Chapter 12

“Is that crazy bastard?”

I’m not one to use foul language usually, but I can’t help it this time.

Yeah, it doesn’t appear often in the game, but I knew well that I was overwhelmed here at this academy.

I also knew that it was an infinitely harsh environment for kids without any backing.

Not all professors think this way, but it’s a thorough meritocracy.

Among them, I come from a poor background, have no money, am cursed to drink alcohol all day, have no support, and no one to prove my skills.

Moreover, the use of silent magic won’t be revealed unless I disclose it myself.

Even if I were to mention it, I wonder if it would warrant punishment.

Still, this isn’t right.

The actions I didn’t care about in the game, I never expected to encounter such a situation in reality that could warrant foul language.

“Huh…”

“Isaac.”

I definitely remembered that name.

He looks ordinary, but does he throw his students out in front of the Duel Arena to boost his pride?

I need to get some kind of compensation from this bastard.

“····!”

Crack!

Without even noticing the incoming tip of the sword, my counterattack is released immediately.

BOOM!!!

“Already…!”

Fast and strong.

It’s incomparable to the male student from before.

Even after taking a direct hit from Power Release, he doesn’t show any signs of staggering.

“Damn.”

The silent magic is still working in my mouth, and Isaac won’t reveal it.

So, the ways I can exit this fight are either defeat… or victory.

I wonder if I can somehow take a hit and faint, but there’s no guarantee that the top-ranked guy will pull his punches.

Amidst it all, the burning sense of betrayal was still directed towards the professor, and I thought.

“Something’s strange.”

No matter how I thought about it, there’s no reason to use a newcomer who’s just arrived at the school as a source of pride in this manner.

I should investigate that person first.

I remembered the original game, and he was definitely not a person who had fallen this far.

I need to know why this ridiculous situation came to be.

If there’s nothing at stake in this bet, then it might be that he was mentally unstable from the start.

Because of that.

“Ugh…”

I somehow shoved the remaining chocolate into my mouth and swallowed it.

The effects of the alcohol were slowly increasing.

“Ugh…”

Strength was gradually rising in my body, but it was still woefully insufficient.

After standing in front of him once, I realized.

The gap between me and the top was that enormous.

“This is bad.”

Drunken Fist inherently comes with a degree of evasive capability.

The wobbliness causes the opponent to be unable to predict the next movement of the user of Drunken Fist and attack.

But even that has its limits.

Just like an ant that can see one second into the future cannot escape an elephant’s foot.

There are definite limitations to evasion.

Yeah, just like now.

Crack!!

“Ugh…!!”

I somehow managed to block with my arms, but my body was sent flying.

Despite preparing my stance perfectly, I couldn’t withstand the impact fully.

“Ouch…”

This is unfair.

I just wanted to roam around healing curses and living normally.

Why do I have to fight?

Swoosh!!!

Boom!!

However, I didn’t have time to think.

That sword was clearly targeting me.

No matter how much damage I avoided, I still couldn’t evade it entirely.

I couldn’t see any timing to counterattack.

“Haah…”

If I raise my alcohol level a bit more, I might be able to endure, but I’m afraid it’ll lead to another disaster like at the entrance ceremony.

Moreover, if I eat all the chocolate in my pocket at once, I might not be able to endure after that.

For now, I decided to do as much as I could.

Since the reach of hands and swords creates overwhelming differences, I tried to close the distance as much as possible.

I brought my feet closer to advance, but a fist was coming.

As soon as I tried to burrow in, he widened the distance and made proper use of the arm length difference between men and women.

“Kyaah…!”

I only took one hit, but my blocking hand felt numb.

Clink.

As I regained focus, I pulled out a gun from my back pocket.

Bang!!

I aimed and fired.

The recoil endured, and the gunshot echoed.

Boom!!

However, the blade deflected the bullet.

“Damn, what a cheat.”

Well, I guess that’s to be expected.

It’s not like the speed was particularly fast, but somehow he swung the sword precisely to deflect the bullet.

I was still a freshman, hoping for some leeway, but who would have thought it was already over.

Still, I approached once more.

Thud!!

This time I managed to kick his stomach.

But I didn’t get pushed back.

No, I felt no movement at all.

“Gah…”

It felt like I was kicking a rock.

I had no idea what kind of properties he had.

Indestructible? Stone-hard? Solidifying? No, it doesn’t seem like that.

Is it a body enhancement trait, or just an innate physical spec?

