Chapter 33

That was almost a real disaster. Kara thought as she spit out the blood pooling in her mouth.

In front of her stood Sivar, the very man who had just sent her flying. He was a pure and somewhat dull-looking guy.

But that last hit was neither dull nor pure at all. It packed the full ferocity of the wilderness.

‘If I hadn’t used Body Reinforcement, I would have fainted.’

Body Reinforcement was the ability to solidify one’s body by channeling magic power.

If I hadn’t reacted quickly with my eyesight, I might have knocked out cold from that hit.

Even if I hadn’t, I probably would have lost a few teeth. Thanks to my battle-honed reflexes and eyesight.

‘That couldn’t have been his full strength either.’

Kara narrowed her eyes. He was using punches that incorporated hip and shoulder rotation, just as she had taught him. That couldn’t have been his full power.

In other words, there was a high likelihood that crazily powerful attacks like that would start raining down on her soon.

What she threw with all her might was just a casual hit for Sivar. How absurd.

‘Let’s give it a try.’

She expected it to be a pretty tough duel, but that fueled her competitive spirit.

The Tartar people were a warrior tribe forged by birth and environment. And Kara was the princess of that tribe.

But just because she was a princess didn’t mean she was raised like a delicate flower. On the contrary, she had gone through harsh real battles to match her title.

Her father, Hector, hadn’t acknowledged that, but it didn’t matter. What mattered now was the duel.

‘First, let’s provoke him.’

Luna had warned her before—don’t touch Sivar’s temper, no matter what.

But to gain even a slight upper hand, she had to mess with his temper and lose his cool.

Sivar may have been raised in the wilderness, but he probably hadn’t fought people much. So he would have a lot of gaps.

And those gaps weren’t just about technique. They concerned the emotions that keep one’s rationality intact.

‘I need to prepare for a long fight.’

She couldn’t let things go the way Sivar wanted. She had to induce the opposite situation.

If she did, he would surely lose his temper. That was when she could strike.

Thunk!

At that moment, Sivar threw a curved dagger, which was stuck in the ground, right in front of Kara.

Kara couldn’t help but chuckle at his overly polite gesture. Who taught him that?

“Thanks a lot…”

**CRACK!**

Kara started to speak but had to quickly duck down.

As soon as she picked up the curved dagger, Sivar lunged forward and threw a punch!

Fortunately, she barely dodged in time, and his fist struck the tree instead of her. But the problem came afterward.

Even though he hit the tree with his bare hands, it went right through. Sivar’s fist was buried deep in the wood!

‘Crazy!’

Cursing internally, Kara hurriedly scrambled away. It was time to regroup, not retaliate.

Finally freeing herself from the tree, she finished her regrouping just in time. It felt like Sivar had given her a bit of leeway.

“…”

While Kara was getting ready, Sivar turned away to retrieve his fist from the tree.

Turning his back, he found Kara, tense, holding the dagger. Her expression was a mix of disbelief.

“Kara.”

“…What?”

“Really.”

“…”

Sivar teased her again. Instead of getting angry, Kara gave him a sly smile.

To be honest, her chances of losing were pretty high. That was an undeniable fact.

If she assessed the odds, it would be 4 out of 5 times. There was that much of a difference.

‘But that means I can win at least once, right?’

Such situations often arise. Objectively, a strong person can lose to a relatively weak one.

That was a realization she gained through countless real battles. In a fight for life or death, improvisation is key.

Of course, that only applies when both sides are relatively equal; if there’s a significant gap, it means nothing.

‘Skill can narrow the gap.’

Techniques accumulated to compensate for her lack of strength. Kara practiced that endlessly.

And now seemed to be the time to use those techniques. She had thought she wouldn’t need them much at the Academy.

But an unexpected variable had just cropped up. No one would have seen it coming.

“Let’s go.”

Meanwhile, Sivar suddenly charged with a short exclamation, dashing toward Kara at a speed similar to before.

She had checked earlier, and Sivar was unarmed. He must have dropped his axe and spear.

‘Guess it’s a win for me.’

**WHOOSH!**

Sivar swung his fist fiercely toward Kara’s face.

It was just a simple punch, but the sound of it slicing through the air pierced her ears. The attack was packed with both power and speed.

At the same time, it was an extremely straightforward attack. Kara simply turned her head to dodge it.

**THWACK!**

Immediately after, she hit Sivar’s chin hard with the end of the dagger’s handle.

No matter how tough someone is, getting hit on the chin makes you wobble a bit.

That was true even for Sivar. Kara thought so.

Thud—

Sivar appeared unfazed until he grabbed her arm that was planted on his chin. It looked like he hadn’t even flinched despite being hit.

