Chapter 99 : Independence
The match resud again.
Idan, though perhaps not smart, didn't seem to be a simple guy either.
Seeing him change his attack target to my legs as soon as he judged that arms wouldn't work.
He seed determined to bind my legs so I couldn't move at all.
Lowering his stance and digging into my torso, he started throwing punches with the montum to break my knees.
Thwack!
Since I couldn't dodge all the attacks a trained athlete delivered, I ended up getting hit once.
The one blow that landed accurately hurt enough to make want to curse.
He was harder to deal with than the guy who said he was learning boxing in high school.
I quickly transford my arm and struck down on his shoulder.
“Kuaak!!!”
Perhaps because I couldn't control my strength, Idan scread and fell away, but imdiately pounced again.
However, maybe getting hit on the shoulder dealt a heavy blow, as he couldn't exert as much strength as before.
“Saying you beat down a bear must have been a lie.”
Seeing him unable to use his strength even though I only changed to lion muscle.
Even though I didn't have a lion's shoulder or bones here, so I couldn't produce the strength of a real lion I saw in the forest, he still couldn't beat .
Besides, I had my own penalty too.
I can't change multiple parts at once.
Because I don't know when I'll reach my stamina limit and faint again.
Alternating between transforming hands and legs at the appropriate timing required high concentration.
Still, actual combat with him was more helpful in mastering the ability than El's 'Try doing it like this, swish swish.'
I was gradually getting used to transforming my body.
“You……, you're getting faster. What trick did you use.”
Idan seed to feel it too.
From his perspective, it must have been a situation where he suddenly had to fight a half-human half-beast, but for , it was just like getting a good test opponent.
As my strength increased, my arms and legs beca faster.
As my movents beca faster, his speed, which I had been busy chasing with my eyes, no longer looked as fast as before.
The problem was that my body didn't follow as well as I thought because I was moving while thinking about which part to transform.
Smack!
“Keuk!”
Finally, my fist landed in his stomach.
It had been so long since I hit a person that I couldn't control my strength properly.
If he was hit by a real lion's front paw, he would usually have fainted right there, but perhaps because my shoulder didn't beco an animal's, he was able to retreat a few steps away from while clutching his stomach.
“Keok! Cough!”
Though it seed I couldn't stop him from throwing up his insides.
The guy, who vomited clear liquid, glared at with bloodshot eyes.
“Why are you just watching when you can win? Makes feel dirty.”
“I'm showing you. That you are nothing special.”
And an opportunity this good to test my ability won't co easily.
I can't ask Jing or Ratel to spar with , nor can I drag a stranger from the street and beat them up.
He stumbled to his feet and took a stance.
Protecting his head with two raised fists, he glared at .
“Fine, do as you please. I’ll be your plaything as much as you want. Instead, leave Ria alone.”
“If soone heard, they'd think I'm dragging her away by force.”
“I said leave Ria behind!”
At my sarcasm, he shouted again.
It was the mont a crack finally appeared in the mask of the guy who always acted expressionless.
“Why? Is it so fearful that your younger sister surpasses you and leaves?”
The beginning must have been 3 years ago, from that day he made Ria the village's enemy.
Because Ria said an outsider participated in the Lucha Competition that year too.
He, who held hands with the temple, gave the championship to the temple in exchange for making Ria a sinner.
He was the one who tied Ria down to the village.
“I need that child. She's my only family.”
The words he mumbled without even wiping the blood flowing from his mouth didn't seem like words he wanted to hear.
Rather, it seed like he was mumbling to himself.
Thwack!
Hit by my fist along with his guarding arms, he was pushed back a step.
Maybe thanks to the pain, the light returned to his eyes that had gone dull.
“You didn't need a family, you needed a well to fill your inferiority complex.”
The water drawn from the well must have covered his inferiority complex towards his sister and filled his depleted self-esteem.
“Shut up.”
Even though flowing water is bound to reach the sea eventually.
“When did you notice that you can't beat Ria?”
“I said shut up!”
Perhaps anger beca his driving force, he stood up and threw a punch.
Dodging the slow punch carried only by force wasn't difficult.
The staggering Idan couldn't control his body and ended up collapsing.
Booing erupted from the audience seats.
“Fainting in one blow is better than forfeiting, right?”
“You, you will definitely pay the price for this.”
I didn't know what price one had to pay for winning a fighting competition, but I roughly understood it as aning he wouldn't forfeit.
Smack!
This ti, it was a blow struck with my whole strength, not lion muscle.
I was tired from causing transformations too many tis at once, and if I hit the ragged Idan wrong, it seed he might die.
Idan let out a small groan and collapsed completely, unable to get up again.
A mont of silence, and then a loud roar rang inside the arena.
But I couldn't hear it until the end.
Because insane drowsiness washed over .
Feeling the fatigue pressing down on my whole body like I felt in the Imperial Forest, I felt my two knees touching the floor.
I couldn't resist any longer.
Through my blurring vision, I saw Jing and Ria looking this way with worried expressions.
***
Ria captured in her eyes her blood relative slowly collapsing, and subsequently, the black-haired traveler also gradually crumbling.
“It, it is a draw!”
The referee made a ridiculous judgnt.
Anyone could see Idan collapsed before the black-haired traveler, but their intention that they could not concede victory like this was too visible.
“Look here, didn't Idan collapse first?”
The excited Jing argued with the referee, but they did not overturn the judgnt.
“The one who lost consciousness first is Ran. Idan can still stand up.”
“Ugh……!”
As if to prove his words, Idan struggled to his feet.
But Ran, who collapsed once, could not get up again.
