episode_0009

The promised day has come.

I submitted a sparring application form to the school and brought a healing practitioner with me. They were waiting right in front of the sparring hall.

Naturally, the sparring between me and the Shindorim Sword Master caused a great stir. There were so many Aseong High School students that it more than filled the stands.

I found out that fact by watching a live broadcast on G-Tube.

‘140,000 viewers… !? What is this… ?’

I expected there would be a lot of onlookers, but I didn’t expect it to be this big… .

The number of viewers on Shinso TV, which was broadcasting in real time, was close to 140,000. Shinsou and I had not yet appeared, let alone sparred, so it was clear that the number of viewers would skyrocket once the spar began.

“Attention was focused. Many schools will be watching.”

Vice President Oh Baek-seo said while looking at his smartphone.

“Mahyeon High School’s leader sponsored it! That ‘dark cloud leader’! Oh, even the Sein High School student council president! It’s backed by some really big names! I heard you’re rooting for both Manager and Shinso?”

“Well, yeah… ?”

Executive Ha Yesong laughed heartily while looking at his smartphone.

‘What do you mean by sponsorship? Why are they so anxious that they can’t show it!?’

I felt like I wanted to scream.

I didn’t know it would get this big… .

Leading manager of Maheon High School?

Sein High School student council president?

What next?

Aren’t they even watching Hanyang Federal Academy?

“Manager, awesome! The student council of Hanyang Federal Academy posted a chat! Please have a good sparring!”

‘It was so damn bad… .’

How could those guys watch the sparring with pure intentions?

He must be drooling and chewing popcorn for fear of being exposed as the leader of Asung High School.

Proving my skills to the leadership team is welcome.

However, showing my fighting style to other academies was not very pleasant.

“It looks like everyone has nothing better to do.”

“What do you think, it’s good! Manager, I’m going to become completely famous, hehe.”

Why are you so bright again?

Before we knew it, we had arrived at Dalianjang. As expected, there were a lot of people.

I climbed onto the sparring field amidst the welcome of Aseong High School students. At the same time, a ball of flame flew out of nowhere and landed across from me.

Grumble!

Faaah!

As the flames spread around, a male student wearing a goblin mask appeared.

It was Shindorim Sword Master.

‘That’s cool…’ .’

I had no choice but to admit it.

I lost in the ‘coolness’ category before the sparring even started.

“Aaagh! Awesome!”

“Shinso! Shinso!”

“Shinso! I love you!”

“Shinso! Kill the manager!”

Students were enthusiastic about Shinso’s spectacular appearance. The same goes for Ha Yesong. I don’t know if this guy is on my side or not.

Even his appearance makes people go crazy.

After all, he’s a G-Tuber, isn’t he?

Anyway, it was an extremely uncomfortable sight.

Shinso stretched out his arms towards the audience. Then, the students’ voices gradually quieted down.

When I saw him doing a great job, I couldn’t help but think, ‘He is indeed a Shindorim sword master.’

“Director Seondo, I sincerely thank you for responding to my unreasonable request.”

Shinso bowed his upper body politely.

‘I knew it was an unreasonable request.’

You let things get to this point and still take good care of manners.

“Phew.”

I exhaled lightly, gathered my emotions, and put the black gloves on my hands.

Now it was time to deal with this annoying bastard.

“Nameplate.”

“Yes?”

I pointed to the school uniform name tag on my chest that said ‘Ahn Woo-jin’.

“Not wearing a nametag on your chest is a violation of school rules. I will deduct points. Challenging the leader is also a clear act of obstruction of office. I guess I should be punished. In addition, all profits earned from this broadcast will be considered as unfair profits resulting from illegal activities and will be confiscated by the Seondo Department.”

I spoke according to principle.

Should I say it is a characteristic of Academy City?

Here, in the jurisdiction of Asong High School, Asong High School’s school rules comply with the law.

The constitution, fairness, morality, and social justice must also be considered, but the principles I mentioned were effective for now.

“That’s… !”

Shinso’s voice trembled.

“I’m sorry, but I hope you can watch it at least for this sparring! As a former challenger, I want to compete with the leader in a man-on-man match… !”

Is this because, contrary to his passionate spirit of challenge, an unexpected and harsh reality is right in front of him? Shinso shouted at me as if asking me to recognize his sincerity.

It was a very unpleasant attitude.

The iron plate on the face was also top-notch.

Since our sparring became such a hot topic, he must be earning quite a bit of pocket money.

