Chapter 28: Victory to the First to Strike, Lethal Second Strike
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 28: Victory to the First to Strike, Lethal Second Strike
"Oppa, why are you suddenly saying you won't see me anymore?"
"I got a girlfriend."
"Wow, that’s hilarious. You fucked me like a dog when I had a boyfriend, but now you won't do it because you have a girlfriend?"
"I’m a bit of a romantic, you know."
"You filthy male slut, quit your bullshit."
A phone conversation I had once replayed automatically in my head.
I might have made others cheat, but I had never cheated myself.
Others might ask what the difference was, but strictly speaking, the vibe was different.
It’s a matter of male pride.
In a pride of lions, there was only one male.
That single male took responsibility for numerous females, and that was a metric of his strength.
I was the same.
As a male, I had simply provided an education to the pathetic losers who couldn't even protect their own females.
Kim Min-su, you little shit...
But cheating was a completely different story.
If you’ve promised your love to one woman, you should keep it. Looking elsewhere?
That wasn't being a male; that was just being a beast in heat.
Of course, I was the one who took Yu-min’s virginity...
But to run straight to another woman and hold her hand just because things were a bit strained with his girlfriend?
It was so pathetic and miserable I couldn't stand it.
You little piece of trash.
The only reason this guy could even be a protagonist was thanks to Chubby Ahn.
A dense, unrefined, kind, and righteous male lead.
He attracted women just by standing still and acted troubled when they made aggressive advances.
It’s completely unrealistic.
I waited impatiently for school to end.
For now, all I could do was glare at Kim Min-su.
Honestly, I could understand the Harem Pure Love route.
That was the direction Chubby Ahn had set.
But I couldn't forgive him for cheating himself.
This was the guy who had hesitated and fumbled until Chapter 172 just to finally hold a hand.
And yet, the moment the route shifted to Harem Pure Love, he went scurrying off to another woman.
I’m going to fix that head of yours today.
It wasn't something that could usually be fixed with a beating, but there was always that one-in-a-million chance.
They say the first time is the hardest.
After swinging my fists at monsters, Baek Tae-yang’s personality had completely fused with my body.
"Alright, that’s it for today’s lesson. Tomorrow is dungeon training, so everyone make sure to take care of your physical condition."
"""Yes, sir!"""
"Oh, and Cadets Min-su and Tae-yang, don't forget to visit Instructor Kim Seok-gu after school."
"Yes, sir."
"Understood."
Finally, classes were over.
I was about to grab Kim Min-su and head to Instructor Kim Seok-gu, but the bastard approached me first.
"Tae-yang, let’s go."
The moment I saw his face—a mix of refreshment and annoyance—I almost threw a punch right then and there.
"Sure."
Actually, if he had only held her hand, I might have been generous enough to forgive him.
I could have even turned a blind eye to them interlacing fingers.
But you crossed the line.
I saw it clearly through the counseling room window.
The image of him burying his face in Ryu Hye-mi’s flat-as-a-board chest was still vivid in my mind.
You’re disqualified as a male.
Min-su needed a thorough education.
*
Two cadets stood in the middle of the vast sparring grounds.
The black-haired cadet held a wooden sword, facing his opponent with a serious posture.
On the other hand, the white-haired cadet was looking around restlessly, appearing distracted.
It’s like a hero and a villain.
Kim Seok-gu summarized the scene before him.
Baek Tae-yang and Kim Min-su stood facing each other, and they couldn't have been more different.
Baek Tae-yang, with his tanned bronze skin and fluttering white hair, gave off a strong delinquent vibe.
Kim Min-su, with his neat black hair and a clean, determined expression.
Even if one tried to stage it, could two people be such polar opposites?
"This is a light spar, so don't get too serious."
It wasn't common for a cadet to be sent to support another class just because they were talented.
Victory Academy was a place where proven gems from all over the world gathered.
To be sent as support to another class? That proved they were already beyond the level of a mere cadet.
True talent, brilliant gems.
They weren't going to support the other class as mere cadets.
Acting as assistant instructors from their first year.
Usually, the earliest that happened was the second semester of the second year.
That was because it took time to properly assess both character and skill.
Kim Min-su was already proven, but Baek Tae-yang is truly...
If Baek Tae-yang had followed a normal path, he never could have been an assistant instructor.
Should I call it a blessing in disguise? Thanks to the monsters, I was able to get a read on Baek Tae-yang.
After seeing him save people, the instructors' minds had changed.
They were impressed by how he used his abilities to target only the monsters and protect the civilians.
Baek Tae-yang and Kim Min-su would surely be able to perfectly cover the areas beyond the instructors' reach.
However, one couldn't be certain without seeing it firsthand.
The plan was to confirm their skills through a simple spar and then give them the briefing for tomorrow.
Baek Tae-yang certainly has a strong competitive streak.
Just as Kim Seok-gu was about to check Kim Min-su’s skills first, Baek Tae-yang spoke up.
He said he wanted them to face each other.
He argued that since they would adjust their output, no one would get seriously hurt.
If it had been only Baek Tae-yang’s suggestion, Seok-gu would have refused, but Min-su also actively agreed.
The result was what they were seeing now.
Just in case, other instructors were stationed around the perimeter.
The instructors were likely curious as well.
Baek Tae-yang, who possessed an innate talent for violence, and Kim Min-su, who became a genius through acquired effort.
