Chapter 436
Of course, getting out of this situation was very simple.
I paused briefly before opening my mouth.
“Betting’s supposed to be fun, right? If I take sides here, it’ll ruin the excitement.”
Dodging the question without picking either side.
But these two weren’t pushovers. They narrowed their eyes, clearly not convinced.
To make it worse, Dang Gyu-young pouted and grumbled.
“Hey, you’re supposed to take my side in times like this. That’s kinda hurtful.”
“Sometimes, you have to stay neutral. Besides, you know you’re number one anyway.”
“Hehehe, right? Number one.”
Dang Gyu-young instantly brightened up.Jegal So-so looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and pity.
“So easy. Seriously.”
“You try being in my shoes. See how easy it is then.”
“Oh yeah? Let’s switch for a bit.”
“Switch what?!”
“I’m confident I can be just as easy!”
“Get lost!”
The briefly quiet Qyu-Qyu vs. Sho-Sho war flared up again.
I couldn’t take it anymore and stepped in to mediate.
“Cut it out already. If you keep this up, I’m leaving.”
Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so immediately straightened up.
“No way you’re leaving.”
“With all these snacks? You’re not going anywhere.”
“Eat this, eat dinner, and have a late-night snack in the dorm too.”
“Then stay the night.”
As if they hadn’t just been arguing, they were suddenly in perfect sync again.
Then the two looked at each other once more.
“Still, we started this, so we have to see it through, right?”
“There’s nothing to see. Han So-mi’s definitely making it to the finals.”
“No way, it’s definitely Jun.”
“……”
“……”
It felt like sparks were flying in the air between them.
Then Jegal So-so made a proposal.
“……Wanna raise the stakes if you’re that confident?”
“Deal. How much?”
“Points are boring, right?”
“Honestly, yeah.”
Both of them had more than enough points, so gaining or losing a few thousand more probably wouldn’t faze them.
Soon enough, Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so glanced at me with their lips curling up mischievously.
“How about the loser buys dinner?”
“With Kim Ho included?”
“Of course. A restaurant in the downtown area.”
“Sounds good. Let’s do it.”
The downtown bakery and restaurant were considered the top-tier spots on Dungeon Island. They were always competing for first and second place in popularity. ŖâNȱ฿Ё𝐒
To get a reservation, you had to beat crazy odds.
Even club presidents or vice presidents would need to put in some effort.
Still, I felt the need to pump the brakes here, so I cut in and asked,
“Things are moving a bit too fast, don’t you think? What about my opinion in all this?”
Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so looked genuinely confused.
“What are you talking about, Kim Ho?”
“You don’t want to hang out with your noonas?”
“After all the effort we’re putting in for you?”
“You’re not thinking of coldly rejecting us, are you?”
“It’s not too late, you know. Just say yes already.”
They launched into their usual Qyu-Qyu/Sho-Sho combo pressure tactics, clearly warning me that a refusal would result in some serious sulking.
After a brief silent standoff, I was the first to raise the white flag.
“Just this once. If you pull this again, I’m not coming.”
“Yeah, yeah, just this once.”
Dang Gyu-young nodded and smiled sweetly.
Then she asked me,
“Okay, so the bet’s just between us. If you’re not picking Han So-mi or Moyong Jun, who are you betting on?”
“I’m only going with Gap-doo senior for Group 4.”
“Why not go with Song Cheon-gi? You could at least win a bit that way. Or even Hong Ye-hwa…she’s not a bad choice.”
“I haven’t seen enough to judge their actual skill.”
From what I could tell, Hong Ye-hwa was likely a stronger version of Hong Yeon-hwa, so her odds of making the finals were high.
Still, without seeing her true ability, betting on her just wouldn’t be as fun.
Dang Gyu-young shrugged.
“Suit yourself. Do whatever you want.”
While we were chatting, the queue kept shrinking, and both Han So-mi and Moyong Jun began their respective preliminary matches.
As we watched them, Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so each made a comment.
“Their styles are totally opposite.”
“They use different sword techniques.”
Han So-mi fought aggressively with a fierce and sharp sword style, while Moyong Jun slowly gained the upper hand using a balanced and solid technique focused on both offense and defense.
“Of course, typical of someone from a prestigious clan. Yong-jun’s swordplay is so boring.”
“Silly Qyu-Qyu. It’s not Mo Yong-jun. It’s Moyong, Jun.”
“I know that, Jegal So, So.”
“That kinda stings, you know.”
Sensing another Qyu-Sho skirmish about to break out, I quickly popped popcorn into both of their mouths.
Chewing contentedly, Dang Gyu-young said,
“But this is kind of boring. Aren’t they both just gonna make it to the finals at this rate?”
“Right? It’s not exciting.”
Agreeing, Jegal So-so fed me some popcorn too.
As they said, Han So-mi and Moyong Jun’s opponents felt a bit too average.
They were cruising through the early matches, steadily making their way to the finals.
Of course, that didn’t last long.
When the two first-years entered the circular arena for their next matches, their names appeared on the scoreboard.
[Han So-mi vs Song Cheon-gi]
[Moyong Jun vs Kim Gap-doo]
– Waaaaah!—
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
Two big matches were happening at the same time, after all.
Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so’s bored expressions quickly turned to excitement.
“Now this is getting interesting.”
“You don’t think they’ll win, right?”
“Probably not, but we’ll see.”
Since it’s the Fixed Zone, actual skill matters more than stats, and upsets can always happen.
As soon as Han So-mi stepped into the arena, she bowed politely.
I could almost hear her cheerful greeting playing in my head.
Hellooo~!
In response, Song Cheon-gi gave a curt nod.
Still, maybe because she was his little sister’s friend, there was a slight softness to his usual cold demeanor.
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Start!]
