Chapter 165

〈 166화 〉 165화 – Wizard (2)

*

While I unleashed the Cheonma Repulsor on Rick, Lilith looked shocked and asked Jeong Ahyeon.

“Ayeon, are you serious about that guy?”

“No, no! Absolutely not!”

“Hmm… really?”

Lilith gazed at Jeong Ahyeon with a look of discontent.

Under that scrutiny, Jeong Ahyeon turned bright red and confessed the truth.

“The tournament team name is… ‘Cheonma Giseungwi,’ so I reacted sensitively.”

“Hehe. How cute.”

Meanwhile, Rick, despite taking hits, yelled out, as if he heard the conversation.

“You damn dog! You only reacted to the word ‘giseungwi’!”

“Did I lie?”

“What ridiculous nonsense!”

Gritting his teeth, Rick began to chant a spell.

“Step back.”

“Shut your mouth.”

BAM!

Of course, before the chant could continue, I sealed Rick’s mouth with a fist.

He couldn’t even escape because I was stepping on his foot.

“Let go!”

“Shut up.”

GAG!

Once again, Rick’s chant was interrupted.

That last punch definitely shook his ribs.

I had no intention of stopping there.

As I conjured gauntlets from the magical power tattoos on both hands, I hit him as fast and as hard as I could.

The joyful THWACK! of strikes resonated from Rick’s body.

We started to converse through our bodies without words.

I jabbed his throat to silence him. Too noisy.

Rick tried to negotiate with me using his wand. Die.

Grabbing the thrusting wand with one hand, I replied by pummeling Rick’s abdomen with the other. Quit whining.

Rick trembled, unable to continue our conversation.

The mutual dialogue was over.

Now, it was the start of one-sided banter.

I smashed his shiny teeth. Filthy.

I knocked him down to prevent him from holding the wand. Don’t you want to greet me?

I struck his side, robbing him of the breath left in his lungs. Breathe, will you?

I greeted Rick’s leg with my fist, trying to escape from me. Where do you think you’re going?

As if responding to my empty jabs, Rick’s body answered in place of his mouth.

He cried. Bones cracked. He gasped, unable to scream.

Unlike the earlier situation with Jeong Ahyeon, Rick was thoroughly beaten down.

Seeing that, Spencer shed a single tear and said.

“How pitiful. Brother… no, older brother.”

However, in the face of death, the will to live becomes stronger.

That was true for Rick as well.

Even while getting beaten senseless, Rick slowly lifted his wand to aim at me.

Not me, but Jeong Ahyeon.

And just as a final desperate attempt, he tried to knee my groin.

Though I easily blocked it, in that brief moment, Rick managed to chant.

“Slice through!”

“Jeong Ahyeon! Dodge!”

Rick and I shouted almost simultaneously.

Jeong Ahyeon reacted to this.

No, she tried to react.

If only her injured calf wasn’t holding her back.

And the price of not moving was huge.

SLAASH!!!

Rick’s magic deeply sliced through Jeong Ahyeon’s left thigh.

Though it wasn’t severed, it was clearly a critical injury.

Jeong Ahyeon fell to the ground, clutching her thigh after the recent attack.

Seeing this, I lost my cool for a moment and kicked Rick’s groin just the same.

THWACK!!!

“……Huh?”

It didn’t sound like something bursting; it was more like kicking steel.

I felt a slight tingle in my toes.

In that moment of hesitation caused by the strange sound and feeling, Rick, blood gushing from his mouth, shouted the chant.

“Get away!”

In an instant, the space around Jeong Ahyeon was clear.

Rick bore a cruel smile with the few remaining teeth and said,

“I never thought steel panties would be useful here!”

Of course, no one reacted with shock to that statement.

Instead, they glared at him in disdain without a word.

Only a few from Rick’s side commented in a confirming tone.

“Ah, no wonder he took so long in the bathroom.”

“It feels like he gained 20kg.”

“Nah, it’s 35kg these days.”

But despite the disdainful gazes from others, Rick continued to grin maniacally.

Meanwhile, I got back up and prepared to fight again.

At that moment.

“Master, I’m sorry.”

Jeong Ahyeon suddenly apologized to me.

While I was taken aback, she uttered in distress.

“I’m sorry for being weak.”

Jeong Ahyeon held her fist so tightly that blood began to seep out.

She kept her head down, as if she might cry.

“I’ve only brought trouble to you. I’m really sorry for being such a useless girl.”

