As he charged forward, Go Hyeon-woo slashed his golden magic sword diagonally.
A blade of energy rode the wind toward its target.
Jo Byeok quickly assessed the situation.
Dodging would be the worst option.
Now was the time to push forward, even if it meant taking some damage.
He accelerated further, and the blade grazed his shoulder.
[Jo Byeok 100%]
[Jo Byeok 99%]
At the same time, Jo Byeok thrust his fist forward.
To Go Hyeon-woo, it felt like a massive boulder was crashing down on him.But just as his opponent had done, instead of evading, he met the attack head-on with his sword.
[Go Hyeon-woo 98%]
The two soon closed the distance to nearly point-blank and began exchanging blows.
As another punch flew toward him, Go Hyeon-woo angled his blade and slashed upward.
The punch veered off slightly, and the sword energy grazed Jo Byeok’s wrist.
But in the next moment, Go Hyeon-woo felt a heavy impact on his opposite thigh.
Jo Byeok had smoothly retracted his punch and followed up with a well-placed low kick.
Even so, Go Hyeon-woo paid it no mind and kept swinging his sword.
Blades and fists crossed; sword energy clashed with martial force.
And with that, both their health bars began dropping at a frightening rate.
[Go Hyeon-woo 96%]
[Go Hyeon-woo 93%]
[Go Hyeon-woo 90%]
[Jo Byeok 96%]
[Jo Byeok 94%]
[Jo Byeok 91%]
– Woooooaaah!
The crowd roared in excitement at the clash exceeding all expectations.
Seo Cheong-yong added commentary.
“Both fighters are already below 90% health, and the match has barely begun! At this rate, it might end up being shorter than expected!”
“The match seems evenly balanced.”
“Indeed! It looks like Go Hyeon-woo’s skills have improved significantly!”
Go Hyeon-woo himself felt that more clearly than anyone.
As he absorbed Jo Byeok’s attacks, he thought to himself:
He’s still like a rock… but unlike before, it no longer feels impossible.
During the placement exam, Go Hyeon-woo had declared forfeit when his iron sword broke. But in truth, he had spare swords with him.
The problem was that even if he drew a new blade, he couldn’t have resumed the fight.
That was because casting [Clear Stream] had nearly depleted all his internal energy.
Meanwhile, Jo Byeok had taken that ultimate technique and still stood unscathed, which is why Go Hyeon-woo accepted the outcome and conceded.
But now, everything is different.
Back then, Go Hyeon-woo’s [Core] was ranked E, placing him in the lower ranks among first-years.
But ever since, he had trained in the special cultivation chamber every single day without fail, steadily building up his mana. On top of that, he had absorbed all sorts of elixirs Kim Ho had acquired for him.
Thanks to that, his rank had now risen to B.
Even accounting for the one-step reduction under the Fixed Zone rules, there was no risk of running out of internal energy.
And the same goes for my skills.
He had obtained the Dharma Statue from the Black Market, and by internalizing the insights contained within, he had refined his swordsmanship.
Not to mention the grueling quests Kim Ho assigned him whenever he had the chance and the countless sparring sessions with Han So-mi, giving him constant combat experience.
All the conditions point toward victory.
Swoosh—
Go Hyeon-woo’s sword slowly swept across in a straight line.
Meanwhile, the surrounding wind sharpened into blades, surging toward the enemy like a storm.
Swish, swish, swish, swish!—
In response, Jo Byeok’s form swayed left and right, producing afterimages.
The afterimages all thrust their fists forward at once, neutralizing the sword energy.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!—
[Go Hyeon-woo 77%]
vs
[Jo Byeok 76%]
After a brief lull, the two once again charged at each other.
Lee Soo-dok and Seo Cheong-yong who were watching closely offered their thoughts.
“They’re starting to pull out their ultimate techniques.”
“Trying to gain even a slight edge! Still, it’s neck and neck!”
Meanwhile, in a corner of the reed-covered field, green light gathered into a ball.
Even so, neither Go Hyeon-woo nor Jo Byeok spared it a glance.
Just as they’d declared, they were ignoring the healing orb.
Weaving through the gaps between slashes of sword energy, Jo Byeok spoke.
“You’ve grown stronger. More than before.”
“You flatter me.”
Go Hyeon-woo replied as he subtly deflected a punch to the side.
[Harmonized Flow]
In the next instant, the force-packed fist slammed into the blade.
When Go Hyeon-woo gradually guided his enchanted sword to the side, the strike’s direction twisted with it.
Whooooooosh!
A corner of the reed field was blown to pieces, but the two fighters still locked eyes, exchanging blows without pause.
“The principle of harmonizing into one… is it?”
“As you can see, it’s not yet complete.”
[Go Hyeon-woo 70%]
vs
[Jo Byeok 75%]
Even as he redirected the attack, some of the impact still carried through, shaving off a bit of health.
