This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 18

The regular tournament may seem like an ordinary event just by its name, but in reality, it holds significant importance.

Thus, the interest of people in the regular tournament is far from negligible.

The regular tournaments in areas where promising or famous Awakened individuals belong are even broadcasted, which shows just how much attention they attract.

There are countless reasons for this interest in the regular tournament; however, listing them all would take ages, so let’s set that aside for now. As for today, my honest prediction didn’t seem too positive.

It’s not that I wouldn’t normally favor Yoonseo if it were a regular fight among middle school kids, but today was not going to be like that.

Gravitating differently, high school Awakened individuals from the neighboring areas also decided to participate today, making it tough to bet high on Yoonseo’s chances.

‘High school students are high school students for a reason…’

Simply put, the experiences they’ve accumulated over the years set them apart.

You could argue that the difference between middle school and high school isn’t that significant, but there’s indeed a clear distinction.

While middle school kids are waiting to become high school students, high schoolers are preparing daily to take the Hero qualification exam that comes as soon as they become adults.

Of course, not all high school Awakened individuals are diligent, just as not everyone in the world can be hardworking… But still, the weight of seriousness they carry feels distinctly heavier.

‘Well, that alone wouldn’t lead me to downplay Yoonseo’s chances…’

If that were the sole reason, I would have imagined Yoonseo wiping the floor with all the high schoolers and winning the regular tournament again.

The true reason I had low expectations for Yoonseo’s chances today was the roster of high school Awakened individuals—which consisted of some formidable competitors.

In fact, there were even those who were starting to gain notoriety as up-and-coming heroes with a sizeable fanbase.

‘The ones really worrying me are a different story…’

Still, I thought that experiencing a loss at least once wouldn’t be such a bad thing, yet the mere thought of Yoonseo, who’s always been victorious, possibly losing made my mood a bit uneasy.

Is this what it feels like to have a nephew troubling an uncle’s heart?

At that moment, while I was caught up in my worries, the one who came to disturb my peace was—

“Pork cutlet sandwich! Make me a pork cutlet sandwich!”

Having woken me from my deep slumber, she was now endlessly pestering me for a pork cutlet sandwich from the morning.

“Seriously… If you’re that desperate for a pork cutlet sandwich, just ask your uncle to make it.”

Yoonseo’s uncle had been a sucker for her since kindergarten, and ever since she began being called a genius, that affection had only deepened.

It’s well known that if Yoonseo says she wants something, even with no ingredients in the fridge, he’d find a way to get it, scouring grocery stores at dawn. So why was she coming to me with this instead?

Curiously, I asked, and the image of Yoonseo’s face, twisting up into an ‘Ugh!’ expression as she had been pestering me earlier, popped into my head.

“Ugh, Dad’s just doesn’t taste right!”

Then she exclaimed, making me feel genuinely sorry for her.

“I have a condition that prevents me from performing well in the tournament if I don’t eat a delicious pork cutlet sandwich on the day of the tournament. Would you prefer I just lose terribly in the regular tournament?”

“Whoa…”

“…Uh, what?”

“I was just struck by the thought that the world is vast, and there are really all sorts of ailments out there.”

Anyway, if that’s how she feels, what can I do?

It irked me a bit that she woke me up this early, but I had no choice but to make her one.

‘After all, I needed to prepare something to eat too.’

What a predicament!

“There are no ingredients? What a shame! I’m so disappointed, I might just cry.”

I lamented in a voice that barely carried any spirit, thinking up alternatives as I spoke.

Just then, I heard a giggle behind me and turned to see a fresh-looking pink pack of pork loin being thrust into my face.

“I knew this would happen, so I brought some along. What do you think? Isn’t it great?”

Wait, when I checked earlier, she clearly had nothing in her hands. Where did she pull this from?

“Did you sneak this from your fridge again?”

“Ah, come on! You know you can still get to Seoul even if you take the long way around, right? It all ends up in my stomach anyway, so it’s fine.”

Seriously, it seems Yoonseo’s true talent isn’t in water manipulation but rather in her utter shamelessness.

Anyway, now that the ingredients were here, I suppose I couldn’t escape the fate of making pork cutlet.

The problem was she had asked for a pork cutlet sandwich, not just a plain cutlet—

“Hey, if you have nothing to do, go buy some bread.”

That’s how I sent Yoonseo off on an errand.

‘Freshly fried cutlet with freshly baked bread?’

