EP 5: The Demon Duel in the In-Seoul Class
EP 5: The demon duel in the In-Seoul retake academy class. It was a ritual where one used violence to force the opponent into submission. I had seen something similar a few times before. Lee Ah-rang and Lee Ji-eun’s plunder marriage, and the clash between the Taheo Divine Monarch and the Wolgeukseong Monarch. This so-called wise-and-virtuous-wife competitive society seemed to be a stage where one flaunted power or wealth far more than wisdom or motherhood. Anyway, Baek Seol had challenged me to a duel, and I had accepted. I didn’t think I would lose. On paper my specs looked inferior, but through the magic of the extreme I was overwhelming Baek Seol’s output. She probably knew that too. Baek Seol would come up with her own strategy to close the gap. If I didn’t prepare a counter-strategy of my own, I would be in trouble. So I decided to ask for help.
“That’s how it ended up turning into a fight. What do you think?”
“Give the order and this Wi Seol-ah will slaughter those trash for you.”
“Hmm.”
Was it really a good idea to consult her? I felt a twinge of regret.
EP 5: The demon Wi Seol-ah of the In-Seoul retake academy class. She was one of the soldiers who had been assigned to guard me when I fought the Wolgeukseong Monarch. After going through several processes she declared her absolute obedience, proclaiming she would become my personal lioness, and was currently lending her strength as a bodyguard at the restaurant. So I had asked her to serve as an advisor regarding this duel, and now we were holding a strategy meeting in a corner of the restaurant. The result was this.
“This Wi Seol-ah will personally carry out the executions one by one right in front of Master!”
“No. That’s a bit much.”
“Pardon? But they are trash who dared to defy Master. Does that not already mean they have no right to live?”
“Well, I have my own standards. Try to understand.”
Wi Seol-ah stared at me blankly for a moment before nodding.
“Understood.”
“Understood what?”
Wi Seol-ah gave a dreamy smile.
“Master is painting a grand picture that I cannot yet see. I apologize. I nearly dared to interfere with Master’s plan....”
All I wanted was to prevent a massacre from unfolding right in front of me.
“Still, I must oppose the duel. Leave such ruffians to me and I will have them all wiped out that very day. I do not believe Master needs to step forward at all.”
“No. The challenge was issued to me. Besides, you’re still only in the Refined Realm right now. Do you really think you can gain the upper hand against multiple opponents?”
When soldiers left the military they had to relinquish every realm they had achieved while serving. It was to prevent people from simply farming realms inside the army and then deserting. Things were different once you reached the Deity Realm, but Wi Seol-ah had been at the peak of the Condensing Realm, so she had no choice but to destroy her realm upon leaving. That was why she was currently at the peak of the Refined Realm.
“...Even so, they are nothing more than retake students. I could...”
“No. The challenge was issued to me. Besides, if I don’t respond to it fairly and squarely here, I won’t be able to do business at the academy anymore. You know I need the money.”
“Yes.... Master. ...If only I had a lot of money...”
“Ah. That’s forbidden.”
Wi Seol-ah pressed her lips together and muttered quietly.
“...Yes. Master.”
“I didn’t ask for your advice because I wanted you to fight in my place. I wanted useful advice for the duel itself. You must have accumulated a ton of combat experience in the military.”
“......Hmm.”
Wi Seol-ah folded her arms and let out a troubled groan.
“Ah. You can’t? Some kind of regulation? Sorry.”
“N-no, no! An apology? Master only needs to command and dominate. Apologies or gratitude are things I must offer to Master. Master simply needs to dominate and command me. There is no need for consideration or anything of the sort!”
“Ah. Is that how it is?”
“The reason I hesitated is because my experience would not be of any help....”
“Huh? Why? I don’t know much about it, but aren’t soldiers incredibly strong?”
The soldiers of the Allied Nations were a group whose enemy was monsters without any mana limit. There was no way they could be weak.
“Our battles presuppose numerical superiority. We fight through encirclement or ambushes at three-to-one or two-to-one ratios, so they are not suited for one-on-one combat. Of course, that does not mean I have no experience in such fights, but I would not say I have mastered them.”
“...Hmm. Still, you should at least be able to give some advice, right?”
“...Advice. Hmm. That much is possible. First, the initial step is to know your opponent’s information.”
Her answer was surprisingly common-sense.
“Baek Seol. Hmm. Her physical specs are probably higher than mine, but her output is lower. Her magic is inferior to mine, and she is close with the managers. That is about all I know.”
