Chapter 43: Duel Battle (5)
Aaaaaaaaagh!
The rapidly spinning Earth Cluster brutally scraped across Kwak Ji-cheols face.
Had there been no protective magic applied, the consequences would have been horrifying.
He hurriedly deactivated the Earth Cluster to escape the agony.
The scattered debris on the ground seemed to mirror his state of mind.
After experiencing similar tactics three or four times in a row, even the most narrow-minded person begins to catch on.
Thanks to the physical ordeal he was experiencing, Kwak Ji-cheol was close to accurately deciphering Kim Hos strategy.
Its the wind! The wind!
He realized it was the wind manipulating him, toying with his movements.
This revelation, along with the embarrassing moments it caused, flashed through his mind like a panorama and that helped fuel his rage even more.
This guy really knows how to infuriate people.
Just as he was about to cast another attack spell,
Whizz
A faint breeze brushed against Kwak Ji-cheols cheek.
His body shivered and he snapped back to attention.
This wont do.
Focusing solely on attacking without any defense would only leave him vulnerable to Kim Ho, just like before.
His first priority was to get out of the winds influence.
Kwak Ji-cheols staff emitted a green light.
The remnants of the recently dispelled Earth Cluster accumulated and formed a circular wall.
Whoosh!
However, in the next moment, a sudden gust of wind from behind forcefully pushed against Kwak Ji-cheols back.
He ended up headbutting the wall he had just summoned.
Guh! Th-this damn. damned guy!
Even as he unwillingly embraced the wall, he maneuvered his staff to erect another barrier behind him.
Finally, after sealing the top and reinforcing any gaps, a small fortress of stone was complete.
Fortunately, the wind could not penetrate into the fortress.
I can relax now.
From now on, all he had to do was keep an eye on the outside and use the wooden golem and long-range spells to induce a war of attrition.
Wow That really leaves you speechless.
Dang Gyu-young shook her head in disbelief.
Space defense, the turtle tactic.
It was a petty strategy but it was often used for victory.
The problem was that Kwak Ji-cheol was the one employing this turtle tactic right now.
If he had borrowed a third-year students golem, he would be criticized even if he completely dominated the fight, but space defense?
Dang Gyu-young pointed to the stage and mocked Mok Jong-hwa.
Hey, honestly, even I am more manly than that, right?
Shut up.
Mok Jong-hwa retorted as if spitting out the words.
He too was equally displeased with Kwak Ji-cheols behavior.
While winning a duel was important to uphold the prestige of the Emerald club, the content of the duel was equally important.
But such an unsightly display like this.
Now, even a victory wouldnt be enough to break even. It was a pure loss.
Meanwhile, Dang Gyu-young started thinking with her chin in her hand.
How to break through that.
Petty as it was, Kwak Ji-cheols fortress was quite sturdy when evaluated calmly.
He looked like had used it often enough that he had a high level of proficiency, and the addition of bonuses from the equipment of second-and third-year students further strengthened it.
Thump! Boom!
Outside the fortress, the wooden golem upturned the ground as it launched its attacks, while Earth Clusters formed here and there and began shooting gravel.
Kim Ho deftly dodged all these attacks.
He moved so fast that only a blur of his sneakers was visible.
In the end, it looks like our junior-nim here will win.
The initial worry she had felt upon first seeing the golem had now significantly faded.
[Kim Ho 100% vs Kwak Ji-cheol 68%]
[Remaining Time 4:57]
Kim Hos health was at 100%, after all.
Up until now, not a single effective hit had been allowed.
Meanwhile, Kwak Ji-cheol was in a state of considerable accumulated damage.
If things continued this way, simply avoiding further hits and using up the remaining time for a decision victory seemed like a viable option.
But he doesnt seem like the kind of person who would be satisfied with that.
If he was going to unleash the Inferno Fist in front of Kwak Seung-jaes eyes, he would do so rather than drag it out to a lackluster decision victory. It didnt seem to be in his character.
