After lightly dealing a few blows to the potion seller, I returned to the stadium control room.
“Is it really the same person? No matter how I look at it, he looks different from the picture….”
The committee chairman frowned heavily as he looked at the smartphone I held out.
The man in the picture projected an image of considerable sharpness, but the actual potion seller standing right before us now…
“Ugh…”
Had appeared with his face swollen. His lips were cracked, his eyes were bruised black, and a lump had formed on his forehead.
That good-looking guy had instantly turned into an ugly man.
“Please accept this as well.”
Subsequently, I handed over a ziplock bag as the next piece of evidence. Inside, an unknown dark red powder was shining.
“Hmm. So this is the stimulant, right? The one that Lloyd Hintz used?”
The committee chairman questioned the quietly kneeling potion seller for confirmation.
“…”
However, the potion seller gave no answer. He merely maintained his silence.
Unable to bear it, I lifted the spoon and dealt a blow to the back of his head.
Clack─!
“Ouch…! Yes…! It’s true…! It’s a stimulant that temporarily magnifies magical power…!”
“Stimulant, huh…”
The committee chairman stroked his chin and paused in thought for a moment.
After that…
“If Lloyd Hintz really used the stimulant, it’s right to halt the match.”
He declared right there that the match would be ended. The committee chairman picked up his radio.
“Deploy the match officials. Pull Lloyd Hintz out of the ring and declare a forfeit…”
“Could you wait a moment, please?”
At that point, I stepped in and stopped the committee chairman.
“Let’s observe this round until it’s over. Declaring a forfeit in the next 3rd round won’t be too late.”
“Huh?”
Caught off guard by my unexpected suggestion, the committee chairman tilted his head in confusion.
“You were asking to cancel the match earlier. Why are you changing your mind now?”
The committee chairman demanded an explanation from me.
“If we forcibly pull Lloyd out during the match, it could lead to a bigger accident. Lloyd won’t stop fighting willingly. We should’ve stopped the match before it started.”
“But if we let this go, there’s a chance Lloyd might go berserk, right? This is a stimulant, after all. Are you planning to hurt the innocent spectators as well?”
“In that case, let’s leave this to Kang Tae-hoon.”
At the mention of Kang Tae-hoon’s name, the committee chairman’s eyes widened.
“To Kang Tae-hoon?”
“Is there any chance he can take Lloyd down?”
If we can completely subdue Lloyd, this incident can quietly pass as if nothing happened.
Now, imagine if the match is halted for no clear reason. The spectators will surely ask for the reason, and the committee chairman would have no choice but to reveal the truth—that the match was canceled due to the stimulant issue.
Furthermore, afterwards, the chairman might be questioned as the responsible party for this incident, and would have to write numerous accident reports.
All because of a simple evaluation match, not only would all the blame fall on us, but we’d also have to endure tedious investigations. On this festive day.
“Isn’t this the second round, which could be considered the most anticipated main match among all rounds? I’m sure numerous advertisements and sponsors are tied to it.”
“Keh…”
That’s not all. Investment costs for the stage or possible penalties are impossible to ignore.
Since the chairman also didn’t want to bear those risks, he had no choice but to agree to my suggestion in the end.
“Alright! I get it! Let it continue, then! But if it gets too dangerous, I’ll halt it immediately, so keep that in mind!”
*
Bang─!
“Khrrk…!”
Kang Tae-hoon, who had been exchanging blows with his opponent, was pushed back due to the overwhelming weight, tumbling on the ground for a few rounds.
“–Hahaha look at that guy! It’s like a hamster running on a wheel!”
“–Hintz! Send that hamster back to his mother!”
Every time Kang Tae-hoon was pushed back, the cheers from the audience only grew louder. The stadium was quickly turning into Lloyd Hintz’s home ground.
“Hey, Tae-hoon! Looks like I’m not the one who needs emergency care, but you!”
The momentum had completely shifted to Lloyd’s side. Knowing that, Lloyd placed his sword down and taunted Tae-hoon.
“Kkht.”
Tae-hoon spat out the blood he’d been holding in.
Although somewhat anticipated, Lloyd’s strength was far more malevolent than imagined. The mere clash of swords sent shocks through his entire body—an experience that was entirely new.
“Damn it. What’s Shin Yoon-seong up to?”
