Golden light flashed from Kim Seo-jun’s eyes.
In the slowed world, he reached out with his right hand, and the head of the Azure Dragon, easily five meters long, was sucked right in.
Suuuak
Like getting sucked into a vacuum cleaner, the Azure Dragon vanished in the blink of an eye.
Kim Seo-jun pulled back his flushed red hand, then stepped forward boldly and thrust it out with force.
Khaaaaang!
Keheooong!
Two Azure Dragons shot out from his hand.
The dragons spun around each other as they soared, and without understanding what was happening, Ak Uncheong just stood there, dumbfounded, as they crashed into him.
At that moment, the referee, realizing the danger, rushed in front of Ak Uncheong.
“Stop!”
The referee used the artifact on his wrist to form a translucent shield in front of himself, and just as it appeared, both Azure Dragons slammed into it.
Kwaaaaaang
An enormous explosion rang out.
With the shield held before him, the referee was pushed back more than ten meters, gouging two deep furrows in the ground as he slid.
If Kim Seo-jun hadn’t withdrawn his power at the last moment, the referee wouldn’t have been able to withstand it. They would have been blown clear to the edge of the arena along with Ak Uncheong.
Ak Uncheong was completely out of it.
What he had just unleashed was his Mystic—’Jaryong Spear’.
Until now, he had never seen anyone properly defend against Jaryong Spear.
The Azure Dragon’s manifestation created by Jaryong Spear had the ability to avoid an opponent’s counter and strike at their openings—making it even more formidable.
But Kim Seo-jun had absorbed it, as if swallowing it whole, and then hurled it back with twice the force.
Even if Kim Seo-jun’s Mystic was meant to counter others, this was simply absurd.
‘There’s no way I can lose! I can’t accept being beaten by some kid from a tiny country like this!’
Ak Uncheong gritted his teeth.
Ignoring the referee, who turned back to say something to him, Ak Uncheong dashed forward.
“The match is already over…”
Just as the referee tried to speak—
Tung
A surge of magical power erupted from Ak Uncheong’s body as he gripped his spear tightly and snapped it forward.
Even Kim Seo-jun’s eyes gleamed with interest at the sight.
‘Something changed?’
This wasn’t the same pathetic Ak Uncheong from moments ago.
He now had the presence of a warrior fighting for life and death.
No longer underestimating his opponent, Kim Seo-jun drew the sword he had driven into the ground.
Finally snapping out of it, the referee tried to stop Ak Uncheong again, but he was already charging at Kim Seo-jun.
His posture as he pushed off the ground and ran forward was entirely different from before.
It was the movement of someone who had formally learned footwork.
Moreover, the unique spear technique Ak Uncheong used after the footwork was quite familiar to Kim Seo-jun.
Akga Spear Technique.
In his previous world, it was a supreme spear technique refined over countless generations by the Sandong Akga Clan.
Back then, Ak Uncheong had mastered the Akga Spear Technique to its peak, making him a formidable opponent even for Kim Seo-jun.
Now, that same Akga Spear Technique was being displayed by this world’s Ak Uncheong.
Akga Spear Technique was an overwhelming spear art built on powerful inner energy.
Though its movements were somewhat linear, each strike packed such destructive force that it could never be underestimated.
‘But his mastery is low.’
Ak Uncheong’s current execution of Akga Spear Technique was quite rough.
And its destructive power was far below its original level.
When the spear struck the ground, it should have left a massive crater as if hit by artillery, but now it only made a fist-sized dent.
The spear’s speed was also far slower than the Ak Uncheong of the previous world.
Even so, Kim Seo-jun was somewhat surprised.
To see the Akga Spear Technique from his former world reborn in a world where martial arts shouldn’t exist.
Though its might had greatly diminished and it was performed without inner energy, it was still more than enough to threaten other Hunters.
‘Did he teach himself? Or…’
Or did he learn it from someone else?
Kim Seo-jun thought the latter was more likely.
Kakang. Kang. Kang!
Every move of Ak Uncheong’s spear was blocked by Kim Seo-jun’s sword.
No matter which way he tried to break in, no matter how fast he swung, he couldn’t even graze Kim Seo-jun’s collar.
Though the power of the spear circling down from the air was not easy to stop with a mere sword, Kim Seo-jun easily deflected every strike.
His sword twisted and coiled endlessly like a snake, blocking the spear wherever it flew.
What Kim Seo-jun was displaying now was ‘Dragon-Tiger Wind Thunder Blade’.
