Chapter 193 – Lack (1)
GNInVv[The result of the duel is…]1b9Q
D4VLBeep―!t38VGw
fdhl[…Draw!]uRAH
pcUaqi[Thank you both for your efforts.]tFFL9
QnYXtyO[May the Hero’s Blessing be with you.]7sQ4O
3a3js***SqFDbtc
MDjqXNE“Haa… haa…”fQZX9o5
ACEcThe subspace barrier dissipated.1pCfk54
0lh3rhOnly then did the labored breathing of both fighters fill the training ground. Abel was seated on the ground, supporting herself with one arm as best she could, while Saki lay completely sprawled on her back. Though their postures differed, both were drenched in cold sweat.pZa
w7a2oV“……”lZVKs55
VmCcr1I remained standing, unmoving, in a corner of the field still burning with the heat of battle. What I had just witnessed had drained me of half my strength.y34LvX
UTSdHHonestly, I expected the fight to be much more passive. Even if it was a subspace duel, they were still wielding steel weapons. No matter how determined their gazes were, a real fight was another matter. I thought it would be just a slightly rough skirmish…1rGJHi
9pXBut what I saw was a fight to the death. They literally fought with their lives on the line. And the level of violence displayed was astonishing.LwWqVi
bghC‘Abel has improved a lot since last time.’Ui7LMX1
vuuYouth has the privilege of rapid growth, but Abel’s case was exceptional. Her judgment was swift and precise at every moment. She knew exactly when to give way and when to seize an opening.qClaM4c
SjygdtUA classic strategy—sacrificing something to protect a vital point. Everyone knows it, but few dare to apply it.9yTXs
ITa4xQDodging a blow is human instinct. Even veteran heroes, when a sword is aimed directly at their face, will flinch on reflex.iXHxQ
LJZM9But Abel, only seventeen years old, could instantly distinguish which attacks to block and which to avoid. In that regard, she was beyond many veterans I had seen during the Presidential Selection Tournament.4TD
JaZraLAnd not only that. Her aura in every thrust was much more refined than before. Back in the undead dungeon, her immaturity was still visible, which was only natural for her age. But now, there wasn’t a single crack.4bd
vBJI shook my head in awe and slowly turned my gaze.d8eJ
ZBirAj‘That Ryozo managed a draw against that…’fvrZLAl
3OcFNRyozo held her ground equally. Though she was on the defensive in the final phase, she clearly had the upper hand in the first half of the fight. And we’re talking about Abel, second of her generation, with explosive growth.QDfpf
uXnxI was impressed by her reading of the fight and her ability to anticipate attacks. No one else could’ve done that.D5F
dGej‘Although… why did they fight all of a sudden?’cFBnN
5LNyppyThe doubt came late, but it came. They were clearly competing for something. But what? What ignited such a fierce rivalry? And why do I suddenly have chills…?i4cmQ1
wI8I ran a hand down my arm, feeling the cold.4jM
KdS0V5“Huff…”umA
sCkrBy3Abel, catching her breath, ran a hand through her hair. She staggered as she stood, slowly walking toward Saki, who was still lying down. Her shadow cast over Saki’s head.TnzOze2
1cLw9SUFrom her upside-down perspective, Abel extended a hand.rAPXmCQ
Fzxfbb“That was a good fight.”Offx5
ZfR“……”XtKx
qfQ8HZpSaki looked at the offered hand and then at Abel’s face, alternating her gaze without moving.MZY6
0CzC“You’re not planning to sleep there, right? Come on, take it. I’m at my limit too.”93c5l
1GCAbel lowered her waist a bit more, bringing her hand close enough to almost touch. A lock of her hair brushed Saki’s lips.W8TdDk
owjpSaki moved her arm slightly, but stood up on her own. With an indifferent expression, she brushed the dust off herself.oxR5
37Ox“It’s a good gesture to respect the duel protocol, but offering your hand is the winner’s right.”py035
8blhoQ“Ah…”ZHQArbO
ffkH8Abel, embarrassed, wiped her hand on her pants. She was so used to winning, she’d done it out of habit.ilugD
GFdjROGBut this duel had ended in a draw. She had just unintentionally treated her opponent as the loser.v2OiW
30MU2It was a mistake that could’ve easily offended Saki. Abel’s face flushed with shame.91pjCS
MImzSaki glanced sideways at her and sighed.vefpOP8
DXqsu“I didn’t mean to make you look bad, so don’t make that face. It was a good fight for me too. I didn’t expect a draw, but… I’m satisfied.”P4NzXKH
