After that, most of the upperclassn’s matches were one-sided.
Song Cheon-gi completely overwheld even third-year club presidents.
Even though it was a face-off between main-tournant qualifiers of the sa grade, the difference in skill was painfully clear.
Namgong Chang-cheon likewise defeated a third-year Disciplinary Committee mber without much trouble. It was that Hell Axe senior.
Watching from the stands, Go Hyeon-woo couldn’t hold back his admiration.
“Ho… what subli swordsmanship. No wonder they say the Namgong clan is indispensable when discussing the greatest sword families.”
“He does fight well.”
When I first t him, I’d wondered where on earth such a man had popped up from.
Among the second-years, he was unquestionably number one, and even when looking at the whole school, he would surely rank among the very top.
Then, as if sothing occurred to him, Go Hyeon-woo checked the tournant bracket and gave a bitter smile.
Namgong Chang-cheon’s round-of-16 opponent should have been either Go Hyeon-woo or Jo Byeok. But because their match ended in a draw, Namgong advanced by default straight to the quarterfinals.
“The human heart is truly fickle. Just matching Jo-hyung evenly was already an achievent worth celebrating, yet now I can’t help feeling regret.”
Of course, no one knew better than Go Hyeon-woo himself that he would lose if he faced Namgong Chang-cheon right now.
Still, just crossing swords with such a powerhouse would have been a learning experience, so he felt the missed opportunity keenly.
I answered casually,
“It’s not like today’s the only chance. There’ll be plenty of opportunities in the future.”
“Do you truly think so?”
“We can always arrange for you two to spar.”
Namgong Chang-cheon was looking forward to facing again.
I didn’t particularly want to comply with him, but if I pushed Go Hyeon-woo toward him instead, everyone would be satisfied.
Or I could set things up through Jegal So-so. Since Namgong and Jegal families both wield swords, and their clans are bound to interact, arranging a eting wouldn’t be difficult.
I added “et Namgong Chang-cheon” to my to-do list for after the tournant.
Then I turned my eyes back to the stage.
[Gang Dae-san 95%]
vs
[Han Gyul-woo 89%]
Han Gyul-woo was from the Sapphire Magic Tower and a senior mber in the White Magic club.
His opponent, Gang Dae-san, also looked very familiar.
Ah, I saw him back in the temporary storage facility.
He was a third-year knight from the Disciplinary Committee.
Back then, he’d been struck by my Inferno Fist in a surprise attack, then taken down by the combined assault of Kim Gap-doo and another Martial Arts club mber.
So he’d never really had the chance to display his true skills.
On the other hand, he looked to be in good shape now, and maybe because it was a one-on-one duel, he was showing skills befitting a mber of the Disciplinary Committee.
Clad in full plate armor, with a broad tower shield in one hand and a longsword in the other, he was the very picture of a heavy knight.
Whoooosh—
Snow flurries and shards of ice were already swirling across the stage.
With a light gesture, Han Gyeol-woo sent them all rushing toward her opponent at once.
anwhile, Gang Dae-san simply advanced behind his shield.
Knight fights were never much fun to watch.
Still, his defense is solid.
[Gang Dae-san 95%]
[Gang Dae-san 94%]
Judging from how slowly his health bar was dropping, it was obvious.
After pushing forward for a while, he moved his lips slightly, and his whole body lit up with a bright glow.
So he’s casting a buff.
Then, all at once, he burst forward with speed.
Even when walls of ice suddenly rose before him, he plowed straight through without hesitation.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Han Gyeol-woo kept kiting back, throwing out more spells, but the distance between them only kept shrinking.
Growing desperate, she swept her hand again, laying a narrow, winding strip of ice across the ground.
Sliding swiftly along the icy path, she widened the gap.
But at so point, Gang Dae-san was no longer holding a longsword. In his hand was a sleek spear.
It must have been a weapon capable of changing form depending on the situation.
He poured mana into the spear and hurled it with force, aiming for the end of the ice path.
He had anticipated from the start that his opponent would use a movent skill.
Han Gyeol-woo tried frantically to change direction, but the spear landed first.
Booooom!
The shockwave shook the entire arena.
[Han Gyeol-woo 89%]
[Han Gyeol-woo 78%]
Looks like the knight senior’s going to win this one.
Han Gyeol-woo’s skills weren’t bad.
The problem was that, compared to her utility, her offensive power was lacking.
And with her opponent wrapped head to toe in heavy armor, she couldn’t deal any aningful damage.
Gang Dae-san, on the other hand, could keep playing steadily until he landed another crushing blow like just now. The outco was already decided.
Who’s that senior up against next?
Curious, I traced the bracket forward and saw that his opponent in the round of 16 was none other than Dang Gyu-young.
At last, a worthy adversary.
He’s in for a rough ti.
I ran a quick simulation in my head.
Could shadow undead hold Gang Dae-san back?
If it were their original specs, the Lab Director might have been able to tank him.
After all, that was an A-rank boss she extracted.
But in the fixed zone, they were all capped at C-rank. Nine tis out of ten, they’d be overrun.
Against Gang Dae-san, she’d have to fight with a completely different strategy.
Still, as long as she wins…
The “Dang Gyu-young > Disciplinary Committee” formula would hold true.
Advancing to the quarterfinals would also an I’d win my bet with Song Cheon-gi.
For reference, “Continuation” mode only unlocked from the semifinals onward.
The odds are better than fifty-fifty.
It looked more than doable, but once the match started, there was no telling what variables might co into play.
Best to wait and see.
[Gang Dae-san Win]
vs
[Han Gyeol-woo Lose]
As expected, Han Gyeol-woo kept hamring away at Gang Dae-san’s shield and armor until the very end.
But each ti, she took a critical hit in return, and as the health gap grew wider and wider, she was finally defeated.
