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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 22
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"The spar ends here."
Leonhardt smiled broadly, lowering the sword he had aimed at Han Cheon-seong's throat.
At his expression, Han Cheon-seong also let out a small laugh.
As both of them smiled with clear satisfaction, Han Cheon-seong suddenly spoke.
"In the end, it's a draw?"
At Han Cheon-seong's untimely remark, Leonhardt stopped smiling and blinked.
"...A draw?"
This spar was clearly his victory.
He had enveloped his entire body in the aura of the Sky-Piercing Sword, moving at unimaginable speeds. And it had ended with his sword pointed at Han Cheon-seong's neck.
There was no need to inflict a wound. The spar had ended the moment he did so.
He had no intention of boasting or showing off about the result of the spar, but Han Cheon-seong's statement, which seemed to convey incorrect information, was difficult to understand.
"Han Cheon-seong. What exactly are you talking about?"
When he asked, still uncomprehending, Han Cheon-seong slowly smiled and lowered his gaze.
"Leonhardt. Can't you see this spear?"
Leonhardt stared blankly at the spear, following Han Cheon-seong's gaze, but still didn't understand.
The tip of the sharp spearhead.
It was aimed at the center of his chest. It had stopped about a handspan away.
"When on earth did you...?"
As Leonhardt expressed his disbelief, Cheon-seong slowly retracted the spear he had aimed.
Just as Leonhardt had leisurely retracted his sword moments before, Han Cheon-seong's retraction of the spear was equally unhurried.
*Thwack.*
Han Cheon-seong lightly reholstered the spear and then burst into laughter at Leonhardt's dumbfounded expression.
"Leonhardt. Do you know why snakes are scary?"
Then he uttered something completely out of the blue.
"Snakes?"
"Snakes, you see. They're truly terrifying when they hide in the bushes and attack by surprise. Or when they attack when you least expect it. But if you encounter a snake on flat ground, or in an open area where everything is exposed... actually, snakes aren't that scary."
As the seemingly nonsensical talk continued, Leonhardt's brow furrowed before he suddenly understood.
He realized what Han Cheon-seong was trying to say.
'...Now that I think about it.'
He fleetingly recalled how Han Cheon-seong had consistently pressured him since the spar began. But at some point, he had overlooked something.
Han Cheon-seong, who had launched an offensive as if burning himself out, had a peculiar look in his eyes throughout the spar.
A gaze that seemed to say he wouldn't hesitate to take me down with him, if I tried to forcibly close the distance.
And even now, looking at Han Cheon-seong, he felt the same sensation.
Mutual destruction.
A strange feeling, as if he had paused just before choosing that path. At the same time, he began to think.
When I had surged forward, cloaked in the aura of the Sky-Piercing Sword.
'What if...'
What if Han Cheon-seong had been able to extend his spear at my speed?
Even though it was an absurd assumption—the thought suddenly struck him.
'Then he could have stopped me.'
That's how Han Cheon-seong's words sounded.
Because it sounded like he had hidden his spear like a snake and launched a surprise attack.
But.
'No way.'
That sounded absurd.
"I vaguely sensed you surging towards me."
At that moment, Han Cheon-seong's words came directly. Despite his blank stare, Han Cheon-seong let out a small laugh and gently shook his head.
"But I just couldn't bring myself to extend the spear."
"Couldn't extend it? If you had stabbed, it would have been over then and there..."
He replied blankly, still not understanding.
It sounded as if Han Cheon-seong could have won but chose not to.
And if he had stabbed him with the spear, he probably would have been hit.
He couldn't deny that he had been off guard at that moment.
"Over then and there, you say. Yes, you're certainly right about that. But it wasn't that simple."
As Han Cheon-seong continued to speak, it truly seemed he could have countered... Leonhardt felt blindsided.
Han Cheon-seong's performance after reaching Trait Level 4 was undoubtedly remarkable. The mana imbued in his spear, his increased physical abilities, and his deeper mastery of the spear—
He had improved so much that it felt like he was fighting a completely different person.
That's why, even after reaching Level 3 himself, he couldn't let his guard down even for a moment.
He had fought almost at full strength too.
But. That was it.
He had never once, not for a single moment, envisioned himself losing this spar.
He acknowledged Han Cheon-seong's struggle and his good fight. He didn't look down on him. So he believed even more strongly that he would win.
Because he didn't underestimate his own power, his own skill.
"Leonhardt. If I had stabbed with the spear right then, you would have surely died. And I would have been hit by your sword, so it would have been the same for me. That's why I couldn't extend the spear. No matter how many instructors were observing, in that fleeting moment, I couldn't be sure the spar would be stopped."
A hollow laugh escaped him at Cheon-seong's detailed explanation.
...Somehow. It felt empty.
It felt as if everything he had thought was twisted.
He acknowledged Han Cheon-seong, but he had already far surpassed his expectations.
