Episode 81 Week 5 Mentoring, In-person Battle (4)
“How did you get into mentoring?”
“Pfft, are you surprised? Are you surprised?”
Dang Gyu-yeong let out a happy laugh.
“They say that if you mentor someone, they’ll waive the punishment. When I think about it, I think this would be better.”
“How much did you deduct?”
“All of them.”
I nodded.
If you take everything out, it’s doable.
I must have gotten quite a lot by breaking into the temporary storage and eating a bunch of forbidden items, but if you can get rid of all of that, it’s worth the hassle of mentoring.
Still, I never thought it would be a full refund.
Vice President Oh Se-hoon seems to be more of a compromising type than I thought.
“We’ll finish talking later. The kids are waiting outside.”
Since only Hong Yeon-hwa was sent out of the stadium, the longer I stayed alone with Dang Gyu-yeong, the more likely it was that the three people waiting outside would start to feel suspicious.
It’s best to finish quickly and leave.
But before we begin, I’d like to suggest just one more thing.
“I would like you to turn off the replay.”
If Dang Gyu-yeong had been watching me until now, there was no way he wouldn’t know what I meant.
If you turn off the replay, it means you will show off skills that cannot be shown in official settings.
Dang Gyu-yeong looked slightly troubled, even though he was drawn to the idea.
“Honestly, I’m curious… … . Am I a mentor now? I have to upload the replays regularly.”
Even if it’s only a one-on-one battle, mentoring is also in progress.
Because the academic department wants to track students’ progress, it is recommended that all replays be recorded and submitted.
It is not mandatory, but it is best to match it as much as possible as it will be reflected in Dang Gyu-young’s mentoring performance.
So I proposed again.
“Then let’s do it unofficially this time, and have the official match again when the replay comes back. With the other kids.”
“I wonder?”
[Sub Quest: Week 5 PvP Battle]
▷Goal: Remove stickers (-/3)
▷Deadline: ~Sunday midnight
▷Reward: Differential payment depending on the time of achievement
The goal of the sub-quest is to ‘remove the stickers.’
As long as you receive the quest reward, you can take your time with the PvP battle itself.
It was a proposal that had nothing to lose from Dang Gyu-young’s perspective.
As a result, it meant that the replay to be submitted to the academic side had been secured.
After retrieving the replay correction ball, he snaps his finger at me.
“Come and see, then.”
Their eyes were filled with anticipation at what they would see.
But contrary to expectations, I don’t have much to show this time.
Because I plan to finish this quickly.
[Use ‘amplify’.]
[‘Overheat’ grade increases. (D->B)]
Cast [Inferno Fist],
Absorbed the flames burning from his fist with [Overheat].
Overheat’s effect is maximized the more powerful the flame skill it absorbs, or the higher the rank of the Overheat itself.
I used B-class overheat on Inferno Fist, so the result is this.
– Whoosh, whoosh,
Soon, a tremendous force began to boil up inside and run wild.
It seems like it would be a bit difficult to control since it is too much power compared to my current level and body.
‘So we have to finish this quickly.’
After taking a stance, he kicked the ground hard.
– Pot!
In one breath, Dang Gyu-yeong’s figure came closer.
I kicked the ground again and it came right up to my nose.
Dang Gyu-yeong had been somewhat prepared, but he opened his eyes as if he had not expected this kind of situation.
“Huh, huh?”
– Squeak!
My new model passed by Dang Gyu-yeong in an instant, and there was a sound of something being ripped.
And before I knew it, I had a sticker stuck to my hand.
Dang Gyu-young looked at the sticker, looked down, and checked my waist.
A hollow and empty side.
‘This is why you need to level up.’
Currently, Dang Gyu-yeong is wearing a bracelet, so all of his skills and characteristics are limited to C-rank.
On the other hand, the rank of the thief’s steps that I copied from Dang Gyu-yeong is B, and with the bonus of the shoes that the calligrapher gave me, it becomes B+.
This alone is a huge difference in speed, but with overheat, physical abilities have also been greatly increased.
Even when Overheat was a D-class, he played tag with Black Ark without getting hurt at all, so there’s no need to even mention B-class.