There was certainly more he had prepared.
.!
Miss Seo, do you see something?
.!
The first to notice the anomaly was Seo Ye-in.
In her eyes, most of Kim Hos information still appeared as question marks.
[Ampli?]
[??Force?(?+ -> B?)]
However, information isnt solely represented by quantifiable figures.
Seo Ye-in could see it.
She saw Kim Hos momentum suddenly surge dramatically.
His sneakers, which had been moving at an incredible speed using [Thiefs Step] to their utmost, came to a halt.
Kim Ho stood still and faced the wooden golem head-on.
To any observer, it seemed like a recklessly daring act.
It looked as though he would be knocked out by a large wooden fist at any moment.
But just before the wooden fist could hit him, Kim Ho raised his hand and lightly touched it.
Thump!
The wooden golems fist was catapulted upward.
A pose with one hand raised above its head.
Its upper body was left completely unprotected.
Taking one step closer, Kim Ho lightly pushed the golems vulnerably exposed chest.
Wh-what?
What Kwak Ji-cheol inside the fortress saw was the hefty wooden golems feet lifting off the ground and rapidly hurtling towards him in a terrifyingly swift motion.
His initially puzzled What quickly turned into a scream.
What!? Wha-wha!! Whaaaaaaaaah!!
Boom, boom, boom!!
Kwak Ji-cheols small sanctuary was hopelessly crushed under the flying wooden golem.
And so was Kwak Ji-cheol inside it.
Tha!
What!
Everyone watching was struck dumb with shock.
Ha Soo-yeon too stood with her mouth agape for a long while.
My god
She felt chills run down her spine.
What Kim Ho had created with his [Blank Skill Book] was not something like the Hammer of Wind.
It was something far more powerful.
A typhoon that tossed the hefty wooden golem around like a straw doll.
Just moments earlier, she had felt relieved at having given Kim Ho a gift, but now she was retracing her steps, wondering if she had made some mistake in their interactions
Weve reconciled right?
[Kim Ho 100% vs Kwak Ji-cheol 61%]
Despite this, the ongoing match indicated that Kwak Ji-cheol was not yet incapacitated.
Indeed, the crumbled pile of stones began to stir, and Kwak Ji-cheol clumsily crawled out.
His face had lost its resolve and was pale with shock.
..!
As soon as he came out, his gaze met Kim Hos.
Kwak Ji-cheol couldnt understand why Kim Ho was pointing at him with a finger.
But as that finger pointed upwards,
Buzz!
He felt an immense sense of levitation, and the next moment, he was floating several meters in the air.
Ho-how did this happen?
Bang!
And then he was slammed back to the ground.
It seemed as though an invisible giant had grabbed him and thrown him down.
Gughh!
Kwak Ji-cheol, who had barely managed to get up, saw Kim Ho pointing upward with his finger again.
His eyes widened.
No, not again
Buzz!
As he floated in the air, Kwak Ji-cheol desperately shouted.
I I lose! I surrender-
Bang!
..!
Buzz!
Bang!
Upon being slammed to the ground for the third time, Kwak Ji-cheol finally lost his grip on his consciousness.
***
[Kim Ho Win vs Kwak Ji-cheol Lose]
Pffttt!!
Dang Gyu-young burst into a fit of laughter while playfully slapping my shoulder.
It was my victory, yet she seemed even happier.
Great job, well done! Its so satisfying, hahaha!
Go Hyeon-woo, Seo Ye-in, and Shin Byeong-cheol in the stands were also approaching from afar to celebrate the victory.
In contrast, the atmosphere in the Emerald Magic Tower Side was akin to that of a funeral home.
Kwak Seung-jae was tending to his unconscious brother, while Mok Jong-hwa covered his face with one hand.
The members of the Mother Nature club seemed to be cautiously watching me for some reason.
