Chapter 40
I’m going to translate this chapter into clean HTML-formatted English, keeping all special in-universe text in styled blocks and preserving the novel’s tense, first-person tone.CHAPTER_TITLE: The Match Against Lightning
What the hell was this insane nonsense?
A quest had appeared for the first time in a while. I had a lot to think about as I stared at the notification that had shown up so suddenly.
No, to be honest, there wasn’t much to think about. The content was absurdly simple.
Win?
Defeat Jin Yeonhui. Fight her in a duel… a duel?
So they mean a match.
It was a somewhat old-fashioned word. In any case, the request was simple enough: win the match against Jin Yeonhui.
And if I fail, I get cursed?
The line saying I’d receive the God of War’s curse if I lost was the part that bothered me.
What kind of curse?
What exactly would be placed on me? Just from that alone, I could tell it wasn’t as simple as it looked.
How is this simple in any way…?
The fight with Jin Yeonhui itself wasn’t simple at all.
You want me to fight an S-class?
I had fought Lin Xiao inside a gate before, so it wasn’t my first time facing someone that strong.
But that was inside a gate.
If I were speaking as the God of War, maybe it would’ve been different. But as Lee Jinwoo, it was a different matter entirely.
Even if I became absurdly strong inside a gate…
That was then. Right now, being told to win against an S-class was simply nonsense.
Haa.
If it were up to me, I would’ve just taken the loss and called it a day.
…A curse, though.
But once the quest appeared, the story changed.
I tightened my grip on the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword and narrowed my eyes. On the wide open platform, I faced Jin Yeonhui.
Jin Yeonhui had been looking down at the floor, but then she lifted her gaze to me. Her blue eyes and black hair were like threads of silk.
There was an awkwardness hanging in the faint atmosphere around her.
Watching her, I asked, “Are you really going to take the deputy leader position?”
It wasn’t exactly a light question.
“I am.”
Jin Yeonhui answered just as lightly.
“You wanted it? That’s a little surprising.”
She looked like the kind of person who wouldn’t care about something like this. Then again…
She’s still an S-class. Maybe she’d want a deputy leader position at least?
That seemed possible. Hale Irene was the exception, but an S-class superhuman’s combat power itself was monstrous.
For someone like Jin Yeonhui to remain a simple member made no sense.
So if she wanted the deputy leader seat, it wouldn’t have been strange at all.
“I didn’t really want it.”
Jin Yeonhui gave an answer that was completely different from what I expected.
“You didn’t want it?”
“Yeah. I didn’t want to, originally.”
“Didn’t want to…?”
“I thought if I didn’t do it, someone else would.”
“What?”
So if it wasn’t Jin Yeonhui, someone else would take it?
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’d be better if I did it myself. That’s what I mean.”
…
No matter how she explained it, I still didn’t get it.
In the end, what she was saying was that she’d rather do it herself than let someone else take it.
“So—”
Fzzzt! Lightning crackled. A sword appeared in Jin Yeonhui’s hand.
“Sorry, Jinwoo. But I have to beat you.”
…
Her eyes were serious. Ah. This was bad.
If I’m not careful, I’m going to get turned into fried chicken.
Jin Yeonhui, the Lightning Empress.
The words S-class superhuman felt painfully real.
The moment she released her lightning aura, it happened.
The Hero's Super-sensory has been activated.
My senses went berserk. My breathing turned rough.
My body tensed on its own. Jin Yeonhui, standing before me, looked different now.
She had always been a face I knew.
…But right now.
She looked like a monster wrapped in lightning.
The Eye of Enlightenment has manifested.
Jin Yeonhui: Lightning Empress (S)
The information that surfaced made the S-class label flare like a spark. Seeing that, I tightened my grip on the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword.
I was scared. She had suddenly dragged me into a fight, and honestly, Lee Jinwoo had never fought a superhuman in my own body before.
Facing an opponent who was obviously stronger than me—someone I had no chance of beating—should have been enough to make me afraid.
What is this?
Something felt wrong.
Why
I wasn’t trembling.
…Am I looking forward to this?
I couldn’t deny that I was anticipating it.
I didn’t know what exactly I was expecting, but I was looking forward to this duel.
* * *
Fzzzt—!
Lightning kept striking from the center of the arena, and the watching superhumans all flinched at the force of it.
It was violent. Bright enough to blind the eye, and the pressure radiating from it was so heavy that the lower-ranked superhumans all instinctively shrank back.
