...Soone tampered with the duel matchups.
What?
It seems to be your brothers work.
Yu-Seong started to think quickly. Kim Do-Jin was a man of few words, but Yu-Seong knew exactly what he ant.
Choi Min-Seok wants to go against Lee Jin-Wook.
A chill ran down his spine. Actually, this wasnt sothing totally unexpected.
Yep, Choi Min-Seok wouldnt rig sothing like this just to humiliate .
Yu-Seong thought it was too naive to believe that Min-Seok wanted to simply humiliate him because of a grudge he was holding from their last encounter. Min-Seok wasnt the type of person to just end things at humiliation.
After all, he tried to murder .
There was no reason not to do the sa this ti. At the very least, Min-Seok would order Jin-Wook to permanently cripple him. Considering how fierce the combat exam was, it was completely possible for Yu-Seong to be injured. Even though they prepared perfectly, there was still a death or a fatally injured applicant every two to three years.
At that mont, the monitor attached to the ceiling changed color and revealed the matchups.
Eighth.
Choi Yu-Seong, Lee Jin-Wook.
Yu-Seongs lips twitched as he confird his turn. A crisis was also an opportunity. Although a duel with Jin-Wook was dangerous, it would also attract a lot of attention. Yu-Seongs proficiency level for his Star Factor skill could increase or he could even get the attention of a god as he had before.
High risk, high return. Low risk, low return.
The majority of things in the world were like this. The question was whether soone had the confidence to follow through.
I should believe in myself.
He trusted the ti, sweat, and effort he put into this. After all, there wasnt any way to avoid this. Just as a slight smile was appearing on Yu-Seongs face, Do-Jin asked.
So what are you going to do?
What?
Itll be easier for you if you just told the Iron Wall all of this.
Do-Jins eyes observed Yu-Seong sharply. He was like a snake observing its prey.
Ah. Now I know for sure.
Obviously, Do-Jin hadn't co just to help Yu-Seong by telling him the information he had acquired. He had sensed a change in Yu-Seong and had co because he wanted to confirm what had happened to Yu-Seong.
It was only natural. After all, Yu-Seong was a mber of the Choi family. He was the son of the man Do-Jin wanted to murderChoi Woo-Jae.
They say if you know your enemy and yourself, you can win every battle
This ant that if soone had a clear understanding of oneself and their enemy, no battle would be dangerous. There was no way Do-Jin wouldnt know General Lee Sun-Shins famous sayings[1]. Although his confidence was borderline arrogant, he didnt fight recklessly. If he was one to fight recklessly, then he would never have used Yu-Seong to get to Woo-Jae.
Maybe it was Yu-Seong who had lowered his guard. Just because he had beaten Do-Jin before, he had now ended up underestimating Do-Jin.
What should I do?
Yu-Seong thought that he should do sothing to lower Do-Jins guard while also gaining sothing.
Seeing him hesitating, Do-Jin snorted, Youve changed a lot, Choi Yu-Seong.
...
Its almost surprising. Did another soul possess your body?
Yu-Seong almost scread at Do-Jins words.
Hes not the main character, hes a psychic!
It would be fitting if the title of the original novel was The Foreseeing Returner.
Stop saying such crazy things. I dont have ti to get riled up from such little things. Do you think that Im not aware of what hes doing?
...
Regardless of whether soone tampered with the matchups or not, Im not going to do anything about it. Im Choi Yu-Seong. Isnt it clear that there is only so much my hyung-nim can do to , since were both a part of the Choi family?
Do-Jin glared at him like a ferocious viper. Yu-Seong glared right back. Although he was scared of Do-Jins glistening eyes that seed deep enough to be able to swallow him up, he didnt back off.
If youre here to pull so stunts, get out. I dont like how youve been acting recently.
He firmly ordered Do-Jin to back off. Of course, he could feel his heart pounding with fear. There was no Jin Do-Yoon or Jin Yu-Ri here. What if Do-Yoon lost his mind and decided to kill him?
I dont even want to imagine it.
He begged inwardly for Do-Jin not to get mad at him. Desperate emotion was visible in his eyes. Silently looking at Yu-Seong, Do-Jins expression changed oddly. It was hard to read; he seed to be both laughing and frowning.
Perhaps Yu-Seongs wishes ca true? Do-Jin stopped glaring daggers at Yu-Seong.
Interesting. Not bad. After that, Do-Jin turned around. Dont die.
His last words before leaving were very encouraging.
* * *
After leaving Yu-Seongs waiting room, Do-Jins eyes beca cold and calculating as he walked down the hallway.
