Chapter 53: Choi Ji-Won is Too Strong (4)

Choi Ji-Won’s plan was straightforward.

The opponent was overwhelmingly strong. Holding back in a fight like this was nonsensical.

However, attacking the opponent’s weakness at the very start, when their strength was at its peak, was unlikely to be effective.

So, the strategy was to clash with full force initially. Then, when the opportunity arises, aim for the weakness. Though the city’s master may be strong as a monster, she was still a human; there had to be a gap to exploit.

“Huuuh…”

Having quickly formulated her plan, Choi Ji-Won gripped Boong-Boong’s hilt.

As Boong-Boong smoothly slid out of its sheath, its blade gleaming in the sunlight, Choi Ji-Won rapidly advanced.

‘The head.’

She raised Boong-Boong above her head and brought it down with force.

This overhead strike was fundamental in both kendo and swordsmanship, taught early for a reason: simple yet effective.

The motion starting from Choi Ji-Won’s feet, flowing through her waist and arm, and finally reaching the tip of the sword was a display of efficient power, without any waste.

“Oh, not bad…”

The city’s master easily deflected the powerful strike with her own sword.

‘The head.’

In Kendo, a straightforward strike to the head is both the beginning and the end. If one seeks to master kendo, this is the first and most repeated stance to perfect.

And Choi Ji-Won was confident in her dedication to practice.

Whoosh!

Her sword swung in a trajectory perfectly identical to the previous one.

“Do I look like a fool to you?”

The city’s master twisted her mouth as if to say she wasn’t foolish enough to fall for the same trick twice.

“...What?”

Incredibly, the city’s master found herself forced to block the strike in exactly the same way again. Choi Ji-Won’s attack came a half-beat faster than she anticipated.

The interval between retrieving her sword and striking again was absurdly short.

‘The head.’

Choi Ji-Won, not giving the city’s master a moment to think amidst her confusion, now swung her sword in a diagonal arc.

“Eek…”

The city’s master stepped back, twisting her waist slightly.

Whoosh!

The sword whizzed past her nose.

It was a close call, a mere paper’s width away from hitting, showcasing the city master’s innate talent for judging distances. However,

“Kuh!”

Continuing the momentum of her swing, Choi Ji-Won spun halfway around and launched a kick, which the city’s master, apparently unprepared, hurriedly blocked with her right arm.

The diagonal slash wasn’t meant to be a strike with force. It was a feint, with the kick in mind from the start.

“...Huuuh.”

The city’s master, her face momentarily twisted in panic, quickly regained her composure.

Initially, she had intended to toy with Choi Ji-Won. That’s why she had entered the fight so casually...

But this was an unforeseen scenario. A climber who had just ascended to the second level showing this level of skill? The Caucasian climber she had fought about a month ago had better stats and traits but lacked finesse in utilizing them.

But this woman was different. Though her stats might be inferior, her combat sense was off the charts.

However, instead of dwelling on this absurd turn of events, the city’s master chose to calm her emotions.

She was a seasoned warrior and knew too well that heated emotions were of no help in battle.

With regained calmness, the city’s master began to fight more conventionally.

The foundation of a knight’s battle is reconnaissance. Know thy enemy and know thyself, and you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles.

Maintaining a safe distance to prevent lethal blows and launching probing attacks, she began to gauge her opponent’s capabilities.

“...Ugh.”

As the city’s master began to fight seriously, the tide of the battle abruptly shifted.

In terms of physical prowess, the city’s master was superior.

Her depth in swordsmanship was also greater.

From the start, Choi Ji-Won was at a disadvantage, and her earlier success was due to the city’s master being completely off guard.

Now, Choi Ji-Won was being steadily overpowered. Every step the city’s master took forward forced Choi Ji-Won a step back. Scratches began to appear on Choi Ji-Won’s leather armor.

To any onlooker, it was a clear domination by the city’s master, but ironically, their inner thoughts were the opposite.

‘…’

The city’s master gritted her teeth.

This ponytail woman was strange. Unnaturally quick. There was more power in her sword than it seemed, causing a tingling pain in the city’s master’s palms with each clash.

Especially her ability to dodge attacks from blind spots, as if she had eyes in the back of her head, almost provoked a curse.

The plan was to overpower with pure swordsmanship without using magic... but it wasn’t going as smoothly as expected.

While the city’s master was superior in the realm of swordsmanship...

With every clash, Choi Ji-Won was rapidly catching up.

Of course, if the city’s master started using her magic in full force, the situation would turn 180 degrees...

But her pride, wanting to win with swordsmanship, and the anxiety of being caught up were fiercely conflicting in her mind.

‘She’s quite capable.’

Meanwhile, Choi Ji-Won and Boong-Boong were metaphorically smiling inside.

She had a trait that allowed her to sense the strength of her opponents.

And according to that trait, the woman in front of her was an unbelievable monster. That’s why Choi Ji-Won had been so tense.

But after crossing swords directly, she realized.

