F-Rank Secretly Becomes Stronger - Chapter 5

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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5

Banya Festival.

The only time when the Academy, which was usually filled with only students and instructors, allowed outsiders.

The festival was gently ripening as students enjoyed snacks with their friends or immersed themselves in various events.

The Academy was crowded with people due to food trucks and events organized by the Student Council.

The first day of the three-day event.

As evening approached, everyone gathered at the Dome located in the center of the Academy to watch the first round of the tournament.

“This tournament will probably end with the Valedictorian winning again, right?”

“You never know, the third-year Salutatorian could win if he prepares well enough.”

Students engaged in various debates, predicting the winner.

The students sat in their seats, waiting for the first match.

“Come to think of it, the first match features the Salutatorian, but who’s his opponent?”

“His opponent is probably…”

A second-year student checking the tournament bracket on his cell phone.

After fiddling with it for a moment, he soon revealed the name of the Salutatorian’s opponent.

“Jung Juhyeok?”

“Ah…”

His friend showed a look of vague recognition.

Jung Juhyeok was already quite a famous figure within the school.

A person who only ate and trained every day.

He was famous as a senior who, if you only counted the time spent in the Training Ground, wouldn’t fall short of being called the Academy’s all-time number one.

“That senior participated too.”

“Yeah, really. I heard he didn’t even make it into the top 200.”

“That’s pretty amazing in its own way.”

He wasn’t famous just for training like crazy.

Despite having such a murderous training regimen, his dismal grades couldn’t even get him into the top 200.

He was a senior who evoked pity from those who saw him.

“He would have lost even if he faced someone else, but facing the Salutatorian is really unlucky.”

“Still, you never know. It would be beneficial if he could just show a good fight.”

Graduation that would inevitably come with poor grades.

Once he left the Academy, it was obvious he wouldn’t be properly treated even by small-medium guilds.

Everyone expected that he probably entered the tournament to create even a small reversal in such a situation.

“His willpower alone is amazing. Guilds might view that favorably.”

“So what? His skills don’t show… Wouldn’t it be reasonable to give up after trying that much?”

All the underclassmen acknowledged his effort, but when asked if they wanted to be like him, they shook their heads.

It might be different if he showed some results, but if someone only ate and trained yet remained in the lower-middle ranks, it seemed rather foolish.

Though they felt like cheering for him, knowing the cold reality, everyone showed skeptical reactions to his tournament participation.

They expected that if he faced the Salutatorian, the match would end in less than a minute.

[The first round of the tournament will begin in 5 minutes.]

“Hey, it’s starting soon, where are you going?”

“The Salutatorian’s going to win anyway. I’m just going to the bathroom.”

“…”

The second-year student left his seat indifferently.

He thought there was no need to waste time on such an obvious result.

“Are you going to watch?”

“It’s the Salutatorian’s match, so I should watch.”

“Suit yourself. I’ll be back.”

After his friend disappeared, he looked around.

Many people seemed to think the same way, as he could see empty spaces where people had only reserved their seats.

At least people who looked like scouts remained since it was the Salutatorian’s match, but it was still a small crowd for a tournament.

He then looked down at the Arena.

Two students slowly warming up.

The third-year Salutatorian and Jung Juhyeok.

Seeing him brought back memories of a year ago when he was training alone in a trance at the Training Ground.

“…I hope he shows something.”

*

“Are both contestants ready!”

The instructor serving as referee shouts to both of them.

Whether the microphone was off, it echoed very faintly inside the Dome.

“I’m ready.”

“I’m ready too~”

Unlike Jung Juhyeok with his serious expression, Hyeongju was completely relaxed.

They signaled their readiness with contrasting faces.

“Alright, we’ll start right away.”

The instructor cleared his throat once and gestured in the air with his hand.

After a few seconds, confirming the microphone was on, he shouted loudly.

[Banya Festival Tournament First Round! Starting in 10 seconds!]

The countdown begins with countless cheers.

Numbers appear on the Electronic Scoreboard in the center of the Dome, counting down one by one.

10, 9, 8….

“Don’t even think about forfeiting since it’ll be boring.”

