Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 90
Chapter 90
Baek Yoorin and the Ranking Battle (4)
T h i s w as c op ie d f r o m k i ng mt l .or g
The day of the Ranking Battle.
The vast arena was teeming with people.
Representatives from the association, clans, corporations, and the media were all bustling about. Many famous heroes were also present, some of whom I recognized from the game’s character guide.
There was Lee Eunji, the deputy clan leader of Gaon Nuri.
Joo Hwa-yoon from the Hwadong faction of the HanYoung Clan.
Baek Nam-il, the swordmaster and high-ranker from the Baek family.
T h i s w as co p ied f r o m k i ngm t l .o r g
Jung Haewon, head of the first personnel team of the Mirinae Clan under the SL Group.
Cynthia Gwyn, the third executioner of the Church of Noon’s executive unit, and so on.
Wow, there’s so many of them. And on top of that, there were even more people silently waiting for the battle in the stands.
With so many outsiders in attendance, security was extremely tight. Instructors, security personnel, and the Academy’s guards were all on high alert, constantly vigilant.
It was likely because of the recent attack on Union.
Prepared for any scenario, the Academy staff looked tense, practically swallowing nervously as they kept their guard up.
Everyone was paying close attention as the heirs of major clans were about to engage in combat.
This year, especially, was considered a “golden generation” due to the abundance of talented individuals.
Th i s was c o pi e d f rom king mt l . o r g
The media, online communities, and portals were buzzing with heated debates about who was the strongest.
People were comparing affinities, weaknesses, talents, growth rates, and supernatural abilities, engaging in all sorts of hypothetical matchups.
However, there was one open secret.
The strongest student at Union Academy wasn’t Lee Siwoon or Kang Daehan. It was a certain girl.
That girl’s name was Baek Yoorin.
Having defeated even the almighty Lee Siwoon, she had earned the title of the swordmaster’s top disciple. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her the strongest student.
Of course, the time when she defeated Siwoon was in the past.
Given Siwoon’s rapid growth, it’s possible he had already caught up to her.
Moreover, Baek Yoorin hadn’t been particularly active in recent times. She had been quiet as of late.
On the other hand, Siwoon had outperformed her in both the entrance exam and midterms, leading some to mockingly suggest that Baek Yoorin might have been a “has-been” who only shined in the past.
That’s why people were eagerly waiting.
To see what Baek Yoorin would show in this Ranking Battle. And, of course, to see who her opponent would be.
…Which, apparently, happened to be me, sparking quite the controversy.
‘Seriously, there’s no reasoning with Baek Yoorin.’
Stubborn as a mule, that one.
Earlier in the waiting room, I had tried to explain to Baek Yoorin that I wasn’t the Vigilante, but no matter how much I talked, she wouldn’t listen.
She seemed utterly fixated on the idea of fighting me.
Even when I mentioned that the Vigilante had died, she just let it go in one ear and out the other.
It seemed like she was barely even pretending to listen to me.
‘I guess if I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t believe it either. Even if someone said the Vigilante died, I’d probably think it was nonsense.’
After all, the Vigilante was a top-tier powerhouse.
Hearing that a warrior of that caliber had suddenly died would naturally sound like nonsense to anyone.
‘Fine, whatever. Baek Yoorin isn’t the type to listen to words anyway.’
If she wants to fight, then I’ll fight her.
In fact, this is exactly what I wanted.
I’ve been wanting to spar with someone stronger than a hero for a while now.
Of course, in a real fight, I would have been in too much danger and would have run for my life. But in the Ranking Battle, with so many instructors, safety personnel, and healers around, I’d be protected.
It meant I could spar relatively safely.
And once Baek Yoorin actually fought me, she would surely realize I wasn’t the Vigilante.
Right now, she might be too excited by the possibility that I’m the Vigilante to hear what I’m saying, but after the fight, I planned to sit down and talk it out with her.
Perhaps I could even smooth things over with her.
