Chapter 199: Hammer vs. Pot

I first explained the rules of the toy hammer game.

“Let’s play rock-paper-scissors. Rock, paper—”

“—scissors.”

I chose paper, and Seo Ye-in chose rock.

Kim Ho wins.

I picked up the toy hammer from the small folding table and lightly tapped it on Seo Ye-in’s head.

“The winner gets to attack with the toy hammer. Again, rock, paper—”

“—scissors.”

This time, I chose scissors, and Seo Ye-in chose rock.

Seo Ye-in wins.

Seo Ye-in slowly brought the toy hammer toward my head, as if asking, “Is this how you do it?” I nodded and flipped a pot over to place it on my head.

Then, the toy hammer lightly tapped the small pot.

“The loser defends with the pot. Got it so far?”

“Okay.”

“And if you grab the wrong thing, it’s a foul. Like if you win rock-paper-scissors but pick up the pot, or if you lose but pick up the toy hammer.”

“Foul, okay.”

In summary, when you win or lose at rock-paper-scissors, you have to quickly grab the right tool from the table and succeed in either attacking or defending.

It was a game that required a decent amount of quick reflexes.

Seo Ye-in seemed a little interested, but mere curiosity wasn’t enough.

If I wanted to keep this up all week, I needed stronger motivation.

So I decided to offer a light reward.

“If you win 10 times, you get a wish ticket. How about that?”

“…A pillow?”

Seo Ye-in was always true to her desires.

She has been strangely obsessed with me since she slept soundly on Kim Ho pillow during the midterm exam.

She even leaned on me the entire time while talking to Ahn Jeong-mi.

Since it wasn’t something I couldn’t grant with a wish ticket, I nodded without hesitation.

“A pillow’s fine.”

“10 wins…!”

Seo Ye-in became even more fired up with my approval.

It seemed she was determined to quickly rack up 10 wins and claim me as a pillow.

It won’t be that easy.

Whether she could even manage one win, let alone ten, against me remained to be seen.

Before starting, I raised the rank of [Enchantment] by two levels using Amplification.

[Used “Amplification”.]

[The rank of “Enchantment” has increased. (F -> D)]

Next, I passed a skill to Seo Ye-in using [Enchantment].

[Used “Enchantment”.]

[You have granted the skill “Wind Force (C+)” to the target.]

[The rank of the granted “Wind Force”: E]

[Cooldown time: 00:03:58]

When passing a skill with F-rank Enchantment to someone else, the rank drops by three levels, but with D-rank Enchantment, it only drops by two.

Additionally, as the rank increased, the cooldown time significantly decreased, and the 90% reduction effect of the special training room further cut down the time.

As a result, she could use this powerful skill once every four minutes.

During training, if she just kept using it each time the cooldown finished, escaping from F-rank in her skill was practically guaranteed.

Whirrr—

Seo Ye-in who was curious about Wind Force summoned gusts of wind here and there.

However, since it didn’t match her class, it only made her hair flutter a little.

I stepped half a step closer to the table and spoke.

“Shall we begin?”

“Mhmm.”

“Rock, paper—”

“—scissors.”

I chose rock, and Seo Ye-in chose scissors.

Seo Ye-in lost.

However, by the time she reached for the pot, the toy hammer had already landed on her head.

Thwack!

“Rock, paper—”

“—scissors.”

I chose scissors, and Seo Ye-in chose rock.

Seo Ye-in won.

But before she could swing the toy hammer halfway, it was blocked mid-air by the pot.

Clang—!

A clear sound echoed through the room.

Both of us calmly put down what we were holding back on the table and continued our game of rock-paper-scissors like nothing had happened.

“Rock, paper—”

“—scissors.”

This time, I won again.

Before Seo Ye-in could react, the toy hammer struck her head once more.

Thwack!

Even when playing rock-paper-scissors against someone as lucky as her, I wasn’t losing at all.

In fact, my win rate was even higher.

It’s not just about luck.

If I relied solely on luck against Seo Ye-in, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

Go Hyeon-woo’s 15 consecutive losses proved that much.

But for hero candidates who have surpassed human limits, the outcome of rock-paper-scissors isn’t decided by luck alone.

It’s about keen observation, catching the slightest movements in the fingers, and responding with lightning-fast reflexes.

From what I had observed so far, Seo Ye-in had a good eye for things, but she still fell short of the level of a stagnant water.

So my win rate was around 75%, with Seo Ye-in taking the rest.

Of course, this was only in terms of rock-paper-scissors wins.

When it came to hitting with the toy hammer, my accuracy was 100% while Seo Ye-in’s was 0%.

There was a significant difference in speed, and needless to say, my close combat skills were far superior.

As a result, contrary to her initial plan of winning 10 rounds quickly and getting the Kim Ho pillow, Seo Ye-in didn’t manage to win a single round and was repeatedly hit with the toy hammer.

– Thump! Thump! Thump-Thump! Thump-Thump-Thump!

“……”

Seo Ye-in stared at me blankly.

A flicker of competitive spirit shone on her otherwise expressionless face.

This was part of my plan as well.

The toy hammer, with its soft impact and that annoying “Thump” sound, could really get on someone’s nerves after a while.

In other words, it was perfect for provoking someone’s competitive side.

She’s going to use it soon.

Sure enough, just as we started the next round of rock-paper-scissors,

Flash!

Seo Ye-in activated Bullet Time.

Now, she could read every tiny movement of my fingers, so all she had to do was play accordingly and she’d have a guaranteed win.

Flash!

