King of the Dungeons (5)
– ‘Why don’t you surrender?’
Dyke Elphelan’s body no longer moved.
Looking at the figure of the raven-haired boy lying on the cold floor of the sparring hall, Veros, the student council president of the former university who had no longer graduated, put down his sword.
This is a memory from when I had just entered the second year and had a sparring match with Veros, a famous swordsman from the third year.
After spending the pitch-dark first year, I finally became a second year and was able to follow the class progress properly.
Even though he endured the schedule, which wouldn’t have been strange for a normal student to have been overworked long ago, he still hasn’t been able to finish even one serving.
There is no way that the dullest among the dullest could defeat the student council president, Veros.
Even though he was well aware of that fact, Dyke, whose entire body was covered in blood and sweat, was pushing the floor with his fists and trying to get up.
There was a crunching sound and the sound of teeth grinding. Blood is flowing down from the forehead, and Dyke’s eyes are shining through it. The sound of exhaling breath is more like an animal than a human.
– ‘Are you ashamed of losing?’
By the time he put down his sword, Veros had already had an intuition. Dyke can no longer move his body.
– ‘There is no need to be ashamed. All the students watching here know how brilliant your efforts are. No one will blame you.’
– ‘Senior Veros, do you duel because you are afraid of being criticized?’
– ‘what…?’
However, contrary to Veros’s expectations, Dyke somehow got up again.
– ‘If a person settles for fruitless efforts… he or she will end up there.’
At the time of this duel, Dyke’s duel record was 2 wins and 89 losses.
Despite suffering numerous defeats, Dyke Elphelan never took defeat for granted.
Even in situations where defeat is inevitable, we just push forward with all our might.
– ‘Did you ask why I didn’t surrender?’
Veros’ eyes widened in surprise at Dyke’s subsequent answer… and then he chuckled.
It is the utmost courtesy to face this man with all your might. After accepting that fact, I picked up my sword again.
Of course, Dyke loses his mind after Veros’s next sword attack and is defeated.
*“That person is Master Ed…!”
“Uh, yeah…”
Ed Rosstaylor, who left the waiting room and headed towards the center of the sparring room, had a very different impression than the Palover couple had imagined.
A blond-haired man who took off his school uniform coat and rolled up his shirt sleeves. The impression was sharper than I imagined.
The rolled-up forearms appear to have small muscles attached to daily life. There were many parts of his body covered in bandages, as if he had been injured recently.
Overall, there was a strong feeling that he was a smart and energetic man, but there was little feeling that he was a young man from an aristocratic family.
Unlike Dyke, who came out with only a knuckle, Ed seems to have come packed with all kinds of combat gear. He had a staff tied to his back, and a self-made bow tied to his waist below it. Not only did she have a dagger sheath tied to her thigh dance, but she also brought magic engineering supplies with her.
Duels at Sylvania Academy are aimed at practical combat as much as possible. The key was to achieve victory by mobilizing all the means and magical knowledge at hand.
As long as it is not a trick or a cowardly foul, anything that is the result of one’s knowledge and skills is recognized as a means of dueling. The fact that students in the Pension Department could bring reagents and magical engineering supplies was an extension of that policy.
Ed Rothtaylor uses all such rules to the limit.
Don’t get hung up on pride, self-esteem, or superficial things. That tendency was clearly revealed.
Cheers came from the audience. Even though it was a fairly large sparring hall, it was so crowded that there were more people standing.
It is a fight that cannot be easily witnessed by outside visitors.
The valedictorians of each grade at Sylvania are, in fact, the best talents who are responsible for the future of Sylvania Academy. The sparring between them is truly like a collection of the essence of Sylvania Academy.
It is a sparring that those who admire Sylvania Academy cannot miss.
Senior freshman Wade Calamore.
Sophomore senior Lucy Mayril.
Ed Rosstaylor, senior third grader.
The person who sits shoulder to shoulder with those people and sits at the top of the 4th grade class. Dyke Elphelan.
His appearance on the sparring field is in complete contrast to Ed Rosstaylor.
Contrary to Ed’s sharp-looking impression, Dyke looks like a human weapon.
Ed Rosstaylor wasn’t small either, but Dyke had a body on a completely different level than Ed.
The moment the two people met me from a distance, the cheers rose to the sky.
