Chapter 333: Do Sihee VS Do Yehee (3)

From the moment the confrontation between Do Sihee and Do Yehee was established in the black mud swamp, about an hour had passed.

The battle between the two, which had seemed evenly matched up until the beginning, had clearly started shifting towards one side after about 30 minutes had passed.

Of the two, the one clearly gasping for breath was the younger sibling, Do Sihee.

“Haa, haa, haa….”

“Just this much? At this rate, I don’t know if you, Sihee, can win?”

“Shut your damn mouth!”

“Again with the uncultured words…. I’ll have to mention it to Mother later. That you, Sihee, have picked up foul language from hanging around with that Union Hunter.”

“If there’s a reason my habit of speech has gotten bad, eighty percent of it is your fault!”

This time too, Do Yehee calmly blocked the arcane arrow shot from Do Sihee’s hand with the mud golem’s body.

Do Sihee dodged the charging mud golem of Do Yehee with quick steps and took her stance once again.

The battle pattern between the two was mostly flowing in this way.

When Do Sihee’s arrows flew towards Do Yehee, Do Yehee would create mud golems or earth walls to block them.

When Do Sihee showed an opening to replenish her depleted stamina, Do Yehee’s mud golem would charge to subdue her, and so on.

At first glance, it seemed like turns of attack and defense were repeating between them, but in reality, the battle was flowing with a completely different feel.

It’s understandable, because Do Yehee was blocking all of Do Sihee’s attacks just by controlling the earth while sitting still in place.

Do Sihee, on the other hand, had to roll on the muddy ground and run around until she was out of breath while dodging Do Yehee’s golems.

As time passed, unlike the increasingly tired Do Sihee, Do Yehee still appeared relaxed, clearly seeming to have seized the advantage.

That was also the thought of Eunbyul, who was watching the duel between the two as an arbiter.

“Master….”

She wished she could jump in and mediate this fight right now, but in Eunbyul’s position, knowing the seriousness of the duel, she couldn’t bring herself to do so.

Duels between Hunters were a time-honored tradition passed down since ancient times.

Although it had become virtually obsolete in this current era where anyone and everyone could become a Hunter, it was not a mere old custom to be dismissed as such for the sisters of the Dokyung Group, who had continued their Hunter family lineage for a long time.

Eunbyul knew keenly that even if it appeared as a brutish clash of strength at first glance, it contained each person’s beliefs and will.

Because she herself had once grown up receiving Hunter training as a young lady of the Geumhyang Group.

If they had fought 2 vs 1 from the beginning, perhaps, but now, if she were to interfere in the duel, that alone would be sufficient reason to claim Do Sihee’s default loss.

If that were the case, ultimately, the safety of herself and Kim Sungchul-nim, whom Master wanted to protect, could not be guaranteed.

Therefore, the only thing the current Eunbyul could do was earnestly pray in her heart for her Master, Do Sihee, to somehow win, but.

Contrary to Eunbyul’s expectations, the battle between the two was flowing precariously, seeming like it could be decided at any moment.

“…Ka-heuk!”

Amidst her increasingly falling stamina, Do Sihee’s body, hit by the mud golem’s fist, tumbled onto the muddy ground.

Her body, having already rolled on the sticky muddy ground several times and taken the mud golem’s attacks, had by now become a messy, mud-covered sight.

Do Sihee’s torn clothes also indirectly expressed how desperately she was engaging in the current battle.

“Give up now, Sihee. You know well enough that you have no chance of winning.”

“I told you to shut your damn mouth…!”

“Not wasting effort in useless places is also a virtue a Dokyung young lady should possess. How about investing the resources you’d expend there in a more efficient place instead?”

“You fucking bitch…!!!”

“……”

Do Sihee fired off curses filled with spite towards Do Yehee.

At the same time, she gulped down another stamina potion taken from a small bag worn on her waist.

As if to show how many times she had replenished, several empty potion bottles lay scattered around her legs.

Watching that sight, Do Yehee shook her head and simply moved the golem created with earth magic towards her.

“If you eat so much at once, you’ll hurt your body, won’t you?”

“It’s better than a life of being manipulated and having things taken by you my entire life!”

“It wasn’t taken. I gave it to you by taking it.”

“Fuck! Just die already!!!”

“……Huh?”

Do Sihee’s figure, launching an attack with the intent to pour out all the stamina she had been distributing over several times until now, in one go.

That strike, unexpected even by Do Yehee, was suddenly flying towards her, causing a tremendous gust of wind.

A single arrow, piercing straight through the bodies of the two golems hastily erected instead of a defensive wall, embedded itself deeply into Do Yehee’s arm.

‘Pook!’

“Kkeut…!”

“Got…!”

Her body tilted slightly once from the strong pain felt in her right arm.

The moment Eunbyul, unable to hide her joy upon seeing that sight, opened her mouth with a bright smile.

