chapter_0643

643 – Running Competition

643 – Running Competition

Marin caught me as I was about to head home after visiting the dungeon.

She looked worried about something.

“Is it true about Gyeoul-nim?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I heard rumors that you’re going to compete against an adventurer from a country called America.”

“Me?”

Where on earth did such a strange rumor come from?

Just as I was about to shake my head in denial, my family began to approach one by one, as if they had been waiting for me.

“Gyeoul-nim, please give them a good beating.”

“That’s right! Captain! Don’t go easy on them!”

“Is it really okay?”

Ensia and Argo were suddenly cheering me on.

Even Ravi, who looked worried.

Faced with the gazes of my family, I couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

“Am I fighting…?”

Suddenly? With whom? Why?

As I stood there with wide eyes in this unexpected situation, Ensia began to explain to me.

“Um, I heard that someone named Bolt wants to compete against you.”

“Ah.”

So, is he coming to challenge me for a speed contest, based on what our Master said?

Thank goodness it wasn’t a fight.

‘If it’s speed, I can do that too.’

The fear of battle faded away, and confidence began to swell within me.

I clenched my fists in front of my family, as if to show off.

“I’m not sure if it’s really a competition, but if we do compete, I’ll win them all…!”

“That’s the spirit, Captain!”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Seeing my confidence, my family set aside their worries and cheered for me.

Of course, my confidence came from our Master.

He assured me that I would win.

I decided to do my best for my family, who believed in me without ever letting their guard down.

**

“Huff, huff.”

After practicing running for the speed contest, I returned to the guild building and took a short break.

In front of the guild building, Gaeul was preparing something with Haneul.

“Haneul, what are you doing?”

“We’re preparing a show…!”

“A show? What kind of show all of a sudden?”

“It’s Gaeul-nim’s magic show…!”

Haneul’s words made it clear.

There was a small stage that Haneul was preparing, and Gaeul was practicing magic next to it.

Did they get interested in performing after successfully finishing the Cinderella show a few days ago?

The kids were preparing a new stage.

“So, Haneul is preparing, and Gaeul is doing the magic show?”

“Yes…!”

The size of the stage Haneul was making was just enough for Gaeul to barely fit on it.

Thanks to that, I could tell that this time Gaeul was not an extra but the main character.

“Potion! Potion!”

I chuckled to myself while watching Gaeul practice magic alone.

‘It wouldn’t be good to peek, would it?’

Just as I was trying to turn my gaze away, I noticed someone walking towards me at the edge of my vision.

Thanks to his distinctive height, I immediately recognized it was Choi Jin-hyuk.

“Gyeoul, someone has come to see you.”

“Ah…!”

Has my opponent already arrived?

Choi Jin-hyuk seemed unaware of who my opponent was, perhaps because he had been in that other world recently.

“This is my competition opponent.”

“Competition…?”

Choi Jin-hyuk’s eyes narrowed.

His attitude suggested he might fight in my place, so I hurriedly added an explanation.

“It’s a running competition.”

“Oh, running.”

Only then did Choi Jin-hyuk nod in understanding and guide me.

As we walked, I noticed the lightsaber hanging at his waist.

“How’s the equipment I gave you?”

“It’s good. Thanks to it, Song Harin was able to use her full power.”

“Wow.”

For someone with only a tiny amount of Mana, if Song Harin could be that powerful, the equipment must be incredible.

I wondered if this would make my hometown safer.

Just then, I spotted a black man staring at me from a distance.

He was a well-built and agile man.

It was my opponent, Bolt.

I had to fight with all my might and not let my guard down.

As I slowly approached him, he flashed a broad smile.

“Hey, kid. I hear you’re pretty fast?”

“Yes. I’m really fast.”

“That’s refreshing.”

Bolt began to stretch his arms and legs, as if he was ready to compete with me right away.

“By the way, if I win against you, I can also challenge your Master, right?”

“Uh… I guess so?”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure.

But I thought our Master would fight in my place against anyone who defeated me.

“Alright, shall we start right away? Or should I give you some time to prepare?”

“You don’t need to give me any preparation time.”

I acted as if I could run at any moment, and Bolt looked a bit taken aback.

“You’ll run like that? You don’t need equipment?”

“Equipment…?”

I scanned Bolt from head to toe.

He wore clothes that minimized wind resistance and running shoes that looked special.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have equipment at that level.

