Unlucky Draw
"Hmm, this is definitely convenient."
So Do-jin peered down at the holy relic in his hand as he spoke. It was the same one Ha Ye-jin had used to assign groups during our previous fusion blessing circle practical. I'd borrowed it from her for this.
A few students checking the bracket raised their hands with puzzled looks.
"Teacher, my name isn't here."
"Yeah, mine too..."
Quite a few kids didn't have their names on the bracket—easily half, by a quick glance. Jeong In-ah was among them.
So Do-jin stared blankly into space with his sleepy eyes for a moment before opening his mouth.
"Ah, I took the priest aspirants off the bracket."
"Pardon? Then what about us—"
"You lot head over to that fusion blessing circle in the corner, analyze it, and write a report. It's one that the former inquisitor Seong Yu-da himself deployed, so there's plenty to learn."
The priest aspirants, who'd been voicing their confusion, finally let out sighs of relief and shuffled en masse toward the fusion blessing circle.
He had a point. Priests didn't fight on the front lines; they supported from the rear. No need for them to do sparring practice.
With the priest aspirants gone, only holy knight and crusader aspirants remained. About a hundred students left—a fraction of the original number.
"Alright, then. Let's start the prac—"
"Teacher."
Right before So Do-jin could begin, I raised my hand. I'd scanned the bracket top to bottom for my name, but no matter how many times I looked, it wasn't there. Déjà vu. This had happened before, hadn't it?
"Oh, wait—yeah, I took yours off too. You a priest aspirant or something?"
"No, sir."
"Then what are you aiming for?"
"Holy knight or crusader—one of the two."
Not all priests handled divine power well, but usually, the ones who did aimed for priest track. Me? I sucked at it, so I'd chosen one of the combat tracks.
"Huh. Not a priest, got it. Hold on."
So Do-jin fiddled with the relic. A holographic window flickered out from it, glitching with static. Soon, my name appeared in the corner of the bracket.
"Added your name. Check it."
I double-checked the bracket. It looked like a tournament at first glance, but it wasn't. We'd each face three randomly assigned opponents in 1-on-1 spars, and scores would be based on wins and losses.
"Scoring's like this: Win gets 3 points. Draw gets 2. Loss gets 1. Higher score means better grade for this practical. No questions—too annoying."
Three wins: 9 points. Two wins, one loss: 7 points. Zero wins: 3 points. Seemed like luck of the draw heavily influenced your score.
"Alright, practical starts now. Three-minute limit. When I call your name, get in the ring."
With that curt explanation, the practical began. I checked the bracket over and over. No matter how hard I squinted, it didn't change.
"Teacher. This bracket... it's randomly generated, right?"
"Yeah, totally random. Why?"
So Do-jin glanced at the bracket, then rubbed his eyes in disbelief, just like me. Finally, he let out a hollow chuckle.
"Eh, what can ya do? It's all luck. Anyway, do your best."
"Uh, yes, sir..."
My first opponent: Gu Jun-hyeok. Second: Kim Jin-seo. Third: Yeo Min-seo.
Talk about rotten luck. It felt rigged.
*
The ring in the training ground was huge, surrounded by a sturdy cage. Students wore "shock sensors" on their bodies for the spars. If you took enough impact to be combat-ineffective or fatal, it blared an alarm. Win condition: make the opponent's sensor go off.
Seo Ha-rin: Combat Incapacitated. Kim Jin-seo Wins.
"Good work."
The spars were over in seconds, and Kim Jin-seo dominated. Her natural athleticism and expert blessing use let her crush opponents instantly. Ten seconds flat. Zero mercy.
"She seems pissed."
"Who do ya think it's about?"
I muttered blankly at Kim Jin-seo, and Gu Jun-hyeok ribbed me. Like it was my fault.
"Who? Me?"
I hadn't done anything wrong, had I? As I tilted my head, So Do-jin stabbed the ground with his blade tip. A dull thunk echoed through the holy training ground.
"Next: Gu Jun-hyeok vs. Do Seon-woo. Quit yapping and get up here."
"Whoa, our turn already?"
Gu Jun-hyeok asked innocently. So Do-jin's face twitched.
"Shut it and get in the ring."
"Yessir~"
Gu Jun-hyeok finally stepped up at So Do-jin's gruff command. I took the opposite side and strapped on my shock sensor. That was prep done. You could pick practice weapons if you wanted, but sadly, I didn't know how to use any.
