Chapter 68
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: 3vs3 (1)
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“I have a question!”
Ha Dong-hwan had barely finished speaking when Mitsuda shot to his feet.
“It's a showdown, so why am I not included?!?!”
Mitsuda looked genuinely aggrieved.
The other cadets felt the same way.
Ha Dong-hwan nodded as if he fully understood their frustration.
“Can't be helped. The 3-vs-3 deathmatch pits two cadets ranked 'Elite' or higher against one random cadet from the rest. That's the rule. So tomorrow's participants are Kang Tae-hyun, Lee Jae-yeol, and Yoon Ah-young.”
“N-No way...”
Mitsuda slumped back into his seat, utterly dejected.
Ha Dong-hwan clapped his hands to refocus everyone's attention on him.
“Alright, alright. Anyway, we've got a match against Q Class, so those involved, get ready.”
Q Class.
He'd heard of them, but they rarely crossed paths in person.
All he knew was that Anjanif Acol, ranked 9th in the Top Ten, was from Q Class.
“So, Class President. Think you can handle tomorrow's deathmatch alright?”
Ha Dong-hwan singled him out, and after a moment's hesitation, Lee Jae-yeol replied.
“Ah, yes. I can do it.”
The reason Ha Dong-hwan called out Lee Jae-yeol specifically was simple.
Lee Jae-yeol's combat prowess was near the bottom of the academy.
Even his instructor, Ha Dong-hwan, had to be worried.
“Good. The match is after classes end this afternoon, so prepare well. I believe in you, Class President.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
“That wraps up morning assembly. Now, pay attention in class~”
“Yes, sir! Thank you!”
“Thank you!”
As Ha Dong-hwan left, the classroom buzzed once more.
All eyes turned to Lee Jae-yeol.
He stood there, lost in thought.
“...Ugh.”
From Q Class's perspective, drawing him was like hitting the jackpot.
“Ah... What are we gonna do?”
Mitsuda, sitting beside him, wailed in despair.
Lee Jae-yeol might feel a bit bad, but in a 3-vs-3, having one teammate with zero combat power was basically the same as fighting short-handed.
And since this was official class training, it affected their grades too.
Lee Jae-yeol's role was crafting strategies with his quick mind from the start.
He was sweating nervously.
Hunter Studies class.
The C Class cadets were all wide awake, hanging on every word.
“Uh... Recent terror incidents always strike in unexpected situations. For example...”
The professor droned on, but Lee Jae-yeol wasn't paying attention.
He kept scribbling notes, but they had nothing to do with the lecture.
They were strategies for tomorrow's deathmatch.
As C Class president, it was his duty.
Ding-dong-.
The bell rang, ending Hunter Studies.
Even the diligent students set down their pens.
“Ah... There'll be a note-taking exam next semester too, so don't slack off on your studies. Alright.”
The professor left the room.
I couldn't stop worrying about Jae-yeol.
I stood and headed straight to him.
Peeking from behind, his notebook was filled with countless strategies.
And at the center of every one was me.
I placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You're pushing yourself too hard, aren't you?”
“Nah. It's my job...”
Lee Jae-yeol had joined the hunters to pay for his siblings' scholarships.
He and I shared the same drive to protect family.
But I'd run away in fear, while he was throwing everything he had into this.
He was impressive.
Watching him shattered the notion that hunters had to be strong.
I told him,
“Don't worry too much.”
“Huh?”
As he turned to me, I gave him a thumbs-up and continued.
“I'll make sure we win.”
There was no way I'd lose anyway.
My equals in this academy were few.
Among the Top Ten: Hong Ga-yeon and Lee Jung-tae.
Prince William.
And maybe Roy Armstrong, William's subordinate.
Tomorrow's match might be nerve-wracking for Jae-yeol, but it barely registered for me.
Jae-yeol chuckled softly.
“Yeah, you're reliable.”
The next day.
3-vs-3 Deathmatch Arena.
C Class and Q Class cadets gathered one by one.
The deathmatch ran from first period in the morning.
Some cadets were thrown off by the new schedule, but most were enjoying it.
It was the real kickoff to the second semester.
Cadets settled into their seats, waiting for the fighters to enter the arena.
An inexplicable tension hung between C Class and Q Class.
They rarely met since their classrooms were far apart.
Both had one Top Ten member, but Q Class dominated the top 50 Elites.
Q Class's selected fighters: two Elites including Top Ten 'Anjanif Acol'.
All ranked in the top 50.
The fighters entered the arena.
As C Class's team stepped in, cheers and support erupted.
“Ah-young, fighting—!”
“Crush 'em!!”
“Vice President! Vice President!”
Ah-young waved sheepishly, acknowledging the crowd.
Then Q Class's team entered.
“Kyaa—! Anjanif oppa!”
“So cool...”
“Anjanif oppa! Win!”
Unlike C Class, Q Class was mostly girls, and their cheers were just as loud.
At the center was Anjanif Acol.
“Haha. Ladies~ Thank you.”
He blew kisses to the crowd.
With his sleazy tone and face, he strutted in waving.
Just looking at him made me crave kimchi.
The teams gathered in the center, and the instructor acting as referee approached.
“3-vs-3 Deathmatch. Duels are 1-vs-1. Teammates can tag in at any time during battle. Spectating cadets, observe the Elites' fights to hone your real-combat senses.”
In simple terms: If the first fighter takes out the whole enemy team, the backups don't even get a turn.
Strategy mattered.
Exciting.
“This is training, so give it your all.”
Our first fighter: Lee Jae-yeol.
I was a bit surprised when he said he'd go first.