Hmm… moreover, it doesn’t feel like it would just have one trait.

For now, I’m thinking, but I can no longer engage in the fight.

Since it came to this, I’ve decided to pull some information.

The professor didn’t seem to intend to lift the silence on me.

At that moment, the top-ranked guy stopped attacking and spoke.

“You fight better than I expected.”

“····.”

It’s not like I can respond anyway.

But perhaps he’s unaware that I can’t speak, as he kept rambling on.

“But do you think you can win? Or do you have something else hidden?”

There’s no way I could.

No… when I think about it, there are risky bets I could take, but the chances of failure are high.

For now, I put another piece of chocolate into my mouth to maintain the 3% level.

Munch munch.

However, eating this much should be bad for my health.

Each piece feels like my HP drops by 10.

Well, if I keep eating like this, I won’t be able to live long.

“You…”

Noticing that I was ignoring him, he paused mid-sentence.

I would have liked to buy some time with more conversation, but I couldn’t find any words.

As I somewhat faced him, I noticed the professor’s expression gradually brightening, but soon that face would turn to a grimace.

Thinking of that made me feel a bit better.

Please, just knock me out once without pain, I began to respond to the continuous attacks.

I didn’t want to faint after being hit multiple times.

Thus, in the fight that resumed, I began to overwhelmingly fall behind.

Not only could I not evade, but blocking the visible sword was far too difficult.

No matter how much I block the fatal wounds, seeing a blade swung in front of me was terrifying for someone who had lived a normal life.

Thank goodness the gloves were sturdy; otherwise, my hands would have been torn apart already.

Still, I couldn’t absorb all the shock, and my hands continued to feel numb.

Moreover, that sword looks sharply familiar.

I feel I’ve seen it somewhere before… but just like Yoon Si-woo’s name, I can’t remember where.

Amidst it all, the pressure from that sword sent my gun flying out of my hand, and it landed far away.

“I’m done for… ”

The sword is poised in front of me.

At that moment, the rising alcohol hit its peak.

.

.

.

.

Clang!

The clash between the descending hand and sword produced a strong impact.

“I… I thought I couldn’t avoid that just now.”

Crunch.

The world is sweet.

Chocolate is sweet.

Alcohol erases perception.

And distorts the reality in front of me sings.

Yoon Si-woo’s eyes grow solemn as he recalls the previous attack.

“How did that happen…?”

“Heh heh…”

My body naturally takes up a stance.

Strength and speed hadn’t greatly changed.

“I’m sleepy…”

Moreover, my mental state was in a more pathetic situation than before.

Thud!!

As I stomp on the ground, I attack the area like a man’s most vulnerable point.

A powerful kick that lifts from low to high, like kicking a soccer ball.

“You’re going to…!”

“Ha!!”

The immediate knee strike targets his vulnerable spot.

As a former man, I know just how dangerous that is!!

I withdraw, but my leg hits his chin, delivering a solid blow.

Boom!!

“···!!”

[Hand], [Palm]

As he pulls his body back, the two types of punches that combine are fluidly used, blocking escape routes.

I perform evasions and attacks with the most optimal movements, pressuring the top-ranked opponent.

“Is it possible~?”

It appeared as though I was overwhelming him in an instant, and I even thought that I might seize victory for a moment; the 5% was certainly efficient.

“That’s cowardly!”

“Heh…”

Moreover, as I focused only on hitting crucial places like his head, toes, and male anatomy, it felt like he shifted his strategy more towards defense than attack.

“I got you.”

I firmly pressed his foot down, preventing him from moving, then struck his chin with my hand.

Boom!!

That’s how it looked.

My hand felt numb with each hit, but I quickly cornered him against the wall, and as I reached for additional damage.

Whoosh…!

Bright light emanated from his sword.

“Oh.”

Boom!!

Something sharp flies overhead as I barely duck down.

And glancing back, parts of the barrier that were supposed to be secure had been cut away.

“If I get hit by that, it won’t just hurt.”

“Oh…”

If that hits, at least an injury will result.

The moment I thought that, I pulled my body back.

But once again, a strong light shone from that sword.

And then, a gun came into my view.

I dive toward it and grab hold.

I don’t know how many bullets are left inside.

I can’t remember how many shots I fired just a moment ago, but hopefully, there’s at least one bullet left.

Whoosh!!

“Please let there be.”

As the light enveloped my vision, I bend down and pull the trigger.

Boom!!

And then my sight went black.