With Seo Ye-in’s persuasion, it was decided that the Hye-seong Group operatives would join them.
Although it was better to depart as soon as possible, rushing too much could end up ruining things instead.
Assuming that combat would break out, the Twin Heroes and Ahn Jeong-mi’s group decided to take a day or two to prepare.
In the meantime, what we did was, of course, training.
Seo Ye-in’s challenge Hardship was also gradually nearing its final stage.
The training ground was divided like a tennis court using a hologram.
On one side stood Seo Ye-in, and on the opposite side stood Gloomy Sloth.
For some reason, looking even sleepier and more depressed than before.
– Desperately need rest……
“It’s almost time for a break.”
Saying that, Seo Ye-in reached out to the side and grabbed a floating hologram ball, then threw it.
Gloomy Sloth immediately used Feather Step to dodge and counterattack.
– Not even close……
“There’s already a big gap. Eight points.”
– Comeback starts now…….
Just like in the evasion match, it stubbornly refused to give in.
Seo Ye-in’s brow twitched slightly, but it seemed she intended to show rather than tell.
She stepped lightly between the hologram balls using Feather Step and began throwing several in rapid succession.
Some flew straight toward the opponent, while others veered off to the side or shot high into the air.
It wasn’t that her throwing skill had suddenly worsened. Every move was intentional.
She’s trying to confuse it.
She was making it impossible to tell which ball she would use Spatial Fold on.
– ……
Soon, Gloomy Sloth tracked the trajectories of the balls and began to move.
It dodged the ones flying straight by moving diagonally.
And for those aimed at cutting off its retreat, it briefly stopped in front of them and let them pass.
At that moment, more hologram balls flew in again.
But then, one of the balls that had been flying straight suddenly flickered out of sight and reappeared far ahead.
– That won’t work……
Even though it was a surprise use of [Spatial Fold], Gloomy Sloth barely managed to dodge it and continued stepping with Feather Step.
But then it happened.
A hologram volleyball that had been thrown high into the air came down and bonked it right on the top of the head before bouncing away.
She had been tossing balls upward here and there, subtly guiding the opponent into position.
Seo Ye-in spoke with a triumphant tone.
“Got you.”
– I’m getting angry……
Saying that, Gloomy Sloth started hurling hologram balls in rapid succession.
It seemed to be copying the exact same tactic its opponent had used.
But it didn’t last long before it got smacked on the forehead by a hologram ping-pong ball.
Next, a basketball grazed past its shoulder.
The gap in skill is huge.
The mirror version’s specs and abilities were the same as when the quest first began.
Meanwhile, Seo Ye-in had improved rapidly through the intense throwing matches.
So even when using the same tactics, only Gloomy Sloth ended up taking hits.
Perhaps because of that, it soon dismissed the hologram balls and slumped down.
– This isn’t fun……
“You’re saying that because you lost.”
– ……I’m angry.
“But what can you even do about it?”
– I’ll win next time……
Next time… does that mean it’s going to show up again?
Of course, for now, that was entirely possible.
After all, competing against the mirror self was the most efficient method.
Seo Ye-in added one last remark.
“I’ll be looking forward to it, rival.”
– ……
Gloomy Sloth slowly nodded, then dispersed.
Seo Ye-in shared the quest window.
[Sub Quest: Stage 12 Hardship] (Completed)
▷ Greatly reduces the cooldown of ‘Spatial Fold’
▷ Objective: Win a throwing match against your mirror self
▷ Disabled: Distortion, Ghost Dance, Bullet Time
▷ Reward: Bonus growth to Spatial Fold
Then she checked the notification message that followed.
“It went up.”
“Spatial Fold?”
“Mhmm, it’s B-rank.”
It had originally been D-rank, then rose to C during the throwing match, and increased by one more rank as a quest reward.
Time to refresh it right away.
[Activated ‘Copy – Skill.’]
[Registering the target’s skill ‘Spatial Fold (B)’ into a slot.]