Wi Seol-ah sucked on her cola through the straw and frowned.
“...Hmm. This might be a little dangerous.”
“Huh? What is. Baek Seol is weaker than me. Even if there is a difference in physical specs.”
“No. Those kinds of opponents are more dangerous.”
“What are you talking about?”
Where in the information I had just given did she sense danger?
“Oh. Master. Are you perhaps angry?”
“No. Not really.”
“I see. That is a relief. In actual combat there are quite a few cases where an opponent who looks weak is actually hiding something. For example, they might have inscribed a self-destruct spell on their body, hidden ambushers in the rear or flanks, or simply be a crazy woman who walks around concealing her true power. Things like that. And if the opponent has issued a challenge, it means they have confidence in their victory, which makes it even more so.”
“...That is true. Thanks. I almost got careless.”
Wi Seol-ah cupped both cheeks with her hands and swayed her body from side to side.
“Th-that suddenly... is troubling....”
“...Confidence, huh. Then what could it be.”
“Ah. Hmm. When it comes to an important duel, it is common to bring artifacts. No. If the opponent is that confident, it must be an artifact.”
Now that I heard it, it made sense. If Baek Seol wanted to defeat me, personal skill or strategy alone would not be enough. If the managers were also involved, it had to be something like that.
“An artifact, huh.”
Artifacts were combat weapons. My Hephaestus could craft artifacts, but not every artifact. It was similar to the forbidden pill of Nokjeong Pharmaceuticals that I had seen before. Even if I knew the recipe, if it required a skill at Lv.100 or Lv.200, I could not make it. ‘And there is also the limit on usage cost.’
I checked my bank account balance.
Samjin Bank: 2,255,450,000 won. 2.255 billion won.
Since I did not know what kind of artifact Baek Seol would bring, I could not prepare a specific counter. In other words, I needed an artifact with functions that could deal with multiple different artifacts. A detection-type artifact would be good. Radars or sensors that reacted with sound were not suitable for combat. If I brought something like that to the duel and wore it externally, the opponent would openly try to destroy my artifact. Therefore, an internally implanted type was better than an externally mounted one.
Seocheonhwandong (Vision-Piercing Illusion Pupil) (B)
An ocular artifact implanted in the body. True to its name as the pupil that pierces through illusions, it grants resistance to all illusion magic, disguises, and stealth, while also providing a degree of x-ray vision. It can adjust dynamic vision and eyesight up to 200 times.
Required materials: User’s eyeballs (2/1), Dismantling Deity Descent Hand Seal Lv.1 (1/1), plus 50 intermediate materials, 500 points
“...Eyes, huh.”
“Eyes, you say?”
“Yeah. Ah. No. Just talking to myself.”
If I told her I was going to turn both my eyes into artifacts, Wi Seol-ah would definitely cry and say “I will offer my eyes instead! Please, you must not harm your body...” I would have to make this recipe without the others knowing. ...It was going to hurt like hell, but well, I could think of it as powering up in advance. Besides, with the recovery ability of the Refined Realm it would heal in less than an hour. The only thing lacking was that I was short about 20 points. I had been making too many potions lately.
Wi Seol-ah in front of me was sucking on her cola with loud slurps.
“Huh? What is it?”
“Wait a moment.”
I reached out and touched Wi Seol-ah’s cheek. Lately I had become able to do things like this. It was largely thanks to the Taeguk Cheonji Heart Method, but also because we had grown closer. I placed both hands on her cheeks and stroked them. It felt like petting a large puppy.
“Ah. Uh.... If that is what Master desires.”
Wi Seol-ah leaned her body forward as if crossing the table. She brought her face toward me, almost sprawled across the table.
“Ah. Uh. Ah.... I-if you wish, even right here... I.... I will offer my body.”
“It’s fine. I just wanted to pet you.”
The fear of women who suddenly changed still lingered somewhere in my heart, but if a woman acted like this, maybe she could be cute. ‘...No. That went too far.’ Being nearly forced into marriage with Lee Ji-eun, nearly killed by the Wolgeukseong Monarch, nearly killed by Llywelyn — all of that had happened within the past month. ‘Still... at this level...’
While stroking Wi Seol-ah’s neck, I ran my fingers from her neck down to her chin as if taming a dog.
“Aah....”
