Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Don't Try to Stand Shoulder to Shoulder with the Mountain Lord
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Don't try to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Mountain Lords.
What is a genius?
Some say it's someone who knows ten things after being taught one.
Others claim it's someone who awakens to truths on their own without any guidance.
There were countless other opinions like these, but the inaugural Ferocious Tiger defined genius in a completely different way.
'The one who makes it their own immediately.'
Simply knowing something isn't enough. Even imitating what you've learned falls short.
Mastering it through practice? Even a mediocre person could manage that.
It's about acquiring something and instantly infusing it with your own unique color to perform it.
That was precisely the qualification of a genius in the eyes of the inaugural Ferocious Tiger.
In that sense, Kim Geon-ho was a man who perfectly embodied the image of genius that the inaugural Ferocious Tiger envisioned.
"A guy whose talent deserves high praise."
The Mental Realm that Kim Geon-ho had departed from.
Everything there was upside down.
Things that belonged in the sky were plunged into the earth, and things meant for the ground floated in the heavens.
A manifestation of an alien power that transcended mere hunting and sowed chaos.
"In my later years, our positions might even switch someday."
For an ordinary person, something that would take over a year of training to achieve—he polished it off like a casual lunch and left. What a truly ridiculous guy.
Time flew by, and before long, classes were over.
This official spar was conducted as a public match, so the stands were packed to the brim with spectators.
Even a rough glance from the waiting room made it seem like the entire student body had shown up. Imagining how many more there'd be once he stepped out was mind-boggling.
"Man, this damn academy sure loves watching fights."
"It's not just any fights—they're here to watch you fight."
Heila picked up my words as she naturally handed me a water bottle and continued.
"Most of them probably want to see the first-year who took down Little Giant Pembr in action."
"I have zero interest in pandering, but they're all buzzing around chanting 'Pembr this, Pembr that' like it's some big deal."
How ridiculously they overhype catching just that one thing.
It was embarrassing beyond words—like chugging a glass of water and getting praised, "Whoa, drinking water? Incredible!"
"If it's good, it's good. Why get so prickly? Did you gear up your protective pads properly? Stand up."
Airi patted my back as if telling me to quit grumbling, then double-checked the knots on my pads.
Even after I'd told her never to talk to me again, here she was helping out the moment things got real. Man...
'Can't hold back the erection.'
Heila dutifully tending to me with her little tsks and Airi's textbook tsundere routine had my dick rock-hard.
I wanted to step out for a quick jerk, but the match was starting any minute, so no dice.
If it was dire, I'd have called Marren over to handle it, but she was resting due to her pussy injury, so I had to endure.
"I think it's cool how you settle these things with fair, square spars every time."
"Cool? It's just brute force! Don't you dare come back hurt!"
"Don't lose. If you lose, it's like I lose too. You can't lose to anyone."
With their cheers in my ears, it was really time to go.
"I'll be back."
"H-Hey! Where are you groping?! Pervert! Are you insane?!"
Squeeze!
I couldn't resist kneading Heila's ass once before bolting out of the waiting room.
It was time to claim class rep.
On the opposite side of Kim Geon-ho's waiting room.
The waiting room shared by Karan and Rastel was steeped in an awkward, uncomfortable silence.
Karan was the first to break it.
"We'll coordinate our moves, but I won't stoop to anything cowardly."
"...Hah, who asked you to?"
The Empire's crown prince doesn't resort to dirty tricks.
He couldn't voice the tail end of that thought, but Rastel fully agreed with Karan's intent.
'We'd win anyway, so no need for cheap shots.'
No clue what confidence Kim Geon-ho had to propose this format, but they planned to thrash him thoroughly.
A 2:1 advantage wasn't just "one extra person"—the gap was massive.
Simply put, if you're busy blocking one attack and falling behind, what happens when another comes in?
'Obviously, you can't block and lose.'
This wasn't cowardice; it was the natural play for the side with numbers.
'Getting all cocky over catching one Little Giant.'
