Climbing the Tower with Multidimensional Avatars - Chapter 79

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 79. Galaxy Martial God Hall – First Ranking Tournament (3)

From that day on, I spent approximately three weeks engaged in daily sparring matches with Cheon So-yeon that resembled actual combat.
The condition was that Cheon So-yeon could use her inner energy, but I could not.
Wait, isn’t that usually the opposite?
Shouldn’t the master impose restrictions while the novice fights with full power? Shouldn’t the novice be the one restricting themselves?
Of course, Cheon So-yeon also refrained from using power beyond the Second Tier.
When I asked why she was fighting with Second Tier power when I’d need to compete and fight against Third Tier students to make it into Class 1, Cheon So-yeon answered, “Well, when you fight stronger opponents regularly, fighting weaker ones naturally feels easier, doesn’t it?”
During our sparring sessions, I fought with desperate intensity, but Cheon So-yeon never took a single hit.
And as time passed, the ranking tournament period arrived.
The ranking tournament period—in other words, the class reorganization test week—spanned a total of five days.
The rules of the ranking tournament were simple.
Just as the club leaders had competed to recruit Cheon So-yeon before, they used a point-based scoring system.
Students fought while wearing school uniforms that boasted protective capabilities rivaling proper protective gear, and the teacher serving as referee would judge each attack and award points accordingly.
Beyond the teacher, dozens of cameras were installed in the training hall, and AI assisted the teacher’s judgment.
The rules were somewhat similar to fencing.
The sparring matches—true to the name “ranking tournament”—were structured so that teachers would rank each student based on their entrance exam records and academic achievement, and lower-ranked students would challenge higher-ranked ones, with the first to score ten points winning.
Of course, one couldn’t challenge freely whenever they wished; each student was given only one challenge opportunity per day, so careful consideration was necessary in choosing whom to challenge.
With a single challenge token, students could challenge opponents up to a maximum of thirty ranks above their current position.
Regardless of whom one chose to challenge, if the challenged opponent had already defended against one challenge, they were no longer obligated to accept further challenges.
Using one’s challenge token was optional, and if one received a challenge and used their token to accept, they would have to compete twice in a day.
When a challenge was submitted, a notification would appear to everyone, and a ten-minute grace period was given during which additional challenges could be submitted.
If a student received multiple challenges during this grace period, the challenged student could choose their opponent.
I walked toward the teacher’s desk to see the ranking list posted on the classroom blackboard.
“Cheon So-yeon is first place. I’m seventh? That’s higher than I expected.”
I thought I’d start around fiftieth place since my inner energy was sealed.
Contrary to my worries, the defensive tournament seemed better than expected.
To my question, Teacher Kim Do-hwa, who was sitting at her desk, spoke as if it were nothing special.
“I took your entrance exam scores and your performance before the seal into account. If your inner energy hadn’t been sealed, you would have been second place.”
At Teacher Kim Do-hwa’s words, Cheon So-yeon nodded as if it were obvious.
In the publicly announced ranking order, the seven students in the Second Tier were: first place Cheon So-yeon, second place Cheon Ha-sung, third place Cheon Gong-hu, fourth place Cheon Hae, fifth place Cheon Sung-jo, sixth place Cheon Do-jung, and seventh place Cheon Ji-woo.
Eighth place Cheon Hyo-jun, ninth place Cheon Ga-ryeong, and tenth place Cheon Si-gyeong were also at the tail end of the Third Tier, making them strong candidates for next year’s Class 1.
“The rankings are organized by Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, and Class 4 in order.”
Below that, ranks one through twenty-one comprised Class 1, and ranks twenty-two through seventy-eight comprised Class 2.
According to Cheon So-yeon, there was supposedly someone from Class 3 who would make it to Class 1.
“The entrance exam scores were heavily reflected. That’s also why you’re seventh place.”
At Teacher Kim Do-hwa’s words, I nodded.
