Ch.77Their Fight – 3

“Please make one thing clear.”

Rina Lee, who was heading to the training ground with Minseong Kang, parts her lips.

“Don’t blame me if your granddaughter gets hurt.”

“Aren’t you the one who will be hurting her?”

“No. It was your granddaughter who accepted the proposal in the first place. It’s unfair to put all the blame on me.”

“Then there’s always the option of going easy on her. Or letting her win.”

“…Are you serious?”

When Rina glares at him, Minseong Kang bursts into laughter.

He shakes his head a couple of times before continuing.

“Just don’t be too excessive.”

“That’s surprising. I thought you’d try to stop the match right away.”

In truth, that’s what he wanted to do. Stopping it was Minseong Kang’s honest desire.

His granddaughter being utterly defeated right before his eyes, not somewhere out of sight.

He worried he might unconsciously get angry watching such a scene.

But recently, even Minseong Kang realized he had been wrong.

His way of loving his granddaughter until now was ultimately not the right path.

That if he truly loved her, he needed to be stern at times.

‘Soohyun can do it. She can succeed. With that mindset, I shouldn’t just worry and keep holding her. Now Soohyun can handle things too. Yes, she’ll definitely do well.’

Perhaps his overprotectiveness had further eroded Soohyun Kim’s self-esteem.

He had acted out of concern, but to Soohyun Kim, it might have seemed like he didn’t trust her.

“…Soohyun is no longer the child she was in the past. She’ll do well.”

“Oh? What’s this? This is quite different from the rumors going around.”

“What rumors about me?”

“Overprotective. Doting. An old man who never grew up.”

“Why you.”

When Minseong Kang raises his fist, Rina brings her head forward saying, ‘Go ahead and hit me.’

Rina is probably the only person who could act like this in front of Minseong Kang.

“Sigh.”

A sigh that meant she clearly wasn’t in her right mind.

“Old man. I have something to ask you.”

As they went down to the first floor and moved toward the training ground, Rina posed a question.

“By any chance, did you teach Seojin Baek your sword technique?”

“Seojin Baek? What kind of relationship do you have with the examiner?”

Seriously, both granddaughter and grandfather.

Why do they both immediately focus on that first?

Rina sighed and snapped that it wasn’t the important part.

“Please just answer the question. It’s important.”

“Do you perhaps have an interest in the examiner?”

Minseong Kang persistently clung to that point.

Slightly annoyed, Rina retorted, ‘So what if I do? What are you going to do about it?’

“Hmm.”

Minseong Kang stroked his chin, deeply contemplating something.

He even muttered, ‘I should have a talk with him later.’

“Oh, come on. Old man.”

“Why are you suddenly asking such a question?”

“Why do you think? Because I heard it from Jiyoon Han.”

“You mean how the examiner broke Hyuk Kwak’s spear with a gentle breeze and inflicted a fatal wound with a soft wind?”

Rina stared at Minseong Kang, snapping that what else could she be referring to.

Since everything was already revealed, she meant don’t try to hide the truth with strange words.

Or change the subject.

“What do you think, Rina?”

“No changing the subject, old man.”

“I’m not changing it. I’m just asking.”

In the distance, Soohyun Kim could be seen waiting for Rina in the middle of the training ground.

With a real sword in hand, she seemed to have made quite a resolution for this match.

“…You’re not just any old man, are you? Of course you wouldn’t have properly taught him. He’s not your grandson or granddaughter, just a complete stranger.”

“He’s not a complete stranger. He could become my granddaughter’s husband.”

“Ah, yes, yes. Save your wishful thinking for later.”

So, was she right? Rina’s gaze asked.

Minseong Kang continued walking as he answered.

“As you said. He was just Soohyun’s benefactor. I only showed him once, that’s all.”

“Even showing it once is impressive. The story that you wouldn’t show it to others even for billions is quite famous.”

“…Why are you suddenly asking this question, Rina?”

Step—

Before entering the training ground where Soohyun Kim was waiting, Rina shrugged her shoulders at Minseong Kang as if it were obvious.

“That water ghost bastard may be an idiot, but he’s no weakling. Against someone like him, Seojin Baek perfectly countered with a gentle breeze. How is this even possible? Even your disciples and family members couldn’t replicate half of that technique, right?”

Rina knew. She had experienced it herself from Minseong Kang years ago.

A technique that only Minseong Kang could properly execute.

Though it was still imperfect then, his sword had completely countered her attack.

It wasn’t just that the technique, that sword, was extraordinary.

It was possible because Minseong Kang had such a high level of understanding.

Even his grandson and granddaughter, Dokyung Kang and Jisoo Kang, who were said to be future S-rank, couldn’t dare to imitate it.