Before I knew it Wi Seol-ah had climbed onto the table and was squatting with her legs spread. Even so, as if wanting to stay in contact with my hand, she bent her waist and pressed her face into my palm. The zipper of her top slid down with a ziiik, revealing clear abs beneath her crop top. Whether from the awkward posture or nervous tension, she was giving off hot steam from her sweat.
The points I needed were now only 15. I reached my hand toward Wi Seol-ah’s abdomen. I stroked the surface as if caressing an artistic torso, then ran my hand up along her side, tracing my fingers along the contours of her folded skin and abs. But that was all. I only touched her abs, sides, neck, face, and hair. There was no sexual contact whatsoever. Something I had realized recently was that gratitude seemed to be determined by how desperately one longed for it. So I could not give it too easily.
Five minutes passed like that. Wi Seol-ah was now drenched in sweat all over, radiating hot heat. Her face was flushed red. Her eyes looked as if she might pounce at any moment, yet she was desperately resisting, clenching her teeth as if trying to suppress those emotions.
“What are you thinking?”
“...I.”
“Ah. It’s fine. You can say it.”
“I... am thinking that I want to violate Master. But I will never do such a thing to Master. I hope you will believe me.”
“I see. I’m glad.”
‘This should be enough.’
As if putting a period at the end of a sentence, I lifted Wi Seol-ah’s chin and brought my face closer. A beauty whose eyes looked fierce, yet even a woman who was endlessly cold and fierce in front of other women melted like this in front of the person she liked. Wi Seol-ah closed her eyes and pursed her lips.
“Ah. Done.”
“...Pardon?”
“I think that’s enough. You can go now. We can continue next time.”
Wi Seol-ah took several deep breaths, nodded, and stood up. She staggered, then gave an apologetic smile.
“May I... return home now? Suddenly... I do not feel well....”
“Ah. Sure. I have work to do alone from now on anyway. Thanks.”
“Yes.”
. . . . .
After completing one Seocheonhwandong and beginning to engrave the other, notification messages started appearing. Even when I tried to ignore them they kept popping up and getting on my nerves.
Judging by the order we met, it was probably Wi Seol-ah. So I called her right away.
The phone rang but she did not answer. And the point notifications did not stop either. ‘What on earth is she doing?’
-“M-Master? Why are you calling?”
“Wi Seol-ah!!! What are you doing right now? You are not doing anything weird, are you?!”
-“H-how? Are you perhaps watching?!”
“No, that is not it. Anyway, so what exactly did you do?”
Silence flowed.
-“Uh... uh... well, it is... a kind of... gratitude straight punch, I suppose.... That is what it is. Yes.”
“...Hmm. Sorry, but could you not do that? If possible, never again.”
-“N-never again?! Th-that is!”
“If it is hard, maybe once a month would be fine. Or if you are going to do it, call me in advance and get permission. No. From now on, can you only do the gratitude straight punch when I allow it?”
-“......That is.”
I could hear trembling over the phone. ‘...Did I go too far?’ Well, the gratitude straight punch might be a kind of routine or training for Wi Seol-ah.
“If you listen well, I will help you with the gratitude straight punch later.”
-“Uh... you mean directly?”
“Yeah. I am asking. I will support you doing the gratitude straight punch all day. I do not know what it is, but it would be better if I helped, right?”
-“Yes. That would be wonderful.”
“...But what exactly is it? Can you send me a video? I am getting a little curious.”
-“...Ah. I think it would not be good because my kiai is too loud and scary.”
“Ah. Really? Then it cannot be helped. But is that something everyone does?”
-“At least all the women I know do it....”
“What about men?”
-“...You do it?!”
“Well. Rather than straight punches, I am more into swinging or spinning.”
-“More!!! C-could you please tell me in more detail!!!”
I had not expected her to show interest. Come to think of it, Wi Seol-ah was a martial artist, so she might be very interested in things like this.
“Hmm. Then from now on you will only do it after getting my permission?”
-“...Yes.”
“When I have time later, let’s do it together too.”
-“Euaa?”
“I am hanging up?”
Click. I hung up the phone and went back to crafting the Seocheonhwandong.
*****
On the day of the ranking test, I woke up early and did some stretching. My condition was at its best, and the performance of the Seocheonhwandong was outstanding. Standing in the parking lot and looking up at the distant sky, I could clearly see every single feather on the birds flying across it. First was the ranking test. A week ago I had narrowly missed taking first place, but this time would be different. I would take first place in the In-Seoul class like this, defeat Baek Seol, and then get promoted to the prestigious university class. I had to hurry. There were only 56 days left until the entrance exam.