Episode 121 Week 7 Mentoring, In-person Battle (6)
The sin of using malicious wind magic.
As punishment, I had to take Hong Yeon-hwa to the infirmary.
Not only was there a bump bulging on one side of Hong Yeon-hwa’s forehead, it was also getting bigger and swollen. Fortunately, the infirmary applied ointment and used healing magic, and it quickly got better.
However, Hong Yeon-hwa slowly caresses the part she had bumped into, as if the cold feeling still remained.
I said as I looked at the sight.
“Let’s go back, Arena.”
“Uh, yeah… … .”
“If you feel like you’re not feeling well, then rest. I’ll tell my senior.”
“No. I’ll go, Arena.”
Hong Yeon-hwa shook her head.
It’s not like I’m really in bad shape, but if I rest, Hong Ye-hwa’s back smash will hit me hard.
So we headed to the arena to finish the mentoring.
And one thing I realized right away.
‘The kid has turned into a squirrel again.’
Hong Yeon-hwa had been gradually reducing her fear of me as we had been receiving mentoring together for the past few weeks, but it seemed like her fear gauge had been reset just now due to the sparring session.
“… … .”
He doesn’t dare walk next to me, but maintains a position diagonally over my shoulder.
Basically, since our strides were different, and he was constantly checking my mood, his speed naturally slowed down.
If you fall behind a little bit like that, they will quickly come up to you and walk over your shoulder, and if the distance increases again, they will also run towards you.
After this was repeated a few times, I slowed down and asked a question backwards.
“Are you going to keep walking like that?”
“Huh? Oh, no? That’s not it… … .”
Only then did Hong Yeon-hwa slowly approach me and match my pace.
However, the fact that he keeps fidgeting and just looking at my face hasn’t improved at all.
As I was walking in silence,
“… … .”
Even while Hong Yeon-hwa was fidgeting, she had an expression on her face as if she wanted to say something.
To be exact, it is closer to something that was revealed because he was awkward at hiding his facial expressions.
This time, I spoke first.
“If you have something to say, say it. If you have any questions, ask.”
“That’s, that… … .”
After a brief pause, what came out of Hong Yeon-hwa’s mouth was:
“… … How was it?”
It was a question that left a lot to be desired and implied.
To stretch this out, it would be, ‘Did you do well in the Crystal duel earlier? How was it from your perspective as the opponent?’
I gave my honest impressions.
“Not bad. That Fire Pillar, is that something you modified?”
“Uh, yeah… … .”
“I’ve never seen it before.”
“I just started writing recently. Um, last time at the blacksmith’s workshop… … .”
Hong Yeon-hwa first used the small fire pillar about two weeks ago, when she was casting flame magic on the Eternal Iron in the blacksmith’s workshop.
It was a method designed to most efficiently concentrate and maintain firepower, but as it continued to be used, inspiration struck and it was studied for combat purposes as well.
And now, it has been improved to the point where it can be considered a completely different magic.
This means that a first-year student who has only been enrolled for a little over a month has the ability to use magic to suit his or her own taste.
That wasn’t the only surprising thing.
The duel began, and Tang Guiying gave Hong Yeonhwa the crystal and sent her off first, so there was time to prepare.
But it actually didn’t take me that long to figure out Hong Yeon-hwa’s location and catch up with her.
However, Hong Yeon-hwa created a lot of magic circles in that short period of time, turning the area into a minefield.
Incredible casting speed, considering it’s a small fire pillar.
“There was no room to step. With that casting speed, it seemed like it could be installed even during combat.”
“Probably. Just practice a little more… … .”
However, since I only started using it in actual combat last week during the defense strategy match, there are still many areas that need to be refined and my proficiency needs to be improved.
I nodded.
“Yeah, I think it was great overall.”
“… … .”
Hong Yeon-hwa looked half surprised, as if she didn’t know I would praise her, and half pleased to be acknowledged.
Then, looking around again, he asks in a crawling voice.
“There… … . If you tell me the disadvantages too… … . It would be helpful… … .”
If I were to extend the implied statement this time,
I think it would be helpful if you also told me the shortcomings and areas for improvement.
This time I answered honestly again.
“First of all, the range of the magic circles is regrettable. If it were me, I would have laid them out more widely. If you lay them out tightly, the defense will be stronger, but the movements of the caster will also be restricted.”
“… … !”
An exclamation mark appeared above Hong Yeon-hwa’s head, as if she had been experiencing similar problems.
I had laid down a lot of magic circles to fortify the area, but when I used Windforce to push Hongyeonhwa out a few times, most of the magic circles became useless.
Of course, the forced movement skill is a special case, but depending on the situation, there are often cases where the caster himself leaves the location.
For example, a long-range sniper attack may come, or a wide-area magic may fall on an area.
If you set up a wide magic circle in preparation for such a time, your range of movement will also increase.
I then mentioned the following problem:
“And you’re in too much of a hurry. You’re casting the magic circle too quickly.”
“That… … . What does it mean?”
“You laid out a magic circle and used it every time I tried to enter your territory.”
“That’s true, but… … .”
Hong Yeon-hwa looked somewhat bewildered, as if she still didn’t understand.
