—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
‘I just can’t figure this guy out.’
If she had a constellation, would they have been able to understand him?
She somehow felt that even her constellation wouldn’t have been able to grasp his intentions.
Who could possibly understand an archery student challenging her to a swordsmanship duel?
Of course, her heart towards her constellation was already closed.
The moment she threw herself off the rooftop, her relationship with her constellation ended.
Ultimately, this bet was all she had left.
‘But what’s the point of this bet?’
Seo Yoo Rang was right.
A constellation whose commands had no binding force was meaningless.
So, this bet was meaningless no matter the outcome.
But she was curious.
Why did he propose such a meaningless bet?
Why was the subject swordsmanship?
A sense of guilt towards Seo Yoo Rang, who had jumped to save her.
And curiosity about his bet.
That was why she followed him.
“Then, take up your sword.”
Seo Yoo Rang said with a smile.
She had always felt it, but what was with that relaxed attitude?
When she saw him around the academy, he sometimes seemed clumsy, but his attitude changed completely when it came to combat.
‘Even though he’s not strong.’
Just that strange ability he used to save her earlier, and an Overload that was less powerful, perhaps because his blood was thinner than hers.
His overall physical abilities and archery skills were below average even in the archery class.
Yet, whenever he entered combat, he maintained a relaxed attitude against stronger cadets and managed to hold his own.
‘So what is he thinking this time?’
Yuseora saw Seo Yoo Rang as a strategist, even if not a cold-hearted one.
It wasn’t obvious in mock battles because he was overshadowed by Professor Setia.
So what was he thinking this time?
‘I guess I have to find out for myself.’
Following Seo Yoo Rang’s words, she took up her sword.
However, upon seeing the sword she held, Seo Yoo Rang smiled awkwardly and said,
“That sword isn’t your full strength, is it?”
The sword she held was not a Sacred Relic.
Since Seo Yoo Rang was holding an ordinary-looking sword that didn’t seem like a Sacred Relic, she thought she should match him.
Besides, she was confident she could beat someone from the archery class like Seo Yoo Rang even without using a Sacred Relic.
“I told you. The condition of the bet is to go all out.”
…Whatever.
She had no choice but to follow his words for now.
It wasn’t like going all out would put her at a disadvantage.
“Is this good enough?”
She drew her Sacred Relic, the Sacred Replicant.
It wasn’t a particularly special sword, but since the original was said to be a legendary masterpiece, no other sword could match its durability and sharpness.
Seeing the sword, Seo Yoo Rang nodded.
“Then let’s begin.”
Seo Yoo Rang held up his ordinary-looking sword.
Yuseora didn’t know what he was planning, but she mirrored him and raised her sword as well.
However, Seo Yoo Rang didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking first.
‘Is he even yielding the first attack?’
She couldn’t understand him, but she was tired of arguing.
She could just show him that she could win even without using Overload.
With that thought, she accepted the first attack.
She reached Seo Yoo Rang in an instant.
There was already a huge difference in their physical abilities.
Without even using Overload, she swung her sword at Seo Yoo Rang.
‘Huh?’
But Seo Yoo Rang blocked her attack.
It wasn’t a narrow block; he seemed quite relaxed.
She thought that the archery class still focused on the basics and didn’t teach elective swordsmanship courses besides the archery classes.
Yet, his swordsmanship already seemed fundamentally sound.
‘Has he learned swordsmanship somewhere before?’
But basics alone wouldn’t be enough to block a series of attacks.
In fact, although Seo Yoo Rang blocked the first attack, he didn’t counterattack.
She continued to attack Seo Yoo Rang.
But Seo Yoo Rang parried all her subsequent attacks as well.
It was when Yuseora realized that something was wrong.
Seo Yoo Rang finally spoke.
“I told you to go all out.”
She was about to do just that.
She enhanced her sword using Overload.
They could exchange a total of ten strikes.
If she couldn’t end it within that…
‘No, there’s no way I can’t end it.’
He was from the archery class, and she was from the swordsmanship class.
It was absurd to think that she, who had even defeated the ace of swordsmanship class 1, couldn’t beat him.
But Seo Yoo Rang’s still-relaxed attitude made her uneasy.
‘Why?’
Seo Yoo Rang was actually deflecting all her Overload-enhanced strikes.
And his swordsmanship felt strangely familiar.
It was a swordsmanship style she had definitely sparred against relatively recently.
‘Could it be?’
It was the same as back then.
The fourth strike.
Suddenly, Seo Yoo Rang’s attitude changed.
“Do you really think this is your best?”
Parrying her sword, Seo Yoo Rang switched to offense.
Only then did Yuseora realize.
‘This swordsmanship…!’
It was the same as the one used by that Elsie person she had been utterly defeated by.
No, something was different.
Seo Yoo Rang’s swordsmanship lacked the madness she had felt from that person.
‘Where did this skill come from?’
It was a clean swordsmanship she had never seen before.
He only took necessary actions at the necessary moments.
Yet, there were no openings in that series of sword forms, and she couldn’t find any way to interject.
‘Why is someone like him in the archery class?’
