As I waited in front of the cafeteria for a while, I saw Song Cheon-hye walking over from a distance.
Ever since she was eliminated in the preliminaries, she’d always looked downcast whenever I saw her and today was no different.
I gave her a small wave and asked,
“You’re coming from the dorms. Didn’t feel like going downtown?”
“…I wasn’t really in the mood.”
“Did Han So-mi ditch you again? Ugh, that girl’s useless.”
Lately, she’s been hanging out with Go Hyeon-woo all the time.
What is it about love that makes people throw away friendships like worn-out shoes?
Song Cheon-hye flinched for a moment, then reacted sharply, as if trying to hide her inner turmoil.
“She didn’t ditch me, okay? She asked me to come, and I said no.”
“Oh, I see. Got it.”
“You really don’t look like you believe me.”
“No, no, I believe you~”
I casually deflected her suspicious stare.
Then Song Cheon-hye asked,
“So why didn’t you go downtown?”
“Had some loose ends to tie up.”
“What kind of loose ends?”
“Just some stuff.”
Saying something like, “I beat up your brother and had a chat with your dad,” probably wouldn’t go over well.
And the family talk should probably stay secret for now, too.
Song Cheon-hye asked again,
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
“I did have something to say, but maybe later. Like you said, you don’t really seem to be in the mood right now.”
“It’s fine. You can go ahead.”
“No, for now, how about we just have a light spar? Moving around a bit might help lift your mood.”
I jerked my chin toward the training center, and Song Cheon-hye’s eyes widened.
“Really? A spar?”
“Is it that surprising?”
“You told me before to use a wish ticket if I wanted that.”
“I’ve changed my mind. I’ve been feeling a bit restless myself today.”
“Great! Let’s go.”
With a much brighter expression, Song Cheon-hye took the lead.
But once we arrived at the training center, claimed a training room, and stood face to face, her expression soured again.
Because of what I was holding in my hand.
“What’s that?”
“What do you think?”
Boing.
A toy hammer.
Her expression turned even more displeased.
“You know that’s not what I meant. Can’t you take the spar a little more seriously?”
“Want me to use my staff instead? That’ll hurt.”
I gently stroked my crow staff, and Song Cheon-hye visibly flinched.
Then she quickly talked herself into it.
“…Now that I think about it, a toy hammer might actually be fine. It’s just a spar, and it’s the first one.”
“But it still seems like you’re not happy about it. So how about this….if you manage to land even one hit, I’ll get serious. I’ll even erase one of your medium wish tickets.”
At that generous offer, her eyes went wide.
“…Seriously?”
“Have I ever lied to you?”
“…No, I guess not.”
“Exactly. Step in whenever you’re ready.”
“……”
Steeling herself, Song Cheon-hye took a combat stance.
Electricity crackled across her whole body.
Then she launched forward, kicking off the ground.
A thick bolt of lightning came swinging down, but I lightly stepped into Feather Step and slipped around to her side.
At the same time, I swung the toy hammer.
Boing!
Immediately, Song Cheon-hye scattered electricity in a wide radius.
I had elemental resistance, so I could’ve taken it head-on, but that would’ve defeated the purpose of the spar.
I danced through the gaps between the electric arcs, closed the distance quickly, and brought the toy hammer down.
Boing!
“….…!”
Her face twitched.
She was starting to get irritated.
She immediately drew up a surge of mana, then channeled lightning into one leg and launched a kick.
But unlike before, I didn’t dodge. I stepped forward and thrust out the toy hammer.
[Harmonized Flow]
The toy hammer and her leg stuck together with a smack.
When I pushed it hard to one side, Song Cheon-hye’s body spun like a ballerina, turning to face the opposite direction.
Her exposed nape was met with a merciless strike from the toy hammer.
Boing boing boing boing boing!
“…….”
Song Cheon-hye looked over at me, clutching the back of her head.
Her expression was a mix of anger, frustration, and disbelief.
I gave her a sly remark.
“Not so easy in a straight-up fight, huh?”
“…You’re right.”
Song Cheon-hye admitted it without protest.
Back when we faced each other in real combat, I mostly relied on hit-and-run tactics while relying on mutual destruction eyes.
She must’ve thought a head-on fight would give her a better chance, but now that we actually tried, she realized that wasn’t the case either.
And just then, she seemed to realize something.
“Wait a second… that thing about granting a wish if I land a hit…”
“I only said that because I knew you wouldn’t land one.”
“Wow, that’s so cheap!”
“If it bothers you, get stronger.”
Then, another realization dawned on her.
“You called me out here… for this? A spar?”
“Yeah. I wanted to see what you’ve got.”
“…So? What do you think?”
There was a hint of anticipation in her voice, but I crushed that hope without mercy.
“There’s more than one problem, but first of all… your close-quarters combat is way too weak. Seriously weak.”
“There’s no need to emphasize it that much! I’m decent, you know?”
