〈 Chapter 150 〉 Chapter 149 – VS CATS (5）
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Not a single sound could be heard.
No, it wasn’t that there was no sound.
It was simply that the explosion was so loud that my ears had become numb.
My vision was as white as if I had been hit by a flashbang, slowly starting to recover.
I had been thrown far away by the force of the explosion, lying face down on the ground.
Of course, the effectiveness of the Defensive Coat had completely vanished.
My head wasn’t working properly, but I vaguely recalled Jeong Ahyeon trying to block the attack on my behalf.
Only then did I snap back to reality and start searching for Jeong Ahyeon’s whereabouts.
Fortunately, she was right behind me.
However, she had collapsed as if dead, having taken all the attacks.
Her whole body was charred, and smoke was billowing from her.
Though she would revert to normal once the sparring ground system was terminated, I could at least feel a glimpse of how powerful the attack had been.
Meanwhile, Caressy shouted confidently.
Even though Caressy was at her limit, throwing the last sphere didn’t seem to be a problem.
“Persistent, are we!!! But this will be the end!!!”
Caressy hurled the last sphere at me.
The sphere became a Meteor, flying toward me at a constant speed—neither too fast nor too slow.
I patted Jeong Ahyeon’s head as she lay there.
“I’ll keep my promise. Wait for me.”
And then I ran toward the Meteor coming straight at me.
The sight of me running like this could be expressed in many ways.
Reckless. Insignificant. Worthless. Pathetic. Ridiculous.
Disgraceful. Ugly. Foolish. Weak. Clumsy.
A mere insect’s struggle. A moth diving into fire. A futile flailing.
It was a miserable sight that made one wish I would just stop and give up.
But none of those expressions could fully encapsulate what I was experiencing.
After all, there was one expression that fit perfectly.
Humanity.
A human that stands against overwhelming trials without flinching.
A human that takes steps toward new possibilities.
A human that seeks hope without giving in to despair.
A human that gets back up without losing heart.
And.
A human that lives fiercely every moment in an irreversible reality.
I didn’t avert my gaze from the disaster in front of me.
I just focused on each step, making sure not to falter.
Then I began to gather all the remaining magical power and condense it.
Unlike before, this time I condensed the magical power in my bracelet first.
I usually didn’t use it due to potential adverse variables, but this wasn’t a moment to worry about such things.
I needed to grasp even a faint possibility.
[You can win.]
‘Of course.’
The bracelet began to vibrate in response to the magical power condensation.
Some characters started to faintly appear on the bracelet, but I focused again instead of worrying about that.
From here on, it was crucial.
As I condensed magical power in the bracelet, I also began to condense it in my palm.
Specifically, not the entirety of my palm, but the exact center.
Condensing all the magical power that was left into that single point.
A translucent small sphere gradually formed in the center of my palm.
Unlike before, there wasn’t even a wisp of mist.
On the surface, it looked exceptionally insignificant.
Compared to the oncoming Meteor, it was a very small globe.
Yet strangely, I felt no anxiety.
I felt like it was possible.
It felt worth a try.
I had a sense that something was different.
Above all.
I felt like I could win.
I firmly planted my feet to avoid collapsing.
I grabbed my trembling right arm with my left hand.
My gaze was fixed on the Meteor in front of me.
I was battered, but it was enough.
So now, I gathered my resolve.
I wouldn’t stop.
I wouldn’t retreat.
I wouldn’t collapse.
I wouldn’t give up.
I wouldn’t run away.
I wouldn’t crumble.
And I would definitely win.
Finally, I declared.
Simply setting my mind to it wasn’t enough.
So I carved a milestone using language.
This was a sort of vow.
Words once spoken cannot be taken back, so I swore to follow through on what I had declared.
A promise made to myself.
“I will definitely win!!!”
“Give up, will you!!!”
Caressy stood there trembling, unable to move any longer.
From the looks of it, this current attack seemed to be her last.
In other words, if I could overcome this situation right in front of my eyes, I could secure victory.
The Meteor was now right in front of me.
As I looked up close, a primal fear surged within me.
My instincts were begging me to run away.
My intuition sharply pointed out the recklessness of it.
