Chapter 75
Chapter 75
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Han Gye-wol's Weakness (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Han Gye-wol had talent. Talent far superior to others. And she put in the effort, too—twice as much as anyone else. When someone with such gifts spared no effort in honing them, it was only natural that no one could even touch her.
That was to be expected.
But the world wasn't a place where only the expected happened.
Greenhouse Academy was teeming with geniuses like Han Gye-wol. Everyone there had talents that surpassed the norm, and everyone trained harder than most. Yet even among them, Han Gye-wol stood unrivaled. Her gifts outshone even the other prodigies, and her dedication matched them.
And so, she reigned supreme. Han Gye-wol truly became the top student among the first-years at Greenhouse Academy.
She was meant to.
If not for the protagonist, whose existence defied talent and effort alike with sheer irrationality.
Though she had entered as rank one, Ryu Tae-hyun quickly pushed Han Gye-wol down to second. She tried everything to surpass him, but as time passed, the gap only seemed to widen. She trained harder, refined her skills more intensely, yet the distance refused to shrink.
It was irrational.
But Han Gye-wol had no one to complain to about that irrationality. After all, others would see her own existence as equally unreasonable.
Han Gye-wol was still above all others, but now below one. Everyone looked up to her—except Ryu Tae-hyun, who gazed down. She ignored the losers scattered around her, her fierce gaze fixed solely on the throne where Ryu Tae-hyun sat.
She wanted to win.
To beat him, she would do anything. But not through cowardly tricks. She wanted to surpass him head-on, with her own talent, her own effort, her own skill—everything she had. Her spar with Ahn Su-ho was part of that.
Ahn Su-ho.
At first, she thought he was just another unremarkable security guard. But in just the past month, his name had spread by word of mouth among the students until everyone knew it.
Some said he was a retired hunter from a famous guild. Others claimed he was the academy security force's secret weapon. Han Gye-wol didn't buy into such rumors.
'Su-ho hyung? He's strong. Probably about on par with me if we fought.'
But she trusted the words of the one man she acknowledged. Ryu Tae-hyun had said Ahn Su-ho possessed strength on par with his own.
Then she would use that strength. His fighting style was close-quarters combat, much like Ryu Tae-hyun's, and his superpower—smoke veil—was a perfect counter to her ignition ability. Even if he fell short of Ryu Tae-hyun, he'd make an excellent training partner. That's what she thought.
"Let's get started, then. We can test each other's skills. Should I go first? Or you?"
"I'll attack first."
She would use the man before her as a stepping stone and finally surpass Ryu Tae-hyun this time.
The moment that thought crossed her mind, red and blue light erupted from Ahn Su-ho's body.
'He's coming!'
-Bang!
Ahn Su-ho kicked off the ground with all his might. He consumed one stack of Morning Star's Whisper for double acceleration. Han Gye-wol swallowed hard at his form closing the distance in an instant.
'Fast, sure. But...'
It was quick, but nothing compared to Ryu Tae-hyun. She reacted easily, her hand spewing hot flames.
-Roar!
Ahn Su-ho dodged the surging flames sideways. But Han Gye-wol's fire pursued him relentlessly. She wasn't skilled enough to precisely control flames after launching them, so she compensated by unleashing a barrage of them.
Dozens of fireballs opened their maws and swallowed Ahn Su-ho whole.
-Boom!!
An explosion. Followed by thick, black smoke billowing everywhere.
Han Gye-wol flashed a satisfied smile as Ahn Su-ho emerged from the smoke veil.
"If you couldn't even block that much, I'd be disappointed!"
Ahn Su-ho had detonated his smoke screen at full power to repel her flames. Since fire had no solid form, that alone twisted their trajectory. Some flames and heat reached him, but the Frost Spirit's Emblem allowed him to encase his body in ice for protection.
'Just hit him harder, and that flimsy smoke won't matter!'
She figured one overwhelming strike would shatter his meager defenses. In an instant, flames surged skyward from her right hand, compressing rapidly around it.
'She's revving up now.'
Seeing the change, Ahn Su-ho began unleashing his full power. His talisman glowed brightly.
-Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dark smoke orbs shot from Ahn Su-ho's hand—high-density clusters nearly liquid in form. They hurtled toward Han Gye-wol at subsonic speeds.
-Roar!
But a casual wave of Han Gye-wol's hand summoned a wall of fire that effortlessly stopped the smoke projectiles. Just as Ahn Su-ho's smoke blocked her flames with ease, her fire repelled his smoke just as readily. Fire couldn't burn smoke, and smoke couldn't pierce fire. On paper, their abilities perfectly countered each other.
