Chapter 103
Chapter 103. Rumors (3)
Suddenly being asked for a lesson?
Yoo Ji-han found it somewhat hard to comprehend.
“Are you asking me for a sparring match?”
“That’s right.”
What Bae Tae-jun referred to as a lesson was indeed a request for a spar.
‘There’s no real reason to decline, but…’
Yoo Ji-han looked at his party members.
They seemed rather unconcerned about Bae Tae-jun’s request.
“Do you want a party match?”
“It doesn’t have to be a party match. A one-on-one with you would be great.”
“Hmm… A one-on-one might be alright.”
After a moment of contemplation, Yoo Ji-han nodded.
As long as it was a simple one-on-one spar, there shouldn’t be any issues.
“Can we just finish this first?”
“Sure.”
“We’ll watch!”
Kim Si-hu and Min Yu-ri decided to join as spectators.
Yoo Ji-han turned to Bae Tae-jun and said,
“By the way, I didn’t expect you to ask me for a match. There are plenty of great heroes aside from me at Hero Academy.”
“You’ve been with Keroes longer than Kim Hyun-tae, so I thought you must have something to teach.”
“……”
As soon as Kim Hyun-tae’s name was mentioned, Yoo Ji-han shut his mouth.
‘Did he hear something from Kim Hyun-tae?’
Was this really just a pure request for a spar?
Yoo Ji-han was slightly suspicious of Bae Tae-jun’s intentions.
*
Bae Tae-jun and Yoo Ji-han submitted their request for the sparring arena and waited for a bit.
There was a slight waiting time since another spar was in progress.
Fortunately, it was nearing the end, so their turn would come up soon…
“……?”
As they waited, the area around the sparring arena became increasingly chaotic.
Suddenly, people began to gather from all directions.
‘Huh?’
People stopped in front of the sparring arena.
Yoo Ji-han squinted and looked around.
Heroes who were training elsewhere or new parties entering the training center all halted in front of the sparring arena.
“They said something fun is happening here?”
“I can’t miss a fight.”
“Who’s fighting who?”
…….
A considerable number of spectators had flocked to the front of the sparring arena.
Among them were familiar faces from Hero Academy and some unfamiliar ones as well.
The people already sparring inside seemed quite taken aback by the unexpected audience.
Yoo Ji-han turned to Bae Tae-jun.
“Why are there so many people now?”
“Not sure…”
Bae Tae-jun wore a slightly puzzled expression.
He also seemed to be unaware of why so many had gathered.
But the reality was a bit different.
‘Quite a crowd has gathered. This should be enough.’
The people had been summoned by Bae Tae-jun’s party.
The moment Yoo Ji-han accepted the sparring request, they had contacted some hype men waiting upstairs to bring the crowd to the training center.
It was all part of Kim Hyun-tae’s plan to showcase Yoo Ji-han’s defeat in front of as many people as possible.
Naturally, Yoo Ji-han had no way of knowing this.
‘This feels like it’s getting too big.’
The ongoing spar quickly wrapped up.
It seemed that the fighters, feeling the pressure of the growing audience, had rushed to finish their match.
“Next spar, Bae Tae-jun and Yoo Ji-han, please enter.”
Yoo Ji-han stepped into the arena along with Bae Tae-jun.
Instantly, the spectators’ gaze turned toward the two.
“Is that them?”
“Let’s see how good they really are.”
The arena staff attached sensors to their bodies and gave brief instructions, something they had heard several times before.
“Go for it, brother!”
“Fighting!”
It seemed Kim Si-hu and Min Yu-ri were cheering for them, likely because of the increased crowd.
Chilla, as always, was staring at Yoo Ji-han with intense focus.
“I don’t know if I can teach you anything.”
“Please, give me a lesson.”
Clang!
Yoo Ji-han and Bae Tae-jun’s swords met like a handshake before they distanced themselves.
“……”
“……”
All the chatter around them ceased.
The standoff between Yoo Ji-han and Bae Tae-jun continued in the sparring arena.
