Chương 14: THE DUEL (2)

The crowd erupted all at once. As they couldn't comprehend what just happened. They started to make theories to make sense of the situation.

"What the… Did that blade just move on its own?!"

"No way. Did that Jimin do that?"

"Those blades were on the ground a second ago!"

"Is that his unique skill!?"

"Wait. Is his unique skill… Telekinesis?"

"That would explain everything that just happened!" Seong-ho thought in his mind, Telekinesis, huh! Interesting…. And dropping that blade as bait… This kid can use his damn head. Really interesting. A storm of voices crashed over the arena. Disbelief, excitement, suspicion. Students craned their necks, shouting over one another. The noise was overwhelming; yet sharp enough that Jimin could hear fragments even in the middle of his fight. As expected… They noticed. Dae-ho's face twisted in rage.

"You motherf-!" He couldn't finish his sentence. As Jimin suddenly broke the deadlock; twisting his hips, and shoving upward. His spear swept Dae-ho's blade aside in a sharp metallic scrape. The sudden release of force staggered Dae-ho; he was thrown off balance, as his leg was already injured. Jimin didn't let him recover. He lunged forward with rapid, stabbing thrusts; fast, direct, and desperate. His movements lacked polish. His form was stiff and clumsy. His footwork was sloppy.

Every thrust looked like it was made by someone using a spear for the first time. Because he was. But the blows still came constantly; as Jimin didn't want to lose the upper hand. Dae-ho parried most of them, sparks bursting whenever metal clashed against metal, but two slipped through; one grazing his side arm, another jabbing near his lower ribs before the earth reinforced just in time. The force wasn't enough to fully pierce through. Still, it wounded him and made him bleed. Thus, it forced him on the defensive.

What the hell. Why is this bastard so relentless? Dae-ho snarled in his mind. The crowd couldn't believe what was happening. Some even started cheering for Jimin.

"Is Dae-ho really being pushed back by that Jimin?"

"Way to go Jimin. Beat him up."

"Don't tell me I am gonna lose this bet."

"Don't you dare lose Dae-ho!" —--- Jimin grimaced with each awkward swing. This spear… why is it so damn hard to use? I thought a wise man said spears were the easiest for beginners! If I could just find that wise man now, I would shove this spear up his ass. It was a loud thought; a painful realization. No… it's not the spear. It's the damn stats gap between us. Our bodies aren't even at the same level. I injured his leg and hip; but this bastard can still generate this much power.

If I'm swinging a stick, then this bastard is swinging a damn sledgehammer. Then, he changed strategy. As he wanted to fight on equal terms. And what was a better option than his telekinesis. Damn. This constant close-range dogfight has had me on edge, since the start. I couldn't focus enough to use telekinesis properly. Then, he found a way to turn this fight in his favor. He focused hard, while still launching constant thrusts against Dae-ho. He focused on the two blades lodged in Dae-ho's thigh and butt.

Still embedded. Dae-ho hadn't pulled them out yet, as it would lead to heavy blood loss. Jimin tightened his invisible grip. Dae-ho's eyes widened.

"N-No, don't you f-!" Jimin started twisting both blades at once. Dae-ho's scream tore through the air.

"GAAAHHH—!!" The pain ripped through him, raw and unfiltered. He parried one of Jimin's sloppy strikes more from instinct than skill. Then he stepped in, face red with fury.

"You fuc*ing bastard-!!" His gauntlet covered fist shot forward. The punch connected cleanly with Jimin's stomach. The sound was awful. A deep, heavy thud that echoed through the hall. Jimin's world turned black for a second. Air burst from his lungs. Blood gushed from his mouth as he flew backward, body folding mid-air before crashing onto the ground, skidding back to a painful stop. His spear flung out of his grip and clattered several meters away. The hall went silent for an instant. Then-"Holy crap!"

"That must've shattered his ribs!"

"E-1 stats can't tank that!"

"He's done. No way he's getting up from that." Yuna's face had fear and worry written all over it. Seong-ho's face was expressionless. Hang on, kid. Where did all that flare go? Don't let it end here. Jimin couldn't breathe. His entire torso throbbed. His vision was getting blurry. The world tilted like a sinking ship. Stay awake! Stay awake! He barely managed to press his hand to the floor, pushing against the trembling in his arms. His body felt like it had a hole through it. He gasped and groaned.

His breath wheezed. His ribs felt like they were laced with cracks. Ughh… I am lucky that punch hit my stomach. But he wasn't unconscious. Not yet. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. He exhaled through clenched teeth and opened his Status Window. —------------------------------------------------- [HP: 132 / 250 STA: 58 / 120 MP: 76 / 100 PE: 113 / 150] —------------------------------------------------- Half my HP… and stamina nearly halved. But PE… I still have over 100.

I can still fight. But I need to finish this fast. Across the arena, Dae-ho squeezed the hilts of the blades embedded in him.

"Fuck… fuck… fuck!" he hissed. He grabbed both blades; ripped them out in one brutal motion and threw them far away from Jimin. Blood splattered. Fresh pain seared through him. He instantly hardened the wounds with earth armor; dull brown stone formed over the bleeding wounds, sealing the injuries. He panted. His eyes were wild. What the hell is going on…? None of this should've happened. He is the one who was supposed to be bleeding like this; not me!

If my Endurance and Vitality stats weren't high, I'd already be down… He steadied himself and checked his status. He needed to finish this. Before his own stamina collapsed. Meanwhile, Jimin extended his senses to recall his blades; but nothing responded. The blades had been thrown too far. He couldn't sense them. He hissed in annoyance and forced his body up. His arms trembled. His legs shook. A shadow moved. Dae-ho was already rushing at him.