"Han Cheon-seong. How on earth... were you able to react to the speed of the Sky-Piercing Sword?"
"Rather than reacting, I just... guessed."
"Guessed?"
"Ah, well, it's a bit... strange to hear. But I just had... a feeling."
Seeing him awkwardly fumble with his words, he didn't press further.
Han Cheon-seong seemed sincere and wasn't lying.
And the Han Cheon-seong he knew wasn't the kind of person to lie.
So he realized.
This spar was, in fact...
—his defeat.
After being granted the Legendary Trait and dedicating himself to training, he never imagined he'd face defeat so quickly.
That was... more shocking than he could have anticipated.
*Thud.*
*Click.*
Then, hearing footsteps, he inadvertently turned his head.
Among the slowly dispersing students, his companions were approaching.
Glacia and Yumiya. And even the Avalanche training instructor.
"I never expected to witness such a remarkable spar right from the first one."
Even as the instructor spoke with a gentle smile, he merely managed a strained smile.
"No, not at all."
"There's no need to be so humble. Although the spar ended in a draw, it was truly an incredible display. For two students to achieve the evolution of their traits simultaneously in a spar... it's a very rare sight. Student Leonhardt, and... Student Han Cheon-seong, both of you deserve recognition."
Even though the instructor praised them, he felt no joy.
...A bitter feeling, coupled with a sense of emptiness.
And the thought that he was still greatly lacking.
He believed he had approached the spar without arrogance, truly acknowledging his opponent.
But in reality, that wasn't the case.
'Had I subconsciously looked down on Han Cheon-seong?'
If he had truly seen him as an equal, he would have thought more carefully.
The assumption that Han Cheon-seong might be able to react to a single move of his Sky-Piercing Sword...
If so, he would have chosen to clash swords more cautiously, and he would have parried his spear to secure a definite victory.
As he realized this, a hollow laugh escaped him.
"...You did well, Han Cheon-seong."
Then, hearing a calm voice, his gaze drifted inadvertently.
There, he saw Glacia approaching Han Cheon-seong.
Her long blue hair cascading to her waist and her mysterious beauty. Unlike her usual stoic demeanor, her expression was remarkably subtle.
It was a look he had never seen before. Her expression was completely different from usual.
"Yeah. I did."
Han Cheon-seong chuckled, accepting her words, and at that moment, Glacia smiled faintly.
That sight...
It captivated his sight in an unusually striking way.
*Thud.*
"Leonhardt...! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere!?"
As Yumiya rushed over, he awkwardly smiled and averted his gaze.
"I'm fine. As you can see, neither Han Cheon-seong nor I have any injuries."
Even as he stated the truth, his heart felt strange.
...And he realized anew about this spar.
It wasn't just a spar between him and Han Cheon-seong. It was a spar that many people had watched and felt.
Everything, including its result and process.
It felt like it was knocking at his chest.
The outcome of this spar, which he had believed he wouldn't dwell on, now weighed heavily on his mind.
***
The spar ended in a draw.
He had managed to avoid defeat, a result nothing short of miraculous.
"..."
As Han Cheon-seong replayed that fact, a subtle laugh escaped him.
Having left the A-Class training ground and parted ways with everyone, he was still a little dazed as he headed back to his dormitory.
"I'm practically a con artist."
It was a self-deprecating laugh.
He had gained so much from the spar with Leonhardt.
Trait Level 4.
Just that alone was enough to make him feel like he was soaring through the sky, but he had also proven himself to an A-Class student and even earned the recognition of the training instructor.
That would become an immeasurable value, bolstering his reputation and strength.
However, the fact that he had created a draw kept nagging at the back of his mind.
'It would have been cleaner if it had ended with my loss.'
He kept feeling that he should have lost.
That spar should have ended in his defeat.
But at the very last moment, he had displayed an absurd action.
It was Leonhardt's habit. Because he knew what actions Leonhardt would take in the future.
That's how he was able to react.
To that movement, which he shouldn't have been able to counter, he turned his body and extended his spear as if he had foreseen it.
In the novel, the protagonist always neutralized opponents in a unique way.
—He gets behind his opponent and points his sword.
Even though he could kill them, even though he could inflict a serious wound, Leonhardt doesn't.
Among readers, it was called a 'frustrating plot device' and so on. But he didn't think such a protagonist was bad.
A good protagonist. A gentle protagonist. Is that really so bad?
But.
He had... used that.
The moment he recalled it, he had acted instinctively.
Even though he hadn't properly seen Leonhardt's movement, he extended his spear into the space where he predicted Leonhardt would appear.
"I really feel bad."
Suddenly, Leonhardt's crestfallen face came to mind.
That face, which had shown complete defeat due to the words he had spun...
But in reality, that wasn't the case.
"In truth, you were the one who won... you know."
A small regret subtly settled within him, above the joy.