Chapter 29: Ryu Hye-mi, Ready.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 29: Ryu Hye-mi, Ready.
Honestly, part of the reason I was angry was that I simply wanted to vent.
'Since I couldn't hit Chubby Ahn.'
Kim Min-su cheating? To be fair, it was a predetermined event.
In order for a harem pure love story to progress while the protagonist already has a girlfriend, cheating was a necessity. Of course, it wouldn't be the trashy kind of cheating you see in reality.
'It’ll just be... him stuttering while getting caught in erotic situations...'
It was obvious that the "girl's face flushes even if their sleeves just brush" trope would be played out hundreds of times.
This was also why I had to tear Yu-min and Kim Min-su apart within a month. Having a girlfriend could slow down the plot's progression, so I needed to check as many women as possible. Therefore, the more Kim Min-su cheated, the better it was for me to identify the characters.
'But still... it's just annoying.'
One guy gets pulled into a novel without knowing why and has to plan how to steal someone else's girl. Meanwhile, the other guy lives a rom-com life where girls flock to him even though he walks around like a human condom.
It was truly unfair, so when the opportunity finally arose, my anger just exploded.
That anger led to action, and I finally secured a chance to spar. Naturally, the format involved limiting our power output, but I didn't care. My goal was simply to hit Kim Min-su; I didn't actually want to injure him. It would be a disaster if the protagonist got hurt and the story couldn't progress.
'Look at that face.'
Seeing Kim Min-su's expression as we stood face-to-face, I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh. A face full of confidence and eyes that didn't even consider the possibility of defeat. He was leaning forward excessively, eager to rush in the moment the command was given.
It was obvious he was looking down on me. Well, I suppose it's understandable since he's never seen me fight personally. Plus, he probably hasn't met an opponent his age who could beat him yet.
Based on the flow of the story so far, reaching Chapter 172 was nothing more than a prologue. After all, the harem pure love had only just begun, and his academy life was just starting in earnest. In other words, Kim Min-su hadn't met an enemy worthy of being called a "villain" yet!
Originally, that role belonged to Baek Tae-yang, but he never appeared because of the author's lack of dating experience.
"Now then, ready..."
Even though it was my first spar, I wasn't nervous. Perhaps my synchronization with Baek Tae-yang's body had increased significantly, because this situation felt incredibly familiar. Everything felt natural, including my analysis of Kim Min-su just moments ago.
'A diagonal downward strike.'
He was probably trying to hide it, but his intentions were far too easy to read. His left shoulder, tensed with excessive force, was practically advertising, "I'm going up now."
"...Start!"
The moment Instructor Kim Seok-gu's command ended, Min-su dashed. He moved at a speed an ordinary person couldn't track—only a faint 'thud' sounded, and he was already in front of me.
'Fast. He's fast, but...'
He was only fast.
If he were fast when his intentions were unreadable, it would have been an unexpected blow. But a fast attack that's been completely read is no different from screaming for a counterattack.
"Victory to the first to strike!"
I was dumbfounded the moment I heard Kim Min-su's words. To go through the trouble of approaching with speed only to shout out loud—it completely defeats the purpose of a surprise attack. It was like watching a stupid scene straight out of a manga. It reminded me of those scenes where someone sneaks up from behind and yells, "Die!"
'And he's using Smite, too?'
I told him to take it easy, but he was going all out. A rapid surprise attack swinging from left to right, combined with Smite—if it landed, it could break bones. There was no way I'd get hit, but his behavior was truly contemptible.
There are only a few reasons why someone would push a looked-down-upon opponent so hard, and in Kim Min-su's case, there was only one.
'Is he trying to make me hit a wall?'
I don't know how badly he wanted to show off how strong he was. I offered my silent condolences, thinking how nice it would have been if the world always worked out the way he wanted.
I evaded with a single step back—the minimum movement required.
[Smite activated! Great power dwells in your fist!]
My attack drew power from the ground as I took a step forward.
Horror dawned on Kim Min-su's face. He looked like he realized what skill this was, though it was impossible not to know. They say a familiar taste is the scariest.
Knowing the destructive power of the skill, he tried to twist his body away in a hurry, but it was already too late. His downward strike, intended to end things in one blow, left him wide open the moment the attack finished.
"You bastard, you're getting a beating today."
He might feel it's unfair. In fact, if he knew the full story, Kim Min-su would be the one with more right to be angry. How furious would he be if he found out his girlfriend was being stolen?
'Not my problem, though.'
My fist buried itself into Min-su's solar plexus. I wondered how much power I could generate at 15% output.
"Gueeeeeeek!"
The reaction was incredible. It wasn't like he'd never been hit before, but he let out a sound like a pig being slaughtered.
"Min-su, life is all about the real deal."
To prevent him from flying too far after the hit, I extended my fist slightly upward. Min-su struggled desperately to stay on the ground, but his body was eventually lifted into the air.
Hitting a target that can't do anything in mid-air was far too easy. I pulled back the foot I had stepped back with and snapped it forward in a straight kick. There wasn't a hint of awkwardness in the motion. It was natural and smooth, as if it were the only way to move.
Thwack!
The tip of my extended foot buried into Min-su's abdomen. Like a massive stake being driven in, my foot didn't pull away from his stomach. Just as I was about to put strength into my instep to slam him into the ground, Min-su moved.
"Urgh, I know that!"
Grabbing my foot firmly with one hand, Min-su attempted a counterattack. Judging by the way his sword moved, it was another downward strike. Does he have a learning disability?
