Chapter 30
He had stayed at the back of the formation during the spar. He didn’t think he needed to step up against mere F-grades.
A shark doesn’t need to hunt minnows.
Besides, those hotheads were eager to fight anyway.
So he had planned to just observe, but…
Two out of the five were already unconscious. One was knocked out by Dongwoo’s single blow, and the other by Sehyun’s knee. On the other hand, no one on their side was injured.
Why?
Actually, he already knew the answer.
Their teamwork was perfect.
After the flower petals rained down, the large man would knock one of them unconscious with a single blow.
Meanwhile, one of the F-grades would restrain one of the C-grades with something that looked like candle wax.
And the remaining four, including Sehyun and the fast woman, would take on the other two.
They moved in perfect sync, as if they had been training together for a long time. They covered each other’s weaknesses and highlighted each other’s strengths.
“What the hell is this!”
He turned his head at the sudden shout and saw one of his companions struggling, trapped in a white, solid substance. The white substance, which had been restraining his ankle, was slowly creeping up his body, now gripping his wrists.
“Why are you still stuck there!”
“Even a dagger won’t work! It won’t cut, no matter how hard I try! What is this made of!”
The man looked at Do Sung with a panicked expression. If it reached his face, he would suffocate.
He tried to reassure himself that they wouldn’t kill him during a spar, but the sensation of the substance creeping up his body was terrifying.
It felt like he was sinking into an abyss.
Do Sung gritted his teeth.
That skill was tricky to use in battle. He couldn’t move while restraining someone.
But it was a valuable skill if it could take out a key player.
In other words, it was a skill that shined when used in a group.
Like now.
“D-Do Sung! H-Help me! Help me!”
The man’s eyes were filled with tears.
Do Sung gritted his teeth, watching him. He looked up at Sehyun.
At first glance, Dongwoo seemed to be the leader of the group, but the real leader was Sehyun.
Although Dongwoo, with his powerful one-hit skill, stood out on the battlefield, Sehyun was the most troublesome opponent.
If she hadn’t been making quick judgments and providing support where it was needed, this group would have already crumbled.
“Boss!”
Meanwhile, the man who was trapped in the candle wax-like substance, now almost completely encased, cried out.
“Stop crying, you idiot!”
“S-Save me!”
“Shut up! Get out yourself! Why are you asking me to save you!”
What if he got hit from behind while trying to save him?
No, maybe that was their plan.
While he was trying to save him, Sehyun or Dongwoo would attack him.
“You think I’ll fall for such bait? Damn it.”
Do Sung cursed softly, his eyes gleaming fiercely. He lunged forward.
To turn the tide of the battle.
Jieun, with her hood pulled low, looked around slowly.
She hadn’t had a proper conversation with Sehyun for days. Or rather, Jieun had been avoiding conversation.
She only attended mandatory classes and training, spending the rest of her time hiding under her blanket.
She didn’t know why.
Why she felt so conflicted and uncomfortable.
‘Let me know when you’re ready to talk.’
Sehyun had said that, as if she would wait.
Jieun, walking slowly, looked up and frowned at the sparring center that came into view.
Old habits die hard. She had come here out of habit.
She was about to turn around when she hesitated.
…Should I just take a peek at what they’re doing?
Jieun cautiously approached and opened the door. Her eyes widened at the scene in front of her.
“…Wh-What is that?”
Jieun couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She was sure that anyone else who saw this would react the same way.
“A-Amazing…”
People were standing around the sparring ring, watching. They were familiar faces. People of the same grade whom she had seen almost every day until a few days ago.
But that wasn’t what surprised Jieun.
Two people were clashing fiercely in the middle of the sparring ring.
Sehyun dodged the man’s sword smoothly, bending backward, and then kicked his exposed side.
The man couldn’t dodge in time and took the hit.
“Ugh!”
The man swallowed a groan and stepped back, then used ‘Recoil’ to bounce back. His sword slashed down from above. It was a wooden sword because they were sparring, but it would still be a direct hit if it landed.
Oh no!
Jieun unconsciously tightened her grip on the doorknob. Fortunately, Sehyun rolled to the side and dodged.
“You little rat!”
