NOVEL NEXT chapter 100
100 – Duel Season (6)
The second match, the grand brawl, has concluded.
The result was the same as the first: 1st place.
Now, if I achieve 1st place in just one of the remaining two matches, I will successfully defend my title.
‘What will the next match be?’
Tower of Trials (Boss Rush)? Or a Point Capture Battle?
‘Hmm… honestly, I don’t really care what it is.’
Still, I hope the next match is the Tower of Trials.
After all, in virtual reality, especially since the matches are held individually rather than as a group.
As soon as I reach a floor, I can activate the speed limit release and take down the boss in one fell swoop.
Or, like I did at the outpost, I could pull out a ton of explosives and create a massive explosion.
I can do all the things I couldn’t do in the arena.
Of course, I could also achieve 1st place in a Point Capture Battle.
‘It’s just that it’s a hassle.’
The Point Capture Battle held in the city is, as the name suggests, a match where individuals must face multiple opponents to capture points. Just like the grand brawl we just had.
‘If the next match is a Point Capture Battle…, they’ll probably target me again.’
While Class C and Class B might not, Class A will definitely come after me first. And unlike the cramped arena, the field is the city.
In the villain response training, to be precise, they will set traps or ambush me using everything they learned from me to try to eliminate me.
So I really hope the next match is the Tower of Trials.
It’s much more comforting to fight fiercely using all my abilities than to fight restrictively to avoid inflicting fatal injuries on my opponent.
Thinking this, I stepped out of the coliseum and manipulated my smartwatch to send a message to Arthur and Asuka.
[Me]
– Arthur, Asuka.
– Let’s have lunch together.
[Asuka]
– Sure, sounds great!
– (｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )b
[Arthur]
– Alright.
[Me]
– Then I’ll wait at the left entrance of the Colosseum.
[Asuka]
– I’ll head over as soon as my treatment is done!
– (❛▿❛ )੭೨💨
[Arthur]
– I’m almost done with my treatment too.
– By the way, Asuka.
[Asuka]
– Yes?
[Arthur]
– Those emoticons? Or should I call them special characters?
– Anyway, how do you use them? Can you teach me too?
[Asuka]
– Oh, of course!
– Here’s how you use them…
With that message, the conversation abruptly stopped.
It seemed Asuka was sharing the details privately.
‘…Should I just sit here until they arrive?’
Although Arthur and Asuka said they would be here soon, their treatments weren’t completely finished, so it was uncertain when they would actually show up. So, I decided to take a moment to rest on a bench until they arrived.
As soon as I thought that, I walked over to the bench I had been eyeing and sat down.
“…Feels like I might be here for a while.”
Unlike the other benches, which were hot from exposure to the sunlight, the one I was sitting on was shaded by the tree behind me.
As a result, it was less hot than elsewhere. No, it was cool.
“…….”
I leaned back against the bench.
I watched people pass by in a daze.
“Mom, Dad. You saw my match today, right? You noticed how much I’ve improved, didn’t you?”
“Of course, we saw it all. Our son has really come a long way!”
A classmate wandering around with family.
“Hey, are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I fainted just once, so I didn’t get hurt that badly.”
A classmate, snuggled up to their partner, engaging in affectionate displays despite the sweltering heat.
“Hey, they say the food at the academy cafeteria is amazing.”
“It really is. After eating here, you’ll definitely regret enrolling in any other academy.”
A classmate heading to the cafeteria with friends or acquaintances.
Everyone’s expressions were bright. Everyone was sharing joyful laughter.
They radiated a happy aura that made me smile just by watching.
But the smile on my lips soon faded.
‘…There will be an attack, right?’
I looked up.
A clear sky, devoid of clouds, stretched above.
On a normal day, it would have felt refreshing, that sky.
But today, instead of feeling cool, it felt stifling.
‘If a Named attacks, that sky will change too.’
Just like it did with the Enchantment.
Greed, Grid would also appear alongside the rifts.
Then the bright expressions of those people, their joyful laughter, their happy aura…
‘Everything will change.’
Bright faces will turn to fearful ones.
Joyful laughter will become screams.
Happy auras will transform into anxious ones.
It will change gloomily.
“Haah.”
A stifling sigh burst out.
The corruptors who might appear at any moment. But people who don’t know that fact.
Honestly, I want to tell them right now.
The corruptors will attack today, so everyone should evacuate in advance.
But that’s impossible.
They won’t believe me, and even if they do, it will only lead to chaos.
[Master, didn’t you prepare for this?]
‘…Yeah, I did.’
As Terra said, I had prepared as much as possible.
The principal, the teachers, Instructor Gang Cheol-soo, and the top students.
I told the people I trust, who trust me, about the attack that will happen today.
Yet, my heart felt heavy, like a stone was weighing me down.
– Yoo Ji-jin, the duel season can’t be canceled. No, it’s precisely because of that that it can’t be canceled.
– Think about it. Just a few months ago, all the major institutions in this country were infiltrated by the corruptor cult. We didn’t know that back then.
– Of course, thanks to your help, we caught most of them, but people are still anxious. In a situation like this, if the Academy’s annual event, which only happens once a year, is canceled due to a corruptor attack, what will people think?
– Yeah, they’ll be terrified, beyond anxious. They’ll think nowhere is safe. So, we have to prepare, but we can’t cancel the duel season.
I recalled my conversation with the principal, looking at people with a heavy gaze.
The people in my sight, my classmates, were still not completely free from the environment where they could die.
That fact was truly bitter.
Was it because of my gloomy mood?
Terra sent a comforting message.
[Master, didn’t Instructor Gang Cheol-soo say that the students here are all heroes from the moment they entered the Academy?]