With each step taken by one, the other mirrored the movement.
Then, it was Bae Tae-jun who charged forward first.
[Charge of the Bull]
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
His skill charged forward, with each step vibrating the arena slightly.
He had the presence of a massive bull charging ahead!
Just as Bae Tae-jun was about to swing his sword at Yoo Ji-han…
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, Yoo Ji-han threw himself to the right.
Bae Tae-jun’s very linear attack couldn’t keep up, landing in the empty space.
“Tch!”
Bae Tae-jun halted right where he had missed Yoo Ji-han.
Quickly pivoting, he chased after him and swung his blade.
Clang!
The swords clashed and sparks flew from the point of contact.
The quality of their weapons didn’t seem to be the issue.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Instead of a stalemate, they exchanged attacks.
An unbroken sequence of strikes with no room to breathe followed.
Primarily on the offensive was Bae Tae-jun.
“Huff!”
Clang! Clang!
More than ten exchanges happened in the blink of an eye.
Reaching twenty, thirty exchanges took only a few seconds.
But…
‘My attacks are being blocked?’
As his blows continued getting thwarted, Bae Tae-jun frowned.
Hastily approaching the enemy with his charge skill and following up with a flurry of strikes was one of his proudest techniques.
He had taken down many opponents with this relentless barrage up until now.
Bae Tae-jun had confidence that he wouldn’t lose to anyone with his level of warrior skills.
“……!”
Yet, Yoo Ji-han was blocking every single attack.
Even more perplexing, his expression remained unfazed during the blocking.
How could he stay so composed in such a situation?
“Uoooh!!”
Bae Tae-jun wondered but roared to exert himself even more in his attacks.
Gasps of awe arose from the spectators.
“Was that guy named Keroes?”
“It seems like a pretty decent guild, just like the rumors said.”
Bae Tae-jun edged forward gradually.
With each step, Yoo Ji-han retreated a little more.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
[0:3]
With the scores widening, the wall of the sparring arena approached Yoo Ji-han’s back.
At first glance, it seemed like he was gradually being pushed back.
Clang!
Yet, just as before, Yoo Ji-han calmly calculated the trajectory of Bae Tae-jun’s sword and deflected the attacks.
Unlike Bae Tae-jun, who swung wildly, he conserved his stamina as he patiently awaited the right moment.
It was a clash between brutal strikes and efficient defenses.
Naturally, the expenditure of stamina was vastly different.
‘This shouldn’t be happening…!’
Sweat beads formed on Bae Tae-jun’s forehead.
For some reason, his attacks weren’t landing.
His hands and arms were becoming increasingly numb from all that swinging.
The longer the standoff continued, the more disadvantageous it was for Bae Tae-jun.
But he couldn’t back down now.
Instinctively, he feared that should his flurry fail, a crisis would arrive.
——He’s just a worthless trash. Just toy with him.
With this much exchange, he should have realized.
This was different from what he had heard from Senior Kim Hyun-tae at Keroes.
‘This seems to be about the right level.’
Yoo Ji-han, calmly responding, gauged his opponent’s skills.
He suddenly swung his sword in a wide arc.
Clang!
“Urgh!”
Bae Tae-jun’s sword, weakened from exhaustion, bounced outward.
He held onto his grip tightly to avoid losing his sword.
But Yoo Ji-han seized that brief opening without hesitation.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
[3:3]
As Yoo Ji-han launched his counterattack, the score tied in an instant.
And the scoring didn’t stop there.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
This time, Yoo Ji-han began to unleash a series of strikes against Bae Tae-jun.
Bae Tae-jun, flustered, desperately tried to parry, but…
He couldn’t fend them all off.
<-- Probability of a critical hit if attacking Bae Tae-jun's waist>
<89%>
“Your waist is open.”
“What?”
He even sweetly announced his intention before landing the attack.
Bae Tae-jun couldn’t block it.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
[6:3]
Bae Tae-jun’s gear accumulated small scratches.
Consequently, the points began to widen between them.
‘No way!’
