King of Dungeons (6)
“Is it okay if you don’t go to the duel?”
When the news came that Emperor Cloel and Princess Selaha had entered Aken Island, the occupants of the royal quarters were also very busy moving about.
In order to welcome Emperor Cloel and Princess Selaha, who would come to see Princess Fenia’s face, a tea party had to be prepared in the garden along with a dinner party, and the employees’ work reports had to be organized once again.
Inside the royal residence in such a busy atmosphere, Claire cautiously asked Princess Fenia as she crossed the hallway directly overlooking the garden.
Princess Fenia swept her platinum hair once, looked at the spire of Sylvania rising in the distance, and spoke.
“… are you okay.”
Princess Fenia hesitated for a moment and then spoke in a more confident tone.
“are you okay. also. “If he were that guy, he would probably move along as originally planned.”
*Deep breath.
King Dyke’s composure always comes from calm, deep breathing.
Raise your two sturdy arms and set up a guard, look directly at the enemy in the space between them, and slowly think about your next move.
Take a deep breath and exhale… Its heavy body prepares to fly quickly like a hummingbird.
People in the audience were already holding their breath.
All of the combat club students who were watching from the student seats could not take their eyes off him.
In particular, first and second year students were becoming more immersed.
Since the 3rd and 4th year students are classmates of the two, they know very well how quickly they have become stronger in a short period of time.
However, from the perspective of lower grade students who have just entered school, they realize the wall of upper grades. It is not yet possible to take into account that the two people in the sparring hall are an unusual case.
Ed Rosstaylor unwrapped the cloth wrapping surrounding the large staff, picked it up, and glared at Dyke, who was taking a deep breath.
Even though he has a huge body, he moves like a nimble thief and appears to have no flaws.
A staff in one hand and a dagger held in reverse in the other.
Since my movement was limited when my back was to the inner wall, it was time to quickly run to the center of the sparring hall.
If a stranger had seen it, they would have wondered if he knew how to use spatial magic.
Dyke’s movements are that fast.
If you close your eyes for a moment and open them, you will see that you are in a ready position to throw your fist in front of your nose.
Only after Dyke’s appearance is confirmed, the aftereffects of the wind from his rush attack my body in time lag.
– Hwaaaaaaaaa!
“Ha!”
A regime that puts its feet on the ground and shouts out loudly with a short, loud sound of cheers.
As he threw his body to avoid it with a movement that was almost animal-like, Dyke’s fist landed on the inner wall behind where Ed was standing.
-Quaaaaaaaaaaa!
With just one punch, the inner wall collapses. Dust rises again.
If you allow it even once, it’s over. It was a destructive force that Ziggs’ assessment clearly understands.
Ed Rosstaylor rolled awkwardly on the dirt floor and moved to the center of the sparring area. And before Dyke straightened his posture, he gathered his magic power with the tip of his staff.
Until now, unless it was a high-level magic used during the beginning of the war, there were only techniques that did not consume a very burdensome level of magical power.
But from here on, we enter territory where even Ed Rosstaylor has to bear the burden of horsepower.
The audience swallowed dry saliva.
I could feel that the flow of magical energy gathering around Ed was unusual.
Even visitors who had no knowledge of magic could feel that the very atmosphere flowing through the sparring hall had changed.
A high-ranking spirit arrives.
A spiritist who knows how to handle high-ranking spirits. A wizard who knows how to use high-level elemental magic.
Even if you can reach either level, you are considered a gifted person in Sylvania.
However, Ed Rothtaylor, as a matter of course, entered both realms.
The wind blows around the sparring grounds.
The students at the Ministry of Magic all make dumbfounded faces. Even the professors at the Ministry of Magic do the same.
Anyone who has ever practiced magic knows what it means to reach both of these levels at Ed Rothtaylor’s age.
As it is, all the dust raised by Dyke’s attack is blown away by the wind.
As my vision returns to normal, I can also see Dyke standing firmly.
and… Standing before Dyke’s eyes was a wolf larger than most houses.
Beyond the cheers, sounds of astonishment rang out from the audience.
