Week 7 Mentoring, PvP (10)
"Ugh... I really am getting dizzy."
Dang Gyu-young pressed a hand to her forehead as though a wave of dizziness had washed over her. Hardly surprising, considering she'd just been hit by back-to-back public confessions and conditional date requests.
"Let's keep business and personal matters separate first, shall we? We're in the middle of mentoring. Why are you dragging the kids into this?"
"...A perfectly valid point."
Kim Gap-du nodded along meekly and conceded. Both sides fielded the same headcount, and for the martial artist and mage classes alike, real-combat experience was something that only helped the more of it you stacked up. So the premise of holding a PvP assessment was sound enough.
The problem was who stood to reap the rewards. If the ones profiting from the outcome were the mentors — and worse, if what they stood to gain was something as intensely personal and emotional as a game of love — then complaints were bound to follow.
"And besides, something like that would hardly motivate anyone. Therefore, I make this proposal to all of you."
Kim Gap-du hesitated for a moment before making his proposal. I had no idea what he intended to put up as the reward, but apparently it was something he was loath to part with. Then he drew a deep breath, steeled his resolve, and slowly swept his gaze across the room as he declared:
"Today, I empty my inventory. The winning team gets an elixir party."
"...!"
"...!"
The word elixir worked wonders. The Martial Artist Club members who had been watching Kim Gap-du with pitying eyes immediately began to burn with fighting spirit. Martial artists were a profoundly simple breed — the mere mention of words like fated opportunity, elixir, or divine weapon was enough to make their eyes roll back in their sockets. No need to look far for proof; Go Hyeon-woo alone was evidence enough.
And this wasn't a single elixir pill or one root of spirit herb — it was an entire elixir party.
"Amitabha......"
Il Gong was still maintaining his serene expression as he chanted his invocation; the only thing that had changed was the corners of his mouth, which had crept subtly upward. That one might not be a real monk after all.
Our side had been somewhat tempted by Kim Gap-du's elixir party declaration as well, but the prevailing sentiment was to back Dang Gyu-young. A forced date if we lost — did that even make sense? Only Gwak Ji-cheol showed any signs of excitement before withering under Song Cheon-hye's glare.
Once the mood had settled a little, Kim Gap-du continued.
"And Dang Gyu-young, I know full well you wouldn't even consider this bet under normal circumstances. You're a calculating woman."
"Yep. You know me well."
"Even so, I'm fine with it! Now hear the terms I'm staking. I've prepared something tempting enough. If you win——"
I had suspected as much back when he took on the mentoring role, but Kim Gap-du was also the president of the Martial Artist Club. From his lips poured out, one after another, every privilege he could hand over as club president — among them a second-semester Season Pass for the Special Training Room and a Crafting VIP Ticket.
He's burning all of that on a single bet?
I quietly revised my assessment of Kim Gap-du. Even draining his stockpiled elixirs was a heavy loss, but handing over that many privileges on top of it risked shaking his standing as club president. Which meant he had staked a considerable resolve on this wager. In short: a toad who was pathetic and magnificent in equal measure.
Of course, entirely apart from that assessment—
This is just too good to pass up.
A bet with such outlandish terms didn't come around often. Dang Gyu-young seemed to be thinking along similar lines, because instead of flatly refusing as she had before, she stood with her arms crossed, deep in thought. I leaned in and whispered to her.
"Take the bet."
"If we lose, it's a date."
"Then we just have to win."
"If it were as easy as it sounds, I wouldn't be agonizing over it."
"I know. Still, we do have one guaranteed-win card."
That card was, of course, me — the one who had taken down rising-star-tier opponents in the previous two matches. It would be all the more effective since the other side had no idea. Dang Gyu-young looked at me with surprise in her eyes.
"Planning to show a bit of skill? And here I thought you'd been hiding it so well all this time."
"Just moderately. In exchange, I'd like my cut."
Meaning: in return for lending my strength to winning the bet, I wanted a few of the privileges Kim Gap-du had put on the table. Dang Gyu-young gave a small tilt of her chin in assent.
"Then let's call one win banked. What about the rest?"
"We have two rising-star tier on our side. What's there to worry about?"
"Even so — what if, hypothetically, we lose?"
I indicated Kim Gap-du with a flick of my eyes.
"If we do lose, you go on one date with him — and I join your club."
Dang Gyu-young's face began to crumple at the word date, then brightened at the word join.
"Really? Join? Not somewhere else — our side?"
"Yes. The Thief Club."
That seemed to lift a considerable weight off her deliberation. If we won, it was an elixir party plus a heap of privileges — a jackpot. If we lost, then even after one date with Kim Gap-du, she'd get the me she'd wanted so badly into her club. The gains outweighed the losses.
"Alright, we'll take it. But what's gotten into you, bringing up joining first?"
"Because we're going to win."
"...That sounds an awful lot like you have zero intention of joining?"
"......"
When I simply smiled without a word, Dang Gyu-young pursed her lips.
"AHEM!"
Perhaps the sight of Dang Gyu-young and me whispering face to face was stinging his eyes, because Kim Gap-du cleared his throat loudly to reclaim everyone's attention.
"Dang Gyu-young, I'd like to hear your answer sometime soon."
"Yep. We're taking it."
"An excellent decision!"
For a brief moment Kim Gap-du became a happy toad and flashed a smile that was hard to look at. Dang Gyu-young pretended not to see it and pushed the conversation forward at speed.
