CH.63 New Effects (3)
A private training ground in Daebang-dong.
It was the largest training ground near Sangdo, where my home is located.
As soon as I sent a message, Park Jin-woo came running, and before I knew it, he had taken his place in the training area, wielding his sword.
Seeing his consistent enthusiasm, I waved and greeted him.
“Hey.”
“Oh.”
Park Jin-woo loosened his concentration and shook hands with me.
We dueled whenever we found the time.
When I had won over ten consecutive matches, it wasn’t fun anymore, but since Park Jin-woo had mastered [Unstoppable Swift Swordplay] one day, our dueling became more evenly matched.
As a result, our overall record was 41 matches, 30 wins, and 11 losses.
I was still ahead, but looking at recent results, it was quite close.
“Why did you come again if I’m the one starting this time?”
I scratched my head and approached him.
Back when we were at the academy, we could have met at the internal training grounds, but ever since the vacation began, we had been dueling at the private training ground.
My place was in Sangdo, the training ground is in Daebang-dong.
Park Jin-woo’s place was near Bangbae-dong.
This was our second match after the vacation started, and Park Jin-woo had come over again.
Although it was nearby, I felt a bit guilty for no reason.
However, Park Jin-woo’s responses always caught me off guard.
“It’s fine. Coming all the way here is part of my training.”
“…?”
What nonsense was this?
He came all the way from Bangbae-dong to Daebang-dong on foot?
I couldn’t comprehend it and had to ask again.
“What are you talking about? You walked all the way here?”
“Hahaha. Yep, I did.”
“…”
Was he really crazy?
Walking from Bangbae-dong to Daebang-dong, a distance of almost 7 kilometers, would take over two hours…
I stopped thinking about it right there.
As expected, trying to understand this guy with logic was pointless.
“Did you get promoted to C-grade?”
Park Jin-woo’s skill level had already surpassed C-grade Holders.
Like me back in the day, his promotion was certain with his achievements alone.
That’s why I had told him to get promoted quickly when we last met.
Because there were quite a few undiscovered dungeons I wanted to explore with him.
But as usual…
Park Jin-woo shook his head with a serious expression.
“No, I didn’t have the time.”
“Ah, come on! Instead of running all the way here, spend some time on that. Don’t you find it bothersome to not have that achievement match your skills?”
“I don’t even have enough time for training!”
“Seriously, you’re insane…”
Him maintaining such a serious expression was even more annoying.
Well, he’ll figure it out eventually.
He’s the type who naturally improves everything over time.
I slowly drew the sword on my back.
“Let’s get started. I was itching for a fight.”
“Oh yeah, that’s what I was hoping for.”
We moved to the dueling area on one side of the training ground.
This place was convenient for dueling with only a fee required.
Being an indoor training ground, I didn’t have to worry about others watching, which made it even better.
Especially because I was a Multi-Holder, revealing my full power to someone else felt awkward.
Park Jin-woo stood in position with a serious gaze, gripping his sword.
I hadn’t noticed before, but his sword looked quite impressive.
It seemed like a decent normal or even rare-grade sword at a glance.
Typical of a well-off family’s son, he didn’t hold back on spending for equipment.
“Let’s stick to the same rules we used in the Academy’s dueling matches. No critical strikes, but all other attacks are allowed.”
“We’ll judge with our own eyes, right?”
“Phew, yes, that’s right. And forfeiting is allowed.”
Of course, saying this never led to an actual forfeit.
During those 41 matches, we had clashed like maniacs until one of us gave out.
Or until a sword was almost at our necks.
It was our own unique way of dueling with no forfeits.
“Would you like to start?”
“Sure.”
Park Jin-woo replied briefly and slowly gathered his magic.
I, too, held my sword with both hands and prepared to infuse magic.
When dueling with this guy, I had to stay focused and concentrated.
It was on a different level from facing Shin Yuna.
Even if we were both C-grade, the difference in abilities and rune utilization was worlds apart.
That applied to me as well as Park Jin-woo.
We confronted each other at a slight distance, tension building between us.
In the midst of the silence, it was suddenly broken.
“Begin.”
Park Jin-woo gave the signal.
And in an instant, he charged at me like an arrow.
Did he activate Charging Runes?
Considering his high speed, it was an incredible velocity.
I immediately prepared [Water Sword Technique].
Perhaps Park Jin-woo would utilize [Unstoppable Swift Swordplay] as he charged.
Though [Water Sword Technique] was slightly inferior to [Unstoppable Swift Swordplay], it was similar in its foundation of speed-based swordsmanship, making it the most suitable counter.
“Huup…!!”
“Haaap…!!”
Holding my breath, I awaited his sword, and Park Jin-woo’s blade suddenly vanished.
Then, he rotated his entire body swiftly.
He instantly moved away from me and turned toward my back.
‘It’s obvious, so obvious.’
It was the [Rotating Combo Attack].
A derived skill from [Unstoppable Swift Swordplay].
It involved integrating the body and the sword into a whirlwind-like rotation, continuously delivering simultaneous strikes similar to [Combo].
