Chapter 43 Part 13: Connivance.

Although it was called a regular sparring match between grades, there was nothing particularly special about it.

It was simply an opportunity for each grade to interact and hone their talents.

In short, if there was a senior in the second year who seemed like a good match, you could ask them to spar.

So, unlike before, many people sparred whenever they had free time.

The seniors seemed curious about the freshmen, so they kept coming and going actively.

Thanks to this, Kang Xia and Kang Siwoo were running around as if they were in their element.

Both of them are battle maniacs, so they were like fish in water.

In fact, some seniors got tired of them and refused to spar with them.

It was good to see that other friends were also working hard to spar.

I still don’t know why they’re working so hard when they’re not even going to a competition.

Still, it was good to see everyone working hard.

There’s a saying that if you knock, the door will open, right?

I prayed in my heart that everyone would achieve satisfactory results as much as they worked hard.

Apart from that, it didn’t change the fact that it was a boring time.

“Ah…”

A sigh automatically flowed out.

Receiving food and sparring is one thing, but.

It’s been almost weeks of regular sparring, and I was going crazy with boredom.

That didn’t mean sparring was a good choice either.

It’s a spar, right? I have to rub shoulders with the kids and fight, right?

Then naturally, my body gets covered in sweat.

Of course, I can’t stay uncomfortable, so I have to shower.

Once when I wake up in the morning. Once again after lunch for sparring.

Once again in the evening for special training and night self-study.

Although I value cleanliness, when I wash three times a day, it was time to worry about whether I was running out of underwear.

There were many other reasons, so I was sick and tired of sparring.

I wish there were more people besides me who hated sparring.

I don’t know why, but whenever they have free time, they’re developing techniques and honing their abilities elsewhere.

Thanks to this, I’m alone in the classroom, Ah. Not alone.

Anyway, it was like being alone.

“Why, are you bored?”

Gong Jinhoo smiled and stared at me.

I sent him a look saying, ‘Don’t you know by looking at my expression?’, but only an empty laugh came back.

“If you’re bored, why don’t you spar?”

“I don’t like moving my body that much.”

“Really?”

“It’s sweaty, but it’s also tiring and exhausting.”

“You seemed to be working hard every time you sparred.”

“…It’s a spar. And if I’m going to prepare for a spar here, wouldn’t it be better to go somewhere else?”

“Anyway, who is the target of analysis right now? Wouldn’t it be most accurate to be next to that person?”

Saying that, Gong Jinhoo looked down at his notebook and continued writing.

I briefly looked down at the notebook.

As I adjusted the glasses I had become accustomed to in recent days, the writing that Gong Jinhoo had been writing until just before came into view.

The content hadn’t changed much from what I usually saw.

From the movements I mainly use to the use of abilities and such.

There were no emotions, only pure analysis, but I was starting to think it could be reported as sexual harassment.

“You really think I’m letting you off because I’m nice.”

As soon as I said that, Gong Jinhoo nodded, saying he knew.

So he said he’d do better in the future… I was starting to feel like I was going to go crazy if I stayed here any longer.

It would be more enjoyable to watch Jang Yuna and Kim Aram spar.

So, I was slowly trying to get out of the classroom, when the tightly closed front door rattled open.

“Hello! Do you have a moment?”

“Ah, it won’t take that long.”

I silently checked the chests of the two people.

I thought they weren’t first-years, and I saw that they were second-year name tags as I thought.

And I already knew the names of those two people from Gong Jinhoo.

“Senior Jin Sehee, Senior Yeom Soohyuk, hello?”

“Oh, what!? Do you know us?”

“I happened to see you.”

“Haha… Good. You know why we’re here, right!? Lee Yeji! I’m challenging you to a spar!”

Saying that, Jin Sehee vigorously pointed her index finger forward.

I didn’t want to play along, but if I didn’t spar, time would pass too slowly.

No, come to think of it, I did want to see their skills.

Jin Sehee said she had the ability to create long thorns from the ground… And Yeom Soohyuk simply said he used telekinesis.

Both of them were said to be the elite among the second-years, so I thought it would be quite fun.

“Then who will start first?”

“Of course… me! That guy Soohyuk is easy to deal with once you see him. So I came to test the waters.”

“Aha.”

“Third-years will come tomorrow, so take care of yourself.”

“I will.”

The four of us immediately moved to the remaining sparring room and finished our preparations.

Since school uniforms are a bit expensive, I changed into my gym clothes, and I saw Jin Sehee standing there without even changing her clothes.

