Epilogue Chapter 53 - Back to School (4)

“What...?”

It felt as if time had stopped. Jeon Yeong-Woong felt hot and cold at the same time as he felt like cold flames were burning his blood vessels. The contradictory sensations were the same as his mixing emotions— love and hatred. The cold flames engulfed Yeong-Woong.

“What the hell did you just say?”

He glared at Oh Kang-Hyun fiercely. Kang-Hyun, satisfied by the reaction, smirked mockingly.

“Are you deaf? Si-Ah and I kissed.”

“You...? With Kim Si-Ah?”

‘Why? Why with the likes of you? You’re not even a Player, not well-off, or tall like me. You’re nothing more than a lowly honor student you can find in any class.’

“How did you...?”

Yeong-Woong’s eyes darted crazily as if trying to find an answer to an impossible question.

“Well, first of all, we’re childhood friends. We’ve been well-acquainted since we were little.”

“Childhood friends? You two?”

“Yeah.”

It was only natural that Yeong-Woong was surprised. Only Kang-Hyun and Si-Ah’s families knew they were childhood friends.

“So what if you guys are childhood friends? That’s not a reason you guys kissed.”

Yeong-Woong grimaced at Kang-Hyun. As he mentioned, just because they knew each other was not reason enough for them to kiss. They had only just started elementary school— they had not accumulated enough memories or affection together for their relationship to advance that far. They had likely only gone to the same kindergarten or met a few times because their parents were close.

“I bet it was when you guys were brats. Just to see what it was like, right?”

“Well... I guess you could say we were brats.”

“Hah, I knew—”

“You would consider second-graders

brats

, right?”

“...”

Yeong-Woong trembled, his expression as hard as rock. Kang-Hyun smiled mockingly and recounted the memory of that day.

“Si-Ah and I were rather heated that day.”

‘Because we were training.’

“Our eyes met... and she ran toward me all of a sudden.”

‘To crush my head with a bamboo sword.’

“And then... we kissed.”

‘By accident as I caught her when she tripped.’

“Haha. Wanna know something? She’s easily embarrassed.”

‘So embarrassed that she gave me a death glare after.’

“...up,” muttered Yeong-Woong, trembling with his head down.

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Shut... up!”

Yeong-Woong gritted his teeth as he glared intensely at Kang-Hyun, who cackled as he relished in the inexplicable feeling of pleasure.

“Why? I thought you didn’t like Si-Ah?”

“Kurgh... Th-That’s—!”

“Are you mad that Si-Ah and I kissed?”

“Y-You son of a bitch...!”

Yeong-Woong exploded in rage, unable to handle Kang-Hyun’s relentless T-bagging. He used psychokinesis to lift the empty beer bottles lying around the alley.

“You’re resorting to force because you can’t beat me with words? Typical of a brat.”

Kang-Hyun wouldn’t be able to calm Yeong-Woong down even if he prostrated to him and apologized, but he instead clicked his tongue and taunted him even more.

‘A fight is unavoidable at this point.’

Kang-Hyun had resolved himself to fight Yeong-Woong the moment he saw him with the boy who put the envelope in Si-Ah’s desk drawer.

‘If I can’t avoid it...’

Taunting him more to make him lose his cool was more effective. No opponent was easier to face than one blinded by rage.

‘The problem is...’

Kang-Hyun was so pathetically weak that he didn’t know if he could even beat a raging brat. Although Yeong-Woong was nowhere near as strong as Si-Ah, he was considered a genius before entering this elementary school.

‘Could I beat Jeon Yeong-Woong?’

The suffocating sense of powerlessness he felt when facing the unidentified attacker and the stagnancy as if he were faced with an insurmountable wall rushed into him. A month passed since the incident but he was still in the same place— where he was protected by the girl whom he swore to himself to protect.

‘I can’t stay in place forever.’

Kang-Hyun took a deep breath and readied himself. He drew out the demonic energy lying dormant in his heart and spread it throughout himself. The time that had been stopped for the boy resumed.

“Fucking die!” shouted Yeong-Woong as he extended his arm forward.

His father’s warning not to lay his hand on Kang-Hyun no matter what had been erased clean from his mind. The beer bottles floating in the air flew at Kang-Hyun.

“Hup!”

A black blade sprouted from the back of Kang-Hyun’s hand. He recalled the swordsmanship Si-Ah taught him as he swung his sword. It was the

Azure Dragon Sword Technique

, the root of the

Heavenly Dragon Sword Technique

used by the Martial God Kim Si-Hun. According to Si-Ah, it was far simpler compared to her father’s swordsmanship but the essence of this swordsmanship did not fall behind the Heavenly Dragon Sword Technique.

