Chapter 164

〈 165화 〉 164화 – Wizard (1）

*

크윽…

“Stubborn. Really stubborn.”

It was Jeong Ahyeon, barely blocking yet another attack.

She couldn’t even remember how many times she had fended them off.

After more than twenty, she had stopped counting.

In the midst of that, her own attacks barely reached four.

Effective hits? Zero.

Still, she had to keep fighting somehow.

There was no way she was going to become that trash’s rejected partner.

Meanwhile, Rick aimed his wand dismissively at the rising Jeong Ahyeon.

“Fall.”

“In your dreams!”

The sharply honed blades of magical power rushed toward her ankles.

Each attack came from different angles.

Jeong Ahyeon summoned small beasts around her ankles to absorb the attacks.

But she couldn’t completely block the impact.

Small explosions occurred as Rick’s magic collided with the summoned beasts.

She staggered and fell to the ground.

“Damn!”

In a desperate effort, she rolled on the ground to prepare for Rick’s next attack.

However, Rick didn’t move at all.

He only looked at her with an expression of boredom.

“You’re pathetic. Really pathetic.”

“Shut up.”

“Why are you struggling so much?”

He yawned, looking utterly bored with the situation.

“Haven’t you figured out yet that escaping from me is impossible?”

“Not yet.”

“You could just quietly become mine.”

“…My life belongs to me.”

Jeong Ahyeon staggered and stood tall again.

Exhaustion was evident, but her eyes locked onto her opponent.

“It’s something precious that you can’t wield as you please.”

“Hmph! If I win, you’ll listen to me without question.”

“That won’t happen.”

“Shut up.”

As she swung her wand with emotion, a blue spear flew toward Rick’s neck.

The remaining magical power was nearly depleted.

Instead of blocking with a summoned beast, she crouched to dodge the attack.

Seeing this, Rick sneered.

“You’d become a puppet just like your father.”

“…What… do you mean?”

Jeong Ahyeon’s confusion surfaced at his sudden outburst.

Rick looked as if he had made a mistake.

“Tch. Forget it.”

“What was that just now!? You mentioned my father-”

“Get lost!”

Before she could finish her sentence, the magical power from Rick sent Jeong Ahyeon flying.

Caught off guard, she couldn’t respond and fell to the ground.

“If you become mine, you won’t need to think about anything else.”

“…The match isn’t over yet.”

Jeong Ahyeon stood up again, trembling.

“What are you hanging onto? Do you really think you can win?”

“The Gongja will come to help.”

“Ha! That idiot?”

Rick started laughing, holding his stomach.

He laughed so hard that tears welled up in his eyes, almost choking on his laughter.

“Kukuku. That guy is an idiot! He’ll obviously lose to the Black Dragon!”

“That’s not true.”

“What do you mean it’s not true? You want to say he’s not an idiot?”

Jeong Ahyeon answered very seriously.

“No. The Gongja is an idiot.”

“Uh… Really?”

Rick was taken aback by her unexpected statement.

“But the Gongja won’t lose.”

“Do you have some reason to believe that? How can you be so sure?”

“Well…”

Jeong Ahyeon pondered briefly before breaking into a sly smile.

“He kept his promise.”

“What?”

She recalled a few days ago.

Rick had insisted that Kim Shinwoo should not lose in the final fight of the tournament.

“Unlike you, he kept his promise to me.”

“Is that all?”

For Rick, promises were mere words.

It was good if kept, but if not, it didn’t matter.

Just simple words.

Yet Kim Shinwoo had staked everything and kept that simple promise.

Therefore, she trusted him.

He would come back victorious somehow.

Rick, still furious, sneered.

“If you really believe that, why don’t you ask him to solve everything for you! Ha!”

“……”

“Ha! Is he not capable of it?”

At that moment, Jeong Ahyeon recalled a vague memory.

She remembered Kim Shinwoo reaching out to Elcia, who was crying in the Forest of Elves.

It felt more urgent now than back then.

Jealousy swelled within her.

Elcia unabashedly asking for help, revealing her emotions.

And Kim Shinwoo, without a hint of hesitation, ready to help her.

Everything about it was enviable.

On the contrary, Jeong Ahyeon couldn’t be as straightforward as Elcia.

Even until the moment she was caught, she hadn’t managed to utter a single plea for help.

Yet she was grateful for those who had come to find her despite everything.

She was moved by Kim Shinwoo, who stood unwavering against her father to protect her.

