The Deceptive Ball
During personal training, Mina was about to respond to Seong-gyu’s strangely aggressive remark, but Seok-jun spoke first.
“Even a caveman would probably have better manners than you. If it’s time-type magic you’re so curious about, why don’t you go learn it yourself?”
“Pfft.”
She tried to hide the small burst of laughter with her hand, but Seong-gyu must have heard it—his face flushed bright red.
“Tch… Haa, fine. A mistake is a mistake. I’ll apologize.”
Seong-gyu ground his teeth in clear anger, but he seemed aware he had spoken out of line; he let out a long sigh as if forcing himself to calm down.
“Still, any guy would get bothered watching the woman he likes standing around with another man, wouldn’t he?”
Mina frowned at his words. She remembered he was a former classmate, but she was certain they had never met anywhere else. Their only real encounter had been at the reunion a few days ago.
“I could’ve sworn I heard you were dating Su-ji.”
Thinking back to the previous incident left her feeling more than just flustered—it was downright unpleasant.
“N-no! I don’t know what she told you, but I’ve never dated her! And I had no idea she was that kind of girl…!”
“Is there really any need to make excuses?”
Seong-gyu was visibly panicking as he denied it, but Seok-jun cut him off, grabbing Mina’s shoulder and gently pulling her closer.
“Eep.”
“Whether you are or aren’t doesn’t matter. The point is, we’re in this kind of relationship.”
While she froze at the feeling of his solid chest against her, Seok-jun declared it without a hint of shame.
He said it!
Mina’s face burned crimson as she stood there flustered. Seong-gyu’s expression twisted into something ugly.
“What the hell gives you the right to be with Mina!”
“Does being a classmate come with some kind of official license?”
Coming from Seong-gyu—the one who had shown up out of nowhere and started causing problems for her—the question about qualifications was almost laughable.
“Shut up with the nonsense! You’re a hunter too, right? Stop talking and fight me!”
He couldn’t stand Seok-jun’s mocking tone and finally exploded.
“Sigh, so it really does end up like this?”
Though the pattern was similar to the last person who had tried this, Seong-gyu genuinely refused to back down and issued a formal duel challenge. Seok-jun accepted as if he had been waiting for exactly that.
“But are you sure you’ll be okay? He looks like an A-grade hunter.”
She knew there was no real need to worry—he had subdued even Gu Gang-woo without much trouble—but since she didn’t know what kind of magic Seong-gyu possessed, it still made her slightly nervous.
“When good teaching material walks right in on its own, it’s hardly a bad thing, is it?”
“So in the end I’m just teaching material, huh…”
Seong-gyu stood there with a serious frown, while Seok-jun remained perfectly relaxed.
“Given the nature of my magic, I think I’ll handle this in a slightly different way.”
“What exactly do you have in mind?”
“You’ll see for yourself if you watch.”
“How long are you planning to keep clinging to Mina?!”
Seong-gyu shouted, clearly annoyed that Seok-jun was still talking to her instead of fighting. Mina could only sigh.
So pushy.
It wasn’t as if only one or two people were watching, yet here he was. Even after learning she had a boyfriend, his persistence was exhausting. She had been enjoying the rare increase in alone time with Seok-jun, but interruptions kept coming from every direction.
Moreover, the news of an actual duel drew even more people. They didn’t even pretend to hide their curiosity anymore and began watching openly.
“Um, miss?”
Most of them weren’t here for the fight itself, so voices occasionally called out from beyond the fence, but Mina ignored them. Her sort-of date had already been ruined, leaving her in a sour mood; she didn’t want to make things even more complicated. Besides, this time she had been asked to act as the referee.
“I don’t know where you get that confidence, but are you even a hunter?”
Seong-gyu asked as he watched Seok-jun stroll leisurely toward the center of the fenced area.
“Just know that I’m a B-grade hunter.”
“What? Then what the hell gives you the right to mess with Mina?”
Though his expression showed clear disappointment, Seong-gyu still sneered at Seok-jun as if victory were assured.
“Hey, just surrender. I’ll let you leave with all your limbs intact.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Are you stupid? Do I really have to spell out that I’m an A-grade hunter?”
Wow, I think I finally get why Seok-jun sometimes calls things so predictable.
While Mina felt like she had stepped into a cliché manga scene, Seok-jun silently created something above his palm.
