RE: Player again

372

[Chapter 109]

[The Monster Was Someone Else (5)]

At first, he intended to lose.

Even if it was Ryu Yeonhwa's request, although he felt sorry for her, he didn't want to show his full power to people.

Invisible Tracker

Madness

Because he had things to do in the future.

To resolve those things, he needed to move secretly.

While not being looked down upon by those here.

It was truly a tricky matter.

To stand out yet not seem to stand out.

Words that might feel contradictory had to be careful like walking on a tightrope.

Therefore, he should have stopped long ago, but he couldn't put down his sword midway.

Just a bit more... I can do it...!

It was a sensation he felt after a long time.

His heart was pounding.

The running that seemed to shake his whole body was making him feel alive.

If he lived to die utilizing this sensation in his previous life.

At this moment, he wanted to fully feel it.

At some point, Black Thorn, the sword in his hand, fit snugly as if becoming one.

In a trance.

Eunha faced her after breaking free from everything holding his ankles.

Hanmae-ryu

Monsoon Rain

It was probably the same for her.

The sensation of only the two existing as the sound faded with each exchange and the world narrowed.

Ryu Yeonhwa who reached the top of the slippery ice path and struck down her spear in a straight line flashed her eyes.

Hanmae-ryu (Cold Plum Style)

Snow Flower

The blue blade captured him, and icicles formed in the air instantly fell mercilessly.

Painfully cold air cut into flesh and cold energy exploded.

Eunha who was quickly running around the stage clenched his mouth to avoid inhaling the cold air.

He heated his body with internal mana and released the mana condensed on his sword following the direction transmitted by his detection net.

The mana released in one breath became a snake and tightly bound Ryu Yeonhwa.

Just as Ryu Yeonhwa created a new technique improvising in this situation, he also responded without being flustered by changes.

Hanmae-ryu

Silver Wind

However, she quickly swung her spear to remove the mana stuck to her wrists.

Then she popped out of the gust and rushed in using her height much taller than Eunha.

An uncharacteristically reckless judgment for Ryu Yeonhwa.

But that judgment worked sufficiently, and Eunha who was pushed back in strength had his feet lifted off the ground.

As if waiting for that moment.

Snow piled around fluttered and tightened around his body.

The match seemed about to end like that but─

─Vengeful Spirit

Mana Drain

Advanced control technique.

Vengeful spirits interfering with the opponent's mana bound her limbs.

Ryu Yeonhwa hurriedly retreated in surprise at the pain of internal mana being torn away.

Eunha freed from the binding state soon absorbed the mana collected by the vengeful spirits to replenish his lacking internal mana.

Nevertheless, his internal mana was lacking. On the contrary, she still seemed to have plenty of internal mana.

...Really amazing.

To think she had that much power left even though I thought I exerted considerable strength.

Eunha wiped saliva flowing from his mouth with the back of his hand.

Yeonhwa was just breathing roughly.

Hanmae-ryu

Ice Rink

Thousand Steps

Nevertheless, Eunha didn't back down.

Even if his body hadn't fully grown yet.

Even if he couldn't use all magic.

Eunha rushed forward.

Their eyes met as she suddenly jumped from the top of the cone-shaped ice path he climbed.

The spear bathed in light shone, and she holding that spear was asking with her gaze.

Can you do more?

It seems we should end this?

Really?

They both sensed the end.

That the match would end after this exchange.

Therefore, Yeonhwa falling towards the ground was infusing frighteningly deep blue power into her spear.

She falling while repeatedly rotating transformed like becoming a dragon surrounded by a blizzard.

Hanmae-ryu (Cold Plum Style) Ultimate Technique

Snow Dragon

Ryu Yeonhwa made up her mind.

The sound of snow raging sounded like a dragon roaring.

Eunha finally came down to the stage and faced the dragon rushing towards him in a curve.

...Internal mana is barely hanging on.

His heart seemed to be saying.

