Episode 14 Placement Test (4)
[Go Hyun-woo 100% vs Baek Jun-seok 87%]
[3:08 remaining]
Go Hyun-woo was in the middle of taking his second placement test.
The opponent is a typical knight, wearing sturdy armor over his uniform and wielding a two-handed sword.
Every time the heavy, thick blade cuts through the air, a murderous cracking sound rings out.
However, even such a fierce-looking attack is of no use if it doesn’t hit.
Clearly, the one who keeps attacking is Baek Jun-seok, and the one who focuses only on avoiding is Go Hyeon-woo.
However, it does not seem like Baek Jun-seok has the upper hand at all.
Baek Jun-seok looked visibly exhausted and was sweating profusely, while Go Hyeon-woo continued his leisurely movements with a very calm expression.
“Gasp, huh, kekekeke.”
Baek Jun-seok stopped attacking and opened up some distance.
I kept repeating attacks that didn’t work and I just got tired of it.
Go Hyun-woo aimed his sword at his opponent who was breathing heavily and asked.
“Would you like more?”
“……profit!”
Baek Jun-seok got angry and ran towards me.
He doesn’t have much stamina left, so he swings his longsword recklessly without any thought about what will happen after he uses up all his stamina.
At that moment, Go Hyun-woo, who had been avoiding everything, took a step forward.
Then, as if drawing with a brush, I gently drew the iron sword,
– Knock knock knock!
A long diagonal wound was carved into Baek Jun-seok’s armor with a creepy friction sound.
[Go Hyun-woo 100% vs Baek Jun-seok 87%]
[Go Hyun-woo 100% vs Baek Jun-seok 68%]
Stamina that is completely lost in an instant.
Baek Jun-seok fell to one knee, clutching his chest in excruciating pain.
A sword was pointed at him again.
“Would you like more?”
“… … I lost.”
[Go Hyun-woo Win vs Baek Jun-seok Lose]
‘That’s definitely a good idea.’
Go Hyun-woo took a light step and swung his sword without a care.
The profound mystery contained within it seemed to me.
Although it still has many shortcomings in many ways, it is almost complete when it comes to swordsmanship alone.
If anyone who knew me heard this assessment, they would be shocked.
My evaluation is quite harsh.
Although Shin Byeong-cheol couldn’t read the profound mysteries, he seemed to agree that Go Hyeon-woo was quite strong.
“Wow… … Baek Jun-seok isn’t an easy opponent, but he just cut it down. I heard he split it half with Han So-mi too?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“Hehehe, I’m a person who buys and sells information, that’s what I’m saying. I have to do this much. Anyway, this guy has won two games now, right? Let’s test our skills in the third game.”
Go Hyun-woo boarded the teleportation magic circle to take the final placement test.
Soon, a person from the opposite side walked out as well.
A head taller than the average male student, with a muscular build and steel-like muscles.
[Go Hyun-woo 100% vs. Jo Byeok 100%]
“… … It’s going to be a tough 3rd game.”
“Who is stronger between Han So-mi and Jo Byeok?”
In response to my question, Shin Byeong-cheol rubbed his chin with a rare serious expression.
“Well, if you compare only the world’s evaluations, Fist King is slightly higher than Sword Lord. But that’s only a comparison between Fist King and Sword Lord. Wouldn’t the skills of the disciples be different?”
“In a word, you don’t know?”
“… … .”
Shin Byeong-cheol, who was speechless for a moment, quickly changed the subject.
“… … Anyway! This time, let’s try a different bet. Instead of seeing who wins, let’s see how many minutes it takes to decide the outcome. What do you think?”
“Okay, let’s do that. You decide first.”
When the game was decided, how many minutes had elapsed out of the 5-minute time limit?
After a brief moment of deliberation, Shin Byeong-cheol was the first to set the time.
“I’ll use 4 minutes. No, 5 minutes. If our skills are similar, it won’t be over quickly, right?”
“Then I’ll cut it to 2 minutes.”
“……ok?”
Shin Byeong-cheol was showing his bewilderment without holding back.
This is because it is rare for a match to be decided in two minutes unless one side is overwhelmingly superior in skill.
“No, why is there a 2-minute cut again this time? He’s losing so quickly?”
“Who said it would be quicker? I never said anything like that.”
“Then what is it?”
“You’ll know when you see it.”
“Hey, what is it about you that makes people curious? Even so, two minutes is too much.”
“If you sleep too much, I’ll give you back 5 silver. Let’s see. What happens?”
* * *
‘Brother Kim is watching.’
Kim Ho’s figure was caught in Go Hyun-woo’s sight.
He looks down at himself from the stands and has a serious conversation with Shin Byeong-cheol.
