This is a Boss?! # 2
This is a Boss?! # 2
"Yo, you shit! Of course I know exactly how good you are, dumbass!"
Yu-ri, riding high on first place, was laughing her head off and smacking my back over and over. She looked so damn happy that I couldn't even say anything.
"Did you seriously go '80 points' and flop over like you didn't know your place? Huh? Tch, you hopeless little scrub."
"I told you, don't use words that are too harsh..."
"Anyway. How about we make our Kim Geun-cheol here treat us to one seriously huge meal?"
"S-Seriously huge?"
"Yeah. Let's eat something expensive. Expensive stuff."
Expensive stuff!
I stared at Yu-ri in horror, and she just grinned at me, didn't she! Then, with a truly wicked look—like a high school bully shaking down snot-nosed elementary kids in front of a stationery store—she said,
"Let's eat the kind of thing that turns your wallet into a shredded rag after just one meal."
I can't let that happen!
"M-Ma'am."
"What."
"Please, just this once, have mercy."
"Huh?"
I clasped my hands and rubbed them together like a fly, begging her to let me off.
"Mercy? Mercy? For real, you want mercy?"
Yu-ri was enjoying this intensely, and she shoved her face right into mine.
"Don't eat expensive food? Should we eat cheap stuff?"
"I'm begging you like this!"
"But this bastard... huh? He's taking his teacher out and wants to eat cheap stuff? You dumbass, back in the day, you'd have gotten your ass kicked."
You're already hitting me right now, though.
"The master-student bond among Awakened is so strict... Well. Kim Geun-cheol, I do have some intention of showing mercy if you beg with real sincerity."
"Yu-ri-niiiiim!"
—Graaaab!
I immediately dropped down and wrapped myself around Yu-ri's calf, begging!
"Just this once, please have mercy!"
From now on, I'm Woo Yu-ri's dog! Woof woof woof woof! Okay, tail wag wag! I didn't actually do it, but in this moment, I was begging with a desperation no less than Oh Dae-su from Oldboy!
"This bastard."
"Please!"
I was rubbing the side of my head against her calf, and Yu-ri grabbed my head.
"Mercy?"
"Yes!"
"Okay. Mercy granted—once."
—Ruffle ruffle!
And then Yu-ri messed up my hair like I was total garbage. Humiliating, but a bet's a bet.
"Thank you!"
"I'll show mercy by letting us eat at a café or something instead. Hah, you little bastard, seriously. Still, you got 80 points, so you're not a total loss, huh."
"Hehehe, that's right."
So I took a brief scolding from Yu-ri. She chewed me out, saying that if I'd studied a little harder, she'd be the one who ended up a slave. I had nothing to say back.
I mean, what would I even do with Yu-ri as a slave?
* * *
The next day was the Theory Evaluation.
"Geun-cheol. Do well on this one."
"Si-hoo. Don't you know? That I ranked near the top on the last Theory Evaluation?"
"I know. Now that I think about it, I'm not worried. But no, seriously, how does it work that you're good at theory stuff but your regular subjects are like that?"
"Different fields, just different fields."
The Theory Evaluation isn't something you can use right away, but if you know it, it definitely helps. It's more enjoyable than math or English, you know.
"That's right. I know very well how good Kim Geun-cheol's theory ability is. Good luck today. Fighting."
"Hehehe, good luck to you too. Leona."
Leona grabbed my shoulder and gave me encouragement. As we were talking, the instructor came in, rearranged the seating, and started handing out the OMR cards.
"This is gonna be a meal ticket."
Nothing to worry about at all.
The moment the exam started, I solved the problems without hesitation. Forty minutes later, I scored my own answers and reached the conclusion that I'd gotten roughly 90 points or more.
The results would come out immediately anyway. And after lunch, we'd have the ranking matches, and then class was over for the day... Well, right now, I should probably pay more attention to that than the Theory Evaluation, right?
"All right, the exam is over. Collect from the back."
"Yes, sir."
After I submitted my OMR card, I waited for the results.
[Kim Geun-cheol: 92 points]
My Theory Evaluation score was 92 points, indisputably in the upper ranks of the class.
"Yahoo!"
Like I said, I can do well at anything I need to.
"Good. Absolutely no disgraceful incidents occurred during this exam. Everyone, applause."
At the instructor's words, everyone clapped.
—Clap clap clap!
—Clap clap clap!
—Clap clap clap!
Honestly, you could say this applause was almost entirely aimed at me. I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment, and the instructor continued.
"The ranking matches are scheduled for the afternoon. I hope you all eat a good meal, get your energy up, and knock down your classmates. Dismissed."
* * *
"The last ranking match of the semester, huh."
With this, the first semester is basically over.
"Let's see... who's my opponent?"
I'd eaten just enough to maintain my combat power and came to check the match lineup.
"Brian?"
"Oh, Geun-cheol. You are watashi-no enemy desu. We are enemies."
"Please! I'm begging you, just use one damn language, you bastard!"
This red-haired demon-looking bastard popped up out of nowhere.
"Tsk tsk. No. Impossible."
"Why is it impossible, dumbass. If you try hard, anything's possible."
The moment I said that, Brian spoke with an extremely serious face.
"I heard that my language center was damaged as a side effect of awakening. Kankokugo mo, Japanese mo. English mo, zenbu. I have become a body that cannot speak them. I am so cry."
"Wha... What?"
What the fuck did I just hear?
"For real...?"
"Of course, a lie desu! You were tricked! Kuhahahaha!"
"You psychopathic bastard! You just wait. I'm gonna totally Mun Min you."
"Wahahaha!"
"Who's using my name again over here?"
As I was snickering with Brian, my personal minion Mun Min showed up.
