Vs. Jung Ayeon (With Tools)
Right before the Dueling Arena's activation finished, Professor Miran's voice rang out.
"If either Kim Shinu or Jung Ayeon loses consciousness or sustains fatal damage, the duel ends due to incapacitation."
"Please observe the rules and manners during the match."
At that moment, the surrounding students were frantically shouting bets.
"Today's favorite is Jung Ayeon, underdog is Kim Shinu. Place your bets before it starts! No time!!"
"Please, please. May Lady Ayeon win."
"You didn't bet on the favorite? Idiots, this is free money."
"Hey, look at those odds. If this were an illegal bookie, the fees would've wiped out the profit."
"Jung Ayeon coin, all in!"
"Jung Ayeon punch! Jung Ayeon punch! Jung Ayeon punch!"
???? Who the hell are these bastards betting on?
Professor Miran shouted at the rowdy students, apparently trying to calm them down.
"Ah, everyone, just a moment. Wait. I'm betting on Jung Ayeon too. Die, Kim Shinu."
"Die, Kim Shinu!!!"
"Ayeon, please kill that bastard!!!"
She wasn't trying to stop them at all. The last voice even belonged to Jung Ayeon's older sister. From the looks of it, she was a second-year who had forced her little sister into proxy ranking matches. What an ugly sight.
'These fucking bastards are serious.'
Suddenly, someone dashed straight into the crowd of students. It was Hye-ji.
"Hey! Hold on! I'm putting everything I have on Kim Shinu!"
"You're throwing money away? You're throwing money away? You're throwing money away?"
"Have you lost your mind? Are you out of your mind?"
"With that much, you could buy how many bowls of gukbap?"
When one sane person stands among a crowd of lunatics, the sane one is the problem. So that means I'm the problem here? This is what the Academy is like?
After scribbling something down, Hye-ji returned to my side.
"Hey, are all these students from gambling families or what?"
"Huh? This is just an Academy rule. You still didn't know?"
"No, shit, how was I supposed to know duels turn into betting pools? Does this happen for every duel?"
"Not every one. Only when there are more than fifty spectators."
Hye-ji quickly explained. The Academy had this rule to encourage frequent student duels and boost interest from others. Of course, it didn't apply in every case—only when fifty or more people were watching. You could call it a shady way to fund the Academy, but apparently it turned a surprising profit.
At that moment, I had a perfectly obvious yet revolutionary idea: bet on myself.
"Hey, then can I just bet everything on Jung Ayeon and lose on purpose?"
"Participants can't bet. This is still technically a sport!"
"...The moment you call this a sport, I can tell everyone's insane."
An insane Academy for insane people. This place has no future.
"But participants do get five percent of the total amount bet on the opponent if they win."
"The truly crazy ones always lead the world."
Truly, an Academy with a bright future. I'm winning this. No question. Ah, what's the big deal about betting? That money is already mine!
"Exactly. I bet on you too, so let's win for sure."
"But why did you bet on me?"
"...Because I believe in you."
Don't lie, you crazy bitch.
"Really?"
"That bastard called me a man, so I'm going to kill him."
"Good mindset. Let's go, Hye-ji-mon!"
"Begin!!!"
The moment the professor's signal echoed, I tried to accelerate my body. No—I was about to. But Hye-ji suddenly threw herself at me and we rolled across the ground, so I couldn't even approach.
"Why the hell did you just body-check me? Is the gym badge not working or something?"
"Hey! What are you spacing out for? You would've died right at the start! You're gonna make me lose my money?"
At that instant, several thin silver objects flashed past the spot where I'd been standing. Jung Ayeon looked disappointed. Only then did I notice the number above Hye-ji's head had increased by one.
'She must've seen me get hit by those right at the beginning.'
Wait, she threw hidden weapons the second the duel started? Does she not know about the three-second courtesy rule?
I gave Jung Ayeon the most incredulous look I could manage.
