Chapter 84 – Exchange War (1)
“wait for a sec! Please wait a moment.”
At So Jin-hyeon’s words that continued again, Seo-joon stood still as he was about to leave.
Then he turned around slowly and asked.
“Why is that?”
Then Cha Hye-in and Lee Jin-seong each spat out a word.
“J-You are saying that you will not participate because there is no prize money at stake right now?”
“yes.”
“why···?”
Cha Hye-in gave an expression of incomprehensibility to Seo-joon’s answer as he nodded without hesitation.
And following Cha Hye-in, this time Lee Jin-seong asked.
“Does that mean you would be willing to compete if there was a prize at stake?”
“Yes? It will depend on the amount, though.”
“How long will it take to compete?”
In response to Lee Jin-sung’s question, Seo-joon checked the balance once again.
If you can listen to the mana lecture at the same time… Seojun needed an additional 6 billion won.
“I need 6 billion, but…”
“6 billion!”
“Eek?!”
Then, not only So Jin-hyeon, Cha Hye-in, and Lee Jin-seong, but also Min-yul, who was listening quietly from the side, looked surprised.
It was also because Min-yul knew the amount of money Seo-joon took a while ago.
Still, it was strange that he was not surprised to hear that another large amount of 6 billion was needed.
Only Seoyoon was there, nodding her head.
Finally, So Jin-hyun spoke.
“Now, can you give me a minute?”
“yes? What is it for?”
“I think we should have a little discussion among ourselves about the prize money.”
Although it is one of Korea’s top three academies, 6 billion was not a small amount.
Of course, it was a fund that could be operated sufficiently, but it was unreasonable to spend it on exchange matches where there was no prize money from the beginning.
That’s why Seojun answered the question, but he didn’t really expect it.
However, So Jin-hyeon’s words were different from Seo-jun’s expectations.
Seo-joon nodded his head, just in case.
“If that’s the case, that’s fine.”
When Seo-jun nodded, So Jin-hyeon took Cha Hye-in and Lee Jin-seong to a corner.
So Jin-Hyun opened his mouth first when the distance grew to a certain extent.
“What should I do with this…”
“Isn’t this exchange match meaningless if Kim Seo-joon is missing? In the first place, I made a plan to defeat Kim Seo-joon…”
“But the prize money for exchange matches? What nonsense is this?”
“That’s true, but…”
Lee Jin-seong slightly turned his gaze to look at Seo-joon.
“Leader! What kind of money do you need so much again?”
“Yeah… that’s driving me crazy too.”
With Lee Jin-sung’s perspective, it was possible to see them talking to each other.
And in that appearance, Lee Jin-seong was convinced.
It wasn’t a joke, but Kim Seo-joon didn’t really seem interested in exchanges.
It seemed that the only interest was in the prize money, i.e. the money.
Jinseong Lee looked back and said.
“From the looks of it, it seems like he really wouldn’t participate if he didn’t have the prize money.”
“It would be better for us to press…”
At Cha Hye-in’s words, Lee Jin-seong frowned and shouted.
“Don’t be crazy. Don’t you know that the swordsman is standing behind you? If that was possible, we wouldn’t even have to come here in the first place.”
In fact, if it wasn’t for the Sword Saint, I wouldn’t have done such things.
To be precise, it was right that Dream Academy disappeared before I even thought about it.
If they thought it was a threat to them, it was enough to suppress them regardless of means and methods.
There was no need to resort to vulgar maneuvers such as threats.
The students of the academy are given scholarships and taken away.
Or taking out instructors for higher salaries, etc.
It was over with a simple back-and-forth.
They had the power, position, and skills to do so.
In the first place, they were representatives of the three major academies in Korea.
All the A and S class pro hunters who are currently known as Nanda Ginda were students of these three academies.
In the world of professional hunters, their connections cannot be ignored even by the president of the association, Lee Tae-beom.
Getting rid of this snot-sized dream academy wasn’t even a job.
However, if the snot was the snot of a sword star, the story was quite different.
As the swordsman, there was nothing he could do about it even if all three of them clung to him, and he was not even an opponent in terms of position or ability.
It wasn’t just a joke to say that the three academies could be erased if you touched them unnecessarily.
In fact, the reason they came here was because the Sword Master noticed them.
“Think and speak. It’s because the bitch called the wizard doesn’t think so…”
“I beg your pardon? Are you done talking now?”
“I recommend killing that useless pride as well.”
“Are you going to try it now?”
At that moment, Cha Hye-in burst into tremendous momentum toward Lee Jin-seong.
Not to be outdone by him, Lee Jin-seong also burst into fierce momentum.
Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!
When the momentum emitted by the S-class hunters collided, a tremendous sense of pressure burst out.
At the same time, everyone’s eyes at Dream Academy turned to the two.
However, Cha Hye-in and Lee Jin-seong didn’t care and were glaring at each other as if they were going to kill each other.
“Stop it. What if we fight now?”
“……Sheesh.”
“…… Tsk.”
Finally, after So Jin-hyeon’s mediation, Cha Hye-in and Lee Jin-seong gained momentum.