Even if you don’t know the content, it’s probably not completely unrelated to you.
If possible, I want to show my winning side in front of my friends.
Whether winning or losing will affect friendship, but wouldn’t it be more honorable to win?
But it won’t be as easy as it sounds.
As the opponent is the opponent.
[Go Hyun-woo 100% vs. Jo Byeok 100%]
Go Hyun-woo glanced at the scoreboard once and the wall once.
He said he was the disciple of the King of Power.
Based on a quick look at Han So-mi’s skills on the train, it would be difficult to predict a victory if Jo Byeok’s skills are similar to Han So-mi’s.
On the train, he was able to hold out a little longer thanks to Kim Ho’s mysterious ability, but this time he had to fight back solely with his own strength.
Suddenly he looked down at his hands.
My hands were shaking slightly without me knowing.
Is the shaking caused by fear? Excitement? Anticipation? Or maybe all three?
He wasn’t sure either.
I clenched my fist hard and released it, and the shaking stopped.
Only then did Go Hyun-woo look straight ahead again.
Staring at each other, Jo Byeok slowly opened his mouth.
“I heard that you are on par with Han So-mi.”
“It’s not worth it. With my lack of skill, I only dazzled the eyes of a young lady.”
“We can check from now on whether it is truly lacking. How about drawing your sword?”
Go Hyun-woo realized that the ‘sword’ that Jo Byeok was talking about did not refer to the iron sword at his waist.
Because the gaze was directed towards the shoulder, that is, the sacred object tied to the back.
He had to shake his head with a bitter smile.
“I would like to do the same, but now is not the time.”
“I see. That’s too bad.”
“I agree. Then let’s get started.”
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Start!]
As soon as the match started, the wall kicked the ground.
He was very agile, despite his bear-like size.
With each step I take, the distance between us gets shorter.
Go Hyun-woo sent out two light sword blasts to both check and deter, but Jo Byeok didn’t even think about blocking them.
The black energy faded away without any effect when it touched Jo-byeok’s body.
‘They’re going to have a blast from the start.’
Go Hyun-woo thought that this was a very typical fighting style.
We eliminate any pretense like exploration and tackle it head on from the beginning.
Although he wanted to enjoy the battle a little more leisurely, he didn’t dislike this type of fighting.
“hmm!”
Go Hyun-woo, who realized that his opponent had entered the gap, took the initiative.
He grabs the iron sword he was swinging with one hand and uses both hands to aim for Jo Byeok’s upper body with a series of storm-like slashes.
– Sssssss—
The new model of the wall shook from side to side, leaving behind a faint afterimage.
He dodges all the sword strikes that fly at him at a speed that is disproportionate to his size.
At the same time, his tightly clenched fist was filled with powerful energy.
The wall pulled it close and then stretched it straight out forward.
In Go Hyun-woo’s line of sight, the fist appeared to grow in size in an instant as it approached.
‘It’s like a giant rock… … !’
I didn’t have time to just admire it.
He gathers up his momentum, puts it into his iron sword, and swings the three swords at a speed similar to lightning.
– Papa Pot!
With each strike of the sword, the rock-like energy would noticeably diminish.
However, even after clashing with the sword three times, Jo Byeok’s fist was not completely dispelled, and some of it remained and struck Go Hyun-woo.
– Boom!
‘Hmm… … .’
A shock is felt on the body as if hit by a large rock.
The moment I furrowed my brow slightly, Jo Byeok disappeared from my sight.
Go Hyun-woo immediately jumped forward,
– Boom!
A huge pile of debris fell where he had just been standing.
The gray tiles of the arena shatter and scatter in all directions.
Go Hyun-woo took advantage of the gap in Jo-byeok’s attack to gain distance, but his idea that he would be safe if he just gained distance was a big mistake.
A wall of fists being thrown from afar.
It’s the same volume as before.
But from that great distance, a boulder-like force came crashing down on Ko Hyun-woo.
‘It’s not easy.’
– Papapapapat!
This time, he tried to counter Jo Byeok’s momentum by striking him with five consecutive sword strikes, but some of them still remained and struck him.
– Boom!
It’s painful to think that the battle started and we only exchanged a few moves, but we were only losing the whole time.
If things continue like this, it will continue to be the same in the future.
Go Hyun-woo could no longer deny it.
‘This is about the limit for basic skills. I thought it would be a little more effective… … .’
The moment has come to slowly show off the skills that have been hidden away.
“… … .”
Jo Byeok, who was closing the distance again, suddenly noticed that Go Hyun Woo’s momentum had suddenly changed.
The iron sword moves so slowly that it bores the viewer, and at the same time, a faint breeze blowing from somewhere tickles his hair.
