Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Battle Survival (3)

“……”

“……”

The two of us fell silent for a moment.

A serene stillness settled between us.

The wind tousled the strands of hair that fell across my forehead.

Through my scattered hair, the sharp gaze of Lee Siwoon remained clear.
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His eyes were serious and intense—so much so that I couldn’t blink.

Our eyes met suddenly, locking in a gaze.

Our stares tangled and intertwined.

The cold, hardened expression on Lee Siwoon’s face was vivid.

Though his expression was expressionless, there were faint traces of emotion.

Emotions that were a mix of many things.

“At this point, talking isn’t going to help, is it?”

“Yeah. Lee Jinhyuk, I want to see your skills.”

I wanted to resolve this with words if possible.

However, in a situation like this, it seemed impossible to persuade him.

What Lee Siwoon desired wasn’t to chat and laugh, but to clash in a battle of blades.

“Honestly, fighting you is a bit daunting.”

Should I run?

Should I try to escape now?

I briefly considered it, but it was a ridiculous thought.

There’s no way Lee Siwoon would let me go easily.

I hate to say it, but he’s on a completely different level from Kim Yuseong.

If I acted the way I did with Kim Yuseong, I’d only end up with my back slashed.

Lee Siwoon and Kim Yuseong, who was at best mid-tier, couldn’t even be compared.

Lee Siwoon was currently the top student of Union Academy, a place often referred to as the cradle of geniuses. He was the best of the best.

Of course, if we’re only talking about pure swordsmanship, Baek Yoorin might be better, but that’s beside the point.

I let out a deep sigh inwardly.

I had anticipated that I might run into Lee Siwoon, but to think I’d end up fighting him this early.

If we were going to fight, I thought it would be in a place filled with traps.

‘Well, even if we fight now, I won’t be able to win.’

I readily acknowledged it.

The difference between Lee Siwoon and me.

We weren’t even on the same level to begin with.

But that’s okay.

Because, you see…

There’s no need for me to actually win this fight.

“Alright, Lee Siwoon.”

I tightened my grip on my bow and slowly started moving, subtly guiding Lee Siwoon toward the direction where the landmines were planted.

As soon as he stepped into that area, he’d trigger a mine.

Considering Lee Siwoon’s personality, he’d likely approach head-on. If that happens, boom!

“Let’s do this, just like you said.”

“Sure.”

I hurriedly drew my bow.

I nocked several arrows onto the string.

I aimed at Lee Siwoon, but he didn’t budge.

I then launched multiple arrows at him. Whoosh! Four arrows shot through the air, precisely targeting Lee Siwoon.

But…

Swoosh!

In an instant, Lee Siwoon’s figure vanished before my eyes.

The arrows thudded into the tree behind where Lee Siwoon had been standing.

Cloud Step.

It was one of the movement skills from the game. A footwork technique that allowed the user to close in on the opponent in an instant.

‘What the… Already?’

He was incredibly fast.

There wasn’t even time to reload another arrow.

By the time I blinked again, Lee Siwoon was almost right in front of me.

It was so fast, it was like lightning.
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I could barely keep up with him with my eyes.

He was much faster than during the practical assessment.

How could he have grown so much in just a few months?

‘As expected, he came straight at me. Planning to cut me down before I can shoot again?’

But Lee Siwoon…

If you charge in a straight line, you’ll have no choice but to step on it.

The explosive landmine I planted right in front of me.

‘Good, that direction… Gotcha!’

As Lee Siwoon dashed toward me like a streak of light, he stepped on the landmine I had planted.

With a click, a deafening explosion roared through the air.

Rocks and branches scattered in every direction, and a cloud of dust billowed up.

He must not have anticipated that there would be a landmine, given that he didn’t know how I had fought Kim Yuseong’s group.
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But Lee Siwoon…

“…Was it a landmine? I thought I heard an explosion earlier.”

He remained completely unfazed.

Even though he had stepped on a landmine, he looked completely unharmed.