“Keu-heuak!”

By now, several mud golems generated around Do Sihee had completely bound her limbs and slammed her down to the ground.

“…Master!”

“Haa…. It hurts….”

Red blood slowly flowed downwards from the spot where the arcane arrow, scattered into fragments of stamina, had been embedded, down her shoulder.

Do Yehee, clutching the injury she had sustained for the first time in this duel, slowly walked towards the completely subdued Do Sihee.

“It was a good attempt. You, Sihee, could use such a strike.”

“But you should have saved some stamina to use for dodging. Charging in like this without thinking of the consequences is the cause of your defeat.”

From an objective viewpoint, Do Sihee fighting this hard against Do Yehee was virtually close to an upset.

Do Yehee had already become an A-class Hunter more than two years ago and recently achieved A+ class, so the fact that Do Sihee, who hadn’t even been an A-class Hunter for half a year, fought evenly with her even for a moment.

Furthermore, the fact that she landed a proper, effective strike at the final moment showed she had poured out all the abilities she could muster.

Of course, Do Sihee knew that landing that final strike would inevitably lead to her defeat, but nevertheless, she did not regret the act of making that final attack.

Anyway, she vaguely felt in her heart that she would be defeated no matter how time passed, so just inflicting a wound on her hateful older stepsister’s body was, at least, a somewhat satisfying final moment.

“…Keu-haaaak!”

Of course, the result of inflicting a wound lastly was only ‘somewhat’ satisfying for Do Sihee.

The actual reality was her own appearance, battered and bruised from multiple attacks, struggling on the ground.

Do Yehee slowly walked towards her own younger sister, who was struggling with her limbs bound to the ground.

A maid quietly blocked the path of such a person.

“What is it, move aside.”

Do Yehee muttered in an irritated voice towards Eunbyul, who had stopped her path.

Towards her, Eunbyul, from her position, tried to persuade her one last time.

“Do Yehee-nim, wouldn’t you please reconsider just one more time?”

“I told you to move.”

“…From my observation, both of you seem to be in a very agitated state psychologically. So, if possible, after your emotions calm down, talking calmly… Puhk?!”

“I don’t want to say the same thing three times.”

Suddenly, the mud golem that approached Eunbyul’s side, following Do Yehee’s command, immediately grabbed her body and slammed her onto the muddy ground.

Do Yehee, quietly avoiding Eunbyul who had fallen onto the ground, moved her steps again towards her own younger sister.

“Keu-heuk, Keuk….”

“Now you’ve become a bit quiet.”

Do Yehee showed a satisfied smile once, seeing Do Sihee lying down with her limbs bound by the golem she herself had created with magic.

She slowly crouched down on the ground, pushing her face as close as possible towards Do Sihee.

Towards her younger sister, who was sobbing with hot tears, Do Yehee simply opened her mouth with a calm voice.

“You must have used up all the stamina you diligently filled up with that one attack just now, and now, gradually admitting defeat is….”

“Ptooey.”

“……Really, not even a speck of refinement has disappeared.”

A glob of saliva spat out from the blonde young lady’s mouth flowed down Do Yehee’s cheek.

Do Yehee’s mind was filled with all sorts of emotions upon facing that act, where the dignity of a noble lady could no longer be found.

A thin rod, like a wooden chopstick, was aimed at Do Sihee’s body at close range.

“…Sleep for a moment. Let’s talk about the rest at the mansion.”

“I won’t say another word to you…!”

“First, when we return to the mansion, I’ll have to redo your etiquette training. And quickly deal with that Hunter from the Union around you.”

“I told you it’s none of your business!!!”

Red magic power leaking from the tip of Do Yehee’s staff was aimed head-on towards Do Sihee.

The moment the blonde young lady, imagining the approaching pain, squeezed her eyes shut and tensed up.

“With peace of mind, a deep sleep in the embrace of the earth…… Kkeu-ke-he-ek?!”

Due to the sudden impact that struck Do Yehee’s body, her final spell could not be completed and was cut off right there.

“……Huh?”

Do Sihee, unable to grasp what was suddenly happening, slowly opened her eyes and muttered softly.

When she opened her eyes again, what appeared before her eyes was not the face of her hateful older stepsister, but the appearance of her beloved.

“Sihee-ssi, are you okay?!”

“……Sungchul-ssi?”

Do Sihee still couldn’t completely grasp what on earth was happening.

Clearly, she had canceled today’s meeting last night, so why was Kim Sungchul’s face before her eyes now?

Where had his usual Mithril greatsword gone, and why was he holding a shield she hadn’t seen before?

And why was her older stepsister, who had been overwhelming her until just now, tumbling far away?

Sihee’s mind, confused by the overwhelming amount of information coming in all at once, soon led to a simple conclusion.

“……Perhaps, is this a dream?”

Fortunately, it was not a dream.