Chapter 101
Chapter 101
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: 1-on-1 Duel (7)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Kuh."
Nam Da-eun attacked me as if this were her last chance.
The reason she was putting on such a desperate act was to lure me into dropping my guard.
It was her final struggle, planting the idea that blocking this would mean victory, all to bait me into double-casting.
Ziiing-
The mana pouring from Nam Da-eun's body enveloped my surroundings. My body grew heavy. It felt like the air in the training hall had gained weight, pressing down on me.
'She can even do something like this?'
At this level, there was virtually no difference between her and the Nam Da-eun from a year in the future.
How much power had she been hiding, exactly?
As my body grew heavier, blocking Nam Da-eun's onslaught became increasingly difficult.
But as long as the purple blade signaling her preparation for Space Slash remained active, I had to reserve one double-cast for Cotton Guard to block it.
I parried a slash aimed at my thigh and summoned a fireball for a check.
'This isn't working.'
Even with Clairvoyance letting me predict all of Nam Da-eun's attack paths, the speed and power were still making it hard to defend.
Kwabang!
So far, I could still counter her attacks with Cotton Guard, but Nam Da-eun's speed was accelerating while mine slowed.
At this rate, I'd lose before she even unleashed Space Slash.
I decided to go all-in.
The reason Nam Da-eun wasn't using Space Slash was to deploy it at the perfect moment.
It was a skill she hadn't revealed to anyone yet, so she had no idea that I knew about it.
That was the angle I had to exploit.
The flow of the match favored me on the surface, but from Nam Da-eun's perspective, her mana consumption made her want to end it quickly too.
So, if I deliberately gave her an opening for Space Slash, I could draw out her attack.
Space Slash could strike anywhere within the space dominated by her mana.
But what about inside a Rune Barrier?
Among existing barrier magics, the Rune Barrier was the most powerful.
It completely severed connections to the outside, so it should cut off Nam Da-eun's [Space Domination] as well.
"Kuh!"
A sword slipped through a gap in my Cotton Guard, grazing my arm and drawing blood.
Even with Acceleration active, being inside Nam Da-eun's space left me short on speed.
I pulled back distance and activated Rune Barrier.
The barrier expanded from my body as its center, filling half the training hall.
"Let's end this...!"
With the Rune Barrier reliably blocking off the space around me, the suffocating pressure vanished.
Realizing she'd been completely freed from Nam Da-eun's [Space Domination], she shouted in frustration and began casting.
Flames balls and flame spears materialized in her hands. Double-casting.
Nam Da-eun, standing opposite me, smirked.
"This ends it!"
She seemed convinced I'd run out of leeway.
The purple glow of her sword shone brilliantly as she slowly slashed through empty air. Normally, a space-transcending strike would bisect my body and end the match.
But my body wasn't cut.
"Huh?"
A flash erupted right in front of Nam Da-eun's eyes as she blurted out her confusion.
She might have dodged it otherwise, but I'd timed it for her moment of fluster, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut reflexively.
"Kuhk!"
She quickly regained her senses and shielded her body and head with both hands, but there was no way I'd miss.
Flame spears slipped through the gaps, piercing her body.
Having failed to defend properly and taking my magic head-on, her wounds would be severe.
All I needed to do now was finish her off.
Even with her tattered body, Nam Da-eun raised her sword, but her eyes held resignation.
★ Heroine Status Window ★ ❤️ Name: Nam Da-eun 💖 Favorability: 31 🔥 Lust: 20 🍽️ Appetite: 30 😴 Fatigue: 33 Current Status:
It hurts, but I have to win. I must win no matter what. If I lose... I'll have to kill them all and then myself.
"..."
My head, heated from the thrill of battle heightened by Combat Sense, cooled a bit.
Could I help Nam Da-eun right now?
Of course, if I mobilized all my connections, it might be possible.
Im Sol, Baek A-young, Moon Soo-rin, even Ellis.
With so many capable women around, if they lent a hand, it could work.
But asking heroines for help to conquer another heroine... no matter how I thought about it, that didn't sit right.
Sure, I'd planned to use the Iris Guild Master request voucher from Ellis on Nam Da-eun, but that wasn't direct assistance.
Given my current growth rate, I could save her in half a year.
Both in skill and standing. Trying to rescue her now would require begging others for help, but by then, I wouldn't need to.
So, stepping back one move here was the right call.
Honestly, I also wanted to give the rude Nam Da-eun a proper schooling... but she was pitiful too. Conquering heroines came first anyway.
I gazed at Nam Da-eun, who held her sword braced for my attack, then canceled the magic circle I was drawing and clutched my chest, dropping to one knee.
"Gahhh!"
I couldn't forfeit outright... so pretending my mana was depleted was the only option.
All she had to do now was seize the chance and cut me down... but Nam Da-eun just stood there, staring.
'Come on, what are you doing! Get over here and slash me!'
★ Heroine Status Window ★ ❤️ Name: Nam Da-eun 💖 Favorability: 31 🔥 Lust: 20 🍽️ Appetite: 30 😴 Fatigue: 33 Current Status:
Mana depletion without any warning...? Did he do that on purpose for me...? Surrender. I have to call for surrender. But if I do, Da-hee...
My acting might have been too sudden; Nam Da-eun seemed to have caught on.
But her feelings for her sister overrode everything. I'd thought even if she noticed, she'd hesitate and cut me down without mercy... but no. Her image management had backfired.
