Chapter 63

EP.63 New Effect (3)

The private training ground in Daebang-dong.

It was the largest training ground near Sangdo, where my studio apartment was located.

As soon as Park Jin-woo received the text, he must have rushed over, as he was already standing in one corner of the training ground, swinging his sword.

I smiled at the sight of his consistent and passionate Holder, and waved my hand.

"Hey."

"Ooh."

Park Jin-woo relaxed his focus and waved back at me.

We spar whenever we get the chance.

When I was on a winning streak of over ten matches, it wasn't fun, but after Park Jin-woo mastered the [Unchaseable Swift Sword] on his own, our sparring level became more evenly matched.

As a result, the overall record is 41 matches, 30 wins, and 11 losses.

I'm still ahead, but if we only consider recent matches, it's pretty close.

"Why did you come again this time? I said I'd come."

I scratched my head and approached him.

When we were at the Academy, we could meet at the indoor training ground, but since the summer break started, we've been sparring at the private training ground.

My house is in Sangdo, and the training ground is in Daebang-dong.

Park Jin-woo's house is near Bangbae-dong.

This is our second sparring session since the break started, and Park Jin-woo came over here again.

Although it's not far, I felt a bit guilty.

However, Park Jin-woo's answer always surprises me.

"It's fine. Running here is also part of my training."

"……?"

What kind of nonsense is this?

Did he come all the way from Bangbae-dong to Daebang-dong on foot?

I couldn't understand it and asked him again.

"What are you talking about? Did you walk all the way here?"

"Hahaha. I ran here."

"……"

Is he really crazy?

The distance is almost 7km, and it takes over 2 hours to walk, yet he ran here….

I stopped thinking about it.

Indeed, this guy is someone you can't understand with logic.

"Have you upgraded to C-rank yet?"

Park Jin-woo's ability level has already surpassed C-rank.

Like me before, he just needs to meet the requirements to be promoted.

That's why I told him to get promoted quickly the last time we met.

There are quite a few undiscovered dungeons I want to explore with him.

But as usual.

Park Jin-woo shook his head solemnly.

"No, I didn't have the time."

"Come on! You could have done it in the time it took you to run here. With your skills, meeting the requirements isn't that difficult."

"I don't have enough time to train!"

"Really, you're crazy…."

His unnecessarily serious expression makes me even more frustrated.

Sigh.

He'll do it eventually.

He's the kind of guy who improves steadily on his own.

I slowly drew my sword from behind my back.

"Let's start. I was just about to spar anyway."

"Ooh. That's what I wanted."

We moved to the sparring area in one corner of the training ground.

This place is convenient for sparring as long as you pay the fee.

Being indoors, we don't have to worry about other people's gazes, making it even more comfortable.

Especially for me, as a Multi-Holder who uses various runes, I felt a bit uncomfortable showing my full power to others.

Park Jin-woo, who was standing in position, gripped his sword with a serious look.

I hadn't noticed before, but his sword looked quite good.

At first glance, it seemed to be a decent Normal-grade, or maybe even a Rare-grade?

As the son of a wealthy family, he didn't hesitate to spend money on equipment.

"The rules are the same as before, Academy sparring rules. No vital point attacks, but all other attacks are allowed."

"The referee is our eyes, right?"

"Phew— Yeah, that's right. And surrendering is optional."

Of course, we've never surrendered in any of our 41 sparring sessions.

We fought like madmen, hitting and blocking each other until one of us was exhausted and fell.

Or until the sword reached our necks, we continued to fight.

Our sparring style without the option to surrender.

"Do you want to start?"

"Sure."

Park Jin-woo gave a short answer and slowly gathered his mana.

I also gripped my sword with both hands and prepared to invest mana.

When sparring with him, I need to be tense and focused.

It's a different level from sparring with Shin Yuna.

Even though we're both C-rank, his superior stats and rune usage make him a formidable opponent.

We stood facing each other, maintaining a slight distance.

The silence that filled the gap between us.

Soon, the silence ended.

"Start."

Park Jin-woo gave the signal.

And immediately, he dashed towards me at an incredible speed.

Did he use a Rush-type rune?

Considering his high speed stat, it was still an amazing speed.

I immediately prepared to use [Flowing Water Sword Technique].

Park Jin-woo would likely use [Unchaseable Swift Sword] as soon as he started his dash.

[Flowing Water Sword Technique] is a Rare rune that is slightly inferior to [Unchaseable Swift Sword], but it is the most suitable technique to counter it due to its similar form based on speed.

"Hmm…!!"

"Haaap…!!"

Holding my breath, I waited for his sword, which came at me like a puzzle.

A speed so fast it was almost invisible to the naked eye.

A characteristic of [Unchaseable Swift Sword].

I used [Flowing Water Sword Technique] and relied on my senses.

His sword was definitely excessively fast, but my body, now quite familiar with it, remembered his sword path.

Clang— Clank, Clank—!

The light clashing of Park Jin-woo's sword and mine.

This is just the appetizer.

The real fight is about to begin.

"Haaat…!!"

