The Tournament Begins (4)
Yusoha claimed the first match of the opening ceremony at the Hwanryeong Grand Tournament. With a majestic stride, she advanced toward the center of the coliseum where countless spectators had gathered. The bracket and all preliminary procedures had been completed just moments ago, so all that remained for her was to fight.
By coincidence, both Yusoha and Yu Danha were positioned at opposite ends of the bracket, with Shin Seongmin placed between them. It was a lineup that clearly showed the organizers’ determination not to pit the three most talked-about competitors against one another in the early rounds.
Yusoha’s first opponent was an Awakened from Hwanryeong Team 3 named Park Inhyeok. Of course, Yusoha didn’t know his name. Since he had never caught her eye, she only recognized his face and had never bothered to remember his name. She rarely committed the names of people who failed to impress her to memory.
When the electronic display board lit up with her opponent’s name, she finally registered it as Park Inhyeok. Naturally, she had no intention of memorizing it. Anyone whose name she still hadn’t bothered to learn was, in all likelihood, a mediocre Awakened. While it was true that Hwanryeong had no truly incompetent members, there were still plenty who fell short of her standards.
And Park Inhyeok, who knew that fact all too well, naturally glared at Yusoha with open hostility. She had always ignored him, after all.
“Please take care of me.”
“Sure.”
He offered a greeting laced with jealousy and drew the greatsword strapped across his back. Yusoha gave him a polite reply for appearance’s sake. Of course, she made no effort to hide the smirk tugging at her lips.
That smile made Park Inhyeok’s eyes widen. He looked furious at a glance.
Yusoha summoned a sword into the air. Her opponent used a blade, so she would crush him with a blade as well. It was her favorite method—defeating someone with their own specialty in the most unpleasant way possible.
Oblivious to her thoughts, Park Inhyeok stepped forward with exaggerated confidence, clearly favoring close combat. Cheers erupted from the stands. His stance must have looked impressive to them. To Yusoha, however, it scored a solid zero. Ever since Eclipse had begun teaching her swordsmanship, she had come to understand just how hollow such flashy movements truly were.
Judging by his level, he’s probably around B-class at best.
B-class was by no means weak, but it was still far beneath her own level. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly at the thought.
How should I finish this…? The crowd probably wants to see me get brutally crushed. But I have no intention of giving them that satisfaction.
Last year, her humiliating defeat at Yu Danha’s hands had been broadcast nationwide, cementing a certain schadenfreude in the public consciousness. It had been right in the middle of the unfair dismissal—no, the dismissal controversy, when public malice toward her had been at its sharpest. Those swept up in that sentiment still hurled jeers her way.
Yusoha let out a single derisive snort at those insults, then waited patiently for Park Inhyeok. The arrogance of someone who had already secured victory just by observing his posture. There was no need to grant the first move to such a lesser opponent.
At that moment, Park Inhyeok’s Guardian Star materialized in midair. He looked at his Guardian Star with a rather confident gaze. It was a Living Armor named Eldian. The living armor fused with his body, becoming one with him and lending a portion of its power to its contractor.
The sight of Park Inhyeok clad entirely in black armor was more impressive than expected, drawing gasps of admiration from the audience. But to Yusoha, who had now obtained the overwhelmingly powerful Guardian Star known as Eclipse, it was nothing but laughable.
Finally finished with his preparations, Park Inhyeok began closing the distance rapidly. The ground-shaking footsteps rang in Yusoha’s ears. A hulking man in full armor charging like a bull would have been terrifying to most. Yet Yusoha continued to smile as she watched him.
Pathetic.
Mana bloomed across her entire body, wrapping her in a golden radiance. Her brilliantly shining golden hair and eyes began to catch the spectators’ attention. She took a single step forward.
Eclipse had always emphasized proper stance. A sloppy posture could never contain true power, and no matter how much mana was infused, swordsmanship unsupported by the body was nothing but an illusion. Yusoha followed those words to the letter.
KRAAAAAANG!
Park Inhyeok charged forward with enough force to tear up the ground itself, while Yusoha simply watched him after taking one calm step. The crowd now thought she had gone mad. After all, they had seen how she fought last year. Her swordsmanship had never been this static.
But the result completely defied everyone’s expectations.
When Park Inhyeok finally reached her and swung his massive greatsword with crushing force, Yusoha—still holding her single forward step—met the blow head-on. A clean slash, describable only as flawless, traced a golden afterimage as it sliced through his sword. Along with the chest plate of the Living Armor he had been so proud of.
