Incidents and Accidents...! # 2
Incidents and Accidents...! # 2
I headed straight to the training ground near Leona. Any decent-sized neighborhood has a training ground you can find pretty easily. It's a bit shabby compared to school facilities, but no real problem for training.
True masters don't pick and choose their ground, after all.
"Alright, shall we start with a sparring match? I need to see just how much our Kim Geun-cheol has grown this time."
ㅡSwish.
Leona, standing opposite me, said as she swept her hair back with a swish. Looks like she's dead serious about this.
Bring it on!
"Leona. Don't get too worked up even if you lose. It's just... an inevitable defeat caused by the fact that I am such a mighty being."
"All bluster! If you talk big and then get wrecked, Kim Geun-cheol, I'm making you eat jjamppong!"
"Ha! You think I'd get scared hearing that! I don't take back what I say, Leona! Come at me!"
"Oh my god...! The moment I mentioned jjamppong, I thought you'd apologize and grovel!"
Leona said, covering her mouth with both hands.
"You've grown, Kim Geun-cheol!"
Then she pointed a finger at me and shouted fiercely!
"In that case, you're worth fighting! Prepare to be wrecked!"
"Yeah!"
"Good! Let's begin!"
ㅡSmooth.
Leona picked up a training sword provided at the ground, and I aimed my training sword right back at her.
"You're wearing that equipment, right?"
"Of course."
Right now, I was fully kitted out: underarmor, combat boots, combat gloves, and even my school uniform. Summing up the options roughly, you could say I've got an overall boost to defense and a bit of ability resistance.
With my basic defense higher, the mana I'd normally funnel into defense can now be invested in offense and body enhancement.
"Leona. This gear seriously boosted my overall stats, see? So I'll use the gear to tank hits and divert the rest to offense."
"Ho-oh, is that so?"
"And like this."
ㅡTssss!
Using the insight I'd just gained, I pulled up my mana and shaped a helm around my head. A more advanced form than last time.
Since I don't need to worry about my body and can focus solely on my head, it's a logical outcome.
Honestly, my own talent is so exceptional that even I'm amazed. So this is what they call my ability, huh.
"I'll fight using mana to protect only my unarmored head. Roughly like this from now on, I'll boost my combat power."
"Fufufu! That's not bad!"
When I explained my tactics, Leona smiled confidently.
"Yeah. A very good attitude. Donning new gear and looking for combat methods that fit it. That's a truly excellent attitude."
"Hehehe, right?"
"You've grown, Kim Geun-cheol. Filling your weak points with gear, then maximizing the right techniques to cover the remaining flaws. A splendid judgment. It really means you're growing."
"Hwaaaaaahhh!"
Hearing Leona's praise made a roar burst out of me on its own! I even forgot about the spar and started grooving, shaking my body.
ㅡClap! Clap! Clap!
Leona clapped along to my dance and kept talking.
"Look at what era we're in! We don't fight monsters without proper equipment like the old days! Just as you don't need spears and shields like ancient warriors when you have guns! If you have the latest equipment, you ought to use it!"
"So perfectly logical!"
Every word is pure gold to me!
"But Leona, aren't you using any gear?"
Right now, Leona is only wearing her personal sword and school uniform. No extra items or anything like me.
"Hmm, well, right? Normally I go without for training. But I've got everything ready so I can use it all if needed."
Ah, so that's it.
"Ooh, is that so? Seems like you'd have a lot of good stuff. What've you got?"
Maybe because I just got gear myself, my interest in equipment is shooting up, like a newbie getting into bikes or motorcycles.
"A high-end body suit, for instance. And a cutting-edge coat to layer on top. Ultimate gear with body enhancement, defense, and even ability resistance all built in."
"Rich girl! Totally a rich girl!"
"As if that's all!"
Reacting to being called rich, Leona got excited and yelled even louder.
"I've got plenty of better weapons and arms stockpiled too! That camouflage cloak and the bazooka from last time are like that!"
"So incredibly rich I can't even approach...!"
"Fufufu! That's what you call getting carried by gear, isn't it. I'm just leaving it off since I'm a student meant to learn and train right now. I'll wear it all later."
"I kinda want to see that."
A fully-kitted Leona is a sight worth seeing.
"Wh-what did you say! Are you saying you want to see me in my body suit right now?!"
"No, hey! You said there's a coat on top!"
I answered on reflex, but is there a problem? The moment I thought that, I realized. I suddenly had a rough idea what a women's body suit looks like.
"Ghk...! Anyway, let's just spar!"
"Alright!"
Anyway, the sparring begins.
"Hap!"
ㅡWhoosh!
I immediately formed a Mana Helm over my head and kicked off the ground, charging at Leona. The insight I gained that time was focused on manipulating mana. I definitely feel lighter and stronger.