There are many students who see Merilda summoned by Ed for the first time. However, after witnessing its majesty firsthand, her voice does not come out.
For them… That noble, high-ranking wind spirit, Merilda, is a sight to behold.
Just by looking at it, its magnificent appearance arouses admiration.
However, for Dyke Elphelan, that high-ranking wind spirit is an ordeal that must be dealt with right now.
You have to deal with a monster that can blow away dozens of people with a single kick and collapse a building with just a single burst of magic, with just the knuckles in your hand.
It goes without saying, but there is no option to run away.
Dyke raised his guard.
Take a deep breath.
Hueup-
ha-
Equanimity resides in the heart.
Even amid the rushing wind and dust, Dyke looked at Merilda with cold eyes.
Aww –
The howl of a wolf spread throughout the wide sparring hall.
With a single swing of its front paws, which are thicker than the pillars supporting a building, a huge gale of wind hits Dyke.
– Quaaaaaaaaaa!
‘Rock skin’.
Dyke, who used a body strengthening spell using weak magical power, blocked Merilda’s front paw while wearing magical energy that could remove a simple scratch.
– Cooung!
It feels like my feet are buried in the floor from the impact.
My arm muscles are screaming, and I feel like I’m going to lose my mind from the overwhelming feeling.
Nevertheless, Dyke persevered. Just willpower alone.
“Huh… .”
– Kang!
Dyke threw away Merilda’s front paw as if she was going to let it go, and leaped toward the wolf’s lower jaw with his fist clenched.
It’s an honest punch, but its speed is so overwhelming that it can’t be dodged.
– Bang!
When I struck her lower jaw with all my might, Merilda’s head snapped to the side.
There was no way a high-ranking spirit could be subdued with a single blow. The moment when you are preparing for the follow-up hit.
– Wedge! Sigh!
Should I say that I am truly fortunate to have developed ‘rock skin’ in advance?
An arrow flew into Dyke’s lower abdomen while he was floating in the air.
Although it did not pierce the skin, the impact was felt intact.
“Ugh!”
I momentarily turned my sights and looked down, and saw Ed Rosstaylor, who had put down his staff for a moment, took out his bow and fired.
The reason Dyke was caught off guard was because he habitually assumed a battle with an ordinary spirit warrior.
In cases where a battle is conducted with the spirit at the forefront, the spiritist himself often lacks combat ability.
Usually, when a spirit summoned by a spiritist is subdued, there are many cases where the spiritist himself is also suppressed.
However, Ed Rothtaylor personally participates in the war to check the use of high-ranking spirits as combatants.
He is such a difficult opponent that it feels unreasonable as a one-on-one duel opponent.
Dyke, who had just lost his posture, once again met the eerie eyes of Merilda, who had bent her head.
– Bang!
In the following blow, the person who was pinned against the inner wall this time was Dyke.
Dust rose again, revealing the figure of Dyke, who had collapsed against the inner wall.
The decision was made in an instant. Merilda’s blow was not something a human could withstand.
For a moment, silence fell over the entire sparring hall.
However, when Ed eventually lowered the bow he was aiming at… Cheers erupted.
– Waaaaa!
– amazing! A high-ranking elemental wizard, a high-ranking elemental mage… Is this the level of Sylvania these days? !
Princess Selaha’s eyes were wide and surprised, and Emperor Cloel was also rubbing his chin. Even among the talents directly nurtured by the imperial family, there are very few with this level of promise.
It makes me wonder if Sylvania is indeed a professional educational institution.
As it was, Ed Rosstaylor was about to finish the duel by putting away his bow and canceling Merilda’s summoning.
– chin
Dyke Elphelan stands up, leaning on one side of the collapsed rock.
Even though he was hit squarely by a high-ranking spirit, the fact that he stood up without paying any heed was enough to make me cry.
Blood was already flowing from his forehead. The whole body was full of small scratches.
However, King Dyke stands up again and raises his guard.
And continue taking deep breaths.
Hueup-
ha-
The audience cannot help but be astonished by that firm stance. No matter what anyone said, the blow just now was not something a human could withstand.
“It’s not over yet.”
