The Hwanryeong Grand Tournament (2)
The Hwanryeong Grand Tournament was now just three days away. The guild had begun releasing official news about the event in earnest.
Articles like these poured in like a storm. Especially after the news that Shin Seongmin would be competing, countless online communities exploded with discussion. It couldn’t simply be dismissed as baseless rumor.
Because Shin Seongmin — the man who hated appearing in the media more than anyone — had personally agreed to a television interview.
"Hello, Mr. Shin Seongmin. I'm Lee Seonjeong from KBU."
"Hello. I'm Shin Seongmin, an Awakened affiliated with the Hwanryeong Guild."
A neat-looking young man with a somewhat taciturn impression appeared on screen.
"I was so surprised when you first said you'd accept the interview."
"Haha. I don't particularly enjoy being in the media, so I feel quite sorry toward the citizens who have been waiting for me."
"Not at all. It just shows how hard you're working to protect them."
"Thank you for understanding."
"Ahaha. I'm not exactly the representative of the people, but as a fan who's always curious about your activities, I'm really looking forward to this interview."
"I'm looking forward to it as well."
Many viewers were shocked to see the usually extremely reserved Shin Seongmin smiling first and openly expressing anticipation for the interview.
In truth, the reason he was in such a good mood was simple. He had just finished teasing Adein quite thoroughly before coming to the studio.
"Shall we move on to the main interview?"
"Yes. Feel free to ask me anything you've been curious about. Ask whatever you like."
"Excellent. Then… the first question is obvious. The Hwanryeong Grand Tournament."
"I knew that one was coming."
"Many people are wondering about it. Specifically, whether someone of your caliber even needs to participate."
"I know there are many opinions saying I don't need to bother… but this time, I genuinely felt like competing after a long while."
"May I ask why?"
"Haha. Of course. There isn't really any grand reason. I simply wanted to. It's been a while since I've faced other Hwanryeong Awakened, and I wanted to test myself against them."
"But aren't you one of the top ten S-class Awakened in the entire country?"
"Even so, there's no rule that says I can't lose to those below me. The Awakened in Hwanryeong are strong. I thought there would be things I could learn from fighting them, so I decided to participate."
"I see…"
"In particular, I'd like to face last year's champion, Yu Danha."
"Yu Danha? But she's only A-class, isn't she?"
"She's grown considerably since then. I believe she'll be the most threatening opponent this time."
"Oh. So you're approaching this with complete seriousness… is that what you're saying?"
"Of course. I always give my all when facing any Awakened."
At the sight of Shin Seongmin smiling faintly, Yusoha — who was also watching the interview — glared at the screen with clear irritation.
“Soha? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“…Are you angry?”
“A little.”
“May I ask why?”
“It sounds like he’s saying I’m not even worth considering as an opponent.”
“…I see.”
“Honestly, I can’t really argue with it. I got completely crushed by my sister last year.”
Yusoha shook her head as if she didn’t even want to remember that scene.
“What was it like?”
“Humiliating. I couldn’t get through Hidelixius, and my sister just sniped me relentlessly from on top of his shield.”
“That must have been difficult. Facing two people whose coordination is perfect is nearly impossible unless your skill completely surpasses them.”
“Exactly. So I lost miserably. All my attacks were completely blocked by Hidelixius.”
“Blocked… so this Hidelixius person acted as a literal wall?”
“Precisely.”
Yusoha recalled the sight of Hidelixius from last year. Holding his massive iron shield, he had blocked every single one of her attacks without a single gap. To her, he had truly been an impenetrable wall.
But she couldn’t prepare enough firepower to break through him in one go. The kind of bombardment she had shown Eclipse last time consumed a massive amount of mana, which meant she needed a solid vanguard to protect her while she charged it.
So the result had been exactly as everyone expected: Yusoha’s crushing defeat.
Chewing on that bitter memory, she spoke again.
“During the Hwanryeong Grand Tournament, every single fight between Awakened is broadcast live on every channel.”
“…So everyone saw you like that.”
“Yeah. Even with all the media we have nowadays, the tournament still pulls insane viewership numbers.”
“……”
“Just thinking about it still makes my blood boil. Of course losing was humiliating, but what I hated most was realizing how powerless I truly was. And I had no choice but to show that pathetic version of myself to everyone watching the tournament.”
