Chapter 56: Heart-Pounding First Ranking Tournament (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 56: Heart-Pounding First Ranking Tournament (2)
Lunchtime was a cheerful and pleasant affair. The reason this particular hour at the Academy felt so vibrant was partly due to the sweet reprieve from the daily grind, but mostly because it was the time to enjoy a good meal.
“…Hey, look at me for a second.”
Conversely, having that meal interrupted could make one feel like absolute trash.
“Can’t we do this after we eat…?”
On my way to the student cafeteria, I had been intercepted by the Purple Cat—Ju Ri-ra. I tried a weak protest, but she seemed to have no intention of listening to a word I said.
“Yu-hak is acting strange.”
That bastard was always weird, you bitch. The words climbed up my throat, but I managed to swallow them down with superhuman patience.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
Honestly, maybe my patience alone has already reached the level of a Superhuman.
Whether they were pink or purple, they all acted the damn same. These kinds of heroines aren’t popular these days; to make this world a bit more interesting and pleasant, I might need to give them a bit of a tune-up too.
“He acts normal, but then he suddenly gets scared or runs away. And every time he does, External Inspector Kang Na-hyun is nearby.”
Oh, as expected of Ju Ri-ra. True to her description as the person with the best observation skills in the Academy, she seemed to have figured out the direct cause.
Or maybe Cheon Yu-hak was just being incredibly loud about it.
“It’s nothing major. Yu-hak confessed to my sister a long time ago and got rejected. She was his first love.”
“Ah, so that’s… wait, what?”
The light vanished from Ju Ri-ra’s eyes.
Why was I being so blunt? Think of it as a form of shock therapy.
“Why are you so surprised? Do you like Cheon Yu-hak or something?”
“No, what I feel for Yu-hak isn’t a simple romantic emotion like that. Could you stop reducing every interaction between a man and a woman to one-dimensional sexual attraction?”
Haha, “no” my ass! Your bullshit is spread pretty thick, Ri-ra!
You might not realize it, but I probably know you better than you know yourself.
It’s true. It hasn’t been obvious because the opportunity hadn’t arisen yet, but Ju Ri-ra is a character who likes Cheon Yu-hak while insisting on remaining merely his adjutant. Of course, it’s a completely meaningless gesture; she gets so worked up whenever his love life is involved that eventually, her “secret” becomes something every man and his dog knows.
If I asked Lee Yu-na the same question, she’d probably give an answer like this:
— That’s right, I love Lilac. Is there a problem? Only Lilac is perfect, and only I can accept him, so who else would I love?
…Actually, that girl isn’t normal either. Regardless, it’s better than being dishonest.
“Oh, I see. I just thought you two looked quite good together.”
“I-Is that so? Heh… hehe.”
She acts like a cold city girl every day, but one comment like that and she’s grinning like an idiot. And she says it’s “not a simple romantic emotion”?
It’s because you’re like this that Cheon Yu-hak pretends not to notice your feelings until the day you die, you dummy.
Hey, say it again! That thing!
Reducing every interaction between a man and a woman to one-dimensional…
Ahahaha!
“I-I’m just asking just in case, but how do you think the Inspector feels about Yu-hak?”
“Who knows? I’ve never talked to her about Cheon Yu-hak privately, so I wouldn’t know.”
“I-Is that so?”
Man, I can practically feel her joy from here. Does it feel like one rival has been eliminated?
But it’s a bit pathetic that she’s this happy over just that. For the sake of the frustrated readers, shouldn’t you become a bit more proactive, Ri-ra?
Hmm, let’s add a little spice.
“But it wasn’t recently… back when he first confessed, did she say he was cute despite being a bit arrogant?”
Oh, I can see Ju Ri-ra’s mood plummeting into the abyss in real-time. If you’re going to be like this over something so small, why bother with the bluffing?
“…Why don’t you just be honest? Ha-na is so honest it’s a problem, so why are you pretending otherwise?”
“What do you mean, pretending?”
I asked, but I already knew the answer.