“Since he lost consciousness before the referee decided the winner, it is difficult to say he won. A draw is correct.”
At the ridiculous excuse, Ria clenched her fist tight.
The draw Ran achieved pulled up the winning rate which had been slim.
Even if the bookstore owner lost, if she achieved victory, the winners of Lucha would be Ran and Jing.
One match, just one match.
She took a deep breath and clenched her fist.
Idan's scary face ca to mind.
-Do nothing. If you have even a little bit of a sorry feeling towards , just live like you have until now. Ria.
Whenever she saw Idan's face, she felt suffocated.
Because guilt and fear rose up to her chin.
***
Until Idan recovered, the match was delayed for a while.
Normally, waiting for a player who beca unable to combat shouldn't be allowed.
But the temple overturned the rules this ti too.
That not-so-long ti was enough to make the people watching the match drunk with excitent regain their reason.
People began to whisper about the rules that were strangely operating disadvantageously to one side.
When Idan completely regained consciousness and returned to the arena, the cheers had turned into murmurs, and the murmurs into silence.
In the silence, the match resud.
***
The match between Idan and the bookstore owner also failed to draw a good reaction from the audience.
Idan, knowing the difference in power, dragged the ti slowly without finishing the match.
Everyone watching knew he was using tricks to recover his stamina.
Dodging the fists of the bookstore owner who mustered up courage to attack, Idan continued the match as if playing with him.
Watching that dirty fight, Ria felt the Idan inside her gradually breaking.
One question arose in her mind.
Since when was Idan that cowardly?
When did Idan treat well?
The question that started biting its tail continued and led her to mories of the past.
No, since when did he shudder even at going near the fighting arena?
“Winner, Idan!!!”
The continuous questions were cut off with the referee's voice announcing the victory.
But inside her head as she stood up for the next match, the recollection of mories once started continued without stopping.
***
Despite Idan's perfect victory, cheers did not burst out from the audience seats.
Because it wasn't a match worthy of it.
The bookstore owner, who took one hit from Idan, could only leave the arena after being sufficiently used for Idan's stamina recovery, and Idan remaining in the arena was not a victor but a deceiver.
“Idan and Ria!!”
The people's silence towards Idan continued even after Ria appeared in the arena.
Ria slowly approached Idan waiting for her in the center.
His ssed-up face welcod Ria.
“…….”
“…….”
The two stared at each other without a word.
All the audience joined in that strange silence.
“The match starts!”
When the referee, who barely announced the start of the match in the uncomfortable atmosphere, stepped back, Idan finally opened his mouth.
“Give up even now, Ria.”
Ria braced herself without a word.
At that sight, Idan, crumpling his brow, also took a stance.
“I don't know if you get hurt.”
Along with sothing unknown whether it was a threat or a warning.
Ridiculously, those words dragged Ria back into a mont in the past again.
Where did I hear similar words?
-Okay, but I don't know if you get hurt while doing it roughly.
Quite a long ti ago, Idan definitely said sothing like that.
Long before she participated in the Lucha Competition, in those days when Idan didn't have much interest in Lucha either.
Idan had once jokingly told her to put on his gloves and try attacking him.
When Ria hesitated, Idan lightly threw a punch at Ria.
Just like right now.
‘That day too, he threw a punch with a face full of malice like that.’
Ria thought while dodging to the side the fierce punch Idan threw.
And Ria also threw a punch with all her strength that day too.
Just like right now.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
The Idan of that day didn't get hit this easily, but today's Idan easily gave up a hit to Ria and stepped back.
That day, Idan definitely looked at her with strange eyes.
“You've beco much weaker than that day, Idan.”
When Ria muttered honestly, sparks flew from Idan's eyes.
“Have you forgotten how many people I dealt with?”
Along with Idan's self-defense, he threw a punch again.
Ria raised her two arms to cover her face, just as Idan or Jing often did.
Then, Idan, who was about to strike Ria's temple, changed his route and struck her shin with his toe.
As Ria bent her body at the pain she had never felt before, successive shocks fell on her arms as if he was waiting.
She instinctively knew that if she lowered these arms, she wouldn't be able to get up again, even if she didn't know anything else.
And that Idan was much more skilled at this kind of fight than her.
But it wasn't as scary as she imagined.
It was just similar to dealing with Jinger.
-Ria, rember the vital points. Philtrum, solar plexus, temple, genitals. And when you absolutely cannot strike any of these, attack the legs so they at least cannot move.
The teachings Jing had hamred into her head to the point of sickness in the past days ca to mind.
Ria entrusted herself to instinct this ti too.
Taking advantage of the mont the fist slowed down a bit, she rushed at the opponent's leg and struck down on that instep with her elbow.
“Kuaaaak!”
It was a quick movent.
She didn't miss that small opportunity where the opponent scread in pain.
Ria's fist struck Idan's shin accurately this ti.
Knowing from the experience just a mont ago how much shock cos from being hit here, she struck down on the sa part with her elbow with all her strength one more ti.
Along with the sound of bone breaking, the scream beca louder.
Only then did Ria let go of the leg she was holding and stood up unsteadily.
Looking down at him clutching his leg while shedding physiological tears in pain, Ria wiped sothing flowing under her nose.
She was out of breath and her heart was beating, but she didn't feel bad.
No, rather, it was refreshing.
It was clear she had wanted to do this for a very long ti.
Otherwise, there was no way she could feel this good.
Ria seed to finally know what Idan was afraid of.
She looked down at the person rolling on the floor and opened her mouth.
“Will you forfeit?”
To her asking with a hoarse voice, he was silent.
It was a sufficient answer.
Ria raised her fist.
And drove it straight into his philtrum.
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