Episode 125 Week 7 Mentoring, In-person Battle (10)
“Ah… … . I’m dizzy, really.”
Dang Gyu-yeong touched his forehead as if he was feeling dizzy.
It wasn’t surprising, since I got hit with two public confessions and conditional date requests in a row.
“Let’s start by separating the construction work. We’re in the middle of mentoring. Why are you bringing the kids in?”
“… … That’s a valid point.”
Kim Gap-du nodded obediently and agreed.
Since the number of players on both sides is equal, it would be helpful for both classes, the martial artist and the magician, to have more practical experience.
So the idea of having a personal battle is good.
However, if the mentor is the one who benefits as a result, and if the content of that benefit is extremely personal and emotional, like a love game, then there is bound to be gossip later on.
“And this is not going to motivate you. So I’ll make a suggestion to you.”
Kim Gap-doo paused for a moment before making his suggestion.
I don’t know what they were offering as compensation, but it seemed like a waste.
He takes a deep breath, steels his resolve, then slowly looks around the room and declares.
“Today, I turn inventory. The winning team is the elixir party.”
“… … !”
“… … !”
The elixir’s effects were outstanding.
The warriors who had been looking at Kim Gap-doo with pitiful eyes immediately began to burn with fighting spirit.
The Muin tribe is extremely simple-minded, and they tend to roll their eyes at the mention of words like ‘coincidence,’ ‘elixir,’ and ‘new disease.’
Even just looking at Go Hyun-woo, it’s like that.
But it’s not just a single root of Yeongdan or Hasuo, it’s a party of elixirs.
“Immeasurable Life Buddha… … .”
Ilgong was still reciting the Taoist mantra with a calm demeanor, but one thing that had changed was that the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.
It might not be one of those.
On our side, we were a bit hesitant about Kim Gap-doo’s declaration of a party for elixirs, but we tended to support Dang Gyu-young more.
Forced dating on the ground? Does that make any sense?
Only Kwak Ji-cheol showed signs of excitement, but then frowned at Song Cheon-hye’s glare.
As the mood calmed down a bit, Kim Gap-doo continued speaking.
“And Dang Gyu-yeong, I also know that you wouldn’t even consider this bet unless you were really serious. You’re a calculating woman.”
“Oh. You know a lot.”
“Even so, I’m fine with it! Now listen to the conditions I’m offering. I’ve prepared them to be quite harsh. If you win… … .”
As you might have guessed from the part where Muto takes on the role of mentor, Kim Gap-du is also the president of the Muto club.
All sorts of privileges he could hand over as manager flowed out from his mouth.
It also included a second semester special performance room season pass, production VIP tickets, etc.
‘You’re going to burn all that in one go?’
I modified my evaluation of Kim Kap-doo a little.
Just pouring out the potions you’ve saved up will cause you a lot of bleeding, but if you hand over so many vested interests, there’s a great risk that your position as a manager will be shaken.
That means he put a lot of effort into this bet.
In short, it’s a pitifully cool toad.
Of course, apart from that evaluation,
‘I just can’t pass this up.’
Bets with such extraordinary conditions don’t come easily.
Dang Gyu-young also seemed to have similar thoughts, as he did not reject her outright like before, but instead folded his arms and looked lost in thought.
I whispered something to Dang Gyu-yeong.
“I’ll take it, I bet.”
“What if it’s a date on the ground?”
“You just have to win.”
“If it were as easy as it sounds, I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“I know. But I have one surefire card.”
The winning card, of course, is me, who has won against promising prospects in the previous two matches.
It is more effective because the other side is unaware of this fact.
Dang Gyu-yeong looked at me with a look of surprise.
“Show off your skills? You’ve been hiding them well so far.”
“Just a little bit. In return, I would like to receive a share as well.”
Instead of putting effort into winning the bet, he asked Kim Gap-du to hand over a few of the interests he had put up.
Dang Gyu-yeong nodded his chin slightly in agreement.
“Then let’s say you got one win, what about the rest?”
“We have two promising prospects on our side, so what are you worried about?”
“But what if I lose by any chance?”
I pointed to Kim Gap-du with a nod.
“If by any chance you lose, you can go on a date with that person and I can join the club.”
Dang Gyu-young’s face crumpled at the word ‘date’, but she brightened when she heard the word ‘entrance’.
“Really? On our side? Not somewhere else?”
“Yes, the Thieves’ Club.”
This seemed to have relieved Dang Gyu-yeong of his worries to a great extent.
If you win, you’ll get a lot of benefits from the elixir party, so it’s a jackpot.
Even if I go on a date with Kim Gap-doo, the gains outweigh the losses because he can bring me back to the club.
“Okay, let’s take it. But why are you here? You brought up the topic of admission first.”
“Because we will win.”
“… … It sounds like you have no intention of joining at all?”
“… … .”
When I smiled silently, Dang Gyu-young pouted her lips.
“Keuh-hum!”
Kim Gap-du coughed loudly to get my attention, perhaps because he found it annoying that Dang Gyu-young and I kept whispering while facing each other.
“Dang Gyu-yeong, I would like to hear your answer soon.”
“Oh. I decided to take it.”
“You really thought it through!”
Kim Gap-du became a happy toad for a moment and gave a burdensome smile.
Dang Gyu-yeong pretended not to see it and quickly continued the conversation.
