"This is more impressive than I thought. Kim Soohan's curse magic."
"Huh? Really?"
From the audience, Wingman, who had been observing the situation, surprisingly marveled as if something unexpected had occurred.
Given the tremendous growth of Kim Soohan's curse magic compared to the previous year, his reaction was warranted.
"Looking at it now, he seems to have compensated for his weaknesses when he faced Han Siyoung. Well, being attacked from all directions like that, even I would find it hard to dodge. Of course, the fact that student Kim Hajoon carelessly took that blow head-on might have added to it."
Really? Jin Ahhan, on the other hand, had a different opinion.
It's understandable, as the Kim Hajoon she knew would've easily avoided such an attack.
Meanwhile, Kim Soohan looked quite baffled by the unfolding peculiar situation.
'What's going on?'
'Did my magic work this well?'
Kim Soohan was perplexed.
The curse magic he recently developed wasn't meant to inflict pain but to subtly weaken the opponent without them realizing.
'Could there be some hidden effect in my magic?'
Either way, the match didn't seem like it would continue much longer.
Kim Soohan discreetly turned his head to glance at the referee, Instructor Han Eeseul.
Considering the state of his opponent, shouldn’t the match be called off by now?
However, Instructor Han Eeseul only sighed deeply, seemingly not wanting to witness the situation any longer. Following that, he began to fixate his gaze intently on Hajoon.
Perhaps sensing that stare,
'Isn't it about time to end the match?'
Hajoon, who had fallen to the ground, began to sense something wrong.
Normally, when someone is in such pain, the referee should stop the match, right?
So, Hajoon slightly lifted his head to sneak a glance at Instructor Han Eeseul.
Yet Instructor Han Eeseul only furrowed his brow, looking at Hajoon with an incredulous expression. From that, Hajoon could gather the situation.
'Sigh- I've been caught, haven't I?'
Is it because he's been an instructor for decades that he has such discerning eyes?
Seeing Instructor Han Eeseul’s reaction, it didn't seem like he had any intention of ending the match just yet.
Hmm... this wasn't part of the plan...
But getting up and re-entering the match as if nothing happened wasn’t an option either.
For now, while still on the ground, Hajoon began to think hard.
Then, a turning point in the situation emerged.
"Stay strong!! Hammer oppa!!"
"……?"
The vigorous cheer from the stands was a familiar voice.
Turning his head slightly, Hajoon recognized the girl cheering for him and couldn't help but be amazed.
"Sigh..."
The girl cheering was none other than Yoo Soona, the younger sister of Yoo Seolah.
Sitting in a wheelchair, Yoo Soona energetically waved her hands, rooting for Hajoon.
Beside her, a flustered Yoo Seolah didn’t quite know how to react.
“Stay strong, oppa!”
“Soo, Soona?”
Kim Hajoon looked at Yoo Soona in disbelief, momentarily at a loss for words.
He'd planned on going down with his act, but now...
Furthermore, because of Yoo Soona's cheering, the atmosphere seemed to demand that he get up.
It appeared the instructor didn't intend to simply end the match either.
'Ugh...'
Given that he had already acted out his part, he couldn't just get up without issue...
Hajoon mustered his strength, feigning pain as he rose from his position.
“Ugh!”
“He... He's back on his feet?”
“Seems like he wants to continue.”
As Hajoon stood up, murmurs grew louder from the audience. Kim Soohan, with an anxious gaze, focused on Hajoon. He conjured another curse-infused cloud and hurled it towards Hajoon, who once again didn't dodge, taking the hit directly.
“Ah!”
And, once more, Hajoon fell to the ground in the same manner.
Surely, this should be enough?
Hajoon discreetly glanced at the instructor, who responded with narrowed eyes, showing no intention of intervening.
At the same time, Yoo Soona's fervent cheering echoed again.
“Go hammer oppa!”
'Wow... This insane...'
Was this her innate wickedness?
For some reason, right now, the little girl didn't seem all that cute.
“Sigh...”
With no other choice, Hajoon, feigning exhaustion, pushed himself up once more.
About ten minutes must have passed.
Instructor Han Eeseul couldn’t bring himself to face the unfolding situation.
"This is maddening."
Kim Hajoon had been feigning injury, repeatedly collapsing and rising, and what followed?
The entire audience began cheering for Kim Hajoon with a united voice.
"Stay strong!”
“Hold on just a bit more!”
“Get up! Kim Hajoon!”
“You can do it!”
“Go hammer oppa! Stay strong!”
"What the hell…”
A curse slipped out of Instructor Han Eeseul's lips.
He regretted it. He should have ended the match when Kim Hajoon first went down.
Witnessing the audience stirred by a mere boy, he was at a loss for words, simply watching the spectacle.
And Kim Soohan, who had been relentlessly casting spells at Hajoon, was now gasping with a drained face. Of course, it was because Kim Hajoon kept rising like a zombie, causing Kim Soohan's magic power to gradually deplete.