Hes beco quite clever.
Although Do-Jin had just casually slipped a piece of information, it took less than three minutes for Yu-Seong to rationally co to a conclusion. Even though Yu-Seong pretended to be clueless, it was clear that he knew Min-Seok was going after him. Nevertheless, he didnt back off.
He always had a death wish.
On the day he promised to beco brothers with Do-Jin, he had beco very drunk and burst into tears, crying that he wanted to die. He despised the world and he thought that dying would be easier for him. He had also scread that he hated his family for making him this way.
Was he still like that? No, there were clear differences.
Now, he wants to live.
Yu-Seong was even passionate and energetic now. It was a mysterious phenonon. Was it possible for a person to change this drastically in a short amount of ti? Although it was unbelievable, it sure was interesting.
Choi Yu-Seong.
Originally, Yu-Seong was a trump card that he would later discard as part of his plan. But was it necessary? Do-Jin didnt care if Yu-Seong wanted to live or not, but if he still resented his family, then the fact that he had beco more clever wasnt bad for Do-Jin.
Actually, Yu-Seongs acting was quite good. Him acting arrogantly without knowing his place was similar to the Yu-Seong that Do-Jin knew of.
Even his eyes that wished for my attention were exactly the sa as before.
The loneliness hidden inside Yu-Seongs eyes when he ordered him to get out was especially similar. That loneliness was evident even though Yu-Seong was being aggressive. After all, when Yu-Seong first t Do-Jin, Yu-Seong yelled at him but couldnt completely push him away as he penetrated Yu-Seongs loneliness.
It wouldnt be bad to make him my subordinate.
If Yu-Seong had known what Do-Jin was thinking, he would have been frightened.
* * *
It took a while for Yu-Seong to catch his breath after Do-Jin left the waiting room. Do-Jin saw through him whenever he let his guard down, so playing mind gas with him was stressful.
Choi Yu-Seong, dont forget that Kim Do-Jin is the main characterthe most dangerous person in this whole world.
And he was a pitiful villain who would get abandoned by Do-Jin. Based on everything from their relationship in the original novel, he could never beat Do-Jin.
Catching his breath, Yu-Seong watched the duel between the applicants going before him. Fortunately, his battle was eighth in line, which provided him with a lot of extra ti.
As expected, I wouldve won easily if my matchup wasnt Lee Jin-Wook.
He was certain after watching five duels. His ability was so amazing that it was almost a cheat. The saying that Irregulars beca powerful as long as they survived wasnt a lie.
Yu-Seong watched the duels for three hours, but even as he watched the 7th duel taking place, that thought didnt change. However, there was one player that he took notice of.
Was it applicant number 12?
Considering that applicant number 12 was a psychic type player that could transform the ground into tal shapes, Yu-Seong thought that he couldve passed the exam if he had used his ability more creatively. Unfortunately, he lacked the creativity, and consequently failed.
Yu-Seongs turn finally ca.
Lets go.
His mindset was more than ready.
The mont he stood up, one side of the waiting room wall opened and displayed various weapons as if he was inside a movie. Striding ahead, he firmly grabbed a weapon that he had decided on using before. Although it was just made for practice, the grip wasnt that bad.
Unconsciously licking his lips with the tip of his tongue, Yu-Seong walked through the automatic door of the waiting room.
* * *
The combat exam site was located at the end of the hallway. Yu-Seong was overwheld by the unexpected amount of attention he was receiving as he entered the site that looked similar to the Colosseum in Ro.
Its totally different from watching it on the monitor.
As always, knowing and experiencing sothing were two different things. But since he had ntally prepared before arriving, he soon adapted to it. Entering from the opposite side, Jin-Wook seed no different from him. The two sized each other up quickly.
Standing on the edge of the arena, the instructor, Iron Wall Park Cheol-Ho, spoke as he crossed his arms.
Choi Yu-Seong, Lee Jin-Wook. You both seem ready.
Although he wasnt speaking loudly, his voice echoed through the entire Colosseum.
This is an S-rank player.
Yu-Seong had felt it when he had t Woo-Jae. It was not exaggerated to think that players S-rank and above were basically not human.
Even if this is a practice duel, fight as if your lives are at stake, fight as if youre in actual combat. Monsters do not have rcy. Any questions?
No.
No, sir.
The forr was Yu-Seong while the latter was Jin-Wook. Even though Yu-Seong had spoken in a small voice, it seed that Cheol-Ho had heard it clearly. As proof, one of Cheol-Hos eyebrows twitched as he looked at Yu-Seong.
