Episode 45: How to Deal with Nemeses (1)
The life-and-death duel training was deemed the most controversial at the conception of joint classes. A one-on-one confrontation between a fortified warrior and a wizard could be a dangerous event, and it had always been inevitably advantageous to the reinforced warrior. For a wizard who takes at least a few tens of seconds to cast, to stand against a warrior who casually traverses hundreds of meters in that time, the odds are stacked perilously against them. Therefore, opinions were divided on life and death duels being fundamentally meaningless, even in the early days. Still, the first president of the Hunter Academy showed a determined attitude despite dissenting opinions.
“It is a fight against the wizard, and I admit that the fortified warrior is the magician’s natural enemy, but that is why I think a more life-threatening duel system is needed. Reinforced warriors are wizards, and wizards are reinforced warriors. We have to deal with the academy, where mistakes are still tolerated, but will we respond to any situation outside the world in the future? There is no such thing as an easy fight. It may be harsh to the magicians, but they must learn to deal with the natural enemies that will always be present in their world.”
Everybody knew the wizards were at a disadvantage. However, the president’s opinion had validity, and in the end, life-and-death duels became one of the joint classes. There was a specific reason for the name ‘life and death duel.’ In order to be realistic, no restrictions were placed on the training. You could stab or cut the opponent, or a wizard could burn a swordsman with powerful flame magic – real injury was not just a potential, but a probability. As the setting of a life-threatening fight was laid, reinforced warriors and wizards strove to win by any means. There were minimal safety procedures in place to prevent serious injuries.
Reinforced warriors were automatically defeated when they suffered more than a certain amount of damage by wearing a protective device that created immunity to magic, and their weapons were crafted so that a strike wouldn’t lead to actual blood loss. Although there was no real risk of fatality, the atmosphere of life and death is famous for being harsher and more desperate than any other training exercise since the pain from the attack is transmitted head-on.
A few days before the training, the magic students trembled with anxiety. A century after the training was brought into play; its meaning had faded.
“No matter his strength, a wizard can never beat a reinforced warrior.”
One student’s words echoed the thoughts of many. The Hunter Academy president hoped that the sorcerer would learn how to deal with natural enemies through life and death duels, but that progress didn’t seem to occur. In the natural world, frogs – the prey of snakes, occasionally eat their predators. However, such a miracle was not established in the relationship between the reinforced warrior and the wizard.
100 years. There had been countless life and death duels during that time. Even if a fortified warrior was injured, there had never been a victorious wizard in Hunter Academy history.
Not even once.
* * *
“To your positions.”
“To the location.”
In response to Kim Moo-jin’s cold voice, Lee Jung-min of the Department of Magic, who was first selected as the subject of a life and death duel, moved to a designated location.
Thump-thump.
His heart so beat hard in his chest; it was a wonder it didn’t fill the room. A cold sweat covered the surface of his palms, and his mouth was dry.
“Hoowook, hoowook.”
Lee Jung-min chose the opponent. That was one of two perks allowed for the sorcerer, and despite choosing the easiest-looking opponent, he couldn’t hide his tension. The opponent appeared to be seriously offended by being chosen by Lee Jung-min.
“Haha, Chun-sik, I guess you looked easy.”
“Chun-sik-kip, our Chun-sik was easy to come up with.”
“Isn’t it possible to be handed over to a wizard?”
Kim Chun-sik’s friends giggled, taunting him. That was how the swordsmanship students communicated. Their humor expressed a level of comfort in the training ground that was lost to the wizards. The fact that the Department of Magic has never won means that confrontation with wizards feels very natural to the warriors. Being chosen first to confront a wizard could only mean that the warrior had been targeted as weak. Kim Chun-sik’s face was smudged red with rage.
Pop.
“Do I look like an easy ride to you?”
Rattle, his heart fell. He wasn’t wrong. He was chosen because he looked the easiest, but that didn’t mean that the wizard wasn’t afraid of him. It was still scary. In the fight against swordsmanship students, rumors that magicians were injured were now so common that they didn’t cause a stir.
Lee Jung-min trembled anxiously; if the duel had begun, his head would have been blown away at once. Fortunately, this training had a second perk for wizards. It is the right to first ‘blood.’ Swordsmen must not attack until after the wizard’s first strike.
“Begin.”
Kim Moo-jin’s signal fell.
Lee Jung-min managed to calm his heavy breathing and immediately entered casting.
“Stay calm.”
He muttered to himself.
He was fighting adversity, but why don’t you defeat the opponent quickly and reduce your own suffering if it’s an unavoidable fight? The first magic limit is the second circle. Jung-min cast the most powerful magic he could muster.
Wow.
Crimson flames burnt bright and began to form a sphere. Lee Jung-min yelled.
“Fireball!”
Hwaahak!
The atmosphere was alight. The moment the conversion blow used by Lee Jung-min was about to explode on his opponent, Kim Chun-sik disappeared.
Pop!
Rumble!
