King of Dungeons (6)
“Is it okay if you don’t go to the duel?”
When the news came that Emperor Cloel and Princess Selaha had entered Aken Island the occupants of the royal quarters were busy moving around for a while.
In order to welcome Emperor Cloel and Princess Selaha who would come to see Princess Fenia a dinner party and a tea party had to be prepared in the garden and the employees’ work reports had to be organized once again.
Claire cautiously asked Princess Fenia who was crossing the hallway overlooking the garden inside the royal residence in such a busy atmosphere.
Princess Fenia swept her platinum hair once looked at the spire of Sylvania rising in the distance and spoke.
“… are you okay.
Princess Fenia hesitated for a moment and then spoke in a more confident tone.
are you okay. also. “If he were that guy he would probably move along as originally planned.”
*Deep breath.
King Dyke’s composure always comes from calm deep breathing.
Raise your two sturdy arms and set up a guard look directly at the enemy in the space between them and slowly think about your next move.
By deeply inhaling and exhaling… Its heavy body prepares to fly quickly like a hummingbird.
People in the audience were already holding their breath.
All of the combat club students who were watching from the student seats could not take their eyes off him.
In particular first and second year students were becoming more immersed.
Since the 3rd and 4th grade students are classmates of the two they know very well how quickly they have become stronger in a short period of time.
However from the perspective of lower grade students who have just entered school they realize the wall of upper grades. It is not yet possible to take into account that the two people in the sparring hall are an unusual case.
Ed Rosstaylor unwrapped the cloth wrapping surrounding the large cane picked it up and glared at Dyke who was taking a deep breath.
Even though he has a huge body he moves like a nimble thief and appears to have no flaws.
A staff in one hand and a dagger held in reverse in the other.
Since my movement was limited with my back to the inner wall I was trying to quickly run to the center of the sparring hall.
If a stranger had seen it they would have wondered if he knew how to use spatial magic.
Dyke’s movements are that fast.
If you close your eyes for a moment and open them you will see that you are in a ready position to throw your fist in front of your nose.
Only after Dyke’s appearance is confirmed the aftereffects of the wind from his rush attack my body in time lag.
– Hwaaaaaaaaa!
“Ha!”
A regime that puts its feet on the ground and shouts loudly with a short loud sound of cheers.
As he threw his body to avoid it with a movement that was almost animal-like Dyke’s fist landed on the inner wall behind where Ed was standing.
-Quaaaaaaaaaaa!
With just one punch the inner wall collapses. Dust rises again.
If you allow it even once it’s over. It was a destructive force that Ziggs’ assessment clearly understands.
Ed Rosstaylor rolled awkwardly on the dirt floor and moved to the center of the sparring area. And before Dyke straightened his posture he gathered his magic power with the tip of his staff.
Until now unless it was a high-level magic used during the beginning of the war there were only techniques that did not consume a very burdensome level of magical energy.
However from here on we enter an area where even Ed Rosstaylor has to bear the burden of horsepower.
The audience swallowed dry saliva.
I could feel that the flow of magical energy gathering around Ed was unusual.
Even visitors who had no knowledge of magic could feel that the very atmosphere flowing through the sparring hall had changed.
A high-ranking spirit arrives.
A spiritist who knows how to handle high-ranking spirits. A wizard who knows how to use high-level elemental magic.
Even if you can reach either level you are considered a gifted person in Sylvania.
However Ed Rothtaylor naturally entered both realms.
The wind blows around the sparring grounds.
The students at the Ministry of Magic all make dumbfounded faces. Even the professors at the Ministry of Magic do the same.
Anyone who has ever practiced magic knows what it means to have reached both of these levels at Ed Rosstaylor’s age.
As it is all the dust raised by Dyke’s attack is blown away by the wind.
As my vision returns to normal I can also see Dyke standing firmly.
and… Standing before Dyke’s eyes was a wolf larger than most houses.
Sounds of astonishment and cheers echoed through the audience.
