Chapter 70
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: 3vs3 (3)
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“ROOOAAARRR!!!!!”
“WOOO!!!!!”
Cheers erupted from Class C's stands.
Everyone was thrilled by Yoon Ah-young's incredible performance.
“Yoon Ah-young! Yoon Ah-young! Yoon Ah-young!”
“Yoon Ah-young! Yoon Ah-young!”
The Class C cadets chanted her name over and over in support.
After stepping down from the arena, Ah-young put her training uniform top back on.
Tae-hyun grinned and asked,
“Why'd you take your shirt off, anyway?”
“Huh? Oh... it was easier to kick without it... Why?”
“Nah. It was awesome.”
Tae-hyun gave her a thumbs-up in praise.
Ah-young blushed and bowed her head.
“No, I'm still miles behind you...”
Ah-young had built up her stamina through training with Tae-hyun to overcome her weakness.
Combined with her existing taekwondo skills, her close-quarters combat prowess was now on par with any other elite cadet.
Tae-hyun smiled warmly, pleased to see how much she'd grown in just half a year.
Rinsling, who had lost the match, headed to the waiting room with a disappointed look.
“...I'm sorry, Anjanif-nim...”
“Mm~. No, no. It was a splendid match.”
“Anjanif-nim...!”
As Rinsling tried to hug him, Anjanif desperately dodged.
Getting hugged by Rinsling was a death sentence.
“Rinsling! Don't worry. I'll avenge you.”
Semi, having finished recovering, jumped up from her seat and declared.
Anjanif asked in a worried tone,
“You sure you're okay? Your next opponent is... that infamous guy.”
“Don't worry, Anjanif-nim. It's just a simulation, after all.”
“Mm... Alright then. I'm counting on you.”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
Semi, who had beaten Lee Jae-yeol and secured survival rights, stepped back into the arena with renewed resolve.
Her opponent was the infamous Kang Tae-hyun.
He stood there, gazing off at distant mountains without a hint of reaction.
...Opponent's Top Ten. I need to settle this as fast as possible.
She planned to overwhelm Kang Tae-hyun with her full arsenal right from the first strike.
That way, Anjanif Acol-nim wouldn't even need to step in, and the match would end.
“Players, prepare.”
Semi gathered her mana.
Her strongest technique.
To unleash it, she needed to build up mana.
“Ranking 25th. Semi Arenzda. Teach me a lesson.”
“Uh...... 10th, Kang Tae-hyun.”
Tae-hyun answered half-heartedly.
The instructor slowly backed away and said,
“Then... begin.”
The moment the match started, Semi lashed out with her whip.
Chwarararak-!
Semi Arenzda's ultimate technique, honed over ten years of whip mastery.
Splitting Branches.
The more she swung the whip, the more tendrils split off and whipped through the air.
No one could dodge this.
“How's this!!! Amazing, right!!!”
“...Yeah. No.”
Tae-hyun was honest.
No matter how fast the whips flew, they were all clear in his eyes.
“Tch... Shut up!!”
Chwororororuk-!
Dozens of whips came flying at Tae-hyun at once.
Tae-hyun didn't move.
There was no need to.
Chwak-!
“W-Wow...”
“W-What the...?”
Even the Class Q stands, supporting the opposing player, gasped in admiration.
He dodged every incoming whip with just a tilt of his head.
Tae-hyun thought to himself,
I'm the guy who fights level 7 cyclopses... Can't get serious in a kids' squabble.
Tat.
“?!”
In an instant, Tae-hyun closed the distance to Semi and wagged his finger.
“Bring out your boss.”
Thwack-!
The flick to Semi Arenzda's forehead landed with a dull thud.
Semi collapsed on the spot.
Even a flick from him packed enough force to knock out a person.
The third round ended anticlimactically.
-Semi Arenzda deemed incapacitated.
-Winner: Kang Tae-hyun.
No matter that he was Top Ten, Semi was still the 25th-ranked powerhouse cadet.
Yet the match result was brutally one-sided.
In the stunned silence of the crowd, only Class C's stands went wild.
“Kyaa-! That's insane!!!”
“Whoa, a flick. Awesome-.”
“Vice President! Vice President!!!”
Amid Class C's roaring cheers, Class Q's class president and Top Ten rank 9, Anjanif Acol, smiled.
“Class C wins... Name your next fighter.”
“I'll continue.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, no problem.”
Now it was Top Ten vs. Top Ten.
A 1-on-1 duel between rank 9 Acol and rank 10 Tae-hyun unfolded.
In truth, Top Ten duels were rare.
They all guarded their rankings fiercely, so there was no need to risk it against fellow elites.
But a 3vs3 deathmatch was different.
The match continued until one team was fully eliminated.
“Who do you think wins...?”
“Pfft. Tae-hyun's got this, no doubt.”
“But that guy's got a dangerous vibe...”
The stands buzzed with anticipation.
Finally, Anjanif moved to enter the arena.
Clap clap clap.
Anjanif ascended to the arena, applauding.
“È grande! Bravo~”
He was just a bit taller than me.
An ordinary guy—no special weapons, not particularly muscular.
The only standout thing was his sleazy appearance...?
“As expected of the man of rumors. Perfect evasion~ Our lady couldn't touch you at all.”
“...Thanks.”
I accepted the praise, at least.
But the uneasy feeling lingered.