Seeing the two of them like that, So Jin-hyeon sighed and said.
“Let’s make a bet.”
“but···!”
As if interrupting Cha Hye-in’s words, So Jin-hyun immediately continued.
“Of course, I’m not saying just give up. We should bring something too.”
“What do you mean?”
“therefore···”
So Jin-hyeon told Cha Hye-in and Lee Jin-seong the plan he had in mind.
After a while, the long story came to an end.
And Cha Hye-in and Lee Jin-seong nodded as if there was no other way.
So Jin-hyun approached Seo-jun again, and Seo-jun said to So Jin-hyun, who approached with a shy expression.
“I think you had a disagreement… did you end well?”
“It was not a crash to worry about.”
So Jin-hyun smiled as if it was no big deal.
Then he opened his mouth again slowly.
“Actually, we wanted to interact with Seojun Kim. I wanted our students to get rid of their arrogance and develop a spirit of improvement while competing with Kim Seo-joon.”
So Jin-hyun shrugged once and continued.
“However, they said that they would not participate if there was no prize money… We had no choice but to worry. So, at the end of the meeting, we decided to stake the prize money.”
“then···”
So Jin-hyun immediately added his words.
“Instead, there are some conditions.”
“Conditions?”
When Seo-jun tilted his head and asked, So Jin-hyun opened his mouth again.
“Anyway, isn’t the prize money being spent unilaterally by us? So, we will decide the rules and methods for exchanges.”
After a moment of thought, Seo-joon nodded.
That would also be true, the exchange match was an unofficial competition, and there was no prize money in the first place.
If the prize money was to be wagered, it was right that all academies participating in the exchange match should bear it.
However, if the other side paid for all the prize money, So Jin-hyeon’s request was reasonable.
“Lastly, I would like everyone at Dream Academy to participate in this exchange event.”
“All the members of Dream Academy?”
“yes. That’s right.”
Seeing So Jin-hyeon nod, Seo-jun slightly turned his head to look at Min-yul.
“What am I? Like I just said, it doesn’t matter.”
Then, Minyul shrugged his shoulders and replied.
Then only Suyeon was left.
Seo-joon turned his head around to find Soo-yeon.
And not long after, I was able to find Suyeon.
Perhaps because of the clash between Cha Hye-in and Lee Jin-seong, Soo-yeon was looking at her with curious eyes.
“Suyeon-ah! wait for a sec!”
When Seo-joon gestured, Su-yeon came closer.
Seo-joon gave Su-yeon a brief explanation about the exchange war.
“Me too?”
“You say so? Do you have any thoughts?”
Suyeon answered after a moment of thought.
“Um… good! I also trained a lot during that time, and I was curious to what extent this was.”
Seeing Suyeon like that, Seojun smiled.
He would do the same because right after the raid battle was over, he had seen several times training while staying up all night saying that he would be of help next time.
Not much time has passed since then, but if it’s Sooyeon’s talent that even Maseong praised, she must have developed a lot.
Seo-joon turned his head again and said to So Jin-hyun.
“Do you have any other conditions besides that?”
“Yes, but… I don’t think one person has agreed yet.”
Seojun tilted his head involuntarily.
Currently, there are 3 students in Dream Academy: Seojun, Minyul, and Suyeon.
I wondered if he was referring to Seo-Jun himself, but Seo-Jun opened his mouth again at a person who suddenly came to mind.
“Are you referring to Seoyoon?”
“yes? me too?”
Seo-yoon was startled by Seo-joon’s words and said.
And So Jin-hyun nodded and said.
“The main purpose of the exchange exhibition is to foster a spirit of improvement among students through competition, but at the same time, it is also a venue to foster a spirit of improvement among instructors. Isn’t the students’ skills not everything in the academy?”
“but···”
“Of course, I am not directly competing with the students. More details on this will be communicated later.”
Seo-joon didn’t know how to accept this offer.
That would also be the case, Seoyoon’s professional hunter grade was a B-class hunter.
On the other hand, when it comes to instructors at the three major academies, there were at least A-level instructors and S-level instructors.
No matter how much they did not compete directly, the difference in their skills was stark.
So Jin-hyun wouldn’t know that.
Seo-joon couldn’t understand why he was making such a proposal.
“great. I will go too.”
“Seoyun?”
Seo-joon spoke cautiously out of concern.
“That… if you’re doing it because of me, there’s no need to overdo it.”
“No. I have always received help from Seo Jun and he has done nothing for me, so I should be of help at least once.”
“What are you talking about? You have already helped me to overflowing.”
It was no exaggeration to say that if it wasn’t for Seoyoon, Seojun wouldn’t have been able to come this far.
Leaving aside everything else, Seoyoon took care of the competition in many ways and helped Seojun earn money.
Above all, Seojun was unaware that Seoyoon was working behind the back of the swordsman knowingly or unknowingly.
If it wasn’t for that, Seo-jun would have been targeted by various forces and suffered many dangers and hardships.
The reason why Seo-jun was able to focus only on training was that Seo-yoon’s help was absolute.
