abcnovels
Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Chapter 28
The introductions of the two students renowned for their fame and martial prowess among the current students of Babel Academy further heated up the atmosphere in the arena: Aria Myers, the fourth-year top-ranking student of Aqar Quf, and Yeom Sung-Ha, the third-year top-ranking student of Aqar Quf.
—Now, before the duel, shall we take a look at their records?
Seemingly excited by the atmosphere, Lan Fang grinned and brought up an information board in the air.
[Aria Myers: 932 battles - 932 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses]
[Yeom Sung-Ha: 1,238 battles - 714 wins, 128 draws, 396 losses]
The moment every student there saw the battle records, they all gasped and looked at Aria. While Sung-Ha boasted a high win rate that ranked him tenth, it was incomparable to Aria’s flawless record—she had won every single one of her matches.
—For your information, these two students have faced each other quite often. The official count is two hundred fifty-six times. And if we include the unofficial duels, the count totals over four hundred matches! And the one who came out on top is...
After a brief pause, Lan Fang slammed her palm on the table and shouted.
—Aria Myers!!! It’s her total victory!!!
In over four hundred matches, Aria had never given up a single draw. That fact drew admiration from the audience, and many gazes directed at the two became emotional.
Watching from the audience, Se-Hoon naturally realized who the star of today’s duel was.
So he has also received this kind of treatment before.
Although Sung-Ha certainly did not lack talent or skill, this was simply a bad matchup for him.
—Ah. It seems that the introductions have gone on for too long. Now, let’s end the talk and...
A moment of silence swirled around the arena. Without anyone telling them to, Aria and Sung-Ha raised and aimed their weapons at each other.
And the moment a surge of golden and dark red mana erupted from their bodies and ignited the atmosphere?
—Start!
At Lan Fang’s signal, the two immediately clashed.
Boom!!
Wrapped in dark red mana, Sung-Ha’s spear tore through the air with terrifying momentum. In response, Aria simply swung her rapier with a relaxed smile, no signs of stepping back at all.
Like turning a page in a book, the rapier, covered in golden mana, was swung with light and smooth movements.
Clang!
Sung-Ha’s spear was repelled as if it had been blasted away, and Aria immediately tried to dive in, taking advantage of the moment Sung-Ha was exposed. However, Sung-Ha’s mana moved first.
Fwoosh!
All at once, the scattered traces of mana along the trajectory of the spear exploded into flames. Losing the opportunity, Aria slightly braked and swung her rapier again.
Whoosh!
The flames scattered with a single swing from her, but it had bought enough time for Sung-Ha to regain his posture.
Once again, he swung his spear fiercely, and Aria, counterattacking just as fiercely, swung her thin rapier with smooth fast motions.
Boom!
The center of the arena was dominated by the spear of flames and the golden sword weaving through it.
The audience, stunned by the incredible level of skill that seemed beyond that of ordinary students, belatedly came to their senses and burst into a cacophony of cheers.
The heat in the arena was palpable from just the first match.
Se-Hoon watched Sung-Ha fight with all his might.
Still pretty inexperienced, huh?
From his basic physical abilities to his techniques, nothing could match his Mad Dog days. But that was expected, after all, he would only be renowned as a Mad Dog thirty-one years from now. That said, Sung-Ha’s level was still much lower than Se-Hoon had anticipated.
I thought he would have received plenty of support as the successor of the Inferno Ring.... Did he not receive as much support as I thought?
Sung-Ha’s condition was disappointingly lacking, even after considering his age. As Se-Hoon examined Sung-Ha, the tide of the match gradually changed.
Has she already decided to close the distance?
The greatest advantage of a spear was its reach. And that advantage was gradually diminishing now.
Keenly aware of this, Sung-Ha tried to maintain the distance, but Aria easily broke through his resistance and caught up to him step by step.
It’s hard to tell what I should criticize first...
As Se-Hoon was closer to Sung-Ha than anybody else, he could easily figure out the points that needed improvement from their duel, such as the fact that Sung-Ha’s bad habits and the weaknesses of the Inferno Ring had a harsh dissonance.
But while there were many points to criticize, the single most annoying one was how Sung-Ha wielded his weapon, and this was Se-Hoon’s field of expertise.
His cross-shaped spear can be skillfully used to execute both attacks and defenses. Flexibility is usually added to the spear shaft so that the wielder can easily respond even when the opponent closes the distance, just like now.
The swirling dark red mana around the spear shaft and the occasional bursts of energy also suggested it had an additional effect of scattering stored mana in all directions.