I immediately straightened my posture.
“I’ll go next time.”
“Hey, hey, wait a minute. Just wait a minute.”
“Where is the moment in a match?”
– Pot!
It compresses the space again and crushes it.
As Dang Gyu-yeong hurriedly stepped back and waved his hand in the air, several shadowy limbs rose up from below, trying to stop him.
I gathered mana in my hand and struck hard at the shadow hands and feet that were approaching me.
– Boom!
As the shadows dispersed, it seemed like Dang Gyu-yeong was also quite shocked.
A shock that can make your body stiffen even for a moment.
In that short gap, I quickly bypassed the shadow and went around to Dang Gyu-yeong’s side.
“… … .”
The experience he had accumulated through his third year of high school was not lost, and Dang Gyu-yeong was quickly regaining his composure.
He tries to grab the sticker by pushing it away while reaching out for it.
But since I only pretended to extend my hand and withdrew it, Dang Gyu-yeong was left holding onto empty air.
I reach out again, and Dang Gyu-yeong responds.
Their hands bump into each other and become entangled with each other, even though they are separated by a short distance of not even a step.
Then suddenly I stepped back,
– Boom!
I saw the shadow hammer sink into the spot where I had just been standing, and I kicked the ground hard again and charged forward.
– Pot!
Dang Gyu-yeong reacted immediately, but his body did not follow suit, so his defense was a little late.
– Squeak!
And using that small difference, I managed to peel off the second sticker.
As I spread the distance and stuck stickers all over my body, Dang Gyu-yeong burst into laughter.
“Wow, you already took two. But Kim Hoya, give me some time to prepare.”
“The more I give, the more disadvantageous it becomes for me.”
“Well, that’s true.”
The main reason I was able to easily remove the two stickers was because I was much faster than Dang Gyu-yeong, who was wearing a bracelet, but on the other hand, the fact that I caught him off guard and kept going at him played a big part.
But the last third one might not be so easy.
As Dang Gyu-yeong gently waved his hand, the shadow beneath his feet began to ripple up and down like waves, expanding its range.
It meant that the skill’s performance was raised to the maximum level of C-class.
“I think I let my guard down too much because of the kids in front of me. Come to think of it, I only got hurt in the Heuksabang. I should treat them right, at least for the last time.”
The shadow, which continued to expand, soon formed a square-shaped garden.
[Yin Film Garden]
Instead of flowers, limbs made of shadows jut out, and above them three butterflies fly as if on patrol.
Even with specs limited to C-class, it can cast area magic with up to three butterflies.
This was a part where Dang Gyu-young’s stamina was revealed.
But on the other hand, it was also a very foolish thing to do.
If you spread out all kinds of magic like that, your magical power will drain in real time just by maintaining it.
In addition, [Eumyeongwon] is an extremely defensive magic, so as long as it doesn’t invade the area, Dang Gyuyeong won’t be able to harm me.
If you watch from afar, you will get tired of it and end up withdrawing your order.
But does Dang Gyu-yeong really not know this fact?
I am the one who cast the magic.
He meets my gaze and smiles brightly.
“What are you doing? It’s not coming in.”
Both eyes were shining with anticipation.
It’s like he’s thinking, ‘Surely I didn’t do all this and you’re just standing there blankly, right?’
To be honest, I’m the type of person who waits from afar in times like this.
While you’re at it, you might as well throw in a little trash talk while you wait.
Because that’s the way to make your opponent most angry.
However, since the other person is Dang Gyu-yeong, it seems like it would be better to avoid that method in order to maintain a long-term relationship.
‘I guess I’ll have to give it to you as you wish.’
I walk confidently into the shade garden on my own two feet.
As I walked briskly and stepped onto the boundary line, shadowy hands and feet attacked me from all directions.
Shadow fists clenched tightly, feet kicking or tripping, hands reaching out to grab me.
I dodged the punches, twisted and turned, stepped over the feet, jumped and jumped, and gathered mana to strike back at the hands that were trying to grab them.
– Boom!
As the shadows disperse for a moment, creating space, I quickly move forward a little.