It’s because of her obsession with the idea that she must always be rational and competent to be needed by Cheon Yu-hak. Having been sent to Cheon Yu-hak’s household almost like she was being sold off due to her family’s circumstances, love remained in her heart as something incompetent and easily shattered.
“I’m not the type of person to hang my life on something so useless.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. I only looked into it proactively because if Yu-hak gets close to the opposite sex, it might interfere with his schedule.”
Is that the best excuse your “strongest in theory” brain could come up with…?
“Sure, if you say so.”
But why did you cry so hard in the original story when Cheon Yu-hak said he liked another girl?
…I’ll have to fix these twisted romance dynamics sometime too.
* * *
Kang Ha-ni was currently in a very foul mood.
“So, you’re saying I’ll obviously lose?”
In truth, Kang Ha-ni was confident in her skills and had faith in the sword she had learned. Not only had she honed her talent, but she had also awakened a trait that most others likely didn’t possess. She believed that if she could go all out, she could hold her own against Lilac or Cheon Yu-hak.
The problem was that she couldn’t go all out.
If she used her family’s secret sword technique in a public setting, someone might recognize her. She had promised her father, the head of the family, that she wouldn’t use it unless her life was in danger, she suffered an unbearable insult, or she was testing a potential husband. She couldn’t bring herself to use it just for the sake of her competitive streak.
“Can I win with camouflage swordsmanship?”
She recalled their performances in class.
The conclusion came instantly.
She couldn’t win.
Against an average opponent, she could suppress them without going all out, but Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak were not average. With an unfamiliar sword technique, it would be impossible to pierce through the light of Lilac’s Holy Sword or close the distance while evading Cheon Yu-hak’s spear.
To be honest, even if she used her secret sword technique, her win rate probably wouldn’t exceed fifty percent.
“What should I do…?”
She knew she had a bit of a hot temper, but this time it wasn’t that she couldn’t hold it back. For some reason, the thought of being looked down upon by him was unbearable.
As she agonized, a thought suddenly crossed her mind.
“…I can’t use the sword technique, but I can change the sword itself, can’t I?”
The sword she had received as a gift upon entering the Academy.
It was a famous blade, but it didn’t particularly symbolize her family, and it was the most suitable item to overcome the current situation. Originally, she hadn’t intended to use it during the first semester so she could check her own raw skills, but the more she thought about it, the better the idea seemed.
A weapon needs time to become familiar in one’s hand.
Normally, using such a famous blade in a sparring match meant for learning wouldn’t be ideal, but a certain phrase echoing in her head pushed her toward a decision.
— Sure, sure. If you win, I’ll grant you any one wish.
“…Should I just give it a taste?”
The moment she reached the dormitory after making her decision, she felt a strange sense of dissonance.
“Huh?”
When she opened the door and walked in, Kang So-hyun was cooking.
“What’s this?”
“Oh? You’re back?”
* * *
“It’s embarrassing to always be the one getting fed. I should do it once in a while too. But I figured you’d never let me if I asked, so I did it secretly.”
Despite how I looked, I used to cook often at the orphanage to feed the younger kids, so I wasn’t bad at it.
“Honestly, I’m a little scared. Are you good at cooking?”
Kang Ha-ni smiled playfully, but regardless of my actual skill level, I had a certain degree of confidence.
“Please, have a seat, guest.”
“Oh, curry.”
The foods Kang Ha-ni liked were basically all strong-scented dishes containing spices. A dish that even a beginner could make, had a deep flavor, was hard to fail, and possessed an infinitely strong aroma.
That was curry.
“How did you know I like curry?”
“There aren’t many people who hate curry.”
What? Real curry needs to be aged overnight? These days, they sell aged curry at the mart too.
When I even brought out the fried food I’d prepared as a side dish, Ha-ni laughed, looking genuinely surprised.
“This is a masterpiece where I added curry powder to the batter to make it pair even better with the curry.”
“The chef’s got some sense, doesn’t he?”
Hmm, I’m glad she’s satisfied.
To be honest, I made this because I felt bad about teasing her earlier, but I ended up working quite hard on it because I started enjoying the process.
As she dipped the tonkatsu and fried shrimp into the curry, Ha-ni seemed to be in a much better mood.