Of course, apart from sparring, they will also be greedy for profits.

really… It is varied.

“… It’s arbitrary.”

“Yes?”

I grabbed the front brim of the hat, pressed it down a little, and glared at Shinsou.

Although I am here in the name of sparring, what I am about to do from now on is not actually sparring.

“You seem to need education.”

It’s discipline.

* * *

“Director Boo, why do you think I sponsored Shinso TV?”

Mahyeon High School leadership team executive office.

Seondo Manager Lee Je-ho, who was watching Shinso TV’s live broadcast on his tablet, asked the Vice Manager.

“… I’m not interested?”

“… … .”

Lee Je-ho glared at the deputy head. It seemed like he wanted me to ask him a question.

The vice president sighed silently and asked a question.

“Yes, manager. Why did you sponsor?”

“This is to appeal to Asung High School that our Maheon High School leadership team is watching.”

Lee Je-ho smiled faintly and lifted his glasses.

“What if Shindorim Sword Master’s skills are better than expected and Asung High School’s leader struggles even a little? Even if we don’t struggle, what if it turns out that our level of military power is inferior to ours?”

“In that case, it would be revealed that Mahyeon High School’s leadership team is stronger than Aseong High School’s leadership team, so you are saying that we can indirectly express that we have figured that out. As a result, you will be able to gain the upper hand in everyday conflicts.”

“… … .”

“Yes, I will not explain for you from now on.”

Lee Je-ho’s plan to answer himself was crushed by the vice-president’s detailed answer.

Lee Je-ho, who wanted to show even a little bit of intelligence, glared again with sullen eyes at the vice-president who had deprived him of that opportunity.

“Anyway… , the logic of power is bound to intervene to some extent between us. Because our ‘school districts’ are close together, we are bound to experience frequent conflicts.”

In Academy City, the jurisdictional district where each academy has autonomy is called a ‘school district.’

Because school districts are adjacent to each other, it has historically been common for someone to initiate an incident that leads to jurisdictional issues.

Therefore, it was inevitable that the logic of power would intervene to some extent between large academies such as Aseong High School, Maheon High School, and Sein High School.

thus.

“If we see even the slightest flaw in Aseong High School’s leading manager, he will become our prey.”

Lee Je-ho lifted his glasses and raised the corners of his mouth. A sly smile like “hehe.” leaked from the corners of his mouth.

The deputy head is “yes… .” was the only dry response. This is because I had no intention of having a conflict with Aseong High School.

“It will start soon.”

On the tablet screen, the student in charge of refereeing came onto the sparring hall at Asung High School.

Whiuk! Shinso took out his sparring sword.

Although it was a bladed sword, the blade was not sharp at all, so it was more like a thin blunt sword.

─ Are you both ready?

When the referee asked, Shinso nodded, and Woojin only showed a cold response.

‘Ahn Woo-jin… . Just by looking at the outside, he is definitely an unusual guy.’

I don’t know his skills, but Ahn Woo-jin had a noble and heavy aura befitting his position as leader.

There was a lot of tension in the sparring hall.

All the students in the audience watched Woojin and Shinso with bated breath.

─ Then get ready!

Shinso took a stance.

─ Sparring begins!

And with the judgment’s declaration, Shinsou kicked off the ground and jumped at Woojin.

“… … !?”

Soon Lee Je-ho’s eyes opened slightly wide and his mouth opened.

When the vice-president saw the surprised Lee Je-ho, he felt curious and moved behind him. I just watched the Shinso TV broadcast with him.

“Oh, shhh.”

The vice president let out a commonly used exclamation without realizing it.

I could immediately understand why Lee Je-ho was surprised.

Just a few minutes ago.

Dalianjang located at Asung High School.

When Sindorim Sword Master first saw Ahn Woo-jin, he felt a strong sense of intimidation. The air in the sparring hall suddenly became heavier just by his presence.

He has a tall appearance and turquoise eyes that shine brightly from the corners of his eyes that are in shadow due to the front brim of his hat. His eyes were sharp, cool, and cool like a well-honed blade.

There was not a hint of hesitation or anxiety. Any emotional turmoil was absent from his eyes.

Shinso swallowed dry saliva without realizing it.

Just as a prey instinctively recognizes a predator, my heart was pounding and all my nerves were tense.

That’s why Shinsou was sure.

He said that sparring with the leader will help him grow to the next level.

So, all I can do is try my best to push away my fears.

“Sparring begins!”

With the referee’s declaration, Shinsou quickly rushed forward.