She could win. The city’s master, without using magic, wasn’t as monstrous as she had thought.

The city’s master had the upper hand in strength and agility, and even in the finesse of technique.

But Choi Ji-Won was still growing. The more they exchanged blows in split-second timing, the more her brain sparked with inspiration.

What she had lacked was real combat experience against superhumans.

If this continued for just ten more minutes...

Choi Ji-Won was confident she could win.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two figures, moving at superhuman speed, entwined in a beautiful dance across the square, with sparks brilliantly embroidering the air.

“...I can’t really see them. Can you?”

“...”

To firefighter Park Cheol-jin’s question, I didn’t answer verbally but simply nodded slightly.

Truthfully, it was hard to see. Their movements were so fast that they left only blurry afterimages.

Still, I could roughly grasp the situation. Choi Ji-Won initially seemed to have an edge, but now she was being pushed back.

Yet, she was holding on remarkably well.

This was problematic.

“Oh, wow… this is insanely cool…”

“Damn, is this like an animation? Is this level of fighting even real?”

“It’s like a legend…”

As other players expressed their awe, I couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated.

The original plan required Choi Ji-Won to be on the defensive.

Then, at a critical moment, she was supposed to deliver a fatal blow, and just before retiring valiantly, I would step in to finish the job.

But Choi Ji-Won wasn’t being overpowered as expected. And the city’s master didn’t seem to be letting her guard down either.

The plan had slightly gone awry.

The reason was simple.

‘...Is Choi Ji-Won stronger than I thought?’

She was too strong.

I had assumed she would be easily overpowered, based on what Michael Jeter had said.

But whether it was a good match-up or Choi Ji-Won was just that exceptional, I hadn’t expected her to be able to compete so evenly with the city’s master.

Of course, the absence of lightning strikes indicated that the city’s master was holding back...

Still, the fact that Choi Ji-Won could stand her ground so well was beyond ordinary.

Choi Ji-Won. Ever since the tutorial, I’ve wondered what kind of woman she is.

Is this the prowess of a scion from an SSS-tier swordsmanship family? I feel like an extra in her story...

“Jun-Ho?”

My thoughts were interrupted by firefighter Park Cheol-jin.

“Look over there.”

The two fiercely battling figures had suddenly stopped.

“...It seems I can’t win with skill alone. You truly are a genius. And here I thought I was somewhat of one myself.”

The city’s master, rotating her sore wrists, shook her head in disbelief.

She had a hunch that if the fight continued this way, she would lose.

She had never seen anyone with such flawless fundamentals.

Psychological warfare didn’t work on her. Choi Ji-Won’s sense of distance was on par with hers, and she managed to block every attack, even those from blind spots.

Even the depth of swordsmanship, where the city’s master had initially had an advantage, was now matched by Choi Ji-Won. Choi Ji-Won was predicting her moves, while the city’s master couldn’t read Choi Ji-Won’s at all.

In summary… she had been utterly defeated.

“I’ll admit what needs to be admitted. In swordsmanship… I’ve lost.”

But her voice didn’t sound like one conceding defeat.

“Huuuh.”

The moment the city’s master opened her eyes after briefly closing them, her pupils started to glow faintly blue.

Electric currents began to flow around her body and armor, and her sword was enveloped in blue sparks.

“From now on, I’ll use the magic as well. It will be completely different from what you’ve seen so far. My true strength lies in my overwhelming magical power.”

Swordsmanship was never her strong suit. The ponytail woman’s victory over her in that regard wasn’t a big deal.

Just as the city’s master declared this and was about to adopt a combat stance,

“Wait!”

Choi Ji-Won suddenly extended her palm, halting the city’s master in her tracks as she was about to rush in.

“…?”

“Just a moment... I need to grab something.”

In the midst of the battle, Choi Ji-Won walked toward firefighter Park Cheol-jin, who was watching from an alleyway. She approached him with an elegant gesture of her palm.

“Give it to me, please.”

“...Yes.”

Park Cheol-jin handed her special leather gloves and arm guards he had prepared earlier. Choi Ji-Won smoothly slipped on the leather armor over her hands and arms and then walked back towards the city’s master.

“...Leather?”

“Electricity doesn’t conduct well through leather, right?”

Boong-Boong is a sword, made of metal.

That means, as long as Choi Ji-Won is holding Boong-Boong, the city master’s lightning will be drawn to it.

So, what would happen to Choi Ji-Won’s arms, holding the sword?

The city’s master had effortlessly subdued Michael Jeter. It was unlikely that Choi Ji-Won would remain unscathed.

“That’s why I prepared these thick, special gloves and leather arm guards.”

It would be unlike Choi Ji-Won to face off against the city’s master without any preparation.

Before coming to the square. The effort of rallying the liberated city’s residents had paid off.

“Shall we try again?”

“...Let’s.”

Choi Ji-Won and the city’s master… Their second round had begun.

– – – End of Chapter – – -

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