Chapter 19 - Tournament (1)
There was an untimely commotion in the stands.
It was difficult to accurately grasp the meaning because many sounds overlapped like a dottegi market.
However, it was not difficult to guess the cause of the commotion as everyone was whispering while looking at the billboard floating in the sky.
“Mr. Seo Seojun???!?!!?!”
So, when Seoyoon fainted in surprise.
Seoyoon could feel the eyes focused on her in an instant.
Seoyoon hurriedly lowered her head to cover her face.
Fortunately, no one recognized Seoyoon, probably because she was quick to deal with it.
‘It was almost a big deal...'
Seoyoon looked around after calming down her surprised mind.
People quickly withdrew their gaze from Seoyoon and were silent among themselves again.
And, of course, the topic was about Seo-joon.
“Nonsense. How can you break through in the 27th minute?”
When Seoyoon turned her head at the sudden sound, the former student with a double dagger.
It was the Hunter team that was talking about Lee Cheol-min.
“It's amazing... but is it that hard? Even you, the guide, can do that much.”
“I can do it. But not 27 minutes. Even if you catch it at least, you have to catch it for an hour.”
“what...?”
Then the one called the guide continued.
“There is time to catch monsters. To escape the maze, you have to catch monsters and collect map pieces, but 27 minutes is not enough.”
“You don’t have to collect them all.”
“So it’s an hour.”
“...”
The two looked back and looked at the billboard floating in the sky.
“I can only explain this by saying that I knew the exit from the maze from the beginning...”
A man with a bewildered look that fills the screen of the electronic signboard.
People muttered as if they had made a promise.
“Who the hell is Seojun Kim?”
“Who the hell is Seojun Kim?”
and true.
‘What did you do?'
Seoyoon was not very different from them.
“Looking at it now, I heard that you are a student at Dream Academy?”
At that moment, someone's voice suddenly heard.
“Dream Academy? What kind of academy is that?”
“for a moment. Where do you think you heard it?”
At the words that followed, Seoyoon hesitated for a moment.
It's an academy that's only a facade now, but when it was first established, it was quite noisy, so there might be people who knew about it.
“I can't remember...”
However, there were thousands of academies across the country, and dozens and hundreds of academies were established and disappeared every year.
There were so many academies that flashed and disappeared, so it was difficult to remain in people's memories for a long time.
Seoyoon let out a sigh of relief.
no Is it right to breathe a sigh of relief?
Seoyoon slightly shook her head and rose from her seat.
He didn't pay attention to the flashy academy, but he wasn't a swordsman.
As long as the name Dream Academy is mentioned, someone will think of the name.
Let's avoid the seat before it gets noisy.
Parapampppa!
< Breaking time: 1 hour 7 minutes 33 seconds. >
< 3rd place: Lee Jun-hwan >
Seo-yoon left the crowd.
Seoyoon, who came out like that, walked aimlessly.
I came out, but it was because I had nowhere to go.
In fact, Seoyoon was going to go to the waiting room where Seojun was.
I'm also going to ask what the hell did you do to be able to do that.
Right before the tournament, I want to ask what's going on with that damn iron bar.
But when I thought about it, Seojun was not alone in the waiting room.
Especially now that Lee Jun-hwan was with him, it was awkward even for Seo-yoon.
‘Because it's true that you're doing well...'
Anyway, Seo-yoon had nowhere to go right now, but that doesn't mean she can't go back to the noisy crowd at Dream Academy with Seo-joon.
Seoyoon walked as if taking a walk, thinking that she would have to go back when the tournament started.
how long did it take
“Hey, what's the tournament schedule like?”
Seoyoon's footsteps suddenly came to a halt at the sudden sound.
It was because of the words of the tournament bracket.
Turning her head, what came into Seoyoon's field of vision was a shabby space located in a corner of the arena in an inconspicuous place.
A location that could easily be overlooked if you are not aware of it.
There were several people in it, but their eyes were puffy and they looked like they hadn't washed for days.
‘casino?'
Seoyoon was able to guess without difficulty.
Up to now, the academy competition has been established as a sports culture, but it has not simply been established as a healthy culture.
There was also a side effect that followed, and gambling was a representative example.
The government strictly prohibited this by law, but human nature was not completely controllable by law.
“What's wrong?”
“Didn’t you say that there were 32 people who passed the first round?”
“however?”
Seoyoon quickly stopped paying attention and started walking again.
