Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Baek Yoorin and the Ranking Battle (10)

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T h i s w a s c op i e d f r o m k i n g m t l. org

In the past, at the Baek Family Swordsmanship Dojo training room.

“Ugh?!”

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*Whirl, whirl.*

The steel sword spun in the air, twirling as it rose.

The sword soared all the way to the ceiling of the training room, floating in midair for a moment.

Eventually, the sword began to descend slowly, before listlessly clattering to the ground.

“Urgh… Haa, how….”

Baek Yoorin, having dropped her sword, was gasping intermittently.

Her knees were half-bent, and she bit down on her lower lip hard enough to draw blood.

Her beautiful purple hair was in disarray, and her previously spotless white training uniform was stained with sweat and blood.

It looked like she had gone through quite the battle—her appearance was a complete mess.

“Huff, huff, whew.”

She had lost.

Lost again.

There was no excuse.

She had been defeated several times already.

To think she had been crushed so badly in front of her grandfather.

“Huff, huff, you….”

Baek Yoorin glared fiercely at the man in front of her.

Though she couldn’t see his face clearly due to the black mask and hat he wore, she could tell he was around her age.

It seemed like he was intentionally hiding his identity, but judging from his altered voice, speech patterns, mannerisms, build, and size, the most she could assume was that he was a year or two older than her.

It was humiliating.

Baek Yoorin had never lost to someone her age.

As the greatest genius of the Baek Family, there wasn’t anyone among her peers who could even come close to her.

Most of the kids who were considered talented in swordsmanship had all knelt before the monster that was Baek Yoorin.

She had already displayed skills that could rival active heroes during her middle school years.

There was no one among her peers who could even hope to defeat Baek Yoorin.

But.

She had lost miserably to this unfamiliar boy.

She had been utterly humiliated, as if toyed with, and it wasn’t just her defeat that hurt—her pride had taken a deep blow.

Of course, it wasn’t as if she had never experienced defeat before.

She had tasted the bitter sting of loss several times to members of the Baek Family or head instructors.

But losing to someone her age—this was the first time. The very first.

Not once had she ever been beaten by someone her age…

She had swung her sword countless times, flailed in desperation, fought as hard as she could, but in the end, she couldn’t bring that boy down.

It felt like she had come up against an insurmountable wall.

She had thought her talents in swordsmanship were so exceptional that even her grandfather wouldn’t overshadow her.

But to think she couldn’t win a single match against some boy she had never even heard of?

*She*, Baek Yoorin?

“…You, let’s, haah, let’s fight again!”

For Baek Yoorin, this was an unbearable humiliation.

At the same time, she couldn’t accept it.

She couldn’t accept the reality of being thoroughly defeated by that boy.

It wasn’t just talent—he had bested her in skill and experience, too, and she couldn’t accept that….

“That’s enough.”

It was then.

“Grandfather.”

“Enough for today, Yoorin.”

T hi s w a s c opi e d fr o m k in g m t l . o r g
“But…!”

Baek Yoorin flared up at Baek Yeonghyun’s intervention, who had been quietly watching.

She was sure that if she just fought a bit longer, she could win.

Did her grandfather really think she had no chance of winning against that boy?
T h i s w as c o p i e d f r om k i n gmtl . o r g

Did he believe that no matter how hard she tried, she wouldn’t be able to beat him even once?

“You don’t look to be in the best condition right now. Why don’t you call it a day?”

“I can still fight!”

“Sigh. Yoorin.”

When Baek Yeonghyun spoke in a gentle, coaxing tone, Baek Yoorin bit her lip and hesitated.

“My granddaughter has put you through quite a lot.”

“It’s nothing.”

Baek Yeonghyun then addressed the boy.

“Your skills are impressive.”

It was rare for her grandfather to give such praise.

“Your granddaughter’s skills are also very impressive.”

Baek Yoorin scowled slightly.

The boy’s tone seemed like he was looking down on her from above.

So, that’s it, huh? You think your skills are better than mine?

“How about it, young man? Would you consider training under me officially?”

“I’m sorry. I greatly appreciate the offer, but I already have other responsibilities.”

The boy declined her grandfather’s offer.

It was probably the first time her grandfather, once renowned as the peninsula’s greatest swordmaster, had personally offered to teach someone—and to think that he’d be refused.

“It was an honor to spar with your granddaughter today. I’ll take my leave now.”

“The offer remains open. Feel free to come by anytime.”

After the boy left.

Her grandfather sat in the pavilion, occasionally muttering to himself.

