Chapter 39. Just What Are You? Do You Like Me?

***

As strength entered Luna’s hand holding the kite shield, her expression instantly changed to indifference.

Then she carefully fixed her gaze on the spear held by Chunsung.

ㅡSpear.

In the past, she had been thoroughly educated about various weapons within her family’s mansion.

Although it was during her childhood before receiving a Talent, she thought she had never been carelessly educated.

Therefore, of course, she knew all about weapon compatibility relationships.

A spear is a weapon with overwhelming advantage at close range, and if you can’t break through the reach advantage of the spear, you can’t win with ordinary close-range weapons.

ㅡIt’s right to deal with a Spearmanship user by choosing long-range weapons, or handling them with long-range magic that doesn’t give any distance at all.

I knew how to deal with it too. Yes, I clearly knew rationally.

But. I wanted to clash in close combat with that man deliberately.

Without properly landing a hit on that man Han Chunsung… it felt like my heart just wouldn’t settle.

All this time, I had been watching Han Chunsung and Milia, and constantly thinking.

Why Milia’s gaze was fixed on this man Han Chunsung.

And finally.

I… ended up realizing.

‘Why. Why him of all people…!’

I couldn’t help but know after confirming Milia’s gaze several times.

Because we’ve been close friends for 8 years, sharing everything without hiding anything. There hasn’t been a day I haven’t seen Milia’s face.

So.

Of course… really of course, I had no choice but to know.

Why my most cherished friend was looking at this man Han Chunsung with such eyes.

So I hated it.
I hated it so much.

That my most beloved and cherished friend was giving such absurd attention to a man I disliked.

ㅡ!

The moment she leapt, her entire body was dyed blue.

She completely opened her vast mana, enveloping her entire body without even a gap.

And at that moment. It entered her eyes.

Rustle.

As Han Chunsung’s stance holding the spear suddenly changed, her eyes narrowed unknowingly.

‘Just what kind of stance is he taking?’

It’s really rare to see a Spearmanship user. So it’s hard to deal with.

But defending against it was easy enough.

She put almost full strength into her hand holding the kite shield, not letting her guard down at all.

The doubt remaining in her heart completely disappeared at the movement Han Chunsung had shown while swinging his spear just now.

Yes, this man had really done it.

The unbelievable result of drawing with Leonhardt, this year’s top student, in a duel.

So I too had to give my all in this duel now.

Swoosh!

As soon as she reached spear range, the spear charged in like light. It charged in filled with blue mana, feeling like a blue light had flickered.

‘Fast.’

However, it wasn’t a speed I couldn’t react to.

She tried to deflect the force contained in the spear blade with the edge part, the border part of the kite shield rather than the center.

Clang!!

But as a strange metallic sound struck her ears, her vision was drastically pushed back.

The moment I tried to deflect it…

…Slide!

My body was already greatly pushed back.

“Ugh!”

I unknowingly swallowed an empty breath at the intense pain felt throughout my left arm.

Yet it was clearly visible in my sight.

The man named Han Chunsung leisurely correcting his stance and retrieving his spear. His characteristic black eyes seemed to be looking at me as if saying to come again.

As if asking if I was going to stop with just this…

So as soon as I took a breath, I kicked off the ground again.

“…!”

Once again, she put strength into the hand holding the kite shield.

This time she infused even greater mana into the kite shield.

‘The destructive power is strange.’

I sensed the amount of mana imbued in the spear, and thought I could block it. I couldn’t understand why I was pushed back so much just now.

ㅡ!

But as I leapt again, I thought I wouldn’t be pushed back like before.

The amount of mana contained in the shield was clearly superior to mine.

‘Even just once is fine.’

I want to properly land a hit on this man.

This man who stole the heart of Milia whom I cherish most… I dislike him so much.

So with the determination to land at least one proper hit, I fixed my eyes on the spear tip.

ㅡ!

As I kicked off the ground again, this time I lowered my upper body a bit more.

I adjusted my stepping speed to keep my legs from being greatly pushed back like before, while pressing my hand holding the kite shield more stably against my body.

Recognizing that he was gripping the spear with one hand while strangely gripping the end of the spear shaft with the other, I clashed head-on again.

‘I will definitely block it.’

If carelessly trying to deflect it failed, I’ll push straight through with the power of mana from the front.

I don’t know how much stronger one gets when their Talent reaches level 4. But I knew that if this duel dragged on, I would surely lose.

So, I had to make a decisive move in this early stage.

If I could properly block the spear with the kite shield just once, I would have a chance of victory.

The moment I reached spear range again like that.

ㅡ!

The spear charged in even faster than before.

Blue light filled my vision as if flickering, and I instinctively raised my hand strongly as if striking with the kite shield covering the front.

Simply putting the kite shield in the spear’s trajectory is meaningless. I also need to strike with strength at the right time…

‘Can I strike away that spear…’

Clang!!

My thoughts were cut off by the explosive sound that burst out again.

