The King of the Dungeons (7)
Everyone in the audience was holding their breath before Dyke fought.
Right now, Ed Rothtaylor has the upper hand in this duel since it started. The desperate sight of Dyke Elphelan, who is somehow holding on with his teeth clenched, is almost pitiful.
Dyke, who had a brief conversation with Ed in the middle of the duel arena, began to move more lightly after that.
It was a repetition of raising the guard and swinging the heavy body around and rushing towards Ed, but being blocked and stopped by various magic and elemental magic. Each time, Dyke’s wounds increased in number, but Dyke himself showed no signs of paying attention.
Students and imperial combatants with an innate fighting sense were able to easily read Dyck’s age from his movements.
Dyke’s blow, which Ed effortlessly evades and uses magic to block, is truly powerful.
But that’s it.
No matter how powerful a cannon is, it is meaningless if it doesn’t hit.
By repeating the ducking and sway movements, he miraculously succeeded in catching Ed off guard once, but it was more of a fluke that only worked the first time.
As soon as he got the information that the opponent was not only fast but also approaching with proper evasive moves and fakes… Ed’s movements became noticeably cautious.
Even when a counterattack is suggested, it is not easy to counterattack. He reads every single movement of the opponent and delivers an attack at a time when the center of power is completely concentrated and he can never be countered.
Just like that, Dyke falls and rolls on the floor, increasing his wounds… but gritting his teeth, he gets up with one claw and lunges at Ed again.
But…
“Princess Selaha.”
Dest, the chief butler close to Princess Selaha, who was guarding her and watching the sparring, quietly approached her ear and whispered.
“Without further ado, it looks like the eldest son of the Elphelan family will be defeated.”
It may mean that you need to prepare your mind.
The Elphelan family has given full support to Princess Selaha for a long time. Satisfied with his loyalty, Princess Selaha also maintained a special relationship with him to the extent that she lent her voice and contributed in many ways to the revival of the Elphelan family. When the head of such a family proudly boasted of victory in the duel, Princess Selaha also smiled.
Selaha knew that Ed Rothtaylor was a very strong person. This is because he was at the scene of the catastrophe at the Ross Taylor mansion.
Having even seen Ed Rothtaylor personally summon some of the highest spirits, I had no choice but to admit that he was not an easy opponent.
However, there is no way that a weapon with so many restrictions, such as a high-ranking spirit, could be taken out in a place where so many people are gathered.
It was obvious that Ed Rosstaylor’s best power would be that wind wolf. This is because in Selaha’s mind, Ed Rosstaylor remained a stronger spiritist than others of his age.
When Ed came to a conclusion about the power he could produce, the head of the Elphelan family gave a rant to Princess Selaha.
Princess Selaha nodded in satisfaction at the story of Eshtel Elphelan, who confidently said that Dyke Elphelan could definitely break his arrogance.
And now it looks like this.
Doesn’t it attack high-level magic out of nowhere and avoid Dyke’s attacks in close combat?
Ed Rosstaylor’s fighting style was closer to that of an all-rounder with deep knowledge in all fields rather than that of a wizard. The man named Ed Rosstaylor was more accomplished than expected as a fighter.
‘Even the highest-ranking spirit I saw at that time… was just one of his secret weapons…?’
Princess Selaha narrowed her eyes and looked at the sparring scene. It seems like the conclusion has already been reached, but it’s just Dyke struggling.
Ed Rothtaylor is better than Dyke Elphelan in almost every area. It was a sight that not only Princess Selaha but most of the audience gathered in this sparring hall could not help but acknowledge.
“That student named Dyke is an excellent warrior. With his strong spirit and will, he can truly be called a role model for warriors. You’ve probably gone through years of training. But…”
Dyke digs in and punches Ed, but he falls once again due to ‘Blessing of the Storm’, whose cooldown has expired.
“I was hopelessly lacking in fighting sense. “Even if you train your body and your mind and refine yourself over and over again, there is bound to be an inherent upper limit to your growth rate.”
Princess Selaha frowned at Dest’s words.
Deacon Dest, who had once worked as a combat agent, was able to easily read Dyke’s innate limitations from his movements.
“Probably Dyke himself knows best. “I have reached the highest level where I can become stronger by investing effort.”
Dest spoke with his eyes closed.
“But this is a dead end. I too… know this well from experience. “In a duel with lower-grade students, you might have been able to beat them with just the results of their efforts, but in a duel between those aiming for the top… that alone is not enough.”
