NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17
A room rumble over the opportunity to attend Eliya’s birthday banquet.
The winning room’s members will each receive a bounty of 100 florins.
At first, I wasn’t into it, but I decided to win.
The money is a secondary thought.
What I really want is to stuff my body with protein.
Even just for a day.
The next reason is Galliot.
In the finals, I ended up competing against his room, and Galliot was chosen as the main player.
I absolutely cannot lose.
I don’t want to lose.
If they treat me like that over there, then I’m not going to play nice.
“I will definitely win.”
*
The flow of the finals was somewhat anticlimactic.
Our room, the 13th Room, isn’t that strong when looking at the entire group.
Just about average.
Making it to the finals was just lucky.
On the other hand, the 15th Room is not the same.
First of all, Galliot is among the top candidates.
The rest of the team isn’t to be underestimated either.
Even the opponent selected had quite a skill gap.
As a result.
“Third challenger of the 13th Room, verified incapable of combat. Next challenger, Dillon. Step forward.”
It’s already Dillon’s turn as the fourth challenger.
On the other hand, the 15th Room is still on their first challenger.
That means three people lost to one.
I didn’t expect the gap to be this severe.
The 13th Room made it this far mostly by luck.
The 15th Room pushed through purely with skill.
Is this the expected result?
“I don’t want to lose…. But I don’t want to lose and have to say I fought well….”
The third challenger, Perlyn, returned to the waiting area weakly.
A tall boy of about fourteen, skinny with many freckles.
Was he a 10th-year student?
I’m slowly memorizing names and faces.
“I’m sorry….”
He muttered weakly as he came in.
Richard, who was cheering from the waiting area, encouraged him.
“Hey, why are you acting like you did something wrong? You didn’t do anything wrong, buddy.”
There were plenty of 13th Room members bustling around the waiting area.
They had come down to cheer for their fellow team member.
On the other side, the waiting area of the 15th Room was just as crowded.
Unlike us, they were in a festive mood.
As if it was already decided.
“I think we lost….”
Richard chuckled at Perlyn’s whining.
“Buddy. If you’re saying that, what does that make Judas, who’s left here?”
Only then did Perlyn notice me and lowered his head apologetically.
Understanding that feeling, I just shrugged my shoulders.
As if it were no big deal.
“Well, to be honest, the three that went ahead were all weaklings.”
At that, Perlyn looked even more like he was about to cry.
Richard laughed and gestured toward Dillon.
“Well, at least that guy has gone out.”
The leader of the 13th Room, and next in command.
Dillon, who has solid skills just below Richard’s.
He stared at his opponent with sinking eyes.
The first challenger of the 15th Room arrogantly raised his chin and said.
“How about giving up in advance? It’d be better than losing to just me.”
Dillon didn’t reply.
He simply watched calmly.
The face of the dismissed opponent turned red.
“Fighting will be free sparring. I will start now.”
Gawain checked their conditions one more time, then raised his gloves high.
Thud. As they fell, the opponent rushed in.
With mockery, a wooden sword came down sharply.
“Showoff-!”
Dillon moved without changing expression.
From a mid-stance aimed at the abdomen, he shifted to a high stance aimed at the head.
Clang! The colliding wooden swords slid against each other.
The opponent’s wooden sword barely grazed Dillon.
On the other hand, Dillon’s blade precisely jabbed at the opponent’s neck.
“Gah-!”
The opponent clutched his neck and stumbled back.
Embarrassed, his face flushed red.
He corrected his stance and charged back in.
“Stop messing around-!”
Dillon calmly countered.
He swept his sword sideways and hit the opponent’s wrist.
The opponent dropped his sword.
The opponent staggered.
Dillon quickly closed in.
With one hand on the sword.
He feigned a stab, grabbing the opponent by the collar and tripping him up.
The sword fell towards the opponent’s face as he tumbled down.
“Surrender-!”
Just before the tip of the sword touched the middle of his forehead.
The opponent shouted out desperately.
Dillon’s sword stopped just in front of his forehead.
Dillon slowly raised his body, muttering in confusion.
“What’s the point of talking during a fight…? It must disrupt your breathing… Strange…”
An innocent curiosity.
Since it was a pure question, the defeated opponent lowered his head in embarrassment.
“15th Room loses. Next challenger, please come out.”
