Chapter 19.1

Chapter 19.1

10 minutes before the start of the duel, at the audience stands in the arena

There are so many people...

Hyunwoo Lee muttered as he looked around at the crowd of over 100 people who came to spectate the duel.

Although all 21 members of their class, excluding Jung Ji-hoo, gathered together and took their seats, they were but a minority clique in the stands.

With this many people... Im sure this is more than the number of people who attended the banquet...

Hm, thats probably the case.

The class president Park Minho, who was sitting in front of Lee Hyeon-Woo, confirmed his guess.

Lee Hyun-woo had not been an attendee at the banquet since the academy banquet had overlapped with his fitness schedule.

Namgyu, who do you think will win?

I dont know. How would I know?

A low-spirited voice came from Lee Hyeon-Woos side.

He turned to look at Namgyus face.

There were dense and dark circles around his eyes and his body was hunched.

This guy must have not slept well last night.

Baek Nam-gyu.

He was kidnapped by goblins together with Lee Hyeon-Woo in the forest but was saved by Jeong Ji-hoo and Jeon Ji-hye.

The pair became very close because of that incident.

I thought youd be lying in your room, but surprisingly youre here to watch too.Follow current novels at novelhall.com)

Why would I want to miss this?

Their class could be divided into three groups.

The first was the hard-working types like Jihoo and Minho.

Lee Hyun-woo, who kept working his body and growing his muscles in the gym, thought he belonged to this group too.

The second was the kind that enjoyed a much more comfortable life than the ones they had back on Earth.

They were satisfied with the leisurely life of an aristocrat, which they had only ever seen in movies.

The third was the type suffering from chronic depression and lethargy.

There were many reasons for this, such as the sudden separation from loved ones and missing out on activities they once did back on the earth that were not possible to do anymore.

Baek Nam-gyu, who was a serious game addict, belonged to the third type.

Come to think of it, you guys were summoned in the forest, right?! Then you must have seen Jeong Ji-hoo fighting monsters!!

Hwang Seung-woo, who was sitting behind Lee Hyun-woo, started chatting away.

This individual was one of the top dogs of their class, and he happened to be from the second group who was more than happy to have been summoned to this other world.

Yes, but I was too hungry, dizzy, and embarrassed to keep an eye on him while he was fighting.

I was fainted the entire time... But I cant imagine Jihoo losing in this duel.

Thats right.

The image of Jung Ji-hoo in their heads was that of a perfect individual.

Jeong Ji-hoo had always been the centre of respect and envy to them, but he had never been the cause of their concerns.

Jihoo, fighting!!!!

And Jeon Ji-hyes lively cheering resonated throughout the gymnasium.

** *

Leah paused for a moment and then continued.

...If his opponent in todays duel had been Min Hye-rin instead of Jung Ji-hoo, it would have ended with her landslide victory.

Dave was overjoyed to hear Leahs opinion.

In the first place, this duel was the result of his quick-wittedness at the moment in order to grasp the potential of Jihoos mythical attribute.

I will be able to watch an interesting spectacle today.

From now on, Kyle Byers and Ji-Hoo Jung will fight for their honour!

Daves narrowed eyes twitched in anticipation.

***

Dueling is one of the traditions of the Empire, and its purpose is to resolve conflicts between nobles.

An anecdote originating from ancient history narrates that the emperor of that time, who feared that the conflict between two great nobles of his empire would escalate into a civil war and that the empire would be devastated as a result, proposed a duel to them.

Since duelling is but a tradition, it is not legally binding.

One must not intentionally take the life of their opponent, and it is not permitted for the winner to ask for excessive demands from the loser.

Nobles are not obligated to respond to requests for a duel, nor are they obligated to pay the victor upon losing.

However, if one ignores a reasonable request for a duel and the cost of defeat without rhyme or reason, one would be dishonoured in the aristocratic society.

I see you didnt manage to weasel your way out of this duel, huh?

Kyle entered the arena with a rotten expression on his face and spoke down to me.

Its too sad for a freshman to have to fight me. If you dont want to get hurt, just apologise to me politely and withdraw. Then-

Are you going to be duelling with words?

I cut him off halfway through his rambling.

Senior, dont regret accepting this duel when the time comes.

Tch.

Its time to choose a weapon before the start of the duel.

Kyle seems to be wearing his personal holy gauntlets.

I also brought along a useful wand that I used during magic training.

But a good idea came to my mind all of a sudden.

Its a plan that should annoy Kyle and help me out too.

After scanning all the weapons hanging on the wall, I picked up a long sword among the swords of various lengths hanging by their scabbards.

... You! What are you doing now?

Of course, he knows me to be an aspiring wizard.

*Hiss- hiss*

I waved the sword in the air a few times and responded calmly.

I thought this would be enough to deal with senior.

Haha!

His mouth is smiling, but his eyes tell a different story.

I could see the veins bulging on Kyles forehead.

He seems quite upset by my provocation.

Okay, lets just get this over with.