Jeong Ahyeon was filled with self-reproach.

If she had just a bit more strength, we wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.

If she had been strong enough to chew through this forced engagement, it would have been better.

Watching Jeong Ahyeon, I slowly approached her.

BAM!!!!

“Ah!!!”

I slapped her head hard.

Perhaps my punch hurt, as she cried out.

“What the hell are you doing?! I’m being sincere here!”

“What trouble are you talking about?”

While Jeong Ahyeon massaged her head, I looked down at her and said.

“We just came because we wanted to. We came to eat at the buffet.”

“What kind of nonsense is that!”

“Exactly.”

I ruffled Jeong Ahyeon’s hair, which I had just hit.

“Just ask for what you really want. Then I’ll help you as you wish.”

“But I’m too weak—”

DONG!

“You got hit in the same spot again!”

This time, I hit lightly.

Watching Jeong Ahyeon fuss with her hair, I spoke up.

“I’m not asking that, you fool.”

“……”

“So what if you’re weak?”

I conjured a two-handed sword in my left hand and slung it over my shoulder.

“A weak martial artist is just one of many.”

“……Master.”

“We have fluffy cats, simple-minded gluttons, and even those who have no chest at all.”

“That comment might get you killed.”

“Oh.”

Suddenly, a chilling voice emerged from my party.

“We’ll see after this is over.”

“Husband! See you later!”

“You’re dead, you.”

“Shit.”

This is bad.

I hurriedly met Jeong Ahyeon’s eyes again.

This time, it was my turn to apologize.

“I’m sorry. It’s ultimately my fault you got hurt.”

“That’s not true! That was a situation where I couldn’t avoid!”

“I’m sorry. I won’t let you get hurt again.”

“……Master.”

It was my fault.

If only I had just blocked with the shield earlier, she wouldn’t have been injured.

Then she wouldn’t have these wounds at all.

I came to save her, and I ended up hurting her.

I’m truly a piece of trash.

However, self-reproach doesn’t solve anything.

What’s best is to move more instead of dwelling on guilt.

Of course, there’s something most important before that.

“So what is it that you want?”

“…Master.”

I didn’t hear what Jeong Ahyeon wanted directly.

“If you want to quit, I’ll let you quit anytime.”

“……”

“If you want me to fight for you, then I’ll fight like crazy.”

“…Why.”

Jeong Ahyeon looked at me with an expression of disbelief.

“Why go so far to help me?”

“Well.”

I averted my gaze from her face and wore a slightly awkward smile.

“Even if it’s a bad connection, I can still say we’re friends, right?”

“Friends… is that right?”

Jeong Ahyeon chewed on the word while dropping her head.

I demanded a reply from her.

“Don’t feel pressured. Just ask for what you want.”

Jeong Ahyeon hadn’t directly expressed what she wanted until now.

She had merely been dragged around, acting according to our wishes.

So she could afford to be a little selfish now.

After all, she was a person too. Wouldn’t she want to be more than just someone being tugged around?

Everyone has a certain desire or two.

“Because we’re friends, say whatever you want.”

There’s a saying that brushing against someone’s sleeve creates a bond.

Though our first meeting was the worst, now we share a treasured bond that will always stay together.

Thus, isn’t it okay to grant one wish?

After all, she’s someone I’ve made a connection with.

[How about an assurance?]

‘That’s not a connection; that’s a damn dog.’

Meanwhile, Jeong Ahyeon kept her head down.

Then she smiled softly and murmured.

“Hehe. For now, I’m satisfied with being friends.”

With great effort, Jeong Ahyeon tried to stand up.

When I silently helped her, she slowly rose while spilling out one desire after another.

“I absolutely want to win. I want to stomp that bastard’s face.”

“Absolutely.”

“I want to attend classes with you and then get completely drunk again.”

“And then?”

Jeong Ahyeon blushed a little, looking shy.

But with determination, she quietly confessed her final desire.

“I want to return smiling with you and wander here and there together.”

“Anytime.”

Finally, Jeong Ahyeon stood up straight.

She hesitated a bit before speaking.

“…Is it okay to ask?”

“Of course it is.”

Just then, Rick stopped laughing maniacally and glared at us.

Though Rick’s focus was blurry, the direction of his wand was precisely aimed at us.

But I didn’t care about Rick at all; I just smiled at Jeong Ahyeon.

“You should’ve said this sooner.”

*