"Shit!" Jimin pulled hastily with Telekinesis, dragging his spear across the arena floor toward him. Dae-ho's blade was already coming down. Jimin grabbed the spear mid-slide and raised it just in time. CLANG!! The impact sent vibrations through his bones; but his spear didn't fly away this time. Because this time, he wasn't holding it by himself. He reinforced the spear with Telekinesis, pressing invisible force against the weapon. His arms no longer bore the full weight alone. A notification popped up.

—--------------------------------------------- [Telekinesis has reached Lv. 3] –—-------------------------------------------- Jimin was thrilled. Perfect timing. But he had no time to check it. Dae-ho roared, "JUST DIE ALREADY!" and unleashed a barrage of sword swings like a madman. The swings were heavy, ferocious and wild; yet terrifyingly effective. Jimin blocked one. Parried the next. Dodged the third by a hair's breadth.

His movements were clumsy, but Telekinesis compensated, reinforcing every motion with necessary support. Still; the force behind each slash was unreal. Jimin's arms burned. His breathing grew ragged. He could feel his stamina draining like water through a cracked bowl. They clashed while moving across the entire arena. Metal rang out endlessly. The crowd went insane.

"What is happening!?"

"He's still standing!?"

"Look at that spear. Its movement is smoother than before!"

"Dae-ho's slowing down!" But Jimin could feel it too. He couldn't keep this up forever. Neither could Dae-ho. The next strike came from the side like a hammer. CLANG!! The force ripped the spear from Jimin's hands despite Telekinesis support. It spiraled across the arena and landed near the boundary. Dae-ho's eyes gleamed.

"Got you." He raised his sword for the finishing attack. But suddenly two blades shot toward his face and stomach.

"WHAT!?" Dae-ho didn't realize that while moving across the arena, they ended up near the spot, where he threw Jimin's blades. While fighting, Jimin sensed his blades and recalled them to attack. But that reduced his power on the spear. Which resulted in this. Dae-ho managed to deflect the blades just in time, using his gauntlet and reinforced forearm. A shock rippled across the crowd. But Jimin used this brief moment and slipped past Dae-ho. He sucked in a breath as he staggered toward his spear.

He didn't use Telekinesis to retrieve it. His psychic energy was almost gone. So, he didn't want to waste any more psychic energy. He opened his Status again. —---------------------------------------- [STA: 18 / 120 | PE: 32 / 150] —----------------------------------------"Damn…" he whispered.

"I barely have enough left to reinforce the spear… not enough for the move I practiced earlier this morning." He forced himself to get closer to the spear. Just a few more steps. But his legs trembled violently. Then bent slightly. He collapsed on his knees, the spear just within arm's reach.

"Damn it!" he yelled loudly through clenched teeth, palms scraping the floor. He raised his trembling fingers toward the weapon; but his hand couldn't grab hold of it. On the other side of the arena, Dae-ho saw this. And grinned. He threw away his sword. The sound clattered like a death sentence. Jimin heard it and turned back slightly sideways to see. He tried to stand up but his knees were still bent. Dae-ho lowered his stance. Earth armor formed thickly around his arms and shoulders.

Mana glowed, faint but visible, gathering around his muscles like a brown aura. The air trembled around him. He was activating a true finishing strike; a skill. The crowd roared.

"He's using a skill!"

"This is the end!"

"Jimin is done!" Dae-ho charged toward Jimin, earth-shattering steps thundering across the arena.

"GO TO HELL, JIMIN!!" He yelled. Yuna covered her eyes with shaking hands. Seong-ho watched, jaw tight, nodding his head, while lowering it slightly in disappointment. Is this how it ends? It's all my fault. I should've never proposed this duel. —- This was it. He was almost about to hit Jimin. The distance closed like a guillotine falling. Five meters. Four. Three. Two. But suddenly, Jimin whispered silently,"DASH." As soon as he said that, he almost vanished from Dae-ho's sight.

Only a faint, blurry afterimage of Jimin remained where he had been kneeling; a ghost that lasted less than a millisecond before vanishing like smoke. Dae-ho blinked.

"What the…" Jimin instantly appeared at his left flank; just far enough to avoid the charge, but close enough to strike. He didn't hesitate. He didn't think anymore. He poured every bit of his telekinetic power; as much as he could muster, into a single move. The spear lifted slightly upward; parallel to the ground; driven by Jimin's will. It slammed into Dae-ho's toe with brutal precision and power. The momentum did the rest. Dae-ho tripped; but it was more than just simply tripping.

His body leaned forward; off the ground; his balance shattered. The impact of his own charge multiplied the force. He almost flew. Arms flailing. Armor cracking. Screaming. He crashed into the ground face-first, rolling violently before his body skidded far away. The impact of Dae-ho's crash, sounded like a car had crashed inside. Heavy silence. Absolute cold silence. Nobody understood what they had just witnessed. Jimin collapsed onto his backside, chest heaving, vision blurry, lungs burning like fire.

He blinked at the ceiling. Then at the arena. Then at Dae-ho's sprawled body; unconscious.

"What… what did I just do," he whispered. The silence continued like the world had briefly forgotten how to breathe. Then, Yuna uncovered her eyes, sensing the strange silence. She looked at the arena. Then, at Jimin, inside the arena. Then at Dae-ho, outside the boundary. Seong-ho stepped forward, arms crossed again. His voice boomed. With a downward wave of his hand, he announced,"The winner of this duel…. is Sam Jimin." A slight trace of a proud grin was visible on his face. Hearing that, Yuna's jaw fell open.

She stared blankly. Then first out of confusion and then out of shock, she let out,"Ehh…. Aeeeehhhhhhhhh."