Maybe living as a wastrel had him suddenly desperate to show off power, blinding him to front from back.
Pembr might've worked due to favorable terrain, but an official sparring arena was a flat, barren field with zero features.
In such an open space where ambushes were impossible, facing two at once? That wasn't confidence—it was arrogance.
Honestly, Karan thought the same.
Growing up on the harsh Siberian continent where survival was brutal, Karan found Kim Geon-ho obnoxiously presumptuous.
His feat was impressive, sure, but no excuse to look down on others—he needed a stern warning.
'And his usual behavior is a problem too.'
Kim Geon-ho topped the list of risky figures in the student council, so Karan had been itching to reprimand him properly.
Now this perfect chance to handle that too? He couldn't let it slip.
Sure, the 2:1 format chafed his pride, but refusing on principle wasn't an option.
"Time's up. Let's go."
"Yeah, that bastard dares insult me? I'll smash him to pieces."
As soon as time was called, Karan and Rastel headed out.
WAAAAAAAAAAH!
The roar hit them the moment they emerged—a deafening wave from the coliseum-like stands that nearly burst their eardrums.
"Thought you guys chickened out since you came out so late."
But amid the din, Kim Geon-ho's words pierced clear.
"You're crossing lines more and more, Kim Geon-ho."
"I'm this class's rep candidate, so it's fine."
"Shut your crap!"
A brief exchange of barbs.
The announcer deemed it ready and grabbed the mic.
-Match start!
Boom!
Their original plan was to close distance cautiously, measuring gaps. But Kim Geon-ho's taunt flipped that.
"I'll crush you!"
"I'll knock you flat!"
Karan and Rastel, who'd never been called lesser their whole lives, had zero tolerance for provocations.
Quick and decisive.
They'd meant to drag it into an endurance slog to leverage numbers, but seeing him, they couldn't hold back.
"Freeze."
Karan, ice magic specialist, encased Kim Geon-ho's feet in solid frost.
"It's over."
Rastel dashed into range and swung his blade.
For an official spar picking a rep, it was a training sword, not live steel—pity.
But a direct hit would hurt just as bad.
Thwack!
True to Rastel's finishing words, Kim Geon-ho pathetically ate the attack.
Feet frozen, he didn't even twitch as the swing connected, sending him flying.
"Argh!"
His belated cry of pain left Karan and Rastel stunned instead.
'...Didn't he take down Little Giant?'
'Acting...? No, I definitely felt the impact.'
Taking the opener this easily?
'Not the time to overthink.'
'Press the advantage.'
Doubts vanished.
They focused solely on the now.
"Freeze!"
They froze his airborne body midair and followed up.
Wham-wham-wham-wham!
This time, Rastel went all-out to end it, pouring everything into his swings.
The culmination of every sword art from the Empire.
Training blade dulled the power, but he gave his all.
'I won't lose to a Mountain Lord!'
If Mountain Lords ruled by suppression, the Empire ruled by self-empowerment.
Similar yet subtly different.
Like terror politics versus cultural dominance.
That nuance bred rivalry—the Empire eyed Mountain Lords as true peers.
"It's over!"
As Rastel charged his blade for perfect hierarchy...
"...So this is exactly your level."
Kim Geon-ho moved.
Crack!
The ice that could've frozen time shattered instantly.
Crunch!
Rastel's world-shattering sword snapped in half, pathetic.
"I thought you might have basics since you dared face me."
The days I considered you guys fellow protagonist material? Laughable now.
Spin.
"Huh?"
Earth and sky flipped.
The world ended—directions lost, sky on ground, ground in sky.
Before confusion hit, nausea surged, slamming Rastel with reality.
"Urk!"
The ground wasn't spinning.
Sky wasn't moving.
Somehow, he was spinning wildly.
'Wh-What the...'
Vision blurred. Must win. Must fell him.
No real resistance, eyes closing.
"Don't try to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Mountain Lords."
Those words from Kim Geon-ho.
The last moment Rastel remembered of the official spar.