Chapter 336: For Crazy Women, Since Old Times (3)

After I requested a duel with Do Yehee to protect Do Sihee’s heirship rights, and she accepted the duel request by setting her own conditions.

We reached an agreement to start the duel after a bit of preparation, more precisely, after taking time to temporarily treat the injuries Do Yehee sustained in the previous battle.

One could say there was no need to even give time to treat the wounds, but after all, things like this inevitably arise from starting in a state fair to both sides, so there wouldn’t be any backtalk.

It was a necessary procedure to avoid rumors like ‘a cowardly victory won against an injured opponent’ after all the effort to win.

If you listen to Sihee and Eunbyul, it seems victory in a duel against an injured opponent is actually sometimes called a ‘dishonorable victory’.

In the first place, the witnesses were only Sihee and Eunbyul, so if those two only coordinated their stories, there wouldn’t have been any leaks about whether it was a dishonorable victory or anything else, but.

Because I didn’t want to unnecessarily tarnish even the honor of those two due to the duel I started, I stopped (myself).

I didn’t know it might come back as some disadvantage to those two later if false information was spread in that way.

Do Yehee poured a recovery potion on the wound on her shoulder blade herself, and soon after, the wound on her shoulder truly healed in an instant, as if it had been washed away with water.

If it’s a fast-acting recovery potion to that extent, it must probably be a considerably expensive item.

Indeed, it was unrestrained spending befitting a woman from a chaebol family.

In fact, I could have healed it much faster and more surely if I used my recovery magic, but I didn’t go that far.

Not only did I not want to let that woman know that I can use recovery magic, but even if she knew, the desire to use it for her didn’t arise, so.

Whether it was a sacred duel or whatever, the fact that that woman injured Do Sihee does not change.

Moreover, it was equivalent to stealing Do Sihee, who should have been spending a pleasant time with me if things were as they should be, so I couldn’t help but get twice as angry.

Even if it wasn’t the excuse of a duel, I probably would have somehow wanted to beat that woman up at least once, so.

In the meantime, a chance to beat her up by agreement-not exactly legal, called a duel-arose, so for me, there was no reason to hesitate or run away.

If I could protect the heirship rights, which were in danger of being lost by Sihee, in the process, it would be even better.

“Since you initiated this duel, don’t say anything else later. Once this duel is over, you who only cause negative influence on Sihee will disappear forever from that child’s side.”

“You will disappear ‘if you win’ the duel, right?”

“…Well, I suppose that’s true.”

Do Yehee replied confidently with an impudent attitude, as if she had already won.

Standing facing her, I took my stance, holding a Scutum shield in one hand and a Mithril Greatsword in the other.

“From the depths of the earth, I summon a creature who will carry out my command, to this place with the power of magic and nature…”

As the woman I faced summoned mud golems along with her incantation, my body too leaned forward.

Holding the intention in my heart to return exactly twice as much for what Sihee suffered.

The duel between Do Yehee and Kim Sungchul, which began suddenly.

Sihee and Eunbyul were intently watching the fight between the two people, which began completely unrelated to the original plan, from a place a little far away.

“W-what should we do… Eunbyul? If Sungchul-ssi were to be defeated, then I…”

“…….”

“Ah… I didn’t mean to create this situation… How did it turn out like this…”

At Sihee’s state, muttering towards her in a very anxious voice beside her, Eunbyul too felt unpleasant feelings begin to arise little by little in her heart.

Earth Mage, Do Yehee.

Since her years of work as an employee of Dokyung Group were not short, she had quite a few chances to encounter Do Yehee, and because Eunbyul was well aware of her magical ability even before that,

The feeling that it would be difficult for Kim Sungchul to easily grasp victory against Do Yehee, no matter who he was, naturally arose.

His skills were already well known from the Kraken subjugation battle or battles fought together in the last encounter, but those were only battles against unintelligent monsters.

Eunbyul was quietly guessing in her heart that Do Yehee probably had much more experience fighting duels as hunter versus hunter.

“…….”

Even so, she knew better than anyone that she had nothing she could do in this situation, but.

If she had the power to protect Sihee, she would have requested a duel with Do Yehee without hesitation in a situation like just now.

Before that, she wouldn’t have been treated as a disposable pawn and marginalized in the internal competition of Geumhyang Group.

Eunbyul felt the powerlessness of the strength she possessed anew, and at the same time, respect bloomed in many ways at Kim Sungchul’s action of requesting a duel with Do Yehee without hesitation.

Although she wasn’t sure of the opponent’s capability to what extent, the sight of him simply raising his sword and shield without hesitation to protect something precious.

Compared to herself, who lacked even the courage to charge forward in such a situation, it was a reliable back view she couldn’t help but be drawn to even more.

“Sungchul-ssi….”

“…….”

…Even so, ultimately, all these actions would only become meaningful if he wins the duel, but.

Eunbyul tightly held Sihee’s trembling hand with anxiety and witnessed the duel between the two with her own eyes, her heart trembling too.

Earnestly wishing in her heart the wish that Kim Sungchul wins, please.

“From the depths of the earth, I summon a creature who will carry out my command…”

The duel between the two began with Do Yehee’s mud golem summoning technique.

As soon as a pile of dirt rose from the floor with the Earth Mage’s magic, Kim Sungchul’s body, holding a sword and shield, too sprang forward towards her.

The sight of him skillfully pushing away the mud golem’s body rising up right before his eyes with his shield, then immediately splitting it in half using his Mithril Greatsword.