The unique martial art of his former comrade, Choi Dong-hyun—Dragon-Tiger Wind Thunder Blade.
Though it was a saber technique, it could be fully applied to a sword, and Kim Seo-jun used it with ease.
Ak Uncheong quickly became exhausted.
Kim Seo-jun had only used the defensive forms of Dragon-Tiger Wind Thunder Blade, yet Ak Uncheong couldn’t land a single effective blow.
‘This is the end.’
Kim Seo-jun realized that Ak Uncheong had no strength left to continue.
Ak Uncheong had played his trump card, the Akga Spear Technique.
But even that was ineffective against Kim Seo-jun, surely dealing a heavy blow to his spirit.
Now that Ak Uncheong himself realized he had no way to beat Kim Seo-jun, continuing the fight was meaningless.
As Ak Uncheong spun his spear in a wide arc, Kim Seo-jun closed in on him, lightly slapped the back of his hand, and sent the spear flying away.
A truly anticlimactic finish.
Ak Uncheong looked down at his now empty hands and let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha… hahaha.”
“A warrior of the great nation reduced to this sorry state.”
Kim Seo-jun pointed his sword at Ak Uncheong.
It was an invitation to surrender, since the match was over.
But Ak Uncheong had no intention of conceding.
“You want me to surrender? Hmph. You’ll never hear those words from me unless you defeat me yourself.”
Ak Uncheong lifted his head proudly, as if daring Kim Seo-jun to bring him down.
Even now, he couldn’t let go of his pride and kept up a bold front.
Kim Seo-jun couldn’t help but laugh.
He moved his sword so the tip touched Ak Uncheong’s shoulder.
“Even now?”
The blade just barely pressed into the shoulder muscle.
Even though the competition swords weren’t lethal, at such close range, a wound could easily be inflicted without any magic.
A look of pain flickered across Ak Uncheong’s face, but he gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to cry out.
“Enough! That’s enough. The match is over.”
The referee approached and stopped Kim Seo-jun.
“My opponent still hasn’t surrendered, though.”
“As referee, I declare the match finished.”
At those words, Ak Uncheong suddenly erupted.
“I never surrendered! If you end the match now, I’ll file an official protest that the referee failed to stop a dangerous injury during the bout!”
He grabbed Kim Seo-jun’s sword and pressed his body forward.
Puk
The sword sank deeply into his shoulder.
Kim Seo-jun could have withdrawn the blade at any time but deliberately didn’t.
He wanted to see how long Ak Uncheong would endure.
“Hmph. Go on, do it! I’m a warrior of great China who never loses! You think a bug from a small country like you can surpass me? Go ahead, try to beat me while I’m injured! I’ll tell the whole world that Korea wins with such disgraceful tactics!”
It was completely unreasonable.
How fittingly Chinese—he not only made baseless claims but also maligned a fair victory.
At that moment, someone flew down from the VIP seats and rushed into the arena.
It was a middle-aged man dressed in old-fashioned Chinese attire.
“That’s enough, Ak Uncheong.”
Ak Uncheong’s eyes wavered at the man’s appearance.
“B-but…”
“This is already a lost battle. Do you think behaving like that will erase your defeat? Don’t embarrass our family, and me, any further. A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even after ten years.”
The middle-aged man was Ak Uncheong’s father, Ak Jin-pyeong.
Unable to watch his son’s disgraceful behavior any longer, Ak Jin-pyeong had finally stepped into the arena.
“That guy used our Chinese martial arts! That bug from a small country dared to use our traditional martial arts! He must have stolen it. They must have spent a fortune at the national level to steal our martial arts!”
Ak Uncheong tried to justify himself to the end.
His absurd claim that Kim Seo-jun had stolen Chinese martial arts was broadcast live on the giant screen for all to see.
The audience began to stir.
Some shouted that Korea never should have invited such a lunatic, that he should be sent back to China immediately.
Feeling the gravity of the situation, Ak Jin-pyeong hurriedly grabbed Ak Uncheong’s hand and pulled it off the sword.
“Let’s go. There’s nothing more for us here.”
“I’m not done yet! I still have the strength to bring him down!”
“Ak Uncheong!”
Finally, Ak Jin-pyeong, in a rage, tried to slap his son.
At that moment,
Tak
Someone caught Ak Jin-pyeong’s wrist.
He turned to see who it was.
“You said you haven’t lost yet, didn’t you? Then let’s let this play out to the end.”
It was Kim Seo-jun.