"Hmm, oh. Nice."
Gu Jun-hyeok, meanwhile, grabbed a weapon. A weird one. Holy knight aspirants usually picked versatile three-section staves or shields. Crusader aspirants went for guns, or swords/spears if unavailable. He'd said he was aiming for crusader, so I figured sword or spear.
"Do Seon-woo: unarmed. ...Gu Jun-hyeok. You seriously picking that as your weapon?"
"Huh? Wait, ain't this a weapon? It was there, so I grabbed it."
"That's not a weapon... Ugh, whatever. Do what you want."
Students stared curiously at what Gu held. It was a "string"—thin cord for tying practice weapons.
He'd mistaken it for a weapon. Some kids burst out laughing and teased him, but Gu stayed dead serious.
"Hey. No holding back. No grudges if ya lose. No hard feelings. Okay?"
"Yeah. Bring it."
No grudges here—I didn't plan on losing anyway. Next up were Kim Jin-seo and Yeo Min-seo. Even with Bosu's power, no guarantees. Kim was too fast and unpredictable; Yeo was a walking wildcard.
So I needed this win locked down. Avoid the zero-win shame at least.
"Spar starts... now."
Ding!
I kept distance, calmly reading Gu's moves. He didn't rush in recklessly, surprisingly. Just deployed a blessing circle and checked his string.
"Hoo. Time to show ya the pinnacle of my nightly 'bondage play' training."
Amid the tension, Gu bragged nonsense. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead. I don't scare easy, but this... instinctual dread?
"What kinda nightly freak shit you into, you psycho—"
Whoosh!
My words cut off. Gu was suddenly in my face, whipping the string. I barely leaned back to dodge.
His face was dead serious.
"Hey! Keep flapping that mouth, and I'll bind it first!"
Dead serious, spouting crap. Hard to focus. Every word scattered my nerves.
"Shut up!"
I backed off, dodging his strikes. The string lashed like a living snake, coiling for my limbs. Damn good with it. Those "nightly sessions" weren't total bullshit.
"One minute gone. Two left."
So Do-jin said calmly. Felt like two minutes already, but only one. Pressure from watching eyes? Breath coming short.
"Yo! Tired already? Shoulda done some cardio!"
"I said shut it!"
Gu taunted, swinging freely. No fatigue on his end. Long fight favored his stamina. Needed to end it quick.
Bosu. I'd sworn off Loa powers against students, but no choice. Thought I could win without, but Gu was top-tier grades. Personality made him seem easy.
Bosu getting hungry. Thinks offerings scarce.
Recent overuse left Bosu off-form, but enough for Gu. I kicked off with power-infused legs, closing gap in a flash. His stunned face filled my vision.
"Guh...!"
Gu yelped. I grabbed his collar, weighting my foot for Kim Bok-dong's self-defense throw.
Thud!
But I hit the ground—not him. Thought I'd tripped mid-throw. Nope. Ankles bound by string.
"Secret technique: 'Boiled Chicken Bind.' Whew... didn't wanna use this."
"You little shi—huh?"
I tried scrambling up. Couldn't. Whole body locked. Wrists and ankles snared in that instant.
Gu smirked down at me.
"Aaand this is secret technique: 'Quick Bind.'"
"Quit with the 'secret technique' crap every time. Shut your trap."
"Threats from a trussed-up loser ain't scary~?"
He was using that cutesy tone I hated to rile me. Master baiter. Suddenly got why Kim Jin-seo beat him bloody in spars.
Gu circled behind, looping string around my neck.
"Don't worry, it'll be quick. No biggie~"
"...Neat trick. How'd you do it?"
I asked, genuinely impressed. How'd that flimsy string truss someone so perfectly?
Gu paused mid-pull.
"Trade secret~. Anyway, no grudges, right? Clean finish."
He tugged slowly. String bit skin, choking my throat. Breath stopped. Vision blackened.
Snap.
Not consciousness. String snapping. Bosu's brute strength tore the bonds.
Freaky, but that's brute force for ya.
Gu gaped at me rising, strings in shreds, then chuckled.
"Dude. That's straight-up unfair."
"Rope would've lost me the match. Barely snapped this."
"Ugh, such a dog. Gear diff..."
Bam!
I slammed him down.
Gu Jun-hyeok: Combat Incapacitated. Do Seon-woo Wins.
(To be continued next time)