But both knew that raw power rendered such properties irrelevant.
-Roar!
"Hup!"
Finally, the compressed flames in Han Gye-wol's right hand were unleashed. Ahn Su-ho countered the wave of fire filling his vision with his own maximum smoke screen.
-Boom!!
Clash. And a momentary stalemate.
"Tch."
Ahn Su-ho leaped back with all his strength as massive jaws of flame tore through his smoke screen. The flames devoured the ground where he had stood.
"Urk!"
Caught in the aftermath, Ahn Su-ho groaned in pain. He cooled his heat-blistered skin with the spirit's power, but the lingering agony remained.
"Looks like my firepower's superior."
"Well, yeah..."
Ahn Su-ho clicked his tongue at Han Gye-wol's smug taunt. As she said, she held the edge in raw power. His last strike hadn't been his all-out effort, but neither had hers. Even at full strength, the result would be the same.
'No surprise there. I was never going to outgun Han Gye-wol in a firepower contest.'
His superiority lay elsewhere. Having grasped her combat pattern, Ahn Su-ho lowered his stance deeply.
"Your physical abilities and superpower are just average. Ryu Tae-hyun really overhypes you. What part of you is on his level...?"
"I agree. But..."
The glow from the Morning Star's Whisper on Ahn Su-ho's wrist intensified suddenly.
"From now on, if you don't stay sharp, you're gonna get hurt."
"Huh?"
The moment she questioned him...
-Boom!
A massive boom rang in Han Gye-wol's ears. By the time she realized it was Ahn Su-ho kicking off the ground, he was already deep in her guard.
"Wha?"
A speed incomparable to before—roughly quadruple, by the numbers.
Han Gye-wol let out a small gasp at Ahn Su-ho's movement, having released all stacks of Morning Star's Whisper at once.
"Hup!"
The next instant, a full-force punch slammed into her solar plexus.
"Guhk?!"
Han Gye-wol's body folded in a V. Ahn Su-ho's merciless combo rained down. She quickly regained her balance, dodging and deflecting his strikes.
Though Han Gye-wol favored superpower-based combat, her physical prowess and reflexes were no slouch. To even fight 'that' Ryu Tae-hyun meant she had some melee competency.
-Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Urgh!"
But countering Ahn Su-ho's all-out barrage was beyond her. Pure speed-wise, he now outpaced Ryu Tae-hyun from the ranking matches. Han Gye-wol fought valiantly, but took effective hits every third strike.
'Can't keep this up. Need distance—!'
-Roar!
As Han Gye-wol swept her arm across the ground, a crimson wall of fire erupted along its path. Ahn Su-ho marveled at the rapidly expanding barrier.
'Even a hasty shot like that packs this much punch. Her firepower's already beyond student level.'
Among ignition users, she'd rank in the domestic top three for output alone. With thin ice coating his skin against the searing heat, he circled wide around the flame wall.
The moment he fully bypassed it...
-Boom!
Crimson flames erupted on his path.
-Bang! Bang! Boom! Boom! Booom!
Han Gye-wol, who had waited for him to emerge, unleashed a volley. But matching Ahn Su-ho at 8x acceleration was futile. Without varied trajectories or feints, her flames followed straight lines.
'Now's the time!'
Easily evading, Ahn Su-ho kicked off, blanketing the area in smoke. Han Gye-wol's vision went pitch black.
"This cheap trick!"
Her flames immediately repelled the smoke. But Ahn Su-ho was already in close range. To block his approach and create distance, she aimed another blast at him.
-Bang!
"Kuh?!"
Ahn Su-ho's smoke projectile struck first, deflecting her arm. The impact was minor, but it threw off her aim, sending flames astray. Han Gye-wol bit her lip and retreated, gathering fire again.
-Bang!
"Urk!"
Again, his smoke half a beat faster deflected her arm. Her flames streaked harmlessly into empty air.
Han Gye-wol tried firing repeatedly while backing away, but Ahn Su-ho's interference foiled her each time. He precisely targeted only her arms, toying with her—like flaunting his superior control.
Soon, she caught on to his intent. Fury rising, she bit her lip and forced a blaze around her.
-Roar!
Flames erupted around Han Gye-wol. Ahn Su-ho retreated, minimizing damage with the frost spirit, and smacked his lips in disappointment.
"Hah. Hah. Hah."
Finally gaining distance, Han Gye-wol panted heavily. It wasn't stamina—it was mental strain. She preferred keeping foes at bay with overwhelming firepower. Ahn Su-ho's repeated breaches shattered that, piling on pressure.
She felt an odd familiarity from him. A familiar pressure, a familiar annoyance.
