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Chapter 169

“Well done, Choi Yeon-woo. That final blow was truly impressive. I heard you were quite capable as a warrior, but as a mage, you’re no slouch either.”

“Thanks for the compliment. Your purification techniques were quite skillful as well. My divine power is still a bit clumsy, making it hard to use.”

“Oh, so you have a talent for priesthood, huh? I heard it’s somewhat different from our gods… But I bet you’ll get used to it in no time. I’d like to face you as a warrior someday.”

“Sure, let’s have a duel if the opportunity arises. You guys, let’s go. I’ll help dry your clothes.”

Among the four gathered in the athlete waiting room, only Kargas had a chat and then stepped out.

Im Yu-bin and Albert were sitting nearby, looking like drenched rats, aiming to turn them into slightly dried squid.

“Is the temperature just right, my guests?”

“Uh, perfect. It would be great if it could dry a bit faster, though.”

“I can’t do that without mana. Right now, I’m only good enough to be a hairdryer.”

The mana acquired from Kargas’ curse had been totally eaten up using Barrier + Shadow Sphere, so there was really nothing more to expect from the current Yeon-woo.

Of course, there wouldn’t be any fights here, so it was fine to space out and think of something else from now on.

‘What decent materials can be obtained at this time?’

Naturally, there were various materials lying around. There’s a ton of monsters nearby, and just bringing back a few would yield acceptable materials.

‘I was asked to bring the best quality materials available…’

The problem was that Yeon-woo found a blacksmith who specializes in handling weapons. The most common byproduct from monsters is, without a doubt, leather.

But leather can’t be used for weapons, so bones or ores had to be targeted instead.

‘Should I bring back some leather and have it custom made?’

Not a bad idea. It wouldn’t hurt to aim for some custom work since he had been a bit neglectful about his gear lately.

If it were up to him, he’d want to leave it to the blacksmith that Yuri introduced, but he hesitated to request a commission from someone with that kind of attitude.

If Yuri recommended them, their skills were definitely solid, but it also meant they might be eccentric. Plus, he needed to gather materials to treat Noel, so choosing the route became crucial.

Fortunately, the materials needed to treat Noel weren’t particularly hard to find. He’d already obtained the hardest-to-find elixir.

Any elixir with a certain purity would do, but the higher the purity, the shorter the healing time would be.

With the Changcheon Clan, not only would there be success in treatment, but there was a chance of becoming even stronger than before getting sick.

In the end, it only took about a week to gather, most of which was just travel time. The materials were common; however, their growing environment was limited, requiring he travel to that particular area.

The nearby location was just a tiny rural village, and due to the closed-off environment, it was rare for those items to even come on the market.

Even then, since the efficacy isn’t verified, some alchemists just whimsically take them for experiments. Until now, it was nothing more than a worthless weed.

‘It would be nice if there was a mine nearby.’

Gazing up at the sky, as the two boys and girls in front of him were drying off, Yeon-woo sighed heavily at the future that lay ahead.

‘Oh, I still have that bomb left.’

Uh-oh, where the heck am I supposed to blow this up? I was going to shove it into the sea serpent’s body, but I forgot.

Now, it seems there won’t be any opportunity to blow up the bomb. There’s no matches in the upcoming competitions.

*

There was a time when I thought like this.

“Why on earth have I suddenly been made to go to the Last One Standing?”

“During the first half of the match, you got injured, so you rested. Then adjustment was needed, and look where we are now. What an incredible coincidence!”

“Is it really just me? Even so, entering all three major events alone looks a bit ridiculous.”

“There’s no problem. The other students said they were fine. Now all you have to do is say that you’re in.”

Huuuh, Yeon-woo sighed heavily. Yet it felt wrong to just refuse to participate.

Most of those who were similar in strength or stronger had exhausted their admission tickets, and those lacking confidence didn’t want to enter the Last One Standing match regardless.

At this point, it could be said that Yeon-woo practically had no choice but to go along with it.

After all, it wasn’t entirely his fault that the schedule ended up like this, but the fault scope included Yeon-woo.

“Ah….”

Yeon-woo was being watched with pleased expressions from those around him.

The looks conveyed a message: ‘This guy got what he deserved for being so smug.’

“What did I do to deserve such glares from you guys?!”

Yeon-woo protested, but shockingly, no one cared about him. His cries echoed emptily in the waiting room.

Time passed quickly.

Since he was entering all three major events anyway, they wouldn’t ask him to participate in any other events, so he simply immersed himself in practice with a relaxed attitude.

It might be said that he was complaining, asking what kind of practice one carried out in this situation, but it’s human instinct to want to win when up for a match.

Last One Standing was an undeniably simple match. As the grand finale of the tournament, it was structured around rules both simple and exciting for the audience.

Representatives from five academies emerge and each enters a gate to begin their challenge. The structure is such that whoever holds the trophy at the end is the victor.

The rules are ridiculous. Can this even be called a rule? The only connection to the profession of a Hunter is starting off by entering a gate.