Lee Jung-min’s shaking eyes urgently hunted for Kim Chun-sik. As soon as they found him, he prepared another magic. You must hit early to lead the fight to your advantage, but hitting a moving enemy wasn’t an easy task. His hands trembled, slowing down the casting process even more than usual. However, for a moment, Lee Jung-min’s eyes were widened by the presence that protruded in front of him.
“Bitch!”
Pow!
“Take it!”
Quadang!
Lee Jung-min rolled onto the floor. It wasn’t a knife cut. After avoiding the magic, Kim Chun-sik attacked the blind spot and kicked Lee Jung-min’s abdomen with all his might.
“Ah, ugh…”
Lee Jung-min clutched his abdomen. Saliva dripped from his mouth, and his red-rimmed eyes were not willing to fight. Seon Gong Kwon. The wizard’s right to attack first meant nothing. Magic doesn’t hit its target unconditionally, and it takes a long time for the next cast.
In a one-on-one confrontation, the drawbacks that clutch onto the wizard’s ankles were too great.
Puck!
Kim Chun-sik aimed a sparring knife at Lee Jung-min’s neck. The warrior wanted to taunt the wizard further because he could, but attacking an incompetent opponent is grounds for disqualification.
When Kim Chun-sik’s gaze turned to Kim Moo-jin, Kim Moo-jin said in a cold tone as though there was nothing to confirm.
“The duel is over. The winner is Choon-Sik Kim from the Department of Swordsmanship.”
The results were as expected—an easy win. Kim Chun-sik smiled as he approached the swordsmanship students who burst into the park, and the magical students’ expressions hardened.
They knew that this training would be a disaster for them.
* * *
The situation afterward was no different.
Some magicians managed to get the first hit, but the swordsman appeared through the flames and cut down the wizard. Circle two magic just wasn’t strong enough to overwhelm a warrior with one blow. The magic students fell, one after another.
The magicians observing the training grew increasingly pale, waiting for their turn like a pig in a slaughterhouse. It was upsetting. The joint class taught the wizards the cold, hard facts of reality.
“Next is Kang Min-hyuk.”
The moment his name was called, the students of the Department of Swordsmanship rang out.
“It’s finally him.”
“Uh, oh.”
“Which kid are you going to take on?”
Min-hyuk was attractive prey. As he emerged as the joint class protagonist, the swordsmanship students wanted to face him to prove their superiority once and for all.
It didn’t matter that Kang Min-hyuk was a 3rd circle wizard, and besides, the first hit was limited to the second circle, which was a fight that the reinforced warrior was bound to win. If so, the person facing Kang Min-hyuk would be a big hit. It meant a good score in the joint class, and as a bonus, they’d be in the spotlight for defeating Kang Min-hyuk.
One of the students who was waiting for Kang Min-hyuk’s appointment raised his hand.
“Can I volunteer myself?”
“Bastard.”
“It’s a self-promotion.”
Laughter burst from the seat of the department of swordsmanship.
When Kim Moo-jin and Kang Min-hyuk did not disagree, he spoke with a confident voice.
“My name is Jeong-hyun Yoo, and my feet are very slow. It affects my power, so I’m a perfect match for a wizard. Because of my speed, I’m more likely to be hit by magic. Rather than the other guys who can escape easily, wouldn’t I be more comfortable with the hit?”
Instead of promoting his good points, Yoo Jeong-hyun appealed to Min-hyuk through his weakness.
That wasn’t the only problem. Other students followed the lead of Yoo Jung-hyun.
“Yoo Jung-hyun isn’t going to fall from a few hits of magic, so how about choosing me? I won’t attack until you cast three times so that you can proceed with confidence. Of course, the accuracy of your magic is another matter, but I think it’s a fairly good opportunity to have three chances.”
“I will also apply.”
“Me too!”
Kim Moo-jin frowned at the behavior, but he did not respond to Kang Min-hyuk, who simply smiled.
“It sounds like a lot of fun.”
It was funny. The reaction of the swordsmanship students was like watching a comedy.
None of the students who had had favorable interactions with Kang Min-hyuk raised their hands. Those who stand against Kang Min-hyuk ended up as worthless lumps engulfed by inferiority.
The majority of swordsmen didn’t like Kang Min-hyuk taking the spotlight; they tried to sabotage it somehow; that much was clear.
Kang Min-hyuk grinned as he said,
“I’ve already made my choice. This is a safe exercise to practice for the hardships of the real world, so I’d much rather deal with somebody skilled than people with lesser talents.”
“That bastard!”
“Wow, cheeky…”
The swordsman student’s facial expressions distorted with fury. It seemed that they would abandon their pride at any moment, but Kim Moo-jin’s presence tamed them.
The atmosphere grew more heated. Kang Min-hyuk’s gazed toward his desired opponent,
“I want to deal with Choi Kwang-il.”
The moment the name was called, the swordsmen’s expressions grew stern. Choi Kwang-il was renowned for his abilities; he was also the group leader in the Suseongjeon training.
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