‘Although I have no idea what essence this technique holds.’

Kang-Hyun at least knew what the Azure Dragon Sword Technique’s greatest strength was.

‘It’s simple but fast.’

Clang, clang! Shatter!

The beer bottles flying at Kang-Hyun split into two by his blade and shattered as they hit the ground.

“What the...?” Yeong-Woong stared at Kang-Hyun in shock. “Y-You awakened as a Player?”

“...”

Kang-Hyun pointed his sword at Yeong-Woong without a word and assumed his battle stance.

“I asked if you awakened as a Player!”

“Who knows?”

To be exact, Kang-Hyun learned how to use demonic energy; he did not awaken as a Player. He could not see the status window that only Players could see.

‘But I have no reason to answer him.’

Kang-Hyun flicked his blade upward, goading Yeong-Woong to bring it on.

“Son of a...!” Yeong-Woong gritted his teeth and smiled nastily as if he thought of something. “Hah, is this why you were so arrogant? Huh? Do you think you’re a match for me now that you’re a Player?”

He had not gotten an answer from Kang-Hyun but no ordinary person could pull out a blade from the back of their hand or instantly split beer bottles flying at them.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, dammit.”

Even if Kang-Hyun had awakened as a Player, it was likely only a few months ago. He was no match for Yeong-Woong who had grown stronger over several years.

“You’re nothing compared to me.”

Yeong-Woong opened his hand and focused his psychokinesis above it.

Swoosh—!

Rocks, trash, and cigarette stubs in the surroundings got sucked into the psychokinetic energy and turned into a sphere spinning incredibly rapidly.

“Psychokinesis Ball!”

Boom!

Yeong-Woong stomped his foot and fired the psychokinetic sphere at Kang-Hyun. The sphere grew closer as it ripped away the walls on its sides, making it look like there was nowhere to escape in the narrow alley.

“Hup!”

However, Kang-Hyun used the Authority of Haste to raise his speed and wall-jumped in a Z-fashion to dodge the sphere.

“What the—?!” Yeong-Woong expressed shock as Kang-Hyun dodged the sphere with finesse.

Kang-Hyun ran along the wall from above at Yeong-Woong like a hawk swooping down to attack its prey.

“Kurgh! No matter how much you struggle—”

“God, you’re so damn noisy.”

Kang-Hyun jumped from the wall and kicked Yeong-Woong’s head.

Bash—!

Yeong-Woong took a direct kick on his head from Kang-Hyun whose strength was enhanced with demonic energy, and stumbled backward. He reflexively used psychokinesis to fling the empty plastic box he had been sitting on at Kang-Hyun.

Swing!

However, the black blade split the plastic box into pieces.

“Argh!”

Yeong-Wong fell on his butt and extended both hands at Kang-Hyun.

“Psychokinesis Storm!!!”

It was a skill he rarely used because it used too much mana. He fired his most powerful attack at Kang-Hyun.

Slash!

However, the black blade enveloped in demonic energy ripped the raging storm apart.

“What...?”

Yeong-Woong’s mouth was left agape in shock. His strongest attack which consumed more than half of his mana disappeared with one swing of Kang-Hyun’s sword.

“Wh-What the hell are you...?”

He looked up at Kang-Hyun in pallor.

“Hah,” scoffed Kang-Hyun as he frowned. He looked down at Yeong-Woong on the ground and asked irritatedly, “Jeon Yeong-Woong. Are you playing with me?”

“Wh-What?”

“Why are you holding back? Do I look so weak to you?”

“What...?”

Yeong-Woong couldn’t comprehend what Kang-Hyun was saying. He had been going all out from the start to the point that he almost shit himself.

“I’ve been serious from the—”

“I thought you were called a genius when you were little. If that’s the case, this can’t be your full power.”

“...”

“Stop the poor act already. I may be weak but not enough to be mocked by you like this.” Kang-Hyun frowned in displeasure and clenched his blade. “Get the hell up and fight me seriously, Jeon Yeong-Woong!”

“...”

“Stop acting like a weakling and show me your true power!”

“Wha...” Yeong-Woong clenched his trembling fists in frustration. “This is my true power, you motherfucker...”

Tears flowed down his cheeks as he experienced an inexplicable feeling of misery he had never felt.