Cha Mu-yeol just chuckled to himself after witnessing Hwa-ryeon’s unruly behavior, deciding it wasn’t worth addressing since you can’t exactly give a kindergartener a smack on the head for acting out.
[We’ve already distributed the selection match details, so we don’t have to go into much detail. Let’s dive right into the first match.]
He read all the prior information and found nothing particularly noteworthy except for one thing.
They didn’t disclose the matchups.
With Hwa-ryeon being the only exception, nobody knew who their opponents were.
So, everyone’s attention was glued to Cha Mu-yeol.
[The first match is Lee Yeon-hee vs. Kim Beom-jun. Please proceed to the center of the training grounds.]
“Oh, nice!”
“Eh? We’re starting right away? It’s to choose the representative of the White Knight Guild, but it feels a bit empty.”
“Should we at least play some entrance music? I think that would be nice. Simple and clean.”
“Um… I, uh, we need to head out… It’s okay if I summon Il-wol and walk in with him, right?”
“Clap, clap, clap.”
Though Yeon-hee had faced a similar situation in her previous battle against Il-seom, it still felt strange to show off her strength in front of hundreds of eyes.
Squeezing her hand gently with mine while she took one small step forward at a time, I reassured her.
“Clap, clap, clap.”
“Uh-huh.”
It really wasn’t something to worry about.
This was our official debut stage as representatives of the White Knight Guild, a moment that should be remembered fondly in the future.
I conjured a flicker of flame and shaped it into a heart, covering it with my hand so only she could see.
“Pfft – a sudden heart?”
She smiled brightly as if she understood what I wanted to convey, her trembling hands calming down.
However, I had one particular worry before the representative selection match.
“I haven’t practiced much in not killing my opponents.”
It wasn’t about winning or losing, but rather, I was worried about not being able to control my strength and accidentally killing my opponent.
“Moderately, moderately. Just think about my spar with Ah-rin…”
Making such a promise to myself, I escorted her as we walked closely together.
We walked for a considerable distance along the training arena’s meticulously drawn lines, finally arriving at the center.
“Wow, they’ve drawn this quite wide.”
The lines were drawn so distinctly that the ends were barely visible to the naked eye. Guess they want us to have a good fight.
“Hello. I’m Kim Beom-jun.”
“Ah… hello… My name is Lee Yeon-hee.”
“Whew~ You’re even more amazing than I heard.”
“…?”
I don’t know what he’s heard, but based on his glazed-over eyes glancing at me, it seemed he was at least somewhat prepared for this match against us.
Kim Beom-jun.
He was someone I recognized.
“It’s been a while since I’ve run into this guy.”
Kim Beom-jun had been trained under spear master Park Jin-gon for a long time and displayed quite remarkable potential.
And he was one of the guys who used to talk trash about me in my past life, so I couldn’t help but remember him.
I wasn’t sure what about me he didn’t like, but he was the one who spread the rumor that I was Kang Yeon-su’s sexual partner.
“It’s funny how I remember so many little things.”
In hindsight, it was nothing monumental, but back then, it was something that bothered me.
But given the fact that he died fighting against an Orc Legion Commander, I felt a strange sympathy for him as I recalled those memories.
“Was he one of those guys who used a staff?”
As my memories started surfacing, Kim Beom-jun brandished a dark staff, confirming my recollection.
His posture was solid, and the flow of magic was calm and steady.
He was a hunter with excellent fundamentals, irrespective of his character.
Watching him warm up caused an odd sensation to creep up from my toes.
I thought I’d be fine, but maybe that negative emotion from my past life was surfacing again?
“No… this feels different… but odd?”
An unpleasant scent wafted over.
Why on earth did I sense the scent of an evolved creature coming from this guy?
If I hadn’t experienced it a few times before, I might not have recognized it; however, I quickly detected it since I’ve clashed with those who have taken evolved potions.
“That’s definitely the scent of an evolved creature. But it doesn’t seem he’s turned into a mutant… what’s up with this guy?”
It couldn’t be possible that he merely took a taste of it… how he became a part of the White Knight Guild while engaging in such dirty dealings left me perplexed.
What was clear was that it was not a reckless act on his part since such items weren’t easily obtainable.
“Park Jin-gon… overly greedy, I see.”
He had to be involved somehow.
I knew him as someone who was often hot-headed, fighting with other higher-ups, but he was also quite cautious. So, what pushed him to act hastily?
Screech—
The match had already begun, but neither Yeon-hee, Kim Beom-jun, nor I made a move.
Hooom – Huhng –
Kim Beom-jun hesitated for a moment before dramatically spinning his staff and gradually closing the distance towards us.
But that was all he did.
He didn’t close the range any further and merely circled around us. What on earth was he waiting for?
I wanted to assess his abilities.
“How about this?”
I feigned a gap in my defense.
The instant I did, his staff filled my vision.
“Oh… impressive reaction speed.”
With a swift motion, I lightly flicked my palm to deflect a thrust that came at breakneck speed, the brief first exchange coming to a close.
“As expected… like I heard, you’re a monster. That was a clean strike at the gap…”
“Since he doesn’t have much experience at this point, he likely doesn’t think of it as something I intended.”
He looked quite surprised when his clean attack was thwarted.
But he soon regained his composure, directing all his attention to my feet.
“My information must already be widely known…”
That much was to be expected since it had been anticipated from when Rockter started shadowing our party.
Chroa-raaap!
Wwooooohhhh!
Auuuhh!!
As I faced off against Kim Beom-jun, Yeon-hee started summoning her Alpha-Rank summoned creatures one by one.
“Gah… damn it.”
But he was stuck in place, unable to move even an inch.