Shadowy hands and feet rushing in from all directions.
It feels like dealing with ten or twenty people at the same time.
Wherever I look, there are pitch-black shadows moving about, making it scary.
But I was too worn-out to be bothered by such things.
Moreover, it wasn’t all that unfavorable.
Although it is said that one hand cannot beat ten, the skill rank difference was still in my favor.
If you can do ten hand strength with one hand, it’s worth a try.
Slowly advance forward while calmly avoiding, shaking off, and shaking off enemies.
After repeating this several times, I measured the distance between Dang Gyu-yeong and Hwa-won.
‘I think I can run now.’
It got so close that I could touch it with just one big jump.
I kicked the ground hard with my feet.
– Pot!
Dang Gyu-yeong had a satisfied smile on his lips as if he had expected it.
Before he knew it, he had gathered all three shadow butterflies that had been flying around the garden in front of him.
The butterflies exploded all at once, and all kinds of flying insects rained down like corn.
‘No, it won’t work. Cancel.’
– Pot!
He kicked the ground again and returned to his previous position.
I thought as I dodged and struck the shadowy hands and feet that were rushing in without giving me a moment to rest.
‘I think I can really run now.’
Now that I’ve used up all three butterflies, there’s still some time left for them to replenish.
– Pot!
He then jumped right in front of Dang Gyu-yeong.
Dang Gyu-yeong seemed astonished to see me coming and going within his territory as if it were my own living room.
Even if you do your best in C-class, the rank difference is unavoidable.
Even more so if I am the one who has the upper hand in the rankings.
But he didn’t lose his fighting spirit and kept throwing his fists.
I stepped aside and pushed the passing fist away further.
While doing so, he reached out his hand for the sticker, but Dang Gyu-yeong tried to grab his hand, and when he slapped his hand away, he blocked his hand again, and a quick exchange of attacks took place in the air.
The longer I stayed in one place and divided the workshop, the more disadvantaged I was.
Because Dang Gyu-yeong had countless hands to help him out, aside from his own two hands and two feet.
I changed positions again to avoid the shadows looming behind me.
– Pot!
A single footprint was deeply imprinted on the floor.
The next moment, I appeared on the opposite side of Dang Gyu-yeong.
First, he struck the shadow hands hard and pushed them away, then he stretched his hands forward as if trying to peel off a sticker.
“… … ?”
For a moment, a suspicious look crossed Dang Gyu-yeong’s face, because even if he let me reach out, there was still quite a distance between us.
But the next moment,
– Boom!
A burst of compressed air behind my back instantly pushed Tang Gyu-young’s new body towards me.
It was Windforce that I had been secretly preparing little by little since I first set foot in the Shadow Garden.
“!!”
Dang Gyu-yeong’s eyes widened in surprise.
He tried to regain his composure in a hurry, but before he could, I took a step closer and reached out to his chest.
And the moment the sticker tip caught my finger, I grabbed it and pulled it off with all my might.
– Crackle—thud.
“?”
I had a question mark floating above my head.
I understand the sound of a sticker being peeled off, but what is the thud sound?
That wasn’t the only strange thing.
With a thud, something the size of a fingernail shot out and aimed for my face.
What is this? Is it a secret of the Tang family?
He quickly tilted his head to the side to dodge, then backed away.
And when I saw Dang Gyu-yeong,
“… … .”
His face was twitching, as if he was quite, very annoyed.
Both cheeks may appear slightly red.
Is there any other reason besides removing all the stickers?
When I looked a little closer to see what I had missed, I saw that Dang Gyu-yeong was holding his shirt collar open with one hand.
As if something big would happen if I let it go.
It was only then that I realized what had happened.
‘Ah, a button.’
The button on my school uniform shirt was ripped off because I pulled too hard at the sticker stuck to my chest.
That button was something I had thought was a secret and avoided… … .
‘Did you work too hard?’
I took a moment to reflect.
Then, I heard Dang Gyu-yeong’s voice in my ear.
“hey.”
In a lower, colder tone than usual.
I immediately bent down.
“I’m sorry.”