There are many students who see Merilda summoned by Ed for the first time. However after witnessing its majesty firsthand her voice does not come out.
For them… Merilda the noble high-ranking wind spirit is a sight to behold.
Just by looking at it its magnificent appearance arouses admiration.
However for Dyke Elphelan that high-ranking wind spirit is an ordeal that must be dealt with right now.
You have to deal with a monster that can blow away dozens of people with a single kick and collapse a building with just a single release of magic with only the knuckles in your hand.
It goes without saying but there is no option to run away.
Dyke raised his guard.
Take a deep breath.
Hueup-
ha-
Equanimity resides in the heart.
Even amidst the rushing wind and dust Dyke looked at Merilda with cold eyes.
Aww –
The howl of a wolf spread throughout the wide sparring hall.
With a single swing of its front paws which are thicker than the pillars supporting a building a huge gale hits Dyke.
– Quaaaaaaaaaa!
‘Rock skin’.
Dyke who used a body strengthening spell using weak magical power blocked Merilda’s front paw while wearing magical energy that could remove a simple scratch.
– Cooung!
It feels like my feet are buried in the floor from the impact.
My arm muscles are screaming and I feel like I’m going to lose my mind from the intimidation.
Nevertheless Dyke persevered. Just willpower alone.
“Huh… .”
– Kang!
Dyke threw away Merilda’s front paw as if she was going to let it go and leaped towards the wolf’s lower jaw with his fist clenched.
It’s an honest punch but its speed is so overwhelming that it can’t be dodged.
– Bang!
Merilda’s head snapped to the side as she struck her lower jaw with all her might.
There was no way a high-ranking spirit could be subdued with a single blow. The moment when you are preparing for the follow-up hit.
– Wedge! Sigh!
Should I say that I am truly fortunate to have developed ‘rock skin’ in advance?
An arrow flew into Dyke’s lower abdomen while he was floating in the air.
Although it did not pierce the skin the impact was felt intact.
“Ugh!”
I momentarily changed my sights and looked down to see Ed Rosstaylor who had put down his staff for a moment took out his bow and fired.
The reason Dyke was caught off guard was because he habitually assumed a battle with a normal spirit warrior.
In cases where a battle is conducted with the spirit at the forefront the spiritist himself often lacks combat ability.
Usually when a spirit summoned by a spiritist is suppressed there are many cases where the spiritist himself is also suppressed.
However Ed Rosstaylor personally participates in the war to check the use of high-ranking spirits as combatants.
He is such a difficult opponent that it feels unreasonable as a one-on-one duel opponent.
Dyke’s posture relaxed and he meets Merilda’s eerie eyes again as she tilts her head.
– Bang!
The person who was pinned against the inner wall this time by the following blow was Dyke.
Dust rose again revealing the figure of Dyke who had collapsed against the inner wall.
The decision was made in an instant. Merilda’s blow was not something a human could withstand.
For a moment silence fell over the entire sparring hall.
But eventually Ed lowered the bow he was aiming at… Cheers erupted.
– Waaaaa!
– amazing! A high-ranking elemental wizard and a high-ranking elemental mage… Is this the level of Sylvania these days? !
Princess Selaha’s eyes were wide and surprised and Emperor Cloel was also rubbing his chin. Even among the talents directly nurtured by the imperial family there are very few with this level of promise.
It makes me wonder if Sylvania is indeed a professional educational institution.
As it was Ed Rosstaylor was about to finish the duel by putting away his bow and canceling Merilda’s summoning.
– chin
Dyke Elphelan stands up leaning on one side of the collapsed rock.
The mere act of standing up without paying attention to a blow from a high-ranking spirit is enough to make you cry.
Blood was already flowing from his forehead. The whole body was full of small scratches.
However King Dyke stands up again and raises his guard.
And continue taking deep breaths.
Hueup-
ha-
The audience cannot help but be astonished by that firm stance. No matter what anyone said the blow just now was not something a human could withstand.
“It’s not over yet.”
