Chapter 118
Time goes by fast.
After the 1st to 3rd matches of the quarterfinals.
Only the last game of the quarterfinals, Adela VS Kyle, was left.
―Now, the long-awaited match between Adela Stewart and Kyle Bentia is just around the corner.
The current time is 11:10 AM.
The game starts in 5 minutes.
―The heat in the arena is amazing!
―Because the first 1 to 3 games were also very close. I think it’s only natural that the atmosphere is like this.
As usual, the commentators and casters exchanged words to heighten the atmosphere.
―In addition, this match is an important match with a new Olympiad record at stake. I am so nervous, but the spectators who are watching are shocked!
-ah! That’s right!
-haha. You should be a little nervous today. If Korea wins and the record is broken, the names and video of the two of us will surely remain! If you make a mistake, you could be stuffed for 100 years!
―Are you really nervous when you say that? The dark history is permanently stuffed.
Caster trembled with a genuinely trembling expression.
Suddenly, his expression hardened sharply.
-haha. You don’t have to be too rigid though. The charm of announcer Talis is her cheerfulness! If she’s going to go down in history, shouldn’t she remain the most attractive?
―That’s also true! yes We’ll do it as usual!
Caster’s expression, which had been completely rigid, relaxed somewhat.
―Now, the moment I said, the two players enter the arena.
―With three minutes left until the start of the match, both players are doing a final check on their equipment.
―The engineers from the Green and Blue Mage Towers came forward for inspection. It’s a rare sight that I’ve never seen before.
―Then we should quickly introduce the players, right? First, from England, Kyle Ventia… … .
That’s how the caster started introducing the players in earnest.
It was an exaggerated introduction to heighten the atmosphere before the game, so there was nothing particularly important.
And in the shelter in front of the vending machine in the center of the waiting room where the commentator’s voice was resonating, two unexpected people were having a conversation.
“Shinha rate. Who do you think will win?”
Dahlia Salentia.
She looked at Adela and Kyle, who were being broadcast on the big screen, and spoke indirectly.
Perhaps he was planning on grabbing a drink before the match, and he was carrying a sports drink in his arms.
“Adela will win.”
It was Shin Ha-yul who answered Dahlia’s question.
Shin Ha-yul, like Dahlia, has about 10 sports drinks in her arms.
“… … I’m serious?”
“then. Of course you are sincere.”
It was a coincidence that these two met here.
They both came out to pick up sports drinks for their teammates and just happened to run into each other.
“Does that mean that Adela Stewart, like you, is in the 5th circle?”
“no. Adela is the 4th circle.”
The sports drink Shin Ha-yul was holding in his arms was magically lifted into the air and moved, stacked on top of a small table next to the vending machine.
He then floated the sports drink that Dahlia was holding and arranged it one by one nearby.
At first glance, it seemed like the conversation would be long, so it was an act I did.
Isn’t it a bit like keeping a cold drink in your arms all the time?
“… … Still great magic control.”
“You can do this much, too.”
Floating a sports drink itself isn’t much of a magic trick. Even Dahlia can use such light psychokinesis magic.
If you register telekinesis magic with the AI, you can levitate not only sports drinks but also cars.
“I might have to float it. But it’s impossible to manipulate it in detail like you do.”
Telekinesis magic, listed in open source libraries, lifts and moves objects. It has only this effect.
It only moved very roughly, moving left and right and up and down for a few meters.
It is impossible to move with such fine control.
“No, more than that, how did you just float a sports drink without contacting me with any mana?”
Despite the use of telekinesis on the sports drink held tightly in her arms, no magical contact was made to the surface of Dahlia’s skin.
How on earth do you have to be able to control such a technique?
“Just think that you won’t magically touch the other person, and use your telekinesis only on the object you want to move.”
“… … Thanks for the very textbook answer.”
Dahlia replied with a slightly annoyed expression.
It’s like hearing a soccer player answer the question of how to kick a shot well, and then just kick the ball.
“If you don’t want to tell me, just say no.”
Dahlia pursed her lips.
It was a frowning expression.
“I was telling the truth. Really, this is the trick.”
Shin Ha-yul uses magic through deliberation, that is, thinking.
Therefore, what I said earlier was 100% pure truth without any lies.
“it’s okay. Why don’t you just say it’s a secret… … . It’s not like I’ve been digging into the secrets of magic.”
Dahlia grumbled.
Dahlia, who did not know anything about the bi-tenor expression, could only hear Shin Ha-yul’s words as sarcastic.
“More than that, the conversation leaked. Is it true that Adela Stewart is in the 4th circle?”