The cheers of the audience grew louder.
It was an underdog’s rebellion that had simply been losing.
*
After that, Dillon continued his winning streak.
As Richard had said, Dillon took out the remaining three in the blink of an eye.
Even when the format changed and he had to pick up different weapons, he handled it easily.
Although brief, it was a battle rich in lessons.
“What a textbook example.”
His movements were concise and rigid.
He executed the stances taught at the training sessions as accurately as a drawing in a manual.
“How could he be so mechanical against a fellow human?”
While I admired purely, Richard clicked his tongue.
“Tsk tsk. Fighting so stiffly.”
“……”
Does he not realize how foolish his fighting style is?
I seriously doubt that.
And finally, the fifth challenger from the 15th Room.
Galliot stepped up.
Dillon is already quite tall among our group.
Galliot was even taller.
‘He must be around 180 cm.’
Dillon and Galliot stared at each other silently.
Gawain explained the rules.
“Fencing sparring. No items except for swords and your body can be used.”
Galliot moved his shield far away.
The two exchanged no words.
They simply aimed their swords at each other.
“I will start now.”
Gawain dropped his gloves.
The result was devastating.
Dillon fought well.
He dodged or parried the descending sword, and even attempted counters.
He even succeeded in countering a few times.
But that was all.
Galliot didn’t suffer a single blow from Dillon’s counters.
On the contrary, Dillon struggled just to defend against Galliot’s attacks.
Ultimately, Dillon’s sword broke.
After breaking his sword, he rushed in with his bare hands.
It was a meaningless struggle.
Even while being helplessly beaten, Dillon never shouted his surrender.
He didn’t go berserk, but he was stubbornly tenacious.
‘Why go so far…’
I, his teammate, questioned the extent of his effort.
“Stop. The opponent has no strength to resist.”
Eventually, Gawain stepped in to stop it.
Considering the overwhelming difference in strength, Dillon really fought hard.
But he couldn’t win.
It was a prime example of “lost but fought well.”
“Next. Challenger from the 13th Room. Judas. Step forward.”
“Whew….”
I sighed deeply as I stood up.
It had finally come to me.
At the center of the sparring area, Galliot was glaring at me, not even out of breath.
“Come back alive.”
Richard patted my shoulder.
“Yes. I will be on my way.”
“Win! Take that big pig down!”
“Don’t overdo it, even if you lose!”
Bolstered by the support of my room teammates, I walked forward.
On my way out, Dillon returned to the waiting area, supported by Argon.
He said.
“I’m sorry…. I tried my best… but I couldn’t even exert my strength….”
“……”
Only then did I realize.
Dillon fought like that because of me being left behind.
He probably wanted to at least inflict light injuries, but Dillon couldn’t achieve that.
“Senior.”
I patted his shoulder and said.
“If you say that, it makes it seem like I’ll definitely lose.”
With my brazen statement of confidence, both Dillon and Argon stared at me blankly.
I smiled at them.
“I’ll come back alive.”
“According to the rules, intentional killing is forbidden….”
“Just watch me.”
Ignoring Dillon’s grumbling, I headed toward the stage where Galliot awaited.
“Seriously, the kid is so responsible.”
Definitely not the room leader for nothing.
I didn’t feel upset that they thought I would lose.
It was a realistic and rational deduction.
To be honest, I couldn’t assure victory either.
I’m a newbie who joined less than a month ago.
Young and small.
In contrast, Galliot, although not that old, is a promising candidate.
He’s fairly old, tall, and has even received special training.
He must have a lot of experience.
“But I’ll win.”
I don’t know if I can lose.
Even though I’m not in the body of this Judas, I’ve fought countless times against stronger opponents in my past life.
Yet no one among them could defeat me.
Finally, I stood facing Galliot.
I had to bend my neck just to see him.
Does he look even taller today, or is it just my imagination?
‘If it’s a hand-to-hand fight, my chances are a bit higher…. If I have to use a weapon, the sword would be secondary. I need to keep the fight in hand-to-hand to disarm my opponent… what are the techniques for that…’
Gawain announced the match type.
“Unarmed combat. The two challengers may discard their weapons.”
I sighed in relief internally as I pushed my sword and shield away.
“Surrender.”
Galliot looked down at me and said.
“This isn’t a provocation. You are too small and weak compared to me. If I misjudge my strength, I might kill you. This is sincere.”