But that only lasted a moment.
–
The outer door of the sparring hall opened and an old man, escorted by his subjects, came in. A girl with a sharp look was following behind him.
A dignified appearance coupled with luxurious, impressive clothing. Just by entering, you could feel the tremendous spirit that overwhelmed the crowd.
Emperor Cloel, a rare saint who established the peace and prosperity of the Cloel Empire. Just his appearance brought silence to the audience.
No one told me to be quiet. There is an energy that overwhelms the crowd just by being there.
When the face of Princess Selaha, who followed him, was clearly revealed, the public instinctively realized that they had no choice but to remain silent.
The leader of this empire is here. To watch the duel.
Emperor Cloel, who entered through the guard soldiers dividing the audience, sat down at the pre-prepared head table. Next to him, Princess Selaha sat down and chatted with the emperor.
No one was allowed to open their mouths.
*“Is there any beer?”
“As soon as the sparring is over, you have to go back to the academic headquarters and do your work… This is not the time to look for alcohol…”
Assistant Professor Claire, who had threatened Professor Kalide, eventually sighed.
I heard that it was a long-awaited senior sparring, so I came out to see it, but it was painful to know that there were no seats so I had to stand and watch.
As Anis, the chief assistant, has already taken on the student council job, he has less free time, but this guy, the advising professor, still shows no signs of working properly.
After going through all the hardships under him, he suddenly lost his courtesy towards his superiors.
I had at least something resembling respect for Professor Glast when he was my advisor, but I don’t even have the slightest respect for this old war hero who is leaning against the wall and blowing his fingers through his nose.
Recently, I just had a small wish to at least shave.
Professor Kalide, who was looking toward the sparring hall with wet eyes, laughed when he saw the magic flowing through Ed’s body.
“I’m not crazy, but that guy is pretty crazy too. “Did you get beaten up by Lucy Mayril?”
“yes? Who? Ed student?”
“The number of bandages on my body has increased significantly. The magical energy flowing through my body has also become stronger. “It is not an achievement that can be achieved in a short period of time.”
Kaleid lifted his head and looked at the audience. Among the Sylvania students, almost all of them who could be said to have a desire for improvement were gathered together.
Since not only external audiences but even the royal family came to visit, there was a high possibility that if they showed their skills here, their reputation would become enormous.
However, Ed Rosstaylor did not seem to be interested in such a stage environment.
It looks like he is only concentrating on the sparring in front of him.
“Now that you think about it, how many students in the academy know how to use high-level magic?”
“well. First of all, I know of two people. Tresiana Bloomriver and Lucy Mayril.”
“There will be three now.”
“yes?”
– Sparring begins!
The moment the shout rang out, a tremendous amount of light and an explosion sound spread throughout the sparring hall.
The audience gasped as the wind spread out from the center of the explosion. Everyone in the audience had to close their eyes and lower their posture as hair and collars flew around.
– Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
High-ranking explosion magic ‘Destruction’.
It is an advanced form of mid-level explosion magic called ‘one-point explosion’, and although the speed at which magical power is gathered is similar, the results are on a completely different level.
Although it appears at a speed so fast that it is difficult to react to, at least ‘One Point Explosion’ had the disadvantage that its firepower was vague for a mid-level magic.
However, ‘Destruction’ was a technique that could be considered the perfect form of explosion magic, overcoming even such shortcomings.
The huge explosion spread out from the center of the sparring hall, and soon the rising dust dispersed.
Ed was first shown turning his arm while holding one wrist tightly, followed by Dyke on the other side.
It is a speed that cannot be stopped. Nevertheless, Dyke Elphelan quickly raised his guard to minimize the aftermath of the explosion.
Nevertheless, Dyke’s body fell all the way to the outer wall and was stuck there.
It was blocked, but it wasn’t blocked. There were already scorched wounds all over the body, and part of the outer wall where it had been stuck was broken.
If you were a normal warrior, you would immediately lose your mind and be defeated. But Dyke doesn’t care and gets up.
I shook off the dust and raised my guard again, clenching my knuckles tightly.
Wounds on the body will most likely cause great pain. Nevertheless, Dyke’s eyes were alive.
*High-level magic that hits you as soon as the battle begins.
At that sight, not only the audience but even the undergraduate students who were watching were left speechless.
