This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 543

Just a moment ago, I had witnessed an incredible display of power springing from Yoonseo’s fingertips—it was beyond words, and I found myself exclaiming, “Yes, damn it, this is what being a hero and having psychic abilities is all about!”

But now, seeing the sudden childish behavior of those two and how their competitive spirit seemed to have been sparked, it felt like my once grand feelings were shrinking down to nothing.

‘By the way…’

It seems they’re really going for it. The way they’ve made a clear space for what is definitely a duel, it’s probably just as I thought.

That’s why I had stealthily taken my mobile phone from my pocket and messaged Chae-rim. I knew she was busy, but since it was around lunchtime, I thought it’d be good to have someone around to forcibly stop them if things go sideways.

So, I sent Chae-rim a quick text asking if she could come down to the training ground for a bit, then turned my focus back to the two who were about to engage in a duel without even putting on their training suits. I insisted they at least wear the suits first.

Of course, that wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

After all, the training suit is structured to maximize the wearer’s defense just in case things get messy, so getting into it was no simple task.

On top of that, once you put it on, there are some restrictions in movement, and neither of them wanted to wear it.

They’d rather manage everything on their own, thank you very much.

Usually, I might have trusted them and let them do what they wanted, but… today, no, not at this moment, that just wouldn’t do.

If they wanted to reassure me with words, they should focus more on their stakes first.

With them having bets based on the duel’s outcome, what kind of nonsense is it to say they’ll manage everything?

“Ugh… this is really the worst…”

“Fine, if you’re not going to wear it, then don’t even bother with the duel.”

“…Okay, I’ll wear it. Just let me put it on.”

If they really didn’t want to wear it, they could have just given up the duel.

What on earth makes their competitive spirit so intense that even with the grimaces on their faces, both the senior and Yoonseo are ultimately putting those suits on?

“Both of you know the basic rules of mock dueling, right? If either one gives up or if one side attacks excessively—”

“It means we stop the duel immediately, right? We know, now let’s just get started. Let’s finish this so I can take this off.”

“Confident, are we?”

“Are you not confident, Sis?”

What is with both of them?

Thanks to that, I had to swallow the sigh that was about to escape my lips and made sure to stay as far away from them as possible to avoid being a distraction.

I approached the control panel at the far corner of the training ground, activated the duel mode, and surveillance mode, and then the walls of the training ground cracked open to create a space made of transparent but seemingly very tough walls.

‘Things like this are truly nice…’

It’s no wonder it’s said that building a proper training ground costs tens of billions.

Once I stepped into the safety wall that would protect me from the shocks of the attacks Yoonseo or the senior might throw my way, I noticed both of them start stretching lightly, moving their bodies around from their spot.

Admittedly, the outfit they were wearing prioritized protection from external dangers over the wearer’s comfort, so it did feel a bit awkward.

As they were warming up and looking at each other from a distance, I guess they felt it was enough because they exchanged nods as if it were a prearranged signal.

Probably… it meant they were ready to start.

And just to validate my assumptions, their postures shifted dramatically at that very moment.

As if they were about to rush at each other.

After a brief moment of tension, the first to attack was the senior.

Clang—!

The light sound of metal resonated.

But the result was anything but light.

Yoonseo, reacting to that sound, hastily stepped back, leaving behind marks on the training ground floor that looked like a dinosaur had stomped.

‘Take it easy, will you…’

To begin with such an attack… I couldn’t help but think the same when witnessing that scene.

As Yoonseo stepped back, she clicked her tongue lightly, gathering all the moisture around her into a protective blanket around her.

Thanks to that, a huge spherical water barrier formed around her, and it was particularly effective against the senior, who mainly used sound as her weapon.

After all, for sound to travel, there needs to be a medium like air, so if she completely surrounds herself with water like that, any shock from the senior’s powerful attack would be significantly weakened.

‘That’s why Yoonseo’s win rate against the senior drastically increased during their occasional duels.’

It’s not impossible to break through.

The senior isn’t the type to just take attacks passively; after suffering a few defeats from Yoonseo before, she must have developed a countermeasure against that. But nevertheless, most of the attacks she throws are easily blocked, causing the odds to naturally tilt in her favor for a period of time.

Anyway, after taking a defensive position, Yoonseo must have thought it was her turn to attack.

To an outsider, it looked like she was encased in water, and then lightly waved her hand.

The water engulfing her suddenly surged upward and flew towards the senior moments later.

Last time they had a duel, Yoonseo defended like this but attacked with ice, and today it looked like she had learned a new method of attack and was reverting to her foundations.

The robust stream of water, meant to be a test throw, traveled vigorously toward the senior, splitting again near her for a total of sixteen streams, putting her in quite the predicament.

Had I been in her shoes, I don’t know how I’d choose to defend against it, feeling utterly confused.

Yet, the senior’s expression remained unfazed.

As evidence that it wasn’t just bravado, she lightly tapped her foot, generating sound, causing the water streams aimed at her to explode with a series of pops.

‘The attempt itself wasn’t bad, but…’

It was a matter of her opponent being exceptional.

Honestly, it couldn’t be helped. This level of fine control was one of the senior’s specialties.

‘Well, she made it to that level through intense training.’

How much effort must she have put in?

Back then, both she and I were just a temporary manager and a hero candidate, struggling to gather suitable training equipment, sometimes even placing Bluetooth speakers bought from second-hand markets all around while training.

Given that training was done so rigorously back then, the senior probably calculated in her mind that the power of Yoonseo’s currents could be blocked.

So, when the number of streams suddenly increased, it was unlikely to work on her.

In that sense, if Yoonseo had held back and concentrated her strength without splitting her streams, maybe at least one would have landed.

Well, it was a moot point since it was already over.

After exchanging a few probing jabs aimed at gauging each other’s capabilities, it seemed they felt it was enough.

“Urgh—!”

With a grunt escaping the senior’s mouth, the air within the training ground began to heat up significantly.

Consequently, my own heart, which had been anxiously watching them, started racing in sync.