Yes—like Ryu Tae-hyun, relentlessly closing in despite her barrages, forcing melee.
A bitter smile curled Han Gye-wol's lips.
"...Now I get what Ryu Tae-hyun meant. You're not as strong as him, but just as annoying."
Objectively, Ryu Tae-hyun was far superior. Ahn Su-ho briefly led in speed, but Ryu Tae-hyun at full throttle would overtake him. Excluding speed, Ahn Su-ho couldn't touch Ryu Tae-hyun's heels in physical stats or combat sense.
Yet unlike Ryu Tae-hyun's brute charges, Ahn Su-ho exploited his smoke perfectly, tormenting her. Despite being weaker, he evoked the same frustration and pressure as fighting Ryu Tae-hyun.
"...But annoying is all you are. Even being generous, you're nowhere near his level."
"Big talk for someone getting toyed with."
"Just stating facts."
-Fwoosh!
Flames ignited in Han Gye-wol's hands, surging fiercely before compressing into her grasp.
"If you don't like it, try taking this head-on like he would."
A blatant provocation. Ahn Su-ho shrugged and accepted. Normally, he'd interrupt before she finished charging, but instead, he lowered into stance opposite her, gathering smoke.
Both emission-types, their abilities shared traits—like limits on instant bursts, requiring compression for greater power.
Han Gye-wol instantly grasped his intent. Him gathering smoke as she did flames meant one thing.
A head-on clash.
A smirk played on her lips. She scoffed at his absurd choice.
"...Unexpected. Didn't think you'd fall for such obvious bait."
"I took it on purpose. This isn't life-or-death—it's a spar for your benefit, Han Gye-wol."
"What?"
"When you lose, better to try everything first so you don't regret it, right?"
"Ha."
His condescending tone crumpled her brow. The flames in her hands shifted from red to blue.
She was charging her maximum output. The scorching wave from the double dungeon, rivaling a dragon's breath. Ahn Su-ho had clocked it early.
He should have disrupted her mid-charge. Choosing a frontal clash was purely to crush her utterly.
'Types like Han Gye-wol learn more from failure than steady practice. Ryu Tae-hyun figured she'd watch me fight and fix her flaws herself, but that prideful girl? No way.'
Wrapped in ego, she'd never learn from others. To change that, shatter her pride with defeat first.
Her ego, already crumbling from repeated losses to Ryu Tae-hyun. This loss would demolish it, forcing self-reflection.
-Keeeeen!
Finally, a brilliant blue orb formed in Han Gye-wol's hand—an ultra-high-heat energy mass from maximally compressed flames.
Its energy dwarfed what Ahn Su-ho's max black smoke could counter. Even overtaxing his talismans, he'd barely deflect it.
"..."
Realizing the obvious, Han Gye-wol hesitated, orb in hand. She'd made it in anger, but feared irreversible harm.
"What're you waiting for? Fire."
Ahn Su-ho dangled his right hand, glowing blue, as if unthreatened.
"You'll survive somehow. Hurry up."
"...Don't blame me—you asked for it."
With that, Han Gye-wol unleashed the orb.
-Thwooom!!!!!!!
The decompressed energy exploded massively. Blue flames spread like a tsunami, sweeping the field. Han Gye-wol squeezed her eyes shut against the intense flash and scorching wind.
Just before release, she'd angled it sideways, doubting he'd tank it head-on. Still, it incinerated everything ahead.
'I veered it, so he shouldn't be dead.'
She thought. With his smoke, mysterious ice, and enhanced defensive coat, he'd survive.
Badly injured, maybe—so call medics soon.
With that in mind, Han Gye-wol cautiously opened her eyes.
That instant.
"Rider Kick!"
"Kehk?!"
Ahn Su-ho's sudden kick to her chest sent her tumbling across the ground.
"C-Cough?!"
"Told you—I'd survive just fine."
Ahn Su-ho smirked at her stunned expression from the blunt impact. Han Gye-wol stared up in disbelief from the dirt.
'...How?'
Deep bewilderment flashed in her eyes.
Did he tank her ultimate head-on? Yet Ahn Su-ho grinned down unscathed—no burns, not even a singe. How could he emerge pristine after blocking that? Her confusion deepened.
"H-How'd you survive? Unscathed? No, your wounds? Why aren't there any?"
Words tangled in shock. Too flustered to stand, she stared as Ahn Su-ho grinned.
"I'll explain later. For now, call this first spar my win."
"Huh? Oh... yeah..."
She nodded blankly.
Thus ended Ahn Su-ho and Han Gye-wol's first spar—with her defeat.
But her mind swirled not with frustration, but profound confusion.