I thought it would be a high-level fight, but I never imagined that high-level magic would come out as soon as it started.
If it were a normal sparring, the warrior would have lost when he received the high-ranking magic with his bare body.
However, Dyke, whose mental strength was unrivaled, stood up and took a deep breath.
He raises his guard, buries his face in his forearm, and takes a deep breath.
Sigh-
Sigh-
As soon as that moment of breathing was over, Dyke Elphelan disappeared.
“…!”
The audience all got goosebumps. The large man was traveling at a speed so fast that it was difficult to perceive with the naked eye.
It was behind Ed that Dyke appeared.
Since he is a warrior with a massive body, you should not be mistaken in thinking that he will use a fighting style of suppressing the weight difference.
Dyke is the one who beat all the students in the combat club and took the top position.
The path we walked was stained with blood and sweat. Rather than radiating an insurmountable energy with natural talent and defeating everyone by a large margin, he is someone who gritted his teeth and persevered in a dangerous battlefield and achieved victory with his mental strength.
Basically, anything that other combat club students can do, Dyke can do.
Standardizing and judging his fighting style in one way is a shortcut to defeat.
– Boom!
Lift your legs and place them on the ground. That alone makes the dirt floor of the sparring hall reverberate.
It’s just a lunge to throw a fist. An oriental punch that raises the body’s strength while hitting the ground, turns the axis of power, and throws it forward.
That single attack on power that gave Dyke the name ‘King of Power’ is a blow that can destroy even a building.
– Quaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
It is not accompanied by magical power. I didn’t use any special magic equipment or drink any reagents.
With just one punch, using all the power of my body, the air around me shook and dust rose up.
The energy in the fist spreads out and hits the air like an explosion. It flies faster than magic and lands on the back of Ed Rosstaylor’s head, who couldn’t even react.
A cannon comes out of my fist.
That metaphor is an example of Dyke’s fist.
– Hwaaaaaaaaa!
But Dyke’s fist could not reach Ed Rosstaylor.
In an instant, the power of the wind enveloped Ed and pushed Dyke’s large body away.
– Quaaaaaaaaaaa!
Only then does Ed Rosstaylor look back.
It’s not that they couldn’t react, it’s that they didn’t.
In order to aggressively utilize the spirit’s blessing ‘Blessing of the Storm’ wrapped around my body.
“Ugh…!”
Dyke was blown away by the wind without even knowing what was happening and rolled on the dirt.
It was a force that even one could not resist.
And being able to distance yourself from a wizard means having to withstand the next blow.
Ed Rosstaylor’s attack begins. Dyke raised his guard with solemn eyes and stared at the blond noble man visible through the gap.
As the boy raised his arms, flames swirled around the sparring hall.
[Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! ]
I heard a cry that gave me goosebumps. The thing that wrapped around the boy’s body, accompanied by exclamations from the audience, was a huge bat, almost the size of a person.
As the burning bat spreads its wings, the wind from its recoil once again swirls around the sparring hall.
A rising pillar of fire circles the sparring area and soon advances towards Dyke.
Magic must be responded to with magic.
Dyke is truly hopelessly untalented in magic. However, by training to the extreme limit, I have at least trained myself to the point where I can counter the enemy’s magic.
The magic sensitivity and efficiency are not even at the level of a wizard who has just learned basic magic. Nevertheless, Dyke forcibly brought out all the magical power in his body and gathered it at the tips of his feet and hit the floor.
– Quang!
‘Anti-horse’s steps’.
It is a magic that receives the enemy’s magic power and shatters it. However, since it is a spell with completely poor magic efficiency and even Dyke can barely handle magic, its practicality is extremely poor.
However, Dyke was forced to use this impractical magic in practice. Because this is the only methodology he can use to counter magic.
Cold sweat broke out all over my body, but I somehow succeeded in shattering the mug’s flame pillar.
But only once. If you have to put all your strength into one light jab like this, you will inevitably lose.
So, we have to move quickly.
Once again, Dyke Elphelan raises his guard and takes a deep breath.
Hehehehehehehehe
, I
gathered myself, kept my breathing steady, kicked my legs, and charged at Ed Rosstaylor.
Would this be what it would feel like if a beast the size of an elephant were as agile as a wildcat?
The movement, which makes even fellow combat club students click their tongues, makes them confident that a fellow warrior cannot handle it.
