novelThe Sound of a Dragon Calling (5)
| ← Ch.061 | Ch.063 → |
Kang Shin-hyuk and Algiers readied their weapons at each other. He was wielding his sword, while she held a long black spear with a subtle purple color to it that matched her eyes.
"Let's finish and eat the meat."
"Karen, don't interfere."
"Yep."
"Karen, prepare the barbecue!" The referee was immediately replaced by a third-year senior, who looked at the two with an expression full of expectation and death.
"Then...match start!"
"Kh!" It took only a moment for them to clash. Algiers, from a distance, thrust out her spear. The pressure that hit him made him instinctively throw his sword out. Immediately following the violent crashing sound, Kang Shin-hyuk took a step back.
"Good." On the other hand, Algiers was looking at him with a deep smile on her lips. She hadn't moved an inch; only her attack had flown in. However, he didn't feel any mana.
"A characteristic?"
"Correct." She struck again with her answer. He was able to deflect it with a bit more ease this time. The people watching clapped at the display.
"I didn't think there would be someone who could adapt so quickly."
"Even the captain got hit at first."
"Shin-hyuk is so strong. How can he take the hit head on and be fine?"
"...Senior? When did you become so interested in our Shin-hyuk?"
Kang Shin-hyuk was focused only on Algiers's movements, ignoring the sounds coming from around him. Just watching her hold onto that spear was enough for him to feel pressured.
'Fast and strong. This person could rival Baek. ' Shinyoung really was a den of monsters; Douglas Payne was just the tip of the iceberg.
'But now, I am...!' He opened his eyes, recalling his ability he had naturally exerted in the measurement room. Algiers fired off another spear that caught his eye. He took a diagonal step, the wind pressure slicing right past where he had been and threatened to push him back. He took another step forward against it. He needed to think about how to close the distance between them. She was still about twenty steps away.
"Whoo!"
"...!" Algiers screamed out, but Kang Shin-hyuk was already moving. In order to break through, he had to reach her somehow. Algiers fired off two spears in a row at him.
'I heard she's good at close-quarters, but this ranged ability is nearly invincible!' Kang Shin-hyuk avoided one of the spears and knocked the other out of the air. He had reduced the gap between them to eight steps.
"Didn't you say you'd like to see my martial arts?"
"I'm watching it. It's admirable."
"It's rude to be one-sided." Kang Shin-hyuk's eyed colored golden at that moment, the pattern of a wriggling dragon engraved on the Godslayer sword he was holding.
"Finally...whoo!"
-Chiying!
Kang Shin-hyuk struck the floor as their weapons collided. He empowered himself with his spiritual power, spurring himself forward at an incredible speed to close the remaining gap between them in one go. Algiers was smiling, despite his speed. At a glance, it would appear that he was the one dominating as she retreated from the clash.
"Ha!" She quickly retrieved her spear and fired it off. Her attack was even stronger somehow, at close range. Kang Shin-hyuk realized he couldn't attack her from the front, slashing at her legs as he desperately evaded. With a loud crash, his sword was blocked.
"Whoo...!" Her reaction speed didn't fall behind his; the power contained in her spear was about half of his. He was slowly grasping what her abilities were like.
"A specialty for stabbing. Traits specific to one behavior are rare."
"But strong." She blocked his sword aimed at her neck with her short spear, taking a step back with a smile.
"I watched your game."
"Really?"
"..." There was no answer. She had said everything she had to, which he wondered if that meant she would come out with full force from now on. Her purples were calm as she lowered her waist a little. It was difficult for him to tell how she might attack. This would be good practice for him, however.
'Okay, let's do it. ' Kang Shin-hyuk also took his posture, which seemed to make Algiers happy as she recognized it.
"Also." There was no opportunity to continue that thought. Her spear flashed out at him from close range. His golden eyes were wide open as he skillfully unfolded the Godslayer sword and clashed with her spear.
-Klang!
The two weapons sparked as they clashed head-on, but in the end, the spear tip was averted. Kang Shin-hyuk smiled as he watched Algiers's eyes open wide as he succeeded in stopping her with his sword dance.
"Let's continue."
"...hoo!" Algiers came back with a similar smile after she realized her attack had been blocked head-on. She had a martial art that was trained to the limit, comparable to Shin-hyuk's Dragon's Fan Dance. Kang Shin-hyuk confronted her with unbearable joy.
***
"I lost." In the end, the fight had ended with Shin-hyuk's defeat. The reason was that he couldn't surpass Algiers with his own status. Perhaps her characteristics were already beyond the S-rank. It was clear to see that in her attacks, that she was in a realm beyond him.
"At last." When he surrendered, she tilted her head at him.
"It felt like you moved faster than your status limit."
