Choi Ji-won Is Too Strong (4)
Choi Ji-won Is Too Strong (4)
Choi Ji-won's plan was simple.
Her opponent was an overwhelmingly powerful fighter. Holding back strength was out of the question.
But aiming for a weakness the moment the fight began, when the opponent was at their freshest, was unlikely to succeed.
So she would first clash with everything she had. Then, when an opening appeared, she would target the weak point. The City Master was monstrously strong, but still human. There had to be a gap somewhere.
"Haaaah..."
Having roughly calculated her approach in her head, Choi Ji-won gripped Boongboong-yi's hilt.
Boongboong-yi slid out as smoothly as flowing water. The blade was fully drawn, its edge glinting in the sunlight, and then—so fast she seemed to vanish—Choi Ji-won charged.
'Head.'
She raised Boongboong-yi overhead and brought it down with force.
The downward cut was the most basic technique in swordsmanship and kendo alike.
There's a reason it's the first thing taught. Simple, but efficient.
The movement that began at the tips of her toes traveled through her waist, arms, and out to the sword's tip in one fluid motion.
A flawless strike with not a shred of wasted force.
"Oh, not bad..."
The City Master drew her sword and easily deflected the powerful downward cut, but—
'Head.'
In kendo, the frontal head strike was the alpha and omega. If you aimed to properly learn kendo, it was the first posture you had to drill over and over until it was ingrained.
And Choi Ji-won was confident in her ability to put in the work.
Fwoom!
Choi Ji-won's sword traced the exact same arc as before.
"Do you take me for a fool?"
City Master's lips twisted as if to ask whether she looked like an idiot who would fall for the same trick twice, but...
"...Huh?"
But absurdly enough, the City Master was forced to block the strike with the exact same stance. The attack came half a beat faster than she'd anticipated.
The interval between recovering the sword and swinging it again was impossibly short.
'Head.'
As if refusing to give the bewildered City Master time to think, Choi Ji-won's sword now slashed diagonally.
"Ngh..."
The City Master took a step back and twisted her waist slightly.
Fwoom!
The sword sliced past right in front of her nose.
It was a paper-thin margin—a step that demonstrated the City Master's innate genius for judging distance. But...
"Tch!"
Using the momentum of her swing, Choi Ji-won spun halfway and stretched out her back leg into a turning kick. The City Master, caught off guard, had to hastily block with her right arm.
That diagonal slash hadn't had any real force behind it. She'd swung the sword with the kick in mind from the start.
"...Hoo."
The City Master's face, twisted with bewilderment, quickly regained its calm.
At first, she'd intended to toy with her.
That was why she'd faced the fight without any tension...
This was an unprecedented situation.
A climber fresh up from Floor 2, showing this level of skill?
The white climber she'd fought about a month ago had far better stats and traits, but was clumsy in using them.
But this woman was different.
Her stats might be inferior, but the combat sense she displayed was insane.
But instead of ruminating on this absurd turn of events, the City Master decided to calm her emotions first.
She was a seasoned warrior and knew well that heated emotions served no purpose in combat.
Having regained her composure, the City Master began to fight methodically.
The foundation of a duel between knights was reconnaissance. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you need not fear a hundred battles.
She widened the distance to avoid any critical hits, probing with attacks to gauge her opponent's ability.
"Nngh..."
Once the City Master started fighting seriously, the tables quickly turned.
The City Master held the advantage in physical abilities.
And in the depth of her swordsmanship as well.
From the outset, Choi Ji-won was at a disadvantage; she'd only landed that hit because the City Master had been completely off guard.
Now, the tide reversed helplessly into Choi Ji-won being pushed back.
For every step the City Master advanced, Choi Ji-won was forced a step back.
Scratches multiplied on Choi Ji-won's leather armor.
Anyone watching would say the City Master was dominating, but ironically, the fighters' inner thoughts were the opposite.
'...'
The City Master ground her teeth.
That woman was strange. She was uncannily fast.
There was more force in her sword than was apparent, and each clash sent a stinging shock through the hand.
Especially when she dodged attacks from blind spots as if she had eyes in the back of her head—the City Master had nearly let out a curse on reflex.
She'd intended to overwhelm her with pure swordsmanship without using mana, but... it wasn't going as planned.
The City Master was still ahead in the realm of swordsmanship.
But the more they clashed, the more Choi Ji-won closed the gap, stride by stride.
Once the City Master started using mana in earnest, the situation would flip 180 degrees...
Her pride in wanting to win through swordsmanship and her impatience at the thought of being overtaken waged a fierce battle in her heart.
'This is doable.'
On the other hand, Choi Ji-won and Boongboong-yi were smiling inwardly.
She had a trait that let her sense powerful enemies. According to that trait, the woman before her was an absurd monster.