“There is no point in adding more.”
“It’s not for you to judge.”
A wound of this magnitude is not even a wound.
As Dyke spoke, he looked up at Merilda’s noble figure.
High-ranking spirits are not something humans can deal with alone. Even if you are fully prepared, study his weaknesses, learn the necessary strategy, and then attack him carefully, he is an opponent you might not be able to beat.
Dyke knows that too, but… However, he never bows down.
“At that age, he handles high-ranking spirits, uses high-level elemental magic, has top-level martial arts skills, and is good at using a bow. “Definitely deserves to be called a third-year genius at the Ministry of Magic.”
“… ”
“But how many geniuses do you think I’ve dealt with so far?”
Blood from his short-cut head was dripping down his cheek, but that wasn’t even close to the extent of the wound.
Dyke Elphelan pushed his body to the limit in this way every time he faced a genius.
“Among them, there were some who trampled on me without any hesitation, but there were also many who ended up being dragged down by me with their ankles grabbed.”
“… Senior Dyke.”
“I am a person who cannot lose easily.”
I entered Sylvania in class F, and even though I only trained without sleeping, it took me half a year to get into class E, where everyone else went. Even though he trained hard, he had to remain in the lower to mid-level grades for another year.
While enduring those miserable years, there were many talented people and geniuses who trampled on Dyke’s head. At first I tried counting the numbers, but now it was so pointless that I stopped counting.
While geniuses who climb two or three stairs at a time fall over because they can’t keep up with the speed, Dyke Elphelan is the one who climbs one step at a time and takes the top position.
This difference in power is… It couldn’t even be called an ordeal.
Just like that, Dyke kicks off the floor.
The target this time is Ed Rosstaylor’s body. With his guard up, he lowers his stance and closes the distance with Ed as if he is leaping.
Merilda emits wind in response, but by planting her legs into the ground, she uses that axis as the center to withstand the aftereffects of the wind. And he succeeded in using his knuckles to knock away Merilda’s front foot as she flew in. Her muscles scream and her body threatens to collapse, but she succeeds in getting right under Ed’s nose, spraying her blood.
However, the movement of the punch as it was thrown was very clearly within Ed’s expectations. Suddenly, a spirit-style ‘explosion’ appears from the dagger stuck in her floor. With an explosion sound that filled the sparring room for a moment, Ed kicked the cane that had fallen on the floor, pushed it up, and grabbed it.
When Ed concentrates his mind and gathers magical power, the high-ranking wind magic ‘Eye of the Typhoon’ appears. The knife-like wind that covers the area suppresses Dyke’s movements.
Just like that, Dyke hits Merilda’s foot and falls down again.
– Bang!
Merilda’s fatal blow, which only takes one hit, was allowed twice.
Bleeding profusely, Dyke took a deep breath as he was pinned against the inner wall.
The audience swallowed their dry saliva when they saw the scene.
Especially the combat club students… They had no choice but to grit their teeth before Dyke, who was like their pioneer, fought hard.
Wade Calamore, who is among the audience, is cleaning his wounds and closing his eyes tightly.
Ziggs, who is leaning against the wall with the student members at the back of the audience and watching the sparring, secretly sighs quietly.
Because I knew what would happen next.
Before anyone could worry, Dyke had already stood up.
After spitting out bloody phlegm, raise the guard again. Take a deep breath.
Hueup-
ha-
Ed Rosstaylor is never easy to defeat, even in close combat. You should never think of him as an ordinary spiritist.
You must carefully close the distance, but even after closing the distance, you must move quickly as if you were dealing with a melee warrior.
Dyke hit the floor again with his guard up, this time charging towards Merilda.
As it is, Merilda radiates magical power and creates a spirit ceremony – a high wind.
For a moment, Dyke’s body felt like he was floating, and Dyke, who was completely unable to move, was hit by Merilda’s front foot and bounced back.
Dyke, who had rolled on the floor several times along with the dust, jumped again as soon as he got himself together.
This time it’s in the direction of Ed Ross Taylor. After deliberately inducing Merilda to use her magic, she planned to attack Ed’s body while she was trying to get her bearings.