It’s fast but powerful. If you allow yourself to use your fist even once, you are destined for the underworld.
Dyke quickly narrowed the distance in front of Ed, and there was no useless catching technique in his movements.
A life that has been trained for optimal efficiency throughout one’s life is revealed. The amount of combat knowledge accumulated by birth cannot be obtained through innate sense alone.
What I was able to obtain because I am the king of the dull people is the ‘sense of the body’ that can be embodied after endless repetition and repetition.
It was also thanks to his embodied senses that he was able to throw away the middle-ranking water spirit ‘Lacia’ that suddenly rose from under his feet with a single kick.
– Quang!
Your feet go out faster than you think.
[Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah ]
The lioness Lacia was released from her manifestation and disappeared. Only then did Dyke realize. Ed Rosstaylor used the ‘Water Source Appearance’ spell to set up a trap in case Dyke closed the distance.
However, Dyke coped with it using only his reflexes. Even though I didn’t realize the existence of such a trap.
However, it is inevitable that your posture will collapse. Ed Rosstaylor turned his body around and held a dagger held in his left hand.
– Kaang!
Dyke caught the dagger with his knuckles, but another magical power began to appear in the dagger.
Spirit ceremony – explosion.
A dagger engraved with a magic circle that creates another explosion on its own.
This time, I am in a position where I cannot guard. Ed Rosstaylor was also caught up in the explosion that spread out unexpectedly, but he was able to be safe from the explosion due to the ‘Blessing of Hwabok’ that was manifested.
“This guy… look…”
– Kwaaaang!!!
Another explosion erupted along with Dyke’s empty laughter.
This is Dyke, who withstood even high-level explosion magic. You won’t lose consciousness right away from an explosion like this.
However, it was a surprise explosion that occurred in a location that could not be guarded.
Even if you can’t knock it down, you can at least widen the distance again.
Contrary to Ed Rothtaylor’s expectations, Dyke’s face, standing upright, was revealed in front of his nose through the smoke of the explosion.
The sound of rumbling breathing makes you feel like you are facing a huge brown bear right in front of you.
Did the magic dissipate in that short moment? no.
Did you train yourself to resist explosions like Ed Rosstaylor did? no.
Could it be that the power of the spirit ritual has been reduced due to external factors? no.
Dyke Elphelan just held on.
I just accepted it with spirit and willpower.
“You’re out of your mind…”
“That’s what I’m going to say, Ed Rothtaylor.”
Dyke, half of his strength gone, struck the dagger with his knuckles.
There was no closing, and there was no preparatory movement to raise the axis of power. Just by pushing, Ed Rosstaylor’s body was pushed back significantly.
– Wow!!
Ed gritted his teeth and rolled on the floor a few times before finally standing up and returning to a fighting stance.
The moment the additional blow is about to come in, Mug’s fire magic begins to surround the sparring room once again.
Dyke Elphelan has almost no ability to deal with magical power. Most people just grit their teeth and endure with willpower or use anti-magic abilities that are hopelessly ineffective.
The compatibility is not good. That awareness was there.
Nevertheless, Dyke Elphelan’s way of dealing with things is always straightforward.
Dyke jumped straight and grabbed the collar of the fire bat mug floating in the air.
[ Kaaaaak! Caw! ]
Even if it is a bat, it is a beast bigger than the upper body of a human.
Nevertheless, Dyke picked up the mug, threw it on the floor, and sat down on it… without even paying attention to the blood flowing from the wound, he just slammed the mug down.
It is reverse-summoned, transformed into magical power, and disappears. In this way, the mug was completely neutralized.
Ed Rosstaylor took his stance again with his brows furrowed.
Dyke Elphelan… raises his guard again.
And take a deep breath.
Hue-
sigh-
I got caught in the explosion several times and was thrown to the floor, and before I knew it, blood was flowing from my scalp… but I didn’t care. Even the breathing that is repeated several times does not become disturbed.
It makes those who are dealing with it feel like they are hitting a stone wall with their fists. They try to crush their opponents with the intimidation that comes from the vast difference in weight classes.
With Dyke about to leap again… Ed took out the ‘Thousand-Year Wooden Staff That Was Hit by Lightning’.
This is not an opponent that can be made easy.
I knew that fact…from the beginning.
