This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 111

“No, how did things end up like this?”

sigh…

Just thinking about it made me let out a sigh, but still, I had to do what needed to be done.

That’s why I was so close to Yoonseo.

“I really don’t have to do this…”

While I felt that way, the person blabbing away had no clue about the situation, so it was impossible for me to say something polite.

“Are you crazy? Say one more word.”

As soon as I said that firmly, it seemed like they still had a bit of a conscience left, since they stopped grumbling right after.

Taking advantage of that moment, I securely strapped the protective gear I had brought onto Yoonseo.

Even though Yoonseo insisted she could handle it herself, I just shot a glance at her hands covered in band-aids, which made her quiet down again.

‘Still, with this much…’

It wouldn’t be as good as the Regular Tournament, but it should provide some protection against her opponent’s talent.

And it applied to the Senior as well.

Considering that this was all under the guise of a tournament, it seemed unlikely either of them would get seriously hurt.

But I still couldn’t let my guard down.

It was only natural; one side had an outstanding ability to handle talents, while the other’s talent itself was just cheating.

What would happen when those two faced off in an emotionally charged state?

To be honest, if I could stop it, I would want to.

The problem was, I couldn’t stop it.

So, in that situation, the best I could do was—

“Remember this, both of you. If I say stop, you stop immediately. Got it?”

That was the extent of the safety measures I could put in place.

“…Yeah.”

“Okay.”

Well, at least they both answered well.

I clicked my tongue in my mind for a moment before slowly backing away and creating some distance between us.

And then, after how long had passed?

Beep, beep, beep— the countdown began.

It had rung three times now, so… only seven more to go before they would clash.

‘…I wonder who will win.’

The moment I thought that, it was absolutely natural for such thoughts to occur.

Unfortunately, it was hard to guess who among the two would actually win.

If it were the way things should be?

Without a doubt, I would raise Yoonseo’s hand.

The reason was simple; the Senior’s talent was the type that exerted its strongest effects when the opponent didn’t know about it.

However, Yoonseo had already experienced that and, after being utterly defeated in that manner, had been focused on coming up with countermeasures with me.

So if the Senior remained at the same level as last year, Yoonseo had no choice but to win this tournament.

‘The issue is…’

The reality was that it wasn’t going to be that easy.

The Senior… had changed.

She had started moving after breaking free from her stagnant state.

Of course, it had only been recently since that happened… but even so, that was a huge variable in my eyes.

Though I fundamentally believed that Yoonseo had a higher winning probability, I couldn’t easily raise her hand.

And it was likely right at that moment I thought that.

The final beep of the ten-set countdown reverberated long into the training ground—

Swish—

With that, the Senior lightly lowered her stance, and the sound of her fingers snapping rang through the training ground.

‘What kind of confidence…’

What kind of provocation was that?

She hadn’t won; she had been thoroughly defeated, and yet here she was.

Could it be that she thought that defeat from that day was just a fluke?

I had no way of knowing.

I didn’t have to know, but… I thought it didn’t matter.

That didn’t warrant any consideration for the rude attitude that kid had shown.

What goes around comes around; if you provoke, you must pay the price accordingly.

And that meant… a defeat like the last time would be enough.

If she were defeated without being able to do anything again, that would surely correct that useless arrogance of hers a bit.

Plus, Dogun would be pretty disappointed in that Yoonseo kid.

Given Dogun’s character that I had seen all this time, I imagined he would have advised Yoonseo to train properly after losing so miserably last year to prevent a recurrence of that situation, yet if it happened the same way again?

That would mean he didn’t train seriously, and as someone who recommended such training, he undoubtedly would feel disappointment.

‘So…’

It had to end even faster than last time; no, it needed to be much quicker.

I naturally had the confidence for that.

If before I managed to casually overhear Dogun’s words and stumbled upon a hint then, now that Dogun had thoroughly absorbed the training he recommended, I was confident that I could cause that phenomenon to occur where I wanted it.

So, first, I would hit her hard like last time—then—

‘Just need to put the wooden sword right in place, and it’ll be over.’

That’s what I thought.

If it weren’t for the fog that suddenly filled the training ground along with the cheerful snap of her fingers, that’s exactly how it would have gone.

The dense fog enveloped everything in front of me, as if it had existed there from the start.

Thanks to that, it was needless to say that I lost track of my goal.

In a moment of desperation, I sent a heightened sound wave towards the general area where my opponent had originally stood, but— the explosion of the sound wave merely parted the surrounding fog for a brief moment, and it didn’t strike anyone.

‘…Tch.’

That didn’t sit well with me.

Because of my opponent’s unnecessary antics, my original plan to make them taste defeat quickly had been thrown out the window.

Of course, even though the plan derailed, I didn’t think I would lose.

‘After all…’

It only takes one moment to secure a victory.

Even after being so provocative, she wouldn’t be able to stay hidden in the fog forever.

She would certainly peek out from her hiding spot while watching me, waiting for the moment I let down my guard, and at that moment, I would counterattack.

The fact that I couldn’t see my enemy made me tense up like someone on high alert, my shoulders rigid, repeatedly scanning the area around me while slowly relaxing my body.

It was all to prepare for the right moment.

As if I had been overly tense and could no longer maintain that state, I released the tension from my shoulders as naturally as I could… and listened intently to the sounds around me.

‘…Here they come!’

With my ears, fine-tuned thanks to my training with Dogun, I didn’t miss the silent approach of my target.

I heard something happen right under my chin.

Bubbling…

If I hadn’t focused all my senses on it, it would have been a sound I might have completely overlooked.

As soon as that sound entered my ears, I didn’t even think; I threw my head back.

In that moment, a massive water droplet that had been a moment too late devoured the space where my head had been moments ago.

I felt the droplets from my bangs drip down, sliding down my face, but I kept my focus.

‘Where are you?’

Where could they be hiding?

Considering they had targeted my head with that ability so accurately, they had to be fairly close in position…

And that was when I realized what I had been overlooking.

While maintaining a heightened state of alertness to react immediately to anything happening around me… I quietly tapped the blade of the wooden sword.

Tap… Tap…

Then, I used my ability to amplify that sound, spreading it everywhere—

‘…So that’s where you were hiding.’

I was able to identify two locations that responded differently compared to the others.

‘The one farther away…’

That must be Dogun.

He had already retreated back to the wall the moment the duel started to avoid interrupting, so it had to be him.

Then, that meant?

The closer one must be that Yoonseo kid.

Of course, knowing her position didn’t mean I would rush over there immediately.

She was likely figuring out my position in a similar way, so rushing in would be pointless.

So… I prepared quietly.

I feigned ignorance, acting like I hadn’t noticed anything and set up a blow to finish this standoff.

Then—

“Ugh…!”

Just as I finished preparing, I unleashed it.

The effect?

Without a doubt, it exploded.

That one blow shook not only her concentration but caused the fog that had surrounded us to disperse in an instant.

Now that the fog, which had been quite distracting, had vanished, nothing was in the way.

So… I charged forward to end this duel.

I only had a couple of steps left to my target when I—

I saw it.

The blurry visage of my opponent, clutching their ears, wobbling as if they were about to fall, along with a smile lingering like a mirage on their face.

In that instant, as I reflexively opened my eyes wide—

“Ahh—!”

“Stop!”

The voice of Dogun, announcing the end of the duel, pierced through the air, reverberating in my ears.