This Is Driving Me Crazy, Seriously
The day of the quarterfinals had finally arrived. Thanks to going to bed early yesterday, my whole body felt refreshed and light. As we'd arranged beforehand, we were waiting for each other just outside the dueling arena.
"Young master, you have arrived?"
"You're early."
Right on time with my arrival, Hye-ji and Elsia appeared as well.
"Shinwoo, just finish this shit quickly. I'm so fucking bored."
"Husband! Eat this one!"
Elsia suddenly shoved a sandwich at me without warning. Even at a glance, it was thick, stuffed with fillings, and looked ridiculously expensive. I grabbed her shoulders, trembling.
"Elsia! Where the hell did you steal this from again!"
"I borrowed it from that pig over there!"
The place Elsia pointed to was none other than the Academy President. He was holding a coffee in one hand, frantically searching everywhere for his suddenly vanished sandwich. I patted Elsia's head.
"Good job. I knew I could count on you."
"Heheheeet! Eat it quick and let's go in!"
"Just what in the world are you and Miss Elsia doing?!"
Jung Ayeon pointed at us as we split the sandwich in half.
"You're not getting any?"
"You should have brought coffee too!"
"Ah! I forgot! I'll be more careful next time, Ayeon, my dear sister!"
"Just this once."
Whoa, she's finally grown.
Because of you, all the heroines have completely lost their minds!!!
With that, we finished splitting and eating the sandwich, then entered the dueling arena. Our timing must have been perfect, because the opposing team entered at almost the exact same moment.
Hye-ji and Elsia took seats on the bench in the back, while Jung Ayeon and I walked toward the arena floor. The only difference from the day before yesterday was that Caersi wasn't on the bench today. Since she was competing today, it made sense that watching from the sidelines would be a bit much.
The opposing team that entered the arena consisted of two martial artists. One was a burly, muscular man. The other was a slightly scrawny-looking guy. Both were male, and the moment they saw Jung Ayeon, they suddenly ground their teeth and poured their rage onto her.
"Have you no shame?!"
"That traitor bitch!!"
"Hmph. You disgusting bastards sure talk a lot. Shut your filthy mouths."
Jung Ayeon's tone was unusually sharp for someone speaking to fellow martial artists. On top of that, her eyes looked especially cold today.
At that moment, the burly one glanced at me and his expression suddenly softened into a friendly gaze. Specifically—
"Oh ho... I didn't expect to see such a big shot here."
"I won't forgive you for looking away, Namgung-hyung."
He was staring straight at my lower body. The other guy snapped at the one called Namgung-hyung. Namgung-hyung quickly pulled his eyes away and spoke in a panic.
"I-I got it!"
"And you, stop flirting with our Namgung-hyung."
"Don't fucking talk shit, you son of a dead bitch."
I hadn't done anything, but this so-called younger brother suddenly started cursing at me. Namgung-hyung's sticky, overly friendly stare had already been disgusting enough, and this little shit just poured gasoline on the fire. Right now, a fierce blaze of rage was roaring inside my chest.
It seems that fellow named Namgung-hyung has taken quite a liking to you.
Should I kill him? Can I kill him? No, I'm definitely killing them. I'm really going to fucking murder these pieces of shit!!!!!
As my rage escalated like a gradient bar filling up, the professor finally grabbed the microphone and cleared his throat. Without any fancy rhetoric, he immediately began introducing the teams.
Left Side! The <Namgung-hyung and Volcano Faction Little Bro> Team!
The moment the professor finished, a massive wave of cheers filled the arena. It was incomparably more grand than during the round of sixteen. However, as Jung Ayeon and I listened to those cheers, our expressions rotted in real time.
Because every single one of those screams was a man's voice.
"Kyaaaaaah!!! Namgung-hyung!!! You're so cool!!!!"
"I like harems more than pure love!!!!"
"Our Volcano Faction little bro is so cute too!!!!"
"Strongest Namgung!!! Supreme Volcano!!!"
"I want them!! Those men!!!"
Honestly, even if the cheers weren't directed at me, watching guys wailing about how much they loved other men was hard to stomach. I turned to Jung Ayeon.
"Are all martial artists just gay? Don't any of them like actual people?"
"...They are just a bit extreme, that is all."
"A bit?"
"......"
Jung Ayeon couldn't answer and quietly averted her gaze. Looked like I'd hit the nail on the head.
At that moment, Namgung-hyung on the opposite side turned toward the stands, raised a finger to his lips, and shushed them.
"Shh! Let's all be quiet, my little kittens?"
"""""HYUUUUUUUNG!!!!!!""""""
Watching that, Jung Ayeon and I could only quietly curse.
"Fucking disgusting."
"Mom-dead gay bastards..."
This body clearly told you to watch your back.
Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.
