“I am sorry. It is just a misunderstanding.” Truly. I sincerely apologize.
As Kim Horak slips from the fallen dagger, I angle my kick just right on his chin. I imagine his head to be a soccer ball ripe for the taking. “I am MESSI!” The kick connects perfectly, sending Kim Horak backward.
However, he looks unperturbed, perhaps his qi reinforcement perfectly defends him, but I see that it is still having an effect. Through my , I can feel Kim Horak’s turbulent emotions
I promise not to use my Gift, and here I am, benefiting from , but I cannot really turn it off as it is a semi-passive ability.
Kim Horak desperately tries to grab my outstretched foot. I am more agile than him, and in a grappling fight, I will be on the losing side. I can straight trounce him with my superior stats, but that is too boring, not to mention, detrimental to keeping a low-key image.
I withdraw my outstretched foot from kicking him, but Kim Horak is faster. Well, not really. In my eyes, he is as slow as a turtle. My Speed stat has surpassed the 10-point mark. I just let him grab my foot to purposefully put myself at a disadvantage.
I throw my only dagger in hand with a smidgen amount of magic power in comparison to my total capacity. That should be enough as a threat that shouldn’t accidentally kill him.
Kim Horak grips my foot with strength, and I feel my weight defying gravity. Kim Horak is fast, and his grip is strong. He ignores my flying dagger. He lifts me into the air and smashes me to the ground. My dagger hits home, embedding on his shoulder.
“Oof! That hurts…” I wince at Horak’s now limp hand. I am not doing any better as I am face-planted on the ground. A trickle of blood reaches my lips. My nose must be bloody awful. This should be enough acting. I should clean up now.
Kim Horak lets go of my foot as his limp hand cannot really lift me anymore, and his shoulder should be hurting quite a lot.
I really want to train using him as a training dummy. I also want to experiment more, but I don’t want to be suspicious. I raise my right hand, trembling from the pain. It is not really painful, I am just pretending.
“I surrender,” I murmur, with a weak voice.
The referee immediately blows his whistle.
The mana barrier surrounding the arena disappears. I wait for the medical staff to carry and heal me. I have done enough. I should be able to earn some points. After all, I am able to suppress Kim Horak in the beginning.
***
The duel is over. It doesn’t even last for five minutes. The result of the duel is as expected despite the initial confrontation tilting in favor of the underdog. The audience cheers for the weaker side, and also for the victor.
The fighters did very well.
“Nothing special at all.” Oh Junhyuk concludes.
In the hubbub of cheering, Oh Junhyuk looks down at Hyon Hyung, who is being carried by staff on a stretcher to the waiting room.
“Yep.”
Seo Youngji nods in agreement, albeit reluctantly.
“He doesn’t have anything special to him, but considering that he has a cast on his neck, and cannot even turn his head around, it is a miracle he is even able to fight back.” Seo Youngji adds.
Oh Junhyuk realizes this problem too. “The first clash is interesting. Hyon Hyung flipped Kim Horak so easily. The problem is Hyon Hyung chose to kick him at that time. He should have committed himself to getting inside Kim Horak’s range and using his daggers to attack. Maybe, the cast on his neck is limiting him, so he tried to play it safe, perhaps, hoping for a knockout by hitting the opponent to the chin. For martial art types, their bodies are their weapons. Recovery is their specialty. Kim Horak easily endured the kick, while avoiding a possible knockout by anticipating the attack. I am impressed by Hyon Hyung’s last ditch effort though. If Hyon Hyung endured being smashed to the ground, he would have won, by making it a fight of attrition. Honestly, it is a close fight, but not everyone will see it that way.”
At Oh Junhyuk’s comprehensive analysis, Seo Youngji strains her eyes to observe Kim Horak. The dagger embedded in his shoulder is bleeding profusely. Kim Horak seems to be in a lot of pain as blood trickles down his limp arm. “So what do you think?”
“As I said. Hyon Hyung is nothing special at all. In my eyes, Hyon Hyung is an orthodox fighter. Kim Horak is the same, just that he has an edge with his well-endowed physical abilities. The fight is too fast, but that is usually how it is between martial artists. I believe Hyon Hyung is a similar type. The move he did on flipping Kim Horak must be a martial art. I am not confident that the result will be the same if they fight again.” Oh Junhyuk expounds on his conclusion, giving Seo Youngji valuable input.
Seo Youngji taps on her laptop, typing a report for Hyon Hyung and Kim Horak.
“I guess it is a tie if it is in an objective martial artists’ point of view… A strict pointing system would place both contenders on a similar level. But since it is a duel, someone of the two will have to shoulder a defeat.” Oh Junhyuk scratches the back of his neck. He feels like he forgot something.
Seo Youngji murmurs disappointedly, reminding Oh Junhyuk what he missed. “Hyon Hyung has superior magic power. That dagger throw is too powerful. That is why it leaves a bad aftertaste.”
“What? You think Hyon Hyung should have won?”
“No. Kim Horak won. The results speak for themselves. It is just Hyon Hyung should have won.”
“…Really?” Oh Junhyuk has a look of disbelief.
