Vs. Jung Ayeon (Traditional Support)
Hyeji was glaring at the slime she'd just sent flying. No matter how hard she hit it, the thing showed no signs of damage, and it was starting to drain her spirit. Our compatibility is just way too bad.
Its massive, amorphous body made bullets almost useless. They simply embedded themselves without doing any real harm. Stabbing it with a blade would just melt the weapon on contact. Even the hammer she'd swung at the slime was slowly corroding where it touched. None of her current tools were going to cut it. And no matter how many futures she experienced through regression, none of them showed an effective counter.
Tch. Why the hell did I go all-in on this? At this rate she'd actually have to call home. Hyeji tightened her grip on the hammer, her hands trembling, and dropped into a stance while assessing the situation.
I've got maybe five more materializations left. She couldn't afford to waste them. She didn't even know what to create next. So she regressed again, searching for a new path. The next three minutes of future played out, but once more she returned without a victory.
Goddamn it, why can't I find any angle to win? The previous future hadn't been promising either. The slime had split open, swallowed the head of her hammer, and then devoured her whole. Even so, she had to win. Hyeji began forming a new plan.
It's amorphous, so it probably has water-like properties. That means it should react to alkali metals. She pushed away the "probably" that followed. This was the moment to struggle with everything she had.
Simple plan: the instant she swung the hammer and the slime spread itself to grab it, she'd materialize a chunk of lithium right there and trigger a reaction. She'd make the lithium as large as possible to match the slime's size. Normally she would've known her limits and never chosen this, but being pushed to the brink had dulled her judgment.
Once the plan was set, Hyeji focused on the incoming slime. Then she suddenly remembered the root cause of this whole mess. Kim Shinwoo. That crazy bastard who'd dared to use her as a tool.
Fucking asshole. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. A surge of energy returned to her exhausted body. The desire to beat him senseless temporarily erased her fatigue. Temporary or not, it was exactly what she needed right now.
The slime was already rushing her. Hyeji planted her left foot, twisted her waist, and brought the hammer down in a diagonal strike. At that moment the slime split open, mouth gaping wide to swallow the hammer. Good. Same as the future I saw. Now it was time to change things.
Before the hammer was eaten, she materialized the largest possible lump of lithium at the tip. Then she poured even more power into the swing instead of slowing down. This should be enough.
The future diverged. The lithium reacted inside the slime. Whether from pain or shock, the creature began spewing smoke and thrashing violently in place.
I won! Just to be sure, Hyeji backed up three steps and checked the future again. What she saw wasn't victory. The slime had already recovered and was about to swallow her whole.
...What? Even after regressing, the situation hadn't changed. The slime that had been writhing in agony moments ago now stood calmly before her once more. Hyeji let out a sigh at the cruel reality she couldn't deny.
"That thing... survived?"
"A fine attempt. However, since it is based on qi, the reaction will not be significant."
"What the hell does mana have to do with qi?!"
"Because this one uses it, this one calls it qi."
Ayeon, eyes still closed, looked at Hyeji and gave a faint smirk.
"If you dislike the word, then win."
"Fuck."
Hyeji had no intention of ending this quietly. This time she'd materialize an anti-tank RPG. She spent two materializations to create the warhead and body separately, then immediately fired at the slime. The creature nimbly opened a hole in its body and let the rocket pass straight through. The warhead exploded harmlessly behind it.
"Ha... it won't even get hit."
"You already know. Our compatibility is terrible."
"Shit."
"Do not be discouraged. Your opponent is not this one."
Looking back, she'd been too complacent. Because the slime had been taking her attacks so readily, she'd unconsciously assumed it would also tank something this powerful. Fatigue and despair crashed into her at once. It felt like everyone was telling her she'd already lost.
Hyeji collapsed onto the ground and stared blankly as the slime approached. Ha... fuck. Seriously. The slime reached her and silently opened its massive maw, ready to swallow her without leaving a trace. The thought of being defeated so helplessly made tears well up in her eyes.
Ayeon smiled confidently, certain of victory, and spoke with what she probably thought was mercy.
"Do not worry. This one will end it qui—"
—BOOM!!!!!!!!!!
"Gyaaaaah!!!"
The words were cut off by a thunderous impact. The sudden change made the slime freeze and retreat. At the same time, red numbers appeared above both Hyeji's and Ayeon's heads.
***
I'd been watching the slime charge Hyeji while lying comfortably on the ground. So that thing only detects ability users, huh?
