Book 1 Chapter 679

679.

“Haat!”

Sgak-!

Kinea's kick aimed for Kal.

“Heup!”

Kal smashed a potion bottle on the floor from his pocket.

Jing-geurang.

Hwook-!

Purple smoke spread thickly.

Seeing that, Kinea quickly retreated.

After Kal took out a small doll from his pocket, he cut his fingertip and dropped a drop of blood onto the doll.

Hwaak-!

The doll inflated and took on the same form as Kal.

'Substitute on duty!'

It was an alchemy doll in his own likeness.

It was for deceptive distraction but quite elaborate.

'Well, it can't be used on our honor students.'

Top-ranked students all possess keen and sharp senses.

As such, the moment such a trick is played, they quickly see through the deception.

'But not you.'

She is strong.

However, her mana sensing ability is not sharp.

Kal had seen through it during their brief exchange.

'I can definitely use it as a distraction!'

Before the purple smoke cleared, he placed his hand on his palm.

'Ground Digging Magic!'

Kal, who had dug into the ground, put on his magic glasses, put a straw in his mouth, and went underground.

And he smashed a potion bottle.

Then, soil covered the hole where Kal had entered, returning it to its state before the digging.

'She's strong.'

Kal narrowed his eyes, checking outside through his glasses.

He used poison, but it didn't work.

'Well, I expected that.'

Clearly, Kinea is weaker than the party members he belongs to.

'Excluding me, of course.'

No matter what anyone says, he is the weakest in the third year.

But that doesn't mean Kinea is weak at all.

'Considering there are no Hero Academies or Hero Records in this era… she's quite a monster.'

She grew that strong at that age without the help of hero-training educational institutions.

It's amazing.

'Thorough practice-oriented growth.'

Her combat experience is overwhelmingly superior.

'She's more accustomed to combat than anyone in our group.'

Of course, Leo is an exception.

He's out of the question from the start.

Hwaak-!

As the purple smoke cleared, Kinea's claws aimed for the neck of the magic doll.

Kal, who barely evaded the attack by twisting his body, swallowed dryly.

'Oh! Thank you! Prince!'

If it hadn't been for his training with Duran during the winter vacation, the magic doll would have been hit.

He gauged the attack's path and narrowly manipulated the magic doll to dodge.

'Alright, then.'

Kal gripped the trigger of the short crossbow in his hand.

'Full of openings, aren't you?'

Since the duel began, Kal had only been swayed by Kinea.

As a result, the magic doll was now full of openings.

Kal had entered the fight having given up the initiative since the duel began.

'Well, it would be difficult to seize the initiative with my magic skills.'

Kal's thorough allowance of being beaten was an improvisation for this one moment.

The moment Kal was about to aim for Kinea.

Hwak-!

'Huh?'

Kinea rapidly retreated.

Then, looking at the substitute doll suspiciously, she rolled her words and swung her foot towards where Kal was buried.

“There you are!”

“Uwak!”

Kal frantically burst out of the ground and lunged forward.

Kwak-!

“You're serious, but still like a rat!”

Kinea sneered.

“When did he even dig into the ground?”

“Indeed, he's like a mole.”

Driana and Ar admired.

“The real Kal always finds a way to catch us off guard and set traps.”

“He specializes in that.”

“Hmph. It's his fighting style.”

At Illiana's words, Chelsea smiled, and Duran snorted.

Leo said, looking at Eliza, who was idly filing her nails.

“What do you think?”

“Hmph. He does a lot of cute things.”

“Ohh! Eliza thinks Kal is cute!”

As Illiana sneered, Eliza cracked her whip.

'Wow. She saw through that?'

Kal clicked his tongue in amazement.

'Did she read my moves?'

Thinking that, Kal shook his head.

'No, she figured it out by instinct.'

A sense born from overwhelming experience.

'Strangely similar to Leo.'

Such petty tricks don't work on the top students of Lumen.

