༺ Duel (2) ༻
“…It’s over.”
As soon as I saw the skill piercing through Si-woo’s body, I knew I had won.
No one could survive being pierced through their entire body with those thorns.
‘He was still a tiger’s cub.’
I didn’t know if he was a 1st or 2nd stage Awakener, but I couldn’t help but think that it was impressive that he managed to land several attacks on me.
Our fight was the equivalent of a five-year-old child fighting against a boxing champion.
It was embarrassing, but I was able to finish him off only when I employed all my strength.
But that didn’t matter.
It was impossible for a five-year-old to beat a boxing champion.
He had inevitably fallen into a trap and taken a fatal attack.
Even if he miraculously managed to get up from that, it wouldn’t matter.
This space was under my control.
No one could see or interfere with what happened inside this space. While this area was under my control, not even the chairman would be able to defeat me easily.
“I should slowly leave, huh?”
When I removed this barrier, I would probably be met with a barrage of criticism.
A professor killing a student would become a massive incident, but I didn’t regret a thing.
Left alone, he would have become an uncontrollable threat.
Even if I had to live like a dead rat for a few years, the chairman would be able to reinstate me one day.
He had that kind of pow-
-Chill!
“What…?
Before I could even complete my thoughts, I swiftly turned my head in response to the eerie presence I felt behind me.
And there, before my eyes, was…
“You can still stand?”
He had multiple puncture wounds all over his body.
As blood continued to flow from his wounds, he was incapable of assuming a proper fighting stance.
However, Park Si-woo remained standing.
In addition, he was acting strangely.
‘He’s laughing?’
Had he lost his mind? Or did he have something up his sleeve?
The severity of his wounds should be enough to make him writhe in pain, yet he was laughing.
I got goosebumps just looking at him because it felt so contradictory.
‘No, it wasn’t him that gave me goosebumps.’
I had goosebumps before I even saw him stand up.
It was just an instinctive feeling that sent chills down my spine.
His stats and level had remained unchanged.
Why did I feel this way?
‘Wasn’t this how I felt when I met the chairman for the first time?
I felt this exact sensation when I first met the chairman after being appointed as a professor after clearing several high-level dungeons.
It was the moment I realized that, despite my experience, I would never be able to defeat him.
The strange thing was the direction of that sensation, but I could feel it. Despite his extreme injuries, it was much clearer than before.
“That doesn’t make sense…!
Am I, an eminent professor at the academy, afraid of this random wretch?
He spoke as I stared at him in disbelief.
“Thanks. My head is all clear now.”
Despite his severe injuries, he smiled and fixed his gaze on me.
“I’ve been too complacent. Acting like a dumbass because I regained the strength I had six years ago, even though I told myself I’d be serious.”
“What on earth are you saying?”
“It’s nothing. But now, I’ll be serious.”
‘How cocky. Where does he get this confidence from?’
‘I was mistaken. There’s nothing he can do with that tattered body.
My victory was already decided.
The difference in strength was clear, and he was severely wounded already.
No one would ever think that he could win.
-Clash!
But like a rabid dog, he ran toward me, swinging his blade.
“I’ll make sure to finish you off.”
That momentary chill must have been an illusion.
There was no way I could be afraid of someone like this, lunging at me like a rabid dog. Once again, I filled the arena with spears, intent on killing him this time.
But it didn’t work.
“…?”
He lunged at me without a care. It was like he didn’t care if he got hurt and was only aiming to attack me.
“He really is completely insane.’
With no other choice, I summoned my mana blade.
I recognized that my sword skills weren’t as advanced as his, but this was my domain.
That was why I condensed mana into the blade I created.
It was different from the blade I had created during our previous clash.
‘With one swing, I’ll be able to disintegrate him completely, leaving no blade and no corpse behind.’
But that also failed.
-Slip.
“…?!”
As our blades met, I could feel that something was wrong.
The sound of our blades clashing never occurred; rather, it was as if my hand had lost all its strength, forcing me to relinquish the blade.
His unusual movement didn’t even allow me to swing my sword.
‘Is he using a skill…?’
I couldn’t understand what was happening.
Surely, it must be a skill I didn’t recognize.
And yet, I was unable to sense anything.
‘I can’t feel any mana.’
The use of mana was essential to a skill, yet I couldn’t feel any hint of mana.
That meant he wasn’t using a skill, but was utilizing his pure swordsmanship.
“That doesn’t make any sense…!”
How could an attack that didn’t even involve a skill and didn’t use any mana, do-
-Stab
Before I could cast another skill, a blade pierced through my body.
Because I was a 4th stage Awakener, the attack didn’t severely injure my enhanced body, but the pain was still present.
“Haha!”
While I was looking at him, he smiled like the devil.
I almost lost control when I saw him and went on a rampage, but I kept my cool.
“Calm down. He’s just bluffing.’
He could bluff all he wanted, but I was the one who had the upper hand.
“Try this.”
I continued to condense mana, gathering it from the air around us.
As a result, 10 spears appeared.
If nothing else, the spears were ideal for quick destruction, so I recreated them, aiming them toward him.
“This time, both speed and power will be on a completely different level. Just di-”
“Why are you talking so much? Scared?”
“….!”
I would say no more.
Using a high-level agility buff, I increased the distance between us and flung the newly created spears down upon him.
He wouldn’t be able to dodge this.
When I first attacked, I still hadn’t made this space my domain, but things had changed. Each spear’s speed and power were now on a completely different level.
‘If he gets hit by even one, he will die.’
And even if he managed to dodge, each one could be caused to explode, which would also result in a decisive blow.
With that in mind, I launched the spears down on him.
“…”
As if he had given up, he didn’t move even as the attack approached him. Or more likely, he couldn’t even react.”
As someone who was not yet a student, the attack was far too quick to evade.
-Crash!
Due to the amount of mana present in each spear, even the sound of it hitting the ground caused a deafening hum.
It still wasn’t exactly clear what was going on, as there was quite a bit of dust kicked up by the impact alone. Just on the off chance he may have dodged it, I attempted to make the spears explode.
‘Why isn’t it working?’
The spears I had created with my own mana were not obeying me.
It didn’t make any sense.
How could I be unable to use my own skills?
“What…?”
-Whoosh!
In that moment of confusion, something aimed toward me flew out of the dust. As it flew past, I could see the reflection of my own face.
“Gah…!”
Even though it merely brushed past, its destructive power was substantial, leaving a large wound in its wake.
As I searched my surroundings in an attempt to see what had caused such an injury, I saw it.
‘A spear?’
I realized it was the spear I had created. And the fact that it had flown toward me meant…
‘That’s impossible.’
I attempted to deny reality, as it wasn’t within the realm of common sense.
He had not only managed to dodge the attack, he even returned it.
“It’s a shame, I almost hit you.”
But that reality was unfolding in front of my eyes.
I couldn’t understand how that kid had somehow managed to dodge all of the spears.
He stared at me, with no new injury, his eyes as still as a lake.
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