“There is no point in adding more.”
“It’s not for you to judge.”
A wound of this magnitude is not even a wound.
As Dyke spoke he looked up at Merilda who was ruling with dignity.
High-ranking spirits are not something humans can deal with alone. Even if you are fully prepared study their weaknesses learn the necessary strategy and then attack them carefully they are tough opponents to beat.
Dyke knows that too but… However he never bows down.
“At that age he handles high-ranking spirits uses high-level elemental magic has top-level martial arts skills and is good at using a bow. “He definitely deserves to be called a third-year wizard at the Ministry of Magic.”
“… ”
“But how many geniuses do you think I’ve dealt with so far?”
Blood from his short-cut head is dripping down his cheek but that amount is not even close to the extent of the wound.
Dyke Elphelan pushed his body to the limit in this way every time he faced a genius.
“Among them there were some who trampled on me without any hesitation but there were also many who ended up being dragged down by me with their ankles grabbed.”
“… Senior Dyke.”
“I am a person who cannot lose easily.”
Even though I entered Sylvania in class F and only trained without sleeping it took me half a year to get into class E where everyone else went. Even though he trained hard he had to remain in the lower to mid-level grades for another year.
There are many talented people and geniuses who trampled on Dyke’s head while he endured those miserable years. At first I tried counting the numbers but now it was so pointless that I stopped counting.
While geniuses who climb two or three steps at a time fall over because they can’t keep up with the speed Dyke Elphelan is the one who climbs one step at a time and takes the top position.
This difference in power is… It couldn’t even be called an ordeal.
Just like that Dyke kicks off the floor.
The target this time is Ed Rosstaylor’s body. With his guard up he lowers his stance and closes the distance with Ed as if he is leaping.
Merilda responds by emitting wind but by slamming her legs into the ground and using that axis as the center she withstands the aftereffects of the wind. And he succeeded in using his knuckles to knock away Merilda’s front foot as she flew in. Her muscles are screaming and her body is about to collapse but she succeeds in reaching Ed’s nose spraying her blood.
However the movement of the punch as it was thrown was very clearly within Ed’s expectations. At some point a spirit-style ‘explosion’ appeared from her dagger stuck in the floor. Ed kicks the cane that had fallen on the floor with an explosion sound that fills the sparring room for a moment pushes it up and grabs it.
When Ed concentrates his mind and gathers magical power the high-ranking wind magic ‘Eye of the Typhoon’ appears. The knife-like wind that covers the area suppresses Dyke’s movements.
Just like that Dyke hits Merilda’s foot and falls down again.
– Bang!
Even if she was hit only once she allowed Merilda to strike her fatally twice.
Dyke bleeding profusely was pinned to the inner wall and took a deep breath.
The audience swallowed their dry saliva when they saw the scene.
Especially the combat club students… They had no choice but to grit their teeth before Dyke who was like their pioneer fought hard.
Wade Calamore who is among the audience is cleaning his wounds and closing his eyes tightly.
Ziggs who is leaning against the wall with the student members at the back of the audience and watching the sparring secretly sighs quietly.
Because I knew what would happen next.
Before anyone could worry Dyke had already stood up.
After spitting out bloody phlegm raise the guard again. Take a deep breath.
Hueup-
ha-
Ed Rosstaylor is never easy to defeat even in close combat. You should never think of him as an ordinary spiritist.
You must carefully close the distance but even after closing the distance you must move quickly as if you were dealing with a melee warrior.
Dyke hit the ground again with his guard up and this time charged towards Merilda.
As it is Merilda radiates magical power and creates a spirit ceremony – a high wind.
For a moment Dyke’s body felt floating and he was completely unable to move. He was hit by Merilda’s front foot and bounced back.
Dyke rolled on the floor a few times along with the dust but as soon as he got himself together he jumped again.
This time it’s in the direction of Ed Ross Taylor. Merylda deliberately induced her magic to manifest and then planned to attack Ed’s body while she was adjusting her stance.
