Chapter 98
Chapter 98
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: One-on-One Duel (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
My match had just ended, and the next one was Lucy's turn.
Since I'd been worried about her match against Ellis, I figured I should go check on her.
I headed to the players' waiting area where Lucy was hanging out.
"Oh? Lee Ho-yeon! I watched your match—it was awesome!"
"Thanks. Came to cheer you on. Give it your all."
Of course, even as I said that, I knew it would be tough for Lucy to win.
Ellis was a cheat character on par with Nam Da-eun once her mana blockage was fixed.
Especially her magic swordsman talent, which gave her a versatile fighting style that was perfect for one-on-one battles.
Still, I couldn't let it show in front of Lucy. I had to cheer her on.
"Thanks. I'll do my best!"
"Yeah. Looks like it's about to start. I'll head back to the waiting room. Let's grab lunch together later."
"Sure thing~!"
★ Heroine Status ★ [Lucy] Favorability: 88 Lust: 40 Appetite: 30 Fatigue: 35 Current Status: Even if I lose this time, I have to do better next time...! Good thing her mentality won't take a hit even if she loses.
It was bittersweet, but Lucy seemed aware of the gap between them.
I saw her off with a smile right up to the end.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "I figured as much, but it's still disappointing..."
The match ended with Lucy's defeat, unfortunately.
Her performance itself was solid, though.
She showed off her overwhelming firepower perfectly.
Ellis just handled it too well. Lucy did amazingly, so her score should be great.
Nam Da-eun's match after that was a total domination, as expected.
She sliced her opponent in three seconds flat right at the start—they probably didn't even know what hit them.
⚙ ANNOUNCEMENT ⚙ [Match over! Winner: A-Class cadet Nam Da-eun! To ensure rest time for the players and lunch, we'll take a break until 1:30. Spectators, please enjoy your lunch and return to your seats by 1:30. Thank you!] With Nam Da-eun's match wrapped up, the semifinals were set: Lee Ho-yeon vs. Kim Young-han, and Ellis vs. Nam Da-eun.
We'd planned to have lunch together, so I messaged Lucy and headed to her waiting room.
"Lucy. It's me."
"Come on in!"
I opened the door to find Lumi sitting there too.
"Oh, Lumi's here too?"
She must've been waiting with her since I invited them for lunch.
"Ho-yeon, you were so cool out there."
"Thanks."
"Lumi, you didn't say I was cool. Are you ignoring me 'cause I lost?"
Lucy clung to Lumi, throwing a little tantrum.
"Ho-yeon waved to me from the arena... but you didn't wave to me."
"Ah... sorry. I forgot."
Those little details really matter.
I'd scored image points over something so small.
"Let's go grab lunch. Where to?"
"The student cafeteria will be packed! Let's eat out!"
"I'm fine either way."
We had plenty of time with the lunch break doubling as rest for the finalists.
"Alright. Let's head out then."
It'd be nice to eat outside for a change.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ We had lunch out with the Lucy-Lumi twins and came back.
Lucy wasn't showing it, but she seemed a bit bothered by the loss, so Lumi and I cheered her up as best we could.
We decided to chill in the waiting room together until my match started.
"You have to make it to the finals and avenge me. Got it?"
"Don't worry."
"Ho-yeon can win it all...!"
We chatted with the twins to ease the tension.
Of course, the odds of facing Ellis in the finals were slim, so avenging her might not happen, but whatever.
⚙ ANNOUNCEMENT ⚙ [Semifinals will begin shortly. Spectators, please take your seats.] "Guess it's time. I'll head to the players' area."
"Yeah. Fighting! Win this! We'll be watching hard!"
"Ho-yeon, do your best...!"
"Thanks."
With cheers from Lucy and Lumi, I made my way to the players' waiting area.
Facing Kim Young-han felt kinda weird for some reason.
"Cadet Lee Ho-yeon. Please prepare to enter the arena."
"Yes, sir."
From the semifinals on, every match mattered, so they were going all out to accommodate me and keep my condition optimal.
I followed the polite staff member's guidance up to the arena.
⚙ MATCH START ⚙ [The matchup: A-Class cadet Lee Ho-yeon vs. A-Class cadet Kim Young-han is about to begin!] "Handsome. Hi hi."
Kim Young-han, who'd been waiting, spoke up as soon as I stepped into the arena.
"Why do you keep calling me handsome lately?"
"'Cause my friend Lee Ho-yeon went too far away. I'm bummed about it."
"Whatever. I'm not going easy on you, so get ready."
The finals were coming up—I couldn't afford a dumb mistake like getting complacent and losing.
Time to give it my all.
"Scary..."
Kim Young-han drew his sword with a wry smile, and I channeled my mana.
[5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Begin!]
My Combat Sense surged the moment the signal rang out.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
'What...?'
He was way stronger than expected?
My Combat Sense was warning me that Kim Young-han was far more dangerous than Do Jin-hyuk.
Kim Young-han charged, swinging his signature thorny sword covered in crimson spikes.
'Clairvoyance.'
Clang!
I blocked with Cotton Guard and created distance.
Without Acceleration, his speed was faster than mine.
But with Clairvoyance letting me read his sword's trajectory ahead of time, I could handle it.
Kim Young-han kept closing in relentlessly.
Even when his uniform caught fire from my counterattacks after parrying, he ignored his own body and pressed the assault.
Clang!
I bought time with a fireball and Cotton Guard, pulling away from Kim Young-han.
"Why are you coming at me so viciously?"
"I wanna see your real strength. You haven't used those skills from the Do Jin-hyuk fight yet."