Schunk.
With a crisp cutting sound, his sword and chest plate split open in an instant, revealing vivid red blood. Yusoha took one more step forward, closing the distance until she stood right before his face. She wrapped her hand in golden mana and seized him by the throat.
The cold touch of the armor reached her palm, but she paid it no mind. Then, quietly, she murmured.
Flame.
A technique only usable by Awakened who had reached a high level of mana control—transmitting words directly into the opponent’s ear. Hearing those words, Park Inhyeok stared at her with eyes now tinged with fear.
Whether he looked at her with fear or not, Yusoha immediately poured strength into her hand and slammed him straight into the ground.
The referee declared the victor. A modest cheer rose from the stands—the support of the small number of fans who still stood by her.
Yu Hyeok watched the scene with interest.
“Did you get Soha's a new sword instructor or something?”
His question was directed at his son—and Yusoha and Yu Danha’s father—Yu Hajun.
“No.”
“For someone who didn’t, her skills have improved quite a bit…”
“It must be the result of her own hard work. We haven’t assigned her a new teacher. She’s at an age where she needs to pave her own path, isn’t she?”
“Tsk tsk. What’s so difficult about that?”
“There’s no need to assign one. Once someone reaches Soha’s level, you know as well as I do that everything from then on is territory they must pioneer themselves. That’s exactly what you told me back then.”
“That’s true. Still, she’s changed beyond recognition in just a single year.”
“Her determination has deepened. It’s not as if there haven’t been plenty of people mocking her all this time.”
“Indeed.”
Yu Hyeok gave a bitter smile. He was proud of his granddaughter for advancing even without a Guardian Star, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but worry. What would have become of him if he hadn’t had Rumeorn? Just imagining it was horrifying. He probably wouldn’t have overcome the countless hardships he had faced. And now his granddaughter found herself in exactly that situation. A true partner who grew alongside you was more precious than any irreplaceable treasure.
[Soha must have grown by cultivating that very determination.]
The space suddenly rippled, and an archaic voice echoed beside Yu Hajun’s ear. The figure who appeared was a beautiful woman with white hair and golden eyes—Cheolryeong, Rumeorn. She was Yu Hyeok’s wife and lifelong companion, and also Yu Hajun’s biological mother.
Rumeorn was a Guardian Star who had attained transcendence in her original world and gained human status. She could not only interact with humans but also bear children with them. In her human form, she clearly possessed human qualities. The entire Hwanryeong bloodline consisted of the descendants of Cheolryeong Rumeorn and Yu Hyeok, and their exceptionally captivating appearances owed much to her influence.
“Mother. You’ve arrived.”
At Yu Hajun’s words, Rumeorn gave a slight nod.
“You’ve been so busy you couldn’t even show your face, yet here you are making an appearance.”
“Haha. Still, a father should at least watch his daughters’ moments like this.”
“Tsk tsk. So watching your parents comes second?”
“Mother, you can come to wherever I am whenever you wish, can’t you?”
“That’s not the issue. It’s a matter of sincerity.”
“If I’ve upset you, I apologize. I’ll be sure to visit from now on.”
“If only you weren’t so quick with empty words.”
“Haha…”
Rumeorn shot a brief glare at her sheepishly smiling son before turning her gaze to her granddaughter. She sensed something strange. The Yusoha she remembered had never looked this bright. But the girl before her now seemed to have undergone some kind of mental change. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be smiling like that.
“Soha has indeed taken another step forward.”
“Pardon?”
“What do you mean?”
“Look at her, dear. Isn’t Soha smiling?”
“Smiling… and that’s enough to tell?”
“The heart reveals itself on the face. With a light heart, her skills were bound to improve. Something must have happened.”
“I see.”
Both Yu Hyeok and Yu Hajun nodded at Rumeorn’s words. It made sense.
“But I don’t know what kind of change it was. Son, do you have any idea?”
“No, I’m not entirely sure yet either.”
“Tsk. You always talk so well when it comes to looking after your daughters, yet you fail to notice even these small details. From now on, pay more attention to your girls. Especially Soha. Hasn’t her heart been festering for quite some time?”
Yu Hajun’s expression turned guilty at Rumeorn’s words.
“I’ll be more mindful from now on, Mother.”
Rumeorn gave a single nod, then turned to her husband, Yu Hyeok.
“Dear.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll go see Soha for a moment.”
“Ah. Do as you wish.”
Once again the space twisted, and Rumeorn’s figure vanished.