It was because she wasn't particularly interested in gambling, and Seoyoon didn't like playing with money with her precious students.
“But why does the tournament start with the quarterfinals?”
However, at the words she heard, Seoyoon stopped walking.
quite a distance. Seoyoon strengthened her hearing using mana, and at the same time, the answer came out from inside the gambling hall.
“Why, why? That’s because the rest of the members all abstained.”
“what? abstention? why?”
“This competition has a particularly strong competitor. Lee Jun-hwan, Jang Deok-cheol and Lee Cheol-min. The rankings have already been decided, so why are you throwing yourself into a tournament?”
“Ah…”
The man who asked the question that followed nodded as if he understood.
And Seoyoon was also able to grasp the meaning of the words.
Academy with good grades in this competition will be qualified to compete in the 3rd division.
And ‘good grades' meant the academy that placed 1st to 3rd in the competition.
It was a competition that had no meaning if they did not rank in the 1st to 3rd places, and this competition featured exceptional students compared to other competitions.
That's why Seoyoon also didn't put a lot of meaning into this competition.
“Eh tsk tsk. Those who claim to be pro hunters don’t have such ambition.”
“Not once or twice, but what? It's not a 4th division league for nothing. It was their own league anyway, and the rest were just bridesmaids, right?”
Then they laughed once and changed the subject and started talking.
“So who do you think will win this time?”
“You know, why ask? Of course it's Lee Jun-hwan.”
“It is, but the dividend is so disastrous. Could something unusual happen?”
“You say that you throw money away, don’t you?”
It was then.
rattle.
Suddenly, someone wearing a black hood entered the gambling hall.
There was a somewhat gloomy atmosphere and at the same time, his face was not visible because of the hood.
Perhaps because of such a heterogeneous atmosphere, the eyes of those in the gambling hall were focused on him.
But when he walked to the counter casually, the man at the counter said.
“Dark bro. Do you know where this is?”
“Know.”
A dry voice somewhere.
Only then did Seoyoon know that he was a man.
The man at the counter looked the man in the black hood up and down and said sarcasticly.
“How much?”
“10 billion.”
“...!”
widely.
Before the man at the counter had time to be surprised, the hooded man put something on the counter.
The man at the counter checked it out and looked at the black hood with his eyes wide open again in surprise.
“Uh hey… are you serious?”
The black hood nodded wordlessly.
The man at the counter swallowed once and said.
“So... so who are you going to hang on to? Junhwan Lee? The dividend is low, but if it is 1 billion, you will still get something. That's why it's a fight for money...”
“No.”
Black Hood shook his head resolutely.
and said
“Kim Seo-joon.”
‘what?!'
Seoyoon was literally startled by the familiar name that came from an unexpected place.
“Kim Seojun? If it's Kim Seo-joon... the student who passed first place in the first competition?”
“You’re betting 1 billion on him right now?”
And that was true not only for Seoyoon but also for other people.
“Brother. That dude is just a lucky guy. He's never been listed anywhere, and his academy is also called Dream Academy. There is a clear hand called Lee Jun-hwan, but why the hell...”
The black hood said without turning his head.
“Did I ask for advice?”
“...”
“...”
People who are at a loss for words because of their resolute attitude.
“Brother, do whatever you want. I won’t give it back to you even if you whine about losing the money later.”
“How to find money? I don't think you can afford a billion.”
The man at the counter looked at the black hood in surprise.
“Like you said, I am a middleman. If you're lucky, go here. Of course that can't be the case.”
The man at the counter handed the black hood something.
The black hood received it and disappeared without saying anything.
‘Who the hell...?'
Seoyoon just watched from the spot until the black hood disappeared from sight.
Seo-joon sat in the waiting room and waited for the turn of the tournament.
Originally, it was a tournament that started from the round of 32, so time was tight, but now there is still time left.
It was also because 27 of the 32 students who passed the first round withdrew.
So, a total of 5 students participated in the 2nd tournament.
Including Seo Jun, Lee Jun-hwan, Jang Deok-cheol and Lee Chul-min. And the last one.
“What should I do...”
It was Lee Min-gi.
Seojun raised his gaze and looked at Mingi once.
Min-gi, who has been restless since earlier.
“Really, what should I do...”
In the end, Seo-joon couldn’t stand it and spoke to Min-gi.
“Why are you shaking like that?”
“Are you not nervous?”
Then, Min-gi answered as if he had been waiting.
Seojun shrugged once and asked.