I knew that Park Jin-woo would use this skill as soon as the dueling began.
‘He saved it until the end of the last match.’
Park Jin-woo might seem a bit foolish at first glance, but in battle, he exhibited sharp and quick-witted instincts. Naturally, he often engaged in psychological warfare against the same opponent.
During our last dueling, he had saved [Rotating Combo Attack] until the very end.
So, there was a possibility that he would use it right at the beginning of this match, and my prediction was correct.
This was already our 41st dueling session.
By now, I could roughly anticipate Park Jin-woo’s moves.
He should try psychological warfare on someone else, really.
“Hah…!!”
I closely followed Park Jin-woo’s movements with [Agile Agility].
And now, the newly acquired rune, [Master of Martial Arts]’s special effect, known as the Limitless Exchange.
I shifted the sword I had been holding with both hands into my right hand and then raised a shield with my left hand.
It took less than a second for [Goblin’s Bronze Shield] to be in my left hand.
‘Really fast, huh?’
The speed of exchanging runes was unexpectedly quick.
There was a slight stumble, but it was sufficient for combat.
For a new effect, I was quite satisfied.
I extended the shield in my left hand forward.
‘Iron Wall Defense!’
Then, I immediately used [Iron Wall Defense].
It was a derivative skill of [Shield], now a sub-rune of [Master of Martial Arts].
It could withstand twice the power of its previous version and was the most outstanding defensive skill I had, alongside [Strengthening].
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Grrrrr!!
Park Jin-woo’s [Rotating Combo Attack] was blocked by [Iron Wall Defense].
If it were his ultimate skill, it might have been hard to block, but fortunately, [Rotating Combo Attack] was just a normal derivative skill.
“Huff… Huff… What’s that?”
After one round of attacks was fruitlessly blocked, Park Jin-woo stepped back and gasped, clearly astonished.
For someone who had always wielded a two-handed sword when attacking, seeing me suddenly holding a shield with one hand was probably quite unbelievable.
“What is it? It’s a shield.”
“When did you bring it out? I’m sure you only had your sword. What is this? Magic?”
“Hahaha, you’re crazy. This guy who calls himself a rune Holder thinks this is magic.”
I teased Park Jin-woo quite a bit, but in reality, I was surprised too.
I hadn’t expected that ‘Art of Weapon Exchange’, a special effect of [Master of Martial Arts], would have such excellent versatility.
Of course, I had the due cause for today’s dueling with Park Jin-woo, to try out this new rune… Anyway, the goal itself had been accomplished.
“Well, what’s the big deal? Tell me. Is it a rune?”
“If you don’t know, you’ll have to find out by getting hit. Here we go again. I’m starting a streak of ten wins from today.”
“Damn.”
I continued with the [Sprint] and [Ruthless Charge] combo.
When initiating the first attack, this combo, which ignored physical attacks during the charge, was the best.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!!
Thud!
“Again with that? I’ve already figured it out, you punk.”
Park Jin-woo effortlessly dodged my charge.
While the effect of ignoring physical attacks of [Ruthless Charge] seemed invincible at a glance, there was undoubtedly a way to counter it.
First, it was vulnerable to magic attacks, and second, it didn’t work when the charge couldn’t be executed.
So, after dodging the initial charge, he had avoided a collision and then didn’t create an angle for the attack in the first place.
In other words, he simply narrowed the distance to prevent me from charging at all.
Indeed, as much as I understood his combat style, he now understood mine equally well.
He had already mastered the countermeasure for this combo.
‘I wish I could use [War Declaration of a Hundred Soldiers].’
A derived skill from [Master of Martial Arts], [War Declaration of a Hundred Soldiers], ignored ranged physical attacks for ten minutes.
It only applied to ranged attacks.
Close-range attacks still inflicted damage.
So, in a fight against Park Jin-woo, it couldn’t be used.
Too bad.
If I were to show him this, he’d truly be surprised.
‘But there’s still something even more surprising left.’
I had demonstrated [Fiery Flame] in the battle against the previous Park Jin-woo.
To defeat him, who had grown so dramatically, I needed to play this card.
I had no aversion to showcasing my various runes.
Park Jin-woo was the friend I trusted the most in this world after Kim Chae-eun, and practically there is no C-grade Holder like him who was worth dueling with.
Moreover, he was a straightforward guy who cared only about training and growth, so even if I continued to show him new runes, he would only be surprised without any additional action.
‘But this time, the surprise is still greater.’
Taking advantage of the brief lull in the battle, I opened a water bottle I had prepared in advance.
Soon, water began to spill out onto the training ground.
Looking at it, Park Jin-woo’s expression turned bewildered.
“What’s that again?”
“Prepare to be amazed.”
Sssss—
The water that had fallen to the ground began to move according to my will.
Gradually gaining speed, it suddenly surged towards me from behind, like a wave.
[Swirling Tidal Wave].
Among them, this was the manifestation of [New Wave], which created massive waves.
“Wow, holy… What is this…”
Gazing at the water’s movement, Park Jin-woo expressed his astonishment.
I expected this.
He really liked this kind of thing, after all.
