Chapter 100

〈 Chapter 100 〉100. 1-on-1 Duel (6)

Nam Da-eun finished her medical check with Baek Ae-young and lay down on the sofa in the waiting room.

She then reflected on her recent actions.

‘Why did I do that…?’

Showing her sister in a call was something she had never done before.

It was a sudden whim, and she still didn’t understand why she did it.

Maybe she wanted to lean on someone, even a little.

“Sigh….”

In the quiet waiting room, Nam Da-eun looked up at the ceiling, trying to sort out her thoughts.

‘She was such a good person.’

She was definitely a good person, both at the mart and at the vending machine.

But once this final match ends and the results come in, their relationship will probably end when the groups change.

Nam Da-eun felt a bit of regret.

“First place….”

Of course, Lee Ho-yeon would want to be first place too. It’s only natural, given that she made it to the finals.

But no matter how good a person, she couldn’t give up first place.

To Nam Da-eun, her younger sister was the most precious thing.

*

Knock knock knock

“Come in.”

“Excuse me….”

Baek Ae-young cautiously entered the waiting room.

“Why are you being so cautious, Ae-young?”

“It’s just… there’s not much time left.”

There was less than 20 minutes until the final match started.

Of course, if we wanted to hurry, we could, but I wanted to approach the final in the best condition possible.

“Just do the medical check. There’s no time for anything else.”

“Okay….”

Baek Ae-young performed a quick examination, glancing at me from time to time.

It was clear she wanted something, so I gave her a chance.

“Hmm… it seems your body is a bit uncomfortable.”

“What, where?!”

“Oh, it’s a mistake.”

“Hmm….”

Baek Ae-young looked disappointed and continued the examination.

‘This is ridiculous.’

How badly does she want it?

I finished the medical check while toying with Baek Ae-young.

“The check is done. Good luck in the final.”

“Thank you.”

Seeing Baek Ae-young’s disappointed but supportive expression, I felt a bit guilty.

★ Heroine Status

– [Affection: 87] (+0.4)

– [Lust: 73]

– [Hunger: 30]

– [Fatigue: 35]

Current Status: She’s not going to do it after all…

“Ae-young, are you going to the volunteer work this weekend?”

“Yeah, I’ll go if nothing comes up.”

Great. I was unsure when we’d meet again, but we can meet at the orphanage.

“I’ll go with you.”

“R-really? But you can’t do anything strange there.”

“I know. I won’t do anything too strange.”

“Okay….”

Baek Ae-young’s disappointed expression brightened at the prospect of meeting over the weekend.

She didn’t seem to care much about the promise to not do anything too strange.

★ Heroine Status

– [Affection: 87] (+0.4)

– [Lust: 73]

– [Hunger: 30]

– [Fatigue: 35]

Current Status: The orphanage, it was good…! But please don’t take any pictures….

She really hates pictures.

Should I really not take any?

Well, I probably don’t need blackmail material anymore.

She’s at the level where she comes looking for it herself.

“I need to go to the player waiting area now.”

“Okay. I hope you do well.”

“Thanks. See you this weekend, Ae-young.”

I said goodbye to Baek Ae-young and headed to the player waiting area.

While waiting, I listened to the commentator’s overly dramatic narration of Nam Da-eun’s career.

A staff member approached.

“You can go up now.”

“Okay.”

As I walked up to the arena, the audience’s reactions were intense, as it was the final.

I could see Nam Da-eun walking up from the opposite side.

Standing in the arena, I heard the audience’s cheers and the commentator’s loud voice.

Swish—

The magic barrier rose, blocking out the surrounding noise. Nam Da-eun and I made eye contact.

“Good luck.”

“Yeah. I’ll definitely be first.”

Nam Da-eun smiled and responded to my encouragement.

The start signal sounded, but we didn’t move.

Nam Da-eun had always taken the initiative in all her matches, but this time, she seemed to be taking it slow.

I had no choice but to be the first to gather my magic power.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heart began to beat faster, and I could feel the blood circulating through my body.

Nam Da-eun also raised her sword as I prepared for battle.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Wait a moment.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

As soon as Nam Da-eun prepared for battle, my body grew hotter.

… Is that all?

It was faster than when I faced Felix and heavier than when I encountered an ogre.

The battle sense I thought I had mastered filled my body, indicating that I still had much to learn.

Time seemed to slow down, and my senses became more acute as my body prepared for battle.

“… This isn’t a matter of giving up or not.”