I cautiously observed Lee Siwoon’s condition.

He was protected by a bluish barrier, like a shield.

Protective Force Field.

The moment he stepped on the mine, he had formed a magical barrier to negate the impact.

‘He managed to cast a Protective Force Field in that brief instant?’

Other kids were caught completely off guard.

But as expected of Lee Siwoon, one of the top geniuses in the story.

To think he could react in that split second.

Well, I had anticipated this.

Of course he would block it.

What was important now was that the landmine had stopped Lee Siwoon in his tracks, and even though he was protected by the Force Field, his ankle had taken some damage.

That means…

It’s time to make my next move.

“Lee Siwoon!”

I deliberately called out his name.

To make sure his gaze was focused on me.

I quickly drew my practice sword.

A bluish sword aura flared up.

I charged at Lee Siwoon with all my might.

I wasn’t planning to use my bow anymore.

There was no way my arrows could pierce through that Force Field.

But a sword could. No, to be precise, it could penetrate if I made direct ‘contact.’

“……”

Lee Siwoon watched me with calm eyes.

He raised his sword at an angle, focusing a considerable amount of mana into it.

A deep blue light shimmered, like a mirage of mana.

He took a stance for a horizontal slash and was about to swing his sword at me. Sword Qi Wounder. He was probably about to use Sword Qi Wounder.
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‘Alright, now!’

I immediately activated the Space Ring.

Ah.

Why the Space Ring all of a sudden, you ask?

Well, I’ve mentioned it before.

Unlike in the game, in reality, this ring can be used in various ways.

Just like this.

“…?”

In an instant.

One of Lee Siwoon’s feet sank deep into the ground.

As if he had stepped into a sticky swamp.

Beneath Lee Siwoon, the ground had cracked like a fissure, and his foot had sunk into it.

Since his foot suddenly sank into the ground, even someone like Lee Siwoon couldn’t maintain his balance properly.

“What the…?”

‘An opening!’

The reason Lee Siwoon’s foot sank into the ground was because I used the Space Ring.

You see, when I use this ring, I can open and close a dimensional entrance within a six-meter radius.

To put it simply, I created an entrance to the dimensional space right under Lee Siwoon’s foot, making it sink like a trap.

Of course, since the dimensional entrance opens rather slowly, I needed to stop Lee Siwoon’s movement and distract him.

That’s why I drew his attention like this.

‘Take this!’

I was now right in front of him, and I immediately swung my sword.

With one foot stuck in the ground and his balance lost, could Lee Siwoon really block this properly?

“Such tricks won’t work on me, Lee Jinhyuk.”

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed as our swords collided.

Sparks flew from the collision of our sword auras.

Even though he had lost his balance, Lee Siwoon effortlessly swung his sword to block my strike.

As expected, this level of trickery wasn’t enough to land a clean hit.
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If it were me, I would’ve been completely caught off guard.

“That trick with the foot… Is that your special ability?”

“Who knows!”

But you see, Lee Siwoon.

I’ve already achieved my goal.

What I wanted was to clash swords with you like this!

“I thought you didn’t have a special ability…?”

Lee Siwoon suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

His expressionless face showed a slight crack.

A faint emotion of bewilderment flashed in his eyes.

That’s because I had activated the artifact embedded within me.

Tears of the Moon.

An artifact that absorbs mana and releases it.

Right now, Lee Siwoon and I had our swords locked together.

What happens if I use the artifact in this state?

The answer is that it will absorb all of the sword aura from Lee Siwoon.

“What? How can you absorb my aura?”

As his aura vanished in an instant, Lee Siwoon, unable to hide his shock, quickly retreated.

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Due to the slight damage to his ankle from stepping on the mine, he couldn’t use his footwork.

Not missing this opportunity, I took a deep breath and gathered my mana.

Then, pouring every ounce of strength I had into it, I swung my sword and unleashed Sword Qi Wounder.

It was a Sword Qi Wounder that combined my mana, Lee Siwoon’s mana, plus a 1.5x power increase from releasing all the mana.