First of all it is a crazy plan to take Merilda’s attack once. But Dyck somehow did it through his willpower. His body feels like it’s about to break and his blood is flowing so if he were a normal human being his heart would have already been broken… Dyke didn’t care.
Because I have done this repeatedly I was able to achieve this body without any innate talent.
– Bang!
A fleeting moment. Dyke Elphelan has already arrived in front of Ed with his guard up.
The speed of closing the distance far exceeded the normal level. I don’t know how many times I was allowed to go away in this one duel.
Nevertheless there is no sign of agitation in Ed Rosstaylor’s eyes. Dyke couldn’t help but swallow dry saliva when he saw his face as calm as a bright light just by making eye contact for that brief moment.
Ed Rosstaylor is a human with close combat abilities. He honestly never hits me with a punch.
As I took the stance to extend my fist Ed was already holding the dagger backwards and preparing for the next magic manifestation.
The fist that I had put to my side to stretch out like that――comes back as a barrier to set up a guard.
A fake move that predicts the opponent’s quick response. In an instant Ed’s eyebrows narrowed.
Ed’s plan to block Dyke’s extended fist with the impact of an ‘explosion’ goes awry.
Avoid the extended dagger by raising your guard and swinging your body downward.
‘Weaving’ continues naturally after the fake movement.
Dyke who succeeded in digging into Ed Rosstaylor’s side plunges his fist into his side.
– Bang!
The first effective hit against Ed Rosstaylor since the start of sparring.
However the first hit of Dyke’s attack is immediately fatal.
Because I was mixing fake and evasive movements I couldn’t make any movements to gather my strength. However with just that restrictive blow Ed Rosstaylor’s body collapsed.
– Kwaang!!!
Ed Rosstaylor was thrown into the wall kicking up dust.
“… ”
However Dyke’s hand did not have that heavy feeling that was felt when the attack was delivered cleanly. Rather only the strange feeling of hitting a wall remained.
The moment he realized that Dyke frowned. Ed Rosstaylor… In that brief moment he was convinced that he would allow the blow and turned all his magic towards basic defensive magic.
‘yet… He’s fine… !’
First you have to block Merilda’s follow-up hit. It was only for a moment but Merilda finished adjusting her posture and turned her heavy head.
The crunching sound gives me goosebumps. Judging by the fact that Merilda’s summons has not been canceled and she is still intact Ed Rosstaylor has not yet been subdued.
As it was Dyke tried to take a defensive stance. This was because I was sure that this next attack would naturally come from Merilda.
However when I saw the dark red magic that enveloped the sparring hall… I had to change my thinking.
‘Aspect magical power… !’
The Ministry of Magic professors begin to widen their eyes.
Only Assistant Professor Claire and Professor Kalide who knew about Ed’s Aspect magic in advance have calm faces.
Before Dyke who stands at the center of that magic turns his gaze back to Ed… . Dyke had already been sucked into Ed’s magic.
‘Forced gathering’
There is not even a compatibility relationship with the means of resistance.
An unreasonable level of magic that must be allowed if used. Those are aspect magics that utilize aspect magical power.
The star magic that changes Dyke’s position at will is completely opposite to his fighting style that emphasizes the flow of close combat.
When Dyke came to his senses he had been sucked into the dust. As soon as his vision changed he had to face Ed’s wide open palm.
Ed who arbitrarily changed Dyke’s position jumped up grabbed his entire face put his weight on it and pinned it to the floor.
– Bang!
“Wow!”
Ed stepped on his chest and pulled out a dagger.
Dyke who naturally thought there would be a counterattack from Merilda’s side did not even offer any resistance.
However after coming to his senses albeit belatedly he clenched his knuckles tightly and hurled them at Ed who was sitting on his chest.
– Kaang!
Even a carelessly swung blow would be fatal to Ed. However Ed is not one who can take a half-baked blow while his vision is completely blocked.
After avoiding the swinging knuckles I put the dagger to his lower neck.
