This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 323

When I was with Dogun, I tried to put on a playful face, pretending not to be tense, but in reality, it was the complete opposite.

Honestly, how could I not be nervous?

“Management team? If you’re ready, please activate the barrier immediately.”

After all, it was that person I was up against.

I knew better than anyone how deeply Chae-rim admired Lightning Lady and how strong she was as a hero.

As long as Chae-rim was my opponent, whatever I tried wouldn’t matter in the end; Chae-rim would be the one to win.

“It seems like you and Dogun have been preparing hard together…”

Perhaps it was the awareness of that fact that made me feel uncertain at times about whether all this effort into training was really worth it.

I definitely felt that way once—but now, things were different.

Yes, now was not the time for self-doubt.

Thanks to Dogun, I’ve come to realize that victory isn’t the only answer.

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

So, I would be both nervous and not nervous at all.

I needed to show everything I had prepared over the last month right here.

That was the only way to repay the efforts and dedication Dogun had shown me.

“And you, sister, should probably be cautious and not let your guard down.”

That was true, but since the match hadn’t even started yet, I thought it wouldn’t be wise to enter the psychological warfare stage too far behind, so I carefully provoked her with a suppressed voice.

As the announcement signaled the beginning of the match—

“…Really?”

A blue lightning flash covered my field of vision.

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‘Wait…’

What on earth were they talking about?

What was the exchange that elicited such a reaction from Chae-rim?

At a glance, it seemed like they were simply exchanging well-wishing remarks before the match, but knowing the history we had, I felt I knew Chae-rim well enough to recognize the subtle indication in her expression.

The slight raising of one side of her mouth while barely opening her lips was a telltale sign that Chae-rim was getting a bit heated.

‘If the goal was to anger the opponent and throw them off balance, it was at least somewhat successful…’

But then again, I realized that with her experience as a seasoned hero, such mind games wouldn’t work on someone like Chae-rim, who had seen it all.

No, for real, what did they say to get such a reaction from none other than Chae-rim?

As the duel hadn’t even begun, I was nervously chewing my lip.

The barrier that rose from the floor finally touched the ceiling—

—then, as scheduled, they announced the start of the mock battle for the special exam…

The speakers mounted on the ceiling blasted the announcement, and just as I thought Chae-rim’s slightly riled expression moved—

‘What the heck…’

The mercilessly blue flashes inside the barrier swept across the arena.

“Is it over…?”

“Is this really the end?”

“My expectations weren’t high, but I see there’s no mercy here…”

“This is too much… couldn’t you at least give us a moment to show something?”

“Are you… testing us?”

“Yeah, that can’t be it. It’s just… if they can’t handle this, they aren’t fit.”

“Sigh… what’s this kid done to deserve this…?”

“So yeah… the interest is sky-high…”

And these comments were echoed by those who witnessed the same thing as me.

As if to show that everyone’s values and opinions differ, the number of voices around increased in proportion to the crowd, with even some criticizing Chae-rim’s attack, but not one thought about whether Yoonseo could withstand that attack just then.

Well, of course not.

That was how… overwhelmingly and terrifyingly powerful it looked.

Thanks to that, I couldn’t help but let out a gasp, but then again, I trusted Yoonseo.

I didn’t doubt that she would handle that attack without a scratch.

After all, this was well within the expected parameters.

That’s why Chae-rim had trained hard for a situation where she could launch a powerful attack from the get-go… and now the fruits of that labor were right in front of me.

“What was that…”

“Could it be…?”

“She actually withstood that? Right from the start?”

“Was she controlling her strength?”

“It didn’t look like it…”

Was everyone taken aback by the scene that was so different from what they anticipated?

Amid the commotion, what appeared was something transparent and tremendously dome-shaped.

Ice.

It surrounded Yoonseo with a coldness that scattered around as if it had always existed there.

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Somehow, it felt obvious that the first attack might be blocked.

Naturally, that was because I knew Dogun watched these combat videos all through the night.

Honestly, how could I avoid knowing?

His room was right next door.

‘But it’s not soundproofed either…’

Anyway, I knew precisely why Dogun was so focused on watching over us.

He must be trying to figure out our habits and tendencies.

‘I honestly don’t even know if there are any habits…’

But I figured Dogun might discover something.

What if he realized something in those videos?

Of course, he would have prepared a countermeasure for it.

That’s why I took a strong stance right from the start…

But I never expected it to be blocked so perfectly.

‘…Hmm.’

If this had been a more realistic setting…

In other words, if the attack had delivered actual damage to the opponent…

I wouldn’t have felt this way.

It was natural; if that had been the case, I would have been too occupied trying to temper my force.

Testing is good and all, but I wouldn’t want to hurt Yoonseo, who’s friends with Dogun, and then have Dogun be upset about it.

But for today, there was no need for such worries.

After all, I had prepared an exceptional protective gear for scenarios like that.

So even if that last hit had landed on Yoonseo, she wouldn’t have been hurt.

Instead, it would send a signal to the management team that the protective gear had broken, marking the end of the duel.

Knowing that, I let my guard down and launched an attack as I usually would…

“That was fun.”

It seemed that it didn’t just end with the attack being blocked.

The evidence was the sounds of the ice surrounding Yoonseo crackling as it began to sprout branches in all directions.

Was she aiming to cover the entire arena floor with ice?

‘Not a bad idea.’

Yes, that was a good strategy.

This way, our mobility would naturally be limited.

The issue was that it would also apply to them… so would they try to endure from inside that barrier?

Before I could finish that thought, I noticed something metallic wrapped around Yoonseo’s shoes.

It was an item commonly referred to as crampons, and there it was, fastened to her footwear.

What did that mean?

Unlike us, who had no countermeasures, it meant she could move somewhat freely on the ice.

As that thought emerged, I immediately vaulted into the air.

There was no reason to stick to a racetrack that’s worse for us.

And I figured Dogun would anticipate that too.

That’s why she could unleash her attacks without the slightest hint of agitation as it was now.

But, honestly, it was all meaningless effort.

Gathering moisture from the air to throw, creating droplets to encase me, and other such tactics had no real merit.

If she had used ice in her attacks instead, that would’ve undoubtedly been more effective.

She was probably too busy just defending against my attacks to have the energy for that.

‘Then again…’

She was still just a first-year high school student.

Expecting more than this would be greedy.

‘Well, anyway…’

I figured I had shown just how great her potential was and was ready to take a look at how formidable she was.

‘This is as far as it goes.’

Yes, this was where I should stop.

From the looks of it, there didn’t seem to be anything more to show.

Playing a pointless target practice game against a bunch of random attacks was starting to feel a bit dull.

So I figured I should finish this and, true to form, aimed my power at the incoming droplets targeting me.

Each time they made contact with the current, they bubbled and exploded… until suddenly—

‘…?!’

This time, I diverted the current.

‘Danger…!’

As I reflexively jerked to the side, a colossal droplet, as intimidating as its size, struck my body in an instant.

“Ugh…?!”