“Why are you shaking?”
“Why are you shaking? The tournament starts in a little while!”
“however?”
For a moment, Mingi replied with a puzzled look.
“My opponent is Lee Jun-hwan! Junhwan Lee! How can I beat Lee Jun-hwan!”
At Min-gi's words, Seo-joon turned his gaze to check the tournament table on the wall of the waiting room.
[2nd competition tournament bracket.]
Kim Seo-joon vs Jang Deok- cheol Lee
Min-ki vs Lee Jun-hwan.
And Lee Chul-min was in a state of bye win.
Originally, Seo-joon, who won first place in the first competition, had to go up by default.
However, if Seo-jun goes to the finals, he will win the competition.
If Seo-joon went up bye, Lee Chul-min inevitably went up to the by-win because the winner would be covered only by the first contest.
Seojun looked at Mingi again.
“How do you know without fighting?”
“Of course I know! You will never win!”
However, Min-gi is convinced that he will definitely lose.
“Then you can just abstain.”
“That's...”
But unlike before, Min-gi didn't answer right away.
After a long pause, he answered in an almost crawling voice.
“...I can't do that...”
It was barely audible, but Seo-jun, whose senses were extremely sensitive, could hear it.
But Seo-joon didn't say anything more about the reason.
Apparently, there seemed to be some reason why he couldn't give up.
He didn't know what it was, but Seo-jun thought that was enough.
“Then do it until the end. You might win.”
“No... It can't be...”
Mingi let out a deep sigh and asked Seojun.
“Come to think of it, hyung also sticks with Jang Deok-cheol. Lee Jun-hwan is also Lee Jun-hwan, but Jang Deok-cheol is also very strong. Don't you mind bro?”
Seojun shrugged his shoulders and replied.
“not really. How much experience will he give?”
“yes? what is that...?”
“Student Kim Seo-joon! Student Deokcheol Jang! The tournament is ready!”
At that moment, the call from the competition official came into the waiting room.
Seojun stood up from his seat.
The tournament consisted of a 1:1 duel between students.
Of course, the tournament was a form of competition, so it didn't have to be a 1:1 duel.
However, the competition was conducted in a 1:1 duel because it was intended to cover not only the superiority and inferiority of the academies but also the superiority and inferiority of the students.
So Seo-joon went into the arena alone following the guide of the officials.
“Wow! It looks like it's starting!”
“I’m going to lose my neck waiting!”
When Seo-joon entered the arena, the first thing he heard was the cheers of the crowd.
Each sound was obviously uttered with a meaning, but it was difficult for Seo-joon to grasp the meaning because there were so many things mixed together.
“There are a lot of people.”
Seo-joon stopped for a moment and looked around.
A large square-shaped stadium and spectator seats that surround it.
Looking at the stadium that looked like a football stadium, Seo-jun felt his heart race for some reason.
“I wonder if Seoyoon-ssi is watching too.”
Seo-joon turned his gaze back to stare at the tightly packed crowd.
However, it was impossible to pinpoint one Seoyoon among countless people.
No matter how much Seoyoon had a striking appearance, there was a degree to that.
“Ha ha ha! Are you lucky that you passed in first place in the first competition?”
At that moment, a loud voice was heard from inside the arena.
A giant whose entire body is covered in muscle.
If it wasn't for the huge ax hanging behind his back, Seo-joon was a man who even had the illusion that he might be a miniature version of Hang-woo.
The man's name is Jang Deok-cheol. It was none other than Seojun's tournament opponent.
Seeing Jang Deok-cheol approaching from the other side, Seo-jun lowered his head slightly and said,
“I’m Seojun Kim.”
“Jang Deokcheol. But you...”
He exchanged greetings lightly, but Jang Deok-cheol looked at Seo-joon with a displeased expression, wondering why he didn't like something.
Seo-joon looked down along Jang Deok-cheol's eyes and could see the iron bar he was holding.
Jang Deok-cheol then said.
“Are you going to fight me over that?”
“Ah, I don’t have the right weapon.”
At the same time as Seo-joon's answer, Deok-chul Jang's expression twisted into a stern expression.
Apparently, he seemed to think that Seojun was ignoring him.
“I will make you regret it.”
Jang Deok-cheol, who gnaws his teeth with his eyes burning.
Seo-joon hurriedly changed his expression and tried to clear up the misunderstanding.
< Come on! Ladies and Gentlemen! You have waited a long time !