Seo Ye-in kept staring at the empty spot for quite a while even after her mirror sel disappeared.
I spoke to her.
“That ended on a pretty warm note. No winner’s line or anything.”
“Winner’s line?”
“You know, like, ‘So slow… even when you fall’. Something like that.”
In other words, talking trash.
At that, Seo Ye-in looked back at the empty spot again.
“…I was going to.”
“But?”
“…Just a feeling.”
“You figured it’d be better not to?”
– Nod,
For some reason, her lucky charm radar must have kicked in.
Whether she talked trash or not wouldn’t have changed anything anyway, so I let it slide and changed the subject.
“The quest’s done, right?”
“Mhmm.”
Seo Ye-in shared the notification message.
[Side Quest: Stage 11 Hardship] (Completed)
▷ Objective: Win the evasion match against your mirror self
▷ Reward: Growth bonus to skills/traits
[The rank of ‘Destructive Gale’ has increased. (C → B)]
Destructive Gale was the only thing that visibly changed right away, but her other skills and traits must have leveled up evenly as well.
If [Feather Step] hadn’t already reached A+ during the evasion match, it would’ve increased now.
Guess I should update mine too around now.
[Activated ‘Copy – Skill’.]
[Activated ‘Copy – Trait’.]
▷ Copy – Skill [4/4]
1. Feather Step (A+)
2. Spatial Fold (D)
3. Ice Wall (B)
4. Destructive Storm (B+)
▷ Copy – Trait [4/4]
1. Sailboat (C+)
2. Time Resistance (S)
3. Pain Delay
4. Chain Explosion (S)
I updated [Feather Step] from B+ to A+.
[Destructive Glae] was registered in the empty skill slot,
And [Sailboat] was registered into the empty trait slot.
Blink makes a mobility support trait less of a necessity, but it’s still better to fill the slot with something than leave it empty.
If I spot something more useful later, I can just overwrite it then.
I offered Seo Ye-in my thanks.
“Thanks for putting in the work. You even boosted my specs. I’ll make good use of it.”
“The wish ticket. Don’t forget.”
“Of course, I’ve got it saved.”
“Make sure you don’t forget.”
“As if I would.”
After getting that promise, Seo Ye-in nodded in satisfaction.
Then she immediately asked another question.
“What about Hardship cooldown?”
“It’s back up. I was just about to use it anyway.”
Right then, Dang Gyu-young who had been listening nearby started walking over.
Seo Ye-in spoke to her.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“What, you want me to give up Hardship?”
“Yes.”
Dang Gyuyoung frowned slightly.
“Isn’t that a bit unfair? I want to use it too.”
“Only while I’m still motivated.”
She meant that once it was over, she’d get lazy, so she wanted to do as much as possible now.
Dang Gyu-young crossed her arms and seemed to think it over for a moment.
“I get it. It’s not an opportunity that comes around often.”
“……”
“Then after this, you’ll let me have it, right?”
“Yes.”
Instead of alternating like Seo-Dang-Seo-Dang, they’d go Seo-Seo-Seo for now, then switch to Dang-Dang-Dang once the effect wore off.
Dang Gyu-young nodded.
“Alright, sure. I’m not losing anything. I’ll be generous this time.”
“Generous Qyu-Qyu.”
“Isn’t that exactly the kind of talent you’d expect from number one?”
Seo Ye-in paused for a moment, then quietly averted her gaze.
“…For now.”
To keep things running smoothly, she agreed somewhat reluctantly, but for now, she acknowledged it.
Before long, Dang Gyu-young flashed me a quick grin.
“Let’s have her go first.”
“Sounds good.”
[Activated ‘Hardship’.]
[‘Stage 12 Hardship’ has been applied to the target.]
On top of that, after using the Challenge Book,
[Side Quest: Stage 12 Hardship] (In Progress…)
▷ Greatly reduced cooldown of ‘Spatial Fold’
▷ Objective: Win a throwing match against your mirror self
▷ Disabled: Distortion, Phantom Step, Bullet Time
Perhaps because movement-related skills and traits had been significantly supplemented, the training event had changed.
Another mirror self, huh.
That thought had barely crossed my mind when light began to project across one side of the training ground.
Flaaash—!
A humanoid hologram formed, gradually taking on a familiar shape.
Before long, the gloomy sloth who had vanished upon defeat was standing there once again.
As everyone’s gaze settled on it, it spread both arms wide.
– A dazzling revival……!
“……Rival. We fight again.”
“So that’s why you held back.”
So that vague feeling must’ve been about meeting the gloomy sloth again.
If she’d ended things with trash-talking, she probably would’ve paid for it during this quest.
Soon, just like before, the two Seo Ye-ins stood facing each other at one side of the training foundation.
Flaaash—!
Once again, light projected out, splitting the space in two.
Like a tennis or badminton court.
Within the divided space, dozens of holographic balls began floating in midair.
They ranged in size from golf balls to bowling balls and even basketballs.
Their purpose was obvious at a glance.
Throw them and hit your opponent.
Aside from the sheer number and varying sizes, it was essentially a game of dodgeball.
In an instant, Goolmy Sloth reached out and grabbed a nearby holographic ping-pong ball before tossing it towards the other side.
“……”
Seo Ye-in reacted immediately despite the somewhat sudden situation.
But just as she was about to step aside, the incoming holographic ball flickered out of existence and reappeared right in front of her.
It had been imbued with [Spatial Fold].
The ping-pong ball struck Seo Ye-in’s forehead and bounced off with a sharp, clear smack!
At the same time, the gloomy sloth tossed out a remark.
– ……One hit difference.
“I’ll catch up in no time.”
Seo Ye-in replied as she threw a volleyball.