“Huff, huff! Just stay down already!”
With that, Kim Soohan gathered the last of his magic power to cast his final spell. Once again, he conjured a purple cloud, this time launching it directly at Hajoon.
However.
“Aaahh!!”
Hajoon yelled with a slightly strained voice, yet he managed to stand his ground.
Having expended all his magic, Kim Soohan's eyes rolled back as he finally crumpled to the floor.
“Woahhh!!!”
“That guy really did it!”
“Well done, Kim Hajoon!”
Almost in unison, the spectators jumped to their feet, waving and shouting in elation.
"..."
Having witnessed everything, Instructor Han Eeseul felt an inexplicable headache coming on, tightly shutting his eyes and pressing a hand to his forehead. In his ten years as an instructor, he had many moments of regret, but this was unprecedented.
Soon after, Hajoon approached the instructor.
With a weary face, Hajoon exhaled deeply and spoke to Instructor Han Eeseul.
“Is it over now?”
“Sigh... Yes. It's my mistake. Just... Please don't participate in the second match.”
The thought of another such spectacle was enough to make his head spin.
When Hajoon was about to leave the stadium through the corridor and head back to the stands, he felt it might be better to wait there, considering the events that would unfold. Just then, from Hajoon's pocket, the Puppeteer's face emerged, speaking with a grave expression.
"Irregular."
"...Why?"
"Terrorboom is on the move. And also..."
"...?"
"At the same time, a villain from the Altar is approaching Haruna Ruel, that girl."
Terrorboom had finally begun its act of terror, and simultaneously, a villain from the Altar started moving towards Haruna Ruel.
Both incidents had begun at the same time.
"No matter how capable you are, you won't be able to handle both simultaneously. I'll take care of the Altar."
"No."
"Pardon?"
With a puzzled expression, the Puppeteer lifted his head to look directly at Hajoon's face.
Yet, even in this situation, Hajoon's demeanor remained utterly calm.
Hajoon spoke, "Tell me where Terrorboom and Haruna Ruel are."
Though he was already worn out, should he consider this a stroke of luck? These troublesome foes had appeared at the same time, presenting him with an opportunity to deal with both at once.
“Hmm, judging by the location, this must be the place.”
It was Terrorboom, a villain affiliated with the Villain Alliance.
Currently, he was roaming beneath the spectator stands in the Colosseum, touching and assessing the walls around him.
Considering his ability to turn any object he touches into an explosive, this very act alone could bring the entire Colosseum crashing down.
“But why did you approach me, Puppeteer? You have your own matters to attend to, don’t you?”
Beside him walked a small puppet.
The Puppeteer, who appeared suddenly at some point, merely watched Terrorboom's actions without expressing a word. Terrorboom felt an odd sense of confusion at this silence but didn't dwell on it much.
After all, the Puppeteer was always an enigma, inscrutable in thought and action.
Having transformed the Colosseum walls into explosives, Terrorboom turned towards the Puppeteer, a sly grin curling at the corners of his mouth.
“Well, my task is done, so I’ll head back. You finish up and come too. Ah! Your job might take some more time—?!”
But Terrorboom couldn't finish his sentence.
He was stunned into silence by the sudden turn of events.
“This place...”
The location had shifted.
In the blink of an eye, the underground Colosseum where he stood changed into a deserted alleyway.
Lost for words, he could only stare blankly, blinking his eyes in shock.
And with that blink,
“What the...?”
“How did this happen?”
“Who the hell are you guys?”
Yet another change took place.
Two unfamiliar men now stood before him. From their reactions, it seemed they too experienced the same sudden displacement.
An awkward tension hung between Terrorboom and the two men.
For a simple reason.
While Terrorboom may not have recognized them, the two men identified him instantly, stepping back cautiously, readying themselves for combat.
“Terrorboom? Is this your doing?”
“What's this trickery?”
“Damn it! Who the hell are you two? Could you be heroes?”
Amidst this strange standoff,
“Yes, I'll handle it swiftly. Please come over here, Mr. Chairman. Yes, there are three of them. Given the festival, it’s best to handle it discreetly.”
A young boy emerged from the entrance of the alleyway.
One hand held a phone, through which he conversed, and on the other shoulder rested a golden hammer.
The boy calmly approached them, continuing his call.
As their gaze fixed on the golden hammer he wielded,
A shiver ran down the spines of all three.
"Could it be..."
"That's crazy..."
Everyone present knew the significance of the golden hammer.
Just as they realized their plans had gone awry and contemplated fleeing,
“Should I let them go? Or..."
Their feet stopped in unison.
“...take care of them?”
Silence reigned.
A warning seemed to reverberate in the young boy's words.
While their first instinct was to flee upon seeing the boy, all three knew deep down it was an impossible task.
After all, they knew very well who the boy before them was.
