Chapter 448: Qyu Qyu Round of 16 Part 2

Dang Gyu-young kept swinging her shadow bat.

Heavy blows rained down on the tower shield again and again.

Boom! Thud!

Each strike pushed Kang Dae-san’s stance closer to collapse. The hand gripping the shield was already numb, almost paralyzed, and even standing properly had become difficult.

And yet, inside, his mind was calm.

That’s quite the buff. To think I’d be overwhelmed in a head-on clash.

He was a knight. A warrior-type class specialized in holding the front line. His opponent was somewhere between a mage and a rogue.

But Dang Gyu-young was pushing past class boundaries and dominating him outright.

Still… there’s no such thing as a skill without drawbacks.

The stronger a skill, the greater its flaws.

The moment she activated it, all her undead had been destroyed, and there was no sign of re-summoning them. For this match at least, they were gone.

The buff won’t last long either.

He guessed maybe three minutes. Five at the very most.

That meant if he could just endure until the effect wore off, victory would be his.

…But the question is, can I endure?

Crash!

The shadow club slammed the shield again.

As always, Kang Dae-san tried to steady his stance afterward, but his body refused to obey.

Damage had piled up without him realizing.

His defense slowed by half a beat, and Dang Gyu-young didn’t miss her chance.

Whack!

The bat smashed into his temple with full force. His neck snapped to the side at a forty-five-degree angle.

[Kang Dae-san 76%]

vs

[Dang Gyu-young 93%]

Staggering, Kang Dae-san let out a breath of admiration.

“Your skills have grown this much in just a few months… You have my respect…”

“Mhmm, thanks. But let’s finish this now.”

She had had her fill of swinging the bat, and with the duration of Solitary Stand already half spent, it was about time to bring things to a close.

Just as Dang Gyu-young prepared to charge in again, Kang Dae-san’s tower shield flared with a vivid blue light. A massive shockwave burst outward.

Boooooom!

When the dust cleared, Kang Dae-san stood revealed. He had stowed away his shield, and his mace had shifted into a long polearm.

“If I just keep blocking, it’ll end the same way as before.”

“Trying to play chicken with me?”

“That’s right. Let’s go.”

Both fighters kicked off the ground at the same time, colliding head-on.

The polearm swung wide, taking advantage of its superior reach.

Dang Gyu-young leaned aside, slipping in close and readying her shadow bat. But this time, Kang Dae-san twisted just as nimbly, countering with the pole’s shaft.

Thwack!

Both landed a blow at the same time.

They pulled back for a breath, then immediately stepped forward again, trading strikes in a relentless exchange.

[Kang Dae-san 70%]

[Kang Dae-san 67%]

[Kang Dae-san 63%]

[Dang Gyu-young 90%]

[Dang Gyu-young 86%]

[Dang Gyu-young 82%]

It’s turned into a slugfest.

For Dang Gyu-young, this wasn’t ideal.

Thanks to Solitary Stand, the edge was hers, and she had already opened up a decent gap in health.

But at this pace, there was no way she could finish him within the buff’s five-minute limit. Once it expired, the match would flip in an instant.

If she wanted victory, she needed something more.

She pouted slightly.

Damn it, looks like I’ll have to burn through all my tricks.

This was the one technique she had meant to save for the quarterfinals.

With quick diagonal movements, she closed the distance.

As the polearm grazed past her by a hair, she compressed her shadow into a sphere and hurled it forward.

Kang Dae-san reflexively swatted it aside, and it bounced away….only to transform into a butterfly fluttering upward.

Butterfly Flight…

Her trademark skill.

She’d been using the bat more often this semester, so this technique had seen less play, but her mastery had never faded.

As their duel continued, she kept tossing out shadow spheres between attacks. One by one, they transformed until butterflies began to fill the air around them.

So she’s setting up her finishing move.

He guessed she meant to trigger it just as her buff wore off.

Of course, Kang Dae-san had no intention of avoiding what was coming.

I’ll accept it.

If she knocked him down, it would be her win. If he endured it, it would be his.

After a while, in the midst of their intense exchange, Dang Gyu-young’s eyes suddenly lit up.

At the same moment, the swarm of butterflies surrounding them all flew toward their target in unison.

Judging by the way her body was swelling with energy, it looked like an explosion was imminent.

In response, Kang Dae-san poured all the magic he had been gathering bit by bit into his polearm and slammed the tip hard into the ground.

Dozens of shadow butterflies triggered black explosions, and a massive shockwave swept across the area.

Boooooom—!

“……”

Dang Gyu-young stood in place, utterly exhausted.

The dark energy that had been surging through her body had vanished completely with the end of [Solitary Stand].

Even the shadow bat she’d been holding was gone without a trace.

In that state, she spoke to her opponent.

“Looks like I won.”

“…Yeah, you did.”

Kang Dae-san was sprawled flat on his back, staring up at the sky.

He couldn’t even lift a finger, let alone sit up.

He spoke.

“I accept my defeat. You’ve even surpassed the Disciplinary Committee now.”

“Cool of you to say. Thanks.”

“Still, try to follow the school rules. You know what they say….‘with great power comes great responsibility’.”

It was a quote she’d heard somewhere before.