First of all, it is a crazy plan to take Merilda’s attack once. But Dyck somehow did it through his willpower. His body feels like it’s about to break, and his blood is flowing so quickly that any normal human being would already have to break his heart… Dyke didn’t care.
Because I had done this repeatedly, I was able to achieve this body without any innate talent.
– Bang!
A fleeting moment. Dyke Elphelan has already arrived in front of Ed with his guard up.
The speed of closing the distance far exceeded the normal level. I can’t tell you how many times I lost my distance in this one duel.
Nevertheless, there is no sign of agitation in Ed Rosstaylor’s eyes. Dyke had no choice but to swallow dry saliva when he saw his face as calm as a bright light just by making eye contact for that brief moment.
Ed Rosstaylor is a human with close combat abilities. An honest fist will never be hit.
As I took the stance to extend my fist, Ed was already holding the dagger backwards and preparing for the next magic manifestation.
Just like that, the fist that I had placed at my side to stretch out——comes back as a barrier to set up a guard.
A fake move that predicts the opponent’s quick response. In an instant, Ed’s eyebrows narrowed.
Ed’s plan to block Dyke’s expanding fist due to the impact of the ‘explosion’ goes awry.
Lower your stance with your guard raised against the extended dagger, and swing your body downward to avoid it.
‘Weaving’ continues naturally after the fake movement.
Dyke, who succeeded in digging into Ed Rosstaylor’s side, plunges his fist into his side.
– Bang!
The first effective hit against Ed Rosstaylor after the start of sparring.
However, the first hit of Dyke’s attack is immediately fatal.
Because I was mixing fake and evasive movements, I couldn’t make any movements to gather my strength. However, with just that restrictive blow, Ed Rosstaylor’s body fell apart.
– Quang!!!
Ed Rosstaylor was thrown into the wall, kicking up dust.
“… ”
However, Dyke’s hand did not have that heavy feeling that was felt when the attack was delivered cleanly. Rather, only the strange feeling of hitting a wall remained.
The moment he realized that, Dyke frowned. Ed Rosstaylor… In that brief moment, he was convinced that he would allow the blow and turned all his magic towards basic defensive magic.
‘yet… He’s fine… !’
First, you have to block Merilda’s follow-up hit. It was only for a moment, but Merylda finished adjusting her posture and turned her heavy head.
The crunching sound gives me goosebumps. Judging by the fact that Merilda’s summons has not been canceled and she is still intact, Ed Rothtaylor has not been subdued yet.
As it was, Dyke tried to take a defensive stance. This was because I was sure that this next attack would naturally come from Merilda.
However, when I saw the dark red magic that enveloped the sparring hall… I had to change my thinking.
‘Aspect magical power… !’
The Ministry of Magic professors begin to widen their eyes.
Only Assistant Professor Claire and Professor Kallade, who knew about Ed’s Aspect magic in advance, had calm faces.
Before Dyke, who stands at the center of that magical power, turns his gaze back to Ed… . Dyke had already been sucked into Ed’s magic.
‘Forced gathering’
There is not even a means of resistance or even a compatibility relationship.
An unreasonable level of magic that must be allowed if used. Those are aspect magics that utilize aspect magical power.
The star magic that changes Dyke’s position at will is completely opposite to his fighting style that emphasizes the flow of close combat.
When Dyke came to his senses, he had been sucked into the dust. As soon as his vision changed, he had to face Ed’s wide open palm.
Ed, who arbitrarily changed Dyke’s position, leapt up and grabbed his entire face, putting his weight on it and pinning it to the floor.
– Bang!
“Big, heo-eok!”
Ed stepped on his chest and pulled out a dagger.
Dyke, who naturally thought there would be a counterattack from Merilda’s side, did not even offer any resistance.
However, after coming to his senses, albeit belatedly, he clenched his knuckles tightly and hurled them at Ed, who was sitting on his chest.
– Kaang!
Even a carelessly swung blow would be fatal to Ed. However, Ed is not one who can take a half-baked blow while his vision is completely blocked.
After avoiding the swinging knuckles, I put the dagger to his lower neck.
