Chapter 98

### Chapter 98: 1-on-1 Duel (4)

After my match ended, it was Lucy's turn next.

I was worried about her match against Ellis, so I decided to check on her.

I went to the waiting area where Lucy was.

"Hey? Lee Ho-yeon! You did great in your match!"

"Thanks. I came to cheer you on."

Of course, even though I said that, it would be tough for Lucy to win.

Ellis is a broken character who can rival Nam Da-eun once her mana barrier is fixed.

Especially, Ellis's talent as a magic swordsman, with a versatile combat style, gives her an advantage in 1-on-1 duels.

Still, I shouldn't show it and should cheer for Lucy.

"Thanks. I'll do my best too!"

"Yeah. Your match will start soon. I'll be in the waiting room. Let's have lunch together later."

"Okay~!"

★ Heroine Status Window

– [Affection: 88]

– [Lust: 40]

– [Hunger: 30]

– [Fatigue: 35]

Current Status: Even if I lose this time, I have to do better next time...!

Fortunately, even if I lose, it won't affect my mental state.

It seems Lucy also understands the gap.

I saw her off with a smile until the end.

*

"What a pity... I expected it, but still..."

The match ended with Lucy's defeat.

However, the content of the match was good.

Lucy's overwhelming firepower was on full display.

It's just that Ellis handled it too well, but Lucy did an incredible job, so her performance will be good.

Next, Nam Da-eun's match, as expected, was dominated by Nam Da-eun.

He defeated his opponent in just 3 seconds, so the opponent probably didn't even know why they lost.

With Nam Da-eun's match ending, the semi-finals were set: Lee Ho-yean vs. Kim Young-han, and Ellis vs. Nam Da-eun.

Since I had planned to have lunch with Lucy, I sent her a message and went to her waiting room.

"Lucy, I'm here."

"Okay, come in!"

When I opened the door, Rumi was also sitting in the waiting room.

"Oh, Rumi is here too?"

It seems she was waiting for me to have lunch.

"Lee Ho-yeon, you were amazing."

"Thanks."

"Rumi, you didn't say I was amazing. Are you ignoring me because I lost?"

Lucy clung to Rumi and threw a tantrum.

"Lee Ho-yeon greeted me in the arena, but you didn't greet me."

"Oh... sorry, I forgot."

Indeed, small details are very important.

I managed to maintain my image over such a small matter.

"Let's go have lunch. Where do you want to go?"

"The student cafeteria is too crowded! Let's go outside!"

"I don't mind."

Since the main event participants' rest time was also guaranteed, we had quite a bit of time.

"Okay, let's go outside and eat."

It would be nice to eat outside for a change.

*

After having lunch outside with the twin sisters, we came back.

Even though Lucy didn't show it, she seemed a bit concerned about her loss, so I comforted her along with Rumi.

We agreed to wait in the waiting room together until my match started.

"I have to go to the finals and avenge you. Got it?"

"Don't worry."

"Lee Ho-yeon will definitely win...!"

I relaxed by chatting with the twins.

Of course, the possibility of meeting Ellis in the finals is almost zero, so I can't avenge you, but still.

"It seems to be starting. I'll go to the waiting area for the players."

"Okay. Good luck! You have to win! I'll be watching you!"

"Lee Ho-yeon, do your best...!"

"Thanks."

With the encouragement of Lucy and Rumi, I headed to the player waiting area.

Since I was going to fight Kim Young-han, it felt a bit strange.

"Student Lee Ho-yeon, please prepare to go to the arena."

"Yes, I understand."

From the semi-finals onwards, each match is crucial, so they were trying to ensure the players' condition was not affected.

I went up to the arena following the polite staff's guidance.

"Handsome guy. Hi."

As soon as I went up to the arena, Kim Young-han, who was waiting, spoke to me.

"Why do you keep calling me 'Handsome guy' these days?"

"My friend Lee Ho-yeon has gone too far, so I'm just feeling sorry."

"What? Don't think I'll go easy on you."

The finals are coming up, and I can't afford to lose due to complacency.

I have to give it my all.

"Scary..."

Kim Young-han raised his sword and smiled bitterly, and I gathered my mana.

As soon as the start signal was given, my combat senses were on high alert.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

'What...?'

Stronger than expected?

My combat senses warned me that Kim Young-han was a much more dangerous opponent than Do Jin-hyuk.

Kim Young-han approached me with his unique thorn sword, which had red thorns protruding from it.

'Kaiyan'

Bang!

I blocked his sword with a Cotton Guard and put some distance between us.

If I didn't use acceleration, Kim Young-han was faster than me.

However, I could handle it by reading the sword's trajectory in advance with 'Kaiyan'.

Kim Young-han kept trying to close the distance and attack me.

Even when his sword strikes were blocked and his uniform caught fire, he continued to attack without caring about his own body.

Clang!

I bought time with a fireball and Cotton Guard and moved away from Kim Young-han.

"Why are you coming at me so aggressively?"

"I want to see your true strength. You haven't even used the skills you used against Do Jin-hyuk yet."

"I haven't used them because the situation hasn't called for them."

Acceleration and Spiral are not skills I can use at will.

Due to my limited mana, I can only use them once or twice, so I have to use them at the right moment.

"Is that so...?"

Kim Young-han raised his sword again.

Despite the many minor injuries, he showed no signs of giving up.

'I need to end this soon.'