But it was his plan, so I trusted him.
Q Class's team: two female cadets flanking Anjanif Acol.
Despite his sleazy looks, he had girls on both sides.
The guys in C Class seats all thought the same.
'Lucky bastard.'
Then they screamed bloody murder.
It was cheering, sort of.
“Kill him!!!!!”
“Smash his face!!!!”
“Lee Jae-yeol!!! Lose and you're dead!”
As C Class's cheers peaked, Anjanif sauntered over to me with a grin.
“Buon giorno!”
He greeted me in his native tongue, approaching slowly.
His hair gel scent hit from a distance.
I pinched my nose.
“Buon giorno! Tae-hyun. Nice to see you.”
He leaned in close, cheek-to-cheek.
I jolted back in shock.
Acol laughed at that.
“Oh...? And this lovely lady?”
As Acol moved to cheek-kiss Ah-young, she freaked and backed away.
“Hahaha! To run into a Yoon Family heir here. A pleasure.”
“Ah... Yeah.”
“Forgive my late introduction, lady. I'm the second son of House Acol, one of the Twenty Great Houses: Anjanif Acol.”
One of the Twenty Great Houses.
Son of the Acol family.
For some reason, I couldn't picture him and Ah-young in the same league.
“Alright, greetings over. Prep for the match. Time's short.”
“Yes, Instructor~ Can't keep the ladies waiting.”
He winked at the Q Class stands, sending the girls into a frenzy.
“Kyaaaa—!”
“So cool! So cool!”
“Anjanif ooooppa~~!”
I had no idea what they saw in this sleazy guy, but tastes vary.
“First fighters, enter the arena. Combatants, equip hologram recognition devices and stand by. Others, exit the field.”
The two fighters linked their holograms.
No real injuries this way.
Contrary to expectations, Anjanif wasn't first.
It was one of the girls beside him.
Her uniform top hung loose, making me frown.
C Class's first: Lee Jae-yeol.
Dual pistols in hand, he stepped forward.
“Can Jae-yeol win...?”
Ah-young asked cautiously from the bench. I answered firmly.
“No, he can't.”
Bottom-tier combatant Jae-yeol beating top-50 Elites? Unlikely.
But he had his own plan.
“He won't go down easy, though.”
We just had to watch.
Watch him fight.
“Haa~ Did I underestimate you? Coming at me right from the start.”
The opponent girl wielded a whip.
She taunted shallowly and smirked.
Jae-yeol ignored her.
Best response to cheap provocation: none.
“Semy~ Ranked 25th.”
“Lee Jae-yeol. Ranked 487th.”
“Pfft!”
Semy covered her mouth, laughing.
She turned to Anjanif.
“No need for you to step in, Anjanif oppa. I'll handle all three myself.”
“Yeah, Semy. Go for it.”
The instructor backed away slowly.
“Match... begin.”
The fight started at his word.
Bang, bang!!!
Gunshots rang out immediately.
Jae-yeol's bullets flew straight at Semy.
His pistols: large-caliber duals.
Only two shots per mag, but each one packed a punch.
Bam! Bam!
But Semy's whip deflected them effortlessly.
Mana-infused, it outpaced the bullets' reaction time.
A true rank 25 cadet.
“That won't cut it.”
Whoosh!
She dashed forward in an instant, closing on Jae-yeol.
No need for ranged checks—she'd end it quick.
But Jae-yeol wasn't just standing there.
Bang, bang!
He fired relentlessly.
Not one hit.
C Class stands murmured.
“What the hell?? Aim properly!”
“Looks like spray-and-pray... Stalling?”
“Ugh...! I'd win if I went out.”
“Wait it out. Jae-yeol's got a plan.”
Jae-yeol kept firing without giving up.
But the gap narrowed anyway.
His stalling was benefiting her.
Her whip, a C-rank weapon, grew stronger with each swing.
“You can't win a duel just by running!”
She lashed out.
Whish—!
“Urgh...!!”
Thud!
The whip coiled around his leg, sending Jae-yeol tumbling.
He rolled, aimed his gun.
Click, click.
The barrel was sliced off.
Cleaved by blades from the whip.
“Weak~ Way too weak. For a guy.”
Less than five minutes.
The gap between 25th and 487th was clear.
Jae-yeol hadn't even counterattacked properly before his weakness was exposed.
He knew it too.
He'd probably accepted defeat when the match was announced.
But he had the academy's sharpest mind.
He wouldn't go down this easy.
Whish—!
Semy's whip flew at Jae-yeol's neck.
Everyone thought it was over.
But predictions missed wildly.
Splurt—!
Suddenly, slime erupted from the ground, flooding the arena.
“Ugh! What the—?! Sticky!!”
The slime spread, engulfing even Semy's area.
Those bullets weren't ordinary.
Blue Slime Sticky Goo rounds.
Specially made—they burst after embedding and a delay.
Once stuck, it didn't come off easy. A nasty item.
Semy was pinned to the ground.
“Kyaa—! You... What did you do to me?!”
Tae-hyun smirked at him.
Nice move.
Let them laugh—he'd stick to his style.
That was the true hunter's way.
Shing-.
Jae-yeol drew his mana dagger.
His shoes had anti-slime resistance mods.
He charged freely.
“Raaah!!!”
As everyone marveled at his strategy, Jae-yeol swung at Semy.
Stab—!
Silence fell over the tense arena as all held their breath.
“...What happened?”
“Can't see from here.”
“Did Jae-yeol win?”
“Don't lose!!!”
With all eyes glued, one fighter finally collapsed.
The result was unexpected.
(Continued next time)