By the time the dust cleared, Dyke could have taken his life right away if he wanted to.
“Huh… Huh… ”
They were both out of breath.
However, Dyke looks completely subdued… There seemed to be no intention of resistance.
There was silence again among the audience.
Dyke’s blood spreads out in abundance. I can’t even count the number of scratches that are so full.
“Surrender.”
It is not an expression of arrogance or an intention to threaten.
Ed Rosstaylor’s invitation to surrender… It was literally just a suggestion. Dyke Elphelan no longer has the strength left to fight Ed. So, the idea was to end it here.
Dyke listened to those words and eventually burst into laughter.
“I have never surrendered myself.”
“If you do any more here, you might get seriously hurt.”
“I must have been seriously injured once or twice. Sigh… ”
Dyke laughed once more and gathered his body’s strength. Soon, even his remaining magical power began to bloom.
‘Balgyeong’
It is a simple, ignorant magic that draws out the body’s energy to its limit and releases it instantly. Because it is close to throwing out magic power, it is inefficient, so there are many magic alternatives.
However, Dyke, who had no magical talent, was still using this technique.
– Woe!
A momentary surge of magic pushes Ed’s body away.
With the sound of Dyke’s cheers, the sparring hall is once again thrust into the heat of battle.
Before I knew it, Dyke had stood up and was raising his guard again. In the midst of a fierce battle, one knuckle has already been blown off. With only the knuckles on the other hand, bleeding profusely, the guard is raised.
Hueup – haa –
That deep breathing is still unwavering.
Clevius, who was watching from the audience with Elvira sitting on his lap… She closes her eyes tightly.
Elvira, who was skimming through an alchemy book on her lap, looked at Clevius from the corner of her eye and snorted happily.
The same goes for Wade, who was watching from the other side. He clenches his teeth and clenches his fists, but there is nothing he can do.
Ziggs also looks at the sparring room, leaning his back against the wall.
Not only the Combat Department students, but also the Magic and Pension Department students and faculty… I gape at the sight of Dyke raising his guard even though he is bleeding profusely.
“Yenika… This… That man… ”
“It’s famous among older students. “I’m a person who never gives up until I faint and fall.”
“surely… Master Ed… is ridiculously strong… However, they attack me after being so devastated… ”
Orte Palover trailed off. Dyke’s appearance, never giving in to this overwhelming difference in power, had a spirit that made viewers open their mouths.
“Yes, Yenika. I try so hard… Isn’t it okay to do a little bit of tinkering? ? It’s just a practice sparring session, so is there a need to press it like that? ?”
Sayla Palover looked at Yenika with an anxious face.
“They attack you with such sincerity, but it’s too much to crush them with such enormous magical power… Isn’t it cruel… ?”
“You can’t do that, Mom.”
However, Yenica Failover knows.
Ed Rothtaylor and Dyke Elphelan are staring at each other, out of breath. Dyke has already whipped his body to its limit, but Ed still has no intention of paying attention.
“Just watching is never enough.”
Yenica Failover already understood.
At the end-of-semester evaluation, to Ed, who was truly working hard to aim for top honors… He once gave up his seat.
Ed Ross Taylor’s adult smile that I saw at that time… There was still a great regret in Yenika’s heart.
Because she is such a Yenika, she understands the feelings of the two people better than anyone else.
When Dyke shook his head at Ed’s invitation to surrender, Ed never raised his hand.
That is the greatest respect Ed can express to Dyke Elphelan.
“Do you know why I never surrender?”
Dyke, who was looking up at the huge wolf spirit with his guard up, spoke first.
Ed, who had picked up the dagger and was in a fighting stance, answered.
“Isn’t it because you don’t want to lose?”
“It’s similar, but different. “At first, it wasn’t a reason full of grit.”
Dyke speaks with his eyes closed.
When I first came to Sylvania as a first-year student, I was the worst student in the world, crawling on the floor and following class with my teeth clenched.
Geniuses who knew how to use swords as soon as they entered school, monsters who were white-haired when they shot a bow, and who could kill a bear in an instant when they used a spear.
