Chapter 50
I was happy seeing Jin-woo smiling cheerfully in front of me, as if he’s ready to try something he didn’t know how to do just a moment ago.
The kids are growing up, little by little.
“Then go for it.”
“You don’t have to tell me, I will!”
Jin-woo shouts, and at the same time, the wind in the space we’re standing in begins to change.
“Se-ah!”
“Let’s try it!”
At the same time, purple footholds appeared out of thin air.
Even though Jin-woo hadn’t seen them all with his own eyes, he stepped on them as if he knew they were there and ran towards me.
I thought it was a really funny use of the idea since just by having Se-ah there to support him makes it a three-dimensional attack instead of a two-dimensional one.
Best of all, the footholds were created by Se-ah, a spatial mage, not Jin-woo.
She’s a spatial mage, not an ordinary person, and her path would be more obvious and unexpected than anyone else’s.
In fact, Jin-woo’s current movements were beyond my imagination.
“……He’s sensing it with the wind.”
I understood the identity of the disparate winds.
He was taking control of the winds around him, feeling them, predicting where there would be footholds where the wind was blocked, and stepping out.
It’s only a small hint, but seeing him utilize his abilities in this way, it’s clear that he has what it takes to be an excellent hitman, as described in the Character Book.
However, it’s only made his attacks more unorthodox, and not so much that I can’t track him visually.
I extend my fist toward Jin-woo, who lunges at me.
I aim for his jaw and I bring my fist down, thinking I’ve seen enough possibilities to end the fight, but for some reason it feels heavy.
“Ha. Interesting.”
Before I knew it, the blue magic that had enveloped my body had disappeared, leaving only my fist.
‘Adagissimo’ seemed to be a magic that slowed down the target.
Even though it didn’t stop me from swinging my fist, concentrating on one place like this made my timing off.
“Aaaahhhh!”
I twist my body to dodge Jin-woo’s dagger.
At the same time, I take advantage of the opening and lift my foot to strike at Jin-woo, but he spins around to take another step on the foothold created in the air and unleashes a second attack.
Giving up on defending with my heavier right arm, I stretched out my left arm to block Jin-woo’s attack again.
Thanks to [Midas’ Gloves], I didn’t get cut by the dagger, but I couldn’t help but feel my palm tingling from the impact.
As I reached for Jin-woo’s dagger, he flinched for a moment as if he sensed something strange, then quickly retrieved the dagger and stepped back.
‘He’s not getting caught twice, is he?’
Not a bad reaction.
Jin-woo’s breathing is more ragged than usual, probably because he’s been trying to keep up with Se-ah magic.
His coordination, and application of technique was definitely better.
Not bad. No, it’s pretty good. It’s enough to make him feel confident that he won’t be fooled.
But…
“Still clumsy!”
Taking the opportunity when he caught his breath, I lunged at Young-jae, who was separated from the two of them.
“You’re coming for me?”
“Because your positioning was that bad.”
It was like that in the real game, too.
A mage that’s too far away from the team, it’s the first one to be dealt with.
Of course, this time, an ice shield appeared to block my fist, but──
“I see.”
I’m glad I swung my fist without controlling my strength.
With a boom, the shield shatters and Young-jae’s body bends into a C-shape.
Judging by the look in his eyes, he’s not knocked out yet so I was about to land another blow for a sure finish.
“Jin-woo! Now!”
“Glasses! Hold on!”
The fist grazed his cheek, not his chin.
Did he not give up until the end?
Apparently, Se-ah had managed to deflect my attack.
Taking advantage of that, Jin-woo lunges at me, seemingly trying to pull me away from Young-jae…….
“Unfortunately, the difference in our physical abilities is too great.”
Jin-woo’s kick was ridiculously insufficient to push me away.
I bent my arm that grazed Young-jae’s cheek and hit his face with my elbow as his pupils dilated and he fell to the ground.
Then without releasing the force of the arm that hit Young-jae, I grabbed Jin-woo’s face, who was still trying to attack me, and slammed him to the ground.
“Mr. Jin-woo!”
Gripping the floor with both hands to avoid falling face-first, Jin-woo somehow manages to catch my legs in a capoeira-like motion, hoping to trip me up.
“I told you.”
Jin-woo’s attack was too weak to knock over my body, which was already preparing for the attack.
“There’s too much difference in our physical abilities.”
“Ah……gently──”
I dropped my fist on Jin-woo’s head, which was still on the ground. Then Jin-woo froze in his tracks and passed out.
All that was left was Se-ah.
“Ugh……can’t you spare me, Mr. Eugene?”
Se-ah shuddered and took a step back, probably because she’d seen the previous two knocked out by her fists.
“I can’t help it, I have to see the end of the duel.”
