NOVEL NEXT chapter 34
34 – Unlucky Side”
Boooom
Pu-eok
A solid fist flies in and lands on Jin-hee’s face, the only one standing unscathed.
As she looks at the limbless Chang-hoon with a dazed look, Su-yeong charges and delivers a blow.
“Ugh… Ugh…”
Blood seeps out of Jin-hee’s mouth.
“This… this is…”
Pyeong
Su-yeong gathers power and focuses it on her foot, kicking Jin-hee’s stomach.
Jin-hee rolls on the ground in a pathetic state, flying a short distance.
[Team Kang Ji-hoon wins the 2nd match]
As a message appears on the big screen and the sound announcing the end of the match plays, Professor Hyeon Ja-yeong from the Healing Medical Team rushes into the arena.
“Phew… Phew…”
“Ji-hoon is still going with that ridiculous acting… Who falls for that?”
Su-yeong approaches Ji-hoon, as if trying to deceive even herself, and uses a healing skill on him.
And then she whispers quietly, hoping he would stop.
“Ji-hoon… Pretend that your stamina has recovered and get up…”
“Huh…”
Ji-hoon looks at Su-yeong in surprise.
The disbelief that his acting did not work is shown on his face…
It seems like he thought he was doing a good job on his own.
He even has such a clumsy side.
Hoot
It’s not a situation to laugh, but Su-yeong can’t help but lightly smile when she sees Ji-hoon.
“Wasn’t it the wooden sword? I didn’t feel any magic being infused…”
“That’s true… How can a Class 11 cut off a Class 6’s leg with one swing of the wooden sword? And the first exam as well, how did that guy Kang Ji-hoon manage to survive?”
“He only managed to strike a blow by sheer luck, right?”
“What luck… sigh… I hope I don’t encounter him unless necessary…”
The spectators were amazed and murmuring at Ji-hoon’s astonishing skill and cruel actions.
Class 11, team of two.
At some point, Ji-hoon and Su-yeong had become objects of awe and fear rather than being ignored or mocked.
“Ugh… Ugh.”
Jin-hee, who had rolled around in pain due to her injuries, moaned.
Seeing him, Su-young approached her and used her healing skill.
“Phew… I’ve almost run out of mana, so I can’t do much more.”
Su-young used up her remaining mana to cast a healing spell, but its power had significantly diminished.
However, Jin-hee, after receiving it, managed to regain some strength.
She got up from her spot and glared fiercely at Su-young.
Jin-hee had always despised Su-young, especially since they were on the same team as Ji-hoon.
Especially now, Su-young had struck her and showed an unsightly appearance in front of Ji-hoon.
“A level 11 class healer being beaten by a year… Ji-hoon is even watching…”
Chang-hoon groaned in pain as he rolled on the floor.
Watching him, Jin-hee momentarily forgot the dire situation they were in.
“Cowardly…”
Jin-hee muttered, driven by anger.
“…What?”
Su-young found this situation quite awkward.
Cowardly? Should she have waited for an opportunity to attack during a duel?
Besides, she was a healer. Even though she had no combat skills and was unarmed, she mustered the courage to make a desperate attack when Ji-hoon was fighting alone.
Fortunately, her attack had succeeded, and she felt relieved as the duel ended in their victory.
“What’s cowardly about that?”
Ji-hoon said as he walked over from behind.
Jin-hee sensed Ji-hoon approaching and quickly wiped the blood off her face and straightened her clothes.
“Ji… Ji-hoon, it’s not what you think…”
Approaching, Ji-hoon didn’t even look at Jin-hee. He patted Su-young on the shoulder and praised her.
“You did well. We won because of you.”
“No, Ji-hoon… You did everything…”
“Look at that girl, grinning.”
Jin-hee glared sharply at Su-young again.
Their eyes met, Su-young’s and Ji-hoon’s.
Ah!
Jihun makes a thoughtful expression, as if something has occurred to him.
“Jinhee, wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
Jihun turns and runs towards the center of the stadium.
“Why… What is he waiting for? Could he be calling another healer? Is he worried about me? Has Jihun regained interest in me?”
Jihun left with just one word, but Jinhee is filled with anticipation, quickly considering dozens, even hundreds of possibilities.
That’s when it happened.
Jihun returns, suddenly extending something hidden behind his back to Jinhee.
“Ji… Jihun, why? What are you giving me?”
Jinhee’s eyes glisten with anticipation.