Kim Young-han charged at me again, and we exchanged attacks.

I dodged his attacks and cast a fireball at him as he retreated.

If the distance increased, I could attack him one-sidedly, so I couldn't miss this opportunity.

However, just as I was about to cast the fireball, my combat senses suddenly sent a danger signal.

My heart raced more than when I faced two Ogres at once, and I felt a strong sense of unease.

I immediately threw my body to the right, trusting my instincts.

Bang!

At the same time, a terrifying sound hit my ears, and something grazed my cheek.

"Wow... No one has ever dodged that from the start. You're really a monster."

Kim Young-han was on the ground, looking at me with his mouth open.

And where I had just been standing, a red thorn over 3 meters long had protruded.

"... What is this?"

My cheek was hot.

When I touched it with the back of my hand, red liquid came off.

"... Blood?"

Of course, since we were inside the mana field, I didn't actually get hurt.

It was just a device to make us feel pain to enhance our combat senses.

But it was a sharp enough attack to injure me.

That was close.

If I had reacted even a little slower, I would have probably lost with a high probability.

The safety settings would have been triggered as the thorn pierced my body.

"My ultimate move... I didn't expect it to fail."

Kim Young-han muttered, sounding truly disappointed.

"... Hey. You should save that for the finals. You really scared me."

"I was planning to. But what can I do if you're too strong? I have to win the semi-finals to get to the finals."

That's ridiculous.

The thorn behind me was clearly not at a student's level.

I had never heard of or seen a skill that could exert such physical force in an instant.

Moreover, it had emerged, ignoring my 'Kaiyan' and [Mana Sensing], so it must be a unique ability, not a mana-based skill. I didn't expect him to hide such a trump card.

"Ha, I wanted to end the 1-on-1 duel with an unexpected rookie Kim Young-han's victory. You ruined it."

"... If you hadn't used that, you wouldn't have beaten Nam Da-eun in the finals anyway."

In the original story, Nam Da-eun won, so Kim Young-han's plan would have failed.

Nam Da-eun's ability, [Space Domination].

The surrounding space is already Nam Da-eun's territory. He wouldn't have missed the summoning of such a large thorn.

"That's a blow to my pride. Well, anyway. Since that was blocked, I'll forfeit. Referee! I forfeit!"

Kim Young-han coolly accepted his defeat.

I doubt the summoning of that large thorn was the end, and he still had some strength left, but he might not want to reveal his abilities.

The mana barrier was dismantled, and I approached Kim Young-han, who was smiling bitterly.

"Hey. You're not sulking because you lost, right?"

"Of course not. I need to stay close to Handsome Guy to get any scraps."

Fortunately, Kim Young-han didn't seem to care at all.

"You'll become a nuisance after that match. Hehe."

Kim Young-han is also quite handsome, and with his hidden ability revealed, the flies will swarm.

"Well, it's good for choosing a place to work later."

Liar.

No one knows yet, but Kim Young-han is the successor to a large guild.

He came to the academy to prove himself without the guild's name.

"Right. Good job."

"You too. Since you beat me and advanced, you have to win the championship."

"Um, I'll try my best."

Kim Young-han immediately turned and went down from the arena, and I came down, enthusiastically greeting the spectators.

*

"That's a pity. But the final ambush was really good."

Lim Sol, who had been watching Lee Ho-yeon's match, smiled at his victory.

"Right. How did he dodge that? Our young master is amazing."

"What?"

"No, no, it's just that dodging that, Student Lee Ho-yeon is amazing. I'll be back from the restroom in a bit."

Min Ye-ji tidied up her seat and left the spectator area.

As she checked her smartwatch, she arrived at a place where Kim Young-han was waiting.

"Young master, good job. It's really a pity. I didn't expect that ambush to be blocked."

"Right... Did you see it, Ye-ji? Ho-yeon is a monster. I told you I was in contact with him about recruitment, right? How is it going?"

Kim Young-han greeted Min Ye-ji with a serious demeanor, unlike his usual self.

"Well... it's going well. But it seems Student Lee Ho-yeon doesn't want to be involved with a guild. This is the best I could do, considering I couldn't even contact other guilds. You know that, right?"

"Of course, I know your abilities. That's why you get such a high salary. Anyway, try harder. If we can bring Ho-yeon in, the Iron Blood Guild can become the top guild in Korea."

Kim Young-han was already designated as the successor to the Iron Blood Guild internally, even if he didn't show it externally.

He planned to proudly announce it if he won the 1-on-1 duel, but unfortunately, this plan failed.

"Of course. By the way, you and Student Lee Ho-yeon are quite close. Did you become friends to recruit him later? You're amazing~."

If Lee Ho-yeon joined the Iron Blood Guild, he would be welcomed, but he didn't become friends for that reason.

"No, that's not it. Ho-yeon is just a friend. It's fun to watch him."

*

After finishing my match, I returned to the waiting room to watch Ellis and Nam Da-eun's match.

Of course, after my match, the medical team came and fully restored my physical and mana energy.

I needed to be in the best condition before the next match.

As I opened a can of the drink provided in the waiting room, a system window appeared in front of me.

———————-

『A sub-quest has been transmitted.』

Theoretical exam first place is already a sure thing!

Let's become a well-rounded man by also getting first place in the practical exam!

– Reward: All heroines' affection +1

———————-

"... What?"

A sub-quest I can't afford to miss has appeared.