The students watching the spar were shocked beyond words, their eyes wide in disbelief.

A heavy silence fell over the training ground, with not even a breath to be heard.

No one could have imagined what had just unfolded before their eyes.

“……Backbreaker.”
“……Did he just…”
“……Did he suplex Kang Do-hee?”

A male student, not a female student, had picked her up and slammed her into the ground.

Kang Do-hee herself looked bewildered, her mind unable to process what had just happened.

The reason why Kang Do-hee, even in her pure state, couldn’t deal with grappling despite having an S-grade specialization in martial arts was simple.

It was due to the characteristics of the opponents she had faced so far. She had always fought monsters several times her size, so it made no sense to grab their arms or thighs, which were as big as her entire body, and try to apply joint locks. Moreover, the people who had picked fights with her in the past had been knocked out by a single punch or kick, so she had little experience with this kind of messy, close-quarters combat.

‘Of course, as you gain more experience in PvP, you’ll pick it up quickly.’

I kept a firm grip on her waist and narrowed my eyes.

‘But this wouldn’t have done much damage.’

In the real world, this would be a blow strong enough to worry about a concussion, but it wouldn’t faze her.

I needed to move quickly before she could fully process the situation and react.

‘If I don’t seize the advantage now, it’s over!’

I released my grip on her waist and immediately flipped my body. Then, I entangled my leg with hers to fix her in place.

Kang Do-hee’s foot was now right in front of my face, and I grabbed it with my hand.

Heel Hook

A technique that twists the Achilles tendon, knee, and ankle ligaments.

It’s a dangerous technique that even beginners can easily perform.

The reason I chose the heel hook over an armbar was simple. Kang Do-hee would definitely give up one hand and keep fighting to the end. But she couldn’t afford to give up her feet, which were responsible for her mobility.

‘So, with joint locks, I can hold my own against Kang Do-hee.’

Joint locks were techniques designed to overcome differences in strength.

On top of that, I had a specialization in swordsmanship, which meant that I received a specialization bonus to the strength of my grip when holding something. As long as I maintained the proper stance and gripped her firmly, I had the upper hand!

Kreeeek─

I began to twist her ankle, putting pressure on it.

“Keuk─!”

Kang Do-hee let out a painful groan, and a prominent vein popped out on her forehead.

Even though it was a difficult joint lock to apply force to, I could feel a significant resistance in my hand.

“Give up…! Kang Do-hee!”

I clenched my teeth and spoke to her as I held onto her ankle.

“……Give up……!? Don’t be ridiculous!!!!”

Then, she bit her lip so hard it almost bled and put force into her ankle, refusing to give in.

A tug-of-war of strength ensued between Kang Do-hee, who was trying to escape, and me, who was twisting her ankle.

‘I could just twist it all the way… I guess I could…’

Well, even if I could heal it with Heal, doing that to a party member was a bit too much.

Jin Yuha, who hadn’t realized that giving a fellow party member a German Suplex was a despicable act, thought to himself.

‘……Hmm, that’s enough.’

I was satisfied with this much. I had risen to Kang Do-hee’s level.

‘Excellent job, me.’

That was enough for today.

As long as she was taking this class, I would continue to meet her and give her a hard time.

‘And I won’t fight you.’

I nodded calmly.

“Kang Do-hee.”

I called out to her as she lay on the ground, struggling.

“Okay, I admit it.”

When I spoke in a serious tone, Kang Do-hee, who had been trying to pull her foot away, paused and stared at me.

“You’re strong.”

“……”

“You’re equal to me or better.”

I threw her a provocative remark, and her face, which had been blank for a moment, twisted with rage.

“You Little Fool…”

She raised her foot as if she were about to stomp it into the ground.

Hwoong─!

But,

I let go of her hand and tumbled backward, performing a backflip.

Tap.

And just as she was about to charge at me.

I turned around and raised my hand to the instructor. With a refreshing smile, I spoke.

“I lost.”

“……What?”

Instructor Hong Jinada, who had been watching our spar with a bewildered expression, now looked flustered.

And at the same time, Kang Do-hee charged at me from behind.

I immediately hid behind the instructor’s large and comfortable back and smirked as I spoke.