‘If I remember correctly, the reason Baek Yoorin fell into villainy in the game was largely due to… impatience and inferiority.’
Baek Yoorin had earned her fame as a sword prodigy, defeating countless geniuses in her youth. But at some point, her growth stagnated.
T hi s w a s c opie d fr om k in g m t l. o r g
You could say she hit a wall.
As she floundered, unable to find a way past her limits, Lee Siwoon eventually caught up to her. And to make matters worse, she was utterly defeated by someone she had never heard of—Soyeon.
Having lived her entire life with her sword, only to be bested by Soyeon, who had recently awakened her talent, Baek Yoorin sank into despair as the gap between them widened with every fight.
It was around that time that Yoo Dahee made her move.
Though it was an obvious ploy, Baek Yoorin, consumed by her inferiority, fell for it.
‘…Maybe I can help Baek Yoorin break through her limits.’
After reflecting on the game’s lore over the past week, I managed to recall a few more details about Baek Yoorin’s situation.
One of those details included the problem she was currently facing and a potential solution.
T h i s w as copied f r o m ki ng mt l . o r g
While I couldn’t completely solve Baek Yoorin’s issue, I could at least offer a clue.
That’s because in one of the game’s IF side stories, Baek Yoorin, after bonding with Soyeon, received some advice, worked hard, and ultimately overcame her wall.
I vaguely recalled what advice Soyeon had given Baek Yoorin in that side story.
‘Baek Yoorin took discussions about swordsmanship quite seriously in the side story.’
When it came to swordsmanship, Baek Yeonghyun was the best. But even he felt uneasy about Baek Yoorin wielding a sword.
Though he had accepted her as his top disciple due to her extraordinary talent, in the end, she had become overly obsessed with the sword.
Baek Yoorin was utterly captivated by the allure of the sword.
She felt no resistance against cutting things down, and her obsession and longing for the sword eventually led her down a path of villainy.
‘…I wonder how long I’ll be able to last against Baek Yoorin.’
Though Baek Yoorin’s talent had once bloomed more explosively than anyone else’s and had since withered somewhat, her strength was still the real deal.
While I couldn’t be certain, based on her depiction in the official game, novels, and comics, she was likely somewhere between mid-high-tier and high-tier.
Due to her lack of experience, her ability to handle situations and her tactical sense might not be great, but considering her age, she was an absurdly strong opponent.
Well, maybe she fell a bit short when compared to people like Soyeon, Yoo Dahee, or the Vigilante.
But that didn’t mean Baek Yoorin’s talent was lacking.
‘…Might as well give it my all now that it’s come to this.’
I chuckled bitterly to myself.
Since I was going to spar with Baek Yoorin anyway, I had decided to give it everything I had.
Through this fight, I wanted to gauge, both objectively and subjectively, where I stood in terms of my current abilities.
I also wanted to test how well the tactics I’d come up with would work against someone stronger than a hero.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to win.
Baek Yoorin had long surpassed the level of an ordinary student.
Though one day she’d be surpassed by the main characters, for now, she was the strongest, excluding Soyeon.
I had barely managed to win by a hair against Lee Siwoon during the midterms by using a bunch of tricks, so the thought of beating Baek Yoorin was absurd.
T h i s was c o p ied f ro m k i n gm t l . o r g
What’s more, this time, I wouldn’t be able to rely on tricks.
This was a duel being observed by many people.
I couldn’t pull any strange stunts under the watchful eyes of the cameras, referees, security personnel, and audience. I would have to fight purely with my skills.
Well, I could probably still use Tears of the Moon, though.
“Whew. I’m a bit nervous.”
“…….”
“Jinhyuk, you don’t seem nervous at all. You’ve got nerves of steel.”
“…Hmm.”
Soyeon, who was standing next to me, had a somewhat awkward expression on her face.
It seemed that fighting in front of so many people was making her uncomfortable.