“What a shame… No matter how much innate talent one has, without a teacher to guide him, that talent will hit a limit….”

Her grandfather seemed to lament losing that boy.

It was a reaction she hadn’t seen even with her or Lee Siwoon.

Was that boy’s talent really that much greater?

Greater than Baek Yoorin’s?

T h i s w a s cop i ed f r o m k i n g mtl. or g
“…….”

Later, when Baek Yoorin realized that the boy had come to be known as Vigilante, she made a firm decision in her heart.

If, if.

If she ever met him again.

She would show him.

She would show him how much Baek Yoorin had changed.

To both him and her grandfather.

***

Baek Yoorin’s expression twisted slightly.

“Surrender…? You’re perfectly fine…?”

Oddly enough, it wasn’t Lee Jinhyuk who had taken any real damage—it was Baek Yoorin.

Not only had he blocked her finishing move beautifully, but he had even injured her. So why was he suddenly surrendering?

Look! Look at her—the blood was still flowing from the wound on her shoulder.

In contrast, Lee Jinhyuk remained unscathed.

Clearly, the situation was in Lee Jinhyuk’s favor, so why in the world was he talking about surrendering? Baek Yoorin couldn’t accept it. She was furious.

‘You think I’m going to accept your surrender?’

Baek Yoorin hadn’t even shown her full strength yet.

If Lee Jinhyuk surrendered now, what would become of her?

Her grandfather was probably watching this ranking match on TV. Was he going to see her in this pitiful, injured state, winning only because the other side surrendered?

“Don’t be ridiculous… Fight me again.”

T h i s w a s c op i ed fr om k i n gm t l . o r g
“You know it too now, don’t you? I’m not that man. And you know my skills are nothing compared to his.”

It was becoming increasingly clear that Lee Jinhyuk was not the man from her past.

If he were the same man who had once overwhelmed her purely with skill, he wouldn’t be struggling this much to face her now.

Absorbing magic and creating spatial fissures—those abilities were completely different from what the man from her past had displayed.

…Of course, she couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that Lee Jinhyuk was acting to conceal his true identity.

“Lee Jinhyuk.”

He was walking toward the referee, signaling his surrender.

Ignoring her completely.

Just like that man had once done.

“Lee Jinhyuk.”

T h i s w a s c op ied f r o m k i n g mt l .o r g
Was he really the same person from the past?

Honestly, it didn’t matter anymore.

What mattered now was that Lee Jinhyuk had injured Baek Yoorin and gained the upper hand.

Lee Jinhyuk’s movements were sluggish, his swordsmanship was poor, and his physical abilities seemed low—so what?

The fact that he had injured Baek Yoorin was undeniable.

Among the academy students, who were said to be the best of the best, how many could boast of being able to injure Baek Yoorin?

At most, maybe Lee Siwoon and Kang Daehan?

No, not even them.

Even after their hellish training and newfound strength surpassing most common heroes, it wouldn’t be enough—not enough to wound Baek Yoorin.

Baek Yoorin was a swordsman at the level of a top-tier hero.

“Lee Jinhyuk…!”

The fight was just getting started.

Where did he think he was going after landing the first blow?

Don’t be ridiculous. Was this a joke? Where are you running off to?

“Stu-student Baek Yoorin?”

Suddenly, the referee cried out in shock as he sensed a chill in the air, stunned by the dark killing intent seeping from Baek Yoorin.

Even a former hero like the referee swallowed nervously under the pressure of her killing aura.

Why was she releasing that kind of intent all of a sudden?

Lee Jinhyuk, noticing Baek Yoorin’s strange atmosphere, also realized something wasn’t right.

Without paying attention to the referee, Baek Yoorin gripped her sword so tightly that it seemed as if it would shatter, concentrating her magic into the blade.

“Student Baek Yoorin! What are you doing—”

“Lee Jinhyuk, where do you think you’re going?”

Without warning, Baek Yoorin ignored the referee and swung her sword.

The dark blue magic surged out, forming a crescent-shaped *Sword Qi* that flew toward Lee Jinhyuk, leaving a trail of afterimages.

Lee Jinhyuk instinctively raised his sword in defense.

Baek Yoorin’s swing had been slow enough that even someone like him had time to react and block it.

“Hey, are you crazy?!”

Who would’ve thought Baek Yoorin would go this far?

“Ugh!”

*Crackle, crackle!*

Baek Yoorin’s *Sword Qi Wounder* collided with Lee Jinhyuk’s sword.