“A ball?”
In his hand was what looked like an ordinary ball. For a second she wondered if his magic had changed, but a closer look told her otherwise.
Ropes turned into a ball?
Multiple ropes had been woven together to resemble a volleyball. He bounced it against the floor like a basketball, and Seong-gyu’s laughter grew even louder.
“Is that seriously all your magic can do?”
“Let’s just call it Ball for now.”
How shameless!!
Of course Mina knew his real magic was Rule Zero, so she couldn’t help but admire how easily he could disguise it.
Iron Muscle
“My magic is Iron Muscle. It lets me harden my body to the density of iron.”
The moment he proudly announced it, Mina was taken aback.
He’s just saying it outright?
She had been excited to see what the duel would reveal, but his shameless declaration instantly killed the tension. Still, she quickly pulled herself together. He might be hiding the true nature of his magic too.
So sleazy! It’s gross!
Seong-gyu, however, took her reaction differently. He grinned at her.
“What do you think? Pretty amazing, right? Something like a ball couldn’t even scratch me, let alone a knife or hammer!”
He struck a bodybuilder pose as if showing off. Sure enough, his skin had turned a metallic iron color, reflecting the lights from the gym ceiling. It didn’t seem like a bluff.
At that point even Seok-jun wore an expression similar to Mina’s earlier one. He caught the bouncing ball and looked at her.
“You talk too much.”
“Ah! I’ll start the match now!”
Only then did Mina remember her role. She blew the whistle Seok-jun had given her.
Piiiiiiiiiiii—!
“Don’t regret this later! Hospital bills are on you!”
The moment the signal rang out, Seong-gyu charged at Seok-jun with a savage expression. Seok-jun threw the ball he had been holding straight at the rushing opponent.
“Too slow, you bastard!”
It wasn’t exactly slow, but to an A-grade hunter it might as well have been. Seong-gyu simply turned his head and easily dodged, then swung his fist at Seok-jun without holding back. However—
Clang!
“Huk!”
“Watch out!”
Seok-jun had already slipped smoothly to the side, so the punch slammed into the fence instead. Fortunately the fence didn’t warp too badly, and no one nearby was hurt, but it was more than enough to drive the spectators back from the railing.
“You rat bastard!”
Thud!
Frustrated that his attack had missed, he spun around—only to have the ball fly back and smash into his face, cutting his words short. A thinner rope was attached to the ball Seok-jun had thrown, connected to the ceiling of the fence so that it swung back like a pendulum and struck him.
“Hmm, correction. Let’s call it Wrecking Ball.”
Lying again?!
“…Now I really won’t hold back.”
Seong-gyu had finally realized he was being toyed with. Veins bulged on his face as rage overtook him. Instead of hardening just his arms, he spread both hands and turned his entire body the color of iron.
“Try dodging this one too, you son of a bitch!”
He charged at the same time. The amount of mana gathering around him was so great that even Mina could feel it clearly. It was a rush she doubted she could stop without using a considerable amount of her own power, yet—
“As ordered.”
“Euk?!”
Seong-gyu, who had been rushing toward Seok-jun, suddenly lost his balance as if caught on something. The iron color vanished from his body, returning it to normal. And at that exact moment—
“Gurgh?!”
He ran straight into Seok-jun’s casually outstretched arm, slamming his throat against it while still carrying all his forward momentum. Naturally, the rope that had tripped him had sprung up from the floor.
“Glurk…”
The noisy gym fell completely silent. Seeing Seong-gyu foaming at the mouth and collapsed on the ground, Mina quietly pressed the emergency bell.
Wee-woo, wee-woo, wee-woo—
In the end an ambulance arrived and carted him away, leaving the gym noticeably emptier.
“Haa, the air feels a lot cleaner now.”
The people who had watched Seok-jun send Seong-gyu off in the ambulance began quietly slipping out of the gym. Quite a few still remained, but they only stole glances from a distance now. No one dared approach openly like before.
“How was it this time?”
“Huh? Oh!”
Mina had momentarily forgotten why he had accepted the duel in the first place. Thankfully the impression had been strong enough to stay in her memory.
“As expected, the first thing that comes to mind is how you deceived everyone about your magic, Seok-jun.”
She had never imagined he would actually hide his ability in such a way.