The Champion's Declaration
The plan. Yusoha could feel the cheers of the spectators in the arena pouring toward her. Just one year. In a single year, she had washed away the memories stained with humiliation. She glanced at Eclipse standing beside her. He still wore that shabby appearance, yet she knew all too well that this unassuming knight was the one who had brought her this far.
Well, to be fair, after the semifinals he pretty much smashed everything before I could even do anything.
Still, she was the one who had summoned a being of overwhelming power. Surely that alone qualified her to stand here. With that thought, Yusoha strode confidently toward the center of the arena. The cheers grew even louder, and the podium gradually came into view. She stepped onto the platform with an expression brimming with self-assurance.
The roar of countless people filled the air. Waaaaah! The fierce noise battered her ears, but she didn’t frown. Instead, she deepened the smile on her lips and accepted the trophy. The very trophy she had failed to claim last year because she couldn’t surpass her sister now gleamed brilliantly in her hands.
“Could we hear a few words from you?”
At the emcee’s question, Yusoha pondered for a moment. What should she say? She could spout something plausible like she had during previous interviews. But… where was the fun in that?
“I honestly thought winning would be difficult, but my Guardian Star was just too incredible. I rode the bus perfectly.”
Yusoha answered with a bright smile, keeping it short and sweet.
“Pardon?”
The emcee’s bewildered voice was joined by stunned murmurs from the stands. Yusoha grinned at their reactions and continued.
“Honestly, I didn’t do much myself. But summoning a Guardian Star this strong counts as doing my part, doesn’t it?”
The people who had been curious about what kind of remarks she would make now wore expressions of utter disbelief. A brief silence fell over the arena. But it didn’t last long. Soon, the stands erupted with laughter and cheers at how entertaining it all was.
Perhaps because it had been such a shocking match, stories about Yusoha and Eclipse began spreading everywhere. Internet communities, broadcasts, news articles… every medium was flooded with their tale. The reaction was especially explosive on Transcendence, the Awakened community that Eclipse often visited.
The site’s already fragile servers kept crashing from the traffic. Posts like these occasionally caught Eclipse’s eye:
To be honest, even Eclipse felt a little flustered. He had never imagined the aftermath of what he’d done would blow up this much. He personally thought what he had done wasn’t all that remarkable, but reality proved otherwise. The scene of him slicing Adein’s breath apart with his sword had been screenshotted, turned into gifs, and was circulating everywhere.
Moreover, most Awakened who appeared in the Hwanryeong Tournament were already proven talents. Even the members of Hwanryeong Team 2 whom Yusoha had been scolding were highly respected in society. Winning such a competition was bound to create a massive stir.
Eclipse watched the community’s reaction with interest. He felt strangely pleased that the general opinion toward Yusoha was overwhelmingly positive.
“What are you doing?”
When Eclipse had been staring at his smartphone for a while, Yusoha approached and asked.
“Just checking out the community. Luckily, the public opinion is favorable.”
“Favorable? It’s practically exploding. You beat Shin Seongmin, after all. Honestly, even I was shocked. I knew that greatsword had something special, but I didn’t expect it to be that powerful.”
“I was surprised too. In my original world, that greatsword was just an ordinary weapon.”
“That thing was ordinary?”
“Yes. My master gave it to me as a gift when I turned twenty, to celebrate becoming a knight. Since I learned his greatsword style, I told him I would only use a greatsword.”
“How many years did you use one sword?”
“Let’s see… nearly ten years, I think.”
“Ten years…”
Sensing that if he let Yusoha keep thinking along these lines she might bring up memories he’d rather not discuss, Eclipse quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, aren’t you going to work today?”
“Nope. After the Hwanryeong Tournament ends, they usually give the Awakened a week off.”
“A break, huh… So you’ll just be training for a week?”
“As if.”
Yusoha laughed confidently and shook her head at his question.
“If you’ve been on the internet, you must have seen it. All those comments saying I might be getting promoted soon.”
“I did. That topic was floating around. Does bringing it up now mean you’re about to be promoted?”
“I stepped out for a bit earlier, remember?”
“I do.”