Yuseora finally understood why he always seemed so relaxed.
He was actually strong.
Strong enough to beat any of the other cadets.
‘And he wants me to beat this?’
Could there be a more unfair bet?
It was impossible to win this.
In an instant, the ten exchanges were over, and her sword was destroyed.
‘It’s over.’
She finally realized.
Her so-called confident swordsmanship… was nothing.
Rather than feeling upset, she felt relieved.
Now she had nothing left.
She was sure of it.
If this were reality, she wouldn’t mind being stabbed by Seo Yoo Rang’s sword.
‘Just end it already.’
But contrary to her wish, Seo Yoo Rang didn’t finish it.
Instead, he lowered his sword and said to the air,
“Please restore Miss Yuseora’s sword.”
Then, her destroyed sword was restored.
“Why? This is a virtual space. The sword will be restored anyway when we leave, right?”
“The bet isn’t over yet.”
“What are you…”
The outcome of the bet was clear.
It was obvious that she couldn’t beat him.
What was he talking about now?
“I told you. The condition of the bet was to go all out.”
Hearing those words, she felt a surge of anger.
Clenching her fist, she shouted,
“You seem to have some strange misconception about me, but this is my limit! I’m not some great person like you!”
There was no way she could win.
She had truly done her best.
What he was doing was just deception.
“A great person?”
But he smiled bitterly and said,
“To think I’d hear that one day. And to hear it from you is an honor.”
It sounded too sincere to be considered deceit.
Even she, who had been angry a moment ago, calmed down at his bitter expression.
“An honor… What do you mean?”
“Do you really think that’s your limit?”
She nodded.
“Then you won’t mind if I consider myself the temporary winner of the bet for now, right?”
“Well, yes.”
For some reason, she felt a bit uneasy, but she couldn’t refute it.
Then he said,
No, he commanded.
“Then, as a constellation, I command you. Have more confidence in yourself.”
“What?”
“What you lack is not speed, strength, or technique. It’s confidence.”
He pointed to the Sacred Replicant and said,
“Usually, you enhance a Sacred Relic by consuming its durability over 10 strikes, right?”
She nodded.
“That’s a lack of confidence. Why are you preparing for the next exchange?”
She was bewildered by his words.
“But what if that attack misses?”
At that, Seo Yoo Rang tilted his head and swung his sword diagonally in a wide arc.
“If you swing like this, it can’t miss, can it?”
That was true.
But at the same time, it was absurd.
“Such an attack is easy to block.”
“No? I don’t think it can be blocked?”
What was he talking about now?
“As far as I know, Overload is the most powerful enhancement ability in this world, despite the drawback of consuming durability.”
“So?”
“If you divide that power into ten, you’ll only be slightly ahead of others, but what if you put it all into one attack?”
In reality, destroying a Sacred Relic with Overload was an impractical idea outside of mock battles.
That’s why she had never tried it.
Of course, it would be strong. But…
“What then?”
“Why are you thinking about ‘then’? That one strike should be enough to end anything.”
“Anything?”
“Yes, although a 2-star Sacred Relic has some limitations. Still, there shouldn’t be any cadet you can’t cut.”
He said confidently.
At that moment, she realized the implication of his words.
“Does that include you?”
He smiled.
For some reason, it was a joyful smile.
“Well, I’m not sure about that. How about we try it and see?”
He was right.
This was a virtual space anyway.
Such opportunities didn’t come easily.
There was no reason not to try.
She applied Overload to the restored Sacred Replicant.
Unlike usual, it was at a level where she could only exchange one strike.
Then, an unprecedented level of power began to flow from the sword.
‘This is…’
Seo Yoo Rang was right.
Maybe with this… she could cut anything.
Even Seo Yoo Rang, who seemed unbeatable.
“Here I go.”
She recalled the motion Seo Yoo Rang had shown earlier.
A large diagonal swing that the opponent couldn’t avoid.
She felt like that might really be enough.
‘Let’s do it.’
She inhaled.
Stepped forward.
And swung her sword wide.
A black energy slash that seemed to tear through space was drawn diagonally.
In the middle of it was Seo Yoo Rang.
Even Seo Yoo Rang, who had been relaxed until now, had a serious expression.
‘This is it…!’
At that moment, she remembered.
The sword strike of the high-ranking hero she had seen that day.
She was matching that sword strike with just a 2-star Sacred Relic.
“Yes… This is it.”
A gust of wind suddenly gathered around Seo Yoo Rang’s sword.
At the same time, the shape of his sword became strangely elongated.
And…
‘Did time stop?’
In the frozen time, he moved.
Her sword strike, which seemed to split the world in half, was gradually being absorbed into his sword.
Until eventually… it disappeared.
‘What…?’
When it was all over, her sword was destroyed.
And Seo Yoo Rang stood there, unharmed.
Of course, he was sweating profusely and breathing heavily, but the fact that he survived that monstrous attack was extraordinary.
“If you had been holding a 3-star Sacred Relic, it would have been impossible to block.”
He said it so casually.
“But since a 2-star was your best for now, I’ll consider myself the winner of the bet.”
He was even more underhanded than she thought.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