“I don’t have any equipment.”

“Really…?”

After staring at me for a moment, he looked around the park.

I instinctively sensed he was assessing the running route.

“Shall we just run a lap here?”

“Without rails?”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Um… No.”

Shaking my head, I began to stretch like Bolt.

As rumors of our running competition spread, family members, guild members, and people in the park began to gather.

“Wanga! I’m going into super-speed Horned Rabbit mode!”

“Gyeoul, do your best.”

“I bet 50,000 won that Gyeoul will win.”

“No gambling.”

“Oh, right.”

With the support of the crowd, I stood on the makeshift starting line.

Bolt took a position with his hands on the ground, while I prepared to run from a standing position.

“Can Levinas prepare the ground?!”

“Yes. Levinas, can you signal us?”

“Okay! Ready… bang!”

At Levinas’s signal, Bolt and I launched ourselves at the same time.

I wanted to win against Bolt, so I decided to pour all my abilities into this match.

**

To be honest, Bolt felt disappointed.

He had expected a lot from me since I was known for my speed, but I wasn’t even wearing equipment and didn’t take a proper starting block position.

Was I still just a kid after all?

But I couldn’t afford to take it easy.

Bolt gritted his teeth and ran through the park.

The starting point was a long, straight course, so Bolt executed his signature move of running with his eyes tightly shut.

It was an action that came from trusting the wind to guide him.

Of course, since Bolt was a capable adventurer, closing his eyes didn’t mean he would collide with obstacles.

Using Mana, he could still sense nearby terrain even with his eyes closed.

“Ah.”

Running felt good.

The specially made shoes propelled my body forward, and the clothing items allowed me to feel the wind while reducing wind resistance.

I was in great condition, so I was running faster than usual.

At this rate, I could probably compete with Kang Jinho.

As excitement built, Bolt cautiously opened his eyes.

It was better to see directly as he approached the finish line.

‘Phew.’

In the distance, he spotted the finish line at the horizon’s edge.

As Bolt ran towards the finish line, he sensed something was off.

‘What?’

The Beastmen girl he was supposed to compete against was standing right at the finish line, staring blankly at him.

In disbelief, Bolt slowed down and trudged towards the finish line.

“What the… you didn’t run?”

Did she give up running because I was too fast?

Should he not have given it his all against a kid?

He regretted putting in so much effort.

Just then, Gyeoul’s tail curled to one side, forming a question mark.

“I did run, you know…?”

“You ran…?”

“Yes. I came in earlier and was waiting.”

“What…?”

She spoke as if she had been waiting at the finish line for a long time.

Bolt wondered if it was just the typical bravado of a child, but as he looked around, he sensed that the reactions of the people were different.

“Wow! Wanga won!”

“Yay!”

“I told you Gyeoul would win. Pay up the 50,000 won.”

“No gambling.”

“Oh, right.”

People acted as if Gyeoul had won the match.

In that moment, Bolt thought he might be part of a hidden camera prank.

The little girl hadn’t run alongside him; she had arrived with an overwhelming speed difference.

‘Did she really run?’

He suspected foul play.

Bolt signaled to those he had brought with him to Korea.

They were positioned around the course in case of any potential cheating.

–
Alex, did you see that girl running?

–
Sorry, I didn’t see.

–
You didn’t see? What about Jessie?

–
I didn’t see either.

The people stationed around the course declared they hadn’t seen Gyeoul running.

With that, Bolt was convinced that Gyeoul had cheated, but then he suddenly stopped.

‘…What if it wasn’t cheating but an invisible speed?’

There were times when non-adventurers couldn’t keep up with Bolt’s speed.

If the girl named Gyeoul was faster than him, it made sense that Jessie and Alex hadn’t seen her.

Of course, the people Bolt brought were low-level adventurers, but…

‘Though I have my doubts, I should be cautious.’

Phew.

Taking a deep breath, Bolt raised both hands high.

It was a declaration of his defeat.

Rather than making a fuss about it, it was better to declare his loss cleanly for now.

Of course, he couldn’t completely erase the doubts lingering in his heart.

The difference had been overwhelmingly vast.

A word from the author (author’s note)

Thank you so much for reading today, PIA1747014585384!

Thanks for the comments and recommendations too! They always give me strength!!

I’m really sorry for being late…! I overslept……………….!

───

Thank you to the anonymous member [-] for the 50 coins support!