Episode 95. 1-on-1 Duel

“Ughh….”

Maybe it was because I ate a hearty K-home-cooked meal yesterday and slept well? I felt incredibly refreshed.

Today is the day of the 1v1 duel finals, so I need to get ready quickly.

“Leaving already…?”

I had just finished washing my face and was putting on my cadet uniform when Liliana, rubbing her eyes as she woke up, came out of the room.

“Yeah. It’s the 1v1 duel finals today, so I have to leave soon.”

“Okay… Go safely.”

“Yep, yep. Take care of the house.”

After a brief farewell with Liliana, I left the dormitory.

“Hey, Mr. Popular~!”

“…?”

When I turned around, Kim Young-han was running towards me.

“Man, it’s so hard to see you these days.”

“You ditched me yesterday.”

“Sorry, but I was busy back then too.”

Well, I’ve been busy lately too, so I haven’t had time to see him. He must have been busy trying to live his academy life to the fullest.

“Did you see the 1v1 duel bracket today?”

“No, I haven’t. Why?”

I didn’t even know the bracket had been released.

Seriously, the academy never gets things done.

When a bracket comes out, they should obviously show it to the finalists first.

Making us find it ourselves.

“You’re going to meet me in the semifinals, you know?”

“…Really?”

“Yep. Let’s have a good match! We’re rivals until the end, right? I’m off!”

Kim Young-han just ran ahead.

He shows up so suddenly and leaves just as fast, it’s disorienting.

“Hmm, what was his ability again?”

The fact that I can’t remember means it probably wasn’t very distinctive.

I remember him swinging a sword in the game, but nothing particularly special.

Ah, whatever.

I headed towards Class A to prepare for the duel.

I came out earlier than usual today, and the path to the first-year classroom building was crowded.

“Hey, they say the spectators for the first-year sparring matches today are insane? All the VIPs are supposedly here.”

“Of course. Nam Daeun, Alice, Lee Hoyeon. There are three legendary contenders.”

“Still, Nam Daeun is probably going to take first place, right?”

“Alice has been on fire lately too, right? And Lee Hoyeon set a new record in the practical monster training. You can’t underestimate either of them.”

It felt strange hearing them talk about me on the street.

Upon arriving at Class A, the first-year duel finalists were gathered.

My eyes met with our homeroom professor, Kim Jin-hyuk, and he nodded.

“Ah, Lee Hoyeon, you’re the last one. As you all know, the rule is to release the bracket right before the matches begin on the day, so we’re only revealing it now.”

Saying that, Kim Jin-hyuk handed out papers to the 8 Class A finalists.

What the? If they’re releasing it now, how did Kim Young-han know he’d face me?

Even checking the bracket, if Kim Young-han and I win all our matches, we really would meet in the semifinals.

I looked at Kim Young-han questioningly, and he smiled, putting his index finger to his lips.

His gesture, asking me to keep it a secret with that sly expression, annoyed me, so I raised my middle finger.

Who does he think he is, acting cute?

“The reason I called you all here first is to tell you about the importance of today’s sparring. For a first-year match, an incredible number of spectators have gathered.”

Other cadets were saying the same thing on the way here, so it must be a really big deal.

“Of course, some people are here to see a few outstanding cadets. I won’t deny that. But it’s also definitely a chance for you to showcase your abilities. Give it your all, no matter what, and never give up. Every bit of that attitude will be evaluated.”

Professor Kim Jin-hyuk seemed genuinely invested in our success.

He made eye contact with each cadet, conveying his sincerity.

He’s a genuinely good person.

“Now, head to the sparring arena and get ready. The finalists have individual waiting rooms, so rest comfortably there.”

Professor Kim Jin-hyuk finished speaking and left the classroom, and the cadets followed one by one.

“Lee Hoyeon!”

“Lucy. Did you see the bracket?”

Lucy, who was also gathered as a finalist, approached me.

“Of course I did! If you and I are going to meet, it’ll only be in the finals.”

