Just before the sparring ground’s actions were completed, Professor Miran’s voice began to echo.
“Today’s favorite is Jeong Ahyeon and the underdog is Kim Shinwoo. The sparring will end if either student loses consciousness or sustains fatal damage.”
“Please adhere to the rules and manners while sparring.”
At that moment, students around were frantically discussing something.
“Today’s favorite is Jeong Ahyeon; the underdog is Kim Shinwoo. Walk fast until it starts! No time!!”
“Please let Ahyeon win, please, please!”
“You’re not betting on this? Idiots, this is money guaranteed!”
“Hey, f*ck, look at the betting odds. If this were private, I’d lose money due to commissions.”
“I’m all in on Ahyeon’s coin!”
“Jeong Ahyeon punch! Jeong Ahyeon punch! Jeong Ahyeon punch!”
????
F*ck, who are these idiots betting on?
In that moment, Professor Miran shouted at the chaotic students.
“Ah, everyone, just a moment! Wait. I’m betting on Jeong Ahyeon too. Death to Kim Shinwoo.”
“Kill Kim Shinwoo!!!”
“Ahyeon, please, just kill that jerk!!!”
No way.
That last jerk was even Jeong Ahyeon’s sister.
Looks like she’s a second-year, and the origin of this chaos is her making her sister bet on the fight.
They are f*cking insane.
Suddenly, someone dashed into the crowd of students.
It was Hyeji.
“Hey! Wait! I’m betting all my money on Kim Shinwoo!”
“Throwing away money? Throwing away money? Throwing away money?”
“Are you out of your mind? You must be crazy!”
“With that money, how many bowls of soup can you buy?”
If a regular person is among a bunch of madmen, then that regular person is the problem.
So I’m the one who’s the problem here?
Is this what the academy has come to?
After jotting something down, Hyeji turned back towards me.
“Hey, are all the students here from the gambling scene?”
“Huh? That’s the academy’s rule. You didn’t know yet?”
“F*ck, how was I supposed to know sparring is a betting event? Does this happen for every sparring match?”
“Not exactly. It’s only possible when a lot of people gather.”
You could question what kind of operation the academy is running, but surprisingly, it’s actually profitable.
In that moment, I had a straightforward, groundbreaking thought—I could just bet on myself.
“Hey, can I bet everything on Jeong Ahyeon and lose?”
“The participants can’t bet. This is still a sport!”
“…The moment you call betting a sport, I know everyone here is insane.”
It’s a mad academy for mad people.
There’s no future here.
“However, if the participant wins, they can take 5% of the amount bet on them.”
“The crazy ones end up leading the world.”
Sure enough, it’s a bright future for the academy.
I’m gonna win. No doubt about it.
Ah, what’s the big deal about betting?
That money is gonna be mine!
“Right. I bet on you too, Shinwoo, so let’s make sure to win.”
“But why did you bet on me?”
“…Because I trust you.”
Don’t lie to me, you b*tch.
“Really?”
“That fcking btch said I was just a guy, so I’m about to take her down.”
“Great mindset. Let’s go, Hyejimon!”
“Start!!!”
As soon as the professor’s words to start echoed, I accelerated my body.
No.
I was about to.
But as soon as it started, Hyeji dove toward me, rolling on the ground, stopping me from even approaching.
“Why are you body-checking me suddenly? Did you forget how to listen because you were training too hard?”
“Hey! What are you zoning out for? You just got taken out right away! You’re gonna lose my money!”
At that moment, a thin silver object zipped past my position.
Seeing that, Jeong Ahyeon made a disappointed expression.
Only then did I notice the number hovering over Hyeji’s head increase.
‘Looks like she just saw someone get hit and die before the match even started.’
No, but, did she just use a spell right at the beginning?
Don’t they know about the 3-second etiquette?
I wore a face full of disbelief and turned to Jeong Ahyeon.
“How can a martial artist be spouting all this trash and then use a knife? Is this the real deal?”
“Hmph. What’s the problem with using sorcery?”
“You’re fake, aren’t you? If you were confident in your fists, you wouldn’t resort to that kind of sorcery.”
“…I’m just using it for a fast and efficient victory—”
“Shut!!”
I interrupted Jeong Ahyeon.
