Chapter 97: Open Wide, Debuff Incoming

“I’ll kill you!!!”

If a carelessly cast fishing hook was snagged in one’s heart, this kind of outburst would be understandable.

Wielding a spear, Ok Myeongjin screamed and leaped into the air.

It’s not an act.

If that expression and gesture were an act, it would be more reasonable to just play along.

Rohan raised his Long sword and parried the descending spear.

Clang──!!!

The Mana-imbued weapons clashed, producing a metallic shriek.

The Iron Turtles below groaned at the deafening sound.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t going to kill me earlier?”

“Shut up!”

“Things change. Why are you so worked up?”

“Kyaaa!!! I’ll pierce your mouth!!!”

Taking Rohan’s consolation as mockery, Ok Myeongjin looked like he was about to spew steam from his face.

Influenced by the waves of his emotions, the Mana within the spear grew wilder.

Fwoosh!

The disordered Mana repelled each other forcefully.

Ok Myeongjin used an Iron Turtle on the ground as a springboard, landing back in his original position.

Rohan quickly regained his composure and straightened his sword.

“Rohan. I’ll help.”

Ichinose stepped forward.

But Rohan had already made up his mind. Thus, he refused without hesitation.

“It’s okay. Just wait.”

“Cadet Ok Myeongjin is a descendant of a renowned Martial Family. He probably has special Skills.”

“Probably.”

“…You know it’s harder to subdue someone cleanly than to kill them, right? Cooperation is the right approach here.”

“Oh, you’ve already figured out what I’m planning?”

“It’s because of the Instructor’s words about not killing each other, right? I can sense your intention.”

Certainly, if Ichinose stepped in, the balance of power would tilt in an instant, and the situation would be resolved.

Nevertheless.

Rohan urged Ichinose not to interfere.

“Just let me be reckless this once.”

“….”

Ichinose might not have experienced it, but human relationships were sometimes no different from wild beasts.

There were times when the hierarchy was determined purely by physical strength.

People who made a living through force could not miss those moments.

Even if I win, it’s likely to become troublesome, but if I don’t establish dominance early on… this guy will be a real nuisance.

Rohan had seen enough people like Ok Myeongjin.

He understood him perfectly. Therefore, he could roughly see the future.

This applied both to Academy life after the Practical Exam and to any potential encounters on the Uninhabited Island.

To gain an advantage over someone like this, he had to establish clear dominance now and seize control.

“In return, I’ll make up for it somehow. How about that?”

“…I don’t need conditions like compensation. Just don’t get hurt.”

As Rohan grinned and focused his gaze forward, a contrasting atmosphere flowed from the opposite side, perhaps because Ok Myeongjin had overheard their conversation.

“Hey. Interfere and you die.”

“Uh… Got it!”

Ok Myeongjin also declared that he would handle it alone, without the help of his partner.

He even threw off his outer garments and gripped his spear with enough force to bend it.

“Hooo…”

He seemed to have somehow managed to contain his explosive anger.

Even so, his eyes, fixed on Rohan, remained unchanged. A fierce gaze that seemed to want to chew him to the bone.

Rohan lightly jumped down into the Iron Turtle’s Habitat.

Ok Myeongjin also shouldered his spear and landed.

─Groaaaan!

Rohan and Ok Myeongjin stepped onto the shells of the Iron Turtles that poked their heads out and crawled towards them.

They stepped on the sharp shells like stepping stones, quickly closing the distance between them.

While Rohan maintained a smile to provoke Ok Myeongjin, his eyes were constantly fixed on the spear, and his mind worked tirelessly.

Can’t let my guard down.

Despite his temper, he was the son of a prestigious family from the Three Kingdoms Union.

Even just from the previous strike, it was evident he had received professional combat training.

Whirr! Whoosh! Whirr!

Ok Myeongjin’s spear spun fiercely around his body.

As Ichinose had said, his movements were aimed at striking with centrifugal force rather than thrusting.

His first attack was also a downward strike, not a thrust.

If Ok Myeongjin had been using his own weapon instead of a Supply version, he might have used a Guandao or a Naginata.

“Kaaaak!!!”

The spear shaft whirled, imbued with a battle cry.

Rohan swung his sword like a baseball bat on top of the swaying Iron Turtle.

───Clang! The sword face deflected the spear.

Ok Myeongjin absorbed the repelling force, spun his body, and continued his fierce exchange with Rohan.

Clang! Clang! Kang!

They had to be mindful of the uneven footing as well.

