Chapter 13: Many-on-One Duel (1)
Naming an opponent in a duel was akin to a provocation.
Especially since Instructor Brook fanned the flames with his words, making the act even more provocative.
But calling out opponents with insults was an entirely different matter.
“Dale, Branco. Come out, you bastards.”
Calling them bastards while naming them was literally a challenge to fight.
Especially if there was already bad blood between them.
“Grr…!”
“You damn—!”
Dale and Branco, named simultaneously, were so enraged their foreheads pulsed with veins.
How dare someone like Jack pick them—nay, both of them?
“Pfft, that guy’s hilarious. Picking two?”
“Dale and Branco are pretty strong, aren’t they? Or not?”
“Heh, they’re totally getting dissed. Weren’t they the ones bullying him?”
Whether they knew the history or not, the situation was just amusing.
“Enjoying the show? Quiet down!”
“Let’s go. We’ll half-kill him.”
Seeing the fuming duo, Brook smiled contentedly.
“Whoa, I don’t know what’s between you, but calm down. This is a duel, isn’t it?”
His words were empty; his expression screamed excitement.
A fight with a backstory was always entertaining.
“Now, pick your weapons from the rack.”
Before Brook finished, Dale and Branco drew their swords.
Jack, however, approached the armor stand instead.
“Hm?”
He took the plate gauntlets and slipped them on.
“I’ll use these.”
The cadets whispered at Jack’s choice.
Brook, grasping Jack’s intent, questioned him.
“Are you saying you’ll use hand-to-hand combat? Hmm, I’ll respect your choice. But I won’t be responsible for the outcome.”
Wearing only the gauntlets, Jack faced Dale and Branco.
“Phew…”
A tense moment.
Jack had never thought he could beat these two.
He hadn’t even dared resist either of them.
The fear ingrained from countless harassments had crushed him.
But Evan had slowly broken that fear, And Jack recalled his teachings one by one.
Think you’ll lose? I’m certain if you remember all the times you sparred with me, facing those guys will be nothing.
Harsh training under the guise of guidance.
Now was the time to see the results.
Believe. In the Young Master, and in myself.
Recalling Evan’s advice, Jack clenched his fists and took a stance.
“Now, begin!”
As the duel started, Jack let out a battle cry.
“Hah!!!”
Thinking it was just a shout, Dale and Branco scoffed.
But in that moment, Jack charged forward with explosive speed.
“Huh?”
“What!”
Brook couldn’t hide his surprise.
Explosive propulsion! I thought he was scrawny, but he’s packed with muscle?
Reaching them in an instant, Jack threw a punch at Dale.
Dale blocked with his sword, but the impact pushed him back.
“Ugh!”
Branco swung his sword to counter.
“Die.”
A strike laced with malice.
Brook briefly considered intervening but held back.
Because Jack dodged it effortlessly.
Swish.
Branco was flustered, and so was Jack.
What? Just like the Young Master said, their attacks are predictable and slow?
Dale and Branco had once seemed like insurmountable walls.
But after Evan’s grueling training, Jack’s body had transformed.
“You dodged that? Lucky bastard.”
“Lucky? Don’t make me laugh.”
As if shedding a heavy sandbag,
Or rising from the deep sea to the surface, Jack’s eyes and body were now too fast and light for their attacks to land.
Dash!
No way! He’s actually dodging my sword?
Branco’s strikes didn’t even graze Jack.
Though he didn’t show it, he was stunned.
Who was he?
A prodigy sent here for his family’s high expectations.
He was supposed to crush worms like Jack and his master, Evan.
What was happening now?
“Branco, you idiot! What are you doing!”
Unable to stand by, Dale stepped in.
They hadn’t teamed up due to Branco’s pride, but the situation was dire.
“Hah!”
They’d long forgotten the onlookers’ gazes.
Their priority was subduing the target before them.
But was that even possible?
What? Why can’t we hit him?
Is this a dream?
Even their combined attacks couldn’t touch Jack.
Meanwhile, Jack began to smile, dodging their strikes with ease.
It’s really happening like the Young Master said. Their unbeatable attacks are this pathetic?
Since the training hall, Jack had learned hand-to-hand combat from Evan and sparred with him consistently.
The result: hundreds of losses.
Jack had never once dodged Evan’s sword.
But the day before the duel, a miracle happened.
Jack dodged Evan’s first strike, and Evan said:
Good. This means you’ve got nothing to worry about tomorrow.
Dodging Evan’s sword just once was enough.
Even holding back, Evan was a Weapon Master of the continent.
To dodge his sword even once meant Jack’s skills had skyrocketed.
Enough that Dale and Branco’s attacks couldn’t reach him.
“Huff…”
“Are we seeing things?”
There was no need to prolong it.
Jack stepped back, stood still, And beckoned them with his hand, taunting.
“You bastard!”
“I’ll kill you!”
Enraged to the limit, the two charged together.
For the first time in the duel, their sword strikes synced.
Those guys! Even if it’s a duel…
Brook stepped forward to intervene but stopped.
Jack’s eyes were clearly tracking their swords.