“What are the rules?”
“One person from each team will come out and compete one-on-one. Multiple participants are not allowed, and the mentor will randomly decide who to send first.”
“Are you blind?”
“Yes.”
For example, Dang Gyu-yeong can decide whether to send out Kwak Ji-cheol or Hong Yeon-hwa in the first match.
One thing to consider here is that this is blind matching.
You don’t know who the opposing team has sent out until the game starts.
If you send out Gwak Ji-cheol, you might end up with Bukgung Han-seol as your opponent, so you have to be careful while operating.
“Is it a 3-win game?”
“Yes. If by any chance the score becomes 2 vs. 2, we can discuss it again.”
Dang Gyu-yeong nodded to the mentors behind Kim Gap-doo.
“How many points do you kids have?”
“Two in the 600s and two in the 900s.”
Ilgong and the unknown martial artist A have 600 points, Bukgung Hanseol has 900 points, and there is one person who has not yet been revealed has 900 points.
Dang Gyu-yeong frowned.
“What? Everyone here except one got around 600 points.”
“Isn’t Hong Yeon-hwa a promising prospect? Even if she’s in the 900s, she’s not lacking.”
“We have to look at the score. It’s unfair before we even start.”
When Dang Gyu-yeong kept asking, Gip Gap-du became a cowering toad.
“… … I admit it. I’ll handicap just one game. Are you satisfied with that?”
“I decide what the handicap is?”
“If it’s at a level that both parties can agree on.”
“good.”
The detailed rules have been agreed upon.
The two mentors operated the terminal and entered the agreed-upon details, and then the mentees scanned their student IDs.
Soon a large group teleportation magic circle appeared in front of the stage and began to glow.
As everyone stepped onto it, the view changed drastically.
* * *
A valley full of strangely shaped rocks.
Although the elevation is not very high, it is a place where you can only see the surrounding terrain when you climb up because it is laid out in steps like stairs.
And among the strangely shaped rocks scattered throughout the area, there was one rock that stood out like a lighthouse and shone brightly.
It was the sanctuary of this terrain.
Meanwhile, we were summoned to a much higher cliff overlooking the canyon, which served as a sort of audience stand.
Kim Gap-doo’s team must have been summoned somewhere on the opposite cliff.
Dang Gyu-yeong looked out over the valley and then looked around at us and said.
“Who wants to play in the first match?”
Then Song Cheon-hye immediately raised her hand.
“I want to try it first.”
Break the enemy’s attack by inflicting heavy damage from the beginning.
It’s not a bad choice since the opponent is likely to take out Bukgung Hanseol, a strong card, first.
Dang Gyu-yeong seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he nodded his head calmly.
“Okay, go and come back.”
As Song Cheon-hye stepped into the small magic circle, she disappeared with a swish, and then appeared below in the next moment.
Soon, the fighter A we had seen earlier appeared on the other side, and information about the two people was displayed on the scoreboard.
[Song Cheon-hye 988 points vs. Son Hyeong-taek 631 points]
“Tch, it’s in the 600s.”
Dang Gyu-yeong clicked his tongue.
This is because I secretly hoped that the other side would send out Bukgung Hanseol.
If we compare their skills, Song Cheon-hye was about half as good, so she could have started by defeating one person with a score of 900, but it was disappointing.
A look of regret flashed across Song Cheon-hye’s face for a moment, but she straightened her posture as if she was determined to do her best no matter who her opponent was.
Since the outcome of a match can be determined by recharging the crystal, if you rely only on the score difference and approach it complacently, you may be caught off guard.
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Start!]
[Song Cheon-hye 100%] vs [Son Hyeong-taek 100%]
[Crystal 0%]
– Crackle crackle!
Song Cheon-hye, who runs wild like a single ray of lightning.
In an instant, you climb to the top of a cliff with many layers and look out over the surrounding area.
At that moment, Son Hyeong-taek’s eyes met with his, who had climbed up the cliff on the other side, but the two ignored each other for the time being and focused only on observing their surroundings.
To find out the location of the crystal before anything else.
“… … !”
Soon, Son Hyeong-taek’s gaze stopped at one spot, and he kicked the ground and started running.
Song Cheon-hye ran in the same direction without even knowing where Crystal was, because there was a very high possibility that Crystal would be where Son Hyeong-taek was heading.
– Crackle!
Song Cheon-hye runs wild again, becoming a single ray of lightning.
However, when the two found each other again, Son Hyung-taek had already discovered the makeshift altar and retrieved the crystal.
“… … .”
Son Hyeong-taek immediately turns his back and runs away.
It seems that they decided that it would not be too late to start the battle after connecting the crystal and the sanctuary.
After that, Song Cheon-hye, who had been transformed into a single line of lightning, pursued him.
– Crackle crackle!
“Huh, huh?”
Something similar to a security guard came out of Son Hyeong-taek’s mouth.
This is because Song Cheon-hye was catching up much faster than expected.
Even though I was running with all my might, the distance kept getting shorter.
And finally, the moment when the distance between the two people becomes 0,
Song Cheon-hye, with her entire body covered in brain electricity, slammed Son Hyeong-taek into the ground with a body slam.
– Gulp! Boom!!
“Kuaaaah!”
Son Hyeong-taek’s desperate scream echoed along with a loud thunderclap.