But Kara was not one to be underestimated. Without any hesitation, she utilized her empty left hand.

WHAM!

Her fist, solid from both power and magic reinforcement, smashed into Sivar’s side.

It seemed effective, as Sivar stumbled a little.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Kara didn’t stop, pummeling Sivar’s side with all her might. This was her chance to rack up some damage.

**CRACK!**

Of course, Sivar wouldn’t just stand there and take it. He quickly retaliated with his empty hand.

But rather than blocking Kara’s left punch, he grabbed her neck and lifted her up hard.

Under normal circumstances, she would have been completely at his mercy here. But Kara, fluid as water, followed through with her counter.

**SMACK!**

She spun around and kicked Sivar right in the face.

Even Sivar couldn’t help but loosen his grip after getting hit in the face repeatedly.

“Phew.”

While Sivar dusted off the dirt on his face, Kara let out a sigh of relief.

Sure, his combat pattern was simple—too simple even. Far easier than Luna.

But if he captured her properly, it would be game over. If she had gotten flustered earlier, it would have been a disaster.

She had to somehow deflect or evade his attacks. Absurd as it was, that was the best she could do.

‘Gotta manage my stamina too.’

Magic power can boost your physical abilities significantly and offers various uses.

There’s one thing they all have in common—using magic power consumes stamina.

Stamina reflects national power for a reason. Being high on magic is pointless if your stamina is junk.

“…”

Sivar, having dusted himself off, marched up to Kara and threw another punch.

Kara could no longer just watch, so she moved back. But she didn’t just retreat.

**CLANG!**

As Sivar’s fist was fully extended, she brought her dagger down hard. But something felt off.

That was definitely a dagger made of metal colliding with a fist made of flesh and bone. Yet it sounded like two pieces of metal clanging together.

“Ugh…”

Kara winced. Her grip felt a significant strain.

Going head-to-head with strength was one thing, but she could end up hurting herself if she kept it up.

‘Why is his hand unscathed?’

People can bleed from a paper cut. And with a dagger, there’s even more chance of cutting deep.

Yet Sivar’s hand was just fine. No blood, no cuts, nothing.

What kind of body was that? He must be using Body Reinforcement.

Otherwise, it just didn’t add up.

‘Who taught him Body Reinforcement?’

**CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!**

Kara continued to fend off Sivar’s incoming blows with her dagger.

Instead of playing it straight, she was targeting his hands.

She aimed to restrict his punching power. She couldn’t let him throw punches freely.

**CRUNCH!**

“What?”

Yet that strategy was soon foiled.

Sivar pretended to throw a punch, then suddenly grabbed the dagger with his bare hand.

Grabbing a knife with bare hands is a no-no. Luckily, they were in a duel. If he had infused magic, his hand would have been sliced.

“……Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“You should let go of that.”

That’s why Kara warned him with a stern voice. No matter how big Sivar was, this was crossing the line.

Even fighters hesitate to grab blades with their bare hands. Unless they possessed some form of invincibility like the Easterners claim.

Considering how crucial invincibility is for fighters, Sivar’s action was exceedingly reckless.

“If I infuse magic into this weapon, your hand will be sliced easily. So let go.”

“No way.”

“You should let go… no. Forget it.”

It wouldn’t be so bad if he got what was coming to him. There were no regulations against that.

It was a dangerous affair, but they gave out bracelets to prevent such things.

**WHOOM!**

Kara started injecting magic into her dagger bit by bit. Soon, a blue glow appeared on its surface.

Magic enhances the cutting power of weapons with blades and increases the destructive force of blunt objects.

The power varied depending on the skill level, and the more magic there was, the longer the effect would last.

Unlike abilities that enhance physical capabilities, this system drains only magic power.

“Huff!”

Kara pressed down the dagger, intensifying its power. The blade that had been in Sivar’s hand slipped out effortlessly.

Normally, a person would scream at the agony of being cut through skin and bones like that. At the very least, they would grimace.

But Sivar wasn’t fazed. He simply stared blankly at his palm.

“Hm.”

Sivar nodded as if he had realized something. Then he turned to look at Kara.

Her dagger was now cloaked in a blue aura. The magic band heightened its cutting ability.

“Let’s stop the punching now…”

WHOOSH!

Before she could finish, Sivar’s fist shot forward.

Kara was caught off guard for just a second, smirking while shaking her head sideways.

“Take it easy…”

Just then, she swung her dagger upward toward Sivar’s empty torso.

“Go!”

The magically reinforced dagger rose, but Sivar stepped back a couple of paces to evade it.

Then came the punch. He utilized everything he learned from Kara—power from shoulders and hips.