– Waaaahhhh—!
Seo Cheong-yong’s voice bood out from the speakers.
“Let’s give a big round of applause to both students for this great match! Now then, onto the next!”
Then, when the next nas appeared on the scoreboard, Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyes lit up.
“……!”
[Hong Ye-hwa vs Park Seong-jun]
At last, her older sister was stepping into the arena.
It was my first ti seeing Hong Ye-hwa fight as well, so I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anticipation.
Her opponent, Park Seong-jun, was a second-year Disciplinary Committee mber. He wielded a sword and shield, but his armor was relatively light.
Most likely, he was a Warrior-class from the Guild Union side.
Soon, the two finished their preparations, faced each other, and the countdown began.
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Start!]
The mont the match began, Park Seong-jun shot forward with frightening speed.
It was the obvious choice. He was a swordsman, and his opponent was a mage.
But when he had closed about half the distance to Hong Ye-hwa, molten lava suddenly erupted upward, blocking his advance.
Whoooooooooosh—!
Park Seong-jun retreated a step, waiting for the spell’s force to weaken before striking again.
But contrary to his expectations, the lava gathered into one place and took the form of a hulking human figure.
A Lava Golem.
It was a move that blocked his path while also putting up a vanguard.
The golem swung its huge arm.
Of course, Park Seong-jun wasn’t just anyone. He was a Disciplinary Committee mber and soone who advanced to the finals, with skill well above the standard.
A flash of swordlight, and the golem’s arm was cleanly severed.
As if waiting for that mont, Hong Ye-hwa’s lips curled into a faint smile. She thrust her staff forward.
Kwooooom—!
The severed arm exploded, scattering molten rock in all directions.
Park Seong-jun quickly tried to retreat out of range, but then gritted his teeth and pressed forward.
He’s planning to power through it.
If he gave a mage too much ti, the fight would only grow worse for him.
Taking the rain of lava head-on, he hacked the golem into pieces.
Then, just as he resud his initial plan and charged at Hong Ye-hwa, the shattered remains of the golem gathered again. This ti, they surged forward as a huge wave of lava.
Kwoooooooosh—!
It moved far too fast to dodge outright, forcing Park Seong-jun to veer off course.
The lava wave stopped near Hong Ye-hwa and reshaped itself into a human form once more.
She had resummoned the golem.
I nodded to myself.
“She’s good. Lava spells aren’t easy to handle.”
“Right……?”
Hong Yeon-hwa’s expression grew quietly proud.
Then, after sneaking a glance at as if struck by an idea, she asked carefully:
“Do you think I should… learn Lava too?”
“It’s not a bad option, but it doesn’t pair well with Aqua Fla.”
“Ah…!”
An exclamation mark all but appeared above Hong Yeon-hwa’s head.
Aqua Fla was a unique trait that only she possessed from the Ruby Tower.
It had an overwhelming advantage against ice-type magic.
Most ice spells lted away with just the faintest touch of it.
To fully bring out its potential, it was best to use sothing with a wide area of effect.
But lava spells were more rigid in form than fire magic, and their range was narrower as a result.
It would be like handicapping herself.
“For now, let’s focus on your current build. You can pick up Lava later, once you’ve perfected what you have.”
“Mhmm, got it.”
Hong Yeon-hwa nodded without hesitation.
As we exchanged brief words, Hong Ye-hwa reinforced her defenses even further.
Large and small waves of lava surged around her, and the number of lava golems had increased to two.
The mont Park Seong-jun brought down Golem 1, Golem 2 lunged at him with its fist.
And when he managed to defeat Golem 2, another wave of lava ca crashing down.
After he barely dodged that wave, Golem 1 regenerated again.
It must have been maddening for him.
After rotating through this cycle a few more tis, Hong Ye-hwa seed to decide her defenses were stable enough.
She firmly took her position and unleashed her firepower.
Boom, boom, boom! –
Like a volcanic eruption, lava and flas shot high into the sky.
And then they rained down in torrents.
[Park Seong-jun 80%]
[Park Seong-jun 76%]
[Park Seong-jun 71%]
His health dropped in real ti, chunk by chunk.
Before long, Park Seong-jun couldn’t hold out and fell into an incapacitated state.
Lee Soo-dok and Seo Cheong-yong each offered a comnt.
“Classic play.”
“This was the very model of how an artillery-type mage should operate! A textbook performance!”
I shared the sa thoughts as the two instructors.
“As expected of soone at the club president level.”
Her build was solid, and her spell chains flowed as naturally as running water.
With her wealth of experience, there was hardly a gap in her execution.
Hong Yeon-hwa once again looked delighted, as if the praise were directed at her.
She then turned admiring eyes toward her sister and murmured to herself like a vow.
“Soday, I will…”
“You an you want to be like your sister?”
“Mhmm.”
It was common enough to set a talented sibling as one’s goal.
So I quietly added a word of encouragent.
“It might happen sooner than you think.” Get full chapters from novèlfire
“R-Really?”
For now, Hong Ye-hwa was indeed the superior version of Hong Yeon-hwa in many respects.
But Hong Yeon-hwa’s potential and growth rate were far beyond her sister’s.
On top of that, I was personally helping her level up and even giving her occasional hardship quests.
Taking all of that into account—
“At most a year. Maybe even less.”
“Really?”
“By the way, I don’t an catching up to your sister. I an surpassing her.”
“……!”
Hong Yeon-hwa just blinked in silence.
It seed the words didn’t feel all that real to her.
So I smiled and asked,
“Don’t think you can do it?”
“Do you really… think I can? In just a year?”
“That depends on you.”
“….…!”
Hong Yeon-hwa stared blankly at for a while.
Then she slowly nodded.
“…I’ll try. I’ll give it my all.”
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