As if he sympathized with Dyke… Dest spoke in a whisper.
It’s a wall.
Standing in front of Dyke, who raised his guard, was a majestic and huge wall. It is a wall so large and strong that it cannot be broken down or bypassed.
Even if they throw the same fist, Dunjae’s fist and the genius’s fist are completely different.
A movement that instantly twists and breaks the central point of sensory power that catches everything from the slightest body movement to the enemy’s movement. The agility of moving by using even the inertia or gravity that restricts the body as a driving force.
The realm of training and the realm of sensation are completely separate.
That fleeting sense that characters like Clevious Ziggs, Taily Veros, and others are born with… Dyke wasn’t born with it in the first place.
Delays in mastering technology can be overcome.
If you learn the same kick twice as late as others, you need to practice it twice as long.
In reality, it took about five times longer, and there were many days when I had to practice ten to twenty times longer. You can overcome something like that with your willpower and training level.
However, once you reach the limit of your effort, what you see is a wall that cannot be overcome with effort alone.
The turtle runs straight down the road, gritting its teeth, beating the rabbits napping by the side of the road. As we reach the end of the road stretching out among the lazy geniuses, what we see is a huge rock. It is so high that only a rabbit can jump over it.
The referee approaches and whispers in the turtle’s ear. Jump over to get to the next step.
– Boom!!
Dyke woke up again and was losing his mind. Nevertheless, I gritted my teeth and got up and raised my guard.
Exhale hot breath and take a deep breath.
Sigh –
Sigh –
As there was no sign of a declaration of surrender coming out, the school staff began to come out and prepare to end the duel.
The audience has already been shown enough to see the level of students who are at the highest level of bachelor’s degree.
In addition, the structure of the duel itself has reached a point where it is meaningless to proceed any further.
As the duel slowly progressed into a protracted battle, Dyke’s melee attack patterns were all destroyed.
The thrusting fist is powerful, but there is almost no anomalous attack pattern based on sense, and there is no way to catch Ed off guard once he gets close.
‘Balgyeong’, which suddenly appears without warning and catches the opponent by surprise, consumes too much mana. Dyke, which lacks magic sensitivity to begin with, is a skill that cannot be used properly several times, and ‘Rock Skin’, which relieves physical shock to some extent, is also likely to be instantly incapacitated if high-power magic is repeatedly used.
There is no way to beat Ed Rothtaylor in every way anymore.
That blond nobleman is strong like a monster.
But Dyke burst out laughing.
“I lost, Ed Rosstaylor.”
A sudden declaration of defeat. Not only the audience but also the entire academic staff were shocked.
Dyke Elphelan never threw the white flag first, despite losing numerous duels.
No matter how clearly the odds were against him, he was a man who never gave up.
But even though he said those words… he still didn’t lower his guard.
“…”
“I had an intuition of defeat from the beginning. In the first place, I lost a duel where my pride was at stake not once or twice… but every time, my pride was hurt and I felt like a dog. “It’s really upsetting and infuriating to fall down on your knees in front of bastards who haven’t trained even a tenth as much as me.”
“Didn’t you say you were used to it? “In fact, you didn’t even deal with it very emotionally.”
“okay. To others, I may have seemed like a person who accepted defeat in a mature and mature manner. But I just didn’t want to be seen disassembling it. “Because it hurts my pride.”
Dyke knew. Defeat is inherently resentful.
It is several times more dangerous to become accustomed to defeat and to settle down without even feeling resentful.
No matter how many times you end up covered in blood and rolling on the floor, you should never lose the spirit of improvement that moves upward.
That is the treasure that Dyke protected until the very end. Even though my pride is worn out and tattered, I somehow manage to patch it up and remember the feeling of touching him until the end. That’s how Dyke Elphelan lives.
“But for some reason, I don’t feel resentful today.”
“…yes?”
“It’s probably because the opponent is a guy like you.”
A tattered, half-released bandage was barely hanging on Ed’s arm.
The wounds and fine muscles revealed through the cracks. A strength that could only be achieved by wandering through death many times.
The thorny path was easily pictured in Dyke’s mind, so he spoke in a relieved voice.
“─Is the road still open?”
Dyke felt it. His path is now blocked.
You can’t move forward because there’s a huge wall standing tall. With difficulty, I can only take a side step.
Ed responded to the question Dyke asked with a hearty laugh… He thought for a moment and then spit out an answer.
“Not yet.”
“Yeah, that’s a really enviable thing.”