It was a clean movement without any wasted motion, as if he had faced mud golems using a sword and shield before.

“From the heart of nature, I cry out. Rise up, vines of earth…”

As soon as Kim Sungchul cut down the mud golem and moved forward, this time dozens of mud vines rose up from the floor.

He dodged the vines charging towards one person from all directions with a high jump, then swung his greatsword imbued with sword energy in mid-air to cut down the mud vines located at the point where he would fall.

By Kim Sungchul’s Exploding Slash, split twice in a cross shape, half of the dozens of mud vines immediately returned to the earth.

And then, as soon as he landed back on the floor, a clean movement of quickly swinging his greatsword and clearing even the remaining mud vines.

By this point, Sihee and Eunbyul could sense that this current battle was flowing in a completely different aspect from the previous one.

“…Sungchul-ssi?”

“Kim Sungchul-nim….”

Whether he heard the voices of those two calling his name from behind his back or not, Kim Sungchul took powerful steps towards Do Yehee again after removing even the mud vines.

Do Yehee, starting to show a look of panic, hurriedly continued her attempts to block him with a new summoning spell.

‘Grrr-grrr-grrr….’

With a huge vibration enough to slightly tremble the ground, a giant mud golem rose up from the floor.

Unlike the golems so far, its size boasted a different dimension, to the point of reminding one of a Woodrello.

The mud giant, summoned at some distance in the battle between the two, threw a huge lump of mud scooped up from the floor towards Kim Sungchul.

‘Kwak!’

“……!”

The huge lump crashing down to the floor with a loud noise, to the point where it couldn’t be thought it could have come from barely a pile of mud.

Kim Sungchul managed to dodge it with instantaneous agility, but it was a blow that would have undoubtedly caused serious injury if he had been hit head-on.

Moreover, the mud giant’s attacks were poured down repeatedly with fierce speed, as if not ending after just one.

As if to deny the common saying that larger sizes are more sluggish, Do Yehee’s summoned creature repeatedly picked up piles of dirt or rocks from the floor and threw them towards him.

Kim Sungchul narrowed the distance little by little by dodging all the attacks pouring down like rain towards himself with quick steps, blocking with his shield, or cutting them down with his sword.

“……Now, fall!”

Even in the unfavorable situation, Do Yehee created several elemental magic spells with new attacks to somehow tie down his feet without giving up, but.

To Kim Sungchul, who had already skillfully dodged and dealt with even the spells that could be called main attacks, the final attacks were of such a crude level that they couldn’t even serve as simple time-buying.

Dodging the rocks and piles of dirt falling from the sky like dancing, Kim Sungchul approached Do Yehee, and before he knew it, he was able to narrow the distance to the point where his sword energy could reach her.

As soon as he swung his sword once towards her, the sword energy that flew from the tip of his sword flew in a straight line towards Do Yehee’s body.

“Kuh-heut…!”

She managed to block Kim Sungchul’s blow using an instantly created mud shield, but as it was an instantly created shield, completely absorbing the damage was impossible.

“Ah-heuk!”

Do Yehee’s body, hit by the sword energy that she couldn’t fully block, tilted slightly backward for a moment.

At the same time, her concentration scattered, and her magic spells were unable to be completed and scattered.

Eunbyul, who was watching the battle, surely intuited that this current moment was the most appropriate time to decide the outcome.

That was the same thought Kim Sungchul, who was currently engaged in battle, had as well.

‘Puh-eok!’

“Kyaaak!”

Do Yehee’s body, bounced off after being hit by Kim Sungchul’s Shield Bash, flew through the air for a moment.

This time, whether she didn’t even have the leeway to shake off the mud sticking to her body using Earth magic, her body became covered in mud and rolled on the dungeon floor.

Before Do Yehee could regain her senses, one more strong impact struck her body.

“Aaaah!”

Again, the body of the red-haired young lady flew through the air once.

Whether it was because the impact was so great that she couldn’t properly maintain concentration, the final summoned creature she summoned, the mud giant, too became a huge pile of dirt and collapsed onto the floor immediately.

Practically, in that situation, Sihee and Eunbyul could be sure of Kim Sungchul’s victory.

“…Surrender! Surrender! It’s surrender!”

Around the time they thought what remained was only Do Yehee’s declaration of surrender, her shrill voice echoed inside the dungeon.

Kim Sungchul’s Scutum shield, which was about to send Do Yehee flying for the third time, stopped abruptly in front of her body.

“Sungchul-ssiiii…!”

“Kim Sungchul-nim!”

Being sure that the duel had ended, Sihee and Eunbyul quickly moved forward towards the two people who were rolling on the muddy floor, but.

“…End, Aaaah?!”

What returned was not Kim Sungchul’s declaration of victory, but Do Yehee’s shrill scream.

“W-what is this?! Surrender, I surrendered!”

“…….”

“Don’t tell me a Union Hunter is so ignorant they don’t even know the meaning of the word surrender?! It means acknowledging defeat… Gulp, Kkwaaak?!”

Do Yehee’s second declaration of surrender couldn’t even last until the end and stopped along with pain.

Because Kim Sungchul’s sharp fist, with its slightly raised fingertips, dug deeply into her solar plexus, causing her to scream out.

“W-what is this?! In a duel, accepting the loser’s surrender is the proper etiq… Ack, Aack!! Aaaack!”

About ten minutes have passed since the duel between Kim Sungchul and Do Yehee began.

Even though the outcome was clearly decided between the two in their close match, Do Yehee’s surrender was not being accepted easily.