Training had continued throughout Duel Battle Week, and even now, on the weekend.
Boink!
I tapped Song Cheon-hye on the crown of her head with a toy hammer.
Then, stepping back diagonally, I narrowly dodged a bolt of lightning.
Crackle!
Song Cheon-hye opened her gloved hand.
Electric currents gathered from her topaz, crackling as they elongated like taffy and transformed into a whip.
The next moment, the electric whip traced an erratic path.
Fzzzzzzzt,
I dodged twice, and just before the third strike landed, I cast Blink.
Reacting immediately, Song Cheon-hye ducked low, and the toy hammer brushed past her with a faint sound.
“Nice dodge.”
With that praise, I quickly closed the distance and landed a flurry of blows with the toy hammer.
Boink boink boink boink!
Fzzzzzzzt!
Then I retreated again from the current bursting out in retaliation.
“……”
Song Cheon-hye regained her stance and began chaining her spells.
She compressed the current into several baseball-sized spheres and scattered them while also manipulating two hummingbirds.
Fzzzzzzzt!
The spheres linked and resonated, filling the entire training room with electricity.
No need to dodge this one.
Its wide area came at the cost of almost no power.
I walked straight toward Song Cheon-hye.
Not just the current, but even the hummingbirds couldn’t touch me. They were blocked entirely by the barrier.
“……!”
Just as Song Cheon-hye widened her eyes to prepare her next move, compressed air exploded near her shoulder.
Bang!
It was Wind Force, secretly prepared in advance.
Seizing the opening caused by her broken stance, I charged in like a bullet and pounded her head, face, shoulder, head, and face recklessly with the toy hammer.
Boink boink boink boink boink!
For the finishing blow, I swung the toy hammer in a wide arc.
Even Song Cheon-hye who had taken countless hits must have sensed something different this time. She flinched and tightly shut her eyes.
But I only pretended to strike, then pulled back the toy hammer.
“That’s it for now. Let’s grab lunch.”
“…It’s already that time, huh. Good work.”
Song Cheon-hye let out a deep sigh and began straightening her disheveled clothes.
Next, I called out to Seo Ye-in who had been lazing around in a corner of the training room.
“Miss Seo, you too. Let’s go.”
“Mmh…”
Seo Ye-in moved slowly, with a slight delay.
Watching her, Song Cheon-hye’s expression looked half dumbfounded, half envious.
She’s accumulating mana even like that.
While others have to take proper stances and concentrate fully to practice mana cultivation, that idle sloth can do it sitting or lying down, thanks to her monstrous mana control.
She could probably do it while walking if she wanted, but knowing her personality, she wouldn’t go that far.
When I first told Song Cheon-hye about this, she didn’t believe me, of course. But after watching that sloth laze around for several days straight, she had no choice.
If there were no results, it wouldn’t make sense for her Duel Battle score to keep trending upward.
As we all left the training room together, a familiar hammering sound rang out from afar.
Clang, clang, clang,
It was Kang Byeol, hard at work carving the huge statue.
Thanks to several days of nonstop work, progress had come along quite a bit.
The once rough and crude metal pillar had taken shape, and the upper body had been carved enough that you could tell it was the principal.
He looked noticeably younger and more polished than in real life, but then again, that’s what art is all about.
What mattered was that the subject himself seemed satisfied.
Sending a silent cheer her way, we left the training center and headed to the student cafeteria.
The lunch menu was build-your-own sandwiches.
A variety of ingredients were lined up like a buffet.
To one side was a grill that looked like a waffle maker used for making paninis.
While Seo Ye-in and Song Cheon-hye looked around curiously, I started piling ingredients onto my plate without hesitation.
I spread sauce evenly over rye bread, then added chicken breast, cheese, and some vegetables.
Then I placed it on the grill and pressed it down.
Just had to wait a bit and it’d be done.
That’s when Seo Ye-in quietly approached and held out an empty plate.
“……”
“What exactly are you implying with this plate?”
“Give me some.”
“But I made it for myself.”
“Looks tasty.”
“Demanding something that’s not yours. That’s something a Green Forest bandit would do, you know.”
“Green Forest sloth.”
At that point, I figured I could just make another, so I decided to let it slide.
I placed the finished panini onto the empty plate.
“Just this once.”
“Best butler.”
I immediately started stacking the same ingredients and placed another in the grill.
Then I happened to glance to the side and saw Song Cheon-hye standing awkwardly with an empty plate in her hands.
“……”
“You want one too?”
“…No? I’m just watching because it looked interesting.”
As if to prove her point, she darted around the ingredient section, pretending to browse.
But she came back to me and asked,
“…What did you put in that? Chicken, cheese, and…”
“Hey, just bring your plate.”
“It’s fine, I can make my own—”
“This is faster. Just bring it.”
Song Cheon-hye reluctantly held out her plate.
And just like that, the three of us ended up having the exact same panini for lunch.
Still, it must’ve tasted good. Everyone was busy chewing with focus.
Meanwhile, Song Cheon-hye looked like she was lost in thought.
Soon, she looked at me and asked,
“We’ve been at this for almost a month now, right?”
“Just about.”
