A heavy silence followed Hajoon's words.
Zhang Jiudong's eyes widened in surprise, as if he might've misheard something. Both Lee Jooah and the instructor looked at Hajoon with expressions of disbelief.
In the midst of this, Lee Joohee found the situation amusing and began to laugh quietly, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Hehe."
"Um... Sister?"
"Kim Hajoon has a point. You need to be firm with guys like that, or they'll just cling to you."
Zhang Jiudong's eyes narrowed as he glared at Hajoon.
It didn't sound like he said it that way...
Annoyed, Zhang Jiudong pressed Hajoon further.
"Wei, zhe sha yi si?"
"Do I look like your translator? Quit the nonsense and get on with the fight."
"..."
Zhang Jiudong appeared stunned by Hajoon's biting remark.
Hajoon gestured towards the fighting ring with a tilt of his chin.
Inside the ring, Han Siyoung, ready to go, waited for Zhang Jiudong with a calm demeanor.
"We'll settle this later."
With a displeased look, Zhang Jiudong shot Hajoon a glare. He left a message for Lee Jooah that they would talk later, then headed back into the fighting ring where Han Siyoung was.
Anticipating the start of the match, Hajoon settled back onto the bench and started munching on his popcorn.
When Zhang Jiudong stepped into the arena, the duel officially began.
Han Siyoung held his wooden sword at the ready in a formal stance, while Zhang Jiudong adopted a low posture reminiscent of those in martial arts films, prepping for the duel.
Given that this world was infused with magic and supernatural abilities, the martial arts often seen in movies could be blended with magic or special abilities and be applied in real life.
Once ready, Zhang Jiudong, with a smirk of arrogance, addressed Han Siyoung.
"You're Han Siyoung, aren't you? I've heard quite a bit about you. The disciple of the Sword King?"
"…?"
He was obviously speaking in Chinese.
Han Siyoung, not understanding, quirked an eyebrow in confusion.
Zhang Jiudong continued, seemingly unfazed by the language barrier. "But a wooden sword? Even if it's just a duel, I hoped you'd take it seriously."
With those words, the referee, an instructor, raised his hand signaling the beginning of the duel.
"Begin!"
"It doesn’t matter if you didn’t understand. The outcome won't change. You’ll regret not choosing a real sword!"
Whoosh! Thud!
Zhang Jiudong's taunting was cut short.
At the signal, Han Siyoung moved swiftly, closing the distance. He swung his wooden sword, smacking Zhang Jiudong squarely on the head.
The blow, devoid of any finesse, was powerful enough to send Zhang Jiudong spinning to the ground.
"Ugh! Grgh..."
"I might not know what you said,"
Han Siyoung gazed down at the fallen competitor, his face a blend of calm and slight pity.
Meanwhile, the Chinese team's coach glared at Zhang Jiudong with evident frustration. The other Chinese team members just shook their heads in disappointment.
Clearly, such incidents weren’t uncommon.
Han Siyoung continued, "But thank you for the duel."
It was Han Siyoung's way of maintaining decorum.
Although the duel was far from conventional.
The entire Korean team watched with bemused expressions.
However, one exception was Hajoon, who burst into hearty laughter.
Zhang Jiudong lay sprawled on the ground, wearing a dazed expression.
"Ha!"
Hearing the solitary laughter, anger surged within him, causing him to grind his teeth in fury.
Struggling to his feet, Zhang Jiudong's eyes darted from Hajoon, who was laughing and munching popcorn on the bench, to Han Siyoung, who seemed to be making his way out of the arena.
"Damn you..."
However, Han Siyoung turned around upon noticing him and began to approach Zhang Jiudong once more.
In Han Siyoung's mind, the fight wasn't over, simply because Zhang Jiudong had gotten back up. Perhaps it was Hajoon's laughter, or maybe the ridiculous fall and ensuing pitiful expression on Han Siyoung's face?
For a moment, a fierce intent flashed in the eyes of the one looking at Han Siyoung.
Just then, someone called out to the risen Zhang Jiudong.
"Zhang Jiudong."
The voice came from a young girl on the Chinese team. She had fiery red hair and matching eyes. Her sharp gaze was marked by a teardrop tattoo under her left eye.
She was one of the representatives of the Chinese team, and the daughter of the guild leader of China's top guild, 'Paewang'. Her name was Li Chen. She coldly addressed Zhang Jiudong.
"Come back."
"But!"
Suddenly, a crimson aura emanated from her body.
Seeing this, Zhang Jiudong clenched his teeth but without further ado, returned to the Chinese team's bench. Watching him retreat, Han Siyoung sheathed his weapon and headed back to the Korean team's bench.
Upon reaching the bench, Zhang Jiudong immediately snapped at Li Chen.
"I was just off-guard! I could have beaten him if I tried!"
Li Chen, seated with her legs crossed, shot him an icy glare. Her power began to envelop Zhang Jiudong's body.