Even for Lee Siwoon, blocking this would be difficult.

Moreover, Lee Siwoon was momentarily suffering from mana exhaustion due to having his mana drained.

In a situation like this, it would be nearly impossible for him to completely block a Sword Qi Wounder of this magnitude.

“Ugh!”

Startled by the sudden Sword Qi Wounder, Lee Siwoon quickly raised his sword.

He blocked the attack, but staggered backward.

The force of the Sword Qi Wounder was so strong that Lee Siwoon was pushed back several meters.

But that seemed to be all there was to it.

Because Lee Siwoon had managed to deflect the Sword Qi Wounder at an angle using the principle of “four ounces to move a thousand pounds.”

As a result of the deflected Sword Qi Wounder, a few trees fell with a crash, but Lee Siwoon himself remained unharmed.

I had put all my strength into that attack.

And yet, I couldn’t even land a single effective hit.

Lee Siwoon really isn’t just any protagonist.

But.

“…Ah.”

Crack, snap!

A crack appeared in Lee Siwoon’s practice sword.

Finally, with a clang, the sword split in half.

A practice sword like that couldn’t withstand a Sword Qi Wounder with my mana, Lee Siwoon’s mana, and a 1.5x power increase from releasing all the mana.

If it had been a sword suited to Lee Siwoon’s level, it wouldn’t have broken.

But the sword Lee Siwoon was holding was just a mass-produced item made for academy trainees.

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‘Phew. Thank goodness his sword broke.’

Yeah.

My ultimate goal wasn’t to defeat Lee Siwoon.

Because how could I possibly beat a protagonist with talent like Lee Siwoon?

My goal was merely to break his sword and subtly hint that I was hiding some strength—enough to make him hesitant to continue fighting without a weapon.

“……”

Lee Siwoon silently stared at his broken sword.

It would be disadvantageous for him to keep fighting.

Of course, if he continued, he’d win 100%.

But you don’t know that, do you?

“Well, Lee Siwoon.”
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Sensing the moment was right, I deepened my voice.

I had used up all my strength, and I felt like I could collapse at any moment, but I managed to maintain a facade of calm and composure.

Suppressing the breaths that had reached my throat, I spoke in a steady voice.

“I think this is enough.”

“……”

“Not sure what you think, though.”

“……”

I sheathed my sword, signaling that I was done.

I glanced at Lee Siwoon with slightly tense eyes.

Could he attack me now?

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Would he come at me again, declaring the fight’s not over just because I sheathed my sword? You wouldn’t do that, right? You’re a cool guy, right, Siwoon?

Thankfully, Lee Siwoon just looked at me with calm eyes.

Yeah, Siwoon. I trust that you’re not the type to attack when the opponent has already sheathed their sword. Besides, your sword is broken.

Given Lee Siwoon’s personality, the likelihood of him continuing to fight was low. At least, that’s the Lee Siwoon I knew. Well, if it were Kang Daehan, maybe.

You’re not blinded by jealousy to the point of being irrational, are you?

You don’t really want to settle this completely, do you?

‘…But if he does keep coming despite my expectations, I’m screwed.’

I’ve got no energy, no mana, nothing.

Honestly, I just want to lie down right now.

Even if Lee Siwoon fought me barehanded, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

Heck, even if he fought me with one hand tied behind his back, I’d still get beaten to a pulp.

‘Lee Siwoon, please don’t attack. Please, just let this slide.’
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That’s why I pretended to be strong.

You don’t really want to keep fighting a guy who uses mysterious abilities and Sword Qi Wounder, do you? Of course not.

You’d feel a little embarrassed if you got eliminated this early too.

“…Lee Jinhyuk. Was your bow just a fake?”

No?

I’ve spent ten years honing my archery.

Did my archery really seem like a fake to you?

“…And that awkward sword swing, was that just an act?”

Awkward?

Wow, that’s harsh.

I was doing my best, you know?

End of Chapter.