“Yeah. Your side of the bracket looks really tough. Let’s fight hard and meet in the finals.”

“Okay! Got it!”

I wonder if she’ll be okay. Alice and Nam Daeun are both on that side of the bracket, so Lucy will have to beat both of them to meet me.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lucy]

• [ Affection: 87 ]

• [ Lust: 40 ]

• [ Hunger: 30 ]

• [ Fatigue: 35 ]

Current Status: I practiced defensive magic… I wonder if I can use it well.

She seems to be thinking things through, at least.

“Let’s head to the waiting room. Don’t you think the facilities will be nice?”

“Yeah! Can I visit later?”

“Of course.”

I headed towards the sparring arena with Lucy.

*

Each person got their own waiting room. The facilities weren’t amazing, but it was a clean space to rest.

It was also convenient to be able to watch other people’s duels in real-time on a screen connected to the arena.

“I think I’ll go to the restroom.”

I remembered there was a restroom down the hallway earlier.

When I opened my waiting room door, the hallway was empty, likely because everyone was focused on preparing for the finals.

The waiting rooms were lined up closely together down this long hallway.

Each door had a name on it, and the room right next to mine was Alice’s.

‘Nam Daeun will probably make it to the finals, right?’

Looking at the bracket, it seemed like Kim Young-han and I would face off in the semifinals, and Alice and Nam Daeun would fight each other.

Lucy would meet Alice before that.

If things went smoothly, Nam Daeun would likely win against Alice and face me in the finals.

Click-

Just then, the door next to me opened, and shimmering blonde hair caught my eye.

Alice, emerging from her room, turned and our eyes met.

“Uh… Hi?”

“Yeah. Good morning.”

“…”

I hadn’t expected much from my greeting, but Alice responded in a surprisingly sweet tone, unlike her usual self.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Alice]

• [ Affection: 62 ]

• [ Lust: 25 ]

• [ Hunger: 30 ]

• [ Fatigue: 20 ]

Current Status: It’s Hoyeon. I hope we meet in the finals.

‘Why is her affection level like this?’

Her affection, which was only 35 just a few days ago, had jumped to 62.

“Uh, uh. Good luck with your duel.”

“You too. Let’s meet in the finals.”

Alice responded kindly to my encouragement, gave me a smile, and walked down the hallway.

Alice, smiling brightly at me, felt incredibly awkward.

“… Seriously, what’s going on? This is weird.”

What on earth happened? Did her affection increase because she got jealous?

*

“F-forfeit!”

[Match End! The winner is Cadet Lee Hoyeon of Class A!]

“Good match.”

“I learned a lot…”

My first opponent was a guy ranked third in Class C.

He seemed to have gotten lucky and passed the preliminaries.

His skills seemed a bit lacking for reaching the finals.

Still, he was polite, so I sparred with him for about a minute.

At his level, even a minute-long spar with me would likely lead to significant improvement.

“No way. I learned a lot too.”

“I know you deliberately dragged out the match. Thanks to you, I feel like my eyes have been opened.”

“…Mm. Good job.”

Hearing him say that makes me feel a bit embarrassed.

I came down from the sparring arena, guided by a staff member.

As soon as I stepped past the arena’s mana barrier, thunderous cheers assaulted my ears.

“Waaaaaaah–!”

“Lee Hoyeon! Lee Hoyeon!”

“So handsome-!”

When did they even see me to be cheering my name like this?

Glancing around, I saw at least several thousand people sitting in the stands, watching me.

‘This pressure is insane.’

The thought that all these people were watching my duel sparked a subtle sense of exhilaration.

After finishing the match, I returned to my waiting room.

[Next up is the 5th match of the Round of 16! Cadet Lucy versus Cadet Kwak Sang-tae!]

“I guess I’ll watch Lucy’s match.”

I grabbed the popcorn provided in the waiting room.

*

“She’s definitely gotten much stronger…”

Lucy won her duel with ease.

She fumbled her shield magic slightly midway, but it wasn’t enough to affect the outcome.

‘But not strong enough to beat Alice.’