Yeah, I remember.
The day I was hospitalized due to the battle with the illusions.
I found out that 20 of my classmates, whom I had never met but could have saved, had died.
It was so hard. But I couldn’t keep feeling down, so I received the quest reward.
The gloominess disappeared only then. But it got worse after receiving the reward.
However, I forced myself to act bright, to pretend to be strong, to feign nonchalance.
But the one who noticed my state was Kang Cheol-soo.
– Of course, you and all the students who have entered here are not candidates for heroes; they are heroes. They are proud warriors who can face death at any moment. So, mourn their deaths, but do not let it weigh you down.
And, true to his role as an instructor, he released the tension in my heart with his rough yet sincere encouragement.
‘…Proud warriors.’
Yes, that’s true.
My peers at the academy, no, all the students and instructors would fight against the corruptors instead of fleeing when they attacked.
They would risk their lives to protect even one more family member, lover, friend, or acquaintance.
‘…I just need to push myself harder.’
People who are prepared to face death to protect someone.
I decided to work even harder for them.
As I thought this and ignited my passion, the bitter feeling vanished completely.
The smile that had faded from my lips returned.
“I feel a bit refreshed.”
I felt the weight that had been resting on my heart lift away.
Nodding at that refreshing sensation, I activated the hologram feature on my smartwatch.
And just as I was about to ask Arthur and Asuka if they were done with the treatment.
“Lee Yoo-jin, you were here.”
“…Noah? Why are you here?”
Noah appeared.
What’s going on? I thought he went to the reception room to see Gloria?
“Weren’t you with Gloria?”
Could it be that he already returned to the shrine?
‘That can’t be…’
Asuka’s talent, the Blood of the Radiant Dragon.
I need to ask for that.
But fortunately, what I feared did not happen.
“Lee Yoo-jin, could you come with me?”
“Why?”
“My mother wants to meet you.”
“…Me?”
“Yes, Lee Yoo-jin.”
Oh.
That’s good for me.
Rather, something good has happened.
&
[Me]
– Arthur, Asuka. I’m sorry.
– Gloria is looking for me, so I don’t think I can join you for lunch.
[Asuka]
– Again, again! You’ve abandoned me again!
– [Are you deceiving me?]
[Arthur]
– If Gloria is looking for you, there’s nothing you can do.
– Still, it’s hard not to feel disappointed.
– (ꀬ⏖ꀬ)
[Me]
– I’m sorry, really sorry.
– Let’s definitely eat together later.
[Asuka]
– …It can’t be helped.
– I understand. We’ll eat together next time. ‘For sure.’
[Arthur]
– Got it.
– Then let’s promise to meet next time.
– ( ˘•~•˘ )
“…I’m sorry for breaking my promise, Lee Yoo-jin.”
Noah, who saw me send an apology message to Arthur and Asuka, lowered his head with a genuinely remorseful expression.
“It’s okay, really. Lunch isn’t just today. We can do it another time.”
While their lunch plans are important, meeting with Gloria is even more crucial.
Opportunities to meet her are rare.
“…Still.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. By the way, is this the parlor where Lady Gloria is?”
“Yes, it is.”
Noah said this as he opened the parlor door with a creak.
“You may go in.”
“…What about you?”
Why am I the only one being told to go in?
“My mother instructed me to wait outside until your conversation with Lady Yoo-jin is over.”
Why?
When I asked, my face slightly flustered.
“I don’t know either. All I heard was that Lady Yoo-jin has something to discuss with you privately.”
…Something to discuss privately?
In a closed space, no less?
‘What is this? This kind of event has never happened before.’
For now, it definitely wouldn’t be an awkward atmosphere.
Gloria, she has devoted her life to loving just one person.
“…I understand for now.”
I nodded and stepped into the parlor. Then I heard the door close behind me.
At the same time, a gentle, soothing voice that made me feel at ease penetrated my ears.
“Welcome.”
As I entered, drawn in by that voice, I saw Gloria sitting in a chair, sipping tea.
Tap.
Gloria set down her teacup and looked at me. In that moment, I felt something wrap around my body.
It was a rope made of divine power.
…But why this?
“I knew I felt something was off.”
“……?”
What did you feel?
I thought this as I simultaneously wanted to ask why this was happening.
‘What’s wrong? Why can’t I speak?’
My lips moved, but it was as if my voice had vanished completely.
Seeing me like that, Gloria smiled softly and rose from her seat.
Then she slowly approached me, pulling something from her bosom.
It was… a knuckle duster engraved with a cross.
‘No, why? Why are you arming yourself!’
I was utterly flustered.
As Gloria approached, weapon in hand, I struggled to move.
“Struggling won’t do you any good.”
Click, clack. The sound of her heels echoed as she drew closer, raising her hands in a gesture of sanctity.
“I had a very favorable view of you. After all, you awakened genuine feelings in my son.”
But then, Gloria added, wiping the smile from her lips.
“I never expected you to harbor such treacherous energy.”
What is this, déjà vu?
I sighed inwardly, watching Gloria do exactly what the deity had done to me.
And I desperately struggled, hoping to find my voice.
“What is it you want to say that makes you squirm so?”
It’s something very, very important!
“Well… ordinarily, I wouldn’t grant a treacherous person the right to speak, but… since you’ve helped my son…”
As Gloria muttered, considering making an exception this time.
“…Ah, ah!”
My voice broke free as if a dam had burst.
“Yes, what is it you want to say?”
Gloria asked in a gentle tone, as if she were listening to a final plea.
But despite her voice, she looked ready to swing her fist at any moment.
I took a deep breath.
And when my heart had calmed somewhat, I shouted.
“Please, just let me speak with the chairman!”