Most of all, fighting for her freedom, Kim Shinwoo had never looked so magnificent.

Chaotic, grim, yet faintly shining.

Like a small star glimmering brightly against the dark night sky.

That’s why she felt too guilty to ask for anything more.

She had received without giving anything in return.

She didn’t want to burden them any further.

Of course, if Kim Shinwoo had heard that, he would have probably said, “Don’t be ridiculous.”

The goodwill given without a return felt far too precious.

Meanwhile, Rick aimed his wand at Jeong Ahyeon, who was lost in thought.

He had no intention to kill, but losing an arm or a leg wouldn’t matter.

He wouldn’t need to heal her or attach the limb again if it got troublesome.

All that mattered to him was Jeong Ahyeon’s body.

“Scatter!”

“Ah!”

The blue mass of magic from Rick’s wand split into tiny shards and shot toward her.

It was then that Jeong Ahyeon finally regained her focus.

She tried to dodge, but her ankle from the earlier explosion was unable to move properly.

But mercilessly, the shards of magic continued to fly toward her.

They weren’t fast, but in her current ankle condition, it was an unavoidable attack.

She had let her guard down.

She had thought of other things.

No amount of excuses would suffice.

Rick sent one last sneer Jeong Ahyeon’s way.

“You’re truly a pathetic and ugly existence.”

The situation felt hopelessly grim.

The thought of it ending so vainly made her feel unjust.

It felt like she was gradually slipping into the pitch-black darkness where nothing could be seen.

At that moment.

From the darkness.

“Introducing your mother?”

Stars appeared.

Slightly cracked.

Yet right now, brighter than anything.

*

Jeong Ahyeon appeared to have injured her leg and couldn’t move.

On the other hand, the shards of magical power Rick launched slowly approached her, neither fast nor slow.

[What are you planning to do?]

‘I’ll have to deflect them all.‘

In order to inject some tension into the loose story, I dashed in front of Jeong Ahyeon.

And immediately summoned a longsword made of magic in my right hand, deflecting all the incoming magic shards.

After confirming that no more shards were coming, I turned my gaze to Jeong Ahyeon.

“Did I arrive at the right time?”

“Gongja…”

Jeong Ahyeon looked at me silently.

In that moment, I noticed her left calf had been lightly grazed.

“I couldn’t deflect them all, but you’re not seriously hurt, right?”

“Y-Yes.”

Jeong Ahyeon answered with a somewhat hesitant expression.

At that moment, a succubus yelled.

“You hit even what didn’t need to be hit, and now Ayeon got hurt!”

“……”

“……”

Jeong Ahyeon and I exchanged awkward glances, speechless.

The succubus, seemingly trying to lighten the mood, added unnecessary commentary.

“It’s okay! Compared to the Lady, Ayeon is thin and just got a little hurt!”

“That jerk should bring her to meet her match.”

Thus, two pieces of Wonsan Bombardment were added next to Lilith.

Meanwhile, I felt that the awkward atmosphere was driving me crazy, so I apologized to Jeong Ahyeon.

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

Just then, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed punk crashed into our heartwarming moment.

“What did you just say!?”

“Didn’t you hear? Your mom! Can’t you hear it now?”

Rick started laughing instead.

“Speak at a level that matches yours!”

“A level that matches mine?”

“Ah, right. Your level is only that much, huh?”

Suddenly, I felt mildly annoyed by his mocking tone.

Hearing that, Piece also began to get angry.

[Only that much! It’s way below that!]

‘Fcking bitch.*’

Anyway, since the opponent wanted words that matched his level, I decided to respond in kind.

I laughed mockingly at Rick and said.

“Your fiancée is pretty impressive.”

“……What?”

Cracks appeared on Rick’s sneering face.

Then that sneer turned to pure hatred.

“Don’t talk nonsense!!! She’s obviously a virgin!!!”

“She reacted a lot when you were in Giseungwi, didn’t she?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!!!!”

Rick trembled with fury, glaring at me with bloodshot eyes.

“No way! No way! Did you do it? You crossed the line, didn’t you?!!!”

“Hey, stop being so loud. You said you had ten wives.”

As Rick panicked, I quickly charged forward and condensed magic into my palm.

While he was flustered by my sudden approach, I stomped on his foot and thrust my palm into his solar plexus.

Watching Rick’s face turn pale in shock, I covered my mouth with my other hand and winked at him with one eye.

“Shhh. Sex is quiet.”

*