I have supplemented the explanation.
“It would be more effective if you wait a little longer and use it after drawing the opponent in a little more. It’s also hard to predict.”
“ah……!”
Hong Yeon-hwa activated Fire Pillar every time I stepped into the magic circle, so it was easy to respond and predict.
All I had to do was keep circling around, pretending to step in and then step out, and gradually reduce the magic circle.
But what if Hong Yeon-hwa had intentionally activated the magic circle a little later?
For example, if I invaded the middle of a fortress with a lot of magic circles and then the Fire Pillar was activated.
It would have been much more difficult to respond in many ways.
‘I think the biggest problem is that I have a hasty personality.’
When going into battle, Hong Yeon-hwa’s personality is such that she attacks and attacks until the enemy is defeated, and she only attacks fiercely. So, building a fortress and responding to the enemy’s actions must have been a bit of a pain in the ass.
I guess he activated Fire Pillar immediately whenever I showed even the slightest excuse because he was in a hurry.
On the other hand, I also feel like he was so scared of me that he hurriedly activated it to keep me from getting close as much as possible.
Either way, the conclusion is the same.
Once you’ve built your fortress, you should operate it leisurely, like a spider weaving a web.
Hong Yeon-hwa stared blankly at me for a moment, then looked down at the top of her feet and mumbled.
“… … I hadn’t thought about that. Thanks for the feedback.”
“Let’s go and try again. Don’t forget what we just talked about and keep thinking about it.”
“Okay, I’ll give it a try.”
Hong Yeon-hwa nodded her head coolly.
We returned to the arena and resumed the interrupted sparring.
Expand the range of Fire Pillar magic circle installation.
Try laying down a magic circle during the battle.
And operate slowly and on a grand scale.
Focus on these three things.
To prevent Hongyeonhwa from breaking down again, I refrained from using Windforce this time and used only Twister.
Since I had to upgrade my Twister rank anyway, I had nothing to lose.
* * *
The next day.
As soon as I finished class, I was about to head straight to the arena when Shin Byeong-cheol called me.
“Hey, someone from another class came looking for you.”
“Who is in the other class?”
“Hey, Cha Hyun-joo is here?”
The reason Shin Byeong-cheol’s expression is a bit strange is probably because he knows Cha Hyeon-ju’s true identity.
It was Shin Byeong-cheol who first tipped me off, saying, “We have a promising player who is good at archery.”
And then he asks me.
“How did you end up with him again?”
“I got caught in a duel yesterday.”
“Who wins?”
“I win.”
“So that’s why you came.”
Shin Byeong-cheol was immediately convinced.
Of course, there were quite a few things that happened that I couldn’t just say, ‘I won and came here.’
If I had to pick one decisive factor, it would probably be that he was blown away twice by Windforce.
Shin Byeong-cheol lowered his voice slightly and whispered.
“Watch out, that guy has a really bad personality.”
“Better than Song Cheon-hye?”
“Song Cheon-hye is cute compared to him.”
“It looks the same to me.”
– Crack!
As if he had heard our conversation, a sharp energy shot out from outside the classroom.
Shin Byeong-cheol raised both hands as if to say, “I did nothing wrong. I am a harmless animal.” and stepped back.
“Good luck. Fighting, oppa.”
As I left the classroom, leaving behind the good luck wish from Shin Byeong-cheol, a female student who was presumed to be Cha Hyeon-ju was waiting for me.
When we met yesterday in person, he was wearing a mask so I could barely see his eyes, but now he’s wearing big glasses that cover the upper part of his face.
The half of his face that is visible under his glasses is quite handsome, but his overall impression is very plain because of the glasses.
People often jokingly call glasses ‘beauty sealers’, but this is not a joke.
‘Perception-disrupting artifact.’
It is a powerful and natural item that cannot be compared to something crude like [Someone’s Badge].
Most people will pass by without even realizing that they are under a perception-disrupting spell.
But how did I know at a glance that this female student was Cha Hyun-joo?
– Jjerit,
It’s because he’s been continuously sending threats at me since just now.
As I get closer, I have no choice but to go this far.
You are really angry.
I stared at Cha Hyun-joo for a few seconds, then pretended to be startled and shouted loudly so that everyone around me could hear.
“Hey, who is this? The power of the Guild Union! A genius archer with hidden skills! Cha! Hyun—!!”
“Shut up. Please shut up.”
Cha Hyun-joo hurriedly covered my mouth.
I looked around sharply to see if anyone had heard me, but the other students only glanced in my direction momentarily when I shouted, and then went on their way as if they had no interest at all.
Cha Hyun-joo shot me another glare, then blurted out a word while walking ahead.
“Follow me.”
“yes.”
I obediently followed Cha Hyun-joo wherever she went.
As I continued walking, the place became less crowded.
“you.”
“yes.”
“Do you know why I called you?”
“I don’t know?”
The reason was so obvious that I couldn’t help but know it, but I had to give him a chance to say it himself.
Cha Hyun-joo faced me and spoke clearly, word by word.
“I can’t believe it. Let’s go again.”
She came to me for a rematch, a revenge match.