After letting out a refreshing sigh, Dyke got ready for the last bite.
Even though they already know they will lose, they are planning to make a comeback this time. Perhaps he had a hunch.
The will remains, but the body’s strength has already reached its limit. The body cannot match Dyke’s strong mental power.
Just once, a sincere administration that puts forth all its might. If it works, you win; if not, you lose.
—And it won’t work.
Knowing that fact, Dyke was able to declare defeat in advance.
However, a declaration is just a declaration. Punch out as long as you have energy left. I’ve always lived that way. Ed also knows very well that Dyke is not going to end here, so he never lets down his defensive stance.
Because there is no way I can now reverse the way of life I have lived my whole life.
Hue-
sigh-
Dyke takes a deep breath and raises his fist.
– Woe!
– Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Ed, who used wind magic to change the trajectory of his movement, dodges Dyke’s fist without much effort.
While keeping his posture low, the ‘one-point explosion’ hits Dyke’s arms directly.
Dyke is in a state of complete disrepair, unable to raise his guard or prepare his mind, and has even run out of mana.
As it was, all the damage was shoved into Dyke’s body without being blocked or discharged.
– Quaaaaaaaa!
–
When the rising dust was scattered by the wind and disappeared, what was seen was Dyke’s body hanging down on his knees.
He was not conscious, but his expression seemed relaxed.
*- Waaaaaaa!
Cheers pour in for the winner.
Praise is pouring down on Ed Rothtaylor, who once again stood upright in the center of the sparring arena.
Flowers thrown from the audience were decorating the sky. One by one, they land on the floor of the sparring hall and pile up.
Ed bowed his head to Dyke, who was kneeling and bowing his head.
Together with the academic staff who came to help him, who had fainted, he was lifted onto a stretcher and bowed to the audience.
Then cheers erupted from the audience again. After applauding in the heat for a while, Ed Rothtaylor raised his finger and asked for silence.
The audience becomes quiet as if they had made a promise. First of all, it is time to briefly share my thoughts about the glorious victory.
Princess Selaha narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips.
If Dyke had won, he would have mentioned Selaha’s contribution here and thanked him.
As a warrior, I can smile proudly here because I helped a family in crisis with a compassionate heart.
All this glory goes to Princess Selaha.
By saying those words, Princess Selaha’s prestige will be further enhanced. In a place where so many nobles were watching and even Emperor Cloel was watching.
But all plans went awry. I tried to judge Ed Rosstaylor’s strength as conservatively as possible, but he turned out to be stronger than I expected. The speed of growth far exceeded expectations.
He who supports Princess Fenia will probably raise Fenia’s name even higher here.
Selaha closed her eyes and was about to sigh.
“This victory today is because of the great Princess Selaha, who calmly adjusted the situation even amidst the disaster at Ross Taylor Mansion and always tried to look at the world objectively.”
However, one story after another that made you doubt your ears.
“It is truly a great honor for me, Ed Rosstaylor, to have Princess Selaha here watching this duel. There was a time when people doubted me and looked at me with hostile eyes. However, it was a natural thing for a monarch who encompasses all things to do. “This is because there is no such thing as the Ross Taylor family’s original sin.”
The audience was all holding their breath and concentrating on Ed Rothtaylor’s words.
“But I know. Because Princess Selaha, who is always decisive and confident, took the center stage and led the crowd during the disaster at Ross Taylor Mansion, I am also able to stay alive here. Therefore, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Princess Selaha, who corrected the Ross Taylor family from going down the wrong path that day and guided them toward the right path through reprimand and criticism. “Today’s glory is all thanks to Princess Selaha!”
Among the falling flower petals, Ed Ross Taylor’s glorious words continued.
The crowd began to shout hurray and chant Selaha’s name. It really felt like Selaha had become the protagonist of this duel.
Emperor Cloel also patted the back of Selaha’s head with a satisfied smile, perhaps because he was proud of her. It was truly a proud sight.
‘what…?’
The only one who did not understand this situation was Princess Selaha.
There is absolutely no reason for Ed Rosstaylor to defend and praise Princess Selaha.
Nevertheless, Ed Rosstaylor, who gave all the credit to Princess Selaha with an expression that seemed to come from the heart… was standing applauding without a care in the world.
‘What on earth is this…?’
Only Princess Selaha had a stern face amidst the cheers of the crowd.
Selaha’s intuition is calling.
──That man is planning something.
The true intention… is not visible to Selaha’s eyes. It’s as if there is a thick fog.