By the time the dust cleared Dyke could have taken his life right away if he wanted to.
“Huh… Huh… ”
They were both out of breath.
However Dyke looks completely subdued… There seemed to be no intention of resistance.
There was silence again among the audience.
Dyke’s blood spreads out in abundance. I can’t even count the number of scratches that are so full.
“Surrender.”
It is not an expression of arrogance or an intention to threaten.
Ed Rosstaylor’s invitation to surrender… It was literally just a suggestion. Dyke Elphelan no longer has the strength left to fight Ed. So the idea was to end it here.
Dyke heard that and soon burst into laughter.
“I have never surrendered myself.”
“If you do any more here you might get seriously hurt.”
“I must have been seriously injured once or twice. Sigh… ”
Dyke laughed once more and gathered his body’s strength. Soon even his remaining magical power began to bloom.
‘Balgyeong’
It is a simple ignorant magic that draws out the body’s energy to its limit and releases it instantly. Because it is close to throwing out magic power it is inefficient and there are many magic alternatives.
However Dyke who had no magical talent was still using this technique.
– Woe!
A momentary surge of magic pushes Ed’s body away.
With the sound of Dyke’s cheers the sparring hall is once again thrust into the heat of battle.
Before I knew it Dyke had stood up and was raising his guard again. In the midst of a fierce battle one knuckle has already been blown off. With only the knuckles on the other hand he raises the guard while bleeding profusely.
Hueup – haa –
That deep breathing is still unwavering.
Clevius who was watching from the audience with Elvira sitting on his lap… She closes her eyes tightly.
Elvira who was skimming through an alchemy book on her lap looked at Clevius from the corner of her eye and snorted.
The same goes for Wade who was watching from the other side. He clenches his teeth and clenches his fists but there is nothing he can do.
Ziggs also looks at the sparring room leaning his back against the wall.
Not only students from the Combat Department but also students and faculty from the Ministry of Magic and the Department of Pension… I gape at the sight of Dyke raising his guard even though he is bleeding profusely.
“Yenika… This… That man… ”
“It’s famous among older students. “I’m a person who never gives up until I faint and fall.”
surely… Master Ed… is ridiculously strong… But they attack me after being so devastated… ”
Orte Palover trailed off. Dyke’s appearance never giving in to this overwhelming difference in power had a spirit that made viewers open their mouths.
“Yes Yenika. I try so hard… Isn’t it okay to do a little bit of tinkering? ? It’s just a practice sparring session so is there a need to press it like that? ?”
Sayla Palover looked at Yenika with an anxious face.
“They attack with such sincerity but it’s too much to crush them with such enormous magical power… Isn’t it cruel… ?”
“You can’t do that Mom.”
But Yenica Failover knows.
Ed Rothtaylor and Dyke Elphelan are staring at each other out of breath. Dyke has already whipped his body to its limit but Ed still has no intention of watching.
“Just watching is never enough.”
Yenica Failover already understood.
To Ed who was truly working hard to aim for top honors in the end-of-semester evaluation… He once gave up his seat.
Ed Ross Taylor’s adult smile that I saw at that time… There was still a great regret in Yenika’s heart.
Because she is such a Yenika she understands the feelings of the two people better than anyone else.
When Dyke shakes his head at Ed’s invitation to surrender Ed never raises his hand.
That is the greatest respect Ed can express to Dyke Elpheland.
“Do you know why I never surrender?”
Dyke who was looking up at the huge wolf spirit with his guard up spoke first.
Ed who had picked up the dagger and was in a fighting stance answered.
“Isn’t it because you don’t want to lose?”
“It’s similar but different. “At first it wasn’t a reason full of grit.”
Dyke speaks with his eyes closed.
It was a time when I first came to Sylvania as a first-year student and as the worst classmate I had to crawl on the floor and go through class with my teeth clenched.
Geniuses who knew how to use swords as soon as they entered school. Monsters who have gray hair when they shoot a bow and can kill a bear in an instant when they use a spear.