Anyway, it was time to collect the dues.
.
As I approached, Mok Jong-hwa clenched his eyes shut and swallowed his anger.
But a promise is a promise; he reluctantly took out the [Crafting VIP Ticket] from his inventory and handed it over.
His trembling hands indicated just how reluctant he was to part with such an item.
Well, it was just that important.
After tucking the ticket away, I started the conversation.
May I make a suggestion?
What is it?
How about keeping the replay of this duel private?
!
The public release of this duels footage would be a massive blow to the image of the Emerald Magic Tower.
They had supported a freshmans duel with third-year equipment and a golem, only to get beaten up one-sidedly.
Kwak Ji-cheols performance, being pushed around, pulled, and flying through the air, was an added embarrassment.
They would surely prefer it to be as if it never happened.
So I extended an olive branch.
Mok Jong-hwa pondered for a moment before responding.
A guy who only accepted the duel with stakes now throws a bone in our favor.
Theres no such thing as a free lunch, is there?
Youre quite the businessman.
I wont starve, thats for sure. Will you accept?
For Mok Jong-hwa, it was an offer he couldnt refuse.
It was better to silence me now than to deal with the aftermath of a shattered reputation.
Tch. State what you want.
Nothing at the moment. Just a small favor in the future, if youre able.
If its within my capacity.
Alright, then. Ill make it private.
He had spoken as if doing me a favor, but keeping the replay private was also what I desired.
The slower the spread of information about [Wind Force], the more advantageous it would be.
I was confident that Mok Jong-hwa would accept this proposal, which is why I had used Wind Force extravagantly in various ways during the duel.
Another reason was to create a debt for Mok Jong-hwa to owe me.
Although I had already crossed a point of no return with the Emerald club, going any further would likely make the fight messier.
Violating school rules would be the least of it, with the battle potentially descending into dangerous and murky territory.
While I could defeat anyone who came at me, it wouldnt be ideal if it hindered my growth.
I didnt want people like Seo Ye-in or Go Hyeon-woo to suffer unnecessarily because of it.
So, this time, I compromised a little and in exchange I tied Mok Jong-hwas hands.
As long as he felt even a slight sense of debt toward me, he wouldnt move rashly.
Of course, he wasnt a noble man, so his thoughts might change later but by then,
I would have grown enough.
Enough to easily trample something like the Emerald Magic Tower.
Regardless of our true intentions, it was a temporary ceasefire on the surface.
Mok Jong-hwa gave me a nod as a greeting and then turned his back.
Kwak Ji-cheol, who had come to his senses by then, didnt dare meet my eyes. He just staggered after Mok Jong-hwa while looking down.
Kwak Seung-jae sent me a calm glance before joining the Emerald group.
As I watched their retreating figures, two fingers gently pinched my cheek and then pulled it.
Well, well, the more I look at you, the more you seem like a sly fox, huh?
Senior, thats no bay to balk to bour Bunior.
I removed Dang Gyu-youngs hand from my cheek.
She had always been unusually close, but since she offered to recruit me into the club, we had grown even closer.
You planned the whole replay thing, didnt you? And you didnt suffer any loss from it.
Youre quick to catch on.
Well, I am the club president for a reason. But what are you going to ask of Mok Jong-hwa?
Ill have to think about it later. It will probably be something similar to what I asked of you.
Oh right, now that you mention it, I remember.
Dang Gyu-young had agreed to fulfill a small favor of mine in exchange for accessing the information of the [Cube of Life].
The small favor was,
Just pass on a piece of news to the president of the Magic Engineering Club.
It would be better if it seemed to come up naturally.
Tell them that a freshman completed a 10x10x10 cube.
How far has it progressed?
Ive already spread the word. And Ive received a request because of it.
A request?
They want to meet with you. Can you arrange it? What do you say?
Thats great. Lets meet.
Before we move on to the next item, lets try one more thing.
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