"You talk all high and mighty about being a martial artist, then pull out daggers? Is this orthodox wuxia?"
"Hmph. What problem is there in using hidden weapons?"
"You're a fake, aren't you? No confidence in your fists, so you resort to tricks."
"...This lady merely seeks a swift and efficient victory—"
"Shut it!!!!"
I cut her off.
"If you're gonna talk about efficiency, then stop with the martial artist bullshit and just use a gun!!!"
"Silence!!! How could a martial artist use a gun!!"
Ah. She doesn't know. Time to show her true orthodox wuxia.
"Lady Hye-ji. I intend to use Mancheonhwawoo. Will you prepare it for me?"
"Of course, Lord Shinu. Here is a Remington optimized for Mancheonhwawoo."
"Ammo too?"
"Already loaded."
"Blasphemy!! Mancheonhwawoo is the Sichuan Tang Clan's art of scattering countless hidden weapons to create a rain of flowers from the sky!!!"
Jung Ayeon stomped her feet and raged at us. But there are grades to Mancheonhwawoo. If the hidden weapons are poor quality, the effect weakens.
"I see. What ammunition is loaded?"
"Slug rounds, ideal for Mancheonhwawoo."
"Excellent."
"I'll kill you all!!!!!!"
That's Hye-ji for you. She prepared slug rounds, the perfect ammunition for Mancheonhwawoo.
Jung Ayeon closed her eyes and clapped her hands. Then she dropped to her knees and pressed both palms to the ground. As she did so, I tried to unleash Mancheonhwawoo—only for Professor Miran to intervene.
"Shinu! That weapon isn't registered! Drop it immediately!"
"Fuck."
I reluctantly handed the shotgun back to Hye-ji. Damn favorite-betting bastards. Annoying chicken coop girl.
Meanwhile, a white aura emanated from Jung Ayeon and seeped into the ground. Dozens of animal-shaped summons began appearing in every direction. Ten, twenty, thirty... The numbers swelled like a snowball rolling down a hill. By the time they stopped multiplying, roughly eighty summons surrounded Hye-ji. Wolves, bears, lions, elephants—diverse enough to make you wonder if this was a nature documentary. Their common traits: no eyes on their faces, and pure white bodies.
The moment Jung Ayeon summoned them, the spectators' cheers grew louder.
"Ooooooh!!! As expected of Silver Rank!!"
"She only had thirty when she enrolled, and now the number's grown that much!!"
"Lord! If I die, let me be reborn as Jung Ayeon in my next life."
"Jung Ayeon is a god!! How are you going to be reborn as a god?!"
But Hye-ji, standing beside me, was grinning savagely instead.
"Good. At least it's this many."
"Hye-ji, have you lost it?"
"No, I haven't even started yet."
The number above Hye-ji's head increased again, and her savage smile deepened. She rested the shotgun she'd been holding against her shoulder with a thunk.
"Just watch! I'm an active girl, so I'll earn my own money!!!"
"Whoa, fuck. That's badass."
Then Hye-ji created five turrets around us at once. Each one was mounted with a Gatling gun that gleamed as savagely as her smile. Just as Jung Ayeon's summons charged, Hye-ji aimed her shotgun and shouted.
"Die, all of you!!!!!"
The Gatling guns' barrels began spinning with a drrrrrrk. This rain of bullets was the true Mancheonhwawoo. No—since it involved gunpowder, it was Mancheonhwawoo, the rain of fire.
The summons rushing toward us were literally ground to pieces by the hail of bullets. Though they had no vocal cords and vanished silently, their screams seemed to echo as they were shredded. Occasionally, one or two summons miraculously broke through the bullet storm and lunged at Hye-ji with teeth and claws. Of course, it was pointless. Having already experienced the future through regression, Hye-ji had pre-positioned herself in safe spots and gifted each one a slug round to the head or mouth.
