Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Rookie King Tournament (4)
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Ichie and Kim Ju-seong's preliminary match was scheduled before mine. I called out to Ichie, who was confidently sharpening her wooden sword right in front of me.
"Ichie. You got this?"
"I'm gonna win. I trained with Yu-jeong unnie."
"Trained?"
I glanced at Yu-jeong sunbae. She flinched at the word "trained," as if it hit a nerve, and quickly said to me,
"No, I mean... We're teammates, right? So that's all it was."
Did she think I'd be jealous? I smiled and nodded to dispel any doubts. Yu-jeong sunbae smiled back, flashing her teeth. The arena announcement blared, signaling it was Ichie's turn. She sheathed her wooden sword at her waist and said to me,
"Su-hyeon oppa. Cheer for me."
"Cheer? Uh... You can do it! Ichie! Fighting!"
"I'll give it everything I've got and win for sure. Gotta meet you in the finals."
"That's right. Beat me in the finals, Su-hyeon oppa."
Ichie nodded after hearing Yu-jeong sunbae's encouragement. After she left through the waiting room door, we sat in our chairs and exchanged glances. Yu-jeong sunbae spoke up.
"Su-hyeon. How's your condition today? Think you can win?"
"Never better. This time, Ha-yeon introduced me to a hunter who uses a shield, so I got some proper training on that. Turns out my next opponent's got an acceleration ability. Figure it'll be a lot of close-quarters fighting."
"Thorough, aren't you? Keep this up, and you might actually win the whole thing."
I gave an awkward laugh at the mention of winning. It was because Yu-jeong sunbae had promised a reward if I took first place. When I looked at her, she wore a similarly strange smile. Leaving our awkward chuckles behind, the arena was now ushering in the competitors.
Kim Ju-seong emerged from the opposite venue, proudly showing off his tight tracksuit that clung to his body. He swept back his shortly cropped hair once, stretched, and fixed his gaze on the direction Ichie would enter. Moments later, Ichie walked out from the other side. She swung her wooden sword loosely as she eyed Kim Ju-seong.
Kim Ju-seong said,
"Nice to meet you. You're Ichie, right?"
Ichie nodded. The referee glanced between the two and shouted,
"No. 3500 Kim Ju-seong versus No. 1 Ichigaya Ichie! Match begin!"
A blank shot rang out, signaling the start. Unlike last time, Ichie didn't try any clumsy feints or charge in recklessly. With a tense expression, she gripped her wooden sword tighter and sidestepped slowly, probing for an opening.
Kim Ju-seong stood in place, rolling his shoulders before crouching low and letting out a shout.
"Raaah!"
His bulky muscles, which had been evenly supporting his frame, suddenly swelled even thicker. Like a balloon inflating, they expanded in an instant. Startled by the sight, Ichie took another step back.
"Wanna forfeit?"
Kim Ju-seong asked her. Ichie tilted her head and squinted. Then she said,
"Water muscles."
At that, Kim Ju-seong's lips curled slightly, and he furrowed his brow. He leaned forward a bit and started walking toward her to grab her. His gait suggested he hadn't trained professionally in martial arts—he seemed like the type to just bulldoze with brute force.
Ichie stood still until he got close, then suddenly staggered. His outstretched arm sliced through empty air due to her unexpected angle. He looked at her in surprise.
Ichie's eyes widened as she whipped her wooden sword across his extended arm in rapid succession.
"Argh!"
Kim Ju-seong winced and clutched his wrist. His arm hung awkwardly bent because she'd struck all the way up to his elbow. Without pause, Ichie thrust her wooden sword toward his exposed knee.
Crack!
A sharp crack like striking a wooden block echoed, and he staggered. Grimacing, he swung his hand at Ichie. Faster than she'd anticipated, it slammed into her head. The big guy had insane speed too.
"Huh?"
