novelraw Chapter 107
Chapter 107
Chapter 107
Han Sang-ah and I met in the finals.
— The spectators all expect Hunter Yoo Chan-seok to win. The commentators and analysts all share more or less the same opinion.
— The point of interest is probably how long Hunter Han Sang-ah can hold out.
— Hunter Jung Oh-hoon’s disqualification loss is a real shame. Based on the skills he showed in his first match, it would not be surprising at all if he was standing here in Hunter Han Sang-ah’s place.
That’s probably not true. No matter what anyone said, Han Sang-ah’s skill was a little better than Jung Oh-hoon’s.
Under the right conditions Jung Oh-hoon could win, but the fact that he needed those conditions in order to beat her meant that Han Sang-ah’s base level was already higher.
“Do you want me to go easy on you?”
“If you need to, then go easy. If it is for me, you don't have to.”
The eyes of the crowd were filled with excitement and tension, very different from when I had fought my earlier matches. That sense of anticipation and excitement carried a lot of different meanings.
— How do you see it?
— Objectively, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok is in a superior position. But they are teammates who work together, right? On top of that, there are all kinds of stories about them.
That was the problem. That.
No matter how much we said that it was not like that, people rushed in like rabid dogs and tried to link me and Han Sang-ah together, foaming at the mouth as they talked.
Even I was tired of it now. In the end, people only saw what they wanted to see and only heard what they wanted to hear.
The sound that signaled the start of the match rang out. Without either of us making the first move, Han Sang-ah and I vanished from the hastily prepared stage in the very same instant.
When we appeared again, Han Sang-ah’s sword and my spear were already clashing.
With a deafening boom, the air exploded. A gale so strong that it blew the popcorn out of the hands of the people watching us from a safe distance swept across the arena.
“Let’s really have some fun. Do everything you can. That way you won’t have any regrets.”
“Already planned on it.”
Han Sang-ah swung her sword a few times to keep me in check and stepped slightly back, then she kicked off the floor again, spun her body wide, and charged.
If you attacked with such a big movement, it was easy to get countered, so I was about to swing my spear with that thought in mind, but my face showed a small flicker of surprise.
“Oh?”
Several blue trails appeared in the air around Han Sang-ah. She was copying my Dual Spiral Spear. Of course, the process was different, and the result was different too.
The blue trails I created did not disappear unless I wanted them to. But those blue trails of Han Sang-ah’s were disposable. Once she attacks, they will vanish.
— Oh, is Hunter Han Sang-ah using Hunter Yoo Chan-seok’s signature technique right now?
— I like it. I was about to say it looked a little too reckless, but this makes it fine!
The commentators’ analysis was quite accurate. She was using a cheap imitation of a technique I often used, pairing it with her big, obvious attack to cover the natural openings that came with it.
“Not bad. Now tell me how many times I went easy on you there.”
“Five times?”
Han Sang-ah answered my question, and I replied with a grin.
“You improved again in the meantime. But it was seven.”
“Damn.”
Muttering like that, Han Sang-ah unleashed a storm of strikes. Blades filled with mana flashed and poured down like a silver rain shower. I blocked each of Han Sang-ah’s attacks one by one and slowly pushed forward.
— They are really fighting. The level of this match is incredibly high.
— It is amazing. They are showing skills that far surpass anything we saw in their matches up to now.”
The temporary stage that had been set up to host our duel looked like it was struggling more and more to hold out. Fine cracks slowly appeared in the floor, and here and there it crumbled in deep chunks.
No one had planned for a fight of this level when they built this stage in the first place. When I counterattacked, Han Sang-ah raised her sword to block.
Sparks flew with the sound of metal scraping. I pushed forward with strength, forcing her back while our sword and spear pressed against each other.
Her body shot backward and slammed into the wall.
“Kgh.”
“Does it hurt? That is youth. Endure it.”
Han Sang-ah dropped her sword, slid down as if her legs gave out, then reached for my ankles with both hands. I lifted my leg to dodge her outstretched hands, then I kicked her chin upward.
With a dull thud, Han Sang-ah’s head snapped back. But she ignored the pain, grabbed the sword she had just dropped, and swept it along the floor, aiming for my legs.
I lifted my body into the air to dodge, and a kick shot toward my stomach. I brought my elbow down on her shin.
I had not used enough strength to break it, of course. There was no point in going that far. It was not as if Han Sang-ah had betrayed me after all.
“Agh!”
With that cry, Han Sang-ah once again ignored the pain, moved the leg that had just taken an elbow strike, and tried to stomp down toward my shoulder.
I decided to take that much.
With a heavy smack, Han Sang-ah landed a clean hit on my shoulder.
I grabbed her ankle as if I had been waiting for this and casually flung her far away. Han Sang-ah’s body cut through the air. After she rolled across the floor a few times, she got back to her feet.
“Goodness. Who raised you like this.”
She really had a high tolerance. Was it because I had beaten her up too much during training? This level of pain did not even make her flinch.
— They each landed a solid hit.
— The damage looks heavier on Hunter Han Sang-ah’s side.
We both held weapons, but neither of us relied on them alone. When necessary, we let go of our weapons, and we tried surprising attacks in order to create openings in each other’s defenses.
In conclusion, I was slowly taking control of the match. By now the stage looked like a rag that had been torn to shreds.
“…Stop.”
At last, Han Sang-ah’s body staggered, then she dropped to a sitting position, breathing hard, let go of her weapon, and raised both hands.
“You did well.”
The match was decided. I walked over to Han Sang-ah and held out my hand, and she grabbed it and stood up.
“My whole body aches.”