At that moment, Ellis suddenly rushed down from the stands to the edge of the training hall and started causing a commotion below.
"R-Referee! Cadet Lee Ho-yeon's in bad shape! Stop the match now!"
Seeing Ellis's panicked expression left me even more flustered.
'Why are you suddenly doing this?'
The referee looked troubled by Ellis's sudden appearance at the field's edge and called for a staff member.
Nam Da-eun still showed no intent to strike, standing there with trembling pupils, lost in thought.
"Referee!!! Stop the match!!! If he dies, it's on you!!!"
Down below, Ellis was making more of a fuss than I was.
"Cadet Lee Ho-yeon, if there's any issue with continuing the match, let us know so we can take action."
The referee finally asked me directly.
I had no idea. I hadn't planned to forfeit, but with Ellis stepping in like that, it was fine.
"I-I forfeit."
For full method acting, I closed my eyes and sprawled out flat.
"Emergency patient! Emergency patient! Call an ambulance!"
'...Is this right?'
I was carried out of the training hall on a stretcher.
Wherever this ambulance thing took me... it was the infirmary.
"You're back again. A-young."
"...No injuries at all, so why'd they bring you in on a stretcher?"
Baek A-young, who had rushed out at the emergency patient call, tilted her head.
She must have been even more shocked to see it was me on the stretcher.
"...Sorry."
★ Heroine Status Window ★ ❤️ Name: Baek A-young 💖 Favorability: 87 (+0.4) 🔥 Lust: 73 🍽️ Appetite: 30 😴 Fatigue: 35 Current Status:
C-Could he be here to see me...?
'If I came to see you, why would I be on a stretcher, you idiot...'
This woman's thought process was still beyond me.
*
After Lee Ho-yeon was carried out on a stretcher, the finals concluded.
With Lee Ho-yeon's mana depletion, Nam Da-eun claimed victory.
But Nam Da-eun felt no joy at all.
'He threw the match for me.'
She'd known his acting was terrible ever since he bought her that drink.
She still didn't understand why her Space Slash had been blocked, but his attacks targeting that moment showed he knew it had failed.
The critical damage she'd taken then had essentially ended the match. She'd only forced herself to stand and grip her sword.
Unlike Nam Da-eun, who had been on the verge of collapse, Lee Ho-yeon's momentum was unbroken. There was no reason for sudden mana depletion in that state.
'I should have lost... He must have wanted first place too... but for my sake...'
What overconfidence had led him to think he could let her take second? In the end, she'd stolen first from him.
He'd forfeited because his resolve weakened after overhearing her call with her little sister before the match.
"Haa... I'm trash."
It was practically like selling out her sister for first place.
Still, the outcome was fortunate in the end.
Thanks to Lee Ho-yeon, she'd gotten first.
He'd saved both her life and her sister's.
'I have to repay this someday.'
Nam Da-eun felt grateful to Lee Ho-yeon for handing her first place and vowed to repay him next time.
*
The day after the practical exam ended. Victoria Academy conference room.
All the first-year professors had gathered, each staring at a holographic monitor before them.
"With the 1-on-1 duels done, let's tally the scores."
Practical exam grading was done collectively by all professors.
For fairness and maximum objectivity.
"Nam Da-eun won the 1-on-1 duels, so she'll take first overall, right?"
"Yeah, the duels carry so much weight. No duel winner has ever missed out on practical first before."
"Hmm... Everyone, take a look at this data for a moment."
Mid-discussion about Nam Da-eun, one female professor displayed material on her monitor.
It detailed Nam Da-eun's attitude in the group exam.
"Ah... She still hasn't fixed it from midterms. She was called out during the last dungeon practice too."
"Right. Zero communication or teamwork with her group."
"On the contrary, Lee Ho-yeon from the same group seems like the core player. Similar combat power to Nam Da-eun, but he steps back to support the team first. His situational awareness is overwhelming."
"Isn't that exactly the kind of talent they want in dungeon practice?"
Lee Ho-yeon was already a finished product.
Cadets often got carried away by their own power and ignored surroundings, but Lee Ho-yeon showed no such arrogance.
Instead, his ability to piece together clues, find paths, and predict boss monsters was pro hunter-level.
"He set a new record in live monster training too. 10th stage in 9 seconds is unprecedented."
"How strong is his mentality to shake off the nightmare from 'Hamell's Nightmare Dungeon' in just 9 seconds? It's unreal."
"Maybe a mentality-related skill. Either way, Lee Ho-yeon's scores will be solid."
The female professor tallied Lee Ho-yeon's scores and entered the total into the holographic monitor.
"Huh? Hold on. Even including the duels... Lee Ho-yeon's score is slightly higher?"
The duels had heavy weight, but Lee Ho-yeon had taken second in them.
Plus, Nam Da-eun had trailed him in the other two exams, flipping the total.
"Tough break for Nam Da-eun. First in duels but second overall."
One professor shook his head.
"Her deductions from the dungeon practice were huge; no helping it."
"Third-place Ellis is way behind, but first and second are separated by a razor-thin margin."
"Lee Ho-yeon takes first in this practical exam, then. Announce results after all exams end?"
"Yeah, after next week's tests."
'No need for me to step in.'
Im Sol, watching from among the professors, felt relieved that Lee Ho-yeon had secured first without her intervention.