Currently, Bullet Time had the special training room’s cooldown reduction applied, which decreased it by 90% and allowed it to be used once every 30 seconds.

In other words, Seo Ye-in could secure a win in rock-paper-scissors every 30 seconds.

So her win rate shot up rapidly, but if there was one unfortunate detail,

Rock-paper-scissors isn’t the end.

To claim a win, she had to succeed in the next stage. It was hitting with the toy hammer.

And so far, Seo Ye-in’s hit rate was still 0%.

Originally, this toy hammer game was designed to put the defender at a disadvantage because the pot was so small.

If it were a large pot, you could simply wear it like a helmet, but this tin pot was barely the size of a palm.

To block the incoming hammer, you had to position the pot exactly at the point of impact.

Of course, this wasn’t particularly difficult for me.

I’d long since mastered close combat.

Clang!

The toy hammer kept striking the overturned pot, and each time it did, a clear sound echoed through the air.

Clang! Clang! Clang-clang!

Despite using Bullet Time each time the cooldown reset and winning in rock-paper-scissors, Seo Ye-in kept missing her swings with the toy hammer.

And how was she doing on defense?

Thump! Thump! Thump-Thump-Thump!

She still couldn’t block a single hit. My accuracy remained 100%.

Unlike me, Seo Ye-in had only experienced long-range combat numerous times and was not used to close-range defense.

On top of that, the small size of the pot made it even harder for her to defend.

If she protected her forehead with the pot, the toy hammer would strike the side of her head, and if she covered the side, the hammer would hit her forehead or the opposite side.

Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump!

Seo Ye-in stared at me blankly with her head still covered.

She looks mad.

It seemed she realized something at the same time.

That increasing her win rate in rock-paper-scissors against me was meaningless.

Using Bullet Time in the toy hammer battle was the only way she had a slight chance of winning.

I restarted the game.

“Rock, paper—”

“—scissors.”

Kim Ho wins.

Flash!

Seo Ye-in immediately activated Bullet Time.

She blocked my hammer which I brought down directly in front of her by using the pot.

Clang!

It was the moment my 100% accuracy with the toy hammer was broken.

I felt slightly satisfied, as if she had finally taken her first step forward.

“Alright, let’s keep going. Rock, paper—”

“—scissors.”

However, gaining one thing often means giving up another.

Because Seo Ye-in had focused her Bullet Time on the toy hammer battle, I regained the upper hand in rock-paper-scissors.

So once again, I won.

Flash!

Just like before, Seo Ye-in immediately used Bullet Time but I had already anticipated it.

I just stood still with the toy hammer in hand and waited as the short duration of Bullet Time quickly passed.

And in the next moment,

Thump!!

I struck her gray hair with the toy hammer like lightning.

“Don’t use it too hastily. You need to time it better.”

“……”

Seo Ye-in gave a slight nod.

Her already few words seemed to grow even fewer.

The game of rock-paper-scissors continued, along with the back-and-forth of the toy hammer and pot.

I kept adjusting my speed, swung the toy hammer, then paused, then swung again, and repeated the rhythm over and over.

I wanted to help Seo Ye-in find the perfect timing without using Bullet Time too early or too late.

Though she still got hit more often than she blocked,

Thump, thump, thump! Clang! Thump, thump, thump! Clang!

She’s keeping up well.

The number of successful blocks was noticeably increasing.

As a result, my hit rate was noticeably decreasing.

It meant her skill was improving rapidly.

As always, her talent was monstrous.

At this rate, she would probably reach E-rank even before using the full week I had expected.

“Rock, paper—”

I threw scissors, and Seo Ye-in threw rock.

I lost.

I instinctively reached for the table to defend myself.

But the spot where the pot should have been was completely empty.

Seo Ye-in had already taken it.

Why’d she grab the pot when she won?

I lifted my head with that question in mind, and immediately had to widen my eyes in shock.

“Hey, you—”

I saw Seo Ye-in swinging the pot at me with a full swing.

Clang—!!

***

Due to an unfortunate accident, the toy hammer game and Bullet Time lesson were temporarily halted.

“Hold your hands up properly.”

“…Sorry.”

The offender, Seo Ye-in, stood with her hands raised above her head as a punishment.

When I glared at her, she slowly averted her gaze.

I approached her and asked in a questioning tone,

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

—Shake head—

“No, that pot swing was full of emotion. You were angry, weren’t you?”

“…A little?”

“Yeah, it’s okay to get angry. But does that mean it’s okay to hit someone with a pot?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

I held the pot—the weapon and evidence of her crime—right in front of her eyes.

“Do you see this? Do you see what you’ve done?”

“A Kim Ho-shaped pot.”

She had hit me so hard the pot was deeply dented in the shape of my head.

Seo Ye-in was curious and poked at it with her fingertips, but quickly raised her hands again when I glared at her.

I questioned her again while pressing for answers.

“Do you regret it?”

“I regret it.”

“You won’t hit me with a pot again, right?”

“…Okay.”

“Put your hands down.”

When Seo Ye-in lowered her hands and stepped closer, I stuck my hand inside the pot and pushed hard.

The Kim Ho-shaped pot was flattened with a creaking sound, but the dents remained, leaving it uneven.

Looks like I can’t use this for cooking anymore.

I borrowed it from the kitchen.

Still, there shouldn’t be any problem using it to block the toy hammer.

I placed the pot on the table and said,

“Let’s continue.”

“Mhmm.”

The toy hammer game went on late into the night.

However, the once-clear “Clang!” sound from the now-dented pot could no longer be heard.