-Drrrrrrrk!
-Bang!!!
It took three minutes. While I obediently lay there watching as Hye-ji told me to, she wiped out every single summon in just three minutes. The betting atmosphere instantly turned ice-cold, as if cold water had been poured over it. Faced with the possibility of losing their precious money, everyone fell silent and prayed desperately in their hearts.
Hye-ji casually tossed aside the shotgun that had done its job and spoke.
"I told you. Once you hit the rank, Silver Rank is the baseline."
"No, you said you were a supporter, so why are you playing carry?"
"A true supporter removes the source of damage."
"Right, so you're a damage supporter. I won't complain about the ranged eating, but..."
Turrets are crossing the line.
Meanwhile, Jung Ayeon showed no panic despite her summons being wiped out. She simply maintained her previous posture and spoke calmly.
"The one in the skirt was decent. Therefore, this lady shall show a bit of sincerity as well."
The moment she finished speaking, a large amorphous mass appeared in front of her and began growing. From a small dot into a distorted circle, then into an unrecognizable large lump. Its appearance was both simple and complex. Same color as the previous summons. Sloshing around like a slime. Because of that, judging its exact size was difficult. Roughly four meters tall, two meters wide. One thing felt off, though. Even without eyes, nose, or ears, it somehow seemed to be staring only at Hye-ji.
The moment the slime finished forming, the number above Jung Ayeon's head increased by one. Only then did a faint smile appear on her face.
"It is only natural that this lady wins!"
"The eyeless one sure talks a lot."
"Struggle all you like!!"
The moment she finished, the slime charged at Hye-ji with terrifying speed. Despite its massive size, its movements were remarkably agile and sharp. The number above Hye-ji's head had already increased, so she dodged the slime's trajectory, but the Gatling gun turrets left behind weren't so lucky. The slime's attack was a simple charge. Yet its power was too great to mock as simple.
-Boom!!!!
Three of the Gatling turrets in its path were smashed to pieces. The others were merely grazed, but that alone was enough. The parts touched by the slime began corroding with a hissing sound.
The slime immediately changed direction and accelerated toward Hye-ji again. Ignoring inertia, it repeated impossible accelerations and charges. Hye-ji, whose number had increased, quickly leaped far backward before the slime could turn. The moment she landed, she created a massive hammer in her right hand and gripped it with both hands. As the slime flew toward her, she swung horizontally with perfect timing. The motion resembled a batter swinging at a pitch.
-Clang!!!
With a clear metallic ring, the slime flew in the direction it was hit and crashed into the ground. But that was all. It simply wobbled and slowly rose again, completely unharmed. Hye-ji, breathing heavily from the exertion, asked me.
"Shinu, that bitch has her eyes closed, right? How is she tracking me?!"
"Ask the slime mom over there yourself."
"Hmph. This lady's summons can detect ability users. Escape is impossible."
"You heard her. Hye-ji, are ability users different or something?"
Hye-ji forgot to breathe and stared at me like I was an idiot. But that's fine. I am an idiot.
"...Shinu, how the hell did you even get into the Academy?"
"I just applied, fuck."
"When you awaken an ability, mana forms inside your body. She's probably detecting that."
"Oh. As expected, the one in the skirt already figured it out?"
What the hell is this mana nonsense? Fuck. Is this MP? MP? What a convenient world.
"What? Where did you learn that?"
"It's basic knowledge, basic!!!!!!!!!"
"I'm talentless, how the hell would I know that!! You ability supremacist!!"
Hye-ji shouted in frustration, but I shouted right back with equal frustration. Meanwhile, Jung Ayeon spoke with an expression that said she had already won, her tone annoyed.
"How noisy. Time to end this."
"Shinu, what do you think about a martial artist only using summons?"
"That's not a martial artist, that's a Pokémon Master. That thing's a 6V Ditto."
"Shut it!!!!"
The slime began wobbling and moving once more.