A cool breeze that occasionally blows on hot summer days, cooling the heat on the ground.
There is no way that the wind could blow into the circular arena, which is completely isolated from the outside world.
Therefore, the source of this good wind must be Koh Hyun-woo in front of us.
‘It’s not normal.’
The instinct of the wall rang the alarm.
This time, we have to be careful.
So, he kept a certain distance and fired a third punch.
However, his energy, which was like a giant boulder, melted and disappeared in an instant when touched by a breeze.
The next volume of shouts also evaporates quickly.
Only then did Jo Byeok become certain.
‘That breeze is a kind of sword energy.’
Through the previous two fights, I learned that clumsy attacks are a waste of energy.
In that case, we will focus all our strength on just one move to decide the outcome.
A typified speculation rose from the body of the wall.
He wrapped it tightly around his body and jumped into the gently blowing wind.
‘This is… … .’
It was the right choice to push speculation to its limit.
The soft breeze passing by, like a rushing black energy, presses on him from all sides.
Any unmanned person would be instantly devastated and turned into a cold corpse.
The speculation surrounding the body quickly diminished, but this was expected.
It’s enough to reach the goal.
“… … .”
As he faced the approaching wall, Go Hyun-woo also sensed that he had made a decisive move.
As he raised the smoothly moving iron sword above his head, all the breeze blowing toward the wall was focused on the blade.
The moment Jo Byeok threw his fist,
Go Hyun-woo’s iron sword also fell down.
– Flash!
“… … .”
“… … .”
In the blink of an eye, the two people’s positions were switched.
After a moment of silence, Jo Byeok spoke first.
“… … What is this herbivore’s name?”
“Clear stream.”
Jo Byeok slowly lowered his gaze.
The shoulder area of the school uniform was slightly cut off.
This means that Go Hyun-woo’s sword surpassed the school uniform’s D-class defensive magic, even if only for a brief moment.
However, judging from the fact that there were no further injuries, it seems that the self-defense equipment worn by Jo Byeok on his body was not affected.
“I don’t remember, but it’s a shame.”
– Perseus,
The iron sword that Go Hyun-woo had hung down slowly broke apart from the tip.
The durability has been exhausted by the repulsive force of the collision between the herbivores.
When I put down the iron sword, only the handle remained, and even the remaining parts disappeared.
With the iron sword destroyed, he was left with two choices.
Either draw your long sword and fight to the end, or admit defeat.
Go Hyun-woo chose the latter.
“I lost.”
“I look forward to the next match. I want to see your full potential then.”
“… … .”
Go Hyun-woo turned his back and watched Jo Byeok leave without saying a word.
I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
* * *
I noticed the iron sword that Go Hyun-woo always carried around.
It is understandable that there must be a reason for having to use a different sword instead of the sacred water of the four gates.
But does it necessarily have to be an ‘iron sword’?
The answer I came up with after thinking about that question in my own way is,
‘Because I have to use it as a consumable.’
Even when the iron sword broke on the train, Go Hyun-woo didn’t think much of it.
It wasn’t the attitude of someone who had experienced that situation once or twice.
Perhaps it is because of the characteristics of the martial arts that Go Hyun-woo has mastered.
Since it is impossible for ordinary equipment to fully contain the energy, its durability quickly decreases and it eventually breaks.
If that’s the case, then the same thing could easily have happened in the placement test.
Especially against strong opponents like Jo Byeok, the probability is very high.
So the ‘2 minute cut’ I bet on was not the time for the match to be decided, but the time for the iron sword to break without holding up.
[Go Hyun-woo Loses vs. Jo Byeok Wins]
The match lasted 2 minutes and 28 seconds.
It was much closer to 2 minutes than 5 minutes, so the bet was a win for me.
“Oh no, this is ridiculous. It’s going to end like that? Hey, this isn’t it. How did you predict this?”
“The tongue is long. 5 silver.”
When I held out my hand to collect the money, Shin Byeong-cheol gave me a mean smile.
“Hey, I don’t have any money right now, but I’ll lend you some right now. Really right now.”
“You said you’d do it. Why did you make the bet when you don’t have any money?”
“No, I knew I’d win this time… … If I had to bet, it would be Shin Byeong-cheol, but the bullies are really fierce today.”
Seeing him say that, I guess he must have had quite a bit of confidence.
It was unfortunate that the person competing with him in terms of insight was me.
It’s okay to leave 5 silver in debt, but
“You don’t necessarily have to accept money.”
“Really? Then what?”
Shin Byeong-cheol asked with a smile.
I gestured to the notepad the guy was holding.
information.
The supporters ate it all