But Leo and the other students are fundamentally different.

While other students detect Kal's traps through innate abilities.

Leo thoroughly senses danger through experience.

'Certainly, the kids of this era have overwhelmingly more experience than us. I need to set traps more carefully.'

While Kal narrowed his eyes.

Kinea was also clicking her tongue in amazement.

'Seriously, it's getting scary at this point.'

Although she'd sneered at him like a rat, Kal had continuously caught her off guard.

'I need to drive him slowly.'

The moment Kinea was about to withdraw her foot, thinking that if she rushed, she would fall into a trap.

“Huh?”

A heaviness was felt in her foot.

Looking down, the soil on the ground was holding Kinea's foot.

'This was a trap too?'

Kinea was flustered by the combined trap.

“Checkmate!”

Kal grinned and aimed his short crossbow at Kinea.

Kwajik-!

“Huh?”

At that moment, Kinea lifted her foot.

The ground cracked, and the floor itself lifted.

“What the… if she uses aura, it would get even heavier, wouldn't it?”

Of course, if it were someone like Duran, they would maximize their aura output and destroy the alchemy magic itself, but Kinea doesn't possess that level of aura output.

“With pure physical strength?”

Beastfolk are strong, but the impression is that they are well-balanced overall, not that their strength is *this* powerful.

“I'm a beastfolk and dwarf hybrid!”

“No wonder! You were a bit short!”

“What did you just say!”

An irritated Kinea swung her foot straight at Kal.

“Uwak!”

Kal flinched and retreated from the terrifying mass attack.

Kwajik-!

As if the alchemy's effect had worn off, the clump of soil restraining Kinea's foot scattered into a pile of dirt.

Kinea, now free, bared her claws.

“An interesting prey.”

Kinea narrowed her eyes, licking her upper lip with her tongue.

She looked like a wild animal.

'She seems crude yet cautious. Tricky.'

Kal clicked his tongue.

He was setting traps, but she didn't fall for them easily.

Even if she did get caught, she would destroy them with her abilities.

Kal took a potion bottle from his pocket.

“Do you think I'll fall for something like that?”

Kinea grinned and closed the distance with Kal.

Like a cat herding a mouse.

She cut off Kal's escape routes and drove him.

Aura emanating from the tips of Kinea's claws inflicted wounds all over Kal's body.

“Kuugh!”

Spitting blood, Kal fell to his knees.

Having lost a lot of blood, his vision was dizzy.

Seeing that, Kinea closed the distance with Kal.

“It's over.”

As Kinea muttered softly, Kal tried to throw the potion bottle he had been holding onto until the end.

“Hmph! You can't throw it.”

Deobseok-!

Kinea grabbed Kal's wrist.

'It's over.'

She had approached close range.

Now, one hit would finish it.

Having thought that far, Kinea suddenly saw the corner of Kal's mouth.

'What?'

Kal smiled and gripped the potion bottle in his hand.

Paaht-!

“Huk!”

A tremendous flash of light covered her vision.

She hurriedly closed her eyes, but the bright light instantly deprived her of sight.

With her eyes closed, she instinctively tried to grab Kal's wrist and pull him.

But Kal was faster, tripping Kinea's foot and stealing her balance.

Kal pushed Kinea, who had lost her balance.

Kinea fell straight backward.

“Eeek!”

Kinea frantically swung her remaining hand.

But Kal seemed to see it and dodged her hand.

'Can this guy see? How?'

If Kal had closed his eyes, Kinea would have closed her eyes too.

Cheolkeok-

“Whew, got you.”

Kal, in a position mounted on Kinea's stomach, aimed the short crossbow at Kinea's chest.

“If I shoot, it's over. Do you concede?”

***

“She's certainly different from us.”

Ar muttered, looking at Kinea.

Duran also agreed with that statement.

Each of Kinea's movements, pressuring Kal, made onlookers feel a chill.