Do Sung’s face contorted with rage as he twisted his downward swing horizontally.
Whoosh!
The sword cut through the air with a sharp sound.
At that moment, the sword extended. As if a hidden few inches had sprung out, the sword ignored the distance Sehyun had created and lunged forward.
“Gah!”
Sehyun’s body rolled over as the tip of the sword struck her back.
“That bastard…!”
The F-grades took a step forward, about to intervene, when,
“If any of you come out, I’ll kill you. I’ll crush you so you can never step foot in a sparring ring again. Come out if you dare!”
Do Sung glared at them, his eyes burning like a demon’s, and pointed his sword at them.
“Ugh.”
Sehyun spat out blood-tinged saliva and straightened her back. Her back throbbed where she had been hit. If it had been a real sword, not a wooden one, she would have been cut.
And she would probably be lying on the floor now.
Sehyun frowned, looking at Do Sung, who was threatening the others.
‘This is troublesome.’
Do Sung was different from the other C-grades she had faced. While the others were just a motley crew, Do Sung was the real deal.
He was quite experienced in real combat.
She would have already lost if she hadn’t had any real combat experience as a bodyguard.
But for now, she could handle him.
If she used the strength enhancement she had learned from Dongwoo, the acceleration from Miyoung, the elasticity from another F-grade, and the recoil she had taken from Shin Jooho…
Even if she could only use three skills in her slots and chose acceleration, strength, and recoil, they would create a powerful synergy.
The problem was…
She couldn’t use them.
The original owners of those skills were all here. She could use them secretly once or twice, but if she kept using them, Miyoung and Dongwoo would definitely find it strange.
And she had seen Do Sung hanging around Shin Jooho a few times. It would be troublesome if he recognized Shin Jooho’s skill and made a fuss.
It would be a suspicious situation.
The only skills she could use comfortably were ‘Dodge’ and ‘Stamina Enhancement.’ But those were just for dodging and increasing her endurance.
Sehyun’s gaze shifted to her status window.
Skills: Pull, Dodge, Enhanced Vision, Fruit Knife Swing… Sound Blocking, Eye of Truth (Unavailable), Dazzling Dance, Miniaturization (Unavailable), Dynamic Vision Activation, The Listener, Divine Touch Upon You, Recoil, Elasticity, Acceleration,… Cocoon (Unavailable)
So many useful skills, but she couldn’t use them…
Sehyun stood up with a frustrated expression.
But it wasn’t a complete loss.
Skill: Extending Weapon (Unavailable)
Skill detected. Sensitivity increased by +1.
Skill: Extending Weapon
-Can adjust the length of a weapon. Only applicable to weapons.
She had acquired such an interesting skill.
They say the world of skills is endless…
As Sehyun marveled inwardly, inappropriate for the situation,
“That’s against the rules. It was supposed to be a group spar. If you wanted a 1:1, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Dongwoo growled at Do Sung, suppressing his anger.
“It would be troublesome if you all rushed at me like a pack of dogs. I’d be at a disadvantage.”
“Then you should have brought better teammates.”
Do Sung’s brows furrowed at Dongwoo’s words, then suddenly relaxed.
“I will. After I take care of this first.”
The wooden sword in Do Sung’s hand shrunk back to its original length. Dongwoo’s expression darkened as he watched. He was about to step forward when,
“It’s fine.”
Sehyun raised her hand and stopped Dongwoo.
“Sehyun.”
Dongwoo called out to her, as if to dissuade her. Sehyun stretched her stiff neck from side to side.
“They’ll lose even if they win.”
Do Sung and the other conscious C-grade glared at Sehyun at her words. But Sehyun continued, unfazed.
“Suggesting a group spar and then switching to 1:1 when the tide turns… That’s typical thug behavior.”
Sehyun straightened her neck and looked at Do Sung.
“We have nothing to lose. We were prepared to lose from the start, but for them, it was a must-win. Actually, I think we’ve already won the group spar…”
“You suggested the group spar on purpose.”
Do Sung said through gritted teeth. Sehyun looked slightly surprised.
“You just realized that now?”
“…”
“I thought you knew.”
“…”
“Unexpected.”
“You…!”
Do Sung’s face contorted at Sehyun’s genuine surprise.