While living as a dunjae in the meantime, the reason why I did not grit my teeth and throw the white flag in every sparring was not that grand.
“It’s embarrassing.”
“… ”
“I lost to someone who was smaller than me, I lost to someone who was in a lower grade, and I lost to someone who had much less training… . “At first, I was so embarrassed and hated it, so I just gritted my teeth and attacked at random until I was on the verge of losing my mind.”
Dyke smiled and spoke frankly.
“I just lived like that, hitting and fighting, and as I did it over and over again, my classmates and juniors gave it a strange meaning.”
“Do you mean something strange?”
“okay. what… To say that he is the king of the poor, or that he is a man of tenacity who rose to the top position with only will and spirit… Anyway, the world is full of people who give all kinds of meaning to a guy who just clenched his teeth and struggled. “I expect things as I please, and I idolize them as I want.”
A few drops of Dyke’s blood fell on the floor and were sucked into the dirt.
Even though his body was already full of bleeding wounds, Dyke’s voice was still raspy and unwavering as usual.
“When I came to my senses, it was like this. Look at the audience seats. Everyone is looking at you with a sparkle in your eye. “I don’t know why you’re expecting so much from Dunjae, a bastard who knows how to do nothing but clench his teeth and throw his fists until he loses his mind.”
Although his tone seemed irritated, Dyke actually had a gentle smile on his face.
“If it’s like this, I can’t get away with being ugly, right? We are a generation that already has a reputation that 4th grade is a place where only dull people gather, so how can we show that a person who can be called the hope of dull people shows up in an unsightly manner and stands out? As someone who has lived as a mojiri all my life, I can easily imagine the frustration my classmates would experience when they see such a scene.”
Expectations and envy suddenly pile up on your shoulders one day, regardless of your will.
The weight of such a subject is so heavy that it makes it impossible for a person to fall down without permission.
It makes you stand up while holding on to your trembling legs, and it makes you grit your teeth and raise your arms to raise your guard.
Even if it looks like that, you can never touch it or look at it. Vague sympathy is, on the contrary, a more humiliating humiliation for someone like Dyke Elphelan.
That’s why Ed Rosstaylor straightened his back.
“come. “I have dealt with geniuses like you dozens and hundreds of times.”
“Senior Dyke.”
But Ed Rothtaylor knows. Dyke Elphelan was greatly mistaken in an important part.
Ed was also greatly shocked as he had just accepted Dyke’s fist. His shirt was tattered here and there, and the bandages wrapped around his body were coming off.
And, Ed’s wound is revealed through a gap in the bandage that has come loose.
that… Evidence of crossing the line of fire several times to acquire high-level magic. The flesh that had been distorted by Lucy’s ridiculous amount of magic was exposed in an ugly way.
Dyke’s brow furrowed momentarily.
Dyke, who had repeatedly practiced in a similar way, could recognize it at a glance.
To begin with, I didn’t have any outstanding achievements since my freshman year. Ed Rosstaylor is also someone who climbed the stairs sequentially.
I gritted my teeth and pushed myself to the limit, risking my life several times while following the flow of love… Ed pushed himself.
This body named Ed Rosstaylor was woefully lacking in magical talent.
Rather, it was a body specialized in dexterity and life skills. Nevertheless, Ed crossed the line of fire several times and eventually rose to the position of chief.
“under… Hehe… Hehehe… ”
Dyke, who had momentarily raised his guard, let out a meaningful laugh.
“Hehe… Huhuhuhu… .”
With your head down and a smile on your face… Eventually, she raises her head again. Even though her body was covered in blood, she had a smile on her face.
The frustrating moments of duel after meeting geniuses over and over again pass by like a flash of light. Although I didn’t reveal it, each and every one of them was a miserable and painful moment.
“Hehehe… Hahahaha!! Hahahahahahahahahaha!!”
That facial expression, filled with all kinds of emotions, eventually became a smile tinged with joy.
“Okay, sorry… !!! Ed Rosstaylor… .!!!”
The deep breathing I always do continues. However, you can intuit it. It won’t be long before the decision comes to a close.
