The Last Athletic Competition (2)

“So, what happened?”

Kang Shin-hyuk tied the blue band around his head as Baek In-ha seemed worried, doing the same.

“Let’s say that it’ll be a half-success.”

“You mean a half-failure.”

Today, they had to play in the relay and horseback fighting. In the end, the core of the old-generation athletic meet remained intact! Everyone knew that they ran wild in the battle last year, so it wasn’t surprising that everyone was already focused on the pair. The funny thing was that the first-years had the sharpest gaze.

“Hey, they’re together.”

“It’s my first time seeing it.”

“Baek In-ha is obviously better.”

“Ah, damn it. Our Shin-hyuk is much more handsome.”

“Anyway, those two, last year…”

They must’ve heard of Baek and Kang Shin-hyuk’s skills, so today was the best day to check them out. From Baek’s point of view, today was the best chance at attracting those with promising talent to the guild. But why was the horseback fighting such a spectacle? They had to play the clown again for the entertainment of so many people!

“Didn’t you say that the old game would be completely abolished and replaced with a hot explosive game? Hm?”

“Even if the high-ranking people die, we have to see these two.”

“Why the hell is there relay and horseback…?”

“Well, the soul of youth…?”

“Ha…”

As Baek said, there had been half a success, but there were significant changes made for the rest of the games. A speed run to compete for clear time by clearing an artificial dungeon, a virtual raid of large monsters made of holograms… The program was packed with games that really suited an elementary school. Also, because there was talk of giving points that were conducive to grades as a reward, the students were burning up. In the case of Class A, which held many excellent students, the number of games they could play was limited. Despite those restrictions, they were overwhelming the other classes.

“Are there any special classes in the magic department?”

“I don’t think so. Still, there were a lot of prospects in the Knight Department last year.”

“It’s the same this year.”

Kang Shin-hyuk smiled bitterly and looked over the game unfolding in the center of the stadium. The game currently played in the great playground was a hurdle cut in which the first-years, led by Oh Hye-na, were participating. It was a game where small and large obstacles flew by, and they had to be intercepted or avoided before they hit.

“Is it just a magic competition? Can’t you see the Magic Department kids staring at me? We would’ve been able to do that if we had a lot of magical power, it’s that kind of look.”

“You idiot, control is important. It’s impossible to block all the obstacles just with a lot of magic.”

No, it didn’t seem like she was taking care, as any obstacle that came close to her became frozen… However, he decided to remain silent as Baek In-ha was protective of Oh Hye-na as always. Moreover, she did have a lot of magical power at her age, so her ability would appeal to the other students and the audience.

“That child of the New Sword…”

“She’s pretty. Fortunately, she looks like her mother.”

“But… Is she done with Vanguard? Oh Joo-young’s daughter… Is it okay to leave it like that?”

As he watched the game with Baek, Kang Shin-hyuk could hear the people’s voices in the audience. It wasn’t so good that his status was transcendentally high in this case. The more he tried to stop hearing them, the more it felt like the voices got stuck in his ears.

“Huh? Ah…”

Baek also seemed to notice where Kang Shin-hyuk’s gaze was headed.

“Do you still mind her being your disciple?”

“No, I don’t really like things like that.”

“Is it a complication?”

Baek In-ha smiled bitterly and slapped Kang Shin-hyuk on his shoulder. But that was right; Kang Shin-hyuk didn’t grow angry or denied it. No matter how much his new memories had overlaid his old ones, that underlying character from his childhood that had to endure the contemptuous eyes of many people remained. Since Oh Hye-na was in a high place from the start, the fall had to be painful, but after struggling with Kang Shin-hyuk, she seemed to have developed the strength to withstand it to some extent.

“Ah, as expected, Hye-na won.”

“Even if you look at the whole school, there aren’t many humans who could compare to her.”

Oh Hye-na raised her hand and boasted that she was the best. There was nothing to do about that pride, so Kang Shin-hyuk just looked on with a smile.

“Hey.”

“Uh, ah.”

The next event was the one in which he would be participating, and the one most were excited to watch. Kang Shin-hyuk and Baek had been banned from most events except for horseback fighting and this one. However, even with that penalty, the second-year A-class scored the highest. How could they not pay attention to those who overwhelmingly won despite their small numbers?

“Then, I’ll be back.”

“Don’t bounce too much.”

“I want to do that too.”

Kang Shin-hyuk snorted at Baek’s joke. Given how many disturbing things had happened at the start of the new semester, he just wanted to leave school.