“My father called me over. I went to see him. He asked for my opinion.”
“What opinion?”
“Whether I wanted to be promoted to S-class.”
“And what do you think?”
“Of course I want to be promoted.”
Yusoha burned with fierce ambition. It had already been three years since she awakened as an A-class. She wanted to reach higher, to show herself off to others. Moreover, S-class was a title held by only a handful of people worldwide—the pinnacle of Awakened. Just imagining the label “S-class” attached to her name made Yusoha feel like she could fly.
“What do you need to get promoted?”
“Achievements.”
“Achievements… such as?”
“Clearing high-grade gates multiple times, preventing gate erosion, that sort of thing. Overcoming truly hopeless situations raises your evaluation even more.”
“Then what’s your plan?”
“It’s not really a plan. I’ll just keep receiving gate reports, clear them, and travel around areas at risk of gate erosion.”
“In other words, you’re going to be extremely busy running around.”
“That’s right. And while doing that, I plan to work on several different areas.”
“Several areas?”
“Yes. I’ll learn to control my mana more efficiently, increase my mana reserves, study swordsmanship, and pick up other weapon skills too.”
“…Soha, isn’t that too much? It’s good to work hard, but rest is important too.”
“It’s because you’re too strong. I don’t want people saying I only act out because I rely on my Guardian Star. Summoning a Guardian Star is recognized as an ability, but it’s not enough by itself. I’m sure they’ll whisper behind my back that without my Guardian Star I’m nothing.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better not to rush for S-class? If you get it too quickly, you’ll hear even more of that talk.”
“Ah, you don’t need to worry about that. The requirements for S-class promotion are incredibly strict. Achieving it in a short period is almost impossible.”
“Then is there any need to start moving so aggressively now?”
“It’s impossible in the short term, but if you look at the long term, it’s hard to even imagine how many years it might take. That’s why I need to start working diligently from now on. Only then can I shorten the time even a little.”
“…I see.”
“Besides, there are tons of A-class Awakened aiming for S-class, so there’s no time to waste.”
“Ah.”
“A-class Awakened aren’t exactly common, but there are still quite a few. Do you think they’re all content to stay at A-class? Absolutely not. Except for a tiny minority, many of them are already traveling all over hunting gates.”
“Understood. So when do you plan to start moving?”
“Right from next week.”
“Got it.”
Eclipse nodded. It looked like things were going to be busy for a while.
The next day, Yusoha expressed her opinion to Yu Hajun. She wanted to be promoted to S-class, so they needed to prepare. Yu Hajun, who hadn’t expected her to answer so quickly despite being the one who suggested it, looked slightly dazed as he spoke to her.
“You really intend to go through with this?”
“Yes. I’ll work hard, Father.”
“Very well. However, the guild will not provide massive support. The maximum funds and personnel you are permitted will be those belonging to Hwanryeong Team 2.”
“I was already prepared for that much.”
“Also, among the members of Hwanryeong Team 2, exclude anyone who does not wish to participate. I will not tolerate forcing them into dangerous areas.”
“Of course. I have no intention of doing that. Why would I drag along people with no motivation and risk getting blood on my hands?”
“Good. Then, where do you plan to set as your destination?”
“North Korea.”
“North Korea…?”
“Yes. There are still many unrestored regions, and because proper subjugation has never been carried out, gate erosion happens frequently there.”
“Wouldn’t that be too dangerous…?”
Yu Hajun looked at Yusoha with a slightly worried expression.
“It’ll be fine. You saw Eclipse’s abilities, didn’t you? Don’t worry. And if it feels too dangerous, I’ll pull out immediately. Most importantly, there aren’t many competitors in the North Korea region.”
“That is true…”
“With Eclipse’s power, Hwanryeong Team 2 will be enough.”
“Understood for now. When do you plan to depart?”
“Next week at the earliest. I need to ask the team members about their willingness to participate and consult about what equipment we’ll need for North Korea.”
“…Very well. You may go. Be extremely careful.”
“Yes. Please don’t worry too much.”
At Yu Hajun’s worried words, Yusoha flashed her signature confident smile and left the room.