The reason why I gritted my teeth and did not throw the white flag in every sparring while living as a dunjae in the meantime was not that grand.
“It’s embarrassing.”
“… ”
“I lost to a guy who was smaller than me I lost to a guy who was in a lower grade and I lost to someone who had much less training… . “At first I was so embarrassed and hated it so I just gritted my teeth and attacked at random until I almost lost my mind.”
Dyke smiled and spoke frankly.
“I just lived like that hitting and fighting but as I did it over and over again my classmates and juniors gave it a strange meaning.”
“Do you mean something strange?”
okay. what… To say that he is the king of the poor or that he is a man of tenacity who rose to the top position with only will and spirit… Anyway the world is full of people who give all kinds of meaning to a guy who just clenched his teeth and struggled. “We have expectations and idolize people as we please.”
A few drops of Dyke’s blood fell on the floor and were sucked into the dirt.
Even though his body was already full of bleeding wounds Dyke’s voice was still raspy and unwavering as usual.
“When I came to my senses it was like this. Look at the audience seats. Everyone is looking at you with a sparkle in your eye. “I don’t know why you’re expecting so much from Dunjae a bastard who knows how to do nothing but clench his teeth and throw his fists until he loses his mind.”
Although his tone seemed irritated Dyke actually had a gentle smile on his face.
“If I do this I can’t get away with being ugly right? We are a generation that already has a reputation that 4th grade is a place where only dull people gather so how can we show that a person who can be called the hope of dull people shows up and stands out in an unsightly manner? As someone who has lived as a mojiri all my life I can easily imagine the frustration my classmates would experience upon seeing such a scene.”
Expectations and envy suddenly pile up on your shoulders one day regardless of your will.
The weight of such a subject is so heavy that it makes it impossible for a person to fall down without permission.
It makes you stand up while holding on to your trembling legs and makes you grit your teeth and raise your arms to raise your guard.
Even if it looks like that you can never touch it or look at it. Vague sympathy is on the contrary a more humiliating humiliation for someone like Dyke Elphelan.
That’s why Ed Rosstaylor straightened his back.
come. “I have dealt with geniuses like you dozens and hundreds of times.”
“Senior Dyke.”
But Ed Rothtaylor knows. Dyke Elphelan was greatly mistaken in an important part.
Ed was also greatly shocked as he had just accepted Dyke’s fist. His shirt was tattered here and there and the bandages wrapped around his body were coming off.
And Ed’s wound is revealed through a gap in the bandage that has come undone.
that… Evidence of crossing the line of fire several times to acquire high-level magic. The flesh that had been distorted by Lucy’s ridiculous amount of magic was exposed in an ugly way.
Dyke’s brow furrowed momentarily.
Dyke who had repeatedly practiced in a similar way could recognize it at a glance.
In the first place he did not achieve any outstanding results from his freshman year. Ed Rosstaylor is also someone who climbed the stairs sequentially.
I gritted my teeth pushed myself to the limit followed the flow of affairs and even risked my life several times… Ed pushed himself.
This body named Ed Rosstaylor was woefully lacking in magical talent.
Rather it was a body specialized in dexterity and life skills. Nevertheless Ed crossed the line of fire several times and eventually rose to the position of chief.
under… Hehe… Hehehe… ”
Dyke who had momentarily raised his guard let out a meaningful laugh.
“Hehe… Huhuhuhu… .”
With your head down and a smile on your face… Eventually she raises her head again. Even though her body was covered in blood she had a smile on her face.
The frustrating moments of duel after meeting geniuses over and over again pass by like a flash of light. Although I didn’t show it each and every one of them was a miserable and painful moment.
“Hehehe… Hahahaha!! Hahahahahahahahahaha!!”
The facial expression filled with all kinds of emotions eventually became a smile tinged with joy.
“Okay sorry… !!! Ed Rosstaylor… .!!!”
The deep breathing I always do continues. However you can intuit it. It won’t be long before the decision comes to a close.
