Episode 24 Week 1 Battle (2)
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[2]
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[Start!]
“… … .”
Yang Ji-hong no longer charged forward recklessly.
While maintaining a defensive posture, he slowly began to close the distance, one step at a time.
I nodded because it was pretty close to the correct answer.
‘Yeah, if a person gets hurt three times, he should learn something.’
Cast [Hummingbird] and send it flying.
Yang Ji-hong’s eyes lit up as he faced the approaching hummingbird.
The window was pulled back and shot out like an arrow.
A hummingbird was pierced and scattered while flying.
The second throw also cuts down with a swing of the spear.
‘Was this too easy?’
I intentionally sent it flying in a monotonous trajectory, saying I was being generous, but judging by how easily it was hit, I think I underestimated it.
I cast Hummingbird again.
The hummingbird shook irregularly as it flew by.
Yang Ji-hong tried to stab it, but the hummingbird dodged with graceful flight and climbed up the pole just before it was pierced.
When Yang Ji-hong jumps to the side, the trajectory changes sharply and he follows suit, as if he had expected it.
– Phagec!
“Ugh… … .”
Yang Ji-hong wrote Omansang.
It seemed like he was a little shocked.
It was a match that was made possible by giving the family’s honor, but it ended in just three moves.
I asked a question.
“Are you convinced?”
“This can’t be happening. If only I had more chances!”
“I guess so. Not yet.”
“… … .”
“… … .”
“… … ?”
Yang Ji-hong’s expression, which had been glaring with indignation, gradually changed to one of doubt.
If I hit the Hummingbird, I should come over and finish it off, but I just stood there and didn’t move.
“… … Aren’t you going to finish it?”
“I told you. I’ll hang out with you until you’re convinced.”
“… … !”
“Tell me when the paralysis goes away.”
Since I got the English translation, I plan on paying the tuition.
A complex and indescribable emotion passed across Yang Ji-hong’s face.
Then, he came to the conclusion that he would do his best, and his eyes became filled with determination.
Soon he grabs the window again and takes up his stance.
It means ready.
Sparks flew above my hand.
“I’m going again.”
* * *
The hummingbird of the brain continued to fly.
I guess I have a rough idea of Yang Ji-hong’s skills, so I adjusted the difficulty level appropriately.
So that it’s very tricky to hit, but not so hard that you can’t even get hit.
– Phagec!
If you become paralyzed, wait until you recover, then cast the spell again when you are ready.
Yang Ji-hong now seemed determined to put aside his pride and learn as much as possible.
His original goal was to take me down, but now he’s focused solely on the Hummingbird.
He swings and stabs his spear madly against the hummingbirds that fly around with colorful movements and aim for him.
Then, it was noticeable that my skills were steadily improving.
– Crackle!
“Ugh.”
Yang Ji-hong, who was hit by a hummingbird for the eighth time.
I took advantage of the intermission to turn my gaze to the scoreboard.
[Kim Ho 100% vs Yang Ji Hong 93%]
[Time remaining 00:43]
The 10-minute time limit for the PvP match is almost up.
I asked a question to Yang Ji-hong, who was shaking his body.
“Do you understand now?”
“… … I understand.”
You probably realize it now.
The fact that they lost the previous two games was not because they were careless or unlucky, but because of a purely skill gap.
“I’ll show you one last time. Take it.”
[Use ‘amplify’.]
[‘Hummingbird’ rank increases (E->C)]
A hummingbird made of electricity was summoned.
It is larger in size and emits clearer light.
Yang Ji-hong must have noticed the difference as well, as he tensely gripped the window.
– Pot!
“!!”
The hummingbird quickly closed the distance.
To Yang Ji-hong’s eyes, it must have seemed as if he had leaped through space for a moment.
A C-class hummingbird that has been upgraded by two ranks.
Even if you concentrate your eyes, it is not easy to catch the movement.
– Pot, pot, pot!
The hummingbird came within a few leaps of me.
The tip of Yang Ji-hong’s spear trembled slightly and his eyes shook.
Even though I was watching it right before my eyes, I still couldn’t read its movements.