“uh. Now Adela is in the 4th circle.”
Shin Ha-yul replied calmly while looking at Adela’s face being broadcast on the large monitor.
“But Adela Stewart wins?”
“uh.”
Dahlia’s eyes widened.
“You don’t know what the historical record statistics of the 4th and 5th circle mages are, right?”
“know. 7.374%.”
It is a statistic that in 10 fights you can never win.
“And Adela will still win?”
“uh. I can’t say 100%, but a 73% chance of winning.”
Not 7.3%, but 73%.
Shin Ha-yul’s expression when he said that was so confident.
“I don’t understand. It’s not that compatibility is superior. In what way does Adela have an advantage?”
Adela’s moon attribute magic has the disadvantage of not being very fast.
Naturally, it is vulnerable to speed-specialized types like Kyle.
This alone is a sufficient penalty, but Adela, the 4th circle, has no short-range countermeasures other than Halo, so it is disadvantageous even for close-range specialized types.
In other words, Kyle, who is specialized in speed and close range, is Adela’s perfect match.
Not to mention, Adela is one circle below the circle.
Anyone can see that the weight of victory is leaning toward Kyle.
In fact, the American analysis team, including Dahlia, predicts that Kyle will win 99% of the time.
Nevertheless, Shin Ha-yul is asserting that Adela will win.
‘Is there something I don’t know about?’
In other words, Adela has a trump card.
“Do you think you will answer me?”
“… … no. I won’t.”
Shin Ha-yul is not a fool enough to easily reveal information about his team’s players to the enemy team.
“I just asked because I thought it was worth the money. It doesn’t matter if you don’t answer. I will see and find out for myself.”
Dahlia glared at the monitor with a sharp gaze.
“ah. okay? I was going to give you an answer, but if you don’t need it.”
Shin Ha-yul smiled and said.
The corners of his mouth are raised playfully.
“… … uh?”
The venom drained from Dahlia’s expression. I was blown away by the unexpected words.
“Answer me?”
Dahlia tilted her head with an expression of ‘why?’
“It’s all going to be exposed while fighting Kyle anyway.”
“That’s it, but… … .”
Adela will do her best in this battle.
In that case, there is no point in hiding any information.
It doesn’t matter if you tell me as long as it’s not just detailed information.
“What do you do? Do you want to hear?”
“… … I want to hear you.”
After a short pause, Dahlia replied.
Information is multiplied. Something annoying, but better to hear.
―Now, the count starts soon!
[10, 9, 8… … ]
The countdown to announce the start of the game just started.
“It just went well. I thought it would be difficult to explain in words. I’ll tell you while watching the game.”
Shin Ha-yul turned his gaze to the monitor, and Dahlia followed Shin Ha-yul’s gaze to the monitor.
[3, 2, 1]
[Start!]
As soon as the match started, a gust of wind whizzed around Kyle’s body.
He immediately cast a wind god.
“First of all, Adela is not an ordinary 4th circle user.”
Adela also raised mana to respond to such Kyle.
Around the body, mana reminiscent of moonlight shimmers like an aura.
“… … What are you talking about?”
“I mean literally.”
And about 2 seconds passed.
After completing all preparations, Kyle lowered his stance.
All the strength was concentrated in the lower body, and the arena floor trembled slightly.
If it had been concrete rather than the highest-grade manastone prepared for the match, the entire arena would have split like a spider’s web with just that preparation motion.
“Adela is a genius.”
Dahlia glanced at Shin Ha-yul, frowning.
“What kind of ghosts are you forgetting to wash away… … .”
4 circles are all 4 circles.
What nonsense are you talking about?
It was time to think that way and say something.
Quaang-!
Kyle’s Shinyoung disappeared from the monitor.
After all preparations were made, they started attacking Adela.
‘It’s also Kyle. I can’t even see through the monitor properly.’
Kyle, who arrived right in front of Adela, swung his sword with a gust of wind.
A sharp, sharp cut that cuts through even air resistance.
The sword flew right at Adela’s neck.
‘it’s over.’
As long as Kyle had approached that far, the match was decided.
‘If you allow access to that distance, I can’t win.’
Even if Dahlia herself was in the position of Adela now, it would be the same.
As soon as Kyle approaches within 3 meters, the game is over.
There is no way to reverse it.
The way to beat Kyle is to keep him away from him as much as possible and drag him into a long-distance battle.
‘I heard it’s not an ordinary 4th circle. What is that. It’s over in the first hit.’
Dahlia clicked her tongue with a cold expression on her face.
“end… … .”