When someone awakens, mana forms inside their body. Professor Pilyong's research team must have built their scanner to read that mana. Since I have none, I'm registered as powerless. That explains the earlier fight. The summoned creatures had been numerous enough to look like they were rushing both of us, but the slime had only ever targeted Hyeji—the harder prey—while ignoring the easier target: me. In other words, once Ayeon closed her eyes, she couldn't pinpoint my location. Of course, if I made noise she'd notice immediately. She might be blind, but she still had ears.
I moved slowly, hiding my footsteps in the noise of Hyeji's clashes. Thankfully, she kept struggling and regressing. I'm just a tool! Don't break me!
Thanks to my careful positioning, I managed to get behind Ayeon right as Hyeji sat down in defeat. Ayeon kept talking, completely unaware of what was about to happen.
You're done. I steadied my breathing. Rushing would only ruin everything. Then I carefully pulled the object I'd brought from inside my clothes.
Ah... that cool, heavy feeling.
The moment Ayeon opened her mouth again, I gripped the object with both hands and swung with all my strength.
"Do not worry. This one will end it qui—"
"Shut the hell up!!!!!!!!!!"
—BOOM!!!!!!!!!!
"Aaaaaagh!!!!"
Ayeon screamed. The slime that had been about to swallow Hyeji flinched and backed away. Red numbers rose above Ayeon's head. Hyeji, who had also noticed the commotion, slowly turned to look at me. Light gradually returned to her eyes before she started pointing accusingly.
A red number had appeared above her head as well.
"Huh? Huh? Hey! When did you get over there? How the hell—?!"
"Finally shut that noisy bastard up."
"No, seriously, what the hell is that huge, thick thing?!"
Ah. So she'd recognized my magnificent Dragon Slayer (the book). Seeing Ayeon clutching her head and groaning filled me with pure joy. Even if she wasn't the one who'd hit me, a chicken would have to do when pheasant wasn't available.
"I almost died getting hit with this too, you bastard."
"Uuuuugh..."
"Your sister's mistake is your mistake!"
I raised the book high again, a vicious smile spreading across my face.
"You're not dead yet, right?"
"N-no..."
"Don't do it, Ayeon!!!!"
"Do it!!!!"
I brought the book down with all my pent-up rage. One exclamation mark, one swing. You bitch.
"I! Fucking! Got! Hit! First! So! Why! The! Hell! Are! You! Running! Your! Mouth!!!!!!"
—Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bangbangbangbangbangbang!!!!!!
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!!!!"
Ayeon foamed at the mouth and collapsed. The book I'd used to beat her remained perfectly intact. Yeah. This wasn't some Dragon Slayer. It was a holy relic.
I turned my back on Ayeon and walked toward Hyeji, shouting excitedly. The dueling arena system was shutting down.
"Hyeji, it's over! Time to collect the money!"
"Yeah! Money! Money!"
"Where...... do you think you're going?"
"Huh?"
I looked back to see Ayeon, who I'd thought was unconscious, staring at me with venom in her eyes. She was still on the ground, but those murderous eyes were locked onto me.
"This one...... will definitely kill you."
Ayeon closed her eyes and pressed both hands to the ground, pouring white mana into it just like before. The same slime that had threatened Hyeji now appeared in front of me. It looked worse for wear—smaller, and its movements were jerky.
"Did you intend to defeat this one so thoroughly just to violate her body?"
"We don't give a shit about your body. We're just here to get paid, asshole!"
"This one will not allow it!!!!"
The moment Ayeon finished speaking, the slime began to glow. At first it was just a small light, smaller than a bulb, but soon it became blinding.
"Flashbang, you son of a bitch!"
"This one will detonate it right here!!"
「Student Jung Ayeon! The match is already over! Please stop immediately!」
"It does not matter!!!! Hahahahahaha!!!!"
Ayeon was about to set off the flashbang. In that instant, a small figure shot in front of me. Hyeji. She materialized a triple-layered thick shield, slammed it into the ground, and braced her small body against it to block the massive explosion head-on.
A tremendous roar shook the arena as the world turned white.
"Die!!!!"
—KABOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!
The explosion was enormous, yet Hyeji didn't take a single step back. When the blast finally faded and color returned to the world, the triple shield in front of her slowly cracked and shattered. Hyeji, who had taken the full force of it, looked at me while gasping for breath.