DRpt02A slight smile appeared on Saki’s face. So subtle it could only be seen if you looked closely. Abel nodded awkwardly.wRcsV8D
lHEO“Y-Yeah. I agree. At first, I thought I was done for… I barely dodged it.”bmcm9A2
NXfNxT3“…Telling that to the one who executed the move doesn’t sound very thoughtful.”GVdi4Y
RI6gxSaki clicked her tongue and muttered.sip
FOmUf“By the way, aren’t you going to tell me the reason for the duel?”GWJ2
312zqs9“No.”qVi
gubTI8P“Why not?”nbyTM6
bk5kwob“You’ve already figured it out. Why say it?”H6D
SGgocNi“Huh? Me? No… well, maybe…”ZJ3
ZwI0gnAbel lowered her voice at the end. Looking at Saki, an image came to mind.qKVB0k3
GKuoN‘Don’t tell me…’st8Nt29
oOnTUr5Saki’s eyes were full of determination. A sharp glint, as if saying “I won’t let you take him from me.” And the target of that gaze was…xB1mP
oSDQThat’s when another voice entered the conversation.qX3ziw
TS9“You both did great. Really, it was a show. Almost a shame I watched it alone… ah, I wasn’t alone?”jSYsp
oRcihThey both turned simultaneously toward the person they had completely forgotten.WsLfv
JlPYu Sein approached with a big smile.vBn
8fCydX‘Ah, right. She was here too.’a5BM
MlhFqyMA shared thought arose in both of them.dIA
YxIWas a referee really necessary for this duel? The verdict comes from the subspace anyway.ozUw
OuqMCZThe only thing Sein had done was blow a whistle… and even that could be handled by the automatic system.BACZ
RZOUiThe more they thought about it, the weirder it all seemed.KlNB
aokag‘And she just happened to show up at the perfect moment…’dfHOm
QyefCCgAs if she had been waiting for it. Abel and Saki’s gazes narrowed simultaneously. Under the warm pressure of those two looks, Yu Sein raised her voice toward a corner of the training field.bh5rga9
VU0ucd5“Cousin! You think the same thing, right?”IWgCZr
i8vxmTheir gazes naturally shifted to me, quietly observing from a corner. Their narrowed eyes widened.IMdlZ6
RjpCV“…….”NxNKUc8
i99Xtk“…….”HJWn4S
SHzSilence took over the training ground. The warm atmosphere turned as cold as ice in an instant.EHk
cyLUI had no idea why they were giving me those looks.tf9Vx2
inZzg3CI was just watching the fight. Why did the air suddenly feel so hostile?zswah
fd8EpBMeanwhile, Yu Sein quietly backed away behind the two. Then, with her tongue slightly out and one eye winking, she made a face that said everything without saying a word. I could clearly imagine what she was thinking, even if she didn’t say it.8aV0O
9hl1zBP[Sorry hehe.]W52P
s5n53“…….”l7eT
FJ4lAnd just when all attention had shifted to me, Yu Sein ran off at full speed. She dumped all the responsibility on me and escaped.t2z5c
BDLOut of four people, now there were three. With one less, the air in the training ground grew even colder.pvU3u
DbMlAbel and Ryozo’s eyes darkened little by little. A chill ran through my whole body. It was far more intense than before.j0F
3a8‘What the hell is going on?’OiTD
Pj5SIf I tried to escape like Yu Sein, I’d probably end up with an arrow or a sword in my back. That wasn’t a metaphor.P5reNyr
d8tbY4TI swallowed hard. My Adam’s apple bobbed.YIDJ
dguucW‘The best I can do…’cT8
Am7sTYrI gave a thumbs-up. Their eyes sharpened.Nr9
Glkmhrk‘I screwed up.’8qW
sF9xTaxSo I raised the other thumb as well. And flashed a smile. A “Great job!” gesture.FJzWf3
2tfAbel and Saki looked at each other. Both let out a sigh so deep it seemed to carry all the world’s misery.1s8xS6O
A3q“Is that lack of tact an act he’s putting on, or is he really like that? Could it be he has some disorder? Lack of empathy? Psychopathy? Could it really be that?”pNr
LzqYiSaki muttered while rubbing her forehead. There was already a tacit connection between the two, so they could speak freely.FzvKORa
M9VAbel nodded firmly.B7hr4qR
OMK“One time a fortune teller told me Kang Geom-Ma had a reason for being so insensitive.”BVCRpyE
O7UKhS8“What? You go to those compatibility readings and stuff? Ew…”LyJYE
gmGg“N-No! It was because the maid at my house insisted, and since I was already there, I listened by accident.”Hp83srF
qwNAbel covered her mouth with her fist and coughed hard.ALYt
Xei“A-Anyway! The fortune teller said he was like that because something inside him is twisted. And you should know better than anyone, ‘you,’ who were in the same class as him.”PShh
