Even after the match between Go Hyeon-woo and Jo Byeok had ended and the next nas appeared on the scoreboard, Seo Ye-in was still sitting on my lap.
I asked her casually,
“Isn’t this uncomfortable?”
“Your lap is comfy.”
“Are you a sloth or a lap cat?”
“A lap sloth.”
“That actually makes sense.”
Accepting that without question, I continued,
“Then, lap sloth, who do you think will win this ti?”
“……”
[Lee Seong-hyeon vs Hong Yeon-hwa]
The lap sloth stared blankly at the scoreboard.
Then, tilting her head slightly, she answered.
“……Hong?”
“And what’s your reasoning?”
“Just.”
“Just a feeling?”
– Nod
At that, Shin Byeong-cheol and Go Hyeon-woo each chid in from either side.
“I think Lee Seong-hyeon’s going to win. I’ll put five thousand on him.”
“I myself feel inclined to bet on the young man.”
Normally, they might support Hong Yeon-hwa, whom they knew personally, but sotis the heart leans toward a fellow lee class.
Go Hyeon-woo asked,
“What about you, Kim-hyung?”
“If I had to choose, I’d say Hong Yeon-hwa.”
But I wasn’t confident enough to say she had a high chance of winning.
After all, in close combat, a battery-type mage is at a disadvantage. One wrong move and a greatsword could turn the tide in an instant.
If I had to put it in numbers, it’d be Hong Yeon-hwa 55, Lee Seong-hyeon 45.
However, the mont Lee Seong-hyeon stepped into the arena and declared his intent, Hong Yeon-hwa’s chances instantly jumped to nearly 90%.
– I will not use Healing Orbs!
Shin Byeong-cheol looked as if he were about to faint.
“This is insane. Why? Why does he have to do that?”
“A true man indeed. He may well beco a fine friend.”
Go Hyeon-woo nodded with great satisfaction.
Shin Byeong-cheol, on the other hand, still looked like he couldn’t understand.
“I an, co on, there’s no need to be a ‘real man’ even in the main tournant, right?”
“Haha, don’t be too harsh. You never know. He might show us a real manly performance after all.”
“Y-Yeah, that’s true. I’ll give him a shot.”
Only then did Shin Byeong-cheol calm down and fix his gaze on the stage.
But reality was far too cruel to overco with faith alone.
The handicap is just way too big.
Letting only one side have access to healing in a fight between near-equals?
It was basically a foregone conclusion before the match even began.
Fwoooosh—!
As expected, before long, the entire stage was engulfed in flas. Find the newest release on novel-fire
Hydras erged from every corner, shooting fireballs at Lee Seong-hyeon.
Boom! Boom-boom!
[Lee Seong-hyeon 56%]
vs
[Hong Yeon-hwa 98%]
Just as I’d expected, there were a few close calls, but since she monopolized all the Healing Orbs, her health barely dropped.
Hong Yeon-hwa’s dominance continued to the end, and finally, the scoreboard displayed the result.
[Lee Seong-hyeon Lose]
vs
[Hong Yeon-hwa Win]
– Wooooaaah—!
The crowd erupted into applause and cheers for the two as they exited the arena.
In so ways, it had been a pretty unfair match. But with two promising talents facing off, it was still a great spectacle.
Go Hyeon-woo seed to feel the sa and a satisfied smile was still on his lips.
“The way he stuck to his beliefs to the very end… I found it quite moving.”
Moreover, Lee Seong-hyeon didn’t have a trace of regret on his face.
Though he had lost, he had fought to the end like a true man.
The one actually full of regret was Shin Byeong-cheol.
“Ugh… why did I trust people again…”
“Don’t be too down. What you lose today, you may win tomorrow. Such is life.”
Go Hyeon-woo tried to console him with kind words, but my thoughts were a little different.
Except… he’s been losing every ti.
He lost 5,000 points betting on Lee Seong-hyeon, and another 5,000 on Jo Byeok in the last match, which ended in a draw. And the ones before that, and the ones before those…
The poor teahouse owner had racked up tens of thousands in losses just today.
Shin Byeong-cheol let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
“No, no. I’m not betting tomorrow. If I do, I’m not even human.”
“A good mindset. Let’s just call today’s losses the cost of learning.”
But how long that resolve would last remained to be seen.
When I looked down again, I saw Hong Yeon-hwa coming up toward us.
The mont our eyes t, her face lit up brightly.
And then, her steps gradually quickened until she was almost running toward us.
I gave her a small smile and offered my congratulations.
“Great job. You’re the only one who made it to the round of 16.”
“Ah, no, not at all. Honestly, I just got lucky… You guys could’ve done it too…you just didn’t.”
Hong Yeon-hwa waved her hands in denial, but the way her lips refused to drop showed she wasn’t exactly unhappy with the praise.
Just then, a booming voice interrupted our conversation.
“Daughter—!!”
“Ah!! Dad! Can you not shout like that?!”
It was none other than Hong Yeon-hwa’s father, Hong Yeom-baek.
Since the matches were over, he must’ve co to find us on his way out.
But despite her protests, he didn’t lower his voice in the slightest.
“I ca to congratulate you, and I don’t even get a hello? You ran straight to so guy instead! I’m hurt—!”
“Wh-What?! I-I didn’t, I an, h-he’s not—!”
Hong Yeon-hwa instantly turned bright red and began stamring uncontrollably.
It seed like a mix of embarrassnt and fluster.
Well, her dad had just shouted, at full volu, that she’d ditched him for a guy.
