If you had to pick the more active hobbies of a sloth, they’d probably be baking cookies, wandering around downtown areas, and hanging out at game centers.
A question happened to come to mind, so I held a fist like a microphone up to Seo Ye-in’s lips.
“Why do you like game centers so much?”
“It’s not that I like game centers.”
“Then what is it?”
“I like hanging out together.”
Seo Ye-in answered while staring straight at me.
Well, if she really liked game centers themselves, she would’ve gone to the downtown area alone at least once, but she had always gone with me.
I slowly nodded.
“I see. I’m touched.”
Dang Gyu-young, who had been hiding in the shadows, couldn’t hold back and scribbled a few words.
[That was nice just now!]
Before long, Seo Ye-in turned her gaze back toward the game center.
“…I want to hang out together again.”
“The situation isn’t great right now.”
We were in the middle of searching for hidden Blood Cult bases.
I added,
“It won’t be as fun as the ones in the downtown area anyway. The games are simpler, and there aren’t many of them.”
Game centers in the downtown area were designed to squeeze points out of Dragon Slayer Academy students, so the mini-games were set to be more difficult.
They even rotated the game selection regularly so people wouldn’t get used to them.
On the other hand, places like this weren’t as competitive, so the mini-games were relatively easy.
With less stimulation, there was a good chance it’d be less fun.
“Most importantly, there are no prizes.”
“That’s a shame.”
“Let’s go to the downtown area once the semester starts.”
“Let’s do that.”
Dang Gyu-young also scribbled in the shadows.
[Let’s do that!]
Soon, I led the group into the game center.
Compared to the size of the building, the inside was very quiet. Just a few people walking around and a handful sitting at machines.
It made sense that there weren’t many people since it was a weekday afternoon, but to me, it felt like there was another reason.
It’s cold.
The atmosphere was similar to the Jinmu Sect and the temporary Blood Cult bases we had passed through before.
In some ways, it felt even worse.
It means there are either skilled fighters here or a lot of them.
For example, that man playing a mini-game.
He looked like an ordinary person on the outside, but both hands pounding on the arcade machine were covered in all kinds of scars and calluses.
On top of that, as if he hadn’t fully concealed it, there was a sharp, blade-like aura coming off him.
The people passing by also stole glances at us, pretending not to, and there was a faint killing intent mixed into their gazes.
This one’s a bigger case.
There were more than a few ordinary people (or not) right now that caught the eye.
There was a good chance an entire armed group was stationed here.
I fell into a brief thought.
Do we fight, or do we pull out?
For now, I was leaning slightly toward the latter.
If there was an armed group, there was likely a leader-level expert among them, and taking them all on at once would be a bit much.
Let’s at least see his face first.
I could decide whether it was worth trying after that.
If things went south, getting out wouldn’t be difficult anyway.
So, pretending to look around at the arcade machines, I made a full round inside the game center.
Then, there was one person in particular that my “veteran radar” reacted strongly to.
To be sure, I asked Seo Ye-in as well.
“Strong?”
“Strong.”
With that confirmation, I observed the target more closely.
He looked like a frail scholar.
In more modern terms, he gave off the vibe of a glasses-wearing kid who sits in the front row of a classroom, or a clean-cut “church guy” type.
He was sitting at an arcade machine, fully focused on a game.
The genre was a fighting game.
It seemed he was past the beginner stage, using flashy combos, but from the perspective of someone like me, the overlord of mini-games—
Still a newbie.
As expected, he got hit more than he landed hits, his health bar gradually dropping until he was finally defeated.
And the word that appeared in the center of the screen:
[K.O!!]
“……”
Even so, there wasn’t a trace of emotion on his face.
He casually inserted another coin and continued the game.
Then, as if muttering to himself, he spoke.
“Doesn’t look like you came here to play.”
“I thought about playing a bit, but everything here seems pretty dull.”
“Is that so? I quite like it.”
The man glanced around the game center before continuing.
“Each game contains all kinds of emotions…joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. I’ve found it quite helpful for mental discipline.”
“And yet you don’t show any expression.”
“That is precisely the ultimate state I seek. If, as a martial artist, I can maintain an unshakable composure, it would be like forging an unbreakable sword within my heart.”
“Sounds like you’ve stepped into the realm of enlightenment.”
If my guess was right, the man was at the very peak of A-rank.
Like the head of the Dang Clan, he was standing before the wall of realization.
And to break through that wall, he was experiencing a range of emotions in a place like this game center.
If he kept at it, he might eventually reach S-rank.
“……!”
Perhaps surprised that his level had been seen through, a strange light flickered in the man’s eyes as he looked at me.
Because his attention had wavered, his character on the screen took a one-sided beating, but that hardly mattered right now.
“…I’ve felt a strange sense of dissonance from you for a while. I couldn’t figure out the cause, but I think I understand it a little now.”
“……”
“You… are looking down on me. From a place so high it’s almost unfathomable. Like the Cult Leader.”
“Must be your imagination. Anyway, has your condition improved at all?”
[K.O!!]
Once again, the unwelcome text appeared on the screen, but the man’s gaze remained fixed on me.
Then he waved his hand through the air, summoning something for me to see.