“I’ve never forfeited in my life.”

7, 6, 5.

“Unlike someone who frantically forfeited after getting trampled by the Valedictorian.”

“….”

His brow furrows sharply.

After throwing a provocation, he instead takes a hit and frowns unpleasantly.

4, 3, 2.

His heartbeat rises with excitement.

Hyeongju raised his sword and took his stance as he spoke.

“I’ll have to tear that mouth of yours first.”

1.

The countdown nearing its end.

The number disappears, and soon the instructor’s shout echoes.

[Begin!!!]

At the same time, Hyeongju charges forward first.

Speed that was a level faster than his previous Surprise Attack.

Since he couldn’t show his father the embarrassing sight of being parried and sprawled on the ground like last time, he came out with quite a strong strike from the start.

Clang!

It was blocked.

Clean Defense.

The two swords clashed and a clean, clear sound rang out.

Afterward, a textbook defensive stance countering the Consecutive Strikes that poured down repeatedly.

Jung Juhyeok blocked them with a stable posture without a single counterattack.

“You block well~ Did you hide somewhere for a week and take some drugs?”

He had expected it, but his skill had indeed improved considerably.

The previous Parrying and the attack that had caught him by surprise.

To dismiss it as mere luck, it was an attack on a completely different level from before.

However, Jung Juhyeok was a poor student who couldn’t even make it into the top 200.

He himself was a talented individual who shone as the third-year Salutatorian.

No matter how much he had honed his skills, the possibility of surpassing him in just one week approached zero.

“Don’t just block, do something! Can’t you see the people over there are getting bored?”

“….”

Hyeongju pressing forward with a confident stance.

To anyone watching, it might look like a one-sided beating with one side desperately focused only on defense.

Since Jung Juhyeok had focused only on defense for just 1 minute out of the total 5 minutes, it wasn’t unreasonable to think that way.

However, the scouts, instructors, and several other high-level people had all noticed.

‘There aren’t many people here yet.’

Juhyeok leisurely surveyed the spectator seats while clashing swords.

Knowing there were quite a few empty seats, he focused solely on defense.

[Stop!]

The sparring paused momentarily with the referee’s shout.

[The regular sparring time has ended, so we’ll pause briefly and enter overtime.]

“Persistent bastard…”

Hyeongju returned to his position, breathing heavily.

Without giving him a glance, Juhyeok casually looked at the spectator seats and saw they were quite filled compared to before.

Probably they had hurried back to their seats upon hearing that the third-year salutatorian and someone not even in the top 200 had dragged the match to overtime.

‘I guess this is enough.’

Drawing more attention would only create unwanted interest anyway.

If he truly didn’t want that, the best choice would have been not to come here at all. But Juhyeok was human too, so he had desires for revenge and showing off.

Juhyeok spoke to Hyeongju, who was breathing lightly.

“Do you know why I came here?”

“….”

“To look good to the scouts? No, I don’t want to look good to those people.”

With an artifact dwelling within his body.

In such a situation, drawing major attention would bring nothing good.

Even if large guilds offered scout proposals based on today’s results, he would never join them.

“A poor student’s bravado? That’s even less likely.”

Could he perhaps beat him with some luck?

Such complacent thoughts didn’t exist in his head at all.

Juhyeok simply felt certain when he parried his sword and cleanly succeeded in a surprise attack.

“I just simply accepted because I felt like I wouldn’t lose to you.”

He absolutely wouldn’t lose.

He felt no fear whatsoever, as if standing before a three-year-old child.

This might be arrogance, perhaps.

“A bastard who was just defending talks big…”

“You missed one important fact.”

With those words, the ground rolled vigorously under his feet.

“If I had been desperate just to block your defense, I would have been swept around and cornered.”

While countless footprints were carved in front, the area near Juhyeok remained pristine.

If he had been desperate to defend as Hyeongju claimed, the ground should have been disturbed.

But Juhyeok hadn’t moved even a few steps from his position.

“Did you see me step back even once from where I’m standing now?”

“….”

Hyeongju sensed something was wrong.

It wasn’t just the ground beneath his feet and around himself.