“If you’re counting efficiency, then you should just blast her with a f*cking gun before calling yourself a martial artist!!!”
“How dare you speak like that!! A martial artist would never use a gun!!”
Ahh.
You really don’t know, do you?
Let me show you some real martial arts.
“Hyeji, I’m about to use the Ten Thousand Flowers of Fire (만천화우); can you get ready for that?”
“Of course, Shinwoo Gongja. Here’s a Remington optimized for Ten Thousand Flowers of Fire.”
“Can you give me ammunition too?”
“The ammunition is already loaded.”
“That unholy thing!! Ten Thousand Flowers of Fire is traditionally about throwing countless spells, raining flower petals from the sky, a martial art of the Four Heavens Gang!!!”
Jeong Ahyeon stamped her feet angrily at us.
But even Ten Thousand Flowers of Fire has its tiers.
If the type of spell is lacking, then the effect is weak.
“I see. What kind of ammunition is loaded?”
“Slugs suitable for Ten Thousand Flowers of Fire.”
“Excellent.”
“I’ll kill you all!!!!!!!!!”
As expected of Hyeji.
She prepared slugs, the optimized spell for Ten Thousand Flowers of Fire.
Jeong Ahyeon closed her eyes and clapped her hands to make a sound.
Then she knelt on the ground and placed both hands on the floor.
As I was about to cast Ten Thousand Flowers of Fire towards her, suddenly:
“Shinwoo! That’s an unregistered weapon! Put it down immediately!”
“Sh*t.”
I reluctantly returned it to Hyeji due to the professor’s interruption.
F*ckin’ favorite gambling jerk is causing a ruckus.
Damn birdcage girl.
Meanwhile, a white energy emitted from Jeong Ahyeon and seeped into the ground.
At that moment, numerous animal-shaped summoned beasts began to materialize.
10, 20, 30…
The numbers soon increased, rolling down the slope like a snowball.
When the numbers stopped increasing, about 80 summoned beasts surrounded Hyeji.
There were wolves, bears, lions, elephants—so diverse that it felt like a documentary.
The common trait was that they had no eyes on their faces and their bodies were entirely white.
With Jeong Ahyeon’s summoning, the spectators’ cheers began to escalate.
“Whoa!!! Just as expected from the silver tier!!”
“When she enrolled, she had only 30 beasts, and look how much she has now!!”
“Lord! If I die, let me be reborn as Jeong Ahyeon in my next life.”
“Jeong Ahyeon is a goddess!! How can someone be reborn as a god!!”
However, Hyeji next to me was grinning ominously.
“Right, this level is acceptable.”
“Hyeji, have you lost it?”
“No, I haven’t even started yet.”
As the number above Hyeji’s head increased, her ominous smile deepened.
Hyeji lifted the shotgun she had in her hand and propped it up on her shoulder with a tap.
“Just watch! I’m an active woman, so I’m gonna earn my own money!!!”
“Wow, f*ck. That’s so cool.”
Then Hyeji simultaneously created five cannonades encircling us.
Each cannonade shone ominously, with a Gatling gun mounted on it.
Just then, as Jeong Ahyeon’s summoned beasts rushed forward, Hyeji aimed her shotgun at them and shouted.
“Die!!!!!!!”
The Gatling gun’s barrel began to spin with a drdrdrdr.
The rain of bullets pouring down was the true Ten Thousand Flowers of Fire.
No.
Since it contained gunpowder, it was more like the Ten Thousand Flames of Fire.
Meanwhile, the summoned beasts charging at us began to be shredded by the hail of bullets.
Though the beasts had no vocal cords and vanished silently, just watching them being torn apart felt like hearing their screams.
Occasionally, a few of the summoned beasts, managing to miraculously pierce through the hail of bullets, lunged at Hyeji with their teeth and claws.
Of course, they only lunged and didn’t make much of an impact.
Having experienced the future through regression, Hyeji was already waiting in an effective attacking position and gifted each summoned beast a slug to their heads or mouths.
-Drdrdrdr!
-Bang!!!
It took 3 minutes.
While I obediently lay back, watching as Hyeji had instructed, she annihilated all the summoned beasts in just 3 minutes.