[Geas – Clear Mind Like Still Water]
▷ Bonus applied to all skills and traits
▷ Condition 1: Do not feel anger
▷ Condition 2: Effect increases when shared with an opponent
Geas.
A trait that grants beneficial effects in proportion to the restrictions one places on oneself.
In a case like his where he had practically cut away an entire emotion, the effect would be quite powerful.
And the fact that he shared it so openly meant he was that confident.
As if confirming my thoughts, he added,
“It’s been quite some time since I obtained it, yet it hasn’t shown even the slightest sign of breaking. And it never will.”
Will it, though?
Rather than having endured everything, maybe he just hadn’t met the right opponent yet.
Me. The one who governs emotions, Kim Ho.
If I can break that Geas…
Not only would it be possible to strip away the skill and trait bonuses of someone at an elder level, but the backlash could even reduce their stats further.
So I smiled faintly and said,
“What a coincidence. My hobby is making people lose their temper.”
“……!”
“So, how about we put it to the test. Your shield against my spear?”
“…That’s quite tempting.”
It was an offer the man couldn’t refuse.
Since he was in the process of seeking enlightenment, experiencing something unusual now and then wouldn’t be a bad thing.
And if he managed to endure my tricks and maintain his composure to the end, he might gain something from it.
So he didn’t hesitate long before nodding.
“Very well. How do you propose we compete?”
“No need to go far.”
As I said that, I gestured toward the arcade machine with my chin.
I meant we’d settle it with the same fighting game he had been playing.
At that, the man looked even more pleased.
“Excellent. Let us prepare.”
“Before we start, shall we introduce ourselves? First-year at Dragon Slayer Academy, Kim Ho.”
“…I thought you were unusual for your age. So you’re from Dragon Slayer Academy.”
“It’s nothing that impressive. And you. What group do you lead?”
“I am the commander of the Shura Blood Sword Unit of our order.”
Just as I had suspected when looking around the game center, he wasn’t an easy opponent.
Sword units tended to be stronger than most combat groups, since competition was fiercer among sword-wielding martial artists.
After all, picking ten out of a hundred versus ten out of a thousand…naturally, the latter would be stronger.
Anyway, I decided to just call him the Blood Sword Commander for short.
I took a seat at the arcade machine across from him.
Then Ahn Jeong-mi asked cautiously,
“Kim Ho-nim, will you be alright?”
“You don’t need to worry. At least for now.”
If I managed to break the Blood Sword Commander’s geas?
Then things would go exactly as I intended. A huge gain.
And if I somehow failed?
I could just leave behind some polite parting words and make a run for it.
Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, this will work.
Unless it was a different kind of minigame, choosing a fighting game meant this was inevitable.
Out of all the genres out there, it was the most optimized for getting under someone’s skin.
With that in mind, I slipped a coin into the arcade machine, and the character selection screen appeared.
A bald old man with hair sticking out only on the sides, a man with long bangs like a rock star, a kangaroo wearing boxing gloves…….
And among them, as with most fighting games, there were also evil characters that brought nightmares to beginners.
The “first” character I chose was a female monk.
Wind swirled around her upper body, and her legs were long and well-toned.
At a glance, didn’t she look like someone who could control wind and excel at kicking?
She’s my favorite character.
On the other hand, the Blood Sword Commander chose a very standard fighter.
He had picked the same one earlier too. It seemed he only used that character.
Of course, it didn’t really matter what he chose.
He’s going to get beaten up either way…….
Soon the screen changed, and the two characters took their places on either side.
And the message that appeared in the center.
[Ready?]
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Start!]
Yap! Yap! Yap! Yap!
As soon as the game began, my monk started firing projectiles nonstop.
The Blood Sword Commander’s fighter responded calmly.
Blocking the projectiles, he inched forward little by little.
He’s got the basics down, as expected.
Then how about this?
I began throwing the projectiles slightly offbeat.
Yap! Yap-yap! ……Yap! Yap! ……Yap-yap!
Perhaps he hadn’t encountered this before, because even as he blocked, the Blood Sword Commander’s fighter kept getting hit by a projectile here and there.
Even so, like a turtle, he steadily advanced until he finally reached right in front of the monk.
But from the moment the distance closed, the real fight was only just beginning.
Yap! Yap-yap-yap! Yap! Yap-yap!
The monk began unleashing a relentless series of kicks, making full use of her long legs.
Sweep, sweep, low kick, low kick, occasionally a high kick! Sweep, sweep!
The Blood Sword Commander’s fighter steadily lost health but stubbornly kept guarding, and eventually seized a chance to counterattack.
It was the flashy combo I had seen during our first encounter.
But unfortunately,
“I can see it all~”
The monk blocked the combo flawlessly with even more dazzling defensive moves.
That left the Blood Sword Commander’s fighter exposed again.
And without missing the opening,
Yaaap!!
Boom!
The monk’s semi-special move exploded.
A burst of wind sent the fighter flying straight to the other side of the screen.
With the distance widened again, the situation returned to how the match had started.
Yap! Yap-yap! ……Yap-yap! Yap!
An unrelenting barrage of off-beat projectiles.
At this, the group watching turned to look at me.
“……”
“……”
For some reason, their gazes felt rather cold.
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