At that moment, a heavy, thunderous roar rang out, silencing the cheers from the stands. It was a single Lion's Roar. The heavy roar that shook the air instantly silenced the entire audience.
"MAE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
That's right. It was Mae-gal, the one I'd beaten half to death before. His Lion's Roar instantly killed the gay bastards' cheering. Honestly, I never liked the sight of him. That jiggling pig body, the grease dripping down his face. Plus, the way he talked was so disgusting that I wanted to kill him every time he came near. But as they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. At this moment, Mae-gal felt like a reliable ally.
After silencing everyone, Mae-gal seized the chance and shouted even louder.
"Those obsolete male scum are barking, you retards!!!!!!!!"
His words were enough to overwhelm the entire crowd. Then one brave gay guy fiercely protested against him.
"W-what did we even do wrong?!"
"You don't even know your sin! This is why male scum are useless!! Bororororong!!!"
"Ugh!! Tell us!! What did we do wrong?!"
Mae-gal looked at the protesting guy and declared firmly.
"Mae!! Gal!! How dare you call him Namgung-hyung!! Have you no shame?!"
"......It does seem wrong to have called him Namgung-hyung."
"You still don't realize your mistake! As expected of male scum!!!!"
"Then what the hell is our mistake!!!"
His speech was still disgusting, but at least he had silenced the gay bastards. Hey, you. I'll let it slide just this once.
"Namgung contains the character for 'male' (男)!!! From now on, call him Po-gung, you retards!!!!!"
"O-okay!!!!"
Mom, fuck. I should have just beaten him to death.
The stands fell into instant chaos from Mae-gal's shocking statement. Some women were screaming, "Unnie! I've finally awakened! Kill all the male scum!" On top of that, since Mae-gal seemed to support homosexuality, even the martial artist gays quickly joined his faction.
Didn't you just say he was helpful?
God damn it...
The professor hurriedly introduced our team, but it only backfired.
Right side! The <Cheonma Rider> Team!
"Rider? Of course a goddess should be on top of male scum!"
"And the Heavenly Demon is a woman!! As expected, there's no male Heavenly Demon!!"
"But why is our goddess with that male scum shit instead of a god-tier male? Sisters, am I the only one uncomfortable with this?"
The lunatics riding on Mae-gal's name suddenly started spouting nonsense. I roared at them until my throat nearly tore.
"Shut your fucking mouths!!! You goddamn pig bastards!!!"
But despite my efforts, the chaos in the stands only grew worse. Some even argued that having three men in the arena was sexist. And Mae-gal stood at the center of it all.
"Male scum!! Goddesses!! Everyone shout together!! Po! Gung! Se! Ga!"
"""""Po! Gung! Se! Ga!"""""
"Louder!! Male! Scum! Must! Die!"
"""""Male! Scum! Must! Die!"""""
The stands had fallen into incomprehensible madness. It was so overwhelming that I was nervously wondering when their arrows would turn toward us.
But the frenzy died down in an instant.
- BAAAAAANG!!!!
"KWEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!"
Because Hye-ji's patience, who had been watching from the bench, finally snapped. In her hands was a massive anti-materiel sniper rifle, smoke still curling from its barrel. Since the dueling arena's safety system hadn't activated yet, the stands weren't protected by any barrier.
If there was a barrier, what would you do? Hye-ji would just punch through it anyway.
Ah, right.
Mae-gal, struck by the anti-materiel round, let out a dying squeal and collapsed unconscious. The students who had gathered around him immediately lost their minds and started protesting against Hye-ji.
"That! That! That violent bitch dares!!"
"That's misogyny!!! Women are victims of the patriarchy!!"
"Anyway, it's the man's fault! That bitch has no tits so she's basically a man!"
"We can't lose our Captain Mae-gal!!"
However—
"Shinwoo told you to shut your fucking mouths, you dog bastards."
""""".......""""""
Hye-ji slammed the rifle's stock into the ground and spoke in a low, ominous voice. With just that single sentence, the stands instantly fell into a strict hierarchy. Fake madness always bowed before true strength.
Meanwhile, thanks to his thick layer of fat, Mae-gal's skull hadn't been pierced. He had simply fainted from the massive impact and didn't look like he'd wake up until the match was over.
The professor announcing the match continued in an awkward voice.
The, the match! Will now begin!
"It begins."
"Indeed."
Jung Ayeon and I spoke to each other while keeping an eye on our opponents.
"I'll take care of that Namgung-hyung bastard. His eyes have been pissing me off since earlier."
"Then this one shall take the Volcano Faction little brother."
I manifested a dagger in my left hand and a long spear in my right. Meanwhile, Jung Ayeon had already summoned two wolves and one eagle. We bumped fists and charged toward our respective opponents.
The quarterfinals had begun.