And it was when he turned his gaze to Shin Ha-yul and was about to say, ‘It’s over.’
―Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Cheers were heard.
Beyond the speakers and beyond the walls of the waiting room, the loud cheers of the crowd come through unfiltered.
―Adela Stewart! Perfectly blocks Kyle’s sword!
Then, the excited voice of the commentator was heard.
Dahlia quickly turned her head back to look at the monitor.
But the situation was already over. Right now Adela and Kyle are just facing each other.
‘what. What happened?’
Dahlia’s eyes trembled with bewilderment.
“You shouldn’t have taken your eyes off it.”
Shin Ha-yul laughed at Dahlia.
“… … What have you been doing?”
Dahlia asked in a trembling voice. How the hell did Adela avoid Kyle’s attack?
“I didn’t do anything. I just ducked to avoid it.”
“I know that. I mean, how did you get away with it?”
That Adela dodged the attack is something you can tell just by listening to the comments of the commentators.
The question is, how did you avoid it?
“How did you avoid it? I knew in advance where the sword would come, so I avoided it.”
“I knew where the sword would come… … ?”
“uh.”
“how?”
“Through prediction and analysis.”
I lowered the sword at an angle and looked at Kyle, who held it, with a small smile.
“Prediction and analysis… … . You mean you read Kyle’s preceding moves, motions? no. No way… … .”
Dahlia hates to admit it, but Kyle and Dahlia are rivals.
As such, it was Dahlia who was more enthusiastic about Kyle’s analysis than anyone else.
If you collect the analyzed data, it will probably come out to the extent of completing a fairly long novel.
“I wouldn’t know if it was two years ago, but there is no such thing as a preceding movement for Kyle now.”
So I can say for sure.
There is no such thing as a preceding motion for Kyle. If there was such a thing, there is no way that Dahlia or the American analysis team would miss it.
“that’s right. Like you said, Kyle’s motions don’t have any quirks.”
Whether holding the sword at an angle, holding it upright, or holding it forward.
You never know where the next cut will come.
There is no such thing as a habit in any of the body movements, including the length of the stride.
“Then what… … .”
I’ve seen and analyzed it.
Before she could say it to the end, Shin Ha-yul cut off Dahlia’s words and answered.
“But that’s limited to physical motion.”
“… … physical?”
Shin Ha-yul twisted the corner of his mouth as he looked at Kyle, who was attacking again.
“Kyle’s habit is in his mana, not his body.”
“Mana… … .”
Adela perfectly evaded and blocked Kyle’s attack again this time.
-ah! Adela player! Once again, Kyle’s attack is perfectly blocked! This time, it was Kyle’s skill, 4 consecutive cuts! I blocked it perfectly with two steps and one barrier!
Surprised by Adela’s perfect evasion maneuver, Dahlia’s eyes widened.
“When Kyle uses a skill, the flow of mana is evident.”
“There can be no such thing.”
Kyle’s mana analysis had already been done dozens of times.
But I couldn’t find any outliers.
“It’s natural that the analysis team, you, and Sara don’t know. It’s a habit that even I, who has divine eyes, finally found by fighting myself twice.”
A feature that was barely found even in Sinan.
A preceding move that can be glimpsed with mana.
“Your eyes… … It’s a special flow that only Shinan can see… … ?”
Dahlia’s expression became serious.
“no. Nonsense. Even if you say that you saw it because you gave up 100 steps, there’s no way Adela Stewart could see it either… … .”
Dahlia’s pupils slowly dilated.
“Could you use the Stairt family’s mind… … .”
“answer.”
Shin Ha-yul smiled slightly as he looked at Adela, who was still concentrating on defense, to be exact, at Adela’s golden eyes.
“Adela can read Kyle’s movements through Kyle’s mana.”
heart’s eye.
Although it is a detection eye with an effect that is somewhat inferior to that of B-class A, it can see how and in which direction the target’s mana moves.
And as long as I can see that, it’s possible to read Kyle’s habits through the information I’ve grasped.
“No matter how great a swordsman you are, as long as you can read all the moves in advance, you will never lose.”
“that… … .”
This is the winning strategy against ‘Kyle’.
It is a sure-fire plan that can be used only when I analyze Kyle ahead of time and have Adela’s mind.
“And you asked earlier? What do you mean Adela is not an ordinary 4th circle?”
Adela, as if fully grasping Kyle’s movements through defense, began to use magic to attack.
A gray magic bullet that takes over the sky in an instant.
“What else is that… … .”
The number passed 10, 20, and 30 before I knew it.
“You will know the answer from now on.”