“By the way, Soyeon, wasn’t your opponent Joo Jiyeon?”
“Ah, yeah.”
In the Ranking Battle, students could challenge any opponent they wanted.
Normally, they’d challenge someone a little weaker or stronger than themselves, but Soyeon had directly challenged Joo Jiyeon, the 12th-ranked young lady of the OhSung Group, who had recently picked a fight with her.
Joo Jiyeon accepted the challenge without hesitation, as if this was exactly what she had been hoping for.
It was a chance to publicly humiliate Soyeon, who had been getting attention from Kang Daehan, whom Jiyeon had a crush on.
T h i s wa s cop i e d f r om k i n g m t l .o r g
She was probably planning to crush Soyeon thoroughly and humiliate her so she would never dare act out again.
Since Daehan had a thing for strong women, Jiyeon likely thought that if Soyeon got utterly trashed, Daehan would lose interest in her.
Challenging someone ranked so much lower than herself would have been awkward for Jiyeon, but since Soyeon made the first move, there was no need for hesitation.
“Why did you challenge Joo Jiyeon?”
“Hmm. I don’t know.”
Soyeon twirled a strand of her hair before curling her lips into a faint smile.
“Because it seemed doable?”
“Doable, huh…”
“What? Are you mocking me?”
“Of course not.”
I was actually wondering if she was underestimating herself.
You’re much stronger than that now.
“As I said before, I think something changed after that incident… My supernatural ability and physical capabilities seem to have improved quite a bit.”
I nodded lightly.
Through my investigation, observations, and Soyeon’s own hints, I had a rough idea of her changes.
Even without all that, Soyeon’s awakened talent and strength were well-documented in the game’s lore.
She was made to fight monstrous villains, so much so that her settings would make you go, “Wow, seriously?”
“Well, I can tell just from how you’ve been performing in training recently.”
“Training scores, huh. It’s a bit vague. That’s why I wanted to fight a strong opponent and see for myself.”
T h i s w as c o p i e d f r o m ki ng m t l . org
Soyeon smiled brightly.
“I want to know how much I’ve changed, and how well I can hold up.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s hard to get a real sense from just regular training.”
Soyeon glanced over at Yoo Seolhyun, who was standing off in the distance, chatting with Sunari.
“I even thought about challenging Yoo Seolhyun.”
What? Are you trying to destroy Seolhyun’s psyche?
“But I figured Joo Jiyeon would be a better match.”
“That’s a relief.”
“By the way, Jinhyuk, what happened with Baek Yoorin? I heard she threatened you recently.”
“Oh, that was just a minor misunderstanding.”
Whether it was “minor” or not, I wasn’t sure.
“…You’re not being bullied by Baek Yoorin, are you?”
“Why? Are you going to help me if I am?”
Wow, in the game, you didn’t even notice I was being bullied.
“Just say the word.”
Soyeon nodded firmly.
“I won’t let anyone mess with you.”
Her eyes locked onto mine with an intense gaze.
How should I put it?
I could feel her strong resolve and determination.
T h i s w as co p i ed f r om k i ng m t l .o r g
“I… I think I’ve gotten a lot stronger lately, more than you might realize.”
-[Groups F1 through F10, please enter the arena.]
“Oh, it’s my turn.”
“Alright, good luck.”
“Should I expect you to be cheering me on?”
I watched Soyeon dash out of the waiting room and thought to myself.
Whether she liked it or not, today’s battle would bring a lot of attention to Soyeon.
From heroes, and villains alike.
Until now, when people talked about geniuses, they’d only mention people like Lee Siwoon, Kang Daehan, Yoo Seolhyun, or Baek Yoorin. But that would change soon enough.
Th i s w as c o p i e d fr o m k i n g m tl . o r g
While attracting too much attention this early might be a bit troublesome, it was about time.
Time to show everyone what a true genius is.
End of Chapter.
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I just hope the battle of Lee jihyuk and baek girl finishes before ch 95 :’)