“An excellent response nonetheless. Let’s keep going.”
Jo Byeok’s figure wavered, and just as before, afterimages began to emerge.
They multiplied without end, surrounding Go Hyeon-woo, each one striking in a different way.
Fists, hands, elbows, kicks, and knees flew in from every direction.
But just before they could land, Go Hyeon-woo’s form grew faint and blurred.
He had unleashed Ghost Dance.
Swish…
The blurred figure seemed to weave through the afterimages, almost as if dancing.
Then, a sudden flash of sword light and Go Hyeon-woo appeared some distance away.
[Jo Byeok 75%]
[Jo Byeok 67%]
vs
[Go Hyeon-woo 68%]
“……”
Jo Byeok silently nodded.
He wasn’t the only one who had been keeping a trump card in reserve.
The reason Go Hyeon-woo hadn’t escaped immediately, lingering just a moment longer, was clear.
It was to track down the real body and land a decisive strike.
“……”
“……”
At length, Go Hyeon-woo and Jo Byeok slowly turned their backs, then faced each other once more.
And in that moment, they came to an unspoken agreement.
A final attack.
Both men gathered their strength to the limit.
Jo Byeok’s bear-like frame leapt nimbly into the air.
His hands multiplied into dozens of afterimages.
Then massive palms and fists of inner force rained down upon Go Hyeon-woo.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
In contrast, Go Hyeon-woo’s sword moved at the same unhurried, steady pace.
Like the soft wind swirling around him.
Yet though the wind was gentle, it carried such immense force that even the naked eye could trace its flow.
All at once, the gathered wind concentrated into his blade and swept toward his opponent.
Flash!
Before anyone realized it, Jo Byeok was already standing on the reed field below.
He knew the name of the technique he had just witnessed.
“Clear Stream.”
“Indeed.”
“I’m glad I got to fight you.”
“That’s what I wanted to say as well.”
A faint smile touched Jo Byeok’s impassive face.
Then his massive body slowly toppled to the side.
“I’ve lost. Until next time…”
“Haha, that too is what I wanted to say.”
Go Hyeon-woo also felt his vision tilt and fade sideways.
Amidst it, the sound of something crumbling reached his ears.
When he glanced in that direction, he saw the golden sword cracking apart and shattering.
At last, the magic sword’s durability had reached its limit.
You served me well. Thank you.
With that final farewell, Go Hyeon-woo’s consciousness sank into darkness.
***
Lee Soo-dok and Seo Cheong-yong spoke of the match’s outcome.
“A double knockout.”
“That’s right! The tournament’s first draw! It might even be the last.”
[Go Hyeon-woo Draw]
vs
[Jo Byeok Draw]
“According to the rules, there will be no rematch for a draw in the Round of 32! Still, let’s give a big round of applause to both fighters for such a great match!”
Clap clap clap clap—!
The arena was filled with thunderous applause for a while.
It was a sign of how deeply moved the audience had been by the match between Go Hyeon-woo and Jo Byeok.
Once the applause had died down a bit, Seo Cheong-yong spoke into the microphone again.
“Now, it’s time for the final match of the day! Contestants, please get ready!”
[Lee Seong-hyeon vs Hong Yeon-hwa]
Lee Seong-hyeon and Hong Yeon-hwa took their final moments to prepare, then stepped onto the teleportation portal.
They appeared at the site of a ruined castle.
Looking across from her, Hong Yeon-hwa raised a question mark above her head.
What’s with him?
Lee Seong-hyeon had a deeply moved expression on his face.
And indeed, he truly was moved.
After watching the previous match between Go Hyeon-woo and Jo Byeok.
Who would’ve thought a fight could be so manly and passionate…!
They didn’t even use Healing Orbs; they just kept clashing endlessly from start to finish!
But with his own match about to begin, Lee Seong-hyeon took a deep breath to steady himself.
There was one thing he had to do, so he declared to Hong Yeon-hwa across from him:
“I too will not use Healing Orbs.”
At this point, Hong Yeon-hwa was starting to get a sense of what was going on.
He must have been inspired by the last match and wanted to imitate it.
Of course, she had no intention of going along with it so obediently.
“I’m going to use mine, though. Healing Orbs.”
Why would she agree to a fair fight just to make things easier for him?
She wasn’t a knight. She was a mage.
A stationary, battery-type mage at that.
Avoiding one-on-one combat was the obvious choice.
But Lee Seong-hyeon responded without much concern.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t. I’m simply placing a restriction on myself.”
“Really?”
Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyebrow flicked upward with interest.
Doing something that generous in the main tournament?
She figured she should at least show some appreciation in her own way.
Even if she didn’t have the same fiery spirit of a warrior….she could still give him some fiery magic.