However, as if he couldn’t end it like this, he gritted his teeth and raised his momentum to the level of the spear.
And he threw himself forward with all his might.
– Kwaaaaah—!
As the enormous career passed, everything was swept away.
At least that’s what it seemed to Yang Ji-hong.
But before I could breathe a sigh of relief,
A hummingbird landed on his chest.
– Pats pats pats!
A thunderous explosion engulfed Yang Ji-hong.
As the flash subsided, he was barely able to support himself by leaning on the window sill.
Then, eventually, one knee falls to the floor.
He speaks to the floor as if he is talking to himself.
“You were hiding your skills for a long time… … It was a match I couldn’t win from the start.”
“Keep going, you have potential.”
“… … I lost.”
[Kim Ho Win vs Yang Ji Hong Lose]
[Personal Battle: 359+27 points]
As we moved off stage, it seemed like Go Hyun-woo and Yang Son-do had also finished their match.
It looks like it ended on a warm note as everyone had a gentle smile on their face.
“It was a good match.”
“We are all equal. I have learned a lot from observing the swordsmanship of Sohyeop.”
“Let’s compete again next time.”
It has the same nuance as “let’s meet again next time and play baduk together.”
I approached Go Hyun-woo and asked.
“Did you win?”
“I got two wins. What about Hyung Kim?”
“I’ve already won three times. Do you want more?”
“I think it would be cleaner to finish up to the third one while we’re here. Brother Kim, you go first.”
I just scanned my student ID on the terminal and am waiting for the next person.
Since I wouldn’t be able to watch the show anyway and would be spending time in the practice room after it was over, from my perspective, there was no reason to waste any more time here.
“Okay, I’ll go first.”
“See you tomorrow.”
“for a moment.”
Yang Ji-hong called out to me as I was about to take a step.
The look of contempt he had when we first met is nowhere to be found.
He bows politely to me and then opens his mouth.
“I want to apologize for my rudeness. I judged people rashly based on only one aspect. You are not a coward.”
“No. For now, let’s just keep being a coward.”
“For the time being, I’ll continue to be a coward… … .”
Yang Ji-hong, who had been thinking about what I said for a moment, seemed to realize something and snickered.
“… … I see. I guess it would be best to continue to be a coward for the time being. I can’t be the only one who gets hurt, right?”
If I keep looking down on others, there will be more victims.
Then he takes out another wooden box and hands it over.
“I guess just one English word won’t do. Thanks to you, I learned a lot.”
“Oh my, what is this?”
I quickly took the English translation and put it away.
It’s an unexpected harvest.
I also cleared the most important PvP quest.
[Sub Quest: VS 1st week] (Completed)
▷Goal: Complete 3 rounds of PvP. (3/3 rounds)
▷3 wins reward: Rank up (F)
The quest reward is a piece of parchment with ‘UP’ written in large letters.
It’s an item called [Rank Up].
When used, it raises the rank of a skill or trait by one level, regardless of type.
If I just received an F-rank [Rank Up], I can immediately upgrade any F-rank skill to E-rank.
The use of this is, of course,
[Use ‘Rank Up (F)’.]
[‘Amplification’ level increased (F->E)]
[Duration 1:00->2:00]
[Reuse waiting time 1 hour -> 50 minutes]
It is a skill with excellent utility, so it is worth raising it as a top priority.
The time it takes to amplify a skill has been doubled, and its cooldown has been reduced by 10 minutes.
This means that the time required to complete [Cube of Life] can be significantly shortened.
Originally it was supposed to be a tight fit on Friday, but now it’s loose enough to be finished on Wednesday.
And what that means is that there is more time,
‘Can you take a look at the magic bullet?’
It means that he has the free time to devote to the training of calligraphers.
* * *
I finished a light dinner with the calligrapher.
We went to the training center together and grabbed a mana practice room and went in.
“We will now begin the first magic bullet special lecture.”
“and-“
The calligrapher applauded silently.
He immediately took out his magic gun, so I raised my hand to stop him.
“Put the gun away. I won’t be using it for a while.”
“huh.”
“First, would you like to try making a magic bullet?”
Because you have to see it for yourself to figure out what’s lacking.