The sheer ferocity of her *Sword Qi Wounder* was enough to slice through the training sword like it was nothing, making it incredibly dangerous.

This wasn’t the kind of power meant for a sparring match.

Of course, it was aimed at his shoulder, so it wouldn’t kill him, but there was a real risk of his arm being severed.

Even though a healer was on standby and could reattach it quickly, the fact that she had swung with the intent to mutilate was beyond absurd. The earlier thrust had been way too much, and now this. She was going too far.

“Damn it, seriously!”

With no other choice, Lee Jinhyuk used the *Tears of the Moon*.

While he was exhausted, losing his arm wasn’t an option.

The *Sword Qi Wounder* shattered into pieces, scattering like fragments of magic into the air.

Baek Yoorin watched this with a soft laugh.

Her *Sword Qi Wounder* wasn’t something a mere trainee could block. Yet, he had done it so effortlessly. Could he really absorb magic? Well, whatever. The important thing was that he had blocked it.

“Hah, hah… Haha.”

Her lips curled upward into what could only be described as a sinister smile as she stared at Lee Jinhyuk.

“Good, as expected… you blocked it…?”

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“Restrain her immediately!”

At that moment, security guards rushed in.

Several guards surrounded Baek Yoorin.

For a moment, Baek Yoorin stared at them. Then, like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, she felt the weight of the situation. Ah, damn. She’d gotten too worked up and caused a scene.

The fiery excitement that had consumed her a moment ago rapidly cooled down.

It had been so long since she had been this excited that she had lost her sense of restraint.

This… this was bad.

“Student Baek Yoorin! Drop your sword and surrender immediately!”

“…….”

“Baek Yoorin!”

“…….”

What should she do?

Baek Yoorin hesitated for a moment.

Glancing toward the spectators, she realized Baek Nam-il had been watching. Oh right, her uncle was watching the whole time.

“…Lee Jinhyuk.”

Suddenly, Baek Yoorin dropped her sword and assumed a submissive posture, surrendering.

“…This match was fun. Next time… I’ll see you again.”

As security led her away, dragging her out of the arena, Baek Yoorin glanced at Lee Jinhyuk and whispered quietly.

Soon, Union Academy convened a disciplinary committee to address Baek Yoorin’s actions.

Given that she had unleashed killing intent and nearly used a lethal attack against an opponent who had already surrendered in a match being broadcasted live, the academy couldn’t simply overlook her actions, even if she was a direct descendant of the Baek Family.

In the end, Baek Yoorin was suspended for a month and ordered to complete 150 hours of community service as punishment.

Of all the buzz-worthy moments from the ranking matches, the most talked-about, of course, was the Baek Yoorin vs. Lee Jinhyuk match.

Because Lee Jinhyuk had performed far better than anyone had expected.

He had countered Baek Yoorin’s attacks multiple times, broken her sword, and even blocked her *Sword Qi Wounder*.

It was nothing short of impressive.

Would any of the other students have been able to do what he did?

Most likely, they wouldn’t have even been able to track Baek Yoorin’s movements and would have been knocked out by her thrust in one hit.

But Lee Jinhyuk was different.
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Even though he was ranked the lowest in the practical exams, he had managed to block every one of Baek Yoorin’s attacks.

Even though the official record showed his defeat due to surrender, many believed that, in terms of the match’s content, Lee Jinhyuk had been the real winner.

After all, Baek Yoorin had sustained a serious shoulder injury, while Lee Jinhyuk had walked away without a scratch.

People were puzzled by Lee Jinhyuk’s sudden surrender, and many wondered what might have happened if the fight had continued.

As a result, rumors began circulating throughout the academy after the duel.

The rumor was that Lee Jinhyuk had been hiding some kind of special ability all along.

Yoo Seolhyun’s comment, “Ah, so he lost in style, huh?” and Lee Siwoon’s remark, “As I thought, you’ve been hiding a lot, Lee Jinhyuk. I enjoyed the match,” only fueled the speculation further.

And so, the students continued to gossip about the match between Lee Jinhyuk and Baek Yoorin.

Later that weekend, at Lee Jinhyuk’s house.

*Ding-dong!*

With the sound of the doorbell, the front door opened.

“…Hello.”

Baek Yoorin, now wearing casual clothes after being suspended, had come to visit Lee Jinhyuk at his house.

“…There’s no need to be so cautious… I came to apologize for the other day.”

T hi s w a s c o p i e d f r om k i n g m t l .o r g
After trying to slice him in half with a *Sword Qi Wounder*, now she was here to apologize.

End of Chapter.