“...As expected, it’s intense.”
Jeon Yuseon frowned as he watched Jin Yeonhui.
Has she gotten even stronger?
Jin Yeonhui, the Lightning Empress.
An S-class superhuman who worked not for the Association, but for a company.
Because of that, there wasn’t much information about her.
She mainly operated overseas, too.
She had spent most of her time handling incidents abroad rather than in Korea.
She was a superhuman who solved problems overseas and brought enormous profits to her group.
Of course.
That doesn’t mean she never worked domestically.
As an S-class superhuman, she could be called upon by the Association whenever a high-priority gate appeared.
Her accomplishments in those moments were famous even in Korea, and along with her appearance, they had made her wildly popular.
She had both power and looks.
It was only natural that she’d be popular.
At the same time…
And there’s also the matter of her and Yu Jin.
There was also the issue of her connection to Yu Jin, the SS-class superhuman.
Compared to the limited information available about her, Jin Yeonhui was drawing a remarkable amount of attention.
Why is that?
Jeon Yuseon still couldn’t understand.
Why would she go out of her way to join the newly established Knight Order?
He couldn’t make sense of it.
For what reason?
Someone who wanted for nothing had even gone through an interview process—not as a captain, but as a regular knight.
Could it be…
Was she a fan of Hale Irene, or something? That had been Jeon Yuseon’s first conclusion.
…No, I still don’t know.
He still didn’t know. He still couldn’t understand why Jin Yeonhui had taken such a step.
The Association President had said that, whatever the reason, there was no need to refuse a giant like her offering her help.
That was true.
If an S-class joined the Association, the benefits would far outweigh the losses.
With that being the case, Jeon Yuseon had nothing to object to.
Fzzzt.
Rumble…
As the lightning aura gradually turned into thunder, Jeon Yuseon asked Hale Irene, who stood beside him, “Hale Irene.”
“Yes?”
“...May I ask how those two were paired as opponents?”
At his question, Hale Irene turned to look at him.
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“...It’s because I don’t understand.”
Jin Yeonhui was strong. Of course she was—she was an S-class.
Then…
“Wouldn’t it have made more sense to have her face off against a superhuman like Ye Jiram… or Kim Jincheol?”
Wouldn’t it have been more reasonable to match her against people who had been active as superhumans for years, rather than Lee Jinwoo, who had only awakened a few months ago?
That would make things…
“A little more possible?”
“...!”
Hearing Hale Irene’s words, spoken as if she had read his mind, Jeon Yuseon’s eyes widened.
“Hmm.”
Hale Irene looked over at Jin Yeonhui and Lee Jinwoo.
Jin Yeonhui, radiating power like a storm.
And Lee Jinwoo, looking at her with oddly bright eyes.
“...Possibility...”
Hale Irene let out a quiet laugh and said, “...That’s why those two.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s better to match the pair with the higher chance of possibility…”
“...What?”
That only confused Jeon Yuseon more. Hale Irene’s words sounded as if…
Lee Jinwoo
was the one with the better chance of beating Jin Yeonhui.
That’s ridiculous.
It was absurd. How could a fledgling superhuman like Lee Jinwoo defeat the Lightning Empress?
While Jeon Yuseon wore an expression of complete disbelief—
“...Watch.”
Hale Irene said, crossing one leg over the other.
“That person is… kind of interesting.”
“...What?”
Just as Jeon Yuseon was about to say something else,
Kwaaaang—!!!!
A deafening explosion rang out.
Jeon Yuseon lifted his head. It was Jin Yeonhui’s lightning. It had swept through the space where Lee Jinwoo had been standing.
The shock made the air itself shudder.
Is it over…?
At that level, surely it had to be over.
Fwoosh—!!!
Lee Jinwoo burst out through the smoke.
Sword in hand, he rushed forward at blinding speed.
For an ordinary person it would have been absurdly fast, but as a superhuman, it was barely impressive.
Jin Yeonhui swung her sword.
At the tip of that light, moving with casual ease—
Kwaaaang—!!!
Lightning poured out again.
It was enough to make anyone flinch. When Jeon Yuseon was certain this was truly the end,
Lee Jinwoo moved.
Slash—!!
“Huh?”
Jeon Yuseon let out a dumbstruck sound.
What?
He split the lightning?
Lee Jinwoo’s sword sliced through Jin Yeonhui’s lightning.
And not just once.
Slash! Slash-slash—!!
