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Chapter 95

The candidates for the tournament, filtered down to two hundred through the preliminaries, would be narrowed to a hundred representatives through the finals.

Even though it was entirely possible to reduce the number to a hundred during the preliminaries alone, the reason for the complicated finals was simple. The Academy Tournament had evolved into an event comparable in scale to the ancient Olympics or World Cups. It had become a festival that anyone interested could witness anywhere in the world.

Thus, the students who would represent the Academy had to be selected through a rigorous evaluation process. The most crucial factor was ability, followed by various other considerations.

It could be a special element that mandated them to represent, or star quality that could appeal to the public. Of course, if their star quality ended up failing and they got knocked out, it wouldn’t help at all. Thus, the most influential factor remained their actual skills.

The finals would be conducted in a manner not much different from the preliminaries. The only difference was that professors would serve as judges. This meant they would officially evaluate the candidates.

In other words, two candidates would engage in combat, and the results of their match along with their qualities would be assessed. If the match results were given a weight of 70%, while the other factors weighed 30%, that would be a fair standard.

At the same time, the rankings would be established for when they were selected as representatives. For instance, if Yeon-woo fought against Namgung Seong and lost, the next match would feature him against a slightly weaker student.

This process would be carried out roughly three to four times to trim the representatives down to a hundred. Simultaneously, numbers from one to one hundred would be assigned to the students. And thus, the proud representatives of the first-year class would be formed.

Seated at the ornately decorated judges’ stand, with excited faces directed at the entrance of the players’ waiting room, was a cohort of five professors led by the witch of the night, Alyssa Valdia.

It seemed Kim Hyun-soo and Yuri, who had made comments regarding Yeon-woo earlier, were excluded from this selection.

‘Has the evaluation really flipped so quickly?’

As he made his way to the arena, the boy thought this while observing the judges’ table.

He understood. The truth was, Choi Yeon-woo was a figure who could receive the highest possible score in terms of media attention on a global scale. A Dragon Contractor and a disciple of the Sword Master.

Although only a few were aware of the latter, the rumor of a Dragon Contractor appearing had spread among the general public.

With that level of media attention, it was clear he could enter the ranks of the Academy’s top hundred. Thus, the judges who could potentially be biased were excluded, regardless of whether they were capable figures or not.

Three months ago, the name on the judges’ list who had been keeping tabs on him likely wouldn’t have been Yeon-woo, but him.

However, in just four months, a period that couldn’t exactly be labeled long, Yeon-woo had risen to such a position.

Thinking about this, the extent of his foolishness in the past match became glaringly evident.

‘They said the finals would be streamed online.’

He refused to let his guard down or feel fear anymore. For now, he would acknowledge his lower status and simply strive to take him down.

The underdog had changed. Facing Darius, Choi Yeon-woo was no longer the underdog; it was Darius who stood in the position of the underdog now.

As the boy with black-red hair realized how strangely calm he had become, he understood that it was not the mindset generally associated with an assassin.

Gratitude for the chance at a rematch—this was not a feeling an assassin should harbor or even contemplate.

Even if this match-up was orchestrated by his family, Darius chose to disregard it.

“I won’t resent it if I lose at the end of this match. For now, I’ll simply express my gratitude for the opportunity.”

Muttering this as a familiar presence approached from behind, Darius adjusted his black combat uniform and stepped onto the arena.

‘He’s totally sharpened his skills!’

Watching Darius walk forward with such confidence that it was hard to believe he belonged to an assassin lineage, Yeon-woo scratched his cheek. He never imagined he would be this eager.

He understood. Whatever the circumstances, a chance at revenge was something anyone would welcome. Darius was already quite prideful, and given he had been quiet for nearly a month, he must have been quite frustrated.

‘It’s going to be tough right from the first match….’

Yeon-woo rubbed his temples. It wasn’t so much a headache as it was a habit of his that arose in troublesome situations.

Of course, he was fully aware of Darius’s techniques. He still remembered how to fire daggers linked to the movements of the fast-twitch muscle fibers, and every detail of his use of elemental mana was imprinted in his memory.

It would be unreasonable to think that Darius hadn’t made any changes during these three months; the problem lay with Yeon-woo’s current condition.

The physical state he had achieved during that moment of enlightenment hadn’t fully recovered yet.

In light of that, he had to face the first match of the finals in a less-than-optimal condition.

‘But why did it have to be Darius for the first match?’

Of course, it wasn’t like he could postpone this match to another day, so Yeon-woo adjusted his sword at his waist and stepped forward. The commentary team was loudly proclaiming his name.

*

– Choi Yeon-woo, who will face Darius, is a student with an extremely unique background, right?

– Yes. They say he is the first in the world to contract with a Dragon. Having such a student join our academy is indeed a promising development.

– Darius is one of the top performers among first-years, but seems to be trailing behind in prior matches against Yeon-woo, correct?

– Yes. There’s a record of him losing after about twenty minutes of combat during the early first-year dueling practice against Yeon-woo, who hadn’t revealed his contract up to that point. Though it wouldn’t be fair to classify that loss as Darius’s true strength since there had been various restrictions in place at that time.

– Wow, they fought for twenty minutes as first-years? Just how good is their stamina! Oh, speaking of which, here comes Choi Yeon-woo…

As the commentator’s bewildered voice trailed off, gazes focused on the players’ entrance. Yeon-woo emerged, looking somewhat frail with sunken cheeks. He appeared to be on the verge of collapsing with just a light poke, yet the calm atmosphere surrounding him exuded an intimidating pressure.

