NOVEL NEXT Chapter 70
Chapter 70: Joint Training (3)
“So?”
“He told me that…”
Five men chatted as they descended the stairs on the 1st floor of the Dice headquarters.
They were the Jung Young-wook Party, ranked 2nd in the 4th tier within Dice.
One of two parties that were almost guaranteed to reach 3rd tier within a few months.
“What’s going on?”
The youngest member by age but recognized for his exceptional magic skills, Jung Young-wook, looked toward the throng of people gathered at the Training Center.
“That’s the Sparring Arena, right?”
“I guess it opened today.”
The previously closed Sparring Arena seemed to have opened today.
I wonder if there’s going to be something entertaining to watch.
Intrigued, they approached the Sparring Arena.
“…?”
However, the closer they got, the more strange it felt.
Many familiar faces were mingled among the crowd.
But the spectators watching the sparring were strikingly quiet.
Given the nature of heroes who usually love to witness fights, there was no reason for the onlookers to be this quiet…
Creeeak!
Just then, the ongoing sparring match came to an end.
The results were displayed on the monitor.
[24:3]
The score showing effective hits clearly read 24:3.
One side had an overwhelming victory.
“Who fought against who?”
The Jung Young-wook Party members watched the people exiting the Sparring Arena.
One side was the well-known Lee Gang-mo Party.
And the other side was two unfamiliar faces.
“Uh.”
But Jung Young-wook recognized one of the faces.
He was the top graduate of the 31st class from the Blue Moon Hero Academy.
A face Jung Young-wook could never forget—Kim Si-hu.
“The winners are the Yoo Ji-han Party.”
“…!”
Guild Master Yoon Do-ha announced that the other side was the victor.
Jung Young-wook hurriedly reconfirmed the score on the monitor.
‘Did those two beat the Lee Gang-mo Party?’
Leaving aside the presence of heroes not belonging to Dice…
That Kim Si-hu defeated the Lee Gang-mo Party!
While their performance was slightly less than Jung Young-wook’s party, as the 3rd rank in the 4th tier, they were still formidable.
It was hard to believe they lost.
“You did well!”
“Thanks.”
“The scene where you disrupted the magic in front of that Fire Wall was quite impressive.”
Even Jung Young-wook’s most respected hero, Yoon Do-ha, was praising Kim Si-hu.
‘How can you…!’
A compliment Jung Young-wook had never personally heard!
Gazing at Kim Si-hu’s face, Jung Young-wook felt intensely frustrated.
“Hey, Young-wook. That’s the ‘half-hearted’ guy you mentioned, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Kim Si-hu, who always received more spotlight than him.
It seemed their bad blood was not over yet.
“Next, we want to give it a shot!”
“No! I want to try!”
…
…
After the sparring ended, a number of heroes appeared, eager to test their strength against the Yoo Ji-han Party.
The Lee Gang-mo Party’s defeat had further ignited their competitive spirit.
“Stop it. There’s no one ranked higher than Lee Gang-mo here.”
Yoon Do-ha rejected the challenges from parties of lower rank than Lee Gang-mo.
But then—
“Here we are!”
“You are… Jung Young-wook, right? When did you arrive?”
“I just got here!”
“If it’s you guys, it’s possible. How’s the Yoo Ji-han Party doing right now?”
“No problems at all.”
Kim Si-hu looked at Jung Young-wook and smiled brightly.
He was purely happy to see a friend.
However, unlike him, Jung Young-wook wore a twisted smile.
*
“This next match will be won by the first side to score 10 points.”
After a 30-minute break, the sparring between the Yoo Ji-han Party and Jung Young-wook Party began.
The side that first scored 10 points would win.
Rumble—
This time, unlike the first match, a large rock obstacle was placed on the floor of the Sparring Arena.
Yoo Ji-han stood, admiring the preparation.
“Start!”
As the battle began, Yoo Ji-han gazed at the hero who was wary of him.
A bold warrior wielding a two-handed axe and Mage Jung Young-wook.