There was still a significant gap.

Originally, Lucy and Lumi work best together for synergy.

When they focus on attack and defense, utilizing their individual talents, the Lucy-Lumi twins achieve not just double, but triple or quadruple efficiency.

Knock knock knock.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Lucy. Can I come in?”

She’s already here right after her match ended, without even stopping by her own room.

Why is she in such a hurry?

“Of course. Come in.”

Lucy carefully entered the waiting room and sat on the sofa.

Why is she shrinking back like that after winning?

“Umm. Hoyeon, did you see my duel just now?”

“Yeah. You fought well?”

She looks strangely lacking in confidence.

“H-how was it? Do you think I can win against Alice?”

“…”

Oh, so that’s why. Her next opponent is Alice.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lucy]

• [ Affection: 87 ]

• [ Lust: 40 ]

• [ Hunger: 30 ]

• [ Fatigue: 35 ]

Current Status: My defensive magic isn’t balanced…

I can roughly guess her worries.

Since it’s a 1v1 duel, Lucy, who’s only confident in attack magic, seems to be troubled after practicing defensive magic.

“Lucy. If you’re okay with it, shall I give you some advice?”

“Y-yeah. Please. You’re good at magic.”

“You know your defensive magic was a bit lacking in the last match, right?”

“Yeah… I keep practicing, but I just can’t use it well.”

Of course.

Lucy has a talent for offensive magic.

This is a setting from the original game that won’t change even if she were reborn.

Lucy is mistaken from the start.

It’s not that the balance is off; she shouldn’t be trying to balance it.

“Lucy, you shouldn’t use defensive magic.”

“You mean… don’t use it…?”

Lucy looked slightly puzzled by my extreme statement.

“Don’t misunderstand. You have a natural talent for offense. It’s better to attack without giving your opponent an opening.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yeah, the saying ‘The best defense is a good offense’ was made for you.”

There’s no need to defend. Creating openings for attack is a more suitable combat method for Lucy.

“The best defense is a good offense…”

“If you give it your all, you’ll get good results. Cheer up.”

“…Thank you. ‘The best defense is a good offense.’ I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”

Lucy seemed to gain some energy from my words, her expression brightening again.

I watched the remaining matches together with Lucy.

*

[Match End! The winner is Cadet Lee Hoyeon of Class A!]

“Sol-ah~. We can’t just let talent like that go to waste, you know?”

“What? What exactly do you want to do with Hoyeon?”

Im Sol and Min Yeji were talking in the stands, watching Lee Hoyeon descend after finishing his match.

“Nooo, he has the look of someone who could make money doing anything. This is a true loss for all humanity.”

“And I remember you trying to make me wear a bikini, so absolutely no contact.”

“Cadet Lee Hoyeon was curious about what kind of business it was too~ You could at least reply.”

“No. Absolutely no contact until I permit it.”

Im Sol, knowing Min Yeji’s dirty intentions, was diligently protecting her student, Lee Hoyeon, from falling for her schemes.

If he fell for those sweet words, we might actually see Lee Hoyeon in a bikini.

“He’s an adult, he can make his own judgment, can’t he? Right?”

“I’ll let you do it once my thesis work is finished. That’s the most important thing. It’s not about a few bucks; it’s a research paper that could turn the world upside down.”

“That amazing? Then can’t I invest too?”

“…Just watch the matches quietly.”

Im Sol felt anger rising to the point of cursing at Min Yeji’s teasing, and the perceptive woman noticed immediately.

“Okay, okay. Don’t get mad.”

“Haaah.”

I wonder if Lee Hoyeon knows how hard she’s working to protect him.

Im Sol sighed and looked towards the arena.

“But Alice and Nam Daeun? They’re truly insane. Those three, including Lee Hoyeon, are on a different level from the others.”

“That’s why they are who they are.”

“How can you just stand by when you see talents like that? There are so many things to enjoy in the world besides magic.”

“Be quiet…”

Im Sol just wanted to quietly watch Lee Hoyeon’s match.