Episode 129 Week 7 Mentoring, In-person Battle (14)
Even though the situation was increasingly turning against him, Bukgung Hanseol did not give up.
[Hong Yeon-hwa 100%] vs [Bukgung Han-seol 92%]
[Crystal 51%]
Based on the time remaining until the crystal recharge is complete,
‘There are two or three opportunities at most.’
You have to reach Hong Yeon-hwa, who is in the center of the enemy camp.
It was never easy, but it didn’t seem entirely impossible.
Just a moment ago, I was busy running away from the pillars of fire shooting up from all directions.
But after running around for a while, I started to instinctively get a feel for how to move as expected from someone with a score of 900.
At least the second and third attempts will be easier than the first.
Bukgung Hanseol raised his internal energy and stepped into the area filled with magic circles once again.
A pillar of fire rising as if it had been waiting.
– Kwaaaaah—!
Bukgung Hanseol quickly stepped on the sword and advanced, avoiding the pillar of fire.
The magic circle right in front of me glowed red, but it also quickly passed by before it could be activated.
Next, three magic circles in front will shine simultaneously,
– Kwaaaaah—!
Three pillars of fire rose up.
Bukgung Hanseol tried to squeeze through the small gap between them, but as if he had anticipated it, a fire arrow flew through the gap.
– Hwaruk,
“!!”
Bukgung Hanseol had no choice but to step back and step on the side.
As if pursuing her, flaming arrows flew one after another, and she avoided them by moving further to the side.
I tried firing my arrows several times in rebellion, but I couldn’t even drop a single fire arrow, so I focused on avoiding them as much as possible and approaching the opponent.
– Kwaaaaah—!
A fire pillar shoots up from where you are about to step.
Bukgung Hanseol paused again and changed direction, and the fire arrows that followed guided her in a different direction.
– Hwaruk,
Bukgung Hanseol thought as he stepped on the path between the fire arrows and the fire pillars.
‘Just a little more!’
Hong Yeon-hwa’s strategy is to exquisitely combine Flame Arrow and Fire Pillar to limit her movements and guide her in a certain direction.
As intended, Bukgung Hanseol continued to wander around similar places.
If you drag it out like this, eventually the crystal will run out of charge.
But it was visible to Bukgung Hanseol’s eyes.
As Hong Yeon-hwa continues to activate Fire Pillar, a gap gradually becomes revealed.
The magic circle engraved on the floor disappears when magic is used, and remains as an empty space until the caster carves a new one.
Hong Yeon-hwa’s casting speed was surprisingly fast, and the empty space was quickly filled, but Bukgung Han-seol was busy moving around the area, so it was exhausted even faster.
This means that the empty space is increasing more and more.
‘There’s not much left.’
She kept watching for gaps while pretending to play along with the other person’s intentions.
And finally, the opportunity came.
– Kwaaaaa… … .
The moment the fire pillar cast by Hong Yeon-hwa died down, Bukgung Han-seol kicked the ground hard and leapt forward.
By selecting only the empty spaces where the magic circle is exhausted, you can quickly close the distance with your opponent.
At the same time, he uses up all the internal energy he had built up little by little in advance and unleashes the most powerful attack he has.
Her entire body was covered in a chilling coldness, which was concentrated in her palms and radiated forward.
[Ice Pole and Snow Soul]
– Kwakwakwakwa—!
Bukgung Hanseol was certain that this one stroke of genius would definitely work.
There is a compatibility relationship due to Aqua Flame, but a herbivore this powerful should be able to temporarily neutralize Hongyeonhwa.
If your opponent can’t operate magic circles, it will be easier to subdue them later.
however…….
The next moment, what Bukgung Hanseol saw was the corners of Hong Yeonhwa’s mouth going up as if it was funny.
Hong Yeon-hwa dropped her wand on the floor and pointed to a nearby magic circle.
In that state, when I drew the wand in a long straight line, several magic circles connected as one and shone at the same time.
The rising pillars of fire combined to form a massive wall of flame.
[Fire Wall]
– Kwaaaaaaa—!
Upon reaching the wall of blazing flames, the ice and snow crystals instantly melted and turned into steam.
Bukgung Hanseol had to retreat in a panic as a wall of flames came crashing down on him like a tidal wave.
“… … !”
Bukgung Hanseol, who had retreated like that, stood there blankly, even though there was a battle going on.
Her mouth was slightly open, as if expressing her shocked state.
This was also a trap.
‘To fall for such a simple trap… … .’
Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa was also thinking similar thoughts.
‘To fall for such a simple trap… … .’
For a moment, the sight of Bukgung Hanseol busily running around overlapped with my own appearance from a few days ago.
When sparring with Kim Ho, I was so impatient that I fell into a minor trap.
The price he paid was to have his head stuck in a tree and a huge wart formed.
I set a trap because I thought that if Bukgung Hanseol’s psychological state was the same as mine at that time, there would be a high chance that he would fall for it, but I didn’t know that he would actually fall for it.
Thanks to that, it took a long time,
‘The crystal charging is almost finished.’