They didn’t seem too different from the previous two.
[Call of Ice]
“…!”
Sensing magic, Yoo Ji-han quickly pulled back.
Simultaneously, a circular magic circle shimmered on the ground where he had been standing, and sharp shards of ice shot up into the air.
Yoo Ji-han deflected the incoming ice pieces with his sword while keeping an eye on Jung Young-wook.
‘This time seems a bit different.’
A position-determined spell cast from a distance away from the caster.
Moreover, ice magic generally has more physical power than water magic, but it’s harder to handle.
If one miscalculates, the magic might get canceled or take an odd form, so inexperienced mages tend to avoid using it.
But Jung Young-wook was different.
“I’m going all out.”
Knowing his opponent well, Kim Si-hu showed his sincerity.
He sketched a wavy figure with his staff.
[Fire Ring]
A ring of fire was created above the Jung Young-wook Party.
It began to spin rapidly, and huge fireballs rained down like a tornado.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
While Jung Young-wook extinguished the fiery magic coming toward him with water magic, the warrior blocked the fireballs with the surface of his axe.
Still, he didn’t look back at Jung Young-wook.
He trusted that he could handle this level of attack alone.
“Let’s go!”
The axe-wielding warrior charged at Yoo Ji-han.
Clang!
Yoo Ji-han deflected the massive axe slightly to the side with his sword.
At the same time, he aimed for the opponent’s wrist.
Ping!
[1:0]
The attack didn’t go deep, but it succeeded in drawing a small trickle of blood from the opponent’s arm.
Thus, the first point went to the Yoo Ji-han Party.
“Hup!”
The warrior, unfazed by the wound, swung his axe at Yoo Ji-han.
It was as if he wielded that massive axe as easily as a one-handed axe.
Whoosh—
The axe blade sliced through the air, targeting Yoo Ji-han’s midsection.
Even though this was just sparring, a direct hit from that big axe could render him incapacitated.
But for a hero stepping into a combat-like sparring, it was something that had to be risked.
Yoo Ji-han calmly observed the swinging path of the axe and responded with his sword.
Crash!
Meanwhile, magic and magic continued to clash on the side.
Jung Young-wook poured out magic to engage in the warriors’ fight.
Kim Si-hu, blocking all of it, guided the battle of mages.
[Stone Shower]
Kaboom–
Like the stream falling from a showerhead.
Numerous stones began to rain down from the sky toward Kim Si-hu.
[Magic Pipe]
But Kim Si-hu countered with a large cylindrical tube.
As the stones entered the long pipe with a clattering sound, their speed did not decrease but rather accelerated.
Then they followed the curve of the pipe and came out through the opposite end.
There, Jung Young-wook stood.
He redirected the used magic back at him.
“Tsk!”
Jung Young-wook clicked his tongue, canceling the Stone Shower.
He didn’t have enough time to get rid of all the stones, so he threw his body to the side.
At the same time, he prepared counter-magic against Kim Si-hu.
The magical duel continued, with neither side easily retreating, each responding to the opponent’s magic in the best way possible.
“Wow…”
“That’s 4th rank magic for you.”
“I suddenly feel inadequate.”
The spectators watching the sparring couldn’t tear their eyes away from Kim Si-hu and Jung Young-wook’s magic.
It was a level of combat far beyond that of a 4th rank Mage.
It could even be believed to be a fight among 3rd ranks.
“…”
In contrast, Yoon Do-ha silently observed Yoo Ji-han.
He was the one actively scoring points in this sparring.
Ping!
[4:1]
Once again, the score gap widened.
While the big attacks didn’t hit directly, Yoo Ji-han only dealt superficial wounds that simply scratched the opponent’s body.
He focused on scoring points rather than overwhelming or subduing the opponent.
It was a strategic grasp on the rules of the sparring.
‘Should I have brought them into Dice after all?’
Yoon Do-ha lamented missing out on acquiring Sweet Fun earlier.
