Episode 512: The Battle with the Hammer
Training continued throughout the week of the Grand Finals and even into the weekend.
– Boom!
I put a hammer into Song Cheon-hye’s head.
Then I stepped back diagonally, and lightning passed me by just in time.
– Kwarung!
Song Cheon-hye opens her gloved hands.
In topaz, currents crackle and gather, stretching like taffy and turning into whips.
The next moment, the whip of electricity traced an irregular trajectory.
– Chijijijik,
I dodged twice and cast Blink just before the third attack landed.
Song Cheon-hye immediately bent down, and the hammer made an ambiguous sound as it struck her.
“You dodged it well.”
With praise, I followed closely and repeatedly struck the hammer.
– Boom boom boom boom!
– Parts! Parts!
Then, as if in repulsion, I retreated again in the face of the gushing current.
“… … .”
Song Cheon-hye corrects her posture and connects magic.
It disperses the current by concentrating it into several baseball-sized spheres, and controls two hummingbirds.
– Crackle crackle!
The spheres connected and resonated, electrifying the entire training room.
‘There’s no need to avoid this.’
Because it is inversely proportional to the wide range, its power is almost non-existent.
I walked straight towards Song Cheon-hye.
Not only the electric current, but even the hummingbirds cannot reach my body and are blocked by the barrier.
“… … !”
The moment Song Cheon-hye opened her eyes and was about to take the next step, the compressed air around her shoulder exploded.
– Bang!
It was a secretly prepared windforce.
Taking advantage of the gap in his posture, I rushed in and hit his head, face, shoulders, head, and face indiscriminately with the hammer.
– Boom boom boom boom boom!
A hammer that swings in a large arc as a final blow.
Song Cheon-hye, who had been hit countless times, seemed to feel something unusual this time, and shrank down and shut her eyes tightly.
But I just pretended to hit it and then put the hammer away.
“That’s it for now. Let’s have lunch.”
“… … It’s already that time. Thank you for your hard work.”
Song Cheon-hye took a deep breath and straightened her disheveled clothes.
Next, I called over to the calligrapher who was rolling around in a corner of the training room.
“Mr. Seo, you get up too. Let’s go.”
“huh…….”
A calligrapher who moves slowly with a slight time difference.
Song Cheon-hye’s expression as she watched that scene was half incredulous and half envious.
‘Even if you do that, mana accumulates.’
While others have to maintain a proper posture and concentrate all their mind to practice mana training, the idle sloth can do it while sitting or lying down thanks to his fearsome mana control.
I guess I could probably do it walking if I put my mind to it, but I don’t think I’d be able to work that hard.
When I first told this story to Song Cheon-hye, of course she didn’t believe it, but after seeing the sloth rolling around for several days, she couldn’t help but believe it.
If that doesn’t work, then it doesn’t explain why your PvP score keeps going up.
As we all left the training room, the familiar sound of a hammer could be heard from afar.
– Bang, bang, bang,
Kang Byeol is busy carving a large statue.
Thanks to working day and night for several days, considerable progress has been made.
The rough iron pillar had some outline, and the upper body was recognizable as that of the principal.
It feels considerably younger and more beautified than the original, but isn’t that how all art is?
What’s important is that the parties involved are satisfied.
With cheers in our hearts, we left the training center and walked towards the student cafeteria.
The lunch menu features make-your-own sandwiches.
A variety of ingredients are lined up like a buffet.
On one side there is a grill that looks like a waffle maker, used to make paninis.
While Seo Ye-in and Song Cheon-hye looked around with curious eyes, I quickly started putting food on my plate.
Spread the sauce evenly on the rye bread and top with chicken breast, cheese, and some vegetables.
Then put it on the grill and press down hard.
Just wait a moment and it’ll be over.
But then the calligrapher quietly approached me and handed me an empty plate.
“… … .”
“What does this plate suggest?”
“please.”
“I made it?”
“It looks delicious.”
“But asking me to hand it over is like asking for a green light.”
“Green Forest Snail.”
At this point, I decided to just give in and make one more.
Place the finished panini on an empty plate.
“This is just this once.”
“First class butler.”
I immediately piled up the same ingredients and put them on the grill.
And then suddenly I looked to the side and saw Song Cheon-hye standing awkwardly, holding an empty plate.
“… … .”
“You want some too?”
“… … No? I just looked around because I was curious.”
Song Cheon-hye is walking around the materials corner, as if trying to prove her point.
Then he comes back to me and asks.
“… … What did you put in there? Chicken and cheese.”
“Hey, bring me a plate.”
“It’s okay, I can make it.”
“This is faster. Just bring it.”
Song Cheon-hye pretended not to be able to win and handed over her plate.
We ended up having three identical paninis for lunch, unintentionally.
Still, everyone is munching on it eagerly, wondering if it tastes good.
Meanwhile, Song Cheon-hye looked troubled by something.
He then looks at me and asks.
“We’ve been doing this for almost a month.”
“Almost.”
“I think I worked hard in my own way… … but I’m not sure if my skills have improved.”
“It has grown a lot since I saw it.”