[Crystal 84%]
When Hong Yeon-hwa stopped looking at herself and checked the scoreboard, Bukgung Han-seol also came to his senses.
The battle resumed immediately.
Bukgung Hanseol followed the same path as before, and tried to approach Hong Yeonhwa while avoiding the Fire Pillar and Fire Arrow.
But her steps were more feeble than before.
It was impossible to advance beyond a certain distance, and all it could do was wander back and forth like a ghost dancing.
Once I realized that what seemed like a loophole was not a loophole but a trap, I couldn’t bring myself to dig any further.
Bukgung Hanseol felt a huge wall around Hong Yeonhwa.
‘He’s definitely a promising prospect… … .’
She also grew up hearing a lot about being a genius since she was young, and even after entering Yongsal Academy where such geniuses gather, she maintained top grades.
As a result, I didn’t really feel like the title ‘promising prospect’ was that great.
They seem to be no different from me, but they only give those few people special treatment and call them promising prospects.
Also, when I heard the rumor that Hong Yeon-hwa had lost once in the placement test and that her score was fluctuating in the 600s, I laughed.
– 600 points? Is he a promising prospect?
But now I think I understand a little bit.
There is a reason why Hong Yeon-hwa was given the title of promising player and why she maintained her reputation while staying in the 600s.
As evidence, Hong Yeon-hwa, unlike herself who was becoming considerably exhausted both physically and mentally, still maintained her initial composure.
The arrogant look seemed to ask if this was all there was.
In fact, Hong Yeon-hwa was thinking similar thoughts.
However, if you look into his inner thoughts, it is a bit more on the bewildering side.
‘… … What is this? Is this the end? Really? Is there nothing more?’
I expected it to be quite a struggle since the score was in the 900s, but there wasn’t a single moment of nervousness throughout the game.
Bukgung Hanseol’s technique itself was quite sophisticated, but the intention was obvious, so the next move was easy to read.
There, whenever he controlled it with his fire magic, it moved obediently as he was told.
If you shoot a fire arrow to the left, it goes left, if you shoot it to the right, it goes right, and if you make it retreat by creating a pillar of fire, it retreats.
On the other hand, how was the sparring with Kim Ho?
It was impossible to control it with fire magic, and I couldn’t tell where it would move, so every moment was tense.
He approached me, dodging all the fire magic spells I was pouring out, and hit me on the head with a bean.
We had set up a perfect defense line, but they somehow managed to sneak in and hit us in the head with a bean.
No matter what, I thought this thing would never get through, but it got in and hit me.
“… … .”
As she thought about it, the place where Kim Ho had hit her felt strangely cold, so Hong Yeon-hwa quietly raised her hand and stroked her hair.
The thought that comes to mind is,
‘But my skills have improved.’
Hong Yeon-hwa’s skills improved without her even realizing it, as she was tormented by the old man every day.
[Crystal 96%]
As the charging reached its final stage, Bukgung Hanseol’s footsteps, which had been moving left and right aimlessly, gradually slowed down and eventually stopped in place.
And then he declared his abstention in a drooping tone.
“I lost… … .”
[Hong Yeon-hwa Win] vs [Bukgung Han-seol Lose]
* * *
“sorry…….”
Bukgung Hanseol was completely dispirited, unlike before the match started.
But Kim Gap-du quietly patted her shoulder.
“It’s okay, Hanseol. You’ve worked hard.”
He was not angry or disappointed at all, knowing that Bukgung Hanseol had done her best despite the extremely unfavorable match.
Also, it was a misjudgment on the part of mentor Kim Gap-doo to choose Hong Yeon-hwa as his opponent.
As far as he knew, Hong Yeon-hwa’s Aqua Flame had not progressed beyond E-rank, and he predicted that Bukgung Hanseol would be able to sufficiently overwhelm it with her internal energy.
But once the match actually started, Aquaflame jumped to C, so it became a perfect countermatch.
If I had known this would happen, I would have had a better chance of winning if I had teamed up with Gwak Ji-cheol and Bukgung Han-seol to easily take the first win, and had Hong Yeon-hwa face Ilgong.
‘Phew… … It’s all in the past.’
Kim Gap-du shook his head slowly, shaking off any hint of regret.
Now is the time to think about what’s next.
The score against the opponent is 1 to 2.
If they give up one more game, it will be a defeat for Kim Gap-du’s team.
Still, Kim Gap-du’s face was not hopelessly dark.
The reason he applied for a four-person match while setting unreasonable conditions was not simply because he was angry, but because he was somewhat confident of victory.
Because it was hiding a powerful card that could be called a sure-win card.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
A low, blunt voice coming from behind.
When he heard that voice, Kim Gap-du’s face, which had been starting to darken slightly, brightened.
“You came.”
When he turned around, there stood a boy with a bear-like build and muscular body who didn’t look like a first-year student at all.
He usually wears the captain’s armband, but he has it tucked away now that he is here to receive mentoring.
He is a member of the first-year leadership team and is a skilled player who can stand shoulder to shoulder with promising prospects.
The descendant of the King of Kwon, Jo Byeok.
He was the last member of the martial arts group led by Kim Gap-doo.