Seo Youngji explains the rationale of her assumption. “Remember the pizza parlor. I was not sure at that time, but now I am. Judging by the magic power he has shown now, he must have a Gift which for some reason, he did not use against Kim Horak.”
It is most difficult to raise a person’s magic power because there are few methods available to do so. Most martial arts and breathing methods are used to increase magic power capacity. Aside from this, training a person’s Gift also increases magic power.
“I see,” Understanding dawns on Oh Junhyuk. “He isn’t really a pure martial artist… If he really used his Gift, I wonder whether the outcome today would have been totally different.”
There is not much to talk about the fight between Kim Horak and Hyon Hyung as their duel is too short. Moreover, there really isn’t plenty to discuss the two’s abilities besides Oh Junhyuk’s and Seo Youngji’s brief encounter with Hyon Hyung.
***
My neck fucking hurts.
After the first duel, I use two of my own nominations. I have [Cube AI] calculate the needed points for me to rise to Rank 111… He he he… A malicious grin plasters on my face. I plan to pick two male cadets around the 100~200 rank.
I consult Hajin about whether my rising to Rank 111 will affect his show. He ensures me that he will take care of Phase 2, and I should go as high rank as I want. “I am going to do something extremely flashy.”
He confidently declares to me. He also asks me for permission for Cube AI to help him rig the nomination mechanism of the duels. I wonder what Hajin is up to. I battle my curiosity. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. In fact, I want to be surprised. Of course, a good kind of surprise.
If a meteor suddenly falls here, that will be a kind of bad surprise.
I fight my second and third battles on the current day, making sure to get rid of the annoying chore.
My second fight is against a swordsman. I flip him, sit on him, and pound him. Easy win. It is a nice comeback. The third fight is a little bit more challenging against a sharpshooter. The foe is very good at running and shooting from a distance.
I have to contest him on range by throwing my daggers like a sharpshooter too. In the end, I manage to win. Of course, it takes me a total of thirty minutes and maybe more until I snatch that victory.
It seems that Kim Suho and Chae Nayun also win their duels easily.
Meanwhile, Hajin’s and Jonghak’s duels seem to be tomorrow. I wonder who the two of them will fight against. I am looking forward to Hajin’s flashy performance or so he claims. I don’t want to ruin the surprise though so I wait patiently as I lie on my bed, waiting for sleep to claim me.
Before I can truly embrace slumber, my smartwatch vibrates. It is Hajin. I read his message, feeling my stomach start hurting.
~
Hajin: I think Cheok Jungyeon might cause trouble.
~
Oh, fucking come on!
“I am sorry. It is just a misunderstanding.” Truly. I sincerely apologize.
As Kim Horak slips from the fallen dagger, I angle my kick just right on his chin. I imagine his head to be a soccer ball ripe for the taking. “I am MESSI!” The kick connects perfectly, sending Kim Horak backward.
However, he looks unperturbed, perhaps his qi reinforcement perfectly defends him, but I see that it is still having an effect. Through my , I can feel Kim Horak’s turbulent emotions
I promise not to use my Gift, and here I am, benefiting from , but I cannot really turn it off as it is a semi-passive ability.
Kim Horak desperately tries to grab my outstretched foot. I am more agile than him, and in a grappling fight, I will be on the losing side. I can straight trounce him with my superior stats, but that is too boring, not to mention, detrimental to keeping a low-key image.
I withdraw my outstretched foot from kicking him, but Kim Horak is faster. Well, not really. In my eyes, he is as slow as a turtle. My Speed stat has surpassed the 10-point mark. I just let him grab my foot to purposefully put myself at a disadvantage.
I throw my only dagger in hand with a smidgen amount of magic power in comparison to my total capacity. That should be enough as a threat that shouldn’t accidentally kill him.
Kim Horak grips my foot with strength, and I feel my weight defying gravity. Kim Horak is fast, and his grip is strong. He ignores my flying dagger. He lifts me into the air and smashes me to the ground. My dagger hits home, embedding on his shoulder.
“Oof! That hurts…” I wince at Horak’s now limp hand. I am not doing any better as I am face-planted on the ground. A trickle of blood reaches my lips. My nose must be bloody awful. This should be enough acting. I should clean up now.
Kim Horak lets go of my foot as his limp hand cannot really lift me anymore, and his shoulder should be hurting quite a lot.
I really want to train using him as a training dummy. I also want to experiment more, but I don’t want to be suspicious. I raise my right hand, trembling from the pain. It is not really painful, I am just pretending.
“I surrender,” I murmur, with a weak voice.
The referee immediately blows his whistle.
The mana barrier surrounding the arena disappears. I wait for the medical staff to carry and heal me. I have done enough. I should be able to earn some points. After all, I am able to suppress Kim Horak in the beginning.
***
The duel is over. It doesn’t even last for five minutes. The result of the duel is as expected despite the initial confrontation tilting in favor of the underdog. The audience cheers for the weaker side, and also for the victor.
The fighters did very well.
“Nothing special at all.” Oh Junhyuk concludes.
In the hubbub of cheering, Oh Junhyuk looks down at Hyon Hyung, who is being carried by staff on a stretcher to the waiting room.
