Chapter 38: Redheads don’t die! (4)

Potion of Lightspeed.

The name “Lightspeed” was an exaggeration, but for the one experiencing it, there wouldn’t be much of a difference.

Whether it was lightspeed or not, it was all the same if you couldn’t even see the movement.

The item Hyunwoo used, the Potion of Lightspeed, was literally a potion that greatly increased speed.

Thanks to it, Yushin lost track of Hyunwoo’s movements.

He suddenly got faster?

This wasn’t a natural speed.

If he could have done that from the beginning, he would have attacked right from the start.

That meant it was an artificial enhancement, not a natural one.

‘Did he use an item like a potion or a scroll? But I didn’t see him do anything like that.’

However, he couldn’t be certain just because he hadn’t seen it.

Judging that it could be another means of enhancement even if it wasn’t a potion, Yushin chose a suitable method to counter it.

Flowing Clone Technique.

The clones, which had multiplied to about three, parried Hyunwoo’s approaching attack.

Although they couldn’t be controlled, they were designed to react automatically when an attack came near.

“What the hell is this guy?”

“Why is he suddenly picking a fight?”

‘Good, they’re simple-minded.’

Fortunately, the clones’ aggro was successfully drawn to Hyunwoo instead of the main body.

The clones furiously rushed at Hyunwoo, and Hyunwoo clashed swords directly with Yushin’s clones.

‘Damn it, time’s already up.’

Items have usage limitations.

For example, the Potion of Lightspeed provided incredible speed, but at the same time, once its effect ended, his speed would be greatly reduced for half the duration it was active.

However, there was no way Hyunwoo would have used the item without considering such a penalty.

Hyunwoo immediately used his next item.

As expected, Hyunwoo’s speed slowed down significantly.

Just as the clones were about to use that opening to strike Hyunwoo down.

The clones that had clearly attacked were sent flying back.

Hyunwoo smiled as he watched.

Guardian Talisman.

An item that greatly increases defense and reflects the damage received back to the opponent.

Items don’t stack, but they can be used in this way to cover weaknesses.

‘I was originally saving these to fight bosses.’

He had a history of being swiftly eliminated by Baek Yushin early on, underestimating him and almost ruining everything.

After thinking about it, he realized they were not to be taken lightly.

It was just that Baek Yushin had insane plot armor.

So, from then on, Hyunwoo started to steadily collect items.

So that he could be prepared for any situation, just in case.

To be able to win, no matter the method.

But right now, Hyunwoo decided to use all the items he had saved for boss fights.

He already had to clear difficult quests just to obtain these items.

He had decided to use all the items he had worked so hard to get, just to kill this one person, Baek Yushin.

This was proof of how much of a crisis Hyunwoo felt.

‘First, I have to secure the protagonist’s position for myself. Otherwise, what’s the point of any of this!’

To Hyunwoo, the most important thing was the position of the protagonist.

Being anyone but the protagonist was meaningless.

This was a judgment derived from the countless experiences he had been through.

The world only looks at the protagonist.

Therefore, he had to grit his teeth and do his best to become the protagonist.

Because otherwise, he could do nothing.

Look at him now, how much I’ve already ruined that guy.

And yet, didn’t he survive thanks to his plot armor and come all the way here to face me?

If he’s like this even after I’ve ruined him, how big will the gap between us become later on?

Hyunwoo’s rage became flames that engulfed the training grounds.

Even Yushin couldn’t move rashly in the intense heat.

However, the heat was definitely weaker than before.

‘It seems one wing had that much of an impact, huh?’

But even in this situation, Yushin was calmly gathering information.

Dark Fantasy is like a hardcore game with no save and load feature.

Appealing choices appear.

But if you choose wrong, you die just like that.

Or end up in a state worse than death.

To avoid that, you had to be as cautious as possible, scraping together information to respond.

But you couldn’t be too cautious.

Being too cautious could make you miss an opportunity.

A tightrope walk between caution and boldness; only those who could manage it well could survive there.

‘Right now.’

And, in the eyes of Yushin, who had been a hero, he could see it.

In just two instances, he had seen through Hyunwoo’s trump card.