"Trusting your defense and attacking so recklessly. It's a decent tactic."
Leona took her stance. No openings. But to win, I'm the one who has to create that opening!
ㅡClang!
The moment I thrust my sword, Leona adeptly parried and stepped in. A threatening step coming at a diagonal.
"Provided your enemy is a monster or an armed criminal!"
"What?!"
ㅡPwaang!
After parrying my sword, Leona swung hers fiercely!
"If an attack comes in that your defense can't handle, you do this!"
Leona's blade is flying toward my flank!
Dodge or block it? Impossible. I swiftly concentrated mana on my side and created a shield.
ㅡTssss.
I can feel the mana conductivity is incredibly fast. That's the ability of the underarmor I'm wearing. At high speed, a reliable shield formed incomparably faster than before.
That shield should have blocked Leona's sword strike, but.
ㅡPwaang!
"Guhak!"
A tremendous impact slammed into me...!
The damage pierces right through the defense of the underarmor and my mana-made shield. I never knew pain could be this electrifying.
A total wake-up call!
"You'd be suppressed immediately. Just like now."
"Ouch...! That really wakes you up!"
Not to the point of collapsing, of course.
I can still fight.
"Should I revise my tactics?"
"No. It's just that I was too strong. This tactic would likely work fine against an opponent of equal skill or even one a cut above."
"I see!"
Like that.
ㅡWham!
ㅡThud!
I relentlessly kept up my attacks, and Leona countered accordingly, pounding my torso. Naturally, each time, I diverted mana to that spot, creating a localized shield to cancel the attacks as much as possible.
"Khak!"
But now, I'm at my limit!
I can't stand anymore after taking a dozen or so hits!
ㅡThud.
And so, I collapsed...!
"Good."
Praise falling toward me as I lay face-down.
"You blocked really well."
"Ughh...! Leona. You call this blocking...?"
I feel like my flank has become an exploded gimbap.
"Yes. Every time you got hit, you concentrated mana on that area and defended, didn't you."
Even so, Leona said it in an affectionate tone. I lifted my face to look up at her and she was practically backlit by a halo.
"It's just that I hit hard enough to match Kim Geun-cheol's defense. Any ordinary attack probably wouldn't have even hurt, you know?"
"Really?"
"Yeah."
If Leona says it to this degree, it's true.
"Anyway, being carried by gear is great. That underarmor. Its magic power conductivity is good, so the shield formed instantly. Right on time."
"Right?"
I felt it precisely.
A sword swung by a fellow powerhouse, Leona. And my ability to create a shield right at the moment of impact. It's a feat I couldn't have pulled off before.
Honestly, it'd be easier to just cover my whole body with a shield, but that would consume way too much mana.
Since I can also get carried by gear, I conserve resources. Once I raise my skill, I can drastically cut my mana consumption.
Which leads to combat endurance.
"It means you worked that hard. I'll praise you, Kim Geun-cheol."
"Thank you...!"
"But still, Kim Geun-cheol. Relying too much on equipment can also hinder your training."
No!
For a second, I almost called her an old-timer! I can say it to Si-hoo, but that's a word I can't use with Leona.
"I-is that so?"
"Yes. So if you train with your equipment on, make sure you finish one set, take the gear off, and train another round. Then there will be no side effects."
"What a method!"
That kind of rational thinking could truly be called post-modernism in itself. I don't know the exact meaning of whatever-ism, but it's probably something like that.
"Then let's keep training until dinner!"
"No, are you sure? Don't you have to train yourself, Leona?"
"Of course it's fine. Since after I beat Kim Geun-cheol down to the ground, I'll just do my own training."
"What?!"
"Alright, Kim Geun-cheol! Let's spar until you drop!"
Definitely gonna die.
"Hwaaaaaahhh!"
But I'm going in anyway!
Fierce sparring is the best way to improve your skills, after all!
* * *
"So that's why your face looks like a corpse?"
Yu-ri, standing in front of me, started mocking. The moment I met her, I'd just explained how Leona completely wrecked me yesterday.
"I genuinely feel like dying."
"Oh my god, this idiot. Pushing yourself to that point. Is it here? Does it hurt here?"
ㅡProd! Prod!
"Aaack! Agh! Agh!"
Yu-ri started jabbing her fingers into my blown-out flank! Screams just erupted from me...!
"Stop! Stop it! Aaaagh!"
So I screamed and ran away.
"Oh my god, you crazy bastard actually ran! Hey! Stop right there!"
"You won't poke my side anymore?"
"If you run, I'll poke it more."
"Okay. I'm going."
Then I'd better go.
"Hoo, this exhausting bastard, seriously. Hey. But still, even so, turning a person into a rag like this? Leona is way too scary."
"I asked her to beat me up."
"You like getting hit?"
ㅡWhoosh.
Immediately, Yu-ri raised her fist!