For a moment, I almost lost grip of the kite shield.

Grit. Though I bit my lip and forcibly endured the pain, trying to hold on.

……Slide!

Along with the loud sound of feet dragging on the ground….

I had been pushed back even further than before.

“…!”

Though I exhaled a large breath at the sudden intense pain, I couldn’t understand.

‘Why?’

Just why… do I have to be pushed back like this?

Han Chunsung’s Talent being level 4 seemed to have no relation to the force I just encountered.

The mana imbued in the spear that I saw. It clearly wasn’t that great. At most, it was only half of the mana I had contained in the kite shield.

Yet for me to be helplessly pushed back to this extent…

“…”

As I blankly raised my head, I saw the man retrieving his spear again.

He still hadn’t moved even a single step.

He remained just standing there.

He just thrust out his spear to push me back again each time I approached…

“This is unreasonable.”

As he suddenly uttered those incomprehensible words, strength suddenly entered my hand holding the kite shield.

“Unreasonable…?”

“Yes. I’m surprised it’s unreasonable. Honestly. I was trying to make you drop the kite shield you’re holding. I thought that would be quite possible.”

At his continued words, a bitter laugh escaped me unknowingly.

“In your eyes right now. Do I look that weak? Weak enough to drop the kite shield…?”

“No, I don’t think you’re weak. If I did, I wouldn’t be thrusting my spear like this.”

“…Han Chunsung. What exactly do you mean, speak clearly.”

“So. I’m saying it’s strange too. I didn’t know you would be this strong.”

I thought he was mocking me.

But those words were strange.

‘…Strong?’

Just what about me, who hasn’t even properly closed the distance yet, could be strong?

Biting my lip. I kicked off the ground again right away.

I adjusted my mana even more, filling the kite shield with such vast mana that it was almost dazzling.

I completely erased the mana enveloping my body defensively.

ㅡ!

As the mana infused in my legs disappeared, my speed kicking off the ground naturally slowed.

But that didn’t matter.

It had been a head-on battle between that man and me all along.

Whether I would advance by blocking that spear with my kite shield, or be pushed back by that spear again. That was all it was.

And I could see.

The man’s stance holding the spear changed even more strangely, now oddly gripping the very end, that blunt part of the spear shaft.

It was a stance as if he would strongly shoot out the spear shaft itself the moment he thrust the spear.

‘No way… it gets even faster from here?’

The amount of mana imbued in the spear was the same. But only his stance had changed again.

Gulp.

I swallowed just before entering spear range.

‘Can I somehow strike away that spear?’

Even as I thought that, I was already acting.

I don’t even watch the spear move.

If that spear comes faster and stronger than before, I had no confidence in reacting to it.

ㅡSo.

I move faster. I move strongly as if striking first with the kite shield.

The moment I entered spear range, I was already acting.

ㅡ!

***

“Duel stop!”

At the words of Rudmina, the C-class training instructor, the ongoing duel was immediately stopped.

The students observing the duel just looked at the two people in the dueling ground with curiosity.

ㅡHan Chunsung and Luna.

Talent level 4 and Talent level 2.

That difference in levels was an enormous gap that made the grades of their respective Talents seem meaningless.

And everyone here, from Instructor Rudmina to most of the students, knew that.

But what was this strange atmosphere now present in the dueling ground?

“The result of the duel. Student Han Chunsung’s victory.”

As Rudmina’s calm voice announced the duel result, not a single person doubted it.

It was a victory everyone had expected.

But what came after was strange.

Luna and Han Chunsung standing still, staring intently at each other.

Neither of them saying anything, just meeting each other’s gaze, which seemed very strange to the other students watching.

“…Still. It was really close.”

As Rudmina spoke with a light smile, Milia, who was right beside her, gave her a blank look for a moment.

“Close?”

“Yes. I thought I might have to step in during, but Student Han Chunsung controlled his strength on his own.”

…As Rudmina spoke so calmly, Milia couldn’t understand at all.

‘Han Chunsung controlled his strength?’

Honestly, except for the first time, she could barely see how the spear moved.

She just knew the result.

The result of the spear being shot out, and Luna being pushed back.

Only the remnants of blue mana lingering in the air flickered in her eyes.

Even so, her gaze blankly went to the two of them.

‘They’re both amazing.’

Honestly, I thought Luna would lose pathetically. But she fought better than expected.

It wasn’t just that she blocked with the kite shield, but the precision in utilizing mana was clearly visible to my eyes. If it were another student, it wouldn’t have been strange to crumble to Han Chunsung in the first exchange, but Luna received and endured several times.

“…Han Chunsung.”

As Luna’s mouth opened then, I unknowingly took quick steps forward.

Rather than Luna saying something strange and ruining her relationship with Han Chunsung, it was right for me to mediate.

Tap. Tap.

As I quickly approached Luna then.

“Just what are you? Do you like me?”

Thud.

Milia’s steps towards Luna suddenly stopped.