His opponent wasn’t sweating at all.

His own stamina had dropped and his hands were tingling.

Though he didn’t realize it, the attacks that started without serious intent had gradually transformed into earnest movements.

Yet even those desperate attacks couldn’t shake Juhyeok in the slightest.

[Overtime begins!]

As the overtime signal sounded, Juhyeok quickly moved from the position he had firmly defended.

Contrary to his attitude so far, he showed an aggressive stance and flew forward like lightning.

Clang!

“Ugh!”

He barely followed with his eyes and instinctively raised his sword to block.

The timing was late, putting great strain on his wrist and causing a groan to escape.

Late defense against an unexpected attack.

It created an opening, and Juhyeok didn’t miss that gap, thrusting straight through.

“Over.”

A guard executed by lifting the clashing sword upward to the sky and releasing it.

His upper body became defenseless, and Jung Juhyeok struck hard at his solar plexus with the sword hilt in that gap.

“Kugh!”

“From now on, it’s one minute. Count carefully.”

Left trapezius, right temple, back of the right knee.

He struck every corner so thoroughly that it would be easier to count the places that weren’t hit, deliberately inflicting just enough damage to barely keep him standing.

Now receiving compensation for the effort of time that no one could easily endure.

Recalling all the humiliation he had suffered for three years, he released his resentment with each attack.

‘Should I finish this soon.’

He had already taken enough revenge, and doing more would only draw excessive attention.

Having vented his anger as much as he wanted, just as he was thinking to end it with one final strike.

“Hup!”

“….”

Hyeongju twisted his body.

He read the sword path heading toward his thigh and somehow managed to raise his sword to barely block the strike with his blade.

Actually, calling it a block was too generous since he lacked the strength and got hit along with his sword, but what mattered now was that he had followed his sword movement.

‘He blocked it?’

Until now, his eyes couldn’t follow at all.

How did he manage to block an attack launched from a blind spot?

‘…It’s talent.’

The answer was simple.

Growth.

The genius he possessed was growing by feeding on himself, even while crumbling before an overwhelming difference.

“You… you bastard…”

Even while being beaten to near death, his eyes were still alive and breathing, glaring fiercely.

But that didn’t last long either.

“I’ll somehow kill you and—”

The guy couldn’t finish his words, showing the whites of his eyes as he fainted.

He collapsed to the floor just like that, and everyone witnessed the scene in silence.

“….”

Indeed, would someone with enough talent to reach the position of third-year salutatorian show such steep growth?

Jung Juhyeok didn’t feel particularly good despite clearly winning overwhelmingly.

‘Still not enough.’

Even if he beat the doll like crazy a million times, those with talent would eventually catch up.

For Jung Juhyeok, who couldn’t even be considered to have ordinary talent, there was only one way to catch up to talent.

[Training Room upgrade and mana replenishment for operation 1/100…]

The message appeared again as he touched his left arm.

“….”

Jung Juhyeok glanced at the spectator seats.

Noisy voices reached his ears.

“Right now, the third-year salutatorian collapsed, right?”

“Does this make sense?”

Academy students murmuring.

“How did Juhyeok…”

“I did feel his movements had gotten better recently…”

Instructors shocked by the completely unexpected result.

“….”

Even the guild scouts covering their mouths with their hands while chattering.

‘Did I draw too much attention.’

Still, it wasn’t a bad feeling.

However, savoring that feeling only lasted until here.

Jung Juhyeok approached the referee who was checking Hyeongju’s consciousness.

“He lost consciousness. It’s your victory.”

“Is that so.”

“I don’t know what you went through during that week, but it seems you’ve gained some kind of enlightenment. I’ll announce it now.”

The Referee raised his hand upward, signaling to the Sound Team.

Jung Juhyeok raised his hand along with him.

“Why are you doing that?”

“….”

It’s regrettable.

If it were up to his heart, he’d want to receive cheers following this silence.

The fact that he couldn’t do so was very disappointing.

‘For the bigger picture, this would be right.’

Jung Juhyeok smiled with a relieved expression and spoke to the Instructor serving as Referee.

“I forfeit.”

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