Energy flowing from his body tried to embrace his body.

Eunha infused mana into Black Thorn while suppressing his Gift's activation.

This power he didn't even understand himself.

It wasn't a card he could show wastefully here.

A hidden card that must be concealed until the end.

Therefore, he restrained his Gift and squeezed out his remaining strength to the extent his Gift wouldn't emerge.

Can I do it?

The snow dragon was roaring.

He could see the spear glowing inside the mouth where blizzards fluttered.

Eunha realized he was just a mere human before that dragon recreating nature.

─We won't know unless we try.

But he decided to do as much as he could.

He had no intention of losing like this.

No, strangely he didn't want to lose.

At least he wouldn't go down easily.

Eunha pointed his sword emitting intense light forward matching his heartbeat.

Invisible Tracker

He didn't need to be deluded by the dragon.

Because magic was telling him exactly where to attack, guiding him.

Vengeful Spirit

Mana Drain

The snow dragon struck.

Eunha who couldn't overcome the mass was caught in the dragon's mouth and soared into the sky.

Vengeful spirits crawling out of his body bit into the snow dragon's body.

Even that was just dragon scales, but he could absorb a small amount of mana just by biting off a handful of mana.

The mana condensed on the sword intensified to a dazzling light.

Invisible Tracker

He marked coordinates once again.

This time to the coordinates he marked on the ground before being caught by the snow dragon.

Points connected to points and became lines.

Extreme Piercing Striker

Soon he concentrated the mana condensed on the entire blade to the tip.

Like starlight condensing.

The blue power condensed at the sword tip swirled fiercely swallowing the world.

Single Point Breakthrough

Points connected to points and became lines.

Following that line, the mana condensed at the sword tip stabbed down like a falling star.

Mana and mana collided and exploded.

When the dragon's roar split painfully and was finally torn in half.

""......"

Soon the place where the dragon fell was completely shattered.

The winter world ended.

All that remained on the deeply dented stage was residual mana and dust wind created by the explosion.

And at the center of that narrow world, the two were glaring at each other.

The two in terrible shape.

Her blue-green hair was singed by the explosion and the hair ends turned to ashes and disappeared.

On the other hand, Eunha's school uniform top was tattered like a rag.

Hanmae-ryu─

The two who poured out all their strength seemed like they would collapse at any moment.

However, the outcome hadn't been decided yet.

The first to move was Ryu Yeonhwa.

She pulled back the spear containing a flash of light behind her shoulder with all her might, not particularly caring that she became short-haired.

Mana─...

Eunha immediately kicked off the ground too.

Mana wasn't sufficient.

He absorbed mana with Mana Drain midway and absorbed mana dissolved in the atmosphere to maximize efficiency.

His mana circuit cried out in pain.

Nevertheless, he didn't try to let go of the faint light condensed on his sword.

...─Crasher

Darkness and flash of light intersected.

Undoubtedly the smallest sound among those that had rung out so far spread from the intersection point.

......

There was no more strength.

This was the best he could do without using his Gift.

Eunha was about to close his eyes watching the mana condensed on his sword gradually disappear.

To accept defeat.

However─

─Crack

A smaller sound than earlier rang out in the world with closed eyes.

Eunha slowly opened his eyes.

Ryu Yeonhwa's spear─

─Pat

The world shining with light sparkled.

The spear cracked at the intersection point with Black Thorn then shattered into pieces.

Tiny fragments fell to the floor, and beyond the shattering tiny fragments, Ryu Yeonhwa's surprised face was visible.

From then on it was almost simultaneous.

Perhaps it was close to instinct.

Hanmae-ryu─

Whoosh

Black Thorn stopped right in front of Ryu Yeonhwa's nape.

Eunha's hand stopped not simply because he almost killed her.

""......"

Because ice sharply protruded from the spear shaft in her hand and aimed at his nape.

A moment that was just an instant.

She grew again.