That was why Choi Ji-won had been so tense.
But crossing blades with her directly made one thing clear.
She could win. Without using mana, the City Master wasn't as much of a monster as she'd thought.
Strength and agility were on the enemy's side. Technical finesse as well.
But Choi Ji-won was still growing.
As they traded blows in split-second exchanges, her brain felt like it was sparkling with inspiration.
What she had lacked was real combat experience against superhuman opponents.
If this went on for just ten more minutes...
Choi Ji-won was confident she would win.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two figures moved at superhuman speed, weaving an intricate dance across the square, sparks embroidering the air.
"...I can't make out a thing. Can you see them at all?"
"..."
At firefighter Park Cheol-jin's question, I didn't answer, just gave a small nod.
Truthfully, I couldn't see them well either.
Their movements were so fast that all I could do was chase their blurred afterimages.
But I could get a rough sense of the flow.
Choi Ji-won had seemed to gain a slight edge at first, but now she was being pushed back.
She was holding on far too well.
That's a problem.
"Oh, ohhh... so fucking cool..."
"Whoa, shit... is this an anime? Is this real?"
"This is legendary..."
Leaving the admiring players behind me, I chewed my lip in dissatisfaction.
The original plan required Choi Ji-won to be on the back foot.
I had imagined her landing a decisive blow at the critical moment, then dramatically bowing out just before I stepped in to finish it.
But she wasn't being pushed back as much as I'd thought.
And the City Master didn't seem to be letting her guard down either.
The plan was slipping off track.
The reason was simple.
'...I think Choi Ji-won is stronger than I expected.'
Choi Ji-won is too strong.
I'd heard Michael Jeter had been toyed with, so naturally I'd assumed Choi Ji-won would also be helplessly crushed.
But whether it was a good matchup or Choi Ji-won was just that overpowered, I hadn't expected her to fight the City Master almost evenly.
Given that lightning wasn't raining down left and right, the City Master was clearly going easy on her...
But even so, the very fact that she could go toe-to-toe like this defied all logic.
Choi Ji-won. I'd felt this ever since the Tutorial, but just what kind of woman is she?
Is this the might of the eldest daughter of an SSS-rank swordsmanship family?
I feel like I've become an extra...
"Mr. Jun-ho?"
My thoughts were soon interrupted by Firefighter Park Cheol-jin.
"Look over there."
The two fighters, who had been locked in fierce combat, had suddenly stopped.
"...I can't beat you with technique. You're a true genius. I thought I was something of a genius myself."
Rotating her stiff wrist, the City Master shook her head in disbelief.
She had a gut feeling that if the fight continued like this, she would lose.
She had never seen someone with such perfect fundamentals.
Psychological tactics didn't work on her.
Her sense of distance was excellent, nearly on par with her own, and she blocked every attack from blind spots, whether through instinct or sheer feel.
Even the depth of swordsmanship, where she'd held a slight advantage, had now been completely closed.
Choi Ji-won was predicting her movements, while the City Master could no longer read Choi Ji-won's.
In summary... she'd completely lost.
"I'll admit what must be admitted. In swordsmanship... I've lost."
But that voice was not the voice of someone admitting defeat.
"Hoo."
The moment the City Master closed and opened her eyes, her pupils began to emit a faint blue light.
Electric currents began coursing over her body and armor, and blue sparks swirled around the blade of her sword.
"From now on, I will use mana in earnest. It will be completely different from what you've seen. My specialty is overwhelming mana."
Swordsmanship was never my strength. Your victory in that is nothing remarkable.
The City Master declared this and was about to assume her stance and fight in earnest when—
"Wait!"
Choi Ji-won suddenly held up her palm, stopping the City Master before she could rush in.
"...?"
"Just a moment... I need to grab something."
She stopped fighting, walked over to Firefighter Park Cheol-jin who was watching from an alley, and casually held out her hand.
"Hand it over."
"...Yes."
Firefighter Park Cheol-jin handed her the custom leather gloves and leather bracers he had prepared, and Choi Ji-won smoothly pulled them on over her hands and arms before walking back toward the City Master.
"...Leather?"
"Leather doesn't conduct electricity well, right?"
Boongboong-yi is a sword, metal.
Which meant that as long as Choi Ji-won held Boongboong-yi, all the City Master's lightning would be drawn to it.
So what would happen to Choi Ji-won's arm holding the sword?
This was a City Master who had subdued Michael Jeter in an instant. There was no way Choi Ji-won would come out unscathed.
"So that's why I prepared... these thick custom gloves and leather bracers."
How could I have made a deal to fight the City Master without any preparation?
All the trouble I went through grilling the liberated city residents before coming to the square felt worthwhile.
"Shall we try again?"
"...Let's."
Choi Ji-won and the City Master.
The second round began.