A private training ground in Daebang-dong.
It was the largest training ground near Sangdo, where my home is located.
As soon as I sent a message, Park Jin-woo came running, and before I knew it, he had taken his place in the training area, wielding his sword.
Seeing his consistent enthusiasm, I waved and greeted him.
“Hey.”
“Oh.”
Park Jin-woo loosened his concentration and shook hands with me.
We dueled whenever we found the time.
When I had won over ten consecutive matches, it wasn’t fun anymore, but since Park Jin-woo had mastered [Unstoppable Swift Swordplay] one day, our dueling became more evenly matched.As a result, our overall record was 41 matches, 30 wins, and 11 losses.
I was still ahead, but looking at recent results, it was quite close.
“Why did you come again if I’m the one starting this time?”
I scratched my head and approached him.
Back when we were at the academy, we could have met at the internal training grounds, but ever since the vacation began, we had been dueling at the private training ground.
My place was in Sangdo, the training ground is in Daebang-dong.
Park Jin-woo’s place was near Bangbae-dong.
This was our second match after the vacation started, and Park Jin-woo had come over again.
Although it was nearby, I felt a bit guilty for no reason.
However, Park Jin-woo’s responses always caught me off guard.
“It’s fine. Coming all the way here is part of my training.”
“…?”
What nonsense was this?
He came all the way from Bangbae-dong to Daebang-dong on foot?
I couldn’t comprehend it and had to ask again.
“What are you talking about? You walked all the way here?”
“Hahaha. Yep, I did.”
“…”
Was he really crazy?
Walking from Bangbae-dong to Daebang-dong, a distance of almost 7 kilometers, would take over two hours…
I stopped thinking about it right there.
As expected, trying to understand this guy with logic was pointless.
“Did you get promoted to C-grade?”
Park Jin-woo’s skill level had already surpassed C-grade Holders.
Like me back in the day, his promotion was certain with his achievements alone.
That’s why I had told him to get promoted quickly when we last met.
Because there were quite a few undiscovered dungeons I wanted to explore with him.
But as usual…
Park Jin-woo shook his head with a serious expression.
“No, I didn’t have the time.”
“Ah, come on! Instead of running all the way here, spend some time on that. Don’t you find it bothersome to not have that achievement match your skills?”
“I don’t even have enough time for training!”
“Seriously, you’re insane…”
Him maintaining such a serious expression was even more annoying.
Well, he’ll figure it out eventually.
He’s the type who naturally improves everything over time.
I slowly drew the sword on my back.
“Let’s get started. I was itching for a fight.”
“Oh yeah, that’s what I was hoping for.”
We moved to the dueling area on one side of the training ground.
This place was convenient for dueling with only a fee required.
Being an indoor training ground, I didn’t have to worry about others watching, which made it even better.
Especially because I was a Multi-Holder, revealing my full power to someone else felt awkward.
Park Jin-woo stood in position with a serious gaze, gripping his sword.
I hadn’t noticed before, but his sword looked quite impressive.
It seemed like a decent normal or even rare-grade sword at a glance.
Typical of a well-off family’s son, he didn’t hold back on spending for equipment.
“Let’s stick to the same rules we used in the Academy’s dueling matches. No critical strikes, but all other attacks are allowed.”
“We’ll judge with our own eyes, right?”
“Phew, yes, that’s right. And forfeiting is allowed.”
Of course, saying this never led to an actual forfeit.
During those 41 matches, we had clashed like maniacs until one of us gave out.
Or until a sword was almost at our necks.
It was our own unique way of dueling with no forfeits.
“Would you like to start?”
“Sure.”
Park Jin-woo replied briefly and slowly gathered his magic.
I, too, held my sword with both hands and prepared to infuse magic.
When dueling with this guy, I had to stay focused and concentrated.
It was on a different level from facing Shin Yuna.
Even if we were both C-grade, the difference in abilities and rune utilization was worlds apart.
That applied to me as well as Park Jin-woo.
We confronted each other at a slight distance, tension building between us.
In the midst of the silence, it was suddenly broken.
“Begin.”
Park Jin-woo gave the signal.
And in an instant, he charged at me like an arrow.
Did he activate Charging Runes?
Considering his high speed, it was an incredible velocity.
I immediately prepared [Water Sword Technique].
Perhaps Park Jin-woo would utilize [Unstoppable Swift Swordplay] as he charged.
Though [Water Sword Technique] was slightly inferior to [Unstoppable Swift Swordplay], it was similar in its foundation of speed-based swordsmanship, making it the most suitable counter.
“Huup…!!”
“Haaap…!!”
Holding my breath, I awaited his sword, and Park Jin-woo’s blade suddenly vanished.
Then, he rotated his entire body swiftly.
He instantly moved away from me and turned toward my back.
‘It’s obvious, so obvious.’
It was the [Rotating Combo Attack].
A derived skill from [Unstoppable Swift Swordplay].
It involved integrating the body and the sword into a whirlwind-like rotation, continuously delivering simultaneous strikes similar to [Combo].
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