[Han So-mi 100%]
vs
[Song Cheon-gi 100%]
As soon as the match began, Han So-mi dashed straight toward her opponent.
In contrast, Song Cheon-gi remained completely still.
He casually tossed the large topaz orb in his hand upward. It was his main weapon, the Orb.
The topaz orb floated to about shoulder height beside him and began emitting electricity in all directions.
Fzzzzzt—
A large magic circle formed around him, gradually glowing with a golden light.
The moment Han So-mi stepped into its radius—
Zap!
[Han So-mi 99%]
[Han So-mi 98%]
Sparks flew as her health slowly ticked down.
A field-type spell: Lightning Field.
It was the same spell Song Cheon-hye had used during the first semester’s defense strategy battle.
Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so chimed in again.
“He’s trying to wear her down slowly.”
“Not like Han So-mi has a choice anyway.”
It was a strategy to lure the opponent into a field and deal sustained damage over time.
As a swordsman, she had no choice but to get in close, even if she knew the risks.
“Now it all depends on how well she defends.”
This strategy only works if the caster can hold their ground.
If they can’t, they’ll take more damage than they deal.
Obviously, Song Cheon-gi wouldn’t have chosen this method unless he was confident he could handle it.
Sure enough, he handled close combat like a seasoned martial artist.
He nimbly dodged or deflected Han So-mi’s strikes, weaving through the gaps with fluid motion.
Occasionally, he’d even flash behind her with a lightning-fast movement technique.
Fwoosh!
A lightning-type movement technique: Lightning in the Clouds.
Since spatial magic was essentially unusable in this C-rank Fixed Zone, with only gear-engraved spells could activate it, and even then very rarely….this movement technique was likely his alternative.
And it seemed like a solid choice.
Even though Han So-mi was responding quickly, slight openings still emerged, and the floating topaz orb would zap her every time it saw an opening.
Crack!
[Song Cheon-gi 99%]
vs
[Han So-mi 83%]
“He’s toying with her. And she’s part of the first-year disciplinary committee too.”
“Looks like he’s rotating through three different slots.”
Third-year students could register up to eight slots.
However, Song Cheon-gi hadn’t revealed even half of his yet.
It meant that what he had shown so far was already more than enough and that he intended to save the rest for when he faced stronger opponents in the finals.
A playful smile tugged at the corners of Jegal So-so’s lips.
“That’s one loss. Looks like Han So-mi won’t make it to the finals.”
“You never know. What about Yong-jun, huh?”
“Why do you keep calling him Yong-jun? You trying to start something?”
“Bring it on!”
The two playfully bickered while still keeping their eyes on Moyong Jun’s arena.
The situation there wasn’t straying far from expectations either.
[Moyong Jun 76%]
vs
[Kim Gap-doo 94%]
Shwee-shwee-shwee-shwee!
Bang-bang-bang!
At close range, blades and fists, sword energy and fist wind clashed without pause.
Moyong Jun moved his sword slowly, like he was painting with it.
The sword energy around him formed a solid wall.
But when Kim Gap-doo’s eyes flashed and his fists flew in rapid succession, a hole burst open in the wall of sword energy.
He had spotted a weakness in that brief instant.
Next, the fist wind blasted through the gap and slammed into Moyong Jun.
Boooom!
It had turned into a one-sided beatdown.
Dang Gyu-yeong excitedly pumped her fists into the air.
“Nice! Gap-doo punch! Gap-doo punch!”
“Oh my, our little Qyu-Syu. So excited, cheering for Gap-doo and all.”
“Why not? I put 5,000 points on him, and he’s fighting smart.”
“Well, yeah, he is sneakily clever.”
Jegal So-so seemed to agree with that point.
With his toad-like looks and large build, Kim Gap-doo gave the impression of a straightforward, charging warrior.
But in reality, he was deeply calculating and preferred opportunistic tactics that bordered on being sly.
Even now, despite clearly knowing the gap in skill, he didn’t overextend; instead, he only struck when he spotted an opening.
Eventually, Moyong Jun kept getting hit until the five-minute time limit ended, resulting in a decision loss.
Still, as befitting a talented disciple of a prestigious sect, he exited the arena with a respectful bow at the end.
When they turned back to Han So-mi’s arena, the scoreboard had just posted the result.
[Han So-mi Lose]
vs
[Song Cheon-gi Win]
Dang Gyu-yeong and Jegal So-so looked at each other.
“One loss each, how cute.”
“It’s starting to get tense. But maybe that makes it even more fun?”
“Right? Right?”
They had been so sure they’d make it to the finals…now, that certainty was beginning to shake.
Worse, both of them were backed into a corner.
Still… could it really happen again like last time?
Sure, maybe one of them could get a tough draw. But both of them, back to back? What were the odds they’d both end up facing monsters?
…Or so they thought. That prediction was thoroughly off the mark.
– Wooooaah!!
Thunderous cheers exploded across the arena.
Everyone had seen the names pop up in the two circular coliseums.
[Han So-mi vs Hong Ye-hwa]
[Mo Yong-jun vs Song Cheon-gi]
“Wow, Group 4’s a total bloodbath.”
“What kind of matchups are these?”
Whether Han So-mi would hold her own against Hong Ye-hwa remained to be seen…but things already looked bleak.
Same with Moyong Jun.
If his skill level was similar to Han So-mi’s, defeating Song Cheon-gi would be nearly impossible.
Something came to mind, and I turned to the two of them.
“If both of them lose, that means I win both bets. Let’s save the trip to the downtown area for another day.”
At that, Dang Gyu-yeong and Jegal So-so blinked at each other, then looked at me with puzzled expressions.
“What are you talking about?”
“If we both lose, that means both of us are buying you food.”
“Taking turns.”
I had clearly walked right into Sho-Qyu’s trap.