Both Yu-jeong sunbae and I jumped to our feet in shock. Ichie bounced like a soccer ball, tumbling across the arena floor. She braced with her wooden sword and scrambled up. Her face was fine, but one arm trembled. She'd barely blocked in time.
She blinked rapidly to clear her vision. Kim Ju-seong, his damage already recovered, charged again. This time, he wasn't trying to grab her—he swung a punch to end it in one blow.
Ichie narrowly dodged the fist and closed in. His wide swing left his midsection wide open. She thrust her drawn-back sword like an arrow straight into his gut.
"Guuuaagh!"
Kim Ju-seong let out a pained scream. It hadn't pierced his skin, but visually, the wooden sword had sunk at least a handspan into his belly. His body slid back, clutching his stomach as he dry-heaved.
Ichie shook her head once more. Stumbling on her feet, she aimed her wooden sword at him and said,
"Water muscles."
"No, it's not!"
Kim Ju-seong yelled that and stood right back up. Despite the solid hit to his stomach, he charged like nothing had happened. Caught off guard, Ichie backpedaled with a panicked look.
"Hyaaah!"
He swung wild punches with a shout. Sand whipped up with each swing. Whoosh—whoosh. The deadly sounds rang in our ears. Ichie dodged a few before suddenly staggering, face twisted in pain.
She wobbled as if about to collapse, her wooden sword slipping from her grip. Kim Ju-seong's eyes gleamed. He grinned triumphantly, twisting his hips for a big punch. Her sword teetered at her fingertips. We watched with hands over our mouths.
Is this it?
Ichie smirked.
In that moment, we knew. She'd faked it.
She snatched the flailing sword from her fingertips. Before he could swing, she rolled forward, slipping between his legs. He whipped around frantically, but she was already leaping with both hands on her sword.
Kim Ju-seong reached to grab her. But her wooden sword cracking into his brow was faster. Like an executioner dropping the blade, she slammed it down full force.
Crack!
A clear ring echoed as we watched the sword nail his head perfectly. His outstretched hand froze mid-motion. Ichie, putting everything into the blow, gritted her teeth while airborne. The recoil nearly lifted her off the ground. Kim Ju-seong's eyes rolled back, mouth agape.
I thought she'd won. Yu-jeong sunbae must have too—her face lit up with a bright smile as she turned to me. I was about to hug her in celebration.
"Raaargh!"
Kim Ju-seong roared and punched at the floating Ichie. No matter how amazing she was, she couldn't dodge mid-air.
"Huh?"
We all gasped the same. Ichie hung stunned in the air, and we froze mid-celebration, staring at the monitor. The massive fist flew at her. She raised her arm to block, but flew back like a paper doll. She crashed into the ground.
Boom!
A heavy impact that barely let her touch down. Kim Ju-seong staggered, breathing raggedly. He looked at the fallen Ichie. The referee confirmed she wasn't getting up and declared coldly,
"No. 3500 Kim Ju-seong wins!"
We were frozen, unable to accept it. Yu-jeong sunbae's face was pure disbelief.
"That strong? And he's just an apprentice? That last hit was seriously dangerous."
I couldn't comprehend it either. Why is he that strong? The medical team rushed to Ichie. We hurried toward her belatedly. Inside the arena, Kim Ju-seong scratched his head and shook it. A suited man with a Diamond Club badge patted his shoulder. He had the look of a salesman.
And behind him stood Kim Chun-bae. He'd come to cheer for Kim Ju-seong despite not competing. He wore a sleeveless tee, glasses pressed firmly on, his face awkwardly contorted and forehead slick with sweat.
"Su-hyeon!"
I turned at the voice calling me. Ichie was on a stretcher. I rushed to the medics.
"How is she?"
"Just passed out. She's fine, no worries."
The medics reassured me like it was routine. Ichie's hand twitched under the stretcher. I gripped it tightly.
Something felt off. I couldn't pinpoint it exactly, but Kim Ju-seong from moments ago... something was wrong.