Following my instructions, the calligrapher drew up his mana.
The mana gathered in his hand was compressed, forming a fluffy ball of magical power.
I couldn’t help but be amazed as I watched the process.
‘It’s really amazing… … .’
How did he lose to Song Cheon-hye with a hastily made lump of magic power that wasn’t even a magic bullet?
In addition, the calligrapher’s score in the competition is 600 points.
This means that he won two games, excluding the one he lost to Song Cheon-hye.
Although they did use equipment that was overly good for a freshman, such as high-grade rifles and transparent ghillie suits, that alone didn’t explain everything.
‘Let’s see how it works.’
“Okay, try following along.”
I manipulated mana to draw a circle.
The calligrapher also made a circle with mana.
As the circle was changed into a triangle, the calligrapher’s circle also changed into a triangle.
Circle, triangle, square, star… … .
I had them draw along various shapes.
‘You’re good at manipulating mana.’
Although it is expressed as ‘quickly’, objectively speaking, it is considered to be very excellent.
He says he has never trained in magical powers, but if he is able to do this, then he must have been born with it.
I guess it will grow quickly if I just point it in the right direction.
“Today, let’s start by learning about ‘distribution.’”
I took out the glass box.
This is an item provided for training purposes at the training center.
It is a size that can be easily held with two hands, and has a fist-sized hole on one side.
“Look, look.”
As I blew mana through the hole, the glass box was quickly filled with mana.
If you intentionally add more mana, it will leak out little by little.
“This box is exactly the amount that goes into a Class F [Magic Bullet]. The first thing is to use the appropriate amount per bullet. And the second is.”
I shook the glass box once.
The color of the mana in the box was divided into stages, from a deep navy blue to a sky blue close to white, like a gradient.
“It’s not okay for only some parts to have dark or light mana. The key to ‘distribution’ is to evenly distribute the mana so that it becomes a completely solid color.”
The calligrapher raised his hand over his shoulder.
It means you have a question.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Why should mana be distributed evenly?”
“Let’s talk while looking at it.”
The mana in the box, which had been in a gradient, was suddenly gathered into one point and compressed.
He showed the completed magic bullet to the calligrapher.
There are some very fine scratches that are difficult to notice even when looking closely.
“Mana that is not evenly distributed gets crumpled during the compression process. It’s okay to use it like this now, but after a certain level, this flaw becomes a problem.”
For example, a high-grade magic bullet compresses much more magic power than what can be contained in this box, and if there is a scratch on it, the mana will leak out or its shape will collapse.
Rather than struggling to correct bad habits that are ingrained in you later, it is better to learn it properly from the beginning.
“To summarize, infuse mana according to the amount in the box, distribute it evenly so that the colors are not different. Lastly,”
– Exactly!
With a snap of the fingers, a magic bullet was created.
“Do the above two processes in one breath. If you can do this, you can consider yourself a master of ‘distribution.’ Now try it yourself.”
He handed the calligrapher a glass box.
As the calligrapher blew mana into the hole, excess mana flowed out.
The inside of the box is also colorful with various shades of blue.
I can’t even dream of doing it in one breath.
“… … .”
The calligrapher’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as he continued to fail with each attempt.
He looked at me with eyes asking for advice, but I shook my head.
This is a very sensory area, so I don’t have any specific advice to give you here.
The best way is to keep practicing until you get it.
“I’ll be in the next room, so send me a message when you’re done.”
“okay.”
Even though I said this, it wasn’t something that could be finished in a day or two.
It’s practically like giving it as homework.
I had my own things to do.
I found an empty mana room, sat down, and took out the cube blueprint.
– Clang!
While I was completing the cube with my hands, my head was thinking of something else.
‘How long will it take?’
A truckload of S-class musketeers trained in the past.
There are more than a dozen masters who have built up their skills from the ground up, just like the current calligraphers.
It took the fastest of them two days to figure out ‘distribution’, and even I took a whole day at first.
I don’t expect it to be this good, but I think a calligrapher with that talent could probably do it in three days.
however…….
My prediction was pleasantly wrong.
[Calligrapher: End]
The supporters eat it all