“But you lost to Hong Yeon-hwa. And if you run into Seo Ye-in soon, you’ll probably lose to her too.”
“That’s…”
Song Cheon-hye couldn’t come up with a retort.
Still, her lips trembled in frustration. If I pushed any harder, she’d probably either explode or burst into tears.
Guess it was time to throw her a bone.
And time to get to the real reason I brought her here.
Spinning the toy hammer in my hand, I said,
“To be honest, you’re not bad for your level. Those two were even worse when they started.”
“…! So they learned from you too. No wonder their style felt familiar.”
“Want to learn too?”
“What’s with the sudden offer?”
A wary look crept into Song Cheon-hye’s eyes.
I couldn’t exactly say, “Oh~ your dad told me to~” so I made up another reason.
“They need a rival, too. When someone dominates too much, they start to lose momentum.”
“You’re saying… you want to raise me as that rival, right?”
“Mhmm. So, what do you think?”
“…The offer’s almost too good, which makes it kind of suspicious. You’re not getting anything out of this?”
Honestly, I wanted to blurt out, “Oh~ I’m getting something from your grandpa~” but I held back again.
Pretending to think for a moment, I answered,
“Let’s figure that part out later.”
“You’re not gonna make me do something weird, are you?”
“I mean, I don’t know what counts as ‘weird’ to you, but if I wanted that, wouldn’t I have just used a wish ticket already?”
“That’s… true.”
Song Cheon-hye accepted it right away.
I shrugged and took my place in the center of the training room.
“If you want to catch up, it’s best to start right away.”
“Ah, yes. But… how exactly are we doing this training?”
“What do you mean ‘how’? Like this, of course.”
I held up the toy hammer.
Humans are like iron. The more you hammer them, the stronger they get.
When you twist your whole body trying not to get hit, your skills naturally improve.
This method has been historically proven.
Just look at Seo Ye-in and Hong Yeon-hwa.
“All right then. Get ready.”
“Wait, hold on—”
Boing! Boing! Boing! Boing boing! Boing boing boing!!
The sound of the toy hammer echoed endlessly.
***
It was a wasteland where not a single blade of grass grew.
The sky above was thick with dark clouds, adding to the bleak atmosphere.
And right in the middle of that desolate land, strangely out of place, stood a round table with chairs around it.
Some of the seats were empty, but a few were occupied.
Their genders, ages, and outfits were all different.
One man wore a noble-looking tailcoat, another woman wore a casual hoodie and jeans, and yet another man was dressed in a modest, formal suit.
“……”
Suddenly, the man in the tailcoat turned his head to the side.
At the end of his gaze, a woman dressed in an entirely pitch-black robe was walking toward them.
Sensing his eyes on her, she gave a faint smile.
“Isn’t it ironic? That we, who are hostile to humans, all take the form of humans.”
“Appearance is just an illusion; it doesn’t mean much. It’s a matter of efficiency.”
“I suppose that form is more convenient.”
“At least they take up less space.”
In fact, the man’s original size was roughly that of an ordinary building.
Human form being more mobile was only natural.
The others around the table were in similar circumstances, so they subtly nodded in agreement.
Then the man spoke.
“I’ve heard the news. That Exhaustion has been eliminated.”
“So it seems. Master was very regretful about it as well.”
She, the Witch of Death, put on an expression of feigned pity.
In response, the woman in the hoodie grinned and said,
“No Corruption, no Exhaustion. They’re halved completely? If we storm in now, can’t we just crush them?”
“Perhaps you’ve miscalculated? Even if two of our sisters have been lost, Master remains intact. But if you’re that confident, anytime.”
The Witch of Death replied with a faint smile.
The hoodie woman was about to snap back, but the man in the tailcoat cut her off.
“Enough. Now is not the time.”
“…….”
They weren’t exactly on friendly terms, but they had formed a kind of non‑aggression pact over a shared goal.
That goal was to wipe every human from this land.
The man continued.
“What message does your master send?”
“Yes, I’ll tell you now.”
The Witch of Death cleared her throat “ahem, ahem” and then spoke.
Her voice, unlike before, seemed to echo from a deep cavern, filling the listeners with an inexplicable chill.
“You lizards, have you been fattening yourselves during your hibernation? Even though you’ve been awake for a long time, you haven’t budged. It’s about time you lifted those heavy asses—”
Then she returned to her original soft tone.
“—so he says.”
“……!”
“……!”
At those words, everyone in the room showed visible discomfort.
Flames even began to flicker around the woman in the hoodie.
In response, the man in the tailcoat made a casual gesture to calm them all down.
“It’s not as if we’ve just been sitting around. We’ve been steadily making preparations.”
“Would it be fair to say those preparations are nearly complete?”
“Of course.”
As he glanced to one side, the man in the suit and the woman in the hoodie rose to their feet simultaneously.
Their hair was red and blue, respectively.
Then the man in the tailcoat gave his command.
“Head to the front lines.”
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