Chapter 120: 7th Week Mentoring and Duel Battle (5)

Chapter 120: 7th Week Mentoring and Duel Battle (5)

It was already a well-known fact that Kim Ho mainly used wind magic.

She had experienced this firsthand whether she faced him as an ally or an enemy. And just in the recent sticker duel alone, the contribution of his wind magic had been significant.

The skill adeptly supported Hong Yeon-hwa in moments of danger and effectively disrupted Dang Gyu-young’s movements which only went to prove how useful it could be.

However, since wind wasn’t visible to the eye, it was difficult to gauge its true power.

It seemed more about Kim Ho’s excellent control that allowed him to use it effectively when needed rather than the inherent strength of the skill itself.

So she thought she could withstand the wind magic, but then—

Whirrrrrr—

“Ah—”

It was too strong!

Hong Yeon-hwa was again pushed aside by the fierce gusts of wind.

No matter how hard she tried to hold her ground, she couldn’t withstand it.

After shaking Hong Yeon-hwa a few times, Kim Ho approached.

Even in her current hectic state, Hong Yeon-hwa flicked her finger and activated a magic circle.

Whooooooosh—!

Kim Ho retreated to avoid the rising pillar of fire.

Then he skillfully avoided several large fireballs flying toward him and lightly traced his spear in the air.

Wizzzz—

“Ugh—”

If she continued to be dragged around like this, she would only get further from the area where she had set up her magic circles.

That would render her defensive position meaningless.

Hong Yeon-hwa was determined to hold out. She scanned her surroundings and spotted a nearby tree. And then an idea suddenly flashed through her mind.

Trees! Roots!

A tree that was deeply rooted does not sway even in strong winds!

Using her enhanced physical abilities from Overheat, she deeply embedded one foot into the ground.

Wizzzz—

Surprisingly, her improvised idea worked well. Although Hong Yeon-hwa’s body swayed, she was not pushed back.

Just as she was about to shoot out her fire balls and arrows while balancing her staggering body,

Wizzzzzzzz—

The wind blew even stronger.

Then, as her body swayed violently, Hong Yeon-hwa tilted heavily to one side and fell flat on the ground.

“...”

“...”

Hong Yeon-hwa who was lying face down like that thought to herself,

Someone, please cover me with dirt...

I’d like to use this place as my grave.

And perhaps her tombstone might read,

‘Hong Yeon-hwa, here lies in shameful rest.’

Unfortunately, her wish was not granted.

Kim Ho seemed to be waiting patiently without launching any further attacks.

This only doubled Hong Yeon-hwa’s sense of humiliation.

He might as well come and take the crystal...

However, lying face down was just as embarrassing, so eventually, Hong Yeon-hwa staggered to her feet.

Kim Ho, as always, looked on with an impassive face but this time his gaze seemed tinged with a hint of sympathy.

There was only one way to escape this awkward situation.

F-Fire, Arrow!

Whoosh!

The quickest solution was to resume the battle immediately.

As soon as Hong Yeon-hwa launched her fire arrows, Kim Ho also began to move.

Hong Yeon-hwa checked her position and realized she was quite far from where she had initially set up.

Perhaps, this time might be no different.

A small gap might just appear.

Whoosh!

In one hand, Hong Yeon-hwa held her wand transformed into a lava whip, and in the other, she conjured a fireball.

After throwing the fireball and lashing the whip at the same time, she kicked the ground.

Her plan was to divide Kim Ho’s attention and then escape through the side where his guard was down.

“.......”

Kim Ho effortlessly dodged the incoming flames and kicked the ground as well, blocking their path.

Hong Yeon-hwa immediately stopped and changed direction before continuing her barrage of attacks.

Whoosh!

With both hands, she unleashed her magic,

With her feet, she moved quickly left, right, and diagonally,

And with her eyes firmly fixed on Kim Ho, she desperately sought a way through.

That’s when she noticed it,

Is that...

Hong Yeon-hwa noticed that Kim Ho’s openings were slowly becoming more apparent.

His movements also felt strangely unnatural.

As her attacks continued, the area gradually became engulfed in flames, and Kim Ho moved to avoid the flames.

This was in keeping with the unspoken agreement they had made when he accepted her tactical play on the assumption that he would be affected by her fire magic.

The gap was widening.

Hong Yeon-hwa kept a watchful eye on it as they exchanged blows and finally caught the perfect timing.

Now!

She forcefully kicked off the ground before shooting diagonally towards Kim Ho.

At that, Kim Ho swung his spear as if he had been waiting for this moment.

Whoosh—

Ah, wait. No way.

Had he intentionally shown an opening again?

When she thought about it, there was no way that monster-like person would have shown any opening just because there was a little fire nearby.

Hong Yeon-hwa, in her haste, had fallen right into a simple trap.

A gust of wind filled with physical force shook her violently as it blasted out.

She stumbled and, carried by her momentum, ended up hitting her head against a large tree.

“.......”

Hong Yeon-hwa cradled the spot where she was hit and crouched down.

Kim Ho approached her quickly and asked,

“Sorry, are you okay?”

“I’m, I’m okay...”

In truth, she was far from okay.

Tears welled up slightly on her eyes but Hong Yeon-hwa forced herself to act as if nothing was wrong.

“What’s going on here?”

Dang Gyu-young deactivated her stealth and revealed herself.

She had intended not to intervene until their sparring was over, but she felt compelled to show herself due to the absurdity of the sudden situation.

Dang Gyu-young crouched next to Hong Yeon-hwa and examined the spot where she had been hit.

“Let’s see your head... Ah, that’s quite a bump.”

She then narrowed her eyes and glared sharply at Kim Ho.

In truth, the incident was purely accidental, and Hong Yeon-hwa’s own excessive movement was more to blame for the injury to her head.

But to Dang Gyu-young, it seemed clear that the ruthless wind magic was at fault.

Therefore, in her view, the blame was entirely on Kim Ho. 100% his fault.

Dang Gyu-young made a decision as she watched the bump swelling more and more.

“This won’t do. Get out. Go to the infirmary, and tell Song Cheon-hye and Kwak Ji-cheol to come in.”