“Here, take this and follow me quickly.”
“Huh? What is this? Eww!”
Jinhee awkwardly takes Changhun’s right leg, which Jihun handed to her, and feels sick right there.
Jihun, who had already taken a step back, watches her with disgust, alongside Sooyoung.
“Do you throw up all the time?”
Jihun continues to speak to Jinhee, holding his nose with his hand.
“Changhun seems to be taken somewhere, so take this and follow quickly. Find a way to intervene this time.”
“Eww.”
With an expression that seems to say he can’t bear to look at her anymore, Jihun looks at Jinhee and Sooyoung before quickly leaving the spot.
Jinhee is left behind as Changhun’s right leg falls into her eyes.
“Why… Why does he keep doing this to me?”
Jihun’s constant disrespectful treatment is so cruel that tears flow from her eyes.
And just like last time, she holds Changhun’s right leg and follows him as he is taken away.
***
“Kang Jihun’s student.”
As Jihun and Sooyoung leave the training ground, Professor Joo Sung-ho, who is in charge of overseeing the second round of exams, approaches.
“It’s the mid-term evaluation and the competition. Did it have to be so brutal?”
“…Who are you?”
“I am Professor Joo Sung-ho, in charge of supervising the second round of exams.”
Bishop Su explains himself and immediately pressures Jihoon with a cold gaze.
“In the midst of the typhoon, I was hit by the ice blade too many times, causing my mind to become confused. I managed to break through and seize a single opportunity to attack, but I couldn’t afford to control my strength.”
Jihoon nonchalantly replied.
‘Ji… Jihoon… Who would believe that smoke…’
Her worried eyes alternated between Jihoon and Bishop Su.
“An opportunity for a single attack that I barely obtained… My mind was confused from the blade strikes… Do you think I should believe that now?”
Well…
Su Young bowed her head deeply. She had naturally expected to get caught.
“I believe you will.”
“What?”
Jihoon’s audacious attitude.
“If I weren’t exhausted and injured, and if I had just charged from the beginning with the intention of cutting that friend’s leg like I did, wouldn’t Professor Joo have come out to stop me?”
“What… What is that…?”
“Isn’t that the case? Professor Joo Sung-ho, who is in charge of overseeing the second test?”
“…”
Bishop Su felt unjustly accused.
Up until the moment when that guy’s sword was about to touch Jihoon’s leg, he had extended his senses to examine the magic.
However, right up to the very end, Jihoon’s sword didn’t contain any magic.
Therefore, he judged that Jihoon’s sword would strike the leg moderately.
His leg was sliced off so smoothly, even with a real sword, it wouldn’t be easy to cut it so smoothly in one go.
Bishop Su couldn’t believe what he had witnessed.
Of course, he had noticed that Jihoon had intentionally allowed himself to be hit by the ice blades in the typhoon.
It didn’t make sense for him to consistently receive slight injuries in the same spot.
Perhaps it was a tactic to consider the healer’s position and secure team points…
Bishop Su was accurately assessing his intentions, strength, and physical condition, even when it came to repelling blades to destroy the tanks.
He only missed that one moment when the sword touched the leg.
He still didn’t know what Jihoon had done.
“Well… Hmm, minor accidents or injuries often occur during matches. Intervening in each one would disrupt the progress of the test…”
“Yes, it was an accident. It was a momentary accident, not intentional. Right?”
In his cunning way, Jihun, who is the subject of the action, makes Bishop Professor admit that there was no intention behind his actions.
Bishop Professor could only remain silent without saying a word.
That’s when it happened.
“Jihun! You were here? Congratulations on the victory. Changhoon’s leg has healed well. It seems more skilled healers were able to take care of it faster than last time.”
Ha…
Yu Jeong, who ran over happily when she saw Jihun. She, who has a close relationship with Professor Hyun Ja-young from the medical team, had come to inform Jihun about Changhoon’s condition.
“…Faster than last time?”
Bishop Professor’s eyes narrowed as he chased after Jihun.
Jihun, who had confidently harassed Bishop Professor, suddenly started to act strange.
“So it’s not the first time that friend’s leg has been severed, right?”
Bishop Professor’s question.
“…Seems like you have very bad luck.”
Jihun babbled as soon as he came out.
There was no evidence to punish Jihun immediately, and there was no way to prove what he had done.
Bishop Professor reluctantly sent Jihun away and vowed to keep a close eye on that crazy guy for the rest of the exam.