While one might say that it considered not letting other hunters steal your prey throughout the challenge, it was already assessed in the Colosseum, so the real intention was simply to see representatives brawl.

After all, watching a fire across the river is the most entertaining.

– Now, the representatives of each academy will appear! Oh my, our very own Choi Yeon-woo is participating in all three major events! It seems to be a mix of longing and disappointment! Did Changhae consider individual battles? The Dang Sa-ryeon student has stepped up!

– Not a bad choice. The top spot of Changhae is quite unique. It seems they’ve decided to send out the hexagonal Dang Sa-ryeon student. From Shinrok, we have Professor Delhain’s student, Almerin. They’re known for their outstanding spirit magic at such a young age!

– From Jiyu, we have the well-known top student Bailey! Expect another showcase of their remarkable quick fire technique! And from Jihwa… oh my? It’s not the magic division, but a hunter is coming out?

– Samiryeon’s Moon Gi from Geumomun. Geumomun? That’s a name I’ve never heard before. It seems they wished to challenge Dang Sa-ryeon at all costs!

– Regardless, this is an exciting match to look forward to! The flower of the tournament, the grand finale of the tournament! Last One Standing starts now!!

The representatives lined up in a neat row at the center of the auditorium.

Familiar faces, indeed.

Although Yeon-woo would have liked to comment, the only unfamiliar face was Moon Gi who represented Jihwa.

The other representatives had shown their faces here and there, but this was Moon Gi’s very first match.

‘Right, Shar?’

[Yes, that’s correct.]

Of course, it’s Shar. My beloved database. When my memory is hazy? Just ask Shar.

My memory might have improved, but it’s not as reliable as Shar’s certainty.

Moon Gi was looking around with narrowed eyes, seemingly intrigued.

His hair, grown in a 5:5 parting, swayed lightly. Being an elegant beauty, it was somewhat confusing regarding gender, but they seemed to be male.

Notably unique were the white strands that peeked through black hair—more like beastly fur than human hair. And firmly closed in the center of the forehead was a third eye.

With such unique features, you’d think it’d be impossible to forget after just one glance, yet Yeon-woo realized he had little interest in martial arts even before his regression.

‘…But it’s recognizable.’

[Indeed. It feels different from the five great clans.]

However, Yeon-woo was more captivated by something else.

Surrounding Moon Gi was a mist-like mana. Describing its nature, it was a change. It was likely a vision of a faction dipping into areas similar to magic.

And Yeon-woo recognized a flow of mana similar to that.

This one changed the mana that composed the body itself, but the properties were similar.

‘Polymorph.’

[Shall we take a peek?]

[What’s this? Why are you two having fun while leaving Tae-oh out? And don’t forget about Noel too.]

‘Please, Shar. And I’m sorry; I’d love to help Tae-oh, but I can’t do the last one.’

It’s easy enough to enter contracts with abstract beings, but there’s no such clarity in contracts between people…

While pondering the bitter truths of society based on long experience, Shar peeked into Yeon-woo’s vision.

Creak, as if gears were turning, the clock made a full rotation then zoomed in like a camera lens.

The eyes hadn’t altered; it was just changing the mana pattern of the dragon’s eye.

The dragon’s gaze dispelled the white mist.

Revealing secrets of the mysterious mana appeared a four-legged creature resembling a deer.

Oh, I know exactly what that is.

As he stupidly pondered that thought, Moon Gi’s eyes lit up, turning toward Yeon-woo.

But Yeon-woo was, by his own account, akin to a reflex god.

With senses finely tuned enough to catch every hint of danger, as soon as he saw Moon Gi turn his chin, Yeon-woo immediately focused straight ahead.

‘Kekeke, you little punk. I once beat an A-rank Hunter in the past with sheer luck….’

It might seem trivial, but it was quite a feat.

No matter how much mana had not been used, overcoming an A-rank Hunter, who was infused with the essence of magic, was something absurd.

Now that he could use mana, he still pondered how he managed to win back then.

While Yeon-woo reminisced about past glories, Shar muttered with curiosity.

[Hmm… what place is this Geumomun?]

‘Right? What’s up with that qilin they’ve got as a door guardian?’

It was not a beastman but a human-beast. Not a human mixed with beastly traits, but a beast imbued with human characteristics.

Though they seemed similar at first glance, the distinctions were entirely different.

Most human-beasts possessed intelligence merely at beast level, unable to communicate fluidly with humanity.

That’s why most human-beasts lived hidden away. Quite unlike beastmen who proudly chose to live as humans.

[That Moon Gi fellow probably wouldn’t be too different either. Yet, that which made it possible was cultivation. They’ve built up studies to make it happen.]

‘Don’t know much about what Geumomun is, but judging they got into the academy, it’s safe to say that kid embodies their beliefs, I guess.’

A faction represented by a qilin. If that’s so, then most door guardians would likely be human-beasts.

The human-beast faction that lived hidden away, Geumomun: one that revealed itself as a key power of the black association and the central force of the Samiryeon.

In quite the unexpected form.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

 

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