"Not using 'em 'cause the situation hasn't called for it."
Acceleration and Spiral weren't skills I could spam.
With my limited mana, I could only use them once or twice, so I had to time them perfectly.
"Is that so...?"
Kim Young-han raised his sword again.
He was covered in minor cuts already, but he showed no sign of giving up.
'Time to wrap this up.'
As Kim Young-han rushed me again, we traded blows.
I dodged flawlessly, then fired a fireball at him as he retreated.
I couldn't let him widen the gap, or it'd be one-sided in my favor.
But right before the fireball launched, my Combat Sense screamed danger.
It shook harder than when I'd faced two ogres at once, filling me with dread.
I threw myself to the right on instinct.
I couldn't ignore that inexplicable unease.
Krunch!
A brutal sound assaulted my ears as something grazed my cheek.
"Whoa... No one's ever dodged that from the start. You're a real monster."
Kim Young-han stared at me, hand on the ground, mouth agape.
And where I'd stood moments ago, a crimson spike over three meters tall had erupted.
"...What the hell is that?"
My cheek burned.
I wiped it with the back of my hand—red liquid smeared off.
"...Blood?"
Of course, inside the mana field, it wasn't a real wound.
Just a device to simulate pain and build real combat sense.
But it was sharp enough to actually cut me.
That was close.
If I'd reacted even a split second slower, I'd have lost for sure.
My body would've been pierced, triggering the safety protocols.
"My finisher... and it failed."
Kim Young-han muttered, genuinely disappointed.
"...Dude. Save that for the finals. You scared the crap outta me."
"That was the plan. But you're too strong—what can I do? Gotta win semis to reach finals."
Unbelievable.
That spike behind me was no cadet-level power.
I'd never heard of anyone exerting that kind of physical force instantly.
And it bypassed my Clairvoyance and Mana Sensitivity, so it wasn't mana-based—a unique ability, probably. Who hides a trump card like that?
"Sigh. I wanted to win the one-on-one duel as the unexpected rookie Kim Young-han. You ruined it."
"...If it helps, even if you'd made finals without it, you still wouldn't have beaten Nam Da-eun."
In the original story, Nam Da-eun won, so his plan was doomed anyway.
Nam Da-eun's ability: [Space Domination].
The area around her was her domain—she'd see that massive spike coming a mile away.
"Ouch, that stings my pride. Whatever. It's blocked now, so I forfeit. Ref! I forfeit!"
Kim Young-han conceded coolly.
That probably wasn't even his limit—he might've had more left, but maybe he didn't want to reveal more.
⚙ MATCH RESULT ⚙ [Kim Young-han cadet forfeits after failed ambush! Winner: A-Class Lee Ho-yeon! Give him a round of applause!] The mana barrier dissolved, and I approached Kim Young-han, who wore a wry smile.
"Dude, don't be a sore loser."
"Of course not. Gotta stay on handsome's good side for those sweet connections."
Good, he didn't seem fazed at all.
"That match is gonna make things annoying for you too. Heh."
Kim Young-han was pretty good-looking—not quite my level, but close—and now he'd revealed a hidden power. The fangirls would swarm.
"Eh, more job offers to pick from later."
Lies.
Not many knew yet, but Kim Young-han was heir to a major guild.
He'd entered the academy to prove himself without the name, which was the issue.
"Yeah. Good work."
"You too. Since you beat me, win the whole thing."
"Mm, I'll try."
Kim Young-han turned and headed down immediately, while I waved energetically to the crowd on my way out.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Too bad. But that last ambush was killer."
Im Sol, who'd watched Lee Ho-yeon's match, smiled at his victory.
"Right? How'd he dodge that? What are we gonna do with our young master?"
"What?"
"I mean, dodging that? Lee Ho-yeon cadet is impressive. I'll be right back—bathroom break."
Min Ye-ji gathered her things and slipped out of the stands.
She checked her smartwatch and arrived where Kim Young-han waited.
"Young master. Good work. Such a shame. Who knew that ambush would get blocked."
"Yeah... You saw it too, right? Ho-yeon's a monster. Didn't you say you were talking recruitment last time? Any progress?"
Kim Young-han greeted Min Ye-ji with uncharacteristic seriousness.
"Uh... yeah, it's going well. But Lee Ho-yeon doesn't seem interested in guilds. The fact that I even got a response is because it's me—you know that, right?"
"Of course I know your skills. That's why you get paid so well. Anyway, keep pushing. If we snag Ho-yeon, Iron Blood Guild could top Korea."
Kim Young-han kept it quiet externally, but internally, he was already marked as Iron Blood Guild's heir.
He'd planned to reveal it proudly after winning the duel, but that fell through.
"Got it. Naturally. Oh, speaking of, you're pretty tight with Lee Ho-yeon. Laying groundwork for recruitment? Smart~."
If Lee Ho-yeon joined Iron Blood, it'd be great, but that's not why they were friends.
"Nah. Ho-yeon's just a buddy. Fun to watch from the sidelines."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ With my match done, I returned to the waiting room to watch Ellis vs. Nam Da-eun.
The medical team had come by after and fully restored my stamina and mana, of course.
They had to keep me in top shape for the next round.
The moment I cracked open a canned drink from the room's stock, a system window popped up in front of me.
📜 SUB QUEST RECEIVED 📜 [Man of the Top Practical Exam Spot!]
You've already locked in 1st in theory!
Now top the practical too and become a true jack-of-all-trades!
🎁 Reward: +1 Favorability with all heroines
"...Huh?"
A sub quest I absolutely couldn't miss had just appeared.