Even I, who had just resolved my mind, was momentarily overwhelmed by the fearsome sight.
However, none of that could stop my actions.
Instead, Jeong Ahyeon’s final moment flashed before my eyes.
How did she endure?
How hard was it for her?
How did she bravely step forward in the face of such a disaster?
How terrified must she have been?
I smiled slightly as I looked at the approaching Meteor.
Caressy shouted at me, as if she couldn’t understand my reaction.
“Why on earth are you struggling so much!!!”
Objectively speaking, just making it to the finals should have been enough.
At this stage, my value could have risen sufficiently in other guilds.
I could go visit the Beastman Kingdom as she wished.
That wish token I would receive when I won? Honestly, it didn’t mean much.
From her perspective, it might be incomprehensible why I was fighting fiercely like this.
Thinking rationally, it certainly seemed like I didn’t have to push myself to this extent.
But.
“I made a promise.”
Jeong Ahyeon, who had suppressed all negative emotions and sacrificed herself for me.
In answering Jeong Ahyeon’s faith and will, I wouldn’t shy away from that overwhelming disaster.
And to prove that her sacrifice wasn’t in vain, I faced it head-on.
I continued to condense magical power into the small sphere in my palm.
Then, at a certain moment, the bracelet suddenly stopped vibrating.
At the same time, the small sphere in my palm began to glow slowly.
It was starlight.
Not from the night sky, but from messy starlight blossoming on the ground.
Even when I focused intently, it seemed just barely visible, a pitiful little starlight.
Then, the starlight gathered and became a star.
The star made from insignificant starlights was small and faint.
If one glanced at it, they would mistake it for just a plain stone.
It was merely that much of a star.
Yet to me, it was brighter than anything else.
And it was a remarkable star all on its own.
I thrust the small star formed from my hand forward.
Soon, the small star turned into a Meteor.
It began to leave a long tail behind as it traversed the night sky.
The Meteor made no sound.
It merely beautified the sky.
Thus, the Meteor birthed from my palm made no sound.
However, just because there was no sound didn’t mean it was invisible.
The Meteor stretched out, making its presence known as it tore through everything.
As if no obstacles had ever existed.
As if it were saying not to stop itself in the vast sky.
And so the Meteor gracefully advanced, leaving its trail behind.
Then, it suddenly vanished, just like a Meteor should.
All of Caressy’s attacks returned to nothing, and she looked at me with a dazed expression.
Caressy slumped down and asked me, staring.
“What just was that technique?”
“Oh, that?”
I pondered a name for the new technique.
Starlight and Meteor.
A beam of light moving straight.
I came up with the perfect name for the technique and smiled at Caressy.
“It’s called Cheonma Laser.”
“W-what?”
Then, Piece began to explode with fury at me.
[You crazy bastard!!! Why is there a laser when there are stars and meteors!!!]
‘Isn’t this better than Cheonma Shooting Star? Three letters, it’s just perfect.’
[Just call it Cheonma Death Beam!!!]
‘That’s difficult due to copyright issues.’
At that moment, an overwhelming sense of lethargy washed over me, and I slumped down.
The sparring ground system had been terminated, healing my injuries, but I couldn’t escape from my fatigue.
Then I remembered Jeong Ahyeon and forced myself to get up and head toward her.
Coincidentally, Jeong Ahyeon was slowly regaining consciousness as the sparring ground system ended and stood up.
Worrying as she looked at me, she cautiously asked,
“Master? What happened?”
“Of course, I won.”
I held out my fist to Jeong Ahyeon.
“I told you, right?”
“Hehe.”
Jeong Ahyeon bumped her fist against mine.
Unlike usual, a bright smile lit up her face.
“I believed you would keep your promise, Master.”
At that moment, the professor’s commentary reached my ears.
Unbelievable, but it was indeed the professor declaring that we had won.
【Winner!!!!! Team!!!!!】
The students’ cheers reverberated throughout the sparring ground.
Even if it wasn’t about congratulating us, but rather a passionate display of self-promotion, it didn’t matter.
After all, we had won.
Thus, Jeong Ahyeon and I proudly claimed victory in the finals of the tournament.
It was time to wrap things up.
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