▷ Copy – Skill [4/4]
1. Feather Step (A+)
2. Spatial Fold (B)
3. Ice Wall (B)
4. Destructive Gale (B+)
I repeatedly bowed toward Seo Ye-in.
“Wow, thank you as always.”
“Is the cooldown back?”
“It is. Should I apply it right away?”
“Yes.”
It seemed her “let’s get as much done as possible while it’s less of a hassle” mindset hadn’t changed.
Feeling satisfied, I activated [Hardship].
[‘Stage 13 Hardship’ has been applied to the target.]
Then, when Seo Ye-in used the Challenge Book, light was projected at a short distance, just like before.
Fwaaaash—!
Looks like it’s here again.
That whole “some kind of match against the mirror self.”
Soon, the fully formed Gloomy Sloth spread its arms wide.
– Immortal……!
“Rival, don’t die.”
– Like a phoenix……!
Then it trudged over to one side of the training ground.
It seemed ready to start yet another kind of match.
But instead of following it, Seo Ye-in and I turned our heads and looked up at the sky.
The red glow of the sunset was slowly fading into darkness.
“Let’s call it a day.”
“Sounds good.”
“We’re heading out tomorrow, so we’ll continue after we get back.”
“Got it.”
Seo Ye-in nodded.
Leaving Gloomy Sloth behind in the training ground, we headed back to the annex.
– Where are you going…….
***
Forward-line fortress.
An old castle, as if taken straight out of the medieval era, was surrounded by an equally worn-down outer wall.
It looked so fragile that it might collapse at the slightest touch, but in reality, the opposite was true.
The fact that it had preserved its ancient form was, in itself, proof of how solid this fortress was.
After all, given its position on the front lines, it had withstood countless invasions without ever falling.
That said, it wasn’t that the castle itself held any special power. It was closer to a result of being layered with all kinds of modern facilities, equipment, and magic.
The interior too was highly modernized.
And walking straight through the center of it was a man.
A towering figure close to two meters tall, with a massive, muscular build.
On both hands, he wore something between gauntlets and armor.
He was the S-rank hero, Fist King.
Following behind him were second-year students (prospective) from Dragon Slayer Academy.
Jo Byeok maintained a posture nearly identical to his master’s, Go Hyeon-woo wore a faint smile, and Han So-mi was grinning brightly.
Soon, they stopped in front of a girl sitting casually.
She had a young, almost childlike appearance that didn’t suit the front-line fortress at all.
But unlike her looks, the voice that came out of her was blunt and curt.
“Why are you all here again?”
At the words of the girl, the Sword Queen, the Fist King barked back.
“We’ve decided to enter the dungeon!”
“The dungeon? You mean that one?”
“If not that one, then which!”
Well, there was only one dungeon in this area anyway.
The Sword Queen seemed to grasp the situation at a glance. She glanced at Go Hyeon-woo, then clicked her tongue and glared at the Fist King.
“You brainless barbarian. At your age, and you’re getting played by kids?”
“I’m not being played! And they’re not ‘kids’ either!”
The Fist King placed a potlid-sized hand on Go Hyeon-woo’s shoulder.
“I heard the full story from him! Why he’s so obsessed with that dungeon!”
“I said, I heard it already.”
“He wants to repay a debt of the heart! To help a respected friend!”
“I told you, I heard it.”
“How!! Noble!! It is!! Truly the spirit of a man—!!”
The Fist King’s booming voice echoed loudly.
As he said, Go Hyeon-woo had already received a strategy guide from Kim Ho.
It was to obtain a hidden piece.
However, since the dungeon was A-rank, assistance from either the Fist King or the Sword Queen was essential, and Go Hyeon-woo had tried to persuade them even at the cost of his pride.
At first, the Fist King brushed it off, but after hearing his disciple Jo Byeok’s request and the full story, he changed his mind.
On the other hand, the Sword Queen had no intention whatsoever of putting in effort for someone ranked third on her “most disliked” list, regardless of the circumstances.
She shook her head firmly.
“Why don’t you just go by yourselves?”
“Master! Come with us!”