"Mun Min, you're here?"
"Kim Geun-cheol, this bastard needs to be massacred like a dog, but I can't get matched with you this time."
"The skill gap between you and me is just too big, that's why."
"Damn it!"
Since I'd racked up so many wins in the meantime, I can't be matched against Mun Min anymore. We were talking along those lines when it became time for the ranking matches. We all headed to the gymnasium together.
"Then let us begin the ranking matches. First pair. Kim Geun-cheol. Brian. Proceed to the ring."
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes!"
I went straight up to the ring with Brian.
Brian.
He looks like a funny guy, but contrary to appearances, he's trained his swordsmanship by the book, and his fundamentals are really solid. That's why I lost to him early in the semester, unable to break through his rigid defense.
Back when I'd just started learning swordsmanship, his guard wasn't something I could penetrate. The guy has a battle style of calmly defending with a defense-focused swordsmanship, draining the opponent's stamina, then counterattacking.
I have to be careful about that, but.
"Hehehe."
I've gotten a lot stronger too, in the meantime.
I'll smash right through Brian's defense head-on.
"Oh, Geun-cheol. Now that I stand on the ring, mercy and such do not exist desu yo? I will Mun Min you, so prepare yourself!"
"Ha ha ha ha! You prepare yourself! I'm gonna smash you to pieces this time!"
—Ding!
And so the match began.
—Boom!
The instant it started, I kicked off the ground hard and charged straight at Brian. As expected, Brian had settled into a solid stance, preparing to defend. But I just kept going.
—Fwoosh!
I burned mana to exert superhuman strength and, at the same time, launched a tackle with all my might, flying at Brian like a missile and targeting his lower half.
"Nani?!?!"
An attack he didn't see coming.
A horrified Brian tried to jump in a hurry to dodge my tackle. At the same time, I stomped the ground hard with my right foot, rapidly boosting my body upward, and executed an upward slash.
—Clang!
"Oh, no! It's a terrible! Cho odoroita!"
Brian blocked it frantically. But it was already too late. Immediately after launching the upward slash, I thrust my fist up with my left hand as if throwing an uppercut, grabbing Brian's wrist.
—Bam!
I spun him midair just like that and slammed him into the floor.
"Gahak!"
And with that, I disarmed the collapsed Brian and it was over.
My victory.
"It's finished, dumbass."
"Ko, kore... genjitsu? Could this be reality?! How could this Brian be defeated in mere seconds...! This is an illusion! This is an illusion!"
Brian, spread-eagled on the ground, screamed as if he couldn't believe it.
"Rigged! It was fixed! This ranking match was fixed! Josaku desu yo!!!"
I understand. He was taken out before he could even show his swordsmanship.
But this bastard is too by-the-book.
His ability to respond to irregular attacks is far too lacking. That was exactly Brian's fatal flaw.
"Whew! Oh, Geun-cheol! Too amazing! To be Mun-Minned like this!"
"Hehehe, well. Try to work on that next time."
"Noooooooo!"
Brian clutched his head and wailed.
With that as my background music, I stepped down from the ring.
"Hoh, Kim Geun-cheol. That was a very clever attack. Your combat sense is improving very rapidly."
"Look here, Instructor. This is exactly my talent."
"I have no choice but to acknowledge it. No feedback. Return to your seat. Just keep training according to Kim Geun-cheol's instincts."
"Yes, sir!"
No feedback means I'm doing well. It's proof that Yu-ri's swordsmanship is a really good fit for me.
My skills are growing in a very straight line.
"Phew."
Anyway, I beat Brian easily. At this point, I think I'm at the border just below the upper ranks of the class, maybe?
As I was waiting, Ryu and Leona had their match.
—Fwoosh!
The result was Leona's victory.
"Whoa."
She landed a counter like that in that situation? I was analyzing it when the two came down from the ring, and the instructor called my name.
"Next. Kim Geun-cheol. You face Ryu Cheon-hwi. Come up."
"Aigo, it's Ryu this time?"
Awesome!
—Fwoosh!
I jumped right up onto the ring, and Ryu, looking displeased, taunted me.
"You Taliban bastard..."
Then I'd better seize the psychological advantage, right?
"Oh! Mister Draaaagon! You are my opponent desu ka?"
"Stop imitating that wretched foreigner!"
"Oh! No!"
"You piece of trash! I'm going to smash you to bits!"
—Ding!
And so the bell rang, and Ryu charged straight at me.
—Whoosh!
"So fast...!"
Fucking fast!
Did he actually get serious against me? Well, I'm grateful for that! Whatever the case, fighting a powerhouse like this is helpful!
To the maximum.
I read Ryu's movements. Even if I couldn't read them, I tracked him with my eyes as much as possible. Ryu, charging at a blistering pace, swung his sword at me. But the skill gap is so massive that I can't predict the trajectory.
Still, I barely read the movement of his feet and shoulders. Just as I half-heartedly raised my sword in a slightly reckless gamble—
—Crash!
Ryu's sword smashed into mine!
"Hey, shit! I blocked it!"
"Th-This bastard, for someone like him, blocked my sword...?"
"Yeah, dumbass!"
The moment I moved to land a counter—
—Thud!
Ryu's Chain Strike slammed into the protective gear covering my abdomen.
"Gahak!"
—Whoosh!
I felt my body fly backward. It flew right into the ropes and crumpled onto the floor. Wait, shit, a one-hit KO?
"Ryu, you bastard..."
So fucking strong...
"Don't mouth off, you Taliban bastard! Because you cannot be my opponent!!!"
"I'm gonna tattle... to your sister..."
"What did you say?!"
Now it's time to put some discipline in you.