“I'll make sure to learn properly this time. Mr. Tae-hyun.”
“I'll learn a thing or two myself.”
The instructor approached.
“Alright then... Round 4. Begin.”
He signaled the start and stepped back.
The match began.
Neither Anjanif nor I moved rashly.
...First, observe his attack patterns.
I knew Top Ten weren't like average cadets.
Hong Ga-yeon, Lee Jung-tae, and even William.
Against those three, even I couldn't predict the outcome right now.
Which was exactly why I needed to stay cautious.
“Tae-hyun-nim. One moment. How about a longsword?”
Anjanif picked up a sword from the prep gear.
The one he chose was a European longsword.
He surely knew I handled swords well.
Yet he picked one up anyway—that meant he was that confident.
“Kyaa! Anjanif-nim! So cool!”
“Picking a sword against that Kang Tae-hyun... As expected of Anjanif-nim...!”
Just from Anjanif grabbing a sword, Class Q's stands exploded.
“Crush him!”
“Aim for the face! The face!”
“Bro! Kill him! Kill!”
Class C's stands went even crazier.
Especially the guys.
“Sure.”
I gladly accepted.
I followed suit and picked up a longsword.
No need for my main blade in a practice match like this.
He raised the sword overhead with both hands in a high guard—Ox (Ochs), one of the basic longsword stances.
I countered with Vom Tag, sword aligned along my shoulder line.
It had been ages since I'd done longsword fencing.
Honestly, longsword techniques weren't great for killing monsters anymore, so I'd barely touched it lately.
Still, I felt a slight thrill.
I approached him slowly.
First, a taste.
I swung down from above.
Longsword is for when blades bind, targeting vital points.
Offense and defense as one.
Ideal for duels where block and strike happen simultaneously.
Clang-.
I closed in tight, binding blades and whirling mine in a flashy display.
I could defend his sword while setting up my next attack.
And counter instantly even mid-offense.
Swoosh-. Clang, clang!
“Ooh...! Wow!”
Anjanif grunted after parrying my strikes a few times.
We'd barely been bound, but he already looked strained.
“Y-Yes. Top Ten indeed... Impressive!”
“What? Nah, not really.”
“I need to get serious too...!”
Clang, clang, clang!
A few more binds followed.
His swordplay seemed ordinary yet not—tight defense, but lacking the punch of true Top Ten power.
Maybe push a bit harder.
Zwerchhau.
A longsword technique: whirl the bound blade overhead and strike the opponent's head repeatedly.
Clang-, clang-!
I swung with more force.
Each time, Anjanif was pushed back.
Didn't look like acting.
“Such masterful swordsmanship...! No openings at all. As expected of knightly combat.”
“Knight...? I'm not really a knight.”
“With skills this refined, how could you not be? You joke well too. Facing a 20-giga man like me, huh???”
Anjanif unnecessarily emphasized the “20 giga” bit and swung wildly.
It felt more like tantrum-throwing than fencing.
Longsword isn't cinematic wild hacking.
You fight feeling the blades bind constantly.
Yet Anjanif flailed his longsword like a madman.
“H-Here, how's this!”
For all his talk, he was full of openings.
The more I pressed, the wider they got.
He seemed to be hiding something, so I didn't exploit them.
...Is it really just bravado?
I thrust low, aiming for his side to end it.
“Ugh-!”
He barely dodged the blade but ate my kick.
Thud!
Kicked back, Anjanif retreated.
“What an intense clash...! My heart's racing!!”
He said that, but I felt zero excitement.
I'd hoped for a proper longsword opponent after so long.
Sigh... Not all Top Ten are strong, huh...
Disappointing.
Even calling it training, hitting a scarecrow would've been better.
Bored now, I just wanted to finish quick.
“...But alas~”
Pshook-!
Urk...!
In that instant, a blade stabbed my back.
Not a longsword—a dagger.
Anjanif Acol was clearly in front of me.
Just us two in the arena.
So who...
I turned around.
Nothing there.
“My quirk, Tae-hyun-ssi. Invisible clone.”
“...I see.”
The blade pulled free, blood flowing from my back.
A bit more blood loss, and it'd be incapacitation—match lost.
Needed to end this fast.
Clones end when you take out the real body.
I dashed and slashed at Anjanif.
Slash-!
But his body vanished like a mirage.
The once-invisible clone revealed itself.
“Ah, wrong one. This side's the real deal.”
“...”
I closed in and slashed again.
Another mirage fade.
“Ah~ Wrong again. This one's it.”
This time, he appeared on the opposite side.
Two mana signatures here for sure.
Clones don't emit mana when still, but movement gives them away.
So, just me, Anjanif, and his clone in the arena.
Hated to say it, but what a lame quirk.
“Too bad, Tae-hyun-ssi. If you can't uncover my quirk's secret, you lose. Look, blood's flowing. Soon, excessive bleeding means incapacitation. Defeat.”
Defeat...?
The word in ages tugged my lips into a grin.
“Oh, more importantly, Tae-hyun-ssi. Hold on.”
Anjanif suddenly sheathed his blade and crept closer.
He leaned in and whispered,
“Tae-hyun-ssi, Tae-hyun-ssi. Know about this? The white mask... you know.”
White mask...?
Was Anjanif a member of Irina's fan club too?
I stared into his eyes.
He grinned.
And whispered again.
“Truth is... the white mask... is me.”
(To be continued)