What? I cant talk down to you, but you can talk down to ?
Regardless of whether Cheol-Ho was an S-rank or an instructor for the exam, Yu-Seong didnt actually like Cheol-Ho for talking down to him from the start.
Were all grownups here; its not like were in the army.
He was the rascal anyway. It was nothing unusual for him to do things the way he liked.
Hmm
After briefly snorting, Cheol-Ho nodded.
Begin.
As he had been waiting for this mont, Jin-Wook made the first move. He had chosen a sword as his weapon. Since it was made for practice, it wasnt sharp, but it would certainly hurt if it hit Yu-Seong.
Jin-Wooks deadliest weapon wasnt actually the sword. Although he was far away from Yu-Seong, he kicked off from the ground and used the wind currents to close the distance.
Hes fast!
Unconsciously admiring Jin-Wooks skill, Yu-Seong spun and lifted his weapon, a long spear.
The weapon he had used most during his training with Do-Yoon was a staff. And mastering the staff ant that, to an extent, he had also mastered the spear.
Block.
Yu-Seongs smooth, familiar movents flowed like water as they blocked and pushed aside Jin-Wooks sword that crashed down on him. Although Jin-Wooks attacks were heavier than Yu-Seongs defense, Yu-Seong used skills to balance them off.
Remaining calm, Jin-Wook landed on the ground and stretched out his hand. A strong wind that could easily knock a grown man down gushed out from his hand. Yu-Seong didnt try to brace himself against the wind but let himself be pushed away, rotated a full circle, and thrust out with his spear.
The sharp wind coming from the other side of the field was caught by the tip of his spear, making it wobble. It would be impossible for players to get rid of this if they werent a strong Physical type player. Yu-Seong channeled mana into the tip of his spear. Although it was hard to channel ones mana into a weapon, Yu-Seong was able to do it for a short ti on a small part of the weapon. The center of the Wind Blade Jin-Wook produced was eventually ripped apart and crashed in all directions into the arena walls.
Boom-!
The wind blasted the walls and clouds of dust rose in the air.
If I were caught in that, my neck would break from the whiplash.
Recalling the sharpness of the Wind Blade that had just passed by him, Yu-Seong gulped. On the other hand, Jin-Wook frowned when saw that things werent going his way.
Him holding a sword had been a decoy from the start. This was to hide the fact that he was a Psychic, wind-type player. But, without even looking at him, Yu-Seong had channeled mana into his spear and thrust it at his attack, as if Yu-Seong had already known that he would use the Wind Blade.
Hes going to beco Storm, the villain.
If Yu-Seong hadnt been aware of this, it wouldve been quite dangerous. However, despite his anxiety, he smiled and provoked Jin-Wook.
Min-Seoks going to be disappointed if this is all you got.
...!!
Heated up, Jin-Wook charged toward Yu-Seong. The Wind Blade had a long cooldown ti. He was attacking like this to buy ti until he could use it again.
Yu-Seong smiled as he looked at Jin-Wook. Then, a blue fla blazed inside his eyes as he activated Insight. As he concentrated Insight for combat, part of Jin-Wooks movents appeared like afterimages in front of him. His composure was strengthened while his anxiety was relieved adequately.
Although he was surprised by Jin-Wooks first strike, there was no reason for him to be surprised the second ti. He thrust forward, using the spears long reach to get to Jin-Wook before the latter could get close.
Grab.
Jin-Wook spread the wind behind him and easily avoided Yu-Seongs attack like it was a walk in the park. Although his swordsmanship itself was so poor that it was a joke to even call it swordsmanship, the rest of his senses were certainly refined. It seed that he also had a lot of skills. He was an Irregular for a reason.
However, Yu-Seongs Insight was reading even those movents. That was why, instead of stopping in surprise, he rely twisted his hips and thrust his spear at Jin-Wook once more, then swiped horizontally.The spear shaft bent like a snake, striking Jin-Wooks shoulder.
Bang-!
A sound resonated that brought a smile to Yu-Seongs face, while Jin-Wooks body stiffened in pain.
This attack is going to hurt much more.
Since it was Jin-Wook that was going to receive this attack, Yu-Seong spoke lightly, without his conscience bothering him, as he activated the skill.
Spark.
The electricity produced from his spear handle wracked Jin-Wooks entire body.
Grrrraaah-!
His scream echoed throughout the entire duel stadium.
1. Lee Sun-Shin (Yi Sun-Sin) is arguably one of the most famous generals/admirals in Korean history. However, this quote is from Sun Tzus Art of War.
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