These two were asymmetrical powerhouses even within Victory Academy.
Kim Min-su had proven his ability through training, while Baek Tae-yang had expressed his strength through real combat.
Even their skills are opposites.
Kim Min-su’s main skill was [Hero]. Literally, he could exert the power of a hero.
The power to always find an opportunity in moments of crisis, to never yield to evil, and to carry out his convictions.
That was a Hero.
And Baek Tae-yang...
Because several incidents had happened in succession, they hadn't been able to confirm his skill name yet. However, the analysis was complete.
A pure force that pressured the body and withered the mind.
It was a power on a different dimension from typical debuff-type skills.
The power itself was dangerous, but the most fearsome thing was Baek Tae-yang himself.
His pure physical application was top-tier, and on top of that, he possessed the power to suppress his opponent.
Every instructor present knew this.
Did I agree to this spar too easily?
Seeing the two of them ready, a sense of unease crept in.
The instructors could intervene at any moment to stop them, and the output of their abilities was limited to 15%.
It was a situation where an accident shouldn't be possible even if they wanted one.
"Alright then, get ready..."
Suddenly, the air grew heavy.
Should he stop it now? Was he making a mistake out of curiosity?
Kim Seok-gu agonized over every word as he prepared to speak.
"...Start!"
The deliberation was long, but the moment was short.
The spar finally began, and as all the instructors watched with wide eyes—
Min-su was the first to move.
*
Kim Min-su had enough experience with sparring to be sick of it.
From power output to body movement and sword mastery, he lacked nothing.
When he heard he was going to support another class as an assistant instructor, he thought it was only natural.
It was surprising that Yu-min wasn't chosen, but he had an inkling why.
Despite having an always-active skill, Yu-min hadn't shown any distinct prominence.
She had mentioned there was a limit to her power and that certain conditions were needed to release it.
He remembered feeling regretful because she said it wasn't something he could help with.
I naturally thought I’d be going alone...
The news that Baek Tae-yang would also be going was truly shocking.
To be sent as support when he’d been an Awakened for less than a week? Honestly, Min-su thought it was just because of his skill.
The department store incident too... that was just luck.
An inferiority complex he hadn't realized he had began to explode.
Of course, since he couldn't see the footage, he didn't know how Tae-yang had handled it.
If I had been there, I could have done at least that much—no, I could have done better.
He tried not to show it. That was why he had approached Tae-yang first and suggested they go together.
But Baek Tae-yang had ignored all that goodwill and requested a spar.
It was absurd. He’d only just awakened; how much was he looking down on him?
Min-su was also bothered by the fact that Yu-min had been smiling at Tae-yang more often lately.
Even his counseling with Hye-mi had drifted toward the idea that Baek Tae-yang was suspicious in many ways.
If you think about it, if he hadn't mentioned the secret relationship, things wouldn't have even come this far!
He felt wronged.
The emotion spread through his body, making the hand gripping his sword tremble.
It was supposed to be a light spar, but there was no harm in teaching him a little lesson.
He could just make the excuse that he was still a first-year and therefore inexperienced.
"Ready..."
The moment Kim Seok-gu finished speaking, Min-su prepared to lung.
There was no way Baek Tae-yang had experience in sparring between Awakened.
Unlike monsters, Awakened moved in very diverse and complex ways.
Min-su had finished all his analysis.
No matter how many times he thought about it, he saw himself winning.
Consider this a good learning experience, Tae-yang.
Being handsome and having a good body? It was all meaningless.
Before true power, it was all for naught.
"Start!"
As soon as the command was given, he rushed toward Baek Tae-yang.
[Smite activated! Great power dwells within the sword!]
His flawless movement transmitted the power perfectly.
From left to right, a brilliant light gathered in the wooden sword as it swung down diagonally.
A silent strike, without even the sound of cutting wind, fell toward Baek Tae-yang’s body.
"Victory to the first to strike!"
It was a blow that no one he had sparred with so far had been able to react to.
He expected the same this time.
The confidence that a fellow cadet could never block his strike was plain on Min-su’s face.
The sword drawn first always brings victory.
But all of that was before he met Baek Tae-yang.
To Baek Tae-yang, victory wasn't what mattered.
He hadn't suggested this spar to play games.
Kim Min-su knew nothing.
He didn't know about the eyes that had been glaring at him since before the spar, or the rage dwelling within them.
He was simply intoxicated by his predetermined victory.
To Kim Min-su, Baek Tae-yang was nothing more than a cadet who had awakened late.
That was what decided the outcome of this spar.
With a single step back, Tae-yang evaded the strike.
It was an unexpected turn for Min-su, who thought the situation would end with that one blow.
"Huh?"
The power that had lost its target slammed into the innocent ground.
By the time Min-su tried to recover his strength, Baek Tae-yang was already moving.
An intense light gathered in Baek Tae-yang’s fist.
It was a power Min-su knew all too well.
But how? Horror filled Kim Min-su’s eyes.
"You son of a bitch, you’re getting a beating today."
His heel lifted, and his waist rotated.
The power rising from the ground was fully channeled into Baek Tae-yang’s fist.
It was unavoidable.
Baek Tae-yang’s fist occupied Kim Min-su’s entire field of vision.
Lethal second strike. The fist extended late took on the form of death.
The ultimate blow slammed into Kim Min-su’s solar plexus.
"Squeeeeeal!"
The sound of a stuck pig filled the sparring grounds.