“But Seojin Baek, after seeing it just once, executed it perfectly.”

“…”

“What do you think of Seojin Baek, old man?”

Minseong Kang didn’t answer the question.

It meant he wouldn’t answer because she already knew his response.

“That’s why I want Seojin Baek.”

With a smile, Rina walked to the center of the training ground.

Soohyun Kim, who had been waiting, approached.

“You’re late.”

“I came slowly on purpose. To make you nervous.”

“You have a bad taste.”

“It’s the privilege of the strong. So what? Are you upset, miss?”

Despite Rina’s deliberate taunting, Soohyun Kim showed no particular reaction.

When her opponent didn’t fall for her provocation, Rina grumbled that it was no fun.

“As I already said, the rules are simple. You just need to inflict even a scratch on me to win. Conversely, I win if I subdue you. There’s no time limit, but it ends when the match is deemed impossible to continue.”

“I agree.”

“By the way, I’m not responsible for injuries. So if you feel it’s too much, surrender immediately…”

“Please continue until I collapse. I won’t surrender either.”

At Soohyun Kim’s answer, Rina tilted her head askew.

With an expression that suggested she might have misheard.

“Did you not understand me? I’m saying surrender if you don’t want to get hurt. Don’t think about your pride.”

“I’ve heard that getting injured in a match is always a possibility.”

“Don’t compare playing with kids to a match with me.”

A slightly angry voice. A faint flow of magical power between the words.

Enough to make any ability user momentarily flinch and even stagger.

But Soohyun Kim continued without the slightest waver.

“Please do it that way.”

“…You’re really crazy.”

I never thought such words would come from my mouth.

Sighing with an “oh well,” Rina shook her head.

“Fine. If that’s what you want. Just don’t blame me later.”

Saying that, Rina slowly loosened one shoulder.

“Aren’t you going to draw your sword?”

“No. I don’t need a sword against a chick.”

With those words, the match between the two women—

No, the one-sided “assault” began.

KWANG—!

Things like yielding the first attack because the opponent is weaker.

Or yielding three attacks.

To Rina, these were worthless gestures not even worth considering.

“You’re not dead, are you?”

Rina asks with a giggle.

After the dust settles, Soohyun Kim’s low voice is heard from within.

“…Of course not.”

“Right. Of course not. I haven’t even touched your body yet.”

It might sound impossible, but unfortunately, it was true.

Rina hadn’t directly struck Soohyun Kim’s body.

She had merely materialized her magical power to deliver a shock.

If she had wrapped that magic around her fist, it wouldn’t have ended with just that.

“Hah!”

Despite being wrecked by a single blow, Soohyun Kim showed no hesitation.

She kicked off the ground and instantly closed the distance, taking the high ground.

An incredible speed. Definitely not something an ordinary student could produce.

If she slashed downward like that, she could easily cut through a person.

But the problem was that her opponent was none other than “Rina.”

“Slow.”

Even yawning, Rina swung her hand as if shooing away an annoying fly.

CRACK—!

With that single swing, Soohyun Kim spun through the air before crashing into the training ground floor.

For Soohyun Kim, it was a speed and overwhelming power she couldn’t even imagine.

And on top of that, she was hit with the reverse of her own speed, so the impact must have been tremendous.

‘Normally, this would be a knockout.’

No matter how sturdy an ability user’s body is, it’s still a human body.

If the impact is too strong, it hurts, and if it’s even stronger, you get injured.

Rina’s plan was to end it when the opponent collapsed on their own before that happened.

“Kugh!”

Soohyun Kim was getting up, gritting her teeth.

“I warned you. Don’t push yourself.”

“I told you too. I won’t surrender, so subdue me yourself.”

“Wow, this is really driving me crazy.”

Rina shook her head and then suddenly disappeared.

A moment when even Minseong Kang lost sight of her, let alone Soohyun Kim.

“Then let’s mark this as your first loss for today.”

THUD—!

Soohyun Kim crumbled after taking the hit.

Thump—.

Soohyun Kim had fainted. And Rina was looking down at her.

However, for some reason, Rina’s expression was slightly strange.

‘Look at her.’

Just as her attack was about to hit Soohyun Kim’s body.

Soohyun Kim had tried to target the inside of Rina’s armpit with her sword.

A vital point directly connected to the lungs. Almost instinctively.

Although she didn’t succeed, in the last moment, she had—

Even if just a tiny bit, faintly read Rina’s movement.

‘This might be… not as good as Seojin Baek, but still decent entertainment?’

She had proposed this match just wanting to beat someone up.

But Rina felt like she had unexpectedly caught a big fish.