"You...... picked up a shield."
"Yeah."
Then she began to lose consciousness and collapse. I caught her and carefully laid her down.
"Ah, Hyeji. From today onward, you're not a utility support."
I turned toward the fight that still wasn't over, gripping the book tighter.
"You're a traditional support."
Ayeon stared with wide eyes, unable to believe what had just happened. Watching me approach with clear murderous intent, she showed fear for the first time. She tried to crawl backward, forcing her unmoving legs to move.
"Don't come... don't come near me... stay away!!!!"
I kept walking anyway. When I finally reached her, I raised the book high and shouted.
"Take this! Three Talents Sword Art!!!"
"At least attack with a sword!!!!"
—BOOM!!!!
Ayeon collapsed with a thud. The book, which had apparently absorbed some of the explosion's remnants, finally crumbled into pieces with a soft rustle. The scraps of paper fluttered through the air like torn martial arts manuals. They drifted down onto the stunned students.
Master Gorushi. Are you watching? I beat up all the orthodox faction members just like you did.
I approached the still-screaming students and began collecting my winnings. The massive sum—my share plus the money Hyeji had earned through reverse betting—was deposited into our accounts. Once collection was finished, I carefully lifted the unconscious Hyeji and carried her toward the infirmary. Before leaving, I turned back to the students who still hadn't processed reality and quoted one of my favorite novels.
"Orthodox faction. Have you come to your senses?"
Their screams grew even louder, and so did my laughter.
Still grinning, I arrived at the infirmary.
"Yelim noona. Rocket delivery!"
"Oh! You're here! Welcome. Just lay her down right there."
...Why was she handling this so naturally? Was this the composure that came with age?
"You wanna die?"
"Yessir..."
The bitch had quick instincts. I avoided Yelim noona's murderous gaze and quickly changed the subject to lighten the mood.
"You get patients often? You're awfully cheerful about it."
"Nah. I was watching your match too."
???? I'd never streamed anything.
Seeing my confused expression, Yelim noona added an explanation.
"When the betting pool gets this big, the academy channel broadcasts it and lets people place bets."
"Then why are you so happy?"
"I bet three months of my salary on you. So I'm in a great mood right now."
Was she insane?
"Are you crazy? Why would you bet on me?"
"Our Yerang taught you, so of course you'd win!"
"We only started talking two weeks ago, right?"
"Who knew you'd turn out to be this charming~. I'm already looking at wedding venues~."
"I'm going insane, seriously."
I carefully laid Hyeji down and gently wiped the dust from her hands, neck, and face with tissues. Her face really was cute. It just felt different when she opened her mouth.
"Still, I'm glad things worked out with Kang Hyuk ahjussi."
The moment I said that, Yelim noona's cheerful expression froze. She leaned in close, her face deadly serious.
".....What's his name again?"
"You two never even introduced yourselves? You said you'd only been talking for two weeks!"
"No... we just got along so well that..."
Yelim noona scratched her head awkwardly.
"Anyway, that ahjussi's name is Ryu Kanghyuk."
"....Really?"
"Why?"
Yelim noona's expression changed completely. It was like she'd just met her favorite idol in person.
"Oh my! So I've been talking to Kanghyuk-nim this whole time?"
"Kanghyuk...-nim?"
"Shinu, thank you so much. Thank you for making my dream come true."
Yelim noona grabbed my hand with tears in her eyes and shook it vigorously. I was too stunned to process what was happening.
"No, seriously, why are you like this? Speak slowly."
"You really don't know who he is?"
"The neighbor who steals side dishes?"
Yelim noona's eyes turned back into the "this guy's an idiot" look. Then she returned to a serious expression.
"It's because you don't know who he is."
"He said he used to be kind of famous."
Yelim noona raised her voice like she was telling me to stop spouting nonsense.
"Kind of??? Kind of??? What do you mean 'kind of'? He's literally an idol!!!"
"What the hell is he, and why are you acting like some old trot singer introducing their favorite?"
But the next words made me wonder if I'd misheard.
"He's the first and youngest Master Class hunter."
"Huh?...."
"Ryu Kanghyuk. The first hunter to reach Master Class beyond Diamond rank."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Yelim noona kept going regardless.
"Even the Master Classes that came after him aren't as young as he was."
"...Holy shit."
Was this a light novel? My next-door neighbor turned out to be the strongest hunter? Ah, yeah. This is definitely a light novel.