Nam Da-eun was the strongest opponent I had faced so far.

*

‘She’s strong.’

Nam Da-eun thought as she looked at Lee Ho-yeon, whose eyes had turned golden.

She was on a different level from ordinary students.

To win, she couldn’t hide her strength.

After making her decision, Nam Da-eun focused her magic power on her sword.

A skill she had never revealed before.

A unique skill that perfectly expressed her power [Spatial Domination].

She spread her magic power throughout the arena.

In this space, distance was meaningless to Nam Da-eun.

‘It’s better to end this quickly.’

The space around Nam Da-eun rippled, and a purple aura enveloped her sword.

Lee Ho-yeon’s mouth opened in surprise at the preparation for ‘Spatial Slash,’ a move she had seen many times in the original game.

‘No way, she can use Spatial Slash?’

Nam Da-eun revealed her hidden strength.

She read the momentum of my battle sense and wanted to quickly decide the match to avoid unexpected situations.

‘Does this mean she recognizes me that much?’

I don’t know whether to like this or not.

I have no idea how much strength she was hiding.

Spatial Slash is a skill that appears in the mid-to-late part of the story.

That is, it appears around the end of the first year or the beginning of the second year, when Nam Da-eun was about to take the top spot in practical skills, but she already knew it.

Lee Ho-yeon slowly crouched and took deep breaths, preparing for the attack.

Time was on my side.

On the other hand, facing a mage was Nam Da-eun’s strength. Mages couldn’t handle her speed and destructive power.

However, Lee Ho-yeon was different from an ordinary mage. She used a skill similar to [Spatial Acceleration] and showed agility unlike a mage, and her shield magic was unusually strong.

Nam Da-eun slowly moved to find an opening in Lee Ho-yeon’s defense.

Lee Ho-yeon took a defensive position, ready to counter Nam Da-eun’s movements.

The moment she saw an opening, she launched a fireball to check Nam Da-eun.

Nam Da-eun’s sword rushed toward Lee Ho-yeon.

Bang!

Reacting to Nam Da-eun’s sudden movement, Lee Ho-yeon used Cotton Guard to block the sword and immediately countered with magic.

Nam Da-eun retreated, regrouping amidst the pillars of fire rising from the ground and explosions in the air.

Lee Ho-yeon, expecting that her attacks wouldn’t land, continued casting spells without hesitation.

Numerous fireballs and fire spears shot toward Nam Da-eun.

‘She’s not planning to use Spatial Slash yet?’

Nam Da-eun was trying to manipulate Lee Ho-yeon’s thoughts.

She intended to end the match with Spatial Slash, believing that Lee Ho-yeon had no long-range attack.

However, Lee Ho-yeon was aware of the existence of Spatial Slash.

Therefore, she kept one slot open for double casting to defend at any time.

Nam Da-eun was surprised by Lee Ho-yeon’s unexpected resistance.

‘Lee Ho-yeon can double cast. Why is she only using one spell?’

Nam Da-eun kept looking for openings to win, but Lee Ho-yeon didn’t give her any.

It seemed Lee Ho-yeon had figured out that she had a hidden move.

If Nam Da-eun tried to close the distance, Lee Ho-yeon would use magic to keep her at bay, and if she forced her way through, Lee Ho-yeon’s instant acceleration skill made counterattacks risky.

‘I have no choice. I need to break through.’

Spatial Slash was a guaranteed win when used at the right moment.

So, she needed to create an opening.

She needed to launch an attack that would force Lee Ho-yeon to use double casting.

Nam Da-eun split Lee Ho-yeon’s fireballs in half and charged through the gap.

Smiling, Lee Ho-yeon blocked Nam Da-eun’s sword, which approached in the blink of an eye.

Nam Da-eun’s aggressive move meant she was starting to feel the pressure.

Of course, Lee Ho-yeon was also feeling the strain of her magic power, but Nam Da-eun didn’t know that.

Nam Da-eun was at a disadvantage, and if she forced her way through, Lee Ho-yeon had a trump card.

‘I’ll try it… it should work.’

Throughout the battle, Nam Da-eun had been prepared for Lee Ho-yeon’s ‘acceleration’ and ‘spiral’.

Thus, unlike facing an ordinary mage, she was prepared for counterattacks and didn’t go too deep.

But a skill she had never revealed before would be something Nam Da-eun couldn’t prepare for.

Lee Ho-yeon smiled and continued the exchange with Nam Da-eun.