There wasn’t much to criticize about the spear in terms of completion; it was quite usable.
But they really have no eye for choosing a suitable weapon.
A spear was not suitable at all for Sung-Ha, the Mad Dog.
Clang!
Experiencing his attack being repelled again, Sung-Ha tried to use the scattered mana left along the trajectory of his spear to emit flames and gain some distance.
But before he could, Aria coated her hand with a golden light and cut through the residual mana with her hand, then instantly closed the distance.
Sung-Ha’s posture immediately collapsed, and the bursting flames that were created by the Inferno Ring also fizzled out.
Although it was clear who would stand victorious, Sung-Ha’s eyes blazed.
Thwoom!
He abandoned the spear boldly to regain his posture and then swung his fist. This was an obvious desperate move, a showcase of Sung-Ha’s obsession with victory.
Swoosh-
But before he could even follow through with his swing, Aria’s golden rapier touched his neck.
Even in the end, Sung-Ha wasn’t allowed to resist. He quietly looked at the rapier, pointed at his neck, and then slowly opened his mouth.
“I lost.”
“It was a good duel.”
With those brief words, she sheathed her rapier. As if waiting for that moment, Lan Fang promptly announced the outcome of the duel.
—The duel is over!! The winner is Aria Myers!!!
The winner was decided, and the audience burst into a roaring cheer.
The spectating students couldn’t hide their excitement; their eyes sparkled at the sight of such a high-level duel that seemed impossible to have been by their fellow students. If current heroes came and fought the same duel, it would have simply been admired as something in their far future.
However, these two were also students who were only two or three years apart from them. The sense of familiarity with their ages stirred their competitive spirit and desire for improvement.
They’re all quite energetic...
Though a majority of them would eventually realize the difference in talent and end up frustrated, being students of Babel Academy, there could be a few that might follow in their footsteps.
Intrigued by how amusing this academy was, Se-Hoon turned to the unusually quiet person beside him.
“...”
Erika was staring at the arena indifferently, with no changes in expression. The sight of her prompted a curious expression from Se-Hoon.
“Was it boring?”
“Yes. There’s not much to take notes on as they’re in different fields of study.”
“Then why did you come?” he asked incredulously.
“I was curious who you came to see,” Erika calmly replied.
“...”
To Se-Hoon, the fact that he had managed to form a bond with such a peculiar person became stranger than ever.
As he looked on with a resigned expression, Lan Fang's voice blared again in the hall.
—Now, we will proceed with the interview of the two players... however, due to personal reasons, regretfully, we will only be able to interview Aria Myers before moving on to the next duel.
Following Lan Fang’s announcement, the spotlight on Sung-Ha disappeared after he nodded his head. Every light in the arena was now illuminating Aria as if she were the main character of the scene. Actually, considering that the event today was promoted as Aria Myers’s 9-consecutive battles, it should have been expected.
“Fighting against my next opponent who is ranked ninth right after this would be tough... should I substitute the empty interview time with a personal Q&A session?”
A cheer erupted from the audience at her proposal. As she talked, Sung-Ha trudged out of the dueling arena.
To an outsider, he might have seemed like his usual self, but to Se-Hoon, who had observed him for a long time, it was easily recognizable that he was fairly upset.
This bastard...
It seemed like he was currently immature in many ways.
Se-Hoon chuckled softly and immediately turned away, prompting Erika to ask with a puzzled expression, “Are you leaving?”
Perhaps it hadn’t occurred to her that he had actually come to see Sung-Ha.
At Erika’s question, Se-Hoon turned his gaze toward the arena below.
There, Aria stood under the bright lights, shining brilliantly. Her presence was undeniable, whether it was during her future days as the so-called hope of humanity, their holy swordsman, or even now as a student.
Her charisma made even those just seeing her for the first time instinctively feel a sense of awe. She was a figure that the students of Babel Academy couldn’t help but admire.
“I don’t really like that kind of person,” he said, looking down at Aria, who was waving with a smile.
“They’re just so full of themselves,” he added with a look of discomfort.
With that, he turned his head and left without saying anything more.
As she watched him leave, Erika’s expression darkened slightly. She had never seen him show such intense emotions before. He always seemed so relaxed, which made his behavior all the more strange.
It’s good that he didn’t come to see my brother, but... Her thoughts paused there, somewhat concerned by his current state.
Just as she was about to change her plans and follow him, she felt a strange sensation from behind and slowly turned her head toward the arena ground.