SbZB32N“……!”aol
5NaB7XcSaki flinched involuntarily. Though she looked like she wanted to argue, she abruptly turned away. Her half-visible profile bore a cold expression.45bCiLN
lHsWith her back still turned, Saki kept speaking.1Bt
qj7“Whatever. At this point, adding more won’t change anything. I’m leaving. I don’t want to see those damn thumbs up again. Just thinking about it makes me want to break something.”5ec
Ez9Saki gathered her things and walked out the door. Abel looked away toward Kang Geom-Ma. He was still there. Annoyingly firm and unmoving. He even looked a little sad.hc4Q4
QOKrQTO“What an idiot…”0fwg82D
eevAbel shook her head and followed Saki’s steps.cwaFB
4bZ…And so, Kang Geom-Ma was left alone on the training field.ASL5brt
sVK2***vGp1X8D
iHo5SMAs soon as she returned to her room, Saki threw her gear down carelessly.TsQ9
kw6Her eyes, dulled from exhaustion, looked lifeless, and the skin beneath them trembled slightly.9wFXV53
kaNI‘Well, makes sense, considering how much physical effort she put in after so long.’EX9Ht5k
Y02arEven though it had been a battle in a subdimension outside the bounds of reality, fatigue still accumulated. She’d had her head cracked open like a watermelon, so it was only natural her body felt like it had been run over.otj
NLx3“Still…”3ehH
cgjsuSaki let out a satisfied smile. It had been fun.gN73C
2LyYAfter all, she was a promising future heroine. She needed to loosen up now and then to clear her mind.6LUh
ivMD0“Ugh. But from now on I need to take it easy.”qWH
7LRLShe groaned while pressing her forehead. She wanted to lie down right away, but she had a mountain of tasks to handle.3u29W
46heLDragging her wrecked body, she sat at her desk. Eight monitors surrounding her like a protective circle welcomed her back.oQb
9JYsAt that moment, a line of text appeared across the screens with a mechanical beep.NuI62
wamoBYs「Welcome back, Ryo_jjo. How was your day today?」p8M
WrhqIt was Vixbig, the artificial intelligence Saki had programmed entirely from scratch. While absentmindedly coiling the cable of her headphones, she replied.3bFg
AQdDzm“I’m tired, but I guess it wasn’t a bad day. It was… acceptable.”hasmaM
eeji「I’m glad to hear that. Ryo_jjo always complains her life is boring, but ever since you met K.G.M, you seem happier. I, Vixbig, am delighted.」LIcv
qY9A pair of blushing cheeks appeared on every monitor.jlmqIaL
21OqGEN“I think I made you too well. Even an AI showing emotion…”LjJ7EY
ozw「That’s normal in artificial intelligences.」h5jAl
QLKlz2O“And now you dare to talk back.”G6wCjHN
zEvPXN「Beep! Offensive remark against AI rights detected. <」TVOx
P5O9Saki rested her chin in her hand and lazily raised her fingers.1sQs
7cLV“Enough chatter. It’s time to work.”wM4dC2f
XBr「You mean the daily routine? Mass deletion of fake articles and rumor videos about K.G.M.」9zHZ9
b4P“Yeah… how much crap was produced today?”QKpX
i96「According to estimates, 1,425 articles and 4,863 YouTube videos were produced.」lBRXfER
7Epr“How can so much garbage come out every day even though we keep deleting it? I get it from content creators… they’re civilians, but why do journalists keep putting out this filth? They don’t even write decent articles and just spew disguised attacks.”9sd
fv6qSaki grabbed her head, frustrated.9G1rUN8
JU4「It’s probably due to K.G.M.’s social background. Most media shares are owned by nobles, so his actions seem threatening to them.」xPD
fYYgL“Idiots…”NhPcB
yH3「Anger is bad for your health. Anyway, shall I begin?」Al0OKVz
qoLVfi“Yeah, do it. I’d love to hack all those media outlets at once, but I can’t deal with the consequences.”xvG4hOp
yCVSs「A wise decision. Ah, and by the way…」DwV0ci
oKUVixbig hesitated for a moment. Saki frowned.7SBQv
8sUC02“What happened?”HOCQp
vaRnMg「An email arrived while you were at the training ground.」K6uzs68
laa9en“That’s it? Who’s it from?”1oDeBG
gMVAxaR「……」4oLrhs8
h46ow“Why are you going quiet?”O6c6
9m1ESaki pressed Vixbig, who continued to hesitate.mM8Q
TPAhWHhFinally, the cursor on the center monitor began to move, dragging a trail behind it like a tail.LWN
7j7VT「…It’s an email from the Saki Family.」2yNJX
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Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaWhy her family contacting her. I can sense trouble.