—this was all Siriel's scheme.
'Heh heh, now I'm naturally the little sister. No issue calling him oppa anymore.'
A happy ending for everyone but Hose.