Just trying to keep tabs on me was burdensome enough, and on top of that, he couldn’t afford to pay attention to Yeon-hee.
Sweat began to bead on Kim Beom-jun’s forehead.
He was scratching the back of his hand with the staff, likely expressing his nervousness.
It wasn’t that he was weak, but rather that he was identifying how formidable I was.
“This information is extremely wrong… saying I’m B-grade… damn.”
Realizing I was leagues above his prior knowledge, he took it out on whoever fed him that info.
But he was making a big mistake trying to resolve it with words.
He figured he’d need to find another route while releasing strings of magic, waiting for another opportunity to breach my defenses.
He had to have run several attack scenarios in his mind.
However, no matter what he tried, he couldn’t break through. He kept repeating the process of activating and cancelling spells, draining his magic power.
“If you’re not going to, then shall I?”
Nodding—
He didn’t even need to step in.
Plus, watching how Yeon-hee handled him would be interesting too.
After all, her magic power had increased by 500 and her dominance by 100 thanks to the artifact she obtained.
“Rakan, Lizardman 1, Dotti. Get their rear!”
Yeon-hee sent out her trio of summoned creatures upfront and immediately started a provocation with Ddak-ddak-i and Dotted One.
Kim Beom-jun’s brows furrowed deeply as he was within the range of the provocation’s effects.
“Grrr…! Release!”
Yet, he tore a scroll from his spatial pocket imbued with a magic to cleanse status ailments and quickly distanced himself.
“Well, look at him enduring and using an item.”
But Yeon-hee’s provocation wasn’t without effect.
In the end, the provocation tried to get the opponent to expose themselves in some way, so it was by no means pointless.
Boom, boom, boom!!
Alpha Rakan’s sharp claws and Lizardman 1’s tail pounded against Kim Beom-jun’s defensive wall.
He spun the staff quickly to budge defensive maneuvers, and when an Alpha Orc came in from the side with a massive club swing, he dodged it and swiftly delivered a vicious elbow strike to the Orc’s face, causing significant damage before quickly retreating.
“Grrr!!”
The Alpha Orc, properly hit, swayed unsteadily.
“What skill! His physical ability feels excessively good for someone like him. The influence of the evolved potion, I suppose?”
Alpha-Rank summoned creatures had been growing while taking down monsters, and now they moved with efficiency akin to a proper B-grade monster. It was only natural to suspect something.
“Grrr…!”
Dark red blood trickled down from the mouth of the Alpha Orc that had taken a hit.
But unlike before, he wasn’t acting recklessly or charging in all over the place.
“Oh…”
Yeon-hee lifted her hands slightly, and the Alpha Orc became obedient as if it were a puppy sitting in front of a treat.
“The effect of dominance is quite impressive. After all, it increased by 100.”
“Ran, give a buff to Chehwa.”
Yeon-hee must have felt the need for backup as she summoned even more summoned creatures.
The specter ‘Chehwa,’ immune to physical attacks, five Dire Wolves, and two Were Ravens known as ‘Black Birds.’
With a total of eight summoned creatures, Kim Beom-jun looked like he was about to burst into tears.
“Damn!! This is so unfair!! How many are coming at me?!”
Kim Beom-jun, who had been calmly competing earlier, finally exploded in frustration.
Given that a horde of summoned creatures that matched his level was bearing down on him, it seemed he was at his breaking point.
Park Jin-gon, who was positioned behind Kang Yeon-su, had a face twisted with disbelief.
“Is he not using the abilities of the evolved potions?”
Was it because Kang Yeon-su was watching? Or did he think it was impossible to win even by using tricks? It was likely the latter.
Since he’d deemed that he could deceive Kang Yeon-su’s gaze, he probably provided his disciples with evolved potions.
Park Jin-gon shook his head at Kim Beom-jun, who was staring at him.
In response, Kim Beom-jun made a disappointed face but didn’t argue. He seemed to follow his master’s words well, at least.
That didn’t mean he was giving up right away.
For him, there was no telling when he could fight against Yeon-hee with her unique class again, so he probably aimed to gather as much experience as possible in this match.
Kabbaang!!
“Grrr!”
“Damn! Those filthy things!!”
Ultimately, after a few more defensive moves, Kim Beom-jun soon found himself surrounded by summoned creatures, turning into a makeshift punching bag.
Yeon-hee extended her palm forward, helping her summoned creatures control their strength.
“Gehk-! S-Stop! I surrender! I’m surrendering!!”
Entrapped by Alpha Rakan, who had his arms gripped tight, Kim Beom-jun finally declared his surrender.
Fortunately, Rakan immediately responded to Yeon-hee’s command and released Kim Beom-jun.
[Match over. Lee Yeon-hee wins.]
The match ended so overwhelmingly that the training ground fell silent for a moment, but soon the officials and staff of the White Knight Guild in the audience erupted into applause and cheers.
– Whoaahhh─!! This is insane!!
– This feels a bit unreal.
– You can’t call that a single person’s strength anymore?!
– Kim Beom-jun is already a clear B-grade hunter, right? This is impressive…
Guild members expressed pure amazement towards Yeon-hee, who might potentially be their competition.
The reaction was a lot more passionate than anticipated.
In my past life, perhaps due to Yeon-hee’s appearance, there were few who cheered her on even when she performed brilliantly…
Amidst the cheers, Yeon-hee tried not to show it, but her lips were undeniably curling upwards, suggesting she wasn’t feeling too bad.
“Don’t lift me up too high. I haven’t even really begun yet.”
I discreetly leaned towards Kang Yeon-su’s direction, curious about the reactions of the higher-ups.
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