'Know what, exactly?'
I wanted to say it out loud, but I didn't. There was no need to escalate emotions with words here. The most ideal path was to maintain the feeling of rivals in opposite positions.
Thanks to Min-su grabbing my foot, I was able to lift my other leg. Since he was swinging his sword while enduring the impact to his abdomen, his movements were inevitably slow. Using the captured foot as a pivot, I twisted my body and slammed a roundhouse kick into the side of Min-su's head.
Boom!
Since it was the second counter, the impact was substantial. Min-su was driven straight into the ground. I wasn't about to end it there; I prepared to drive my fist down. It was closer to one-sided violence than a spar.
'But this is necessary.'
My venting had actually ended with the front kick. Everything after that was bait to draw out one specific person.
Instructor Kim Seok-gu wouldn't stop the spar easily. He believed that a Victory Cadet should naturally taste the bitterness of defeat. He was of the mind that even in a light spar, winners and losers must be clearly defined.
'But you're different.'
This was a plan I'd formed from the moment the instructors lined up when I suggested the spar with Min-su. Because it was certain that she would be among them.
'Hurry up and come out.'
[Smite activated! Great power dwells in your fist!]
Despair was about to fall upon Min-su, who was pinned to the ground. It was an injury that would heal before the Gate field trip, but an injury nonetheless. Having been pummeled repeatedly, Min-su couldn't properly respond to the attack.
Kim Seok-gu intended to stop the spar after this attack. But what about someone who didn't want to see Min-su get hurt?
"Stop!"
Ryu Hye-mi dotes on Min-su. She dotes on him enough to comfort him with her own breasts even though he has a girlfriend. With her setting as the older neighborhood sister he met as a child and her benevolent image, I expected her to jump out if things took a turn for the worse.
I had to create a connection with Ryu Hye-mi, as she was a woman destined to join Min-su's harem. But there hadn't been a proper opportunity. The department store investigation ended quickly, and if I went for counseling, Kim Min-su had the advantage. I lacked a pretext to leave a strong impression and maintain steady contact.
'But now I have one.'
The moment she intervened in the spar, she was as good as caught in my snare.
"The spar is suspended!"
Even if she was an instructor in charge of research, an instructor was still an instructor. Ryu Hye-mi reached me in an instant. What I had to do here was stay focused on the fight. I must not stop my body. I had to show that I was so focused on the spar that I couldn't hear her.
"Cadet Baek Tae-yang!"
If it looked like I was continuing the attack because I couldn't control my strength, there was a high chance my instructor deputy status would be canceled. But what if it looked like I was focused on seeing the fight through to the end?
'It could actually be a bonus.'
It was several times more beneficial than stopping immediately.
[Smite activated! Great power dwells in your fist!]
"Stop!"
Ryu Hye-mi channeled her power as she spoke. Just before my fist reached Min-su, a white wall appeared. It looked like a defensive type, but it was a futile effort.
'Not against a virgin.'
When I read her information with Licking Eyes, Ryu Hye-mi was a virgin. And I do not lose to virgins. Never.
[Virgin Bomber activated! You will not lose to a virgin!]
As expected, Virgin Bomber activated. The barrier shattered into pieces, just like Ryu Hye-mi's hymen soon would.
"?!"
Perhaps affected by the backlash of the shattered barrier, Ryu Hye-mi slumped to the ground.
'That's enough.'
I had achieved my goal, so there was no need to do more. I twisted my fist and drove it into the ground. The fist, striking right next to Min-su's face, dug deep and created a large hole.
Boom!
A brief silence fell. Ryu Hye-mi hurriedly checked on Min-su's condition. Seeing my fist embedded in the ground, she let out a sigh of relief, seemingly reassured.
"Are you alright?"
I looked down at Ryu Hye-mi with an expression that said I had done nothing wrong. It carried the subtle implication of, 'I would have handled it myself even if you hadn't interfered.'
"Ye... yes, thank you..."
"Spar over! Winner, Baek Tae-yang!"
Kim Seok-gu announced the result immediately to settle the situation quickly. In truth, despite the loud noise, Min-su wasn't seriously injured, so it wasn't a major problem.
"Th-that was a good match, Tae-yang..."
"I enjoyed it too."
Min-su stood up as soon as he heard the spar was over. The fact that he could get up and greet me so quickly was proof that my power control had been clean. He couldn't hide the fact that his face was flushed as he spoke, perhaps embarrassed by his loss.
"You're not going to hold a grudge over this, right?"
"O-of course not, Tae-yang. What do you take me for..."
He spoke with a smile, but he looked like he had a guilty conscience. This guy is surprisingly petty.
"Now then, since the spar is over, I will go over the precautions. Come this way."
Min-su and I nodded at Instructor Kim Seok-gu's words.
'I got everything I needed.'
There were three things to be gained from this spar: venting my frustration on Min-su, a connection with Ryu Hye-mi, and the image of being the strongest in the first year. If I had missed even one, it might have created constraints when acting as Baek Tae-yang in the future.
Glancing back, I saw Ryu Hye-mi standing up and staring intently at me.
'She must be incredibly curious.'
A cadet who easily shatters a barrier deployed by an instructor. It was more than enough to pique her interest.
'She'll come looking for me.'
Researchers were always that breed of people. The type who, once curious, would seek out the answer themselves until they found it.
'I'll have to cook her slowly once the Gate field trip is over.'
The seasoning was all ready; now it was just a matter of the actual cooking.