The audience and commentary teams fell silent. Slowly walking out from the stillness, Yeon-woo stood opposite Darius.

Darius, staring at Yeon-woo with narrowed eyes, sighed and said, his expression a mix of weariness and apparent delight.

“You’re always one step ahead of my imagination. Congratulations on reaching the realm of Aura Expert.”

“I never thought I’d hear a congratulation from you. Thank you.”

“However, it seems rather excessive for you.”

“Eh, don’t go easy on me. I’ll be giving it my all too.”

As Yeon-woo raised his lips into a smile, Darius returned the gesture with a smirk of his own. Neither had anticipated the day they would stand before each other and smile.

“Darius Black raven, are you ready?”

Park Giant, who had approached with heavy steps, stood between the two and inquired. The two daggers spinning in his hands were not sheathed this time around.

Even though it would be a duel, it would be a rather lethal fight from the finals onward.

Previously, the worst that could happen was a broken bone or two, but now, real bloodshed was about to begin. Of course, barriers would be in place to prevent fatal injuries.

Meanwhile, Yeon-woo had already shed blood when he fought Darius last time, but this was fundamentally different. From now on, it would truly begin to assess their qualifications as “Hunters.”

The most notable difference was the lifting of equipment restrictions. Previously, they had fought while limiting their lethality and sealing their powers, but that would now change.

From the finals onward, luck and wealth would also be a part of the skills, meaning that restrictions would be lifted to the level of magical artifacts.

In that sense, Yeon-woo could now use his Doppleganger weapons, but…

‘But compared to Bloodletting and Hemophage…’

Those two daggers had names that sounded terrifying. When he’d seen them last time, they had been thoroughly sealed and hard to recognize, but now he could tell what they were.

Those were the two weapons that had instilled fear in Darius’s enemies.

Fortunately, if the limitation was to only extend to magical artifacts, the wounds inflicted by the crimson Bloodletting would likely deepen, while those caused by the black Hemophage would become increasingly difficult to heal.

‘Since this is a duel, I doubt he’ll use Hemophage.’

“Yeon-woo, are you ready?”

Park Giant’s voice broke through Yeon-woo’s thoughts. The Doppleganger, which had coiled around his right arm like a gauntlet, slid into Yeon-woo’s grip. The two faced each other and nodded.

“Then, as soon as the bell rings, we will begin. Best of luck to you both.”

Park Giant, nodding back and forth between Darius and Yeon-woo, left the arena. Presumably, he was preparing for any unforeseen circumstances.

An arc of mana enveloped the arena. It was not the signal to start yet. When would it begin? When would it actually start? A profound silence filled the arena.

B-

A clear sound of a hammer striking a metal bell announced the start.

Chiiing!!

The sound of metal swords clashing permeated the air.

– Ding.

When the bell signaling the start reverberated with a lingering echo, the two boys were already locked in a clash of swords.

*

“Hah, you’ve become a completely different person since three months ago.”

“Oh, we seem to be on the same wavelength?”

“Quit the chit-chat. Focus.”

“You started it first!!”

Yeon-woo shouted involuntarily. He was afraid—Darius had learned how to control human emotions in the meantime!

But saying he had changed completely wasn’t an exaggeration either. Although it might still be early, Darius was now meeting Yeon-woo’s sword purely with his blade, without constructing any houses from elemental mana. He had also dialed back the tendency to employ transformation and illusion.

If before he had assumed an all-out assault like an assassin, now he felt like a skilled swordsman who was adept at finding openings.

Darius felt the same way. Yeon-woo, who previously focused on speed and overwhelming offense, was now exchanging attacks and defenses as if playing a game of go.

As if they were displaying previously decided matchups, they exchanged blows in a spirited back-and-forth.

Darius’s right hand reached out, and Yeon-woo deflected it with the tip of his blade, disrupting Darius’s attack. Seizing the opportunity, Yeon-woo’s blade intercepted Darius’s left arm that was arcing in as a counterattack.

With the posture intact, Yeon-woo spun his body, bending his knee and sweeping toward Darius’s lower body. Darius reacted immediately, leaping up to evade in an unstable stance. Simultaneously, he flipped the two daggers he had stabilized into a reverse grip and came crashing down with considerable force.

Yeon-woo barely managed to roll away from the daggers. Darius and Yeon-woo found themselves back-to-back, each poised to spin.

“If you’re not going to show your hand, I’ll do it first.”

Darius muttered, making Yeon-woo’s instincts go off. Danger signal.

In a desperate maneuver, he repositioned his body and raised his blade as a shield.

Thud!!

It sounded as if a giant bell had struck at some temple.

His arms went numb. He almost dropped his sword. Although it didn’t fall, his arms dropped to the point where the sword nearly grazed the ground. After being pushed back several steps, Yeon-woo finally let out a breath he had been holding.

“…I didn’t know that card.”

“Changing cards is a magician’s skill.”

Well, not that he was an assassin.

As Darius scoffed while retracting his left arm, it was draped with a thick, tangible mana that was visible to everyone.

The thick ‘threads’ of elemental mana that flickered below his skin was not aesthetically pleasing, to be honest.

(Continued in the next chapter)

 

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