This was the stage intended to humiliate Yoo Ji-han by gathering a crowd.
To be humiliated in front of everyone there was unconceivable!
[Roar of the Lion]
“Grrrroooaaar—!!”
Bae Tae-jun, cornered, used a skill to exert pressure on those around him.
As he launched his next attack, Yoo Ji-han felt a brief stiffness in his arm and quickly pulled back.
It was a skill that, although usually high-risk against humans, succeeded unexpectedly.
“Phew…!”
Bae Tae-jun, haggard and breathing heavily, had but a moment’s respite before…
Yoo Ji-han charged back at him.
“Ugh!”
Beep! Beep! Beep!
[9:3]
With only one point remaining for Yoo Ji-han to win the spar, Bae Tae-jun’s arms had beads of blood from small wounds seeping out.
Feeling suddenly at ease, Yoo Ji-han distanced himself from his opponent.
Bae Tae-jun gritted his teeth.
“I can’t end it like this!”
[Charge of the Bull]
The composure he had at the beginning of the spar had vanished as he used his charge skill once more.
He had abandoned any thoughts of embarrassing his opponent.
Only thoughts of overpowering and defeating him filled his mind.
‘Come.’
Yoo Ji-han lowered his stance and awaited Bae Tae-jun.
As the furious expression on Bae Tae-jun’s face drew closer, he sampled countless possibilities of actions…
And pivoted around his right foot, evading the charge.
“What…!”
At that moment, he struck the back of the disoriented opponent with a final blow.
Beep!
*
“Whoa, did you see that guy’s moves?”
“He blocked almost every attack and only landed solid hits!”
“The opponent wasn’t too shabby either; impressive!”
“What’s that guy’s name?”
The spar between Yoo Ji-han and Bae Tae-jun ended in Yoo Ji-han’s victory.
The gathered spectators erupted into applause.
All were visibly shocked by Yoo Ji-han’s performance.
Classmates from Hero Academy observed him silently with keen eyes.
‘Is he the one from that feedback training?’
‘Was that video not manipulated?’
The atmosphere changed from casual observers to something much more serious as they witnessed the actual spar.
After the match, Yoo Ji-han approached the defeated Bae Tae-jun, who sat there exhausted.
“You did well.”
Yoo Ji-han extended his hand toward Bae Tae-jun.
He meant to help him up.
But Bae Tae-jun rejected the gesture and stood up on his own.
“Umm…”
Feeling a bit awkward, Yoo Ji-han withdrew his hand and said,
“You said you wanted a lesson, so if you want, I can give you some feedback.”
“…No feedback needed.”
“Is that so?”
“Don’t get too cocky just because you won once.”
How dare he act all high and mighty after only one victory!
Bae Tae-jun shot a fierce glare at Yoo Ji-han before turning to his party members.
He swiftly walked out of the sparring arena.
“……”
“……”
“……”
As they exited, Bae Tae-jun’s party members were silent.
They trusted the skills of their party leader.
To lose so easily was unimaginable.
‘Damn it…!’
The intention to humiliate turned into his own humiliation instead.
Bae Tae-jun’s face turned crimson in suppressed fury.
As he hastily exited the arena…
“Hey.”
Someone called out to him.
“Who are you…”
“You know me, right? We’re in the same Hero Academy class.”
The person who spoke was Moon Kyung-jin from the Knife Guild.
Though they hadn’t properly introduced themselves, Bae Tae-jun recognized his face.
But he immediately averted his gaze.
“I’m not in the mood to talk right now. Let’s chat later.”
With his peers or otherwise, he had no interest right now.
Bae Tae-jun wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.
However, Moon Kyung-jin didn’t seem to mind the reaction as he continued,
“Wasn’t that jerk earlier such a pain?”
“…Who?”
“The one who fought with Yoo Ji-han in the sparring arena.”
As soon as Yoo Ji-han’s name was mentioned, Bae Tae-jun’s eyes flickered.
Moon Kyung-jin internally rejoiced at Bae Tae-jun’s reaction, though he didn’t show it outwardly.