I seriously couldn’t resist that.

Delicately pounding the pork loin with a cutlet hammer as it squeaked, I suddenly noticed Yoonseo, who had gone out on my command, returned panting.

After securing the bread, I topped it with the thick, golden cutlet, and of course, the sauce that immediately comes to mind with a pork cutlet sandwich.

The highlight was the jalapeño pickles crammed into one of the two sauces.

These finely chopped pickles would add a spicy and tangy flavor that perfectly balances the taste.

As I placed a piece of that steamy, fluffy, freshly fried pork cutlet sandwich down into the lunch box—

Swish…!

The piece I placed down vanished right before my eyes.

The culprit was none other than Yoonseo, who had been watching the whole process with glimmering eyes.

Having snatched away the freshly made sandwich, Yoonseo popped it straight into her mouth, and the result was quite catastrophic.

“Hottt…!”

Well, of course, since I had just fried it not long ago.

Still, regardless of the heat, it seemed to be tasty enough as she clung to the sandwich tightly, refusing to put it down.

Well, that aside…

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? What?”

“Ugh… Chew and then talk. Chew.”

With a slightly reddened face, Yoonseo finally chewed down on what she had in her mouth and displayed once more the bewildered expression she’d shown a moment ago.

“Well, if you devour your lunch like that, what will you eat for lunch?”

“I never called it lunch!”

Huh?

“I don’t really want anything in my stomach when I’m about to battle.”

“Then why…”

Why did she wake me up for this ridiculous request if that was the case?

As I stood there dumbfounded by my disbelief, Yoonseo finished off the remaining half in an instant, licking her sauce-covered fingers audibly before continuing.

“Well, obviously I asked to eat it now.”

Oh, I see.

I didn’t catch that part.

“And since it’s freshly fried, if I leave it to eat later when it gets soggy, I’ll be the one at a loss.”

Now that she mentioned it, that made sense.

Some might argue the sogginess is part of a pork cutlet sandwich’s charm, but come on—fried food is at its tastiest right when it comes out of the fryer, right?

Sigh… I suppose…

While saying that, I made another piece and put it down, and Yoonseo immediately snatched it, clearly refusing to turn it down.

“So, how is it? Do you think you can perform well now?”

Casually inquiring as I assembled the third piece, Yoonseo, with her cheeks puffed up from a massive bite, chewed rapidly.

She swallowed and promptly answered my question.

“With this, winning is definitely possible again this time.”

“Is that so?”

Glad to hear that, but… honestly, I wasn’t too sure if it would actually work.

Anyway, after finishing breakfast, the time to head to the competition venue quickly approached, and I decided to lean on Yoonseo’s uncle again.

“Sorry, Dogun. For waking up so early because of our Yoonseo…”

“No, not at all. At this point, I’m used to it; it doesn’t bother me anymore.”

This must be the power of a decade-long familiarity.

So while I shared some light banter with Yoonseo’s uncle, I began to hear a sulking voice next to me.

As I half-listened, the competition venue appeared in the window, and I had to part ways with Yoonseo at the entrance.

“Do well, don’t let your guard down.”

“I know! While you’re in the audience, think about what to eat for lunch today.”

With the air of somebody who was completely unconcerned, Yoonseo waved goodbye and disappeared down the hallway, allowing me to make my way towards the audience.

In that brief moment, many people had filled the previously empty seats.

“It definitely feels more crowded than last time.”

“Yes, probably because high school students are also participating this time.”

Since it can somewhat be considered an event match, it’s only natural that public interest is heightened.

“Right… high school students… Hey, Dogun.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think Yoonseo can beat the high school kids?”

“Well, honestly, I think she has a chance…”

“Really?”

“Yeah, though…”

There were some individuals I felt uneasy about.

“Though?”

“No, never mind.”

While I was exchanging small talk with Yoonseo’s uncle in the audience, the voice of the announcer rang through the hall, signaling the start of the regular tournament, as the prospective heroes began to make their entrances in order as predetermined by the organization.

‘That one still hasn’t kicked that habit, huh…’

It would be great if that habit could just be fixed somehow.

Though, if it were that easy, it wouldn’t really be a habit to begin with.

As I wrote down observations on each participant in my prepared notebook, the name of one of the high school competitors, who was making her first appearance this time, reverberated with the announcer’s voice and soon became a focal point in my mind.

And then, the figure that emerged through the gate connected to the waiting room was—

‘That is…’

A female swordsman.