I felt a little ignored, so I felt strangely awkward.

“Senior, are you okay in that outfit?”

“Ah, it’s okay. I’m wearing safety shorts inside!”

Jin Sehee raised her thumb.

At this point, I thought it would be easier to just think of her as a simple person.

So, I took a proper stance and waited for someone to give the signal.

“Okay, then… Ready… Start!”

As soon as Gong Jinhoo’s command fell, thorns rose from the ground.

Judging from the fact that the material was different from the floor, it seemed that she had made the thorns with her ability.

“Hmm.”

After a slight hesitation, I immediately punched and broke a few thorns.

Judging from the tactile sensation at the fingertips and the feel of it, it was clear that it had about the hardness of metal.

It’s hard to say it’s soft metal, so it’s probably rebar.

Being able to pull out several rebars from the ground at once.

It could be said that she has more talent than I thought.

Moreover, Jin Sehee immediately pulled out other thorns to block my path.

“You don’t seem to have any long-range attack methods… Aren’t you getting dangerous?”

Saying that, Jin Sehee raised the thorns she had pulled from the ground with a triumphant expression.

It was a bonus that she rotated it in her hand a few times like a spear and then aimed the end at me.

But unlike what she thought, these thorns weren’t a big threat.

After a slight deep breath, I manifested in the direction of stretching the muscles of the body.

And when I reached out and broke the thorn, I could see Jin Sehee’s expression turning to astonishment.

However, she quickly regained her composure.

She didn’t expect a mere first-year to break this, but was it also within her calculations?

Before long, thorns that looked more solid than before rose from all directions.

“This will be a little hard to avoid!”

I wonder.

If Jin Sehee had also run with the thorns, it might have been different.

But simply pulling up thorns from the ground couldn’t do anything to me.

In fact, I could avoid the attack by lightly jumping in place.

I stepped on the ends of the thorns that pierced the air and used them as a stepping stone to leap forward.

While Jin Sehee’s body was getting closer at a rapid pace, I could see her, who had been standing still, swinging the thorns.

The moment before the end of the thorn reached me.

I put my foot, which was still in the air, on the ground and twisted my body with the force of running and jumped into the air.

And I continued to twist my body, avoiding the thorns with the minimum gap, and punched Jin Sehee.

“Ugh!”

With a thud, Jin Sehee’s body was bent back.

She barely managed to block the attack, but it was no different from her losing.

After throwing a punch, I just had to continue with a few more attacks.

But I didn’t do that and focused on correcting my posture and landing.

It seemed like Jin Sehee still had some kind of trump card left.

I thought she might show it since it came to this.

And it was.

“You might see blood…!”

Jin Sehee pulled out thorns from around her with a slightly nervous expression.

The thorns, forming a formation as if to protect her, aimed their ends at me.

And in the middle of it, I could see Jin Sehee making a fairly thick thorn and staring at me.

She’s probably protecting her body with the thorns on the outside, while aiming for a big blow with the thorns in the center.

It was clear that she could lengthen the thorns even while holding them in her hands.

“The medical facilities are good, so even if your stomach is pierced, it can be fixed quickly!”

Yes, I’m sure it can.

I know it can be fixed, but I didn’t want to gamble.

So I pushed Jin Sehee’s blow, the thorns stretching out fiercely with my hands as the ground, with my palm.

The broken thorn flew through the air and I kicked the ground and pushed Jin Sehee’s shoulders.

Because something she hadn’t even thought of happened, her reaction was a beat slower, and thanks to that, I was able to easily win by pushing her out of bounds.

“N-No way…”

“This is a little surprising…”

“F-Fight again! I can’t accept this!”

“Sehee, let’s go. You lost.”

Yeom Soohyuk put his arm around Jin Sehee’s shoulder.

And he dragged her away like that.

I watched the two of them disperse, then tapped Gong Jinhoo, who was writing something hard next to me, on the head.

“Why.”

“Let’s go.”

After returning to the classroom, I continued talking with Gong Jinhoo.

The topic was nothing more than the sparring match that had just taken place.

And the next morning, when I was peacefully enjoying my leisure time in the classroom again.

As if waiting, the door burst open and this time the third-years came.

A student named Choi Kanghyuk said something, but I let it slide.

Yes, yes. I’m sure you are, something like that.

It was somewhat rude, but I couldn’t help it.

In a few days, there will be midterm exams, and after that, the preliminaries for the competition will begin.

There were too many things to worry about.