Kim Seo-jun looked calmly at Ak Jin-pyeong, a relaxed smile on his face.
Ak Jin-pyeong scowled and tried to shake off his hand.
“How dare you lay a hand on me!”
But he couldn’t shake off Kim Seo-jun’s grip.
Kim Seo-jun’s grip was so strong, his arm didn’t even budge.
“You little…!”
Ak Jin-pyeong, enraged, drew up his magical power and tried to break free even harder. However—
Udeuk
All that resulted was the sound of Ak Jin-pyeong’s bones shifting out of place.
“How dare you grab my hand, you little…!”
Ak Uncheong, realizing the situation, attacked Kim Seo-jun.
A spinning kick flew in from close range.
Kim Seo-jun blocked Ak Uncheong’s kick with his right hand, spun his arm, and pushed him back. At the same time, he stepped forward and stomped hard with Jin-gak.
Transferring the surging power from his legs to his upper body and then into his right arm, Kim Seo-jun drove his fist into Ak Uncheong’s abdomen as he lost his balance.
Puhk
“Keheuk!”
Ak Uncheong doubled over like a shrimp and flew more than ten meters away.
Sprawled on the ground, he began foaming at the mouth.
Kim Seo-jun grinned, glancing at the stunned Ak Jin-pyeong.
“He attacked first, and I simply countered. Also…”
Kim Seo-jun raised his fist—the one that had floored Ak Uncheong—right in front of Ak Jin-pyeong’s face.
“Surely you’re not going to accuse me of stealing Chinese martial arts with this punch too, are you?”
Kim Seo-jun’s words left Ak Jin-pyeong thoroughly humiliated.
Ak Jin-pyeong bit his lip hard.
Watching him, Kim Seo-jun turned to the referee.
“I think it’s over now.”
“Y-yes, it is.”
Only then did the referee draw an X in the air, signaling the end of the match.
Biiing—
[Round of 16, Match 2: Ended]
[Kim Seo-jun: Winner]
*****
The rest of the Round of 16 matches wrapped up quickly.
Each participant fought three times, and the eight students advancing to the quarterfinals were finally decided.
Kim Seo-jun, Kim Yu-ra, Choi Dong-hyun, Harusaki, Leonard Bright, Adelheid Lorian, Yang Hoon, Kwak Sang-deok.
These eight were the main characters.
Unfortunately, Joo Gwang-sik was eliminated in the Round of 16 after drawing Adelheid as his opponent.
Adelheid, from a prestigious academy in France, was a young girl of just seventeen.
With bronze hair and sapphire-blue eyes, Adelheid’s Mystic was called ‘Soul Trap’—an ability even Joo Gwang-sik couldn’t endure.
Adelheid’s Soul Trap induced her target to lose their will to fight, drained their stamina, and disrupted their control over magic power.
Because of this, Joo Gwang-sik’s ‘1-Second Stop’ Mystic was useless against Adelheid.
Whenever he was in danger, he used 1-Second Stop to avoid critical hits, but as the fight dragged on, his strength plummeted endlessly.
In the end, completely drained, Joo Gwang-sik surrendered when Adelheid’s rapier stopped at his throat.
Thus, the eight quarterfinalists were each given twenty minutes of rest in their respective waiting rooms before the next matches resumed.
Meanwhile, highlights of the quarterfinalists’ performances played on the big screen.
At intervals, experts with knowledge of Mystics appeared to give detailed commentary.
They explained what form each student’s Mystic might take and what outcomes could be expected, helping the audience understand the competition.
Thanks to this, Kim Seo-jun also learned a bit more about the other students’ Mystics.
‘Leonard’s Mystic was called Hands Gun, right?’
Leonard Bright, from the United States, had the Mystic Hands Gun.
With it, he could fire magical bullets from his fingers like real bullets to take down targets, and the expert on-screen predicted Leonard could use at least two types of magic bullets.
So far, whenever Leonard fired a bullet, light would flash from his fingers and—without any visible trajectory—it would strike the opponent’s head like a bolt of lightning.
Since he used minimal magic power, the attack felt no stronger than a flick to the forehead, but the expert praised his Mystic, saying if Leonard increased his magic power even a bit, he could easily penetrate or blow off a head.
‘If he has more types of magic bullets, it’ll be a real pain to face him.’
Kim Seo-jun spent his time analyzing Leonard’s Mystic for fun.
Then he reminded himself once more that, for this quarterfinal, he really should fight as normally as possible and surrender at the right moment.