Shinso’s magic flowed into the sparring sword. Grumble! Red flames rose along the sword body. The state of the 4th level. It was a technology that converted magic power into elemental power.

The burning flame spread heat and heated the air. As the colorful flames followed Shinso like a tail, a scene unfolded as if an Oriental dragon wrapped in flames was flying in.

Meanwhile, Woojin just stood still and gave a cold look.

“Whoever goes first will take it!”

Sigh! Foot rolling for positioning. Immediately after, the red flames drew a precise trajectory.

Good luck!

Flames rushed in.

However, Woojin pulled his upper body back with his flexible body and easily dodged the flaming sword strike.

“!”

Embarrassment appeared in Shinso’s eyes.

At that moment, something was pulled out of Woojin’s belt, causing a sharp crack.

Wedge!

As Woojin’s armament dug under his chin, Shinso used his reflexes and fell back. Shinsou realized too late that its range was very short.

What was pulled out was a black single stick.

In other words, it was a handle.

Woojin tapped the arm holding the dagger with his other arm. Less evil! Two bars of iron protruded from the single bar.

It was a black three-pointed baton.

Tsuzzzz!

Woojin’s magic seeped into the magic circuit of the triple pole. That magical power took the shape of turquoise lightning.

There was no need for a long thought process. Shinso kicks off the ground again and rushes forward. A sword strike wrapped in flames split the moment.

It was a gorgeous flaming sword dance.

However, it was not a sword dance that focused on ‘aesthetics’ that the audience saw in the video. Because it was a killing technique to kill the opponent.

Whick! Woojin fell back and moved his body skillfully, easily dodging several sword strikes.

Shinso concentrated.

If things continue like this, they can be driven in.

If things continue like this, it could be a fatal blow to the leader.

‘see.’

Suddenly, a gap appeared.

Shinso did not miss that moment.

Grumble!

A greater amount of magical power flowed through the sparring sword’s magical circuit, creating an even more powerful flame.

If things continue like this, Woojin will be able to use an effective attack.

It will be able to bring about the flow of sparring.

Shinsou was so sure.

Wow!

Pajik!

“!?”

The flaming sword strike could not even cut through the air.

A fleeting flash of turquoise struck Shinsou’s wrist. It was an attack that exquisitely took advantage of a gap in Shinsou’s maneuvering.

One after another, powerful electric shocks spread through Shinsou’s arms and throughout his body.

“Ugh!”

Shinso’s movements are disorganized. His hand lost his grip on the sword. Because I was electrocuted, it was difficult to maintain my posture.

Toouk!

Pow!

In an instant, two bluish green trails were carved in the air.

Pajik! The electricity spread and the sound of impact came and went. Shinsou had already received a strong shock to his arms and neck.

“Keuhak!”

Woojin’s simple and disciplined movements showed off the utmost restraint, like a soldier’s ritual.

It was an attack as precise as a blade honed over a long period of time, and faithful to the purpose of suppressing the enemy most efficiently.

Woojin’s arm was lifted. Whing! He swung the triple baton fiercely.

Pow!

With a sound similar to an explosion, electricity flew out and a powerful shock wave was created.

Whiuuung! Shinso’s body flew and scratched the floor. He stopped at the end of the sparring field and avoided leaving the field.

“Heo Eok… !”

Shinso is out of breath.

The heavy drinking just moments ago was not a sound that could be made by swinging a triple baton.

The shock from just a moment ago was not powerful enough to swing a triple baton.

“Shock wave… ? how… ?”

Clearly, the concentrated lightning magic created a shock wave, creating even more powerful physical force.

I couldn’t believe it.

It was a technique I had never heard of before.

Shinso decided that Ahn Woo-jin was also in the same 4th rank as himself. This was because they only fought with lightning magic wrapped around a three-stage baton.

He didn’t seem like someone who possessed the unique abilities required for the 5th rank.

Of course, even within the 4th tier, the superiority and inferiority of skills are different.

However, since Shinso himself is a talented person in his own right, I thought that he would definitely be able to fight close to Woojin and Hogak, who are of the same rank.

… It wasn’t.

That magical power was already far beyond the level of a simple 4th rank.

“… … .”

Woojin picked up the sparring sword that had fallen on the floor.

I threw it lightly at Shinsou.

Kagang. The sparring sword made a clear sound as it reached Shinso.

Shinso looked at Sword and Woojin alternately with a surprised face.

“Listen.”

Woojin’s solemn command came down.