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Chapter 10: One-on-One Sparring

At 1 PM, the recruits from Class A were lined up in three rows at the training ground for one-on-one sparring, also known as individual combat training.

It's a simple class where students pair up and spar against each other.

The match-ups will be decided randomly on the spot. We will not consider personal compatibility. You can’t always fight opponents who are favorable to you. Having the chance to fight against someone disadvantageous will be a good experience, as such opportunities are rare.”

"Yes!"

Perhaps because they were still new, everyone seemed alert and ready.

"But for the first match, I'll allow someone to challenge someone else. You have the right to choose anyone."

Building rapport with key story figures here might not be a bad idea, but my proficiency in hand-to-hand combat is still unproven. Let’s just get through today’s class unnoticed.

"May I make a nomination?!"

"Sure, go ahead, Lucy."

Lucy stood beside the instructor and scanned the students. She frowned as if she could not find the person she was looking for, but our eyes met.

"I nominate Lee Hoyeon!"

What? Me?

"Lee Hoyeon? Why him?"

"I heard he was surprisingly decent during the morning class."

"Professor Im Sol even praised him."

"Maybe this is her weird way of confessing to him."

"Wow, Lucy is unexpectedly aggressive, huh?"

Confession, my ass.

“Both of you, head up to the training ground. Bring your weapons.”

Well, both Lucy and I are mages. Carrying an unfamiliar weapon would only slow me down.

I was about to go unarmed, but I noticed a small dagger. I picked it up, thinking it might come in handy.

I felt an intense gaze while facing each other in the circular arena.

When I looked up, Lucy was smiling at me, but her eyes were completely locked on me.

Admittedly, she was cute, but those eyes had the ferocity of a predator.

Cheers erupted among the onlookers below, who knew nothing.

Everyone’s attention was fixed on us.

I had expected this. Among the countless one-on-one combat training, there would eventually be a day when I'd face Lucy in combat.

I just didn't anticipate it happening so quickly.

Lucy is one of the heroines and is incredibly talented.

Her younger sister, Lumi, specializes in defensive magic, whereas Lucy specializes in offensive magic.

Her combat abilities in the latter part of the battle may be one-dimensional, but how she overwhelms her opponents with her powerful attacks contrasts sharply with her cute appearance.

Currently, however, she's still just a promising talent, but I lack practical experience and can’t stand up to her.

I wanted to gain experience against an extra character first... Haa.

★ Heroine Status Screen

[Lucy]

[Affection: 20]
[Sexual Desire: 5]
[Appetite: 40]
[Fatigue: 20]

After my apology yesterday, her affection increased from 2 to 20.

I don't really understand. I don't think she's angry, but why did she challenge me?

"Are you ready to apologize?"

Lucy spoke out from the opposite side of the arena.

“Is apologizing on the training grounds a new trend nowadays?”

"To be honest, I'm not really mad. I saw how you were back then. Your apology seemed sincere enough."

"That’s great if you think so."

Lucy slightly lifted the corners of her mouth.

"But you know, if you are truly sorry, there should be consequences. You can apologize again after the duel."

It seems like she intends to hear her apology after all.

In the mana field of the training ground, you don’t sustain physical injuries even if you're attacked. However, you still feel pain to maintain a sense of reality. In real situations, you can't afford to let pain get in the way of your actions.

I'd rather not get hit by magic if I can help it... It's going to hurt, isn't it?

"Alright, the mana field is good to go. You two are ready, right?"

----------------------

『A sub-quest has been issued.』

[Even the older sister now?!]

Don't get too comfortable just because you've become closer to Lumi!

Unlike her sister, a few exchanges of words with Lucy won't raise her affection. How about becoming a bad boy by winning the duel overwhelmingly?

- Reward: Lucy's affection will slightly increase.

----------------------

I was trying to calm myself in preparation for the duel when suddenly, a quest window appeared before my eyes.

Wait, I’ll become a bad guy just because I win overwhelmingly in the duel? That doesn't seem right.

"Lee Hoyeon! If you're ready, respond!"

"Oh, yes!"

The instructor’s shout snapped me back to reality. Well, it doesn’t seem like there’s a penalty for failing, so why not give it a shot?

I tried to stretch my body, hoping to loosen up, but it didn't help much. The dagger hanging from my belt kept poking my thigh with every step.

It's more uncomfortable than I expected. I brought it along, thinking it might come in handy, but it seems unnecessary now.

"3, 2, 1. Begin!"

Poof!

The barrier separating us dissipated, and the duel began.

As soon as I heard the starting signal, I began manifesting my mana.

Lucy uses fire-elemental mana like me, so our affinities are evenly matched.

Of course, I can use other elemental mana as well. I practiced it at the training camp, and it wasn't too difficult.

But showing multiple elements seems a bit too conspicuous right now.

"Excessive attention draws suspicion."

Lucy manifested her mana in the form of arrows. Later, she should easily shoot thousands of arrows like these.

Twish!

Ten fire arrows started heading toward me.

I had already created a barrier of fire, blocking the arrows.

The arrows hit the barrier, lost their power, and disappeared.

It was a brief exchange, more to scout each other than anything.

"Not bad. I heard you switched to being a magician, so I thought you were aiming for a guild position."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Our casting speeds were similar in the last skirmish. The only difference was that I exerted all my effort to block Lucy's fire arrows.

However, she still seemed to have a lot of energy left. To her, the exchange was but a light reconnaissance.

Clearly, she was more competent than me, who lacked experience. Her magic skills were proficient, too. If I had more experience, I could efficiently counter her fire arrows using mana orbs. But I definitely couldn't control ten separate spells yet.