“You should be grateful it ended with that much.”
With the sound of applause, the main event of this clown show finally came to an end. All that was left now was to choose one Hunter from the List of Hope, in the order decided beforehand, and have a match with them.
After the award ceremony ended and I wrapped up a quick interview, all the Hunters who had taken part in the main round gathered in one place.
“Starting with the winner, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok, you will call out the name of the Hunter you wish to challenge, in order.”
There were countless predictions flying around. Not all the Hunters listed on the List of Hope were currently in Seoul, so depending on who you called out, the timing of when you could actually face them would change.
The safest way to get your name on the List of Hope was originally to challenge the Hunter ranked one hundredth.
But I had never planned on doing that.
“Hunter Yoo Chan-seok, please announce the name of the Hunter you want to challenge.”
I took the microphone and spoke clearly.
“I challenge Hunter Choi Yeoreum.”
At that moment, everyone gathered here fell silent. Not only the Hunters standing here with me, but also the spectators and staff who were watching the nomination ceremony all went quiet.
“Wait, when you say Hunter Choi Yeoreum… you mean the great Hunter Choi Yeoreum, correct?”
I nodded at the host’s question.
“The Hunter I want to challenge is indeed Hunter Choi Yeoreum, who is ranked third on the List of Hope.”
Once that was confirmed, everything came to an abrupt halt. The people watching this nomination ceremony fell into a frenzy of wild excitement.
Meanwhile, the Association and the event organizers were probably clutching their aching heads. The nomination ceremony paused for a moment, and the Korean Association President and the head of the organizing committee came to see me.
“Are you serious?”
“I indeed announced that to everyone back there. Would I say ‘I’m kidding!’ after all that?”
I took an energy drink out of the refrigerator in the waiting room and continued.
“I am not doing this on a whim. I heard the story about the crown the Association is keeping in storage.”
“Surely you don't mean.”
I popped the can open and smirked.
“My goodness. To think you left such a fine item to rot in a warehouse. I really don't know what you people were thinking.”
The Association President answered my remark.
“If the conditions are met, the Korean Hunter Association has to honor the agreement, but there are a lot of people who want an item of that caliber.”
“That is why I am challenging Hunter Choi Yeoreum.”
It was not something you could have just because you wanted it. If I came to own that crown, there would be plenty of Hunters who would get greedy.
“If I barely meet the conditions and obtain it by a hair, there will be a lot of Hunters who try to take it from me. But if I beat Hunter Choi Yeoreum and claim the crown?”
The number of people who picked a fight with me just because they wanted the crown would drop sharply. Choi Yeoreum’s name had that much deterrent power.
“That story only becomes possible if Hunter Yoo Chan-seok wins.”
The head of the organizing committee offered me his advice.
“If I lose, it will mean that was my limit—”
Just as I was about to continue, the ceiling shattered and someone landed in front of me. The riding jacket she wore was quite the site.
“It has been a while, Hunter Choi Yeoreum.”
Choi Yeoreum stood with her arms crossed, looking at me.
“You really must have lost your mind.”
“Now, Hunter Choi Yeoreum…”
The Association President, who had been coughing for a while, hastily tried to speak, but Choi Yeoreum lifted a hand slightly. The Association President immediately fell silent.
“Shut your mouth, President. I did not come here to talk to you.”
At Choi Yeoreum’s firm rebuke, both the head of the organizing committee and the Association President went quiet. Choi Yeoreum walked over and stood in front of me. I was a little taller, so she had to look up at me, but the pressure she gave off was enormous.
“You have rubbed me the wrong way from the very first time we met.”
“Is that so? I thought it was a very meaningful encounter.”
In that instant, the mana that burst out from Choi Yeoreum’s body pressed down on my shoulders. I silently endured the weight of her aura. The furniture in the room where we stood creaked under the strain, groaning as it withstood the pressure.
“If you want to back out, this is your last chance.”
“It is already too late.”
At my answer, Choi Yeoreum spoke.
“President, head of the organizing committee. I accept Yoo Chan-seok’s nomination. But I want the rules from before the Daegu Accords applied to this match.”
The Association President swallowed hard at her words.
“Hunter Choi Yeoreum, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok is a very promising Hunter. If you think about the purpose of the Daegu Accords…”
“If it is not under those conditions, I don't accept.”
Listening to this, I raised my hand.
“I would like to know what you are talking about too.”
“Until the Daegu Accords, sparring between Hunters was quite dangerous.”
The Association President gave me a brief explanation. The Daegu Accords had officially banned the use of abilities in matches between Hunters, and had also prohibited attacks that could leave permanent disabilities.
“To put it simply, before the Daegu Accords, as long as the other person did not die, no one made an issue of it.”
Choi Yeoreum looked at me, her eyes gleaming with a deadly light.
“I like that.”
Up until now, what we had done felt closer to sports matches than real fights.
“You piece of shit. Let us see if you can still run your mouth like that after your skin is roasted nice and crisp.”
It seemed my calm attitude really got on Choi Yeoreum’s nerves.
“I accept Hunter Choi Yeoreum’s proposal. The organizing committee also thinks… it will be better if the atmosphere becomes a little more intense, right?”
“Even so… if even one of you suffers a serious injury, it will be a huge loss for Korea.”
I clearly understood what the head of the organizing committee meant.
“This is an agreement between me and Hunter Choi Yeoreum. The Association and the organizing committee don't have to take any responsibility at all.”
I declared that I agreed with the terms Choi Yeoreum had suggested. The people actually fighting had already agreed to the match conditions, so why would anyone else’s opinion be necessary?