“An interesting freshman? Well...”
Her eyes met Aria’s, which had been following Se-Hoon until he left.
“It seems I’ve found one.”
***
Woooooo!
The cheers from the stadium indicated that the duel between Aria and the ninth ranker had begun.
But to Se-Hoon, the fight held no interest. His thoughts lingered on Sung-Ha.
He’s not the type to just walk away...
Just like his nickname suggested, Sung-Ha could go on a rampage when provoked, but normally, he was a somewhat decent guy with a strong pride and a rough demeanor. He also valued face greatly, tending to isolate himself whenever he was in a sour mood.
A place he’d likely would be...
Se-Hoon wandered near the Hall of Martial Arts while recalling his pre-regression memories and soon found Sung-Ha in a secluded corner of a nearby park.
“Whoo... Whoo...”
Se-Hoon approached cautiously, his eyes fixed on Sung-Ha as he took breaths with his eyes closed. This sight stirred a complex feeling within Se-Hoon.
Despite their rocky relationship, Sung-Ha had been a pivotal member of Forlorn Hope, ultimately sacrificing his life in their final battle.
This time around, Se-Hoon hoped that their relationship could start off on a more harmonious note. He believed that he could use his past experience to form a bond, and perhaps even gain a Fatestone, with Sung-Ha. Right as Se-Hoon was about to approach, Sung-Ha suddenly opened his mouth, “A freshman, huh? Were you watching the duel?”
“...Well, yes,” replied Se-Hoon reluctantly.
Sung-Ha’s question forced Se-Hoon to grimace slightly as he struggled with his response. The mere idea of having to speak respectfully to Sung-Ha was more than just uncomfortable to Se-Hoon; it twisted his insides.
Yet, despite the discomfort, he understood the necessity of cautious interactions. The Yeom Sung-Ha in front of him might differ from the one he knew, thus requiring a more measured approach.
As Se-Hoon was internally grappling with his feelings, Sung-Ha slowly opened his eyes.
“To find me like this... you must be quite skilled...”
Sung-Ha started off calmly, but then he paused, his gaze hardening and his brow furrowing as he looked at Se-Hoon’s face.
What’s up with him?
Sensing that the atmosphere had shifted in an unexpectedly awkward direction, Se-Hoon wondered what had brought it about.
“Are you Borsippa College’s honor student? What brings you here?” Sung-Ha asked with a voice that was now more subdued.
“I was hoping to have a little chat with you... if you would allow me, that is.”
Se-Hoon hoped that they could have a meaningful conversation about the future of the Flame Sect, potential improvements to the Inferno Ring, and the unique trait that only Mad Dog Sung-Ha possessed.
Unfortunately, while he wanted to start the conversation right away due to the number of topics, Sung-Ha’s response was dismissive.
“Leave.”
He showed no intention of engaging in this conversation further. He even turned his head away and closed his eyes again to calm his breath, treating Se-Hoon like he were invisible. At such treatment, Se-Hoon’s expression distorted.
“This would benefit you, though, sunbae.... Just hear me out—”
“Since you didn’t understand me the first time, I’ll say it once more,” interrupted Sung-Ha, his eyes still closed.
“I hate weak people.”
Silence followed.
“And people who can’t do anything on their own, yet think that they’re somehow equal or comparable to me just because they have a mediocre talent of some kind are even worse.”
The calm voice filled with disdain made Se-Hoon recall a memory from before the regression.
“You’re just a weapon forger working in the background. Don’t overstep your bounds.”
That was what Sung-Ha had told him when they first met during a meeting of the human alliance before the regression. At the time, Se-Hoon thought it was just Sung-Ha being unpleasant, but now Se-Hoon realized that it was a misunderstanding on his own part.
“So, I don’t care about whatever you want to talk about; just leave.”
Sung-Ha wasn’t just being unpleasant.
“Blacksmith.”
He was just a despicable person who refused to even consider that someone weaker than himself was worthy of attention.
Right. Of course.
Se-Hoon couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
He had hoped that maybe Sung-Ha would be different during his youth, but it seemed that was a naive thought. There was no way these three hopeless dogs were going to be nice to him just because they were young.
Feeling the weight of this truth, Se-Hoon looked back at Sung-Ha.
At least he’s a bit better than during his Mad Dog days.
If it were before the regression, Sung-Ha would have attacked Se-Hoon already for even speaking up again. The fact that he was willing to warn Se-Hoon a second time was a sign of patience as well as a small indication of possible redemption.