Zhang Jiudong retaliated, summoning his own power. The two forces clashed, sparking intensely.
"Do you even know whom you're getting mad at?"
Chastised by her words, Zhang Jiudong was the first to retract his power. After all, even in his state, he knew better than to mess with the daughter of the 'Paewang' guild leader.
"I gave up my spot because you said you wanted to fight Han Siyoung... And this is how you repay that favor?"
Silence.
"Losing is one thing, whether it's a simple duel or an official match. But your antics and defeat tarnish our team's reputation."
Li Chen's sharp gaze locked onto Zhang Jiudong, who, frowning deeply, merely returned her stare without a word.
She let out an exhausted sigh, rubbing her temples.
"If you act foolishly next time, I'll kill you. Now get lost."
Although Zhang Jiudong replied with those words, his eyes still held unquenched rage. The reason seemed pretty obvious.
Laughter still echoed from the Korean team's bench.
Zhang Jiudong turned his head, fixing Hajoon and Han Siyoung with an intense stare.
Meanwhile, Li Chen watched the Korean team with interest, particularly a boy who was still in the throes of laughter.
"Is that a face I haven't seen before?"
Knowing the core members of the Korean team already, her gaze shifted to this unfamiliar boy.
At first, she had assumed he was merely an interpreter, but his actions suggested otherwise.
"Alright, let's continue with the match."
The instructor, having confirmed that the situation was settled, announced this.
Following the instructor's instruction, the match continued.
It was a situation where the winner would be decided by the final match, with the score currently tied at 2 wins and 2 losses. Regardless, it wasn't a main game, but a mere scrimmage.
The last match was between Lee Joohee from the Korean team and Li Chen.
While it was just a match and they kept their true abilities hidden, the outcome was a draw that left everyone, including the instructor, in awe.
Afterwards, both of them seemed satisfied, shaking hands with warm smiles and exchanging words.
"That was a good game."
"Yes, it was."
"Indeed."
"Exactly."
And somehow, Hajoon found himself in the middle, translating their conversation.
He was interpreting for Lee Joohee upon her request.
He could have lent her a translation device, but he wasn't so lazy as to refuse interpreting for her.
"Excuse me, who are you?"
As they finished their handshake and were about to return to their benches, Li Chen from the Chinese team suddenly addressed Hajoon.
"Hmm?"
"Who are you? You don't look like a starting member."
"I'm the interpreter."
His response was swift, without a hint of hesitation.
Li Chen was momentarily taken aback by his quick answer, wondering for a moment if he really was just an interpreter.
In truth, he answered swiftly because he was a bit annoyed by her probing.
Seeing his reply, she seemed momentarily stunned, then looked at Hajoon with a curious expression. From his demeanor, he didn't seem to be a mere interpreter.
"Hmm... Are you a superhuman?"
"No."
"Would you be up for a match sometime?"
Despite Li Chen's alluring smile and her clear disregard for his previous response, Hajoon's face contorted in disdain.
Yet, her expression remained unchanged against Hajoon's evident displeasure.
But then, something caught her off guard.
"Kim Hajoon, let's go eat."
"Yes, I'll come."
The instructor called out, revealing the boy's name.
Without a word, Hajoon left the arena with the Korean team, while Li Chen took a moment to ponder the name she'd just heard.
"Kim Hajoon..."
Kim Hajoon.
The most likely candidate for a hero in Korea with monstrous strength.
Upon hearing the name, a slight smile began to form on her lips.
After finishing his meal, Hajoon headed back to the U.S. team's training ground where Elaine was.
Upon arrival, he saw Isabella and Liam busily warming up. As Hajoon approached Liam, both Elaine and Isabella, noticing his presence, greeted him.
"Ah! Brother!"
"Huh? When did you get here?"
"Just now. Are you guys having a match with another team?"
"Yes, the Chinese team challenged us."
"...?"
The Chinese team seems to be preparing very diligently.
This felt like good timing to Hajoon.
He figured he'd be around for a few more hours anyway, and watching the matches had been unexpectedly fun.
"Can I watch?"
"Yeah, no problem."
"I'll be right back then."
With that, Hajoon briefly stepped out of the training area and headed straight to the snack bar.
After all, what's a spectacle without some snacks?
He grabbed some popcorn and cola from the snack bar and made his way back.
Returning, he found himself in the midst of an unexpected situation.
"Do you have some time after the match?"
"Um... about that..."
Zhang Jiudong was causing trouble with Elaine.
This guy, who had been harassing Lee Jooah just an hour ago, was consistently up to no good.
Hajoon walked up behind Zhang Jiudong.
Standing directly behind him, he delivered a powerful kick to the man's groin.
Whack!
"Argh!"
Doubled over in pain, the man clutched his injury. Hajoon looked down at him, eyebrows furrowed, and remarked,
"Can't defend yourself if you can't protect your lower half, huh?"
