Chapter 31
“Yeah, keep talking. I’ll rip your mouth to shreds!”
Do Sung gritted his teeth and twirled the sword in his hand.
He lunged at Sehyun. As the distance between them closed rapidly, Do Sung raised his wooden sword.
It was a swift movement. Do Sung thought he had her this time. Sehyun would have to dodge out of the weapon’s range, and that’s when he would strike with his knee.
As expected, Sehyun lowered her stance.
Do Sung smirked briefly. But his smirk disappeared instantly. Instead of twisting her body as he had expected, Sehyun charged forward.
He tried to retract his weapon, but Sehyun was faster.
Wham!
“Ugh!”
Do Sung stumbled backward as his face was struck.
Sehyun landed lightly and spun around, aiming a kick at Do Sung’s head.
Clang!
But her kick was blocked by Do Sung’s wooden sword.
“You bitch!”
Do Sung’s sword extended instantly and struck Sehyun’s stomach.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
Sehyun swallowed a groan.
It felt disgusting to be hit.
Extending Weapon (Unavailable) → Changed to Extending Weapon.
Reconfiguring settings.
But at the same time, she felt a thrill.
I’m becoming a masochist.
Sehyun quickly turned around, experiencing mixed emotions.
Their spar intensified. They exchanged blows, the sounds echoing through the sparring room.
“W-What should we do…?”
“Is it okay for us to just stand here? Shouldn’t we go and pull out that bastard’s hair or something? We can take them on together!”
Mi Young, an F-grade, said with a tearful expression. Hyeryeon stepped forward, as if ready to jump in.
But Dongwoo stretched out his arm and blocked their path, shaking his head.
“Just leave them alone.”
“Why! Sehyun might get hurt! Look! She’s been hit so many times!”
“Yes, she has been hit quite a lot.”
“Exactly!”
“But she’s still standing.”
“…”
“She’s not even flinching.”
“…Huh?”
Hyeryeon tilted her head at Dongwoo’s words.
Now that she thought about it…
Hyeryeon looked at Sehyun again. Although she was getting hit occasionally, Sehyun was dodging skillfully. She was even counterattacking with kicks and punches.
On the other hand…
Do Sung’s shoulders were heaving. As if he was straining to use his skill.
The other C-grades, their mouths agape as they watched the spar, seemed to confirm his observation.
“This damn bitch!”
He hadn’t wanted to use this. It could cause problems if he wasn’t careful.
But now wasn’t the time to be picky. He had to crush her, even if it meant getting punished, rather than being labeled as the C-grade who lost to an F-grade.
Do Sung’s sword transformed instantly. The sharpened sword, now as sharp as a fencing foil, sliced through the air towards Sehyun.
Sehyun barely managed to deflect the blade and jumped back. At that moment, a window popped up.
Skill ‘Sharpening Weapon’ confirmed.
Do you want to create ‘Sharpening Weapon’ as a skill?
Create!
Sehyun shouted inwardly.
Skill: Sharpening Weapon (Unavailable)
Can sharpen a weapon. Only applicable to weapons.
How thoughtful of you.
Sehyun muttered to herself and jumped back further.
Do Sung closed the distance in an instant and thrust his sharpened wooden sword forward.
At that moment, the wooden sword extended.
Simultaneous skills!
Sehyun grimaced and rolled on the floor.
The sword plunged menacingly into the spot where Sehyun had been standing just a moment ago. Sehyun, her heart pounding, caught her breath and stood up at the edge of the sparring ring.
It was a troublesome skill.
“You’ve run all the way there? Where else are you going to run? Are you going to fall off and forfeit?”
“Who knows.”
Sehyun tilted her head.
“How dare you turn a wooden sword into a toothpick! Just stab her with it already!”
Hyeryeon shouted angrily, watching the spar. Do Sung, who would normally ignore such remarks, scowled.
The fight was clearly in his favor. All Sehyun was doing was dodging, and he was the one landing all the blows.
But strangely, the match wouldn’t end.
As if Kim Sehyun was deliberately dragging it out.
The fact that none of his attacks were critical hits was proof.
But that couldn’t be…
She couldn’t be deliberately dragging out the fight.
Yes, that’s impossible. She’s just bluffing.
Do Sung gritted his teeth, unable to hide his anxiety.
“Kim Sehyun! Win! You can’t lose to a toothpick! Win! Win!”
Meanwhile, Hyeryeon’s energetic voice, which sounded like she was waving a banner, rang in his ears.