Gawain seemed to be waiting for my answer, clearly worried too.
There was no need to think about such nonsense.
I said in a polite tone, though the words were anything but.
“Please stop jabbering nonsense, senior.”
“…….”
“I honestly don’t know why you dislike me so much. I can’t comprehend it, and today, I’m here to give you a reason for it.”
I raised my hand towards his face.
Galliot’s expression twisted into one of anger.
“If you lose to me in such a disgraceful way, wouldn’t that be a good enough reason to hate me?”
The spectators erupted into roars of excitement.
My voice could barely reach.
But this straightforward gesture was enough for everyone to understand the situation.
“…Don’t regret this.”
There was a lot of truth in his words.
In duels, one isn’t held responsible for dying.
And he truly is strong enough to kill me.
Still, I didn’t back down.
The only thing I hate more than dying is to run away.
In the periphery of my vision, I spotted Eliya.
She was smiling.
Just like a Bad Woman enjoying the pain of others.
I wondered how long she had been smiling like that.
Probably since the beginning.
Gawain raised his gloves high and declared.
“…I will start now.”
As soon as the gloves touched the ground, Galliot charged at me fiercely.
___
One hit, two hits, three hits.
How many hits did I take?
Judas surrendered after taking three.
I had taken too many hits and didn’t have the luxury to keep going.
From the start until now, Judas was busy blocking.
That wasn’t even defense.
The gap in strength was extreme.
If I blocked with my arm, my arm ached.
It was just like getting hit on the face instead of my arm.
I couldn’t say I blocked anything.
I curled my body to avoid major areas like my face and abdomen.
Counterattacks never crossed my mind.
I couldn’t even reach.
Before skill, the weight class was simply unfair.
At first, the audience, excluding the 13th Room, cheered.
The one-sided violence tickled the sadistic nature and impulses of humans.
A thrilling delight they couldn’t usually enjoy.
But that was short-lived.
As the duel dragged on, the audience grew quiet.
The spectacle of a sturdy young man mercilessly hitting a boy barely half his size.
It wasn’t a duel.
It was just an assault and abuse.
It might have been better if both sides had weapons.
The act of being beaten barehanded was too cruel.
“Aren’t they going to stop this…?”
Lindell from the 13th Room said, worry etched on his face.
Richard frowned, and Dillon turned his head away, unable to watch.
“Someone’s going to die for real at this rate!”
Argon shouted, but Gawain showed no signs of stepping in.
Gawain was also in a dilemma.
He should have halted the match earlier.
This match was obviously going to yield such results.
However, Judas did not surrender.
He got back up as soon as he fell.
Even while bleeding profusely, his eyes glimmered with intensity.
As if he were a beast capturing the weakness of its prey.
He was filled with the will to fight.
He didn’t even shout an apology.
Then, he couldn’t be interrupted.
Eliya, who had been smiling, had wiped the smile off her face.
Until Judas came out, she hadn’t been watching the match closely.
She seemed to be waiting for Judas alone.
Then, Judas came out, and the duel began.
What would he show us?
She had expected a display and smiled, but Judas kept getting hit.
By that time, her smile had disappeared.
She didn’t even know why anymore.
Was it because it was boring?
Was it because he failed to show something she expected?
Was that really the only reason? Eliya couldn’t be sure.
If there was another reason, what could it be?
“Hah, hah….”
Galliot violently caught his breath.
The one doing the hitting was more exhausted than the one being hit.
It was unbelievable.
One would think his bones would’ve cracked and muscles ruptured, yet he was still standing.
Galliot felt envious.
Even the dignity he displayed now.
The spectators, who had once cheered for him, were no longer just feeling sympathy for Judas.
Galliot clenched his jaw and swung his fist.
Smack!
Judas couldn’t block it and took it to the face.
He fell back but quickly got back up again.
“…Stop it. Now.”
Galliot spoke in a restrained tone.
“You can’t win. You will really die if this continues.”
Huff.
Judas spat a mouthful of bloody saliva on the floor and, panting, raised his hand once more.
He lacked the breath to speak.
“…Sure. If that’s really what you want, as your senior, I will grant you that.”
That stubbornness.
The way he naturally gathered attention and allied supporters was horridly disgusting.
Galliot gathered magic.
Physical enhancement.