Park Jin-woo's sword, which was swirling, suddenly disappeared.

And he spun his body, moving towards my back.

'Predictable, predictable.'

[Spinning Combo] it is.

A derivative skill of [Unchaseable Swift Sword].

A skill that continuously delivers simultaneous strikes by integrating the body and sword into a whirlwind, similar to [Combo].

I knew Park Jin-woo would use this skill as soon as the sparring started.

'He saved it until the end of our last sparring session.'

Park Jin-woo may seem dumb, but he is a Holder with sharp and insightful combat sense.

Naturally, he often engages in psychological warfare during sparring with the same opponent.

During our last sparring session, he saved [Spinning Combo] until the very end.

So, there was a possibility he would use it at the start of this sparring session, and my prediction was correct.

This is our 41st sparring session.

I can now roughly read Park Jin-woo's thoughts.

Psychological warfare is only effective when used against someone who can engage in it.

"Haat…!!"

I followed Park Jin-woo's movements as much as possible with [Agile Movement].

And the new rune I recently obtained.

The special effect of [Martial Mastery], also known as the weapon switching technique.

After transferring the sword I was holding with both hands to my right hand.

I visualized and drew a shield with my left hand.

The [Hobgoblin's Bronze Shield] appeared in my left hand in less than a second.

'Wow, that's fast.'

The speed at which the weapon is switched is surprisingly fast.

There's a slight lag, but it's good enough to use in combat.

This is a very satisfying new effect.

I extended the shield in my left hand forward.

'Right, Iron Defense!'

I used [Iron Defense] in succession.

Now a derivative skill of [Shield], which is a lower-tier rune of [Martial Mastery].

It can block attacks with twice the power of the original.

Along with [Strengthen], it is the most outstanding defensive skill I have.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Clank! Clank! Clank!

Grinding—!!

Park Jin-woo's [Spinning Combo] was blocked by [Iron Defense].

If it were an ultimate skill, it would have been difficult to block, but…

Fortunately, [Spinning Combo] is just a regular derivative skill.

"Huff… Huff… What is that?"

After a series of fierce attacks were futilely blocked.

Park Jin-woo put some distance between us and panted, asking.

It seemed he couldn't believe that I, who was using a two-handed sword just moments ago, was now holding a shield in one hand.

"What do you mean, it's a shield."

"When did you draw it? I only saw your sword. What is this? Magic?"

"Puhaha, crazy. A Rune Holder doing magic."

I teased Park Jin-woo, but I was also surprised.

I didn't expect the 'weapon switching technique,' one of the special effects of [Martial Mastery], to be this useful.

Of course, I wanted to test this today, so I chose to spar with Park Jin-woo, but the purpose itself was a success.

"No, what is it? Tell me. Is it a rune?"

"If you don't know, you'll have to find out. Just that. I'm starting a new 10-match winning streak from today."

"Shit."

I immediately used the [Charge] and [Ruthless Charge] combo.

This combo is the best for the first attack, as it ignores physical attacks during the charge.

Drumming—!!

Bang!

"Again? I've already figured it out, you bastard."

Park Jin-woo easily dodged my charge.

The effect of [Ruthless Charge] ignoring physical attacks may seem invincible at first glance, but there is a way to counter it.

First, it is vulnerable to mana attacks, and second, the effect only applies when charging.

Therefore, after dodging the first charge without colliding.

The key is to prevent the charge from happening.

In other words, keep closing the distance so that the charge doesn't have a chance to happen.

Indeed, as I know his combat style well, he also knows mine well.

Park Jin-woo had already mastered the method to counter this combo.

'I'm a bit disappointed I can't use [Melee Declaration].'

[Melee Declaration], a derivative skill of [Martial Mastery], is a skill that ignores ranged physical attacks for 10 minutes.

It only applies to ranged attacks.

Melee attacks still deal damage.

So, it couldn't be used in combat with Park Jin-woo.

It's a shame.

If I showed him this, he would be really surprised.

'But there are still more surprises to come.'

I had already shown [Flickering Flames] to Park Jin-woo in our previous battle.

To win against a sparring partner who had grown so much, I had to use that card.

I had no qualms about showing my various runes.

Park Jin-woo is the friend I trust the most in this world after Kim Chae-eun, and among C-rank Holders, there's no one else I can spar with besides him.

Moreover, he's a simple guy who is only interested in training and growth, so he just gets surprised when I show him new runes and doesn't take any other action.

'But he'll be really surprised this time.'

Taking advantage of a brief lull.

I opened the water bottle I had brought.

Water dripped onto the training ground.

Park Jin-woo looked at it with a bewildered expression.

"What is that?"

"Something you'll love."

Sssss—

The water on the ground began to move according to my will.

The water, which was moving slowly at first, soon accelerated and gathered behind me like a wave.

[Wave that Swallows the Whirlpool].

Specifically, the manifestation of [New Wave], which creates a massive wave.

"Ooh, damn. What is this…."

Park Jin-woo, who was staring blankly at the water, praised it in amazement.

I knew he would react this way.

Indeed, he loves it.