“It must have been humiliating.”
“It was. I know my sister is stronger than me. A Guardian Star is a core part of an Awakened’s power, after all. But I can’t accept losing that badly. So…”
She paused for a moment, then glanced at Eclipse after shooting another glare toward the screen where Shin Seongmin had been mentioned as if she weren’t even worth considering.
“I’m going to pay them back. So, Eclipse.”
“Speak.”
“Help me. You said you wanted to see me arrogantly standing above everyone else, right? I’ll show you. So help me.”
“Are you satisfied with borrowing my hand?”
“Of course I am. Didn’t I tell you? A Guardian Star is the Awakened’s power itself. You’re someone I summoned, so that power is mine, isn’t it?”
“…That’s correct.”
“Anyway, our goal is simple. We’re winning it all.”
“Winning?”
“That’s right. I’m going to beat Shin Seongmin and my sister too. Everyone.”
“Simple. I like it.”
“You’ll probably have to use quite a bit of your strength.”
“That’s exactly what I’ve been hoping for. I’ve been too inactive lately. My body is itching for a fight.”
“Perfect. Oh, but one condition.”
“Condition?”
“I’ll handle the small fry I can deal with myself. You only step in when it looks like I’m going to lose. You understand what I mean, right?”
“How many opponents in Hwanryeong would even require that?”
“Not that many. If there were, I wouldn’t have become a team leader. My father is a strict meritocrat no matter what. If I were stupid, slow, or weak, I never would have gotten the position.”
“Hm. Understood.”
Eclipse nodded. The sound of his old armor clanking echoed softly.
“But.”
Yusoha narrowed her eyes and stared at him.
“Yes?”
“That armor of yours… I know it’s your master’s keepsake, but isn’t it a little too worn out…?”
“Even if it’s worn, there’s no problem with its function. Only the appearance has deteriorated.”
“No, that doesn’t make sense. At a glance it looks like it’s been used for decades…”
“There is no problem with its function.”
Eclipse spoke to her with stubborn finality.
“…When you show up to the Hwanryeong Grand Tournament wearing that ragged armor, what do you think people will say?”
“Is being worn-out such a big problem?”
“They’ll probably say it looks shabby. Even my sister’s Hidelixius wears incredibly elegant, antique-looking armor that’s actually stylish.”
“Appearance doesn’t matter much to me. Besides, wearing unfamiliar armor would only make me uncomfortable.”
“Even if I had it custom-made to fit you perfectly?”
“Even then. No matter how perfectly fitted a new suit of armor is, it can’t compare to armor I’m used to.”
Watching Eclipse display an unusually stubborn attitude toward his armor, Yusoha let out a small sigh.
“Haa. Fine.”
She had wanted to strip that old armor off him and force him into a brand-new set, but with that kind of attitude, it was clearly impossible. Eclipse was cooperative about almost everything, yet when it came to that armor, he refused to compromise at all.
Maybe it’s some kind of artifact? Like how that broken greatsword contained dignity, perhaps this armor holds something similar?
That was the only guess Yusoha could come up with.
“Does that armor have any special abilities?”
“No. It’s ordinary armor.”
“Are you really not interested in new armor? It looks uncomfortable to me.”
Yusoha looked up at him with an unusually earnest expression.
“Is appearance that important to you?”
“It is to me.”
“Unfortunately, familiarity is more important to me. I’ll cooperate with you on everything else, but I’d appreciate it if you stopped concerning yourself with my armor.”
“…Haa. Fine.”
In the end, Yusoha had no choice but to take a step back. If Eclipse had nitpicked at her about every little thing, she would have pushed back no matter how strong he was. But since he yielded to her in almost every other situation, she had to compromise on this, even if it bothered her.
Yusoha shook her head slightly and looked at him again.
“Is there something else?”
“No, it’s nothing. Just… I’m counting on you. It’s in three days.”
“I’m counting on you as well.”
When Yusoha held out her fist, Eclipse lightly bumped his own against it. Feeling the cold touch of the old gauntlet against her knuckles, she steadied her heart.
In three days, she would completely overturn every perception people had of her. She made that vow silently.