"Let's finish this quickly. Many people are waiting behind us."

Swoosh!

Dozens of fire arrows floated above Lucy's head.

I can't block this. This time, Lucy put all her power into casting the spell.

An overwhelming number of fire arrows.

I thought about just taking the hit and ending it for a moment, but I can't do that.

Even if I took the hit and apologized, it wasn’t likely to help improve our relationship. Honestly, maybe being a bad guy, like the system suggests, would be better.

Alright, let's try something.

Badump!

As soon as I readied myself, my heart started beating faster. My body was telling me that 'Lee Hoyeon,' the 'protagonist' of this world, was not someone to be ignored.

Badump!

Blood circulated rapidly from the depths of my chest and spread to the rest of my body.

[Combat Sense], my innate talent, was steadily activating.

It was my first time properly using it, but I got used to it quickly.

[Combat Sense], which was now surging within me, made my body ready to react and alerted my senses.

[Clear Mental Fortitude] cleared my head and wiped away the notion of defeat. It started searching for a way to come out on top.

[Mana Perception] worked to analyze the trajectory of fire arrows in front of me.

My entire body felt like it was high on adrenaline. I felt better compared to before the duel started.

I can win. No, I have to win.

Lee Hoyeon's talent, [Combat Sense]... In the game, this ability alone created ridiculous opportunities for the main character. Now, combined with [Mana Perception] and [Clear Mental Fortitude], it was nearly peerless in its abilities.

These individually overpowered abilities synergized and created even more overpowered abilities.

"Developing unique skill: [Insight]."

"Unique Skill: [Insight] acquired."

---------『Insight』---------------------------

▶ Unique Skill

▶ Focuses mana in the eyes, enhancing perception and the ability to recognize and distinguish mana-infused beings or forms.

--------------------------------------------

"Insight...?"

"You're giving up? I thought you had more resolve. How disappointing."

Looking puzzled by my calm demeanor, Lucy shrugged her shoulders and shot a fire arrow at me.

As the arrows flew toward me, I activated [Insight].

But as I concentrated the mana in my eyes, I felt a slight pain.

"Ugh."

The pain intensified. Unable to bear it, I closed my eyes for a brief moment and reopened them.

Zing–

At that moment, mana became visible, and my field of view expanded.

It was as if I had grown an extra pair of eyes. My field of view had widened. I could observe mana lingering in the atmosphere.

Before I could adjust to the sudden change in my vision, I had to deal with the incoming fire arrows.

Zing—

The moment I focused on the magic, my vision started to distort. I suddenly understood the principles of magic and the structure of mana.

I visualized where the magic was coming from, how far it would reach, and how destructive it was. All of this information was forcibly imprinted into my mind.

It was already too late to respond with magic. I had to evade.

But how should I? The optimal route appeared in my mind.

The fire arrows flew toward me, but I could see their paths.

Swoosh—

I saw about 30 red lines. Among those, about 15 penetrated me, while the remaining 15 blocked my escape route.

But if you can see their paths, avoiding them is easy.

I took the path with the least red lines and dashed forward.

Most of the arrows missed me; now only three red lines were left.

I quickly manifested mana orbs in my left and right hands and countered them. Then, I dodged one by tilting my head to the left.

"Lucky, aren't you?"

Lucy created more fire arrows above her head.

They came at me one by one. There were fewer than before, but they were faster as she focused on control.

However, it wasn't enough. I could clearly see their path now.

I bent my body to the left, dodging the arrows, then concentrated mana at the tip of my foot.

"I see an opening...!"

Another 20 arrows flew at me. There were fewer than before, but she had narrowed the gaps between the arrows. It was to prevent me from escaping again.

Magic flew at me from all sides. It seemed there were no gaps to exploit, but I could see them clearly. A space barely wider than my shoulders. I had to jump through it.

I detonated mana at the tip of my feet, propelling myself through the red lines.

Swoosh—

Lucy's eyes widened at the magical spectacle. She bit her lips and cast another spell.

However, no matter what spells she used next, I avoided them using minimal movements and defenses, gradually closing the distance between us.

"Wh-what?"

When I had closed the gap between us, she tried to create a barrier to widen the gap.

But before she could fully cast the spell, I reached her.

Swish.

I brought the dagger to her neck.

Although I could settle the battle with magic from this close range, I didn't want to hurt Lucy.

Furthermore, a dominant victory also required some flair.

Thud–

Lucy's legs gave out, and she collapsed as if her strength had faded.

Outside the arena, the students stared at me in astonishment.

Even the instructor widened his eyes in surprise.

"Professor, please declare the winner."

"Uh, right. The winner is Lee Hoyeon. Both of you can come down now."

Despite winning the duel, I didn't hear any applause. It seemed these guys didn't know how to react.

Lucy remained on the floor, still confused.

『Quest completed! Lucy's affection increased by 3.』

★ Heroine Status

[Lucy]

[Affection: 28]
[Sexual Desire: 5]
[Appetite: 40]
[Fatigue: 20]

Affection increased by 3. Why is it 28 now? It was definitely 20 earlier. Did she fall for the sudden bad-guy act I put on?

I approached Lucy, who seemed dazed, and extended my hand.

"Lucy, are you alright?"

"Heh, I tried to get revenge but ended up losing instead."

"I know it might sound strange coming from me, but it was really scary."

Lucy took my hand and stood up, dusting herself off.

"Haa. So, what's up with those cool eyes?"

My eyes? What about my eyes?

I checked my face using the mirror function on my smartwatch.

My eyes glowed with a soft golden light.

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