Yoon-seong’s message was to just buy time until the potion seller was found. And so far, Tae-hoon had been pretending to take punches accordingly.
But this act couldn’t last forever.
After all, stamina wasn’t infinite.
“Damn it… I shouldn’t have believed that kid…”
Whenever Tae-hoon got tangled up with Yoon-seong, things never went well. From their first meeting until now, it had always been like this.
He’s probably somewhere fooling around right now.
“Huh…?”
At that moment, Tae-hoon’s gaze shifted towards the VIP lounge of the stands. More accurately, towards the control room next to the VIP lounge.
The situation room was surrounded by transparent barriers, allowing a view from the outside. Inside it, Tae-hoon spotted none other than Shin Yoon-seong, the person he’d been waiting for.
“Huh… what’s that kid doing there?”
Inside the control room, Shin Yoon-seong wasn’t making any special movements. He simply stood still and looked down at Tae-hoon.
“…”
At that moment, their eyes met. Then Yoon-seong nodded at Tae-hoon.
“What?”
Tae-hoon couldn’t help but feel confused.
“What’s this signal supposed to mean? Is everything going well? Or why is he nodding off like that? How am I supposed to understand this?”
Had Yoon-seong caught the criminal, the match would’ve stopped immediately. But as visible, the game was still in progress.
What on earth was Yoon-seong trying to say?
“Surely… he’s not telling me to keep fighting until the end of the match?”
It was as if Yoon-seong had read Tae-hoon’s lips. He nodded once again, adding a smile this time.
“Hey, you psycho!”
With veins popping on his forehead, Tae-hoon shouted loudly.
“What the hell? This is completely different from what you said back in the waiting room! You said we just had to drag out the time! Or were you planning to deceive me from the start? Huh?”
To this question, Yoon-seong gave no response. There was no way his voice would reach Tae-hoon anyway.
Instead, Yoon-seong waved his hand slightly.
It was his way of encouragement.
“That guy’s not a psycho, is he? Is he even human?”
“Where the hell is your mind wandering?”
Bang─!
While Tae-hoon was distracted by the control room, Lloyd swung his massive broadsword. Tae-hoon barely avoided the attack.
An attack that could’ve crushed his head if he’d been just a moment late.
“How long are you going to run around like a girl?”
Lloyd didn’t stop. He started slashing his sword, pressing Tae-hoon even more.
“And you call yourself the representative of Han-yul Military Academy! Even a rat-poison-fed hamster would be braver than you!”
“That medicine was eaten by you, not me!”
There was no way he could just keep taking it. Since things had reached this point, there was no choice but to bring Lloyd down with his own hands.
Tae-hoon easily dodged the rushing sword and kicked Lloyd’s side hard.
“Kehh…!”
The timid Tae-hoon who had only moved around so far was finally showing his teeth. Lloyd was forced back by just one counterattack.
“What? Is he staggering from just one kick? You’re worse than a blind guy, aren’t you?”
“Khrrk…”
Lloyd gripped his side and gritted his teeth. It wasn’t due to pain; rather, he was slightly surprised by the unexpectedly reviving Tae-hoon.
“What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to attack?”
The mood had completely flipped after the earlier counterattack. There was nothing holding Tae-hoon back any longer.
It was as if he was now free to run rampant.
“If you’re not going to come, I’ll go first.”
Tac─!
This time, Tae-hoon took the initiative. He swung his sword powerfully towards Lloyd.
Bang─!
Their swords met. But it lasted only a moment as Tae-hoon immediately twisted his wrist, causing Lloyd’s sword to slide away.
Craaack─!
Taking advantage of the opening, Tae-hoon delivered a kick to Lloyd’s face.
“Screaaaaaaaaaaam…!”
Lloyd covered his face. Right down the center of his nose, was the imprint of a blood-red shoe.
It was a face so ridiculous, it was worth taking a picture of.
“Did you think I would let you off with just a few hits?”
Tae-hoon cracked his neck, saying he felt his body loosening up now.
“Shall I remind you of the old days? You should know when to stop climbing.”
Without wasting any time, Tae-hoon raised his sword again.
“You there. Get up quickly. I don’t have time to stand here with you.”
After saying that, he turned towards the control room and spoke.
“I still have to go beat that psycho bastard over there, after all.”