‘It would be nice if our country had an early graduation system like others.’

Kang Shin-hyuk let out a sigh, realizing that it was becoming more difficult to fit himself into the framework of society as the days passed. When he headed out into the middle of the arena, he could feel that everyone was paying attention to him. Last year, he had been trying so hard to catch their attention, but now it felt burdensome.

‘Rather, revealing that I’m Shin Eun-hyuk… No, no.’

He quietly stood by with the iron practice sword given to him. The name of the event was ‘Breakthrough.’ It was a game played on a large set of virtual environments and real sculptures with the goal of getting out of the environment as quickly and safely as possible. Of course, for one with spiritual power, it was easy to see past what was real and what was an illusion, though that didn’t matter since he had to act like it was all real. In extreme terms, it was just an obstacle run for a superhuman school.

‘Even if these are real…’

Kang Shin-hyuk narrowed his eyes at the illusion of boiling lava before him, as well as the magical stalactites shaking threateningly from the artificially-made cave ceiling.

‘It’s not high by Earth standards, let alone other worlds.’

He thought about how much he should show off, but looking at the level of the game, he felt like an idiot. His mind calmed down as he waited for the signal.

[Last year’s rookie king, 2nd-year A class player Kang Shin-hyuk is on the start line! Will the aces be taken over by him? All players in place, ready…start!]

Kang Shin-hyuk held back his spiritual powers and hit the floor running using only his Golden Dragon Fighter. However, he now also had SSS-rank in Golden Dragon. Golden energy swirled all over his body as he flew through the air.

[Kang Shin-hyuk is by far the leading player! But, he’s avoiding the traps flying in from all directions!]

The voice of a student he had heard before during the last competition hit his ears. He remembered them being a part of the Knight Department, but he wasn’t able to recognize who it was. The stalactites falling from above were nothing but eye-catching; the real thing was the fireball coming up out of the lava field and the stalagmites rising. However, since he was naturally reading the airflow through wind mastery, he could step through the air and avoid them.

[It looked as though Kang Shin-hyuk just stepped in the air! I wonder if that was an illusion- ah! He got a mid-point bonus and stepped through the air! Artifacts are forbidden in this game! Oh, they say it’s not an artifact!]

Kang Shin-hyuk passed the goal quickly with the help of wind-mastery. The person in second place still hadn’t reached the halfway point.

[Oh my god, I wonder if this tournament was made for Kang Shin-hyuk! It’s a landslide!]

The inside of the hall heated up in an instant at his performance. Even though it was only a small fraction of his abilities, what he showed was alone to be treated as a quality superhuman.

“Is it a trait?”

“No, I heard his trait is specialized in martial arts.”

“Then, is that a special martial art?”

“It’s interesting.”

“How was the data last year?”

What was the reason why so many people came to see the competitions at Shinyoung? Wasn’t it just to discover new prospects? Whereas a year ago Kang Shin-hyuk was a talented person who was sprouting, now he was a brilliant flower. At the time, many people knew that the association and Vanguard had their sights on him, but now that he showed growth beyond expectations, many people thought it was possible to poach him from the association or, moreover, Vanguard who had lost its leader. Kang Shin-hyuk returned to class after leaving those people behind.

“Hey, Kang Shin-hyuk, what was that?”

“Wow, you were hiding such a technique? Can you just run around in the sky?”

Even students in the same class bothered him, but as always, he coolly ignored them. From the beginning, he hadn’t consistently discussed his abilities. He hated being despised at first, but now there were so many secrets to keep hidden.

“Ha, I’ll tell you the name of the ability… Uh, it’s the next team match.”

“Who will be the first to die?”

Even Kang Shin-hyuk and Baek turned to look at the homeroom teacher, Ji Min-hye, but soon the atmosphere returned to normal. Her gaze was so bloody that it seemed like she was going to kill someone. It was clear that she was obsessed with winning the MVP.

“She is a greedy person.”

“She is in charge of this class.”

“I’ve been aware of it since she forced me to resign.”

Kang Shin-hyuk looked over at Baek, who was sighing with regret.

“Then you’ll be angry with Elie later.”

“Kang Shin-hyuk, you…”

“Shouldn’t you save that power for someone else?”

“Oh, really.”

“You can’t fight right now.”

While the two struggled, Karen intervened between them, imitating a miserable heroine. Suddenly, he felt that those surrounding them were watching them keenly. Kang Shin-hyuk felt the anticipation in their eyes.

The horseback fighting would begin soon.