That’s why Seo-yoon was giving Seo-jun a lot of help, but even so, Seo-yoon’s will didn’t show any momentum to break.
‘Could it be because of the work at that time…’
Seeing Seoyoon like that, Seojun couldn’t help but recall what happened back then.
Right after the raid battle is over.
It was when Seo-jun asked about the 6-star dungeon.
I was able to go to the 6-star dungeon when I was promoted to the 1st division, but I couldn’t go because I couldn’t become an A-class hunter.
Seeing Seoyoon looking at him with determined eyes, Seojun couldn’t bring himself to say anything else.
Seo-joon turned his head again and said to So Jin-hyun.
“Then what about the prize money?”
#
Afterwards, negotiations were held on the prize money, and the winning prize was set at the 6 billion won that Seo-joon initially suggested.
In addition, 4 billion won for 2nd place, 2 billion won for 3rd place, and the total prize money is 12 billion won.
Since the method was an individual competition, not a team competition, if they won, they could monopolize 6 billion won.
‘Why did you bring in Seo Yoon if it was an individual exhibition?’
That’s why Seo-joon couldn’t help but question.
However, they left leisurely with the words that they would inform the specific game method and rules later.
In any case, when Dream Academy was confirmed to participate in the exchange match, an untimely craze for training blew up in the academy.
Of course, Min-yul and Su-yeon continued training even if it wasn’t for this exchange match.
“hot!”
But this time, it was quite different from usual that even Seoyoon was joining the training frenzy.
“Ha-ah!”
It was Seojun who couldn’t see Seoyoon pulling out the sword, so it seemed unfamiliar to him.
Seo-jun looked at Seo-yoon like that and quickly turned his gaze away.
It was because Seoyoon was Seoyoon and Seojun also needed to prepare for an exchange match in his own way.
Seo-joon immediately took out his smartphone.
And the moment he tries to connect to the transcendent academy.
“Rather than that, when will the mentor come?”
I paused at a thought that came to my mind.
It was none other than the question of the Mana River.
Seojun left a message for his mentor while thinking about it.
And it wasn’t long before I received a reply from my mentor.
[Seojun Kim! Stop learning the Mana lecture for a moment!]
“You’re not learning the Mana lecture?”
While Seo-joon tilted his head, he left a message asking why.
Then the mentor’s reply came to mind again.
[It’s so complicated to explain this through a message… I’ve put in an inquiry to the director now to make it more clear. I’ll hear the answer to this and see you right away!]
Since then, the mentor has not responded.
“Is there something…”
Judging from the fact that he was told not to listen to the Mana lecture, it seemed that there was something there.
Somehow it seems to be nuanced, but…
“Let’s save the money first.”
Anyway, when the mentor came, I had to go there and ask again.
Seo-joon took the transcendentalist lecture while shaking off his curiosity.
That’s how the morning of the exchange battle brightened quickly.
“Wow… I heard it was an unofficial tournament. Isn’t it as big as a raid battle?”
Seo-joon couldn’t help but admire the place where the exchange match was taking place.
It was because it was as big as the last raid battle.
It was an academy exchange match, so Seo-joon, who thought it was just a fight at the gym, couldn’t help but be quite surprised.
“Anyway, it’s not a normal exchange match. The 3rd academy is not the 3rd academy for nothing.”
“okay···”
There was definitely a reason for being one of the top 3 academies in Korea.
However, unlike other competitions, as it was held informally, spectators were not visible.
Because it was informal and at the same time completely private.
however.
“Aren’t those the reporters over there?”
“Uh… is that so?”
For some reason, people who seemed to be reporters were waiting on one side.
They could be seen as officials, but everyone could tell that they were reporters, with the passes and long cameras hanging around their necks.
“I think he intends to reveal it to reporters this time.”
“Hmm…”
Seo-joon doubted for a moment, but quickly nodded.
It was also because it was not uncommon for such cases to be disclosed only to reporters.
Seo-jun brushed off his thoughts and asked Seo-yoon again.
“Rather than that, what was the first match of the exchange match?”
“It’s a tournament between students.”
Then Min-yul and Su-yeon put their hands together and said as if praying.
“Please… let me meet the captain at the end. Please let me meet Soo-yeon instead.”
“me too. Please Seojun oppa and Minyul… Huh? what?”
Soo-yeon shot at Min-yul with a ridiculous look.
Then, Minyul waved his hand slightly and said.
“Don’t talk. Yesterday, I saw a glimpse of the general training… It was very crazy. You wield a spear once, but what…”
Minyul trembled as if recalling the memories of yesterday.
Apparently, he had seen Jecheon Daeseong practicing Rannachal (欄拿扎).
“Yet it is. Why is it me?”
“Just what…”
Seo-joon laughed at the sight of the two bickering.
So Seo-joon moved to the building where the exchange exhibition was taking place.
And just then.
“excuse me! It’s Lee Ha-yoon!”
chump chump chump chump!
Suddenly, shouts broke out among the reporters, and the sound of camera flashes poured in.
