Fire Pillar was among the more formidable fire spells that Hong Yeon-hwa had mastered.
Consequently, the boost in physical strength she experienced upon absorbing it through Overheat was notably substantial.
Of course, enhancing physical strength was merely the basics.
She still needed more preparation.
As Hong Yeon-hwa chanted another spell, lava flowed from the staff she held in one hand before it transformed into a whip.
At the same time, a large ball of flame began to form in her other hand.
[Lava Whip]
[Flame Orb]
Whoosh,
She infused the blazing orb with one last technique before hurling it with all her might at Dang Gyu-young.
“…..”
Dang Gyu-young watched the fireball that was larger than a human body approach without a hint of disturbance on her face.
As the Flame Orb neared, she smoothly drew a slender shadow longsword from beneath her feet.
Lifting the longsword above her head and then slicing down lightly, she split the orb neatly in two,
Bang-Bang-Boom!
Intense flames exploded on either side of Dang Gyu-young, turning the area into a sea of fire.
The subtle technique Hong Yeon-hwa had mixed into her Flame Orb was the effect of “Outburst”.
Knowing it was impossible to harm Dang Gyu-young with the fireball itself, her intention was to cover as wide an area as possible with flames right from the start.
The more influence Hong Yeon-hwa exerted over the area, the more Dang Gyu-young’s influence would wane and make it harder for her to control the shadows.
It was groundwork laid in preparation.
Dang Gyu-young was likely not unaware of this fact, yet she seemed indifferent as if it didn’t matter.
In some ways, there appeared to be a hint of pleasure in watching a junior come close to the right answer.
Then she posed the question with a faint smile.
“Are you coming in now?”
“I’m on my way.”
With these brief words, Hong Yeon-hwa took her first step forward.
She kicked off the ground forcefully and shot forward.
Thud! Thud!
The distance between her and Dang Gyu-young closed rapidly until she was right in front of her.
They swung at each other at the same time. Her lava whip and Dang Gyu-young’s shadow longsword clashed and intertwined, canceling each other out.
As Hong Yeon-hwa reached out her hand, Dang Gyu-young also extended her, attempting to grasp her wrist.
But this move too was part of Hong Yeon-hwa’s strategy.
Before their hands could touch, the lava whip coiled around Dang Gyu-young’s wrist and pulled tightly.
Hong Yeon-hwa reached out her hand again toward the sticker.
But in the next moment, she felt a strong sense of unease.
“……?”
A sense of unease that things were going too smoothly, considering the battle had only just begun.
Trusting this intuition, Hong Yeon-hwa immediately retracted everything and stepped back a good distance.
Boom!
A black butterfly exploded by a hair’s breadth, and a wisp of shadow trapped the spot where Hong Yeon-hwa had been just a moment ago.
It was a butterfly that had stealthily approached her while Dang Gyu-young was feigning vulnerability.
Had she pressed on, she might have suffered significant damage.
[Shadow Butterfly Flight]
Three shadow butterflies fluttered after Hong Yeon-hwa.
They were small yet capable of creating countless variables, so it was necessary to intercept them before re-engaging in close combat.
Keep calm, and one at a time.
The lava whip lashed out at the leading shadow butterfly, which dodged with a graceful movement.
She swiftly retracted the whip and swung it again, causing the shadow butterfly to burst into flames and scatter.
In the meantime, the second and third shadow butterflies had closed in even more.
Hong Yeon-hwa nimbly moved her feet to dodge them and began casting her next spell.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in from somewhere, and the second shadow butterfly trembled in mid-air before disintegrating into pieces.
That must be…
The mysterious wind magic Kim Ho always used.
Just like they discussed before the close combat began, he was watching Hong Yeon-hwa’s movements and providing support.
That’s great.
This significantly reduced her burden.
She could now unleash the magic she had prepared for the second shadow butterfly on the remaining one.
Whooooooooooosh—!
Flames surged forward and they engulfed the last shadow butterfly.
With the distractions cleared, it was time to return to her original target.
As Hong Yeon-hwa pointed her staff at Dang Gyu-young, the dwindling flames roared back to life with fervor.
Yet, Dang Gyu-young stood calmly within the flames with a smile on her face.
“Good, keep coming.”