No way…
Jack didn’t dodge.
He planted his feet firmly, spread his arms, and waited.
Trust me. Except for Jaina, no cadet can cut through plate gauntlets with a sword.
Believing Evan, Jack reached out.
Clang!
He caught the two swords aimed at his neck.
He grabbed the swords with his hands? That guy’s got some guts. Was he prepared to get cut?
Jack gripped the swords with such force his teeth nearly cracked.
“Ugh!”
The two couldn’t budge their swords.
Jack forcefully yanked the swords from their hands.
With the swords in his grip, he threw a right punch at Dale’s face.
Pow!
And a left at Branco’s.
Pow!
Strikes with plate gauntlets.
The blows drew nosebleeds, and their eyes rolled back.
Thud.
Jack had won.
“Outstanding, Jack Reed!”
Brook raised his voice unconsciously.
Jack’s fighting spirit had infected him.
If Jaina’s duel was like eating a fine steak, Jack’s was like tearing into a pig barbecue with your hands.
Raw, rugged intensity.
It was enough to thrill Brook, who’d seen countless duels.
“One of the most electrifying duels I’ve seen recently. Truly excellent, Jack.”
At Brook’s praise, the cadets’ gazes toward Jack changed.
From scorn and mockery to respect and cheers.
“Awesome!”
“Jack, I see you in a new light!”
Jack couldn’t hide his joy at having truly defeated Dale and Branco.
“I… I won.”
Returning to his place, Jack looked at Evan, His eyes like a puppy seeking praise.
“Happy?”
“Of course! I beat Dale and Branco!”
“Took you too long. You should’ve finished in a minute.”
“Huh? But that’s a bit…”
“What? If you’re my disciple, that’s the standard. If you hadn’t toyed with them midway, you could’ve done it.”
Evan’s rational critique of areas for improvement gave a cold impression.
As Jack’s joy dimmed, Evan, considering his young age, added some praise.
“But you did well. For a first try.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Now watch how your master does it.”
Several duels followed, but none challenged Evan or named him.
As the duels reached the midpoint, someone finally called him out.
“I name Evan Lafard.”
A cadet, among the top ranks and staying in the Tower like Evan, named him.
Not as skilled as Jaina, but a formidable opponent.
“Evan Lafard, step forward.”
At Brook’s call, Evan smirked and stepped up.
“Now, choose your weapons.”
The cadet who named Evan picked a spear.
Evan, however, hesitated long at the rack.
“Hmm…”
Then he chose it.
Clink!
What Evan grabbed wasn’t a weapon but the chain securing the rack and weapons.
“I’ll use this.”
Seeing Evan with the chain, Brook’s eyebrow twitched.
“That’s not a weapon.”
“Depends on how you use it.”
Confidence or mockery?
Brook was skeptical of Evan’s intentions.
“Evan, if you insist on using that, I won’t stop you. But remember, this isn’t just a duel—it’s a test. If you act frivolously, even if you win, you won’t get a good evaluation.”
A warning.
Brook gently cautioned Evan about choosing the chain.
Yet he didn’t tell him to pick a proper weapon.
Brook was curious, too.
The Head Instructor and Nell both praised Evan highly…
Had he been trained by the Duke, as rumored, Or had he been hiding his strength? Brook wanted to see for himself.
“Then, begin.”
At the signal, the spear-wielding cadet charged without hesitation.
“Hah!”
Evan stood still and threw the chain.
Clink!
The chain wrapped around the cadet’s torso.
“Huh?”
Evan pulled the chain and lunged forward.
He bent his index and middle fingers, striking the cadet’s jaw precisely.
Tap!
A balanced strike, neither too weak nor too strong.
The cadet’s jaw shook, and he fell backward.
Evan pulled the chain to let him fall gently.
Slide.
Five seconds.
It all happened in five seconds.
“…”
The watching cadets gaped, speechless.
Jaina and Jack were no different.
And Brook, too.
“Told you.”
Evan shook his arm, wrapping the chain back up.
It seemed Evan’s duel would end powerfully and briefly.
At least until Brook called him back as he turned to leave.
“Hold on.”
“Yes?”
“I have a proposal.”
Brook made an intriguing offer to Evan.
“Honestly, that was too short to gauge your skill.”
“Well… yeah?”
“So, I’d like you to show one more duel. This time, against multiple opponents.”
He wanted to see Evan face several at once.
“The duel’s already over, and you want another?”
“Yes.”
“Really? Shouldn’t we consider the other cadets’ opinions?”
“Fair point.”
Brook stepped to the center and addressed the cadets.
“So, here’s my proposal. If any of you defeat Evan, I’ll exempt you from training for a week. What do you say? Worth a try?”
A week of training exemption.
The sweet offer tempted the cadets.
With multiple people, surely one could win?
All eyes turned to Evan, wondering how many he’d pick.
Evan scanned the crowd and raised his hand.
“Over there.”
As Brook followed Evan’s finger to call names, Evan continued.
“From there to here.”
His finger traced a full circle around the arena, returning to the starting point.
“I’ll face every cadet here.”