Of course, I planned to knock her out gently, not like Jin-woo or Young-jae.
“If you’re really scared, why don’t you just forfeit?”
Hearing my words, Se-ah’s trembling stopped, and she shook her head.
“It’s because teacher Ji-hyun told me the other day that it would have been better to fight to the end.”
Had she gotten motivated after hearing Ji-hyun’s words in the last duel?
Or maybe it was because she had just seen the two of them trying to do something until the very end, and she realized that she could not give up.
Regardless, she looked at me with her hands spread out in her signature stance, not giving up despite the hopelessness of her situation.
“So……you’re going to give it a shot, are you……?!”
I swung my fist with all my might at Kim Se-ah’s face, who was standing confidently in front of me.
I stop my fist in front of her face, and the wind pressure that passes through her face dizzies her hair, and at the same time, the whites of her eggs are released and her body collapses.
“You must be prepared for the enemy. The enemy will not wait for you to get ready.”
With that all 3 of they were out but the forest where the four of us fought resembled a battlefield. There were broken trees and dents in the ground here and there.
If we were outside, I’d be wondering how to repair it, but fortunately, this was the Academy’s training grounds.
As soon as it was over, the forest that surrounded us began to distort, returning to its original shape.
“Wow, I thought you’d cut us some slack for training, but you didn’t take it lightly, did you?”
As the field returns to its original form, the door to the training center opens and Ji-hyun walks in.
She’s grinning like she’s having too much fun.
“I did it while giving you enough credit.”
Hearing my words, Ji-hyun nods and walks over to where the children are lying.
“Yeah, I guess so. I heard you give each of them advice.”
Standing in the middle of the three, Ji-hyun snaps her fingers and the children’s bodies disappear in an instant but a quick glance reveals that all three have been moved out of the arena.
“So, why did you let them feel such a gap at the end and then knock them out? Is it to make them look at you and despair?”
“I just wanted them to see me and feel motivated.”
That’s all you have. If you want to beat me that badly, try harder.
I figured this was the best way to drive that message home to them.
“Hmph, yeah? Well, I guess it worked. I can’t believe that Kim Se-ah didn’t give up, I thought she was really good.”
I had to agree with that.
“By the way, is that what you were hoping for in this battle, to make them work together? I didn’t expect them to use spatial magic in such a way……Was that something you were thinking about?”
It seemed that Ji-hyun had heard the advice I gave to Se-ah and Jin-woo during the duel.
“I just thought it was the role of the president to recognize the potential of the club members.”
To be honest, I was just teaching them a method I usually used in the game, but it seemed to be quite innovative on their end.
“Well, that’s a great way to put it. I’ve moved all the kids to chairs in the great room, so you can take them with you when they wake up, and……thanks for the fun?”
“It was a deal.”
While we were dueling, Ji-hyun was blocking the commotion from the surroundings so that our power wouldn’t leak out.
That was the deal with Ji-hyun today.
As the club’s advisor, it was also something I, the president, had requested.
I didn’t think it would be a good idea to show our full power in a situation like this, when we were about to fight another club.
“The other guys should look up to you. I mean, the training grounds have been empty since Monday morning, how does that make sense…….?”
Ji-hyun clicked her tongue and turned away.
……Who’s going to stop that battle freak?
“Are you sure you can make the ‘Familia’ kids win by next week?”
She asks me, her back turned to me.
“Yes, I’m confident.”
And, I was confident.
“Really? I mean, yeah…… Well, with you, it doesn’t seem impossible. Let me know if you see anything interesting or need a favor.”
“Yeah. Thank you.”
With those words, Ji-hyun left the training center.
I turned my head to look at the three people sprawled out on the chairs next to each other.
Jinwoo, Se-ah, and Young-jae exceeded my expectations in just one duel but even so, they still had a lot to work on. Especially the basics, like physical strength and judgment. But that’s okay.
“I just need to get stronger.”
I will make sure to do so and grow my club and my family.
Ti-ling-!
At that moment, an alarm popped up in front of my eyes, indicating that a message had arrived.
[Parnello: One early morning mission today]
“……He’s relentless as soon as your vacation is over.”
Yeah, I’d better not forget. I’m the heir to Corleone before I’m the president of the Famiglia.
Today, after sending the children off, I will head to the mansion myself.
* * *
Upon arriving at the house, I was greeted by Parnello, who took me straight to the conference room and immediately began to explain the details of the mission.
“This mission is to subdue and educate a group of people.”
A briefing as soon as I arrive? No, why is he rushing me through the details of the mission?
“Subdue and educate a group? Did they do something?”
I ask, raising my hand, and Parnello grimaces.
“It’s…….the mastermind of the assault on you.”
“…… Huh?”
So suddenly?