A strengthened body cannot be sensed externally unless it strikes something.
To prevent Gawain from noticing, he only enhanced the tip of his fist.
He planned to kill with this one blow.
“Whew, whew….”
Judas caught his breath and focused his gaze.
His vision kept blurring.
Galliot seemed to split into two and then return as one.
His knees trembled violently.
His consciousness was faded.
Fueled solely by instinct, he stood.
An instinct not to lose.
Judas felt a strange power emanating from Galliot.
The rippling force.
Magic.
Judas’s consciousness sharpened at the inharmonious power.
Magic use is allowed only among those who can use it.
Why hadn’t Gawain caught on?
Why was I able to recognize it instantly?
Was it because my mana was of the lunar attribute?
I don’t know.
It was too late to shout for it to stop.
Nor did I wish to.
The mana that spilled from Galliot brushed against Judas’s mana.
The magic he had received from Moon Deer through the past few days warmed his body through his veins.
‘I will win.’
What must he do to win?
What he could do.
What he was good at.
He recalled his past.
A past he should now call a previous life.
The time spent in South Korea on Earth.
The identity temporarily forgotten while adapting to living here.
Galliot started running towards him.
The memories rushed back into his mind rapidly.
His name. Kang Je-won.
Gender. Male.
Galliot pulled his fist back. To make a strong strike.
The shaking of his body ceased.
[Mana Release (Lv.3)]
For some reason, his strength returned.
Not only did it return, but power surged through his entire being.
Lunar attributes.
Thus, it was a special magic infused with the power of the gods, yet Judas had no time to confirm that.
Instead of a hazy consciousness, the instinct thought.
‘Just once. Just once, you don’t even need to grab him… if only my fingers catch hold of that sleeve and collar… using the force against him is something I’ve done a lot…’
He reached out.
One hand reached for the incoming right sleeve of the opponent.
The other grasped the collar of the opponent.
Memories flooded back.
What he once did, what he wanted to do.
A physical education student. Taking a break from studies.
Voluntarily withdrawing from the national team selection.
His dream back then was an Olympic gold medal.
Discipline: Judo.
The hand he extended slowly reached the sleeve and collar.
He tightened his grip strongly.
The opponent came barreling toward him with all his might.
The opponent’s body was already leaning.
He just needed to add to it.
A movement engraved in the instinct.
A technique remembered by the soul, not the body.
‘Uchi-mata.’
As soon as he grabbed, he spun backward.
Bending forward, he pulled Galliot as hard as he could.
Something heavy landed on his back.
Turning his waist and hips with all his might.
It was the finishing move to throw the opponent.
Thud!
A dull, heavy sound reverberated throughout the sparring area.
Galliot crashed into the floor.
The rushing momentum, the height he had lifted, and the strength of Judas, enhanced by the moon’s magic all combined, toppled Galliot.
“Guhk-!”
Galliot let out a heavy groan.
Breath got caught in his throat, and agony enveloped his entire body for a moment.
He gasped for air, rolling his eyes back.
“Hah, hah….”
Judas looked down at the unconscious Galliot.
After catching his breath, he belatedly grasped the situation.
‘I won…!’
The moment he thought that.
“Woooaah—!”
The silence that had cloaked hundreds of spectators burst open with cheers.
A roar that could deafen.
His skin tingled.
Amidst it all, Judas glimpsed the shard of the dream he had long yearned for.
The dream that had been blocked by the walls of reality.
“Hah, haha…”
He laughed weakly.
His legs gave way, and he sank to the ground.
He felt a pleasant shiver all over his body, and the laughter wouldn’t cease.
“Judas.”
Gawain, the judge, approached him.
His gaze, looking down on me, somehow felt chilly.
“Disqualification due to the use of unauthorized mana.”
“……”
Judas stared up at him in a daze.
His expression suggested he failed to comprehend what he had just heard.
The cheers of the audience began to die down.
Just as Judas was about to offer an explanation.
“Wait a moment.”
Someone cautiously stepped into the fray.
It was Ria, Eliya’s closest maid.
“My lady has something to testify as a mage regarding the match.”
Gawain, Judas, and even all the onlookers turned to one place.
Eliya, who had been seated in the upper tier, gracefully descended the stairs.
Step by step, the quiet dueling hall filled with the sounds of her footsteps.