Still fumbling for words, Hong Yeon-hwa eventually gave up and resorted to using her fists.
She started lightly thumping his arm, and Hong Yeom-baek took it like a shoulder massage.
Then he looked around at the rest of us.
“So this is where all the stars of today’s matches have gathered! Fantastic matches, really. A feast for the eyes!”
“You flatter us.”
Go Hyeon-woo replied with a gentle smile, while Seo Ye-in gave a polite bow.
Then Hong Yeom-baek made a suggestion.
“It’s a good day. How about I treat you all to a al, if you don’t mind?”
“Dad! When you say it like that, no one can say no! You’re making it a hundred tis more awkward!”
“Nonsense! It was fine last ti too! And this guy looks like the type to speak his mind if he doesn’t want sothing!”
As Hong Yeom-baek said, I’m the kind of person who says what I need to, no matter who I’m talking to.
Even if the Ruby Tower Master, the principal, or the Sword Queen herself asked , I’d have declined if I didn’t feel like it.
But knowing Hong Yeom-baek’s personality, it didn’t seem like it’d be an uncomfortable gathering.
And with an adult around, we’d also be safer from any potential threats. Whether it was the Blood Cult or a witch.
Having thought it through, I nodded.
“Sounds good to .”
Hong Yeom-baek grinned and took the lead.
“Excellent! Daughter, let’s go! Or we’re going without you!”
“I-I’m coming! Who said I wasn’t?!”
Muttering that, Hong Yeon-hwa hurried along after him.
And so, the group of us made our way to a restaurant in the downtown area.
Hong Yeom-baek ordered so much food that the table was practically bending under the weight, then laughed heartily.
“Eat up, everyone! But don’t push yourselves. No need to get a stomachache! If there are leftovers, so be it! Hahaha!”
“Thank you.”
As we ate, the atmosphere grew even warr, and conversations naturally started to flow.
Shin Byeong-cheol who was wearing an unusually serious expression was explaining his business plan, while Go Hyeon-woo listened, nodding attentively.
“—That’s why I’m short on capital right now. I’ve been getting investnts from various places.”
“Hmm, you’re really drawing up a grand vision, Shin-hyung.”
Hong Yeon-hwa asked questions about Cha Hyeon-joo, and Seo Ye-in answered briefly.
“She’s an archer too, so I’m at a disadvantage against her.”
“She said sothing an.”
“She does have a foul mouth.”
“She badmouthed Kim Ho.”
“What? What did she say?!”
The two of them suddenly lit up with competitive fire.
It seed like they’d found a common enemy.
anwhile, Hong Yeom-baek turned to and struck up a conversation.
“I saw you in the preliminaries. You fought well!”
“It wasn’t much, really. Just a bunch of tricks.”
“Tricks are still a form of skill. And I saw more than just tricks, too.”
His eyes flashed sharply for a mont.
Soone at the level of the Ruby Tower Master would probably notice all sorts of things.
Still, there was no reason to show it, so I just played dumb, and he went on.
“With your ability, I figured you’d at least make the semifinals. That’s why it felt like such a sha when you dropped out early. Even Song didn’t seem too happy about it.”
By “Song” he was probably referring to the father from the Song family.
Since Song Cheon-hye had also been raised under the Thunder Lord’s doctrine, she likely wouldn’t have appreciated soone forfeiting during the main tournant.
I gave a wry smile and replied.
“As I ntioned before, my goal this year was just to make it to the main tournant. I decided not to get greedy beyond that.”
“Would it be alright if I asked why? People your age usually have a strong desire for powerful items or recognition at school, but I didn’t sense any of that from you.”
“There’s no complicated reason. I just lacked motivation, that’s all.”
Hong Yeom-baek’s eyebrows lifted slightly, as if puzzled.
“Lacked motivation?”
“Yes. I can acquire items through other ans. And there’s no real need to be recognized by everyone, is there?”
I slowly looked around at the people seated at the table.
Noticing my gaze, they paused their conversation and turned to look at .
“This much recognition is more than enough for .”
“…Seems I had you figured right.”
A satisfied smile appeared on Hong Yeom-baek’s lips.
It looked like I’d passed the personality test.
Just as I had done, he took a mont to look around at the group before speaking.
“Indeed, even from an outsider’s point of view, the bond between you all is sothing special. It’s the first ti I’ve seen Yeon-hwa follow soone this closely.”
“Dad, stop it.”
Hong Yeon-hwa gave his arm a light smack, as if telling him to quit talking about her.
Of course, that had no effect whatsoever on Hong Yeom-baek.
“I heard you’ve helped her a great deal, both physically and emotionally. Even Ye-hwa ntioned it. Said you accompanied her into dungeons for Aqua Fla training and had a big influence on developing her own magic.”
In truth, most of the credit for completing Hydra belonged to the Hardship quest, but that wasn’t sothing I could bring up.
So I decided to stay humble.
“I didn’t do much. The results ca from her own efforts and dedication.”
“In any case, you’re the one who helped guide her. I heard Ye-hwa offered so form of compensation like rubies and such. But… it doesn’t seem enough to . I’ll make sure to repay you in my own way later.”
“If you’re offering, I’ll gladly accept.”
Staying humble was fine, but refusing a gift? That went against my philosophy.
All for world peace, right?
Hong Yeom-baek let out a hearty laugh.
“I like that honesty! If there’s sothing you want, just say the word. I’ll do what I can within my ans.”
“It won’t be too difficult.”
“All right, all right. What is it?”
As he pressed for an answer, I smiled and replied.
“I’d like to take a look at a Trait.”
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