“Instructor. If one party declares defeat, it’s considered a loss, right?” “……”

She turned to me with a look that said, “What the hell is wrong with this kid?”

But hey, she had to take responsibility for her own words, didn’t she?

As I hid behind the instructor, Kang Do-hee stopped in front of us.

“……Jin Yuha! You…”

Kang Do-hee shouted, her face red with frustration, unable to accept the outcome. I poked my head out and narrowed my eyebrows.

“Kang Do-hee. Where’s your conscience?”

“……What?”

“Well, we took up the whole class with our spar, didn’t we? We should let the other students have their turns. Right, Instructor?”

“……”

And so, our spar ended with a nominal victory for Kang Do-hee and an actual victory for me.

.

.

.

After the spar.

Kang Do-hee, whose head had cooled down a bit, rubbed her face with her hand and thought.

‘……I lost.’

Me.

For the first time.

Not just a loss, but a conceded victory.

Pathetically rolling on the ground.

Even though she had been caught off guard, this spar was still a loss for her.

She had to admit it.

If Jin Yuha had really wanted to, he could have broken her ankle at that moment.

And the subsequent matches would have obviously been to her disadvantage.

After all, he had kept up with her speed even with both hands and feet free.

What if she had been at a disadvantage with one foot unable to move in that situation?

Kang Do-hee bit her lip.

To be honest, she was still fuming.

The last thing Little Fool had said kept playing in her head.

‘……Equal to me or better?’

Hah─

Kang Do-hee exhaled and opened her eyes.

Jin Yuha was sitting a short distance away, squatting and watching the other students’ spars with a bored expression.

She strode towards him and looked down at Jin Yuha.

“Jin Yuha. This time, I lost.”

Then, Jin Yuha turned his head and looked up at her.

“Hmm? You won, didn’t you?”

This Little Fool had the nerve to respond with a smug tone, fully aware of what she was saying.

“……I’ll request a rematch for the next class.”
“You’re being ridiculous, Do-hee… Do you know that the loser isn’t supposed to request a rematch? It could be considered one-sided bullying.”

Jin Yuha shook his head, sounding annoyed.

The rules of this damn class were that the loser couldn’t request a rematch first.

“And what’s the point of us fighting each other anyway?”

“……What?”

“Well, at first, we sparred to gauge each other’s strengths, but we’re both ‘A-rank’ now, aren’t we?”

“……”

“So, even though you won the spar, I’m still an A-rank. You’re equal to me or better.”

Kang Do-hee’s fists trembled as she listened to his condescending tone. This was a new and uncomfortable experience for her, having to endure such humiliating words without being able to do anything about it.

‘Should I just… beat him up…?’

To be honest, if she beat him up right here, no one would blame her. They might even praise her for it.

As if sensing her inner thoughts, or perhaps out of instinct for survival, Jin Yuha spoke up.

“Do you really want to fight me?”

“……Yes.”

Kang Do-hee nodded.

“Then, Kang Do-hee. Let’s practice grappling.”

She narrowed her eyebrows, not understanding his intention.

“You must have realized your weakness now, right? You may be used to fighting monsters, but you’re weak in PvP, especially with joint locks.”

“That’s…”

“Yeah, sure. You’ve probably won all your fights so far. But that’s because you haven’t had a serious PvP match with someone of your caliber or stronger. What about a Demon? There must be some that are good at grappling, right?”

Kang Do-hee’s mouth snapped shut like a clam. Jin Yuha pointed at her.

“The condition for our spar is for you to completely escape my grappling.”

“The condition for the spar…”

“Oh, and of course, you can’t just give up and let your body be taken.” Kang Do-hee stared at Jin Yuha, then nodded.

“……Okay, I understand. I’ll do it. Little Fool. Don’t forget that promise. If I escape your grappling, you’ll spar with me.”

“Yeah, practice a lot~”

Ignoring his last irritating comment, Kang Do-hee bit her lip and turned away, her mind racing.

‘……Wait a minute.’

And then, a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

‘Grappling with Jin Yuha…?’

In other words, they would have to tangle with each other and roll around on the ground.

In front of the other students, no less.

‘You crazy bastard…!?’

Kang Do-hee turned her head sharply, her face reddening, to glare at him.