She added spatial fold to it as well, but the gloomy sloth had already anticipated it and slipped aside.
– ……Two-hit difference.
“The final winner will be me.”
– ……Impossible.
The Seo Ye-ins burned with fighting spirit as they locked eyes with each other.
Before long, the training ground turned into a battlefield, filled with holographic balls flying back and forth without pause.
***
Several days passed as Seo Ye-in continued her fight against her mirror version and we carried on sparring in our own way.
That day, early in the morning, Ahn Jeong-mi came to our room.
“I’ll have to be away for the day.”
Incidents believed to be the work of the Blood Cult had been occurring more frequently, so she planned to go around the city to track their movements.
Then Ahn Jeong-mi repeated a warning she had already given Seo Ye-in several times.
“Young miss, you must remain in the family estate until we return. You must not go out.”
“I’ll be training.”
Seo Ye-in nodded readily.
It was already a condition she had accepted.
If she ever needed to go out, she had agreed to do so only with Hye-seong Group personnel, so it made sense not to move around while they were absent.
She probably had no intention of going out anyway.
Her only concern lately had been how to win the throwing match.
Only after receiving a clear answer did Ahn Jeong-mi’s expression ease with relief.
She also gave a polite bow in my direction.
“Kim Ho-nim, Dang Gyu-young-nim, please take good care of the young miss.”
“You don’t need to worry. Please travel safely.”
It wasn’t just them who had to leave suddenly. The Dang family twin heroes were the same.
Just as we were about to begin sparring, Dang Eun-bi appeared in the training hall and said,
“The head of the family is calling for you. He asked you to come for a moment.”
The Dang twins exchanged glances.
“What an unfortunate coincidence, at a time like this.”
“Be that as it may, we cannot disregard the head of the family’s command.”
“We should return quickly.”
For Dang Gyu-young, it meant she had just lost her sparring partners who had been so readily available.
“Do I have to take the day off?”
“If nothing else, you can spar with me.”
“Let’s do that.”
However, that concern soon proved unnecessary.
Not long after the sparring began, unfamiliar faces appeared in the training hall.
A man and a woman dressed in green martial uniforms.
They looked about the same age as Dang Gyu-young, perhaps a year or two older, yet younger than the twins.
As they drew closer, the man spoke first.
“Do you recognize us?”
“My apologies, I’ve been away for too long.”
“That’s understandable. Does the name Dang Jun-yeop ring a bell?”
The woman added curtly,
“Dang Hee-yeon.”
“It’s been a while.”
Only then did it seem Dang Gyu-young pull their identities from her memory, offering a greeting.
The man, Dang Jun-yeop, tilted his chin and continued.
“Yes, it has. You’ve been back at the main house for quite some time now, yet this is our first time meeting like this.”
Despite the tone suggesting a reunion, their expressions remained cold throughout.
If anything, a faint hostility seemed to flicker in their eyes.
Noticing this, Dang Gyu-young asked more directly,
“Do you have some business with me?”
“I heard you graduated from Dragon Slayer Academy not long ago. Your companions attend there as well, I hear.”
“That’s correct.”
At this, one corner of Dang Jun-yeop’s mouth curled upward.
“We were once invited to enroll there ourselves. We declined without a second thought. When the essence of martial arts lies within our own family, why would we bother looking elsewhere?”
As he implied, not everyone our age enrolls in Dragon Slayer Academy.
There are also cases where someone simply doesn’t meet the criteria at all, and just as many cases where, like those two, people choose to train within their own affiliated group.
However, judging by the nuance in the phrase “looking elsewhere”, it carried a strong sense of criticism toward Dang Gyu-young for having left the family.
Then Dang Hee-yeon spoke.
“Still, there are special cases like Il-bi Oppa and Han-bi Oppa, so it’s too early to jump to conclusions. I was curious which side you’d fall on.”
“So you want to spar.”
“I’m glad you catch on quickly.”
As expected, it seemed the Council of Elders had made a move.
They must have either taken advantage of the moment when the twin heroes and Ahn Jeong-mi’s group were absent, or created a situation that forced them to leave.
Most likely the latter.
It was bound to happen sooner or later.
Like when they tried to scheme with poison.
And our choice was to face it head-on.
Just as I openly took the poison to prove it wouldn’t work, we could simply beat them down and send them back.
With that, Dang Gyu-young slowly nodded.
“I’ll spar.”
“A wise decision.”
Perhaps pleased that things were going his way, the smile on Dang Jun-yeop’s lips deepened.
Soon, he glanced over at Seo Ye-in and me before speaking.
“I hear those two are quite a bit younger than us. If you wish, I’ll allow you to attack together.”
“I was about to suggest something similar.”
“As expected, you admit it. The reputation of Dragon Slayer Academy only goes so far.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“……?”
Dang Gyu-young grinned and continued.
“I’ll take both of you on at the same time.”
“…….!”
Dang Jun-yeop and Dang Hee-yeon’s expressions stiffened.
“…Are you serious?”
“Do I look like I’d joke in a situation like this?”
“…Hah.”
Dang Jun-yeop let out a short, breathy scoff, then fixed his gaze on her.
“You must have some confidence to say that. You did once have considerable expertise in poison, after all.”
“……”
“But did you think we wouldn’t account for that? The Dang family has continued to advance even after you left. Even you wouldn’t be able to prepare for every kind of poison.”
Dang Hee-yeon chimed in as well.
“We made sure to prepare nerve toxins in particular. It won’t be life-threatening… but you’ll end up showing an unsightly side of yourself in front of your lover.”
But Dang Gyu-young only seemed to hear what she wanted. She nudged me with her elbow and whispered,
“Hey, did you hear that? They said ‘lover’.”
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