And hearing that suddenly reminded Dang Gyu-young of another line….one she’d been saving.

Until now, the chance had never come, but this was the perfect moment.

She turned to leave with a cool demeanor, tossing a line over her shoulder.

“I don’t listen to people weaker than me.”

[Dang Gyu-young Win]

vs

[Kang Dae-san Lose]

***

The moment the match ended, Dang Gyu-young’s messages came flying in.

[Dang Gyu-young: Yahoo]

[Dang Gyu-young: (Forward-roll fox emoji)]

[Dang Gyu-young: (Somersaulting fox emoji)]

[Kim Ho: (Fluffy! Fox emoji)]

[Kim Ho: Congrats on making top 8!]

[Dang Gyu-young: (Dead-serious fox emoji)]

[Dang Gyu-young: Just one match left now]

[Dang Gyu-young: Better get yourself ready]

[Dang Gyu-young: (Scheming fox emoji)]

[Kim Ho: (Trembling fox emoji)]

She was seriously holding a grudge about that.

That night, Jegal So-so’s interference had triggered this very butterfly effect.

In a way, wasn’t it fair to say that Jegal So-so played a big role in her making it this far into the main tournament?

The next match was just as intense as the one between Dang Gyu-young and Kang Dae-san.

So intense, in fact, that both fighters collapsed at the same time.

The scoreboard displayed the result.

[Choi Yong-seok Draw]

vs

[Dam Mi-rae Draw]

Seo Cheong-yong and Lee Soo-dok each made a comment into the microphone.

“This is the first time we’ve had two draws in the main tournament! And just like in the Round of 32, there won’t be any rematches!”

“The next opponent really lucked out. A free pass to the quarterfinals.”

Everyone in the arena turned their eyes to the bracket, curious who that “next opponent” would be.

[Kim Gap-doo vs (Win by Default)]

“Kim Gap-doo advances to the quarterfinals without having played a single match! This is also completely unprecedented!”

“Talk about good luck.”

– Boooooo—

Jeers erupted from all around.

A single “Win by Default” might be understandable….but three in a row, and straight into the quarterfinals? That felt excessive.

Even Kim Gap-doo himself looked stunned, blinking blankly as he sat down.

From the seats behind came the complaints of other students.

– Is this for real?

– Did that guy save a country in his past life or something?

– Hey, is this whole thing rigged?

– Is this seriously a setup?

– Even if it’s not, they should redraw the bracket.

But I didn’t quite share their thoughts.

So you really do get rewarded for living a good life.

Maybe I should try living that way, too.

Or maybe… just keep doing what I’ve always done?

– Boooo—

The arena was still filled with boos from the crowd.

Sensing it was best to move on quickly, Seo Cheong-yong spoke into the mic.

“Alright, let’s get started with the next match! Participants, please stand by!”

***

Hong Yeon-hwa let out a deep sigh.

So this is how it ends up, huh…….

Standing across from her was a man with light brown hair.

The student council president’s badge on his chest gleamed.

[Hong Yeon-hwa vs Song Cheon-gi]

From Hong Yeon-hwa’s perspective, Song Cheon-gi was an overwhelmingly difficult opponent.

There were occasional exchanges between the magic towers, and sometimes even between the Ruby Magic Tower and the student council, so they had at least seen each other before.

However, since she was both a rival and sworn enemy of Song Cheon-hye, she’d never gotten particularly close to Song Cheon-gi either.

Nor had she ever planned to.

Still, he was a senior, so she bowed respectfully and greeted him.

“Senior, I look forward to learning from you.”

“……”

Song Cheon-gi silently stared in her direction.

He gave a slight nod….at least, it looked like one. But it was so subtle it was hard to tell.

What was obvious, however, was that he was in a particularly, extremely foul mood today.

Cold sweat trickled down Hong Yeon-hwa’s back as she thought:

Is it… because of that?

Because she defeated Song Cheon-hye in the preliminaries?

As if reading her mind, Song Cheon-gi spoke in a calm, measured tone.

“Likewise. And just to be clear, I don’t hold any personal grudges. If my sister lost, it just means she wasn’t good enough. There’s no one else to blame.”

“Ah… Yes.”

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Start!]

The moment the match began, Hong Yeon-hwa quickly began chanting a spell.

Her opponent was an all-rounder-type mage.

Her plan was to stack as many spells as possible before he could close the distance.

But Song Cheon-gi didn’t even budge from his spot.

Instead, he raised one arm high above his head….and a surge of electricity burst upward, forming thunderclouds in an instant.

Fzzzzzzzzt…

It was the same finishing move Song Cheon-hye had used at the end of her match.

The difference was the speed. His thunderclouds formed several times faster.

In a rush, Hong Yeon-hwa summoned her Hydra. But a thought crossed her mind.

Was he really not holding a grudge?

Would someone with no hard feelings open with their ultimate move the moment the match starts?

It wasn’t long before the ceiling was completely filled with storm clouds.

Meanwhile, her Hydra looked downright pitiful by comparison.

As the crackling of thunder filled the air, Hong Yeon-hwa’s face went pale.

“Gyaaah—!”

Kaboooooooom!

The thunderbolt, brimming with raw emotion, came crashing down.