After that, most of the upperclassmen’s matches were one-sided.
Song Cheon-gi completely overwhelmed even third-year club presidents.
Even though it was a face-off between main-tournament qualifiers of the same grade, the difference in skill was painfully clear.
Namgong Chang-cheon likewise defeated a third-year Disciplinary Committee member without much trouble. It was that Hell Axe senior.
Watching from the stands, Go Hyeon-woo couldn’t hold back his admiration.
“Ho… what sublime swordsmanship. No wonder they say the Namgong clan is indispensable when discussing the greatest sword families.”
“He does fight well.”
When I first met 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 something occurred to him, Go Hyeon-woo checked the tournament 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 achievement 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 me 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 meeting wouldn’t be difficult.
I added “Meet Namgong Chang-cheon” to my to-do list for after the tournament.
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 member 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 member.
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 member 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.
Meanwhile, 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 some 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 movement 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 meaningful damage.
Gang Dae-san, on the other hand, could keep playing steadily until he landed another crushing blow like just now. The outcome 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 time.
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 times 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 mean 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 come into play.
Best to wait and see.
[Gang Dae-san Win]
vs
[Han Gyeol-woo Lose]
As expected, Han Gyeol-woo kept hammering away at Gang Dae-san’s shield and armor until the very end.
But each time, 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 boomed 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 names 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 time 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 member. 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 moment 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 member and someone 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 moment, 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 time, 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 resumed his initial plan and charged at Hong Ye-hwa, the shattered remains of the golem gathered again. This time, 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 me 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 Flame.”
“Ah…!”
An exclamation mark all but appeared above Hong Yeon-hwa’s head.
Aqua Flame was a unique trait that only she possessed from the Ruby Tower.
It had an overwhelming advantage against ice-type magic.
Most ice spells melted away with just the faintest touch of it.
To fully bring out its potential, it was best to use something 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 moment 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 came 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 times, Hong Ye-hwa seemed 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 flames 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 time, 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 comment.
“Classic play.”
“This was the very model of how an artillery-type mage should operate! A textbook performance!”
I shared the same thoughts as the two instructors.
“As expected of someone 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.
“Someday, I will…”
“You mean 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 encouragement.
“It might happen sooner than you think.”
“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 mean catching up to your sister. I mean surpassing her.”
“……!”
Hong Yeon-hwa just blinked in silence.
It seemed 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 me for a while.
Then she slowly nodded.
“…I’ll try. I’ll give it my all.”