A very slight opening.

The moment he suddenly got faster, and the moment he suddenly became tougher.

Yushin forced his way into that opening, which was narrower than the eye of a needle.

In a fleeting moment, a slash aimed at the gap.

His reaction was delayed by the completely unexpected movement.

Five seconds.

It was only five seconds.

The time he spent holding Yushin back with flames while pondering which item to use next was a mere five seconds.

But Yushin didn’t miss that gap and latched onto it like a mad dog.

“Kuhk!!”

If he had used items to further enhance his stats and crushed him with that power.

If he had done that, Hyunwoo’s chances of winning would have been higher.

At least, until now, those methods had worked.

But there was something Hyunwoo had overlooked: his opponent was a hero who had rolled and tumbled through Dark Fantasy.

In Dark Fantasy, a single mistake could lead to a party wipe.

In fact, Yushin himself had lost comrades due to wrong choices and had even come close to losing his own life.

However, the accumulation of such experiences was what made him a hero.

Countless experiences.

And skills honed by crossing the line between life and death.

This made him an opponent far too overwhelming and powerful for Hyunwoo, who had so far been able to simply crush his enemies with stats.

To put it simply.

Let’s say you’ve only been playing PvE with cheats and suddenly you have to do PvP.

And what if the opponent isn’t some newbie, but a seasoned veteran?

Then you’re bound to get wrecked.

Hyunwoo’s last remaining wing completely vanished.

At the same time, the flames Hyunwoo was emitting also weakened significantly.

Hyunwoo was flustered by the unexpected attack, but.

Even in a pinch, his experience with using items kicked in.

Just as Yushin was about to finish him off, Hyunwoo, who was right in front of him, suddenly disappeared.

“Huff, huff!”

“Just how many trump cards does this bastard have?”

He had never met someone with so many trump cards.

Judging by his actions, it seemed he had other tricks up his sleeve besides the ones he’d already used.

There was nothing to be gained by letting his guard down.

And just as Yushin predicted, Hyunwoo was now deliberately showing an opening.

He had used another Guardian Talisman to increase his defense and had even loaded up the reflect damage.

But this time, Yushin didn’t attack and just watched Hyunwoo quietly.

Thanks to that, Hyunwoo wasted a precious item.

Hyunwoo gritted his teeth.

What the hell is he?

‘That guy shouldn’t know anything about the existence of items.’

‘So why is he acting like he sees through everything?’

I can’t understand it.

This shouldn’t be happening.

‘Damn it, I’ve already used up all the Guardian Talismans. I don’t have many items left either.’

To be precise, there were few items left that he could use in this situation.

The rest were non-combat items, useless now that he was in a fight.

Even if he kept using the few remaining items, it would be meaningless.

His strongest firepower had already been depleted.

Yushin pointed his sword at Hyunwoo’s neck and spoke.

“Are you planning to continue?”

He already knew it in his head.

That he could never beat Yushin.

Somehow, Yushin had become much stronger than him… But he just couldn’t bring himself to admit it.

“You think I’d lose to someone like you?!”

He scraped together all his remaining flames, gathered them in his hands, and charged at Yushin.

However, compared to before, his movements were now incredibly slow.

Of course, there was no way Yushin wouldn’t be able to react to that.

Yushin’s sword struck Hyunwoo’s chest one last time with great force.

Thwack!

At the same time, Hyunwoo’s body began to collapse.

Unable to withstand the powerful impact, Hyunwoo lost consciousness.

Finally, the winner of the not-so-short duel was decided.

Not Hyunwoo, but Yushin.

The students watching the match celebrated Yushin’s victory with a huge roar.

Yushin nodded and sheathed his sword.

This should be enough.

Of course, the experience he had accumulated as a hero in Dark Fantasy was screaming at him to end Hyunwoo’s life.

But Yushin rejected that impulse.

He didn’t want to kill anyone anymore.

He was sick and tired of blood.

If he were to harm someone, it would only be for those who were beyond redemption.

Or those who had crossed the line, Yushin decided.

So, at least, not now.

And above all, killing him in front of so many people?

That’s ridiculous.