As soon as he gave me the definitive answer, a puzzled look appeared on Song Cheon-hye’s face.
“How do you know?”
“I was gradually increasing the difficulty level, to suit your skill level.”
“No, was it like that?”
To be honest, from Song Cheon-hye’s perspective, it felt like she was standing still.
There was no change in the situation of being hit a month ago or now.
On the other hand, as I had to hit harder and harder, I could feel my opponent’s skills improving day by day.
“If we continue like this for a little longer, we may not be able to graduate from close combat, but we will be able to turn our attention to other areas. Like control.”
“… … I will work hard.”
Song Cheon-hye’s face became lively.
We quickly finished our paninis, sipped our coffees, and chatted about this and that.
Then, the door to the student cafeteria opened, and a familiar redhead came inside.
‘It’s Hong Yeon-hwa.’
Hong Yeon-hwa also came to me like a ghost and came closer.
“Ah, hello… … !”
But halfway there, he spots Song Cheon-hye and stops.
“… …What are you doing here?”
“I’m having lunch.”
“I know, but why are we eating together?”
“Let’s practice together in the morning. Is there a problem?”
Two people glaring at each other.
It brings to mind a dog baring its teeth and growling, and a hedgehog raising its spines like a pine cone.
Anyway, I was about to intervene because I thought it was time to start mediating, but then a good idea suddenly occurred to me.
“Hong Yeon-hwa.”
“huh……?”
“When you have time, you can join us.”
Hong Yeon-hwa is delighted.
But just before agreeing, a thought crossed his mind and he hesitated.
“That… … .”
Maybe you’re worried.
It’s obvious that it would be disadvantageous to fight Song Cheon-hye now that the core difference is there.
Even if the result isn’t revealed, losing will hurt your pride quite a bit.
I answered nonchalantly.
“I understand why you’re doing that, but it’s okay. Just come and see.”
“huh…….”
Hong Yeon-hwa slowly nodded her head.
* * *
After lunch, we returned to the training room.
I stood facing Song Cheon-hye and Hong Yeon-hwa and opened my mouth.
“In this duel, we will only be testing your close combat skills. Please deactivate all your skills and traits. Also, remove all your equipment.”
Then he gave each of them a hammer in their hands.
“You can only attack with this. If you hit as many times as you can in 3 minutes, you win. Do you understand?”
“… … .”
“… … .”
Two people nodding their heads in silence.
I can already feel the fighting spirit burning brightly.
I stepped back and sat with my back against the wall of the training room, and when the calligrapher came closer, she put her head on my lap.
In that state, I opened my mouth again.
“It starts on the count of three. One, two… … three!”
Two people immediately rushing at each other.
The first one to hit the target was Hong Yeon-hwa.
– Boom!
But the next moment, the hammer split the air, and Song Cheon-hye counterattacked immediately after dodging.
– Boom boom!
“… … !”
Hong Yeon-hwa frowns slightly.
He steps forward and turns to the other person’s side, and Song Cheon-hye also steps back to maintain an appropriate distance.
And they blend together as if they were dancing.
– Boom boom, boom boom boom boom!
The sound effects were just a kid’s prank, though.
I watched the two swinging their hammers closely.
‘Mr. Song has a slight advantage.’
It’s almost a neck-and-neck matchup, but since you’ve paired a cannon-type wizard and an all-rounder in close combat, the latter is bound to have the advantage.
‘I hit him more.’
Thanks to the occasional hammering over the past month, my close combat skills have improved rapidly.
The results were being revealed through the sparring before my eyes.
– Boom boom! Boom!
If Hong Yeon-hwa hit five or six times, Song Cheon-hye would hit six or seven times, but as time went by, those one or two hits accumulated and widened the gap.
Finally, after the three-minute time limit was up, I made my decision.
“Song Cheon-hye wins. Thank you for your hard work.”
“… … Your skills have really improved.”
Song Cheon-hye had a very rewarding expression on her face.
I just now realized that my skills have improved over time.
In the Fix Zone competition, he didn’t even hit Hongyeonhwa well in close combat, but didn’t he have a slight advantage in the hammer duel?
“… … .”
For similar reasons, Hong Yeon-hwa had a gloomy face.
And then I offered some encouragement.
“You’re a cannon-type wizard. Don’t be too disappointed that you lost in close combat.”
“Ugh… … .”
He nods, but his complexion remains dark.
Then, the calligrapher who was using his lap as a pillow looked up at me.
“Me too, bye.”
“Are you sparring?”
“huh.”
“What’s going on, all of a sudden?”
“plural.”
Soon, the calligrapher got up from his seat and approached Hong Yeon-hwa.
And then he reaches out his hand.
“Give me the hammer.”
“Yeah, here… … .”
I thought it would end with me receiving the hammer like that.
Seo Ye-in grabbed Hong Yeon-hwa’s hand again and made her sit down in the seat where she had been lying a little while ago.
And made her rest her head on my lap.
“The pillow is comfortable.”
“… … ???”
Hong Yeon-hwa was so bewildered that she could only roll her eyes.