“I feel like I’ve been trying pretty hard… but I’m not sure if I’ve improved.”
“From what I’ve seen, you’ve improved a lot.”
When I gave a straight answer without hesitation, a puzzled look crossed her face.
“How can you tell?”
“I’ve been gradually raising the difficulty to match your level.”
“Wait, seriously?”
Well, from her perspective, it was no wonder it felt like she was stuck in place.
After all, whether it was a month ago or now, she was still the one getting beat up.
On the other hand, since I had to try harder and harder to land a hit, I could clearly feel that her skills were improving day by day.
“Just keep this up a little longer. You might not be ready to graduate from close combat yet, but you’ll be ready to shift focus to something else like control.”
“…I’ll keep doing my best.”
Energy returned to Song Cheon-hye’s face.
Before long, we finished our paninis and chatted over coffee.
Then, the cafeteria doors opened, and a familiar head of red hair walked in.
Hong Yeon-hwa.
As always, she somehow spotted me instantly and hurried over.
“Ah, hey…!”
But halfway across the room, Hong Yeon-hwa spotted Song Cheon-hye and stopped in her tracks.
“…What are you doing here?”
“Having lunch.”
“I can see that. I mean, why are you eating with him?”
“We sparred together this morning. Is there a problem?”
The two of them locked eyes, glaring at each other.
It felt like watching a growling puppy baring its teeth and a hedgehog bristling its quills.
It looked like I’d have to step in soon to mediate. But then, a good idea popped into my head.
“Hong Yeon-hwa.”
“Hmm…?”
“If you’ve got time, why don’t you join us?”
Her face lit up.
But just before she could say yes, she hesitated, as if something occurred to her.
“Um, the thing is…”
She was probably worried.
Given the difference in cores, going up against Song Cheon-hye would obviously put her at a disadvantage.
Even if no one else saw the results, losing would still sting her pride.
I answered casually.
“I get why you’re hesitating, but don’t worry. Just give it a try.”
“…Mhmm.”
Hong Yeon-hwa slowly nodded.
***
After lunch, we headed back to the training room.
I stood Song Cheon-hye and Hong Yeon-hwa facing each other, then spoke.
“For this match, we’re only going to assess close combat skills. Deactivate all skills and traits. Take off any equipment, too.”
Then I handed each of them a toy hammer.
“You can only attack with this. Whoever lands more hits in three minutes wins. Got it?”
“……”
“……”
The two nodded silently.
Even now, I could already feel the fire of competition burning between them.
I stepped back and sat down with my back against the wall of the training room. At some point, Seo Ye-in had come over and was now resting her head on my knee.
In that position, I spoke again.
“On the count of three, you start. One, two… three!”
Immediately, the two of them charged at each other.
The first to land a hit was Hong Yeon-hwa.
Boing!
But the next moment, her toy hammer cut through empty air, and Song Cheon-hye dodged and countered.
Boing boing!
“..…!”
Hong Yeon-hwa’s brow furrowed slightly.
She stepped to the side, trying to circle around her opponent, and Song Cheon-hye mirrored her footwork, maintaining the right distance.
The two began to move as if dancing in sync.
Boing boing, boing boing boing boing!
The sound effects were pure child’s play, but still.
I carefully observed the two as they swung their toy hammers.
Song’s got a slight edge.
It was a close match, but putting a battery-type mage up against an all-rounder in close combat…of course the latter had the advantage.
She’s landed more hits, too.
Thanks to the steady toy hammer training over the past month, Song Cheon-hye’s close combat skills had rapidly improved.
That progress was now clearly showing in this sparring session.
Boing boing! Boing!
For every five or six hits Hong Yeon-hwa landed, Song Cheon-hye got in six or seven. That small difference gradually added up over time, widening the gap.
Eventually, the three-minute limit ran out, and I called the result.
“Song Cheon-hye wins. Good work, both of you.”
“…I really have improved.”
Song Cheon-hye looked proud and fulfilled.
She had finally realized just how much her skills had grown.
In the Fixed Zone tournament, she hadn’t even been able to land solid hits on Hong Yeon-hwa in close quarters. But now, in the toy hammer match, she had held the upper hand.
“……”
For similar reasons, Hong Yeon-hwa looked downcast.
I offered some words of encouragement.
“You’re a battery-type mage. Don’t be too disappointed just because you lost in close combat.”
“Mhmm…”
She nodded, but her expression still looked gloomy.
At that, Seo Ye-in who had been lying on my lap looked up at me.
“I wanna boing, too.”
“You want to spar?”
“Mhmm.”
“That’s sudden.”
“Revenge.”
Without another word, Seo Ye-in got up and walked over to Hong Yeon-hwa.
Then, she held out her hand.
“Gimme the hammer.”
“Okay, here…”
It seemed like that would be the end of it. Just passing over the toy hammer.
But then, Seo Ye-in grabbed Hong Yeon-hwa’s hand and pulled her over, making her sit in the spot she had just vacated.
Then she rested Hong Yeon-hwa’s head on my lap.
“The pillow’s comfy.”
“…???”
Hong Yeon-hwa looked completely bewildered, her eyes darting around in confusion.
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