Pop!
Hong Yeon-hwa once again pressed forward and the close combat resumed.
She wielded her lava whip for support while her other hand lashed out at Dang Gyu-young, occasionally aiming for his stickers.
Dang Gyu-young skillfully blocked the incoming attacks and deftly knocked away the hand targeting the stickers.
Then,
— Whoosh—
A gust of wind swept past Dang Gyu-young as if wrapping around her.
The physical force within the wind caused her movements to become unnaturally jerky.
Annoyance flickered in Dang Gyu-young’s eyes as she momentarily glanced over Hong Yeon-hwa’s shoulder towards Kim Ho.
Here it goes again.
Despite facing numerous foes and skills up until her third year, she found this wind magic particularly frustrating and annoying. She could even rank it among the most vexing.
Where on earth had he learned such a thing?
For Hong Yeon-hwa, however, this situation was an excellent opportunity.
The more Dang Gyu-young was bothered and irritated, the more her focus would scatter which would reveal openings.
She swiftly took advantage of this and pressed her attack.
“Tch.”
Dang Gyu-young clicked her tongue in frustration.
And for the first time since the duel battle started, she took a few steps back
Yet, the tenacity of a third-year student was not to be underestimated.
Rising shadows acted in unison with her movements as she calmly parried each of Hong Yeon-hwa’s strikes.
As the clash continued at close quarters, the momentum swiftly shifted back in favor of Dang Gyu-young.
Just as a massive shadow fist swelled to strike Hong Yeon-hwa with full force,
Boom!
With the sound of an explosion, the shadow fist missed its target by a wide margin.
Once again, Kim Ho had intervened at the perfect moment.
As if that wasn’t enough, the wind containing physical force continued to blow and hindered Dang Gyu-young’s movements.
Ah, seriously, this is…
Could someone really interfere so annoyingly?
Despite knowing it was a mentoring duel and that 2 against 1 was to be expected, she felt a lingering resentment in her heart.
Dang Gyu-young made a resolution in her heart.
Once this was over, she would take her revenge by covering Kim Ho’s back with scribbles.
Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa seized yet another opportunity created by Kim Ho and launched an attack.
She recited a spell in the blink of an eye.
[Flame Arrow]
She transformed the lava whip into a flaming bow and arrow and started unleashing a rapid-fire from close range.
One by one, the emerging shadow butterflies and limbs were pierced by the flame arrows.
Many of the shadow spells were blocked before they could be fully cast, and the wind blew incessantly.
Gradually, Dang Gyu-young’s face began to lose its composure.
To Hong Yeon-hwa, it seemed as if cracks were slowly forming in a once impenetrable iron wall.
Just a little more!
A little more pressure, and she could break through.
She kicked off the ground forcefully and attacked even more aggressively.
Whooosh!
Large shadow spikes erupted from beneath Dang Gyu-young’s feet and they surged towards Hong Yeon-hwa.
Unlike the shadow limbs or blunt weapons, these spikes were meant to inflict direct damage.
Hong Yeon-hwa interpreted this as a sign of Dang Gyu-young’s dwindling reserve.
She continued to shoot flame arrows, burning away the spikes, but still a significant number flew toward her.
As Hong Yeon-hwa observed the incoming spikes, she thought to herself.
I can’t dodge them all.
But if she were to create distance and retreat as before,
Dang Gyu-young would have time to retreat and the opportunity painstakingly created with Kim Ho’s help would evaporate.
Faced with a critical choice, Hong Yeon-hwa made her decision.
She would endure some of them.
Hong Yeon-hwa swiftly moved through the shadows and deftly weaved between the spikes.
Some grazed her by mere inches, while others left scratches on her arms, legs, and cheeks.
Although she occasionally winced in pain, her gaze remained firmly fixed on her target, Dang Gyu-young.
Just as Hong Yeon-hwa felt she was getting close, Dang Gyu-young smoothly stamped her foot on the ground.
Whoosh!
Shadow spikes erupted from beneath her, forming a wall several times larger than before.
Even when faced with such intense provocation, she had a hidden card up her sleeve.
Yet, Hong Yeon-hwa was far from flustered.
I knew this would happen.
She had anticipated even this.
Flames burst forth from her clenched fist.