"The rules?"
"One member from each team steps out and duels one-on-one. No repeat participation. The mentors decide at their discretion who to send out first."
"Blind?"
"Indeed."
For example, Dang Gyu-young could choose whether to send out Gwak Ji-cheol or Hong Yeon-hwa in the first round. The catch was the blind matching: there was no way to know who the other side had sent until the match began. If she sent out Gwak Ji-cheol and he drew Bukgung Han-seol, things could go badly — she would have to read the situation carefully as she managed her roster.
"Best of five, first to three?"
"Indeed. Should it somehow come to two apiece, we shall discuss it again then."
Dang Gyu-young gestured with her eyes at the mentors behind Kim Gap-du.
"What scores are your kids?"
"Two in the 600-point tier, two in the 900-point tier."
Il Gong and the unnamed Martial Artist A were in the 600s, Bukgung Han-seol was in the 900s, and one member who had yet to show himself was also in the 900s. Dang Gyu-young's brow furrowed.
"What? On our side, everyone but one is hovering around 600."
"Isn't Hong Yeon-hwa rising-star tier? She wouldn't be out of place even in the 900s."
"Scores are what count. This is unfair before it even starts."
When Dang Gyu-young pressed the point, Kim Gap-du became a cowed toad.
"...I concede. I'll apply a handicap to one match. Any complaints now?"
"And I decide what the handicap is?"
"Provided it's something both sides can accept."
"Deal."
Agreement was reached down to the finest details. The two mentors operated their terminals to enter the agreed terms, and then the mentees scanned their student IDs. Soon a large group teleportation circle rose before the stage and began to glow. The moment everyone stepped onto it, the view transformed.
A canyon packed with craggy rock formations and cliffs. The cliffs weren't especially tall, but they were terraced like staircases, so the surrounding terrain could only be taken in once you climbed to the top. And among the bizarre rocks stationed here and there, one in particular towered like a lighthouse, radiating light — the Sanctuary of this terrain.
Meanwhile, we had been summoned onto a far higher cliff overlooking the canyon, a spot that served roughly as the spectator stands. Kim Gap-du's team, presumably, had been summoned somewhere on the opposite cliff.
Dang Gyu-young took one look over the canyon, then turned to survey us.
"Who wants the first match?"
Song Cheon-hye immediately raised her hand.
"I'd like to go first."
Open with a power play to blunt the enemy's edge. Since the other side would likely also lead with their strong card, Bukgung Han-seol, it wasn't a bad choice. Dang Gyu-young seemed to think likewise and nodded readily.
"Right, go get 'em."
The instant Song Cheon-hye stepped onto the small magic circle, she vanished with a whoosh — and the next moment she was standing down below. Soon the Martial Artist A we had seen earlier appeared on the opposite side, and the scoreboard printed out both fighters' information.
Song Cheon-hye988 ptsvsSon Hyeong-taek631 pts
"Tch — 600-point tier."
Dang Gyu-young clicked her tongue. She had secretly been hoping the other side would send out Bukgung Han-seol. In terms of pure skill, Song Cheon-hye was roughly half a step superior, so she could have opened the match by felling one of the 900-point tier — a shame it had turned out this way.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Song Cheon-hye's face as well, but as though resolved to give her best whoever the opponent might be, she steadied her stance. With the crystal charge capable of deciding the match, relying on the point gap alone and approaching carelessly could leave her open to a fatal counter.
[3]
[2]
[1]
[START!]
[Song Cheon-hye 100%] vs [Son Hyeong-taek 100%]
[Crystal 0%]
— BZZZT-CRACKLE!
Song Cheon-hye shot forward as a living bolt of lightning. In an instant she reached the top of the heavily terraced cliffs and swept her gaze across the surrounding area. Just then her eyes met Son Hyeong-taek's, who had climbed the opposite cliff — but for now the two of them ignored each other and focused solely on surveying their surroundings. Above all else, to pin down the crystal's location first.
"...!"
Before long, Son Hyeong-taek's gaze locked dead onto a single spot, and he kicked off the ground and began to sprint. Though Song Cheon-hye hadn't properly located the crystal, she blindly gave chase in the same direction — because the odds were very high that the crystal lay wherever Son Hyeong-taek was headed.
— BZZT-CRACKLE!
Once more Song Cheon-hye raced along as a streak of lightning. But by the time the two caught sight of each other again, Son Hyeong-taek had already found the makeshift altar and secured the crystal.
"......"
Son Hyeong-taek wheeled around and fled at once. He seemed to have judged that the battle could wait until the crystal and the Sanctuary were linked. Behind him, Song Cheon-hye — transformed into a bolt of lightning — gave chase.
— BZZZT-CRACKLE!
"Wh-what?"
A cry of alarm burst out of Son Hyeong-taek. Song Cheon-hye was closing in far faster than he had anticipated. Even sprinting with every last ounce of strength squeezed from his body, the distance kept shrinking.
— BZZZT-CRACKLE!
And at last, the moment the distance between them hit zero — Song Cheon-hye, her entire body wreathed in lightning, rammed straight into Son Hyeong-taek with a full-force body tackle.
— KR-RUMBLE! BOOM!!
"KYAAAAAAAH!"
A massive thunderclap rang out, and with it Son Hyeong-taek's harrowed scream echoed across the canyon.
[126] The Support Ate It All