The Battle for Ordinary People [2]

‘What is happening? I think I’m going crazy.’

I should have sensed something was wrong when Kang A-yul returned with a dissatisfied expression after our Practical Combat match.

But now she’s grabbing a transfer student by the collar out of anger?

‘You’re both talents who should unite to save the world! Fighting like this is unacceptable!’

What a mess.

“A-yul-yang, don’t you think it’s inappropriate for a vice president to grab a transfer student’s collar?”

“N-no! She took my seat first…!”

“?”

Only then did I notice the unfamiliar bag placed on Kang A-yul’s seat.

Not the Myeonggeom Guild bag with its emblem that Kang A-yul usually carries, but a worn-out school bag… Why was it there?

‘Wait, that bag…’

It looked like the one Teacher Lee Cheon-ma used when taking the elixir…

“Finally, we meet.”

The narrow-eyed girl quickly grabbed both my hands as she spoke.

“Um, excuse me… Who might you…?”

“I’m Lee Seo-yun, direct disciple of the Demon Sword, Teacher Lee Cheon-ma.”

‘Ah, so this is Lee Seo-yun.’

In the original story, Lee Seo-yun was a disposable character who existed only to highlight the Demon Sword’s tragedy – the direct reason he became obsessed with his sword and later turned into an S-class villain after being gaslit by Shena.

Eve said she’d be surprised, but I never imagined this would be why.

‘The owner of that overwhelming fighting spirit I sensed before… It was her.’

<><><><><><><><><><>

<Information>

<Name: Lee Seo-yun>

<Age: 19>

<Alignment: Good, Lawful>

<Skill List>

<Song of the Sword (S)>

<Greatly increases understanding of swords. Allows synchronization of senses and magic power with the sword>

<Acceleration (A)>

<Greatly increases reaction speed, physical damage, and movement speed for 30 seconds> (Cooldown: 120 minutes)

<Flash Step (A)> (5/5)

<Can teleport short distances. Consumes stacks for consecutive uses> (Recharge: 15 seconds)

<Frail Body (F)>

<Recently recovered from injury. Strength, Defense, Stamina, and Agility decreased by one grade>

<Stats>

<Strength: B>

<Defense: C>

<Magic Power: C>

<Stamina: B>

<Agility: A>

<Luck: F>

<><><><><><><><><><>

‘If these stats are after being decreased by one grade… Then her original Agility would be A+?!’

That such a person was simply killed off as a plot device to justify the Demon Sword’s fall… The world truly is cruel.

‘The protagonist is strong, and even this originally nameless extra character is so powerful… It’s good but…’

It almost feels like a warning – that this story would be impossible to clear without such strong supporting characters.

‘Whatever. I’ll just feed them the opportunities I know about to power them up. We’ll handle it easily.’

Anyway, I’ve been standing here too long lost in thought while Lee Seo-yun was talking.

“If it weren’t for Seah-yang, I’d still be dying in a hospital bed…”

“Let’s not dwell on such dark stories. Nice to meet you, Seo-yun-yang.”

“Likewise, Seah-yang. Should I call you President?”

“No, you can just call me by my name.”

As I shook Lee Seo-yun’s hand, I felt an intense gaze from beside us.

“………..”

Turning my head, I saw Kang A-yul glaring at me as expected.

“Hey, so what are you going to do about her seat?”

Kang A-yul asked with an expression that clearly hoped I’d take her side.

‘…This is tricky.’

Taking sides here would mean losing favorability with the other party.

‘The fairest and most decisive method…’

Naturally, the most reliable solution would be…

“Settle it with a duel.”

What else but combat? Since ancient times, duels have been the most sacred form of conflict resolution… (omitted)

…

…

…

Raon Academy’s training ground.

The spectator seats were packed with students who’d heard rumors about the vice president dueling the mysterious transfer student.

“…I didn’t expect this many people to show up.”

I’d only borrowed the training ground briefly for a spar, but the reservation system displayed my name publicly, turning this into an advertised event.

“The loser will be too embarrassed to show their face. I’ll compromise if you surrender now and take a nearby seat instead.”

“…They say the one making such offers is usually the more nervous one…”

In the waiting room, two girls glared at each other while holding wooden swords.

<><><><><><><><><><>

<Information>

<Name: Kang A-yul>

<Age: 19>

<Alignment: Good>

<Skill List>

<Igigeom (S)>

<Can create and wield a physical magic sword>

<Future Sight (A)>

<Can see 2-3 seconds into the future>

<Sword Saint’s Blessing (S)>

<Grants additional bonuses to all sword-related actions>

<Stats>

<Strength: B>

<Defense: C+>

<Magic Power: B+>

<Stamina: A>

<Agility: B+>

<Luck: B>

<><><><><><><><><><>

‘Who would believe these are the stats of a 19-year-old?’

Both possessed strength that wouldn’t be out of place inside a Gate.

Would the <Sword Saint’s Blessing (S)> granting bonuses to all sword actions prevail? Or the <Song of the Sword (S)> allowing projection of magic power through sword mastery?

‘Either outcome will be interesting.’

If Kang A-yul wins, reactions like “As expected of the vice president!” If Lee Seo-yun wins, “A monster rookie appears!” or “The vice president was overrated!”

But that’s not my concern.

If anyone were nearby, I’d tell them to go get popcorn.

“Have you decided on the rules? Will you follow the Practical Combat format…”

“Yes, first to reduce the opponent’s HP bar to zero wins.”

“A barrier that prevents fatal injuries… How wonderful it would have been to have this during training with my master.”

When the duel begins, a dome-shaped barrier envelops the training ground.

Inside, even severed limbs won’t cause death. An AI precisely calculates damage to deduct from HP bars, declaring victory when one reaches zero.

‘Personally unsatisfying since it makes my <Recovery (S)> useless, but…’

Even if I recovered HP, the deducted amount wouldn’t restore. I remembered bitterly losing to Kang A-yul by a sliver in Practical Combat class.

‘I could’ve won if my abilities weren’t restricted.’

With limited abilities, preparing Void Steps took too long, leaving me only able to dodge Kang A-yul’s attacks. Stellar Magic required even longer preparation.

‘In a 2v2, I could’ve used Stellar Magic… Pity.’

Since no perfect Striker or Defender will fall from the sky to buy me time, I’ll have to change myself.

“Then please watch from the stands, Seah-yang.”

“What’s there to watch? It’ll be over in an instant.”

From a distance, they looked like ordinary rivals bickering… until…

-Kwa-jik! Wood-deuk…!!

“Your arm…!!”

“Seah-yang?!”

Who could have predicted they’d attack each other so fiercely that I’d need to sacrifice both arms to block them?