"Yu-ri, why are you so violent today! I'm so scared! Please be a little nice to me...!"
"What's 'being nice' to you. Like this. Like this. You want me to stroke you? Huh?"
"Please stop!"
Pretending to stroke my waist, she was fucking trying to pinch me hard. If I act up more, I'm in big trouble. Better shut up now.
"Don't mess with me!"
"All this is because you've been slacking off and skipping training. Hey, but yesterday I asked Leona, and she said you've definitely improved?"
"Oh really? Leona said that?"
"Yeah. So I've gotta test it out. I get that you're hurt, but let's hurry up and spar."
Even now, my flank from yesterday's beating by Leona still feels like it's about to burst.
But training when you're hurt is the real deal.
"Alright. This is mandatory. Let's go spar right now."
"Ah, but Kim Geun-cheol, since you're wearing your gear, I'm going a bit hard, okay? Usually, no mercy when gear's involved."
"That's what I was hoping for!"
In the end, I.
ㅡCrash!
ㅡCrash!
Got beaten by Yu-ri until my side burst.
"Aaaargh!"
[Endurance has increased by 3.]
Crazy! This is the first time I've seen a stat go up!
* * *
Those peaceful days flowed on. I'm seriously enjoying this vacation to the fullest, literally. With no other plans, the four of us gathered and repeated training and eating all day long.
Vacation is zooming by, dammit.
"Ah."
Now that I think about it, I'd meant to contact Brian. Today I'm off anyway and had no training plans. I immediately called Brian.
ㅡRing ring.
First time calling this guy.
Ah. He picked up.
"Owwwww!"
"It's Brian the moment he answers, holy shit."
"Oh Geun-cheol! You are calling watashi! Where are you!"
From the phone burst this culty foreigner's high-tension voice. An English pronunciation I cannot comprehend at all.
"I'm fine, thank you, and you."
"Ah, I'm fine ah? What the heck are you saying? I not good at English."
"Why don't you know it!"
You're not allowed not to know it!
"Anyway. Brian, what are you doing?"
"Oh, just about going to meeting place. I was donning clothes."
"Just say putting on clothes like a normal person, you punk."
Having a conversation with this guy automatically makes me feel stifled.
"Oh yes. Korean is difficult, so I made a mistake desu. Watashi Korean is still hard, desu. Anyway, today Ken. And Mun Min. So meeting the three of us decided."
"Oh yeah?"
"Just in time! Big Cheol! You also come and let's hang out! Definitely will be fun!"
"Hey, then I gotta go for sure! I'll come right away!"
"Yesssss!"
I'd planned to meet them once during vacation, so this is perfect!
So I got the meeting spot from Brian and threw my clothes on fast. I contacted Si-hoo, but seems they trained hard yesterday and are still sleeping off the fatigue.
Guess I'll leave a message and go see the guys.
* * *
So I went to the meeting spot.
"Oh, Geun-cheol! You came!"
This blond big-nose greeted me cheerfully with a face full of smiles.
"Hey. Brian, you been doing well?"
"Of course desu! Very, very well!"
"Hehehe, you psycho big-nose bastard. Hey!"
Behind him, I see Ken and Mun Min are there too.
"Yo, Scream Man. It's been a while? I was almost disappointed you hadn't contacted me once during the break!"
"Disappointed my ass. Shit, anyway. Ken, why is this bastard dressed up so well?"
"Hahaha! As expected of Scream Man, you have an eye for it!"
"Yeah. Obviously."
Shockingly, Ken was wearing flashy black leather clothes like some Japanese visual-kei singer, and absurdly, he walked over adjusting his glasses as if it were the most normal thing in the world. I just gave a formal compliment on his clothes while avoiding eye contact.
Crazy. Even if Brian is unrecognizable as a psycho until he opens his mouth, this bastard Ken is too much of a psycho even in casual wear.
And behind him.
'Mun-Min' was trudging over with a supremely pissy expression.
"Ah, shit. It's vacation and I see Kim Geun-cheol from the morning. Feels like I'm gonna have bad luck for days."
"Uuhh...? Hey. You, Mun Min? You're Mun Min, right?"
"What?"
One shocking fact here.
"Hey. I swear, I didn't think about you even once during vacation."
No kidding, I hadn't thought about Mun Min even a single time the entire vacation.
"Wh-what! What the hell is this bastard saying!"
"No, for real. I seriously never thought about you. Brian and Ken, I did..."
No kidding, not once did I think about Mun Min.
"What the fuck is this son of a bitch saying!"
When I said that, Mun Min totally freaked out and started yelling at the top of his lungs.
"Nyehehe, this dim-presence bastard. Hey, man. Try to at least have a presence when you're around."
"How the hell do I have a presence when you don't even know where I am!"
"I'm saying figure it out, man."