"Yes. If I kept that up, maybe I might've won." At the last minute, he tried to forcibly raise his physical attributes by actively using his regenerative power. It was his first attempt, so it wasn't successful. But if he could get it right, maybe he could beat Algiers.
"I was satisfied. You are strong, and your swordsmanship was clearly born from talent and effort."
"The winner says this to the loser." However, with how satisfied she looked, he thought it wasn't meant to ease him. He gently bowed his head to her.
"It was fun."
"To me also. Please, ask again next time." Neither had gone all out, but they fought enough to understand each other better. Those who were watching the fight clapped from the sidelines.
"Crazy."
"Wow, wow."
"It's the first time I've seen a person push the vice-captain. Isn't he stronger than the captain?"
"He's a balanced type."
"If he trains with us, we'll become much stronger." The seniors approached them with a shine in their eyes and praise for Kang Shin-hyuk. They were subtly trying to enlist him in the Wyvern Knights, but he evaded their invitations.
"So relaxed."
"Hahaha..." He couldn't tell them he wasn't nervous because he had regular contact with Shin Eunah and Claire. Karen, however, demolished that hope.
"Oh, come to think of it, what do you have to do with Shin Eunah?"
She brought it up, and the seniors around him seemed shocked.
"Thunder Empress?!"
"Why are you bringing her up?"
"Oh, right. Karen said she was their teacher for the practice. Our school closing tomorrow is related to that."
"Right, right. But her, with Shin-hyuk?" He gazed at Karen, who whistled and turned away from him. The gaze on him was increasing, however, so he thought it unavoidable. He quickly decided to hide the truth by telling them some of what happened.
"Actually, I received an offer from the association."
"Aha!"
"The association wants to scout me, so I've been talking to her as my senior. That's all, so please keep it a secret." Karen had her mouth wide open at his explanation.
"Shin-hyuk's ability must be wild...right?"
"As expected, she has a good eye."
"But is that really all...?"
"If we get caught talking like this, she'll burn us with lightning!"
"Shh!" Karen was still amazed, but the seniors were convinced. She agreed to keep it secret, however.
"There seemed to be something only the two of you shared, but I couldn't tell what."
"That's it." She nodded her head in agreement not to dig anymore, though she still wasn't wholly convinced.
"I've exercised, so let's eat." Algiers was already grilling meat while all that was happening.
"It's meat!"
"Woojin, go cook up some meat!"
"Yes, yes!" Karen and Do Woojin took the tongs from her and began to grill the food.
"Ah, Shin-hyuk." Karen called out to him while he stared at the scene. She was placing large chunks of meat onto a big plate.
"Can you bring this to Meloy?"
"Wyverns eat grilled meat?"
"They eat anything a person does. Go on, say hello. Be careful, it's dangerous if you get too close." He immediately accepted her request, wanting to see the wyvern for himself. The plate weighed at least ten kilograms, but it didn't bother him as he headed toward the wyvern. Soon, a large barn came into view.
-Korrumph...!
He heard a low voice cry out from the barn. It was enough to make a person go stiff just by listening to it, but Shin-hyuk was of a high enough rank that it didn't bother him.
"Let's see...ah." His eyes made contact with the wyvern, who was pushing his head out at the smell of meat.
-Kourree...
"Oh..." It was truly a dignified creature that could be called a dragon. It was well over ten meters tall, with a body covered in dark gray scales. The scales covering its neck were raised threateningly. Its head was reptilian, with vertical retinas that were observing him. It stretched its neck out a little further and looked at him.
-Kurruk
Its neck gently vibrated as it stuck its tongue out to lick his cheek.
-Kiiii
"Welcome, right?"
-It seems to be showing favor.
He had heard the taming artifact was broken, but it seemed to have an affinity for humans in the first place. Maybe that was only natural after being with them for so many years. Convinced, he reached out to scratch the wyvern's neck carefully. The wyvern let out a satisfied cry.
"Kiruk, krrr."
"Yes, I'll give you food." The wyvern wasted no time in engorging himself with the meat. After his meal, he cried briskly and spread his large wings in the barn to show off its towering silhouette. Kang Shin-hyuk let out a sigh as he admired its great appearance.
"I wish I had acquired a wyvern instead of a hedgehog."
-If you repair the taming artifact, you can create a new one based on it. If it's you, it can definitely be done.
"Alright, I'll raise one to be nice.
-100HP bonus!
While having such a conversation and playing with the wyvern, he was unaware of the presence behind him. Algiers stood there, with two meat skewers in hand.
"You took long, so I came to see." Her pupils were rounder than normal. Kang Shin-hyuk didn't know what was so surprising and tilted his head at her.
"That child...how did you tame it?"
"...Yes?"
An unexpected question arrived.
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