Han So-mi had begged like this more than once, but the Sword Queen remained unmoved.
“I said no, you brat. Raising a disciple is pointless, just pointless.”
You fall head over heels for some outsider man and end up handing over everything…your liver, your gall, even the deed to your land and house.
At that moment, Go Hyeon-woo who had been wearing a bitter smile carefully spoke up.
“I’m only telling you now, but I have a message from Kim-hyung.”
“…That bastard?”
A glint flashed in the Sword Queen’s eyes.
But the next moment, she recoiled and waved her hand dismissively.
“Ah, forget it. I don’t want to hear it. Don’t say anything.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“……”
The Sword Queen’s face twisted into a deep frown.
If it was that scoundrel, he had surely anticipated even this kind of reaction.
If she ignored it, there was no telling what kind of dreadful trouble might come.
So, grinding her teeth, she grabbed Go Hyeon-woo by the arm.
“You, come with me.”
Then she led him to a place where there were fewer people and continued her questioning.
“What did he say?”
“As you just heard, it seems the Fist King has taken an interest in Kim-hyung and me. I answered several of his questions.”
“…And?”
“He was also curious about what happened during the tournament, so I shared what I had heard from Kim-hyung—”
The Sword Queen’s eyes widened.
She grabbed Go Hyeon-woo by the collar and snapped at him.
“Hey! You shameless punk! We agreed not to talk about that!”
“That” referred to how she had been thoroughly defeated by Kim Ho during the preliminary round of the Fixed Zone tournament.
She had even demonstrated [Harmonized Flow] in exchange for keeping it a secret, yet he was bringing it up as if to threaten her.
However, Go Hyeon-woo responded in a somewhat puzzled tone.
“What are you referring to?”
“You know, that…during the preliminaries!”
“I haven’t heard anything about the preliminaries.”
“…Really?”
The Sword Queen’s eyebrow lifted slightly.
Did I get it wrong?
Well, if he broke her trust, there would be no point in threatening her.
There would be no guarantee he would keep his word afterward.
Go Hyeon-woo added one more remark.
“Kim-hyung also said, ‘The thing you’re worried about will remain a secret’.”
“Hmm, of course it should… Wait a second.”
As if she had caught onto something, the Sword Queen frowned.
“‘The thing I’m worried about?’ So he’s going to talk about everything else?”
“There was no promise regarding anything else.”
“What is he planning to talk about?”
“He said you would know better. ‘Pocket watch’, ‘bet’, ‘wild ginseng’….”
Each time a keyword left Go Hyeon-woo’s mouth, the Sword Queen’s body trembled.
It was because the painful memories from back then were replaying in her mind.
The memory of entering Dungeon No. 24, [Falsberry Great Plains], to stop the Witch of Exhaustion, only to end up unwillingly obtaining the hidden piece, the pocket watch.
The memory of making a bet with Kim Ho while watching the tournament and suffering a huge loss.
And on top of that, the memory of ultimately having to hand over the S-rank elixir, the Ten Thousand-Year Human-Shaped Wild Ginseng, after his contribution in defeating the Witch of Exhaustion was added.
How would the Fist King react if he heard stories like these?
It was a given he would burst into loud laughter, and there was a high chance he would bring them up as drinking stories whenever he felt like it.
Still, this is irritating in its own way.
It had been months, so did he really have to dig it up just to threaten her?
Should she just brush it off as nothing more than an embarrassing past?
But in any case, Go Hyeon-woo had nothing to lose.
If two S-ranks joined forces, the raid would simply become much easier, but even with just the Fist King alone, clearing it was still possible one way or another.
Having finished her calculations, the Sword Queen ground her teeth and spoke.
“Fine, I’ll go, okay? I’ll go!”
“Thank you sincerely for your help.”
“You’re not bringing up that story at all. Not even a tiny bit!”
“Of course.”
Then Go Hyeon-woo bowed politely.
“I apologize. As your junior, I had no other offer to make, so I had no choice but to resort to this method.”
“…If only your personality was bad.”
The Sword Queen grumbled as she turned her body.
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