“But do we just have to wait for this?”
Students ranked in the top 10 couldn’t take the ranking exam unless lower-ranked students challenged them.
“If you don’t receive a challenge by this morning, we’ll count it as a match and move on, so wait a bit.”
The ranking challenge window was open from 9 AM to 12 PM.
The timing varied slightly by grade, but naturally, 1st Year had the shortest window.
Apparently, upper grades received active challenge notifications when the ranking matches began, but since this was 1st Year’s first ranking match and they weren’t familiar with the system, no alerts had appeared even when the time started.
Then one of the students sitting at their desk suddenly shouted in surprise.
“Cheon Bo-bae challenged Cheon Hu-geon!”
Ding!
The alert came late, and when I checked the school notification app, the challenge announcement had been posted.
The students who had been chattering in small groups suddenly made a fuss and stared at the two of them as a challenge erupted within the same class.
Both were from 1st Year 1st Class, but Cheon Bo-bae was ranked 21st while Cheon Hu-geon was 18th.
If rankings remained unchanged, Cheon Bo-bae would have to drop to Class 2, so challenging was only natural.
Even children—or perhaps because they were children—were sensitive to hierarchy and rankings.
When I thought about it, while it was unavoidable for level-based instruction, it was a cruel system.
Wasn’t this bordering on child abuse?
“I thought the first challenge would be directed at Cheon Ji-woo.”
Cheon Ga-ryeong spoke as if surprised, looking at me.
Since I’d been unable to use my inner energy for an extended period, the fact that my power was sealed had become fairly well-known not just in Class 1 but throughout other classes as well.
Knowing this fact, Kim Do-hwa had asked me how I’d handle the ranking matches, and during the faculty meeting, the teachers had gathered opinions on the matter.
“The kids in Class 1 must have been gauging your reaction.”
When I gestured toward Cheon So-yeon, she looked around the class with a fierce glint in her eyes, grinning wickedly.
As I mentioned before, children were sensitive to hierarchy.
Over the past year, some classmates had noticed that Cheon So-yeon received special treatment, and a few had even requested matches with her during martial arts training sessions.
Each time Cheon So-yeon received such requests, she would easily deflect them as if it were nothing.
A year was enough time for even the most hot-blooded youngster to feel the gap in ability.
Kim Do-hwa stood up and spoke.
“Everyone quiet. If there are no additional challenges to Cheon Hu-geon within 10 minutes, the match must proceed. You two, wait for now.”
Everyone was watching Cheon Hu-geon and Cheon Bo-bae, waiting to see if their match would happen, when an alert sounded.
Ding!
“This time someone challenged Cheon Ji-woo!”
“As expected, it’s as expected.”
Cheon Ga-ryeong spoke as if she’d known this would happen.
The students watched carefully as I, from their own class, received a challenge.
With my inner energy sealed, I was desirable prey.
“I’ve never seen this name before—they’re ranked 37th!”
If I lost to the challenger, they would take my ranking, and I would drop by one-fifth of the ranking difference they held.
Since someone ranked 37th had challenged me, if I lost, I would drop 6 ranks and become 13th.
Students ranked 13th and below, or 36th and above, would naturally shift down one position each.
One might think I could just lose and drop one rank, but apparently that wouldn’t work because it would make top-ranked students lazy.
If I received one challenge and fought once a day, that would be the end of it, but in my case, if I simply acknowledged consecutive losses and moved on, wouldn’t I only drop 5 ranks in the ranking matches?
It made sense—since this ranking tournament’s results would carry over to next year’s tournament, there couldn’t be a structure where even six consecutive defeats would drop someone more than thirty places.
Ding! Ding! Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!
“Wow, I’ve never received such an enthusiastic barrage of challenges before.”
The moment one person challenged me, challenges came pouring in as if everyone suddenly realized they couldn’t afford to lose.
Nine people in total had challenged me.
I must have looked that easy to beat.