Rohan deflected the spear with the wide blade of his sword, carefully observing its trajectory and Ok Myeongjin’s movements.

After about ten exchanges, he saw an opening.

The spear technique itself is systematic and excellent. The only problem is… the user is not fully developed.

Perhaps because he couldn’t overwhelm Rohan at the start as he expected, impatience became increasingly apparent in Ok Myeongjin’s spear tip and expression as the fight went on.

Ting!

The spear thrust was cleanly blocked as if Rohan had anticipated and read the movement.

Both Rohan and Ok Myeongjin clearly felt the satisfying impact, though with contrasting emotions.

“Didn’t eat yesterday? Your spear is awfully weak.”

“The guy who’s barely blocking…! All talk, huh!”

A vein bulged on Ok Myeongjin’s forehead.

Rohan chuckled at the transparent display of emotion.

Honest bastard.

Ok Myeongjin kicked off Iron Turtle and leaped back, landing a distance away.

A distance he couldn’t reach unless he threw the spear.

Despite that, Ok Myeongjin used Mana. It enveloped his entire body in a different manner than before.

Skill?

It’s highly likely.

Should he close the distance here or observe? There were advantages and disadvantages to both decisions.

Rohan tensed his thighs, ready to spring forward at any moment, and kept his eyes on his opponent.

“WoooOOO!!!”

A peculiar battle cry.

Ok Myeongjin’s body grew larger, and he began to don an Eastern-style armor reminiscent of historical dramas.

Even the spear he held was affected by the Skill, taking on the translucent form of a Guan Dao.

So he’s the grandson of some general.

Seeing a Skill like that, bloodline must be bloodline.

Rohan decided to close the distance and kicked off the shell.

Ok Myeongjin, now a giant well over two meters tall, raised his spear high.

The way he opened his waist and lower body so freely showed his confidence in his durability.

“KHAHAHA!!! Die!!!”

“Crazy bastard. They said no killing between Cadets.”

The spear descended like a guillotine.

Rohan gripped his sword with both hands. The blade glowed red with Blazing Blade.

The heat warped the air as he swung.

The moment Rohan’s Long sword and the spear collided.

Ok Myeongjin’s spear, powerful enough to crush a person, went spinning into the air.

“!!!”

A look of bewilderment was clearly visible through the Helmet.

Rohan pressed into the now empty-handed Ok Myeongjin and spread his Mana.

Weakness Induction.

“Wh, What did you do?!”

Startled by the strange sensation, he used his armored body as a weapon.

His fists were as large as pot lids, but he seemed clumsy in everything but spear techniques, posing no real threat.

“You’ll chip your teeth. Clench your jaw.”

Rohan turned his sword sideways and struck the Helmet on Ok Myeongjin’s Head.

Ding!

A magnificent reverberation, similar to a bell toll.

“Ugh!”

Ok Myeongjin’s eyes began to roll back as if he were on the verge of losing Consciousness.

Even his legs trembled.

“!”

A notification he’d never seen before. But the surprise and curiosity were fleeting.

That’s it!

The feature that came with Transcendence.

He was certain. This was a good opportunity.

Various Debuffs popped up in Rohan’s mind like options.

He chose one that seemed perfect.

Blindness.

The effect was immediate.

“My, My eyes…!?”

Perhaps surprised enough to snap out of his fading consciousness.

Ok Myeongjin fumbled at his face with a terrified voice.

Rohan couldn’t suppress the laughter that burst out at the definite effect.

“What are you doing in the middle of a fight?”

Reversing his sword, Rohan stabbed Ok Myeongjin in the abdomen with the pommel.

The attack pierced the solid Armor and landed a perfect blow.

“Gah─!”

The large body, its legs giving way, clutched its stomach and knelt.

“….”

If he swung his sword here, he could cleanly sever the Neck.

But he didn’t.

Rohan unceremoniously plunged his sword into the ground, fixing it in place.

He didn’t want to upset Juyeon.

“Does that sting?”

He clenched his empty hand into a tight fist and cleaved the air.

He landed a clean blow to Ok Myeongjin’s jaw.

“Guh!”

As his consciousness faded from the blunt impact,

Ok Myeongjin felt his vision returning, finally freed from genuine terror.

And he saw. He was forced to see.

As the giant body collapsed, his eyes took in the beautiful girl standing above him.

“I, Ichinose-nim…!”

Ok Myeongjin squeezed out a last cry in his fading consciousness, but Ichinose’s gaze didn’t even flicker his way.

Her eyes, unusually wide open for an extended period, were fixed solely on Rohan, filled with astonishment.