Using his heavy build as leverage, he moved this way and that, continuously cutting apart the bolts of lightning.
The lightning was being shredded like it was made of paper.
“What in the…?”
Jeon Yuseon’s shock was only natural. And the one firing the lightning, Jin Yeonhui, changed expression too.
Surprise entered her face.
Watching that, Hale Irene said, “...I told you he was interesting.”
“...”
Jeon Yuseon had nothing to say.
Then Jin Yeonhui moved. She began advancing with her sword in hand.
Since he had split her lightning, it seemed she’d decided to come at him directly.
Then...
Wouldn’t this really be the end? Jin Yeonhui’s defining trait was her incredible speed.
No matter how strong Lee Jinwoo was for an A-class—
This time, for real.
It should be over.
Just as he thought that,
Whoosh! Jin Yeonhui moved. It was a speed so fast it was hard to track. She appeared directly in front of Lee Jinwoo and slashed down—
Clang!
“...!”
Jin Yeonhui’s sword was knocked away. Lee Jinwoo had deflected it.
Jeon Yuseon stared in sheer astonishment.
“Oh. Hahaha.”
Hale Irene burst into laughter. It was the first truly hearty laugh he had ever heard from her.
“That’s amazing...”
“...What do you mean?”
At her words, Jeon Yuseon asked.
“That person usually... watches things.”
“What things...?”
“Videos.”
“Videos?”
“...The videos of newly selected comrades... or their information...”
Hale Irene’s eyes went to Jin Yeonhui.
“He keeps... watching them...”
“You mean videos of his fellow knights?”
“Yes.”
“...”
What was that supposed to mean? He had been watching videos of his fellow members over and over?
And he could use that here?
Was she saying that…
...He memorized Jin Yeonhui’s movements?
If so—
...That would be a level of genius beyond genius.
Was something like that even possible?
Jeon Yuseon’s eyes trembled.
* * *
Of course, something like that shouldn’t have been possible. Contrary to Jeon Yuseon’s belief, the situation I was in was very different.
Just because I had watched a video didn’t mean I could completely block Jin Yeonhui’s attacks or read them perfectly.
That wasn’t what was happening right now.
The Hero's Super-sensory has been activated.
The Phantom Image of Korka has manifested, showing the path traveled by the spirits.
I could see it.
I could simply see it.
Left.
I turned my head.
Rumble—! Lightning struck to my left.
…And then.
At the same time, something fell in front of me. A translucent human figure. It was thrusting a sword at me.
Seeing that, I moved my blade.
Clang—!!
To my surprise, Jin Yeonhui’s sword moved as if it were aligned with that translucent shape.
Heh.
The corner of my mouth lifted in fascination.
My senses were razor-sharp.
They were telling me where the strike would come from, how it would come, and what I had to do to answer it.
For example—
If I cut here...
Slash—!
I could split the lightning.
The Hero's Super-sensory has been activated.
The Phantom Image of Korka has—
I could see Jin Yeonhui’s movements.
Heat rose through my body.
The heavy Heavenly Demon Divine Sword sliced through the air.
The speed was slow. But—
I knew the answer.
All I had to do was cut there.
Slash—!!
It shot upward. Jin Yeonhui’s sword was knocked away as she was launched into the air.
An opening?
Ah.
Seeing it, my waist twisted by instinct.
Nobody told me what to do.
No—
Is the sword telling me?
The Heavenly Demon Divine Sword in my hand wrote the answer across the page.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Sword has been activated.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art has manifested.
The duration is 15 seconds.
I slammed my foot down hard. The ground cracked beneath me.
A navy flame wrapped around the sword in my hand.
“...Ugh.”
Jin Yeonhui grimaced and unleashed her force.
Rumble—! A different kind of energy churned through the air than before.
The heavy blade tore through the air.
Kwaaaaaaa—!!!
The single strike carved apart the golden barrier.
A barrier that supposedly couldn’t be broken unless the attacker was at least SS-class collapsed far too easily.
“Huh.”
“...Wh—what...?”
Everyone watching was thrown into stunned disbelief.
...
The strike that had been cut sideways left a slash wound at Jin Yeonhui’s side. At the same time, the sword she had been holding split in two.
Fsssh.
As the lightning sword disappeared completely behind her,
“The match is over.”
Hale Irene said calmly.
Lee Jinwoo’s victory.
An unprecedented event had just taken place: an A-class superhuman had defeated an S-class superhuman.