“Hey, let’s go out for a bit after we eat this.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll show you something cool. And since you seem to know what you did wrong, I’ll give you a chance to change your choice.”
What’s this? By now, she should have realized she can’t win without her secret swordsmanship.
“Actually, I have a secret weapon.”
…Huh?
Hearing those words gave me a strangely uneasy feeling. Her weapon, which she only unsealed in the second year because of her pride, came to mind—but there was no reason for it to appear at this timing.
“Cheon Yu-hak was bragging about getting a weapon from the dungeon he went to with you, but I actually have a decent weapon of my own.”
No, I know.
But why are you trying to use it now?
“…Really? What kind is it?”
“It’s a pure white katana. I haven’t really used it myself yet. Since I got a free meal of curry, I’ll show it to you specially.”
I hoped my prediction was wrong, but unfortunately, it was indeed the weapon she uses from the second year onwards.
The Cursed Sword Seol-ah [Snow Fang].
It wasn’t an artifact, but a mana weapon crafted by a modern artisan. It was a masterpiece—and a failure—created by melting the tooth of a named monster, a Lycan known as the Ruler of the Snowfields, into the blade.
It was undoubtedly a top-tier item that gained fame as a renowned blade despite its penalties, a luxury item whose quality no one could complain about.
However, it was also the reason why she, who once took pride in her swordsmanship, eventually fell into becoming a “Sword Ghost” obsessed with the sword itself rather than the art.
“I don’t show this to just anyone~”
Seeing her brightly smiling as she pulled out such a dangerous object was somewhat worrying.
* * *
“Watch closely.”
From the pure white scabbard at her waist, a beautiful, single-edged blade, equally white as snow, revealed itself. The hilt, the simple decorations, and even the edge were a pristine white that brooked no impurity. The cursed blade possessed a magical charm that captivated people even without elaborate ornamentation.
“How is it? Cool, right? I’m really not showing this to just anyone.”
— Not bad at all. The main material is Ten-thousand-year Cold Iron, and it’s additionally imbued with the energy of a Snow Wolf. If either energy had been too strong, it would have been a mediocre weapon, but thanks to the perfect harmony, they elevate each other, drawing out power beyond the original materials.
‘Excuse me?’
Sun Wukong, who had suddenly turned into an explanation-bot, looked on with approval.
— Ten-thousand-year Cold Iron is as good as it gets, excluding Divine Iron used for making holy relics like the Ruyi. Since it’s a material with strong Yin energy, the standard is to suppress it with fire, but instead of suppressing it, they’ve strengthened the Yin energy by infusing the Snow Wolf’s spirit. This is no ordinary craftsmanship.
— However, there is a critical problem. Because the blade’s own sharpness is too great and they tried to preserve the material’s energy as much as possible, the memory of the Snow Wolf remains. The weapon itself hates humans. It is a cursed blade straight out of a picture book.
‘I know. It’s a real problem…’
— But it has found a good master. That girl has more than enough talent to subjugate that sword.
‘…What?’
What kind of crazy talk is that? In the original story, because she couldn’t do that, all hell broke loose.
Yet, it was also true that Ha-ni, as she swung the sword, didn’t look like she was being consumed by it.
No, Ha-ni, why are you like this too…?
Whether she knew my thoughts or not, Ha-ni began to swing the sword lightly. It looked less like exercise and more like a beautifully choreographed sword dance.
Closing her eyes carefully, as if sharing her senses with the blade, Ha-ni finished her dance and gave a wide smirk.
“Not bad, right? Hey, do you still think I’ll lose to Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak?”
— The girl has a solid foundation. Indeed, a swordsman should use the sword, but must never be intoxicated by its beauty or sharpness.
No, that’s true, but…
I’m telling you, because she couldn’t do that, everything went to shit in the original!
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
What if Kang Ha-ni really does subjugate that sword, which was so temperamental even in the original story?
“…If you play your cards right, you might actually win.”
Lilac, Yu-hak, you guys better watch out.
Ha-ni is damn strong.
Sheathing the sword, Ha-ni stretched and gave a faint smile.
“Just you wait. I’m going to win it all.”