From his attitude, it’s probably impossible to resolve this through words.
To even begin a conversation, it seemed necessary to demonstrate his strength or capability in some manner first. The challenge was whether Se-Hoon could actually manage to do so.
Though Sung-Ha had plenty of weak points, Se-Hoon’s physical capabilities were too lacking to exploit any of them.
Even if I could use Iron Desire, there’s no proper material... ah.
Suddenly, his gaze fell on his right hand, thinking of the girl he had met earlier.
She was someone who let her talents shine, and she approached those she could help with without hesitation. Although she initially didn’t believe in herself, that was already changing.
A faint light flowed from his grip, and soon a piece of ore took shape.
[Fatestone - Explosive Fusionite]
[Tier: Advanced] [Quality: Perfect]
[A multicolored piece of ore with a mix of various colors.
It serves as an excellent amplifier that maximizes the potential of mixed materials.
*Amplifies the potential of combined materials]
The ore resembled a haphazardly clumped-together mass of powdered mana stones from an enchantment palette. It shone with a messy yet luxurious array of colors.
This is good. Se-Hoon smiled at its appearance.
This Fatestone would be useful not only now but even in the future. Its benefits exceeded his expectations.
“It seems you have no intention of leaving. You’ve brought this upon yourself.” Feeling the subtle change in mana, Sung-Ha opened his eyes once again.
He turned his body toward Se-Hoon, indicating that he wouldn't hold back any longer. Yet, despite the oppressive atmosphere, Se-Hoon not only didn’t flinch but he also met Sung-Ha’s gaze head-on.
“I heard something before, so I’ll pass it on to you at this opportunity.”
Sung-Ha approached indifferently, not caring about what Se-Hoon was going to say. Sung-Ha’s calm yet heavy presence made Se-Hoon smile.
“The legacy of the Inferno Ring is going to end because of you.”
At those words, Sung-Ha finally reacted, freezing mid-step. His eyes widened in shock, and his breath halted. He never imagined he would hear such a statement from an underclassman, especially one significantly weaker than himself.
But his moment of shock was brief. Fully understanding the meaning of Se-Hoon’s words, Sung-Ha started to move again.
Boom!
With just one step, he was right in front of Se-Hoon.
Sung-Ha swung his clenched fist, mana scattering in its wake. If it hit Se-Hoon dead on, it wouldn’t be just his head that shattered; his entire body would be obliterated by the following flames, with no trace left behind.
[Bond Imprint ‘Iron Desire’ has been activated.]
But that was assuming he would foolishly take the hit.
Thwoom!
Se-Hoon’s palms reached out and gently redirected Sung-Ha’s punch. His right hand smoothly deflected the force using the mana gathered in his palm, and then his left hand pushed away Sung-Ha’s wrist. The neat defense caused Sung-Ha’s eyes to twitch.
He redirected it.
Even if it was a casually thrown strike, Sung-Ha’s punch was filled with his mana. It wasn’t something a first-year honor student of Borsippa, let alone the first-year honor student of Aqar Quf, could easily block.
Yet the blacksmith before him had nonchalantly redirected his attack as if he knew it was coming.
He’s showing off that he is an honor student, huh?
The tips of Se-Hoon’s hair flickered like flames, and a faint warmth, most likely indicating that he had enhanced his physical abilities, emanated from his body.
Having assessed the situation, Sung-Ha’s eyes lit up. He acknowledged that Se-Hoon had the right to fight him.
But this is the end for you.
His punch might not have connected, but the trailing residual flames still lingered. The true power of the Inferno Ring was the explosion of flames that would erupt soon.
Naturally, Sung-Ha envisioned the arrogant freshman in front of him tumbling on the floor, caught in the blast.
Unfortunately for him, Se-Hoon’s right hand, drawing up Scarlet Lotus, touched the residual flames before they exploded properly.
Boooom!!!
And an enormous flame burst between the two.
Although Sung-Ha controlled his mana output to lower the temperature, preventing the surroundings from being scorched, the shockwave alone was still enough to snap flowers and cause leaves to cascade down.
It was as if a bomb had exploded. The resulting smoke that covered the area between them started to clear, and soon the figures of the two men were revealed.
“Whew...”
Se-Hoon’s hair and clothes were simply disheveled from the shockwave, but Sung-Ha’s clothes were completely scorched.
“...”
Frozen by a result far different from what he had expected, Sung-Ha watched as Se-Hoon smoothed back his tousled hair and grinned.
“It seems that I was right. ”