'It's not a feeling of being full of killing intent or anything like that.'

The movements of someone who has lived on the brink of death.

“She resembles Chen Xia.”

Leo nodded at Duran's murmur.

“She does.”

'Until now, I thought Chen Xia's movements were her unique characteristic.'

But it wasn't.

It was a characteristic possessed by those who fought in despair.

He realized that after watching this battle.

'Yes, the sense of detecting danger.'

Duran narrowed his eyes.

If he had fought, he would not have seen that sense Kinea possessed.

It's not an ability that shines in an overwhelming difference in skill.

Because Kal matched her, they, as third parties, could see it.

'If I had the same skill as that woman. Could I beat Kal Thomas?'

Having thought that far, Duran clenched and unclenched his hands.

“Black Rabbit.”

“Why?”

“If that Kinea girl and I fought, assuming our skills are equal, who would win?”

“You know the answer, don't you?”

At Leo's answer, Ar made an indignant face.

And that answer was also the answer to Duran's question.

“It's not just having a lot of combat experience that makes you like that. It's a sense that only those who have fought near-death battles can possess.”

Does one who has experienced a life-threatening crisis become accustomed to death?

No.

Rather, they become even more afraid of death.

Yet, they prepare to fight with the resolve to die.

Their experiences are different.

Therefore, the weight of their resolve had to be different.

The saying that they were born in a different era truly felt palpable.

As the hero candidates fell into their respective thoughts.

Kinea dazedly asked Kal.

“How could you see ahead?”

“Thanks to my glasses. These glasses also have a flash-blocking function.”

“…Did you really read this far and plan your strategy?”

“That's right.”

Kal shrugged.

“Don't you have to think a lot of moves to catch a ferocious beast?”

Her vision returned.

She saw Kal's smiling face.

“…I lost.”

“Whoops. Sorry for crushing you. It wasn't too heavy, was it?”

Kal moved off Kinea.

And he took Kinea's hand, which was still holding his wrist, and helped her up.

“You… you're an amazing hunter. A complete defeat.”

“Thanks for the compliment. But can you let go of my hand now?”

Kal wiggled his wrist, held by Kinea's hand.

But Kinea didn't let go.

'Is she upset?'

Kal scratched his cheek and slightly pulled his arm as he turned towards Leo.

Kinea followed, still holding Kal's wrist.

“Good work.”

When Leo said with a smile, Kal grinned.

“How was it?”

“You should at least do that much.”

“Wow. I struggled this much, and that's it?”

“You're not a hero candidate anymore. I have to be strict.”

Leo said with a smile.

“That was great.”

Dweno chuckled.

“Your ability to read the flow of battle and devise strategies is extraordinary.”

“Thank you.”

Kal wore a smug expression.

“By the way, how long are you going to keep doing that?”

Then Eliza pointed at Kinea, who was holding Kal's wrist, and said.

Kal then scratched his head and said to Kinea.

“Could you please let go now?”

At his words, Kinea tightened her grip on Kal even more.

“Hey. I think I've fallen for you.”

“Huh?”

Kal made a stupid sound for a moment.

“Marry me.”

Kung-!

The moment she heard those words, Eliza lost her balance on her summoned beast and tumbled down.

“What the!”

Seeing Eliza get up with a flushed face, Illiana covered her mouth and laughed.

“Our Lady Eliza has a rival…”

“Beep-beep.”

Hwaak-!

A Wind Wyvern was summoned at Eliza's call.

Eliza, with a red face, grabbed Illiana by the collar and said.

“Eat her!”

Kwak-!

The Wind Wyvern, with its mouth wide open, swallowed Illiana's head.

“Aaaargh!”

Amidst Illiana's scream echoing, Leo muttered.

“This has become troublesome.”

“Why?”

When Chelsea, who had an intrigued expression, asked with a puzzled face, Leo clicked his tongue.

“Beastfolk in this era don't let go once they bite.”