Dokgorin’s movements on the instructor, her home ground, were truly unpredictable.
Like a water-filled swallow, she flitted around the instructor with such ease that even a warrior’s eyes found it difficult to keep track.
In contrast, Namgoong Ruby, perhaps due to the instability of her footing, merely focused on defense despite having jumped onto the instructor with bravado.
Some spectators responded with jeers at her stance, but Namgoong Ruby didn’t even flinch.
‘Why isn’t she attacking?’
Just playing defense would only lead to a gradual loss.
Surely Namgoong Ruby wasn’t unaware of this fact, yet for some reason, she hadn’t shown any distinctive movement until now.
Just when this peculiar stand-off continued, Namgoong Ruby suddenly declared, “Rin, I’ve figured out all your movements.”
“…What?”
Dokgorin, who was just about to attack, now wore a baffled expression.
Understandably so, for amidst a situation flowing unilaterally, Namgoong Ruby had made such a sudden declaration.
If someone else had said this, it would have sounded boastful, but since Namgoong Ruby hadn’t revealed her full capability yet, it didn’t come off as arrogance.
Immediately after, she began to move for the first time, a marked deviation from her previously defensive stance.
And her movement was—
“What?!”
Identical to Dokgorin’s just moments prior.
*
“Rin, I’ve figured out all your movements.”
Thus began Namgoong Ruby’s counterattack.
It was hard to believe that just a moment ago, she had been on the defensive; her retaliation was truly ferocious.
Most astonishing of all was that she had completely replicated the unconventional movements that Dokgorin had displayed just before.
“…Can a person really do that?”
As I muttered in astonishment, Tang Sosu spoke up from beside me, watching the two fight.
“If she has that level of insight, it’s not impossible.”
Here we go again, insight.
“For a warrior, the act of ‘watching’ is extremely important. It’s about reading the enemy’s trajectory, countering their weaknesses, evading attacks—every action involves insight.”
Among them, the exceptional ones are known to perceive all their opponent’s movements merely by watching.
‘So Namgoong Ruby is one of those cases.’
The world of martial arts was fascinatingly profound the more I learned.
Meanwhile, the two, who had been fighting as if dancing on the instructor, fell towards the ground as the setup was struck by their weapons.
“Huff, huff, huff, huff.”
They looked quite exhausted after fighting for a considerable time.
It seemed the repeated clashes had drained a lot of their stamina, and given their similar skill levels, fatigue grew rapidly.
As I watched them with concern, Namgoong Ruby, who had calmed her breath first, suddenly gripped the hilt of her sword with both hands instead of just one, which she had been using.
I instinctively sensed she was preparing to execute something big.
In response, Dokgorin also seemed ready to unleash a big technique, crossing her two weapons in an X shape above her.
A tense atmosphere filled the training hall.
Then, the first to move was Dokgorin.
A vivid blue light gathered at the blunt end of her weapon.
She threw one of her weapons like a dart.
“!”
Namgoong Ruby raised her sword reflexively to deflect the dagger that streaked toward her like a bullet.
But that was a feint.
The other dagger shot into the air at nearly the same speed, targeting Namgoong Ruby’s head.
This wasn’t just a spar; it was clearly a matter of life and death.
Yet, Namgoong Ruby wore a look of enjoyment.
And in that split second—
“Celestial Unfettered Sword Technique!”
The sword in Namgoong Ruby’s hand, the Bi Cheon Sword, swung at a slow pace.
*
This was a textbook case of late reaction defeating an early attack.
While there were several martial arts that employed the tactic of late response in the martial world, Namgoong Ruby’s skill was beyond words.
Sure, Dokgorin had struck first, and Namgoong Ruby had responded belatedly, but somehow, all of Dokgorin’s attacks were blocked.
The reason lay with the sword curtain that Namgoong Ruby had used.
Using her sword as a shield, she blocked every attack aimed at her neck and head before thrusting her large sword forward and charging.
Suspended in mid-air, Dokgorin couldn’t evade the counterattack aimed at her and was sent flying by a solid blow from the large sword, retiring from the match.
Though the exchange had occurred in an instant, it was already clear who the superior fighter was.
As the victor, Namgoong Ruby proudly raised her sword, receiving an outpouring of applause.
In contrast, Dokgorin, rolling on the ground covered in dust, rose with a look of hurt pride, receiving attention only from me and Tang Sosu.
“Rin! Are you okay?”
“…Yeah.”
Fortunately, it seemed she had executed a proper fall, as there were no visible wounds on her body, but her expression suggested she was considerably humiliated.
It wasn’t that she had been careless; after all, it was a direct clash of strength, yet she had lost in such an embarrassing manner.
As I brushed off the dirt from her body, Tang Sosu asked Dokgorin with a cheeky expression.
“How does it feel to be the loser?”
“…Not exactly a pleasant feeling.”
“The feelings you’re experiencing right now are what I feel all the time.”
After saying this, Tang Sosu turned away, seemingly heading over to Namgoong Ruby.
Meanwhile, Dokgorin, still in a daze from the shock of defeat, stared blankly at her hands.
I quietly observed her before asking, “Feeling frustrated?”
Dokgorin nodded meekly.
“To be honest, yeah.”
She seemed perplexed.
“I’ve never felt this way before my return.”
For me, martial arts had only been a means of vengeance.
As Dokgorin murmured that, she gazed at Namgoong Ruby, who was basking in everyone’s congratulations.
“What makes that girl so strong?”
While revenge had fueled Dokgorin’s martial training, it wasn’t the same for Namgoong Ruby.
It appeared Dokgorin was curious about this difference.
Listening to her woes, I offered some advice. “If you’re curious, just ask her.”
“Ask her?”
“You lost the spar, so becoming friends with her is a given now. Friends can ask each other such things.”
“……”
Dokgorin wore a blank expression, as if this thought had never crossed her mind.
In the meantime, the final victor of this election for class leader, Namgoong Ruby, approached us and asked, “What’s so fun about your conversation?”
“Nothing much,” I replied, brushing it off, then shot a glance at Dokgorin, still sitting on the floor.
After a moment’s hesitation, Dokgorin opened her mouth. “C-could I ask just one thing?”
Namgoong Ruby beamed and responded, “Yes! Ask anything!”
“Why did you get so strong?”
Namgoong Ruby took a moment to ponder and then answered.
“Well, it turned out I was strong without realizing it?”
“…What?”
“It started off being good for my health, but the more I practiced, the more I found swordsmanship itself enjoyable, and I got totally absorbed in it. So I kept bugging my father and the elders of the clan to let me train more, and before I knew it, I had gotten strong.”
In other words, it wasn’t for some spectacular reason; she just had fun doing it until she became strong?
What in the world is this nonsensical monster?
As Dokgorin and I gazed at her with astonished expressions, Namgoong Ruby innocently tilted her head.
Then, as if recalling something, she extended her right hand to Dokgorin.
“More importantly, since I won, we should be friends now, right?”
“Ah.” Dokgorin, realizing this late, reluctantly shook her outstretched hand.
*
Thus, after about an hour’s fight, the class officer for Class A was decided.
Class Leader: Namgoong Ruby.
Vice Leader: Dokgorin.
It felt like this combination would continue for some time.
While the ranking had been reshuffled during the election, the overall hierarchy hadn’t changed significantly.
Most of those who had done well in the practical exam ended up in the top ranks, making it a matter of convenience to line them up by theory scores, but their skills were quite similar.
So, after the stormy first day, our proper dormitory life began on the second day.