“Damn it! This bitch, that bitch!”
Do Sung roared and spun around, throwing his sword at Hyeryeon in a fit of rage. He wanted to shut her up.
The sword, filled with killing intent, sliced through the air towards Hyeryeon. It wouldn’t have been a problem if it had been an ordinary wooden sword.
But the tip of the sword was now sharpened, making it as deadly as any other weapon.
Huh…?
Hyeryeon’s eyes widened. It was too close for her to use a skill to block it.
If this continues…
Just as Hyeryeon’s life flashed before her eyes,
Thwack!
Dongwoo’s fist struck the flying sword.
Crack!
The wooden sword shattered and fell to the floor. A silence so profound that it felt like their breaths had stopped.
Drip, drip.
Someone gasped. Blood was dripping from Dongwoo’s hand.
Sehyun’s gaze was fixed on Dongwoo’s blood-soaked hand.
Blood, wounds.
‘Bleeding, are we? Bleed more.’
‘Sehyun, I love it when you cry and bleed.’
‘Ah, are these tears of blood?’
Shin Jooho’s soft chuckle followed.
Sehyun’s mind went blank at the memories those words evoked.
“…You said 1:1.”
A cold voice echoed in the silence. Do Sung flinched as he turned his head towards the voice unconsciously.
All expression had vanished from Sehyun’s face. Do Sung stumbled backward.
“There are no rules from now on.”
Sehyun declared and closed the distance in an instant, kicking the back of Do Sung’s knee.
Do Sung staggered, unable to believe it.
He hadn’t even sensed her approaching, nor the kick coming.
How?
He had been able to see her movements clearly just a moment ago…
Sehyun, using strength, acceleration, and elasticity simultaneously, forced Do Sung to kneel and then punched him in the face.
Wham!
Do Sung’s body fell backward.
“Ugh, ugh.”
As Do Sung stumbled and tried to get up, a shadow fell over him. He looked up and saw Sehyun looking down at him.
Thwack!
A kick struck his face before he could react. Do Sung’s eyes widened at the precise kick, delivered without any hesitation.
Just as Sehyun was about to kick him again,
“Sehyun!”
Dongwoo called out her name, as if trying to stop her.
Rumble!
At the same time, a thunderous sound echoed through the sparring center. A bright light flashed before their eyes and then disappeared. Everyone froze at the sudden event.
“Th-Thunder?”
“Suddenly?”
“What’s going on?”
Only their voices could be heard in the darkness after the light disappeared.
“I can’t see anything.”
“What!”
“Ouch! Don’t step on me!”
“Aah! I’m falling!”
Amidst the chaos, Sehyun turned her head towards the window. Or rather, where the window used to be.
But she couldn’t even see the window, let alone what was beyond it, in the thick darkness.
“Is it a power outage?”
Someone muttered softly.
Sehyun shook her head unconsciously, as if in response.
If it were a power outage, she should be able to see outside the window.
It was a bright full moon tonight.
But she couldn’t see anything beyond the window, as if someone had painted it with black cement.
Goosebumps erupted all over her back at the sudden incongruity.
A premonition that something was wrong.
A feeling that something that shouldn’t be happening was happening.
Sehyun knew this feeling well.
She had felt the same way when the Hole appeared in her house, and when the Hole appeared in front of her aunt’s house.
Sound Blocking.
Sehyun cast ‘Sound Blocking’ on the building. It consumed a massive amount of energy, but it was necessary for now.
“The heavens are angry! The heavens are angry at the C-grades’ despicable behavior and have sent a power outage, you bastards!”
Hyeryeon’s voice, still fueled by rage, could be heard amidst the chaos.
“That bitch is still going at it even with a power outage!”
“Isn’t she just all talk?”
A shout came from the C-grades’ side.
“Yes! I’m the all-talk fighter here! I’ll bite you all, you bastards! The power outage is your fault!”
Sehyun’s shoulders slumped as she listened to their conversation.
It was a childish argument that drained her fighting spirit.
“If you don’t want to get hurt, stay still.”
Dongwoo’s voice echoed through the darkness.
“Who are you ordering around?”
A defiant voice came from the other side.
“I understand you’re on edge because of the spar, but let’s put aside our hostility for now. You can all sense that this isn’t just a simple power outage, right?”
Everyone fell silent at Dongwoo’s words. They were looking around nervously.
“Anyone here who can use light magic? Or anyone who has an emergency light?”
A moment of silence followed.