Kara grimaced as she dodged each attack, not bothering to retaliate.

She could have hit back at any time. Sivar’s movements were pretty straightforward and full of openings.

But since she put magic into the dagger, she couldn’t afford to swing recklessly. One wrong move, and it could turn dangerous.

‘Our tribe doesn’t utilize magic in duels…!’

The Tartar tribe is known for treating duels like real combat. But that only applies to ‘duels.’

It means they fight each other, trying to best each other using pure technique and sometimes throwing in provocations.

“You might really get hurt doing that.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you—…!”

CRUNCH!

Just when Kara was about to ask, Sivar’s antics unfolded.

He grabbed the magically enhanced dagger barehanded again.

He didn’t just sit there; he grabbed it while slicing across.

By the time Kara was startled and taken aback, Sivar came in with a colossal fist and slammed down on the middle of the dagger.

**CRACK!**

A loud shattering sound echoed as the dagger cleanly broke in half.

Magic not only enhances cutting power but also durability. That’s why weapons of strong fighters don’t easily break.

But Sivar shattered a magically-enhanced dagger, strong steel, with pure bare hands.

Just like he had destroyed a weapon with his teeth back when he dueled Elvin, he had just smashed Kara’s weapon again.

“Crazy!”

Kara gasped in shock and immediately readied herself.

She threw the broken dagger on the ground and jumped back. Simultaneously, she pulled out a spear from her back.

Meanwhile, Sivar charged rapidly at her, clearly not wanting to give her time to recover. That alone exuded immense intimidation.

**THWACK!**

Kara thrust the spear towards the approaching Sivar. She infused magic into it to avoid a repeat of what happened moments ago.

But just as the spear closed in on him, he dodged by tilting his head away easily.

Then before Kara could recall the spear, he grasped it tightly with both hands.

**WHOOSH!**

Sivar spun around, the spear pointed to the ground. At this rate, Kara would be slammed into the ground too.

She quickly released her grip just before crashing into the earth. The recoil sent her flying away.

Plop—

Fortunately, she regained her balance in mid-air, gracefully landing on the ground. Though it looked soft, her expression was anything but.

A mix of surprise and incredulity washed over her. The astonishment came from Sivar’s overwhelming physical strength, and the absurdity stemmed from his actions.

‘He didn’t bleed a single drop? What the hell?’

What was so sturdy about him that even a magically enhanced blade couldn’t cut him? It made no sense.

Sure, there are monsters with hardened exteriors, but those are monsters. Sivar was undeniably a ‘human.’

Even if he had the red eyes common among berserkers, he obviously appeared to be human.

**SNAP!**

In the meantime, Sivar had effortlessly snapped Kara’s spear in half. Like breaking a twig.

Both Kara’s dagger and spear were destroyed. Now, she was left with nothing but her bare hands.

Perhaps Sivar had weapons stashed away somewhere, but with the forest’s terrain, it was impossible to find them.

“Kara.”

“…What?”

“Hey. Feeling good?”

“…”

Those two syllables made it clear what he meant. With all her weapons broken, he was mocking her about what she would do now.

After hearing that, Kara felt an odd mix of incredulity and laughter bubble up inside her. Strangely enough, she wasn’t angry.

She just felt a sense of admiration. Oddly enough, she was impressed by his ability to read her so well without any training.

“…Haha. You little cutie. You’ve got a promising future ahead, don’t you?”

Kara shook her head. She had a feeling she understood Sivar’s intent.

He wasn’t looking for a conventional duel. He didn’t want to exchange techniques or play around.

He wanted a fight. To be more precise, he was after a real fight, where everything was thrown into the ring.

Only then would their rivalry be settled.

“……Alright.”

Kara nodded with a refreshingly bright smile. She felt a sense of clarity inside her.

When was the last time she felt like this? Ever since she arrived at the Academy, such feelings had been rare.

“I’ll give you what you want. But I have one condition.”

“Con. dition?”

“Yep.”

Kara clenched her fist and slowly raised it. There was a blue magic flickering in her fist.

“Don’t die.”

That might sound like a confident statement to those who heard it.

“But don’t you dare kill me either.”

In truth, she recognized the skill gap and was hoping for mercy.

Sivar pondered over her words and grinned widely. His expression was vividly different from his usual stoic demeanor.

Just as Kara was beginning to appreciate that smile, Sivar quickly replied.

“Sure.”

“Whoa, that’s scary.”

Kara beamed at his response, her white teeth contrasting against her bronzed skin.

There was no fear at all on her face. It was an instinctive display of her bold and spirited character.

And thus, the stage for not just a duel but a true fight was set.

**CRACK!**

Blue lightning began to ripple from Kara’s fist.

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