If they had come into Dice, the ranks of the 4th rank parties within the guild might have changed.
“Ugh…!”
Jung Young-wook glanced up at the scoreboard, letting out a groan.
It was because the warrior of the party he trusted had given away a whopping 4 points.
‘What the hell is that warrior!’
Jung Young-wook reached for Yoo Ji-han.
“How dare you!”
But Kim Si-hu didn’t allow his transgression.
Forced to retract his hand due to the rapidly approaching attacking magic.
Ping!
[8:3]
The battle continued.
Only 2 points were needed until the Yoo Ji-han Party won.
“Come here right now!”
Jung Young-wook called his party warrior over to him.
With scratches all over, he bowed his head.
“Sorry, Young-wook.”
He was usually a trustworthy warrior.
But Yoo Ji-han proved to be more formidable than Jung Young-wook had anticipated.
He had only considered Kim Si-hu as an obstacle, and this had taken him by surprise.
“It’s okay!”
Ignoring his apology, Jung Young-wook drew power from within.
Right now, he needed a powerful magic that could flip this unfavorable situation.
[Golden Storm]
Goooo—
Magical energy shimmering yellow began to gather before Jung Young-wook.
The earth of the Sparring Arena shook violently, hinting at something enormous about to rise.
‘Is that a unique magic?!’
Kim Si-hu realized Jung Young-wook was very angry.
Moreover, it was evident that his skills had grown since before.
“Ji-han hyung!”
“I know.”
Yoo Ji-han joined back with Kim Si-hu behind the rock.
And they waited for Jung Young-wook’s magic.
They planned to either counter that magic or let it pass, finishing the sparring through scoring.
But just then—
“Wait a moment!”
“…?!”
The arena manager suddenly halted the sparring.
“It seems the sensor has malfunctioned!”
“Excuse me?”
Jung Young-wook canceled his magic, and the managers approached Yoo Ji-han.
“Hold on.”
A weapon-shaped model touched Yoo Ji-han’s arm.
However, there was no warning sound that should have echoed from the speaker.
The same held true for Kim Si-hu.
As they found no response from the sensors belonging to the Jung Young-wook Party either, the managers wore very troubled expressions.
“Ugh, we’re really sorry.”
“Looks like it’s best to halt the sparring here.”
“There’s nothing we can do about this.”
The system of the Sparring Arena was still unstable.
Yoo Ji-han ultimately lowered his weapon.
Having already had plenty of fun from the previous battles, he thought it was satisfactory to just move on.
*
After the battle ended.
The Jung Young-wook Party stepped into the empty Break Room.
“Jengzang—!”
Thud!
Jung Young-wook slammed his staff onto the floor.
‘That half-hearted piece of…!’
The sparring was halted due to the malfunctioning of the sensor, leaving the outcome undecided.
But he didn’t want to accept that he had been outperformed by Kim Si-hu.
“I have no words left.”
“Must’ve been due to the sensor, right?”
“Huh?”
“It would’ve been fine if the sensor hadn’t malfunctioned. Right?”
The other party members nodded.
“The 4 points were lost due to the broken sensor.”
“No. At least 5 points must have gone wrong.”
“Honestly, how long has it been since the underground training center was built that they manage it like this?”
“…Y-yeah. It’s because of the sensor.”
As everyone blamed the sensor, even the warrior who faced Yoo Ji-han had no choice but to nod along.
If they didn’t blame something, he would have to bear all the criticism.
‘So annoying.’
Kim Si-hu, who had been allowed to sit in a seat reserved only for the top graduates during the graduation ceremony of the Blue Moon Hero Academy!
Meanwhile, the second-place Jung Young-wook sat in the same seating as the regular students.
He couldn’t shake off the humiliation he felt back then.
‘Kim Si-hu, Kim Si-hu, Kim Si-hu…!’
Jung Young-wook gritted his teeth, thinking of Kim Si-hu.
He didn’t want to lose anything, not even to that Half-Elf.