As a result, the heat from the gambling scene turned cold like ice water being thrown over it.
As the precious money faced the threat of disappearing, everyone remained silent, internally praying fervently.
Hyeji casually tossed aside the now-drained shotgun, saying,
“I told you. Once I get my rating, silver tier is basic.”
“But you call yourself a supporter, yet you’re the one doing all the damage?”
“A real supporter eliminates the source of damage.”
“Yeah, a damage dealer. I won’t criticize you for stealing the kill.”
Using cannons is crossing the line.
Meanwhile, Jeong Ahyeon, having experienced the annihilation of her summoned beasts, showed no signs of panic.
She merely kept her previous posture, speaking calmly.
“The man in the skirt was reasonable. So I’ll show a little more sincerity.”
As soon as Jeong Ahyeon finished speaking, a large amorphous object began to form right before her, enlarging.
From a small dot to a distorted circle. And the distorted circle morphed into an unidentifiable large mass.
Its appearance was more simple than complex.
It was the same color as the summoned beasts from before, moving around like a slime.
Thus, specifying the size became difficult.
It hovered about 4m in height, and roughly 2m in diameter.
However, there was one slightly off-putting aspect.
Despite lacking eyes, nose, ears, or any sensory organs, it somehow seemed to be glaring only at Hyeji.
Upon finishing the summon, the number above Jeong Ahyeon’s head increased again.
Only then did a faint smile start to appear on her face.
“It’s only natural for me to win!”
“That blind god has a lot to say.”
“Try to struggle, will you!!”
As soon as her words finished, the slime charged at Hyeji at a frightening speed.
It moved with sharp motions that seemed surprisingly agile for its size.
Hyeji, with the number above her head increasing, had already moved out of the summoned beast’s trajectory, but the Gatling gun battery left behind did not.
The slime’s attack was a simple charge.
But its power was too strong to mock as just simple.
-Kbang!!!!
Three Gatling gun batteries were smashed to bits in a direct hit.
Several other batteries were merely grazed by the slime, but that alone was sufficient effect.
-Scplsh.
The parts that touched the slime began to corrode away.
Meanwhile, the slime quickly turned and accelerated towards Hyeji.
It was repeating outrageous accelerations and charges, seemingly unfettered by the laws of inertia.
Hyeji, with the increasing number above her head, quickly leaped back.
It was a move she made before the slime could change direction.
Then, as she landed on the ground, she generated a massive hammer in her right hand and gripped it tightly with both hands.
Just as the slime was about to come rushing in, she swung her right arm wide to the side at the perfect timing.
The posture was reminiscent of a batter swinging at a flying baseball.
-Kang!!!
Along with a cheerful metallic sound, the slime was sent flying in the direction it had been struck, burying itself into the ground.
However, that was it.
The slime slowly rose again, wiggling as if it had taken no damage.
Having exhausted herself from the earlier actions, Hyeji was panting heavily and turned to me.
“Shinwoo, she really has her eyes closed, right? How can she chase me like that?!”
“Why don’t you ask slime mom over there?”
“Hmph. My summoned beasts can detect ability users. So escaping is impossible.”
“Is that so? But Hyeji, what’s the difference with ability users?”
At that, Hyeji looked at me incredulously, as if she were looking at an idiot.
But it’s okay.
Because I’m an idiot.
“…Shinwoo, how on earth did you get into this academy?”
“I’m just here, what the f*ck.”
“When you awaken your ability, magical power is generated within your body. That’s likely what she’s using to sense you.”
“Oh. So the man in the skirt got it already, huh?”
What, magical power?
What’s that?
Is this MP?
This world is so f*cking convenient.
“What? Where did you learn that?”
“This is basic! Basic!!!!!!!!!”
“I’m a noob, how would I know such crap! You discriminatory ability user!!”
Hyeji screamed with exasperation, but I yelled back in equal frustration.
Meanwhile, Jeong Ahyeon wore an expression of victory, speaking lazily.
“Enough noise. Let’s wrap it up.”
“Shinwoo, what do you think about martial artists only using summoned beasts?”
“That’s not a martial artist, that’s a Pokémon master. That’s a 6V Ditto right there.”
“Go!!”
Once again, the slime began to wriggle and move.
