Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Storm's Golden Sun (15)
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Ryu Jia enjoyed sparring with Yang Woo-bin.
To be precise, she enjoyed taking hits from his fists during those spars.
Saying it like that might make her sound like some hopeless pervert, but there was a good reason for it.
Ryu Jia was just too strong, and there wasn't a single cadet at Dabcheon Academy across all grades who could pierce the aura cloaking her body.
She would simply tank every attack, close the distance step by step, and land a punch to win.
Every spar she'd had at Dabcheon had ended that way.
Raised under the Ryu family's creed that 'strength is the measure of a person's worth,' the weak were no more than roadside pebbles to her—nothing more, nothing less.
Of course, she had at least the bare minimum of social graces, so she wasn't callous enough to look down on or bully anyone because of that worldview.
Instead, she had a long history of causing trouble by acting however she pleased, heedless of others' stares.
But no matter how much chaos she stirred up, Ryu Jia remained Dabcheon's strongest cadet, and there was no one who could punish her.
All those roadside pebbles could do was tremble at the sight of her, like some natural disaster passing by.
That was the gulf between Ryu Jia and Dabcheon's cadets.
Then Jin Se-jeong appeared—a cadet who could pierce her aura—and not long after, her adorable, incredibly capable junior Yang Woo-bin gained the strength to do the same.
In Ryu Jia's world, where she was the only real human and everyone else mere pebbles, two equals had suddenly emerged.
It was a joyous revelation for her, and she began to regard those two who could breach her aura as special.
Of course, that alone wasn't why she took pleasure in getting hit by Yang Woo-bin.
The real reason was the exhilarating thrill of that heavy impact every time his fist connected.
It was a sensation utterly different from the cuts from Jin Se-jeong's sword or the deep gashes on her arms—a chilling shiver down her spine, a deep throb in her lower belly, lips instinctively pressing tight in dizzying ecstasy.
Ryu Jia concluded that meeting a superhuman on her level sparked joy, amplified by the unfamiliar shock of his blows, birthing this perverse sensation.
And so, Ryu Jia became addicted to the electric thrill she felt each time she took a hit from Yang Woo-bin in their spars.
Yang Woo-bin had nothing to do with it; she'd trained herself into it, becoming hopelessly hooked on his punches.
And today, she'd heard there would be no more spars with him.
※
"Squad leader, dinner's ready. It's crab fried rice, your favorite. Finals are tomorrow, so eat up and stay strong."
"......"
Normally, Ryu Jia would have snatched the bowl from Yang Woo-bin's hands before he even set it on the table, devouring it in a flash. But now, even with the steaming hot crab fried rice right in front of her, she just stared blankly.
She'd taken such a massive shock that her appetite had utterly vanished.
"Squad leader, you not eating?"
"Huh? No, I am. I'll eat."
Even without an appetite, Yang Woo-bin's cooking was practically a work of art, so Ryu Jia mechanically scooped it up.
Once dinner was done and the dishes washed, it was time to part ways, as always.
"Squad leader, thanks for sparring with me all this time."
Yang Woo-bin peeled off his rubber gloves and untied his apron as he thanked Ryu Jia for putting up with his stubborn requests throughout.
"We'll meet in the finals—that'll be our last fight, right? Every time I hit you up until now, it really hurt my heart. Once finals are over, no more of that... what a relief......"
"W-Wait a sec!"
His words brimmed with genuine relief, snapping Ryu Jia out of her daze as she desperately clung to her fraying sanity and cut him off.
"Hm? What's up?"
"N-No, I mean... Sparring doesn't have to end, right? It's good for your growth, and I like going at it with you, the newbie......"
She couldn't accept hearing from his mouth that they wouldn't fight anymore.
"Nah. No one lives just sparring. And I just said I hate hitting you."
"W-Well......"
His repeated declarations of 'I won't hit you anymore' made her feel like the world was crumbling.
But she couldn't very well say, 'Come on, hit me! Please hit me! Pound my gut, solar plexus, ribs, and cheeks with those big fists of yours!'
Uttering something so bizarre to someone who clearly didn't want to would only make his fondness for her plummet.
"Ugh......"
In the end, all Ryu Jia could do was hang her head and groan with packed resentment.
She'd always gotten whatever she wanted through overwhelming strength, but this was something force couldn't claim, leaving her utterly powerless.
"Hooo......"
"Heh."
Watching her shoulders slump in the first true helplessness she'd ever felt, sighing weakly over and over, Yang Woo-bin let out a wry chuckle.
Then he wrapped his large hands around her hunched shoulders and spoke, as if resigned.
"Squad leader, you really want to fight me that badly?"
"Huh? Y-Yeah! I do!"
"Then here's the deal. I really hate fighting you, but you want it so much. So in the finals, we'll have the perfect showdown—one with no regrets left behind."
"......What's that different from what you said earlier?"
His words, offered like a concession, sounded no different from his earlier 'Finals will be our last fight.'
As Ryu Jia tilted her head, he grinned and continued.
"It's different. The moment finals start, we'll signal each other to know where we are. The venue's huge, so we might not find each other right away, but if we keep signaling, we'll meet quick enough."
"......You're right."
"We'll meet in top condition and have a proper go at it. I'll thrash you so thoroughly you won't feel a shred of regret. How's that?"
"T-Thrash? Real good......?"
The thought of taking a thorough beating to her gut, solar plexus, ribs, and cheeks from his big, thick, rock-hard fists.
Just moments ago, the world had felt like it was ending; now Ryu Jia's heart raced again.
She'd compromised in her mind: no more spars ahead, so at least make their final fight count.
Anyone who knew Ryu Jia would gape at her making a compromise, but only she and Yang Woo-bin were there.
"A-Ahem! Fine, it's a deal. But if you get hit and go down before fighting me... penalty. You'll spar with me after finals too. Got it?"
Having settled her inner compromise, Ryu Jia looked him straight in the eye and said.
Yang Woo-bin lifted the corner of his mouth in a smile.
"Yeah, promise."
"......Heh."
Her mood, soured by his words, brightened again thanks to them.
It was a situation where he'd completely seized control.
The old Ryu Jia would have pulled rank as senior and squad leader to rein in her junior newbie, but not now.
Surprisingly, being led around by him didn't feel bad at all.
"Alright, see you later, squad leader. Rest well."
"Yeah! See you at finals! Sleep tight!"
Having promised a proper fight at finals, she bid him farewell with a heart light as air.
For two whose next meeting meant trading blows, it was an awfully warm goodbye, but no one was there to nitpick.
"Phew...... Can't wait."
Parting from Yang Woo-bin, Ryu Jia returned to her dorm, washed up, flopped into bed, and closed her eyes.
To fight their best in peak condition, as promised.
"Gonna beg him for a no-guard slugfest at finals. Heh heh."
Imagining his big, thick, hard fists making her skin tingle and burn, she drifted off to sleep.