And then by extending it forward,
[Fire Punch]
Boom!
A hole blasted through the shadow wall, crumbling it.
Dang Gyu-young felt satisfied after seeing that even her last line of defense had been breached.
Impressive.
Transforming the shadow into spikes was not only due to a relative lack of leeway but also intended as a test for Hong Yeon-hwa.
And Hong Yeon-hwa splendidly passed this test by accepting damage to breach her target.
Moreover, she had anticipated Dang Gyu-young erecting another wall and had prepared her next move in advance.
Any other mentor might have considered this enough to pass,
But it’s still slightly lacking.
Continuing the close combat and peeling off stickers was a separate matter.
She had no intention of being lenient.
However, just as Dang Gyu-young was about to counterattack,
Thud,
Something lightly tapped her shoulder.
She was startled and quickly turned to find Kim Ho with his hand on her shoulder.
“Ah.”
What’s that? When did he get here?
While assisting Hong Yeon-hwa, he had stealthily approached and, at the moment Dang Gyu-young showed an opening, dashed to her side in an instant.
Now that I think about it…
Though he had left the sticker peeling entirely to Hong Yeon-hwa, he never said he would only assist from a distance.
Yet, this realization came a tad too late.
Whoosh—!
The wind blew from all directions around the hand placed on her shoulder.
It resembled the wind magic Kim Ho had used until now, but the physical force it carried was significantly more substantial and different in strength from before.
For a few brief seconds, Dang Gyu-young was immobilized and unable to move an inch.
The skill was already a nuisance at C-rank and so it had become even more troublesome after being amplified by two ranks through [Amplification].
Yet, Dang Gyu-young had no time to wonder how the power of the skill had suddenly surged.
In that moment, there was only one dominating thought in her mind.
Really… really annoying… skill…
I seriously hate that skill.
Just when Dang Gyu-young’s aversion to Wind Force grew stronger,
“Now!”
Hong Yeon-hwa stretched out her hand with all her might towards the sticker.
Gripping the edge of the sticker with her fingertips, she pulled back her entire body and retreated.
Zzzzip!
“……”
The surroundings seemed engulfed in silence.
When Hong Yeon-hwa blankly lowered her gaze, the sticker came into view.
Although it was clearly sticking to her hand, it felt unreal even as she looked at it.
But soon, the reality began to sink in and her heart started pounding in excitement.
I-I did it…!
A week of hard work had finally paid off.
Tears threatened to spill from her eyes but with two onlookers present she forcefully held them back.
As Hong Yeon-hwa tried to calm her racing heart, Dang Gyu-young spoke.
“You got one off. Well done.”
She added,
“Now, onto the rest, shall we?”
It had momentarily slipped her mind, but to succeed in this sticker duel battle, three stickers needed to be removed.
Can the remaining two also be… possible?
She wasn’t sure.
When she cast a questioning glance at Kim Ho, he responded with a light nod of his chin as if to say he would continue to adapt to her wishes.
Hong Yeon-hwa nodded back in agreement.
Alright, let’s do our best as far as we can!
With renewed determination, she ignited her spirit and launched herself at Dang Gyu-young with a powerful kick.
Whoosh!
***
However…
Despite Hong Yeon-hwa’s valiant effort until the end, one sticker was all she managed to remove.
Since she had nearly exhausted all the means she had prepared on the first sticker, Hong Yeon-hwa inevitably found her strength waning thereafter.
Hong Yeon-hwa then realized that continuing the battle would be futile and conceded defeat.
“I’ve lost.”
“Well done.”
When Dang Gyu-young concluded the duel, the scoreboard displayed the outcome.
[Duel Battle 673 -50 Points]
Ah, it’s been reduced.
Despite losing a significant 50 points in the precious duel battle score, Hong Yeon-hwa’s heart felt unusually light.
The reason she didn’t have any resentment or lingering regrets like usual was probably because she did her best and poured everything to the brink of her limits.
Hong Yeon-hwa turned her gaze to Kim Ho and finally managed to speak with some effort,
“Thank you… for your hard work.”
“You did well.”
Kim Ho responded briefly.
And unbeknownst to her, a faint smile formed on Hong Yeon-hwa’s lips.
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