“Yep.”
Seo Youngji nods in agreement, albeit reluctantly.
“He doesn’t have anything special to him, but considering that he has a cast on his neck, and cannot even turn his head around, it is a miracle he is even able to fight back.” Seo Youngji adds.
Oh Junhyuk realizes this problem too. “The first clash is interesting. Hyon Hyung flipped Kim Horak so easily. The problem is Hyon Hyung chose to kick him at that time. He should have committed himself to getting inside Kim Horak’s range and using his daggers to attack. Maybe, the cast on his neck is limiting him, so he tried to play it safe, perhaps, hoping for a knockout by hitting the opponent to the chin. For martial art types, their bodies are their weapons. Recovery is their specialty. Kim Horak easily endured the kick, while avoiding a possible knockout by anticipating the attack. I am impressed by Hyon Hyung’s last ditch effort though. If Hyon Hyung endured being smashed to the ground, he would have won, by making it a fight of attrition. Honestly, it is a close fight, but not everyone will see it that way.”
At Oh Junhyuk’s comprehensive analysis, Seo Youngji strains her eyes to observe Kim Horak. The dagger embedded in his shoulder is bleeding profusely. Kim Horak seems to be in a lot of pain as blood trickles down his limp arm. “So what do you think?”
“As I said. Hyon Hyung is nothing special at all. In my eyes, Hyon Hyung is an orthodox fighter. Kim Horak is the same, just that he has an edge with his well-endowed physical abilities. The fight is too fast, but that is usually how it is between martial artists. I believe Hyon Hyung is a similar type. The move he did on flipping Kim Horak must be a martial art. I am not confident that the result will be the same if they fight again.” Oh Junhyuk expounds on his conclusion, giving Seo Youngji valuable input.
Seo Youngji taps on her laptop, typing a report for Hyon Hyung and Kim Horak.
“I guess it is a tie if it is in an objective martial artists’ point of view… A strict pointing system would place both contenders on a similar level. But since it is a duel, someone of the two will have to shoulder a defeat.” Oh Junhyuk scratches the back of his neck. He feels like he forgot something.
Seo Youngji murmurs disappointedly, reminding Oh Junhyuk what he missed. “Hyon Hyung has superior magic power. That dagger throw is too powerful. That is why it leaves a bad aftertaste.”
“What? You think Hyon Hyung should have won?”
“No. Kim Horak won. The results speak for themselves. It is just Hyon Hyung should have won.”
“…Really?” Oh Junhyuk has a look of disbelief.
Seo Youngji explains the rationale of her assumption. “Remember the pizza parlor. I was not sure at that time, but now I am. Judging by the magic power he has shown now, he must have a Gift which for some reason, he did not use against Kim Horak.”
It is most difficult to raise a person’s magic power because there are few methods available to do so. Most martial arts and breathing methods are used to increase magic power capacity. Aside from this, training a person’s Gift also increases magic power.
“I see,” Understanding dawns on Oh Junhyuk. “He isn’t really a pure martial artist… If he really used his Gift, I wonder whether the outcome today would have been totally different.”
There is not much to talk about the fight between Kim Horak and Hyon Hyung as their duel is too short. Moreover, there really isn’t plenty to discuss the two’s abilities besides Oh Junhyuk’s and Seo Youngji’s brief encounter with Hyon Hyung.
***
My neck fucking hurts.
After the first duel, I use two of my own nominations. I have [Cube AI] calculate the needed points for me to rise to Rank 111… He he he… A malicious grin plasters on my face. I plan to pick two male cadets around the 100~200 rank.
I consult Hajin about whether my rising to Rank 111 will affect his show. He ensures me that he will take care of Phase 2, and I should go as high rank as I want. “I am going to do something extremely flashy.”
He confidently declares to me. He also asks me for permission for Cube AI to help him rig the nomination mechanism of the duels. I wonder what Hajin is up to. I battle my curiosity. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. In fact, I want to be surprised. Of course, a good kind of surprise.
If a meteor suddenly falls here, that will be a kind of bad surprise.
I fight my second and third battles on the current day, making sure to get rid of the annoying chore.
My second fight is against a swordsman. I flip him, sit on him, and pound him. Easy win. It is a nice comeback. The third fight is a little bit more challenging against a sharpshooter. The foe is very good at running and shooting from a distance.
I have to contest him on range by throwing my daggers like a sharpshooter too. In the end, I manage to win. Of course, it takes me a total of thirty minutes and maybe more until I snatch that victory.
It seems that Kim Suho and Chae Nayun also win their duels easily.
Meanwhile, Hajin’s and Jonghak’s duels seem to be tomorrow. I wonder who the two of them will fight against. I am looking forward to Hajin’s flashy performance or so he claims. I don’t want to ruin the surprise though so I wait patiently as I lie on my bed, waiting for sleep to claim me.
Before I can truly embrace slumber, my smartwatch vibrates. It is Hajin. I read his message, feeling my stomach start hurting.
~
Hajin: I think Cheok Jungyeon might cause trouble.
~
Oh, fucking come on!