“Cheon Ji-woo, you have a limited time to choose your opponent. If you don’t select one, you’ll face whoever challenged you first.”
At Kim Do-hwa’s words, Cheon So-yeon checked the list of people who had challenged me.
Two of the nine were from Class 1 of 1st Year.
When Cheon So-yeon glared at the two who had challenged me with cold eyes, they both flinched.
I lightly flicked Cheon So-yeon’s forehead and spoke.
“Don’t glare at them like that. It’s only natural they’d try, after all.”
“I suppose… you’re right.”
Cheon So-yeon’s expression grew sullen.
“But it’s cowardly to challenge you knowing you can’t use your inner energy!”
“There’s no helping it. If I can’t overcome this, the others will think I’m just someone stuck in Class 1 who can’t even use inner energy.”
In the end, this was something I had to overcome.
And wasn’t that exactly why Cheon So-yeon had been putting me through practical combat training?
Cheon So-yeon stared at the list of people who had challenged me as if she wanted to devour it.
“From what I can see, this one seems better.”
“Rank 36? Fine, let’s go with that then.”
Either way, it didn’t matter to me whether I ended up in Class 2 or Class 3.
Cheon So-yeon and I always commuted together and played together at home anyway—what difference would it make if we were just in different classes?
But it seemed Cheon So-yeon’s fighting spirit showed no signs of diminishing.
“We’re heading to the Training Halls now. Cheon Bo-bae and Cheon Hu-geon, go to Training Hall No. 3. Cheon Ji-woo, go to Training Hall No. 1. The rest of you can watch any matches you’d like on your screens until it’s your turn to challenge or be challenged.”
At Kim Do-hwa’s instruction, everyone headed to their seats and pulled up the match between Cheon Bo-bae and Cheon Hu-geon.
Each chair served dual purposes—both as a Virtual Reality machine and as an electronic device supporting hologram displays.
It wasn’t for nothing that I’d been shocked the first time I saw this, realizing how ridiculously expensive the equipment was.
I would have preferred to sit comfortably and just watch, but I had no choice but to head to the Training Hall.
As I entered Training Hall No. 1, the Vice Principal greeted me.
“Welcome, Cheon Ji-woo. Please stand on the blue marker over there and wait.”
I bowed respectfully to the Vice Principal and climbed onto the arena floor.
Not long after, the rank 36 challenger who had challenged me entered the Training Hall.
Despite his young age, he had quite a sturdy build and looked rather tough.
“So you’re the idiot who can’t even use inner energy?”
Huh, did this kid teach himself manners through self-study? Listen to how he talks.
The Vice Principal’s brow furrowed slightly as he issued a warning to rank 36.
“Cheon Cheong-o, that’s a warning. If you use vulgar language even once more and show disrespect to your opponent, you’ll receive a penalty.”
At the Vice Principal’s warning, rank 36—Cheon Cheong-o—flinched and became cautious.
I smiled slightly and spoke to the Vice Principal.
“I’m fine. What does it matter if some 36th-ranked nobody flaps his mouth? If you lack skill, you have to make noise to get people’s attention, don’t you? This is all because he didn’t receive enough love growing up. Vice Principal, please understand with your generous heart.”
The Vice Principal was taken aback by my words, and the 36th-ranked student’s face flushed red and purple as he realized I was insulting him.
“You—!”
“Cheon Cheong-o! The match hasn’t started yet. Return to your position. Attacking before the match begins results in disqualification.”
Despite the Vice Principal’s warning, the 36th-ranked student glared at me with a sense of grievance, but there was nothing he could do.
He could only hope the match would start quickly.
“We will now begin the ranking match between Cheon Ji-woo of 1st Year 1st Class and Cheon Cheong-o of 1st Year Class 2-B. Both competitors, take your weapons.”
The 36th-ranked student and I faced each other and drew our swords.
“Match start!”
The moment the Vice Principal gave the signal, the 36th-ranked student rushed at me.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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