Instantaneous judgment made the two's battle a draw.

"...It was fun."

"...Me too."

After a long silence where they just looked at each other, Ryu Yeonhwa was the first to open her mouth.

Unlike the tense battle, Eunha also opened his mouth that had been stickily attached hearing a voice no different from usual.

The two withdrew their weapons aimed at each other's napes as if by agreement.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"What about your hair, noona?"

"...Huh? You're right. It's fine."

Ryu Yeonhwa held out her hand.

Eunha grasped the hand of her who didn't even know her hair disappeared because she was so focused on the battle.

Right at that moment─

─It's noisy.

Although he thought his ears were deafened by the explosion earlier.

He frowned at the sound of everyone clapping starting with one person who stood up applauding from the audience seats.

People were cheering.

He wasn't very accustomed to their applause.

Because he had never received such a welcome in his previous life.

"Eunha, hand."

"Huh? Hand?"

"Yeah, hand. Raise it high."

Therefore, Eunha who was blankly looking at them tilted his head at Ryu Yeonhwa's words.

Then he raised their clasped hands high towards the audience seats.

People's cheers grew fiercer.

"You do this at times like this."

"...You seem used to it, noona."

"You'll get used to it too from now on."

Eunha who soon raised his other arm too following Yeonhwa.

Eunha soon nodded with a sour face.

He didn't need applause like this.

...Did I mess up?

His consciousness excited by battle gradually calmed down.

Wondering if he showed too much.

Fortunately he didn't show his Gift but it seemed he overdid it.

"At the end..."

It was then.

Yeonhwa suddenly spoke.

He who was turning his gaze to the audience seats soon turned his eyes to Ryu Yeonhwa taller than him.

"You held back?"

"What?"

"Not just at the end. It seemed like you adjusted your strength during the match."

"......"

The short-haired Ryu Yeonhwa's sharp eyes pierced Eunha.

Eunha avoided her gaze.

There's no way she wouldn't have noticed that.

Nevertheless, Eunha decided to play dumb.

Playing dumb was his specialty after all.

"What are you saying when I'm about to die from exhaustion? But what about noona's spear?"

And changing the topic was his specialty too.

He spoke with familiarity to divert her attention.

Ryu Yeonhwa's gaze who pouted her lips turned to the spear shaft in her right hand.

"It's fine. I received it from my master but it's fine if I receive a new one."

"Ah... Is that so?"

Eunha was dumbfounded.

As far as he knew, the spear she had was a device made of high quality mana alloy bestowed by .

Better than Black Thorn.

He knew she kept using this spear in his previous life until she received his spear from .

But coincidentally the spear broke and she was showing an attitude that it's fine if she receives another one, so he felt bewildered.

He inwardly wanted to receive part of the spear.

To use when making a sword later.

"Can't you give me that?"

"...This? Hmm..."

He was too interested.

As a result, Eunha unconsciously spoke to her.

Then Ryu Yeonhwa looked at the spear and fell into thought.

"Okay... Here. Graduation gift."

"Shouldn't noona be the one receiving a graduation gift?"

"This match is enough for me."

"Really? Then... thank you."

He received the broken spear shaft.

The corners of Eunha's mouth raised.

And people who interpreted the two's actions differently chattered among themselves and sent enthusiastic cheers.

Because it looked like a graduating senior giving the spear she had been using to encourage a junior remaining at the academy.

"Then... see you in 4 years. I'll be waiting in the industry."

"I'll be watching noona's activities at the academy."

The 11th year of Seonnyeo.

The 027 class graduated from high school academy and entered society.

And the 031 class became the highest grade in middle school academy.

Meanwhile, a rumor spread in the player industry.

That there's one more monster on par with the monster called Ryu Yeonhwa at the academy.

And that monster is a hidden dragon only waiting for the day to go out into the world.

Additionally, it's said that a tradition of graduating seniors handing over devices they had been using to juniors they like was created at the academy following the two's match.