ALL NOVEL chapter 32
Chapter 32. The Siege
Lee Jin-ryul, Yoon Yoo-na, Dokgo Soo, Nasca, and Renya, Rahim Rashid Team
vs.
Kim Do-jin, Ryu Woo-jin, Khalidou Babacar, Kim Yoo-jong, John Davis Team
—–
As the matchups flickered onto the screen, the team members could not hide their despair.
“Is this a joke?”
“What the hell!”
“This is a disaster…”
“GG.”
Kim Do-jin couldn’t say he didn’t understand their feelings.
It was a fight that, by anyone’s measure, had no chance of victory.
“Why did it have to be the Lee Jin-ryul team…”
The team members all slumped, cursing their misfortune, while Kim Do-jin stroked his chin, lost in thought.
‘Come to think of it, Yoon Yoo-na is always on the same team as Lee Jin-ryul?’
Yoon Yoo-na was notorious for not getting along with Kim Do-jin or any of the other boys.
Yet, the only boy she seemed to converse with and grow close to was none other than Lee Jin-ryul.
Of course, it could be that Lee Jin-ryul, being a top student, was an exception made out of necessity, but Kim Do-jin had a gut feeling.
‘Something smells fishy…’
He began to suspect that there might be something more than friendship between Yoon Yoo-na and Lee Jin-ryul, and suddenly turned to Ryu Woo-jin, who was beside him.
“Hey, do you think Yoon Yoo-na and Lee Jin-ryul are dating? It’s a bit suspicious that they’re always on the same team.”
Ryu Woo-jin nodded in agreement, his expression reflecting his thoughts.
“Right? There are quite a few people who suspect that. When someone asked, they said no, but who honestly reveals their true feelings? From what I see, there’s definitely some mutual attraction. Their glances and actions say it all.”
The fact that it was Ryu Woo-jin who asked was part of the problem.
Ryu Woo-jin had taken it a step further, completely misunderstanding the relationship between Yoon Yoo-na and Lee Jin-ryul, and Kim Do-jin scratched his head, muttering.
“Is that so? Hmm…”
Perhaps Yoon Yoo-na’s previous rejections of this vessel, Kim Do-jin, stemmed from having someone else she liked.
And if that were truly the case…
‘I might need to lend a hand here.’
He was thinking of bringing Yoon Yoo-na and Lee Jin-ryul together.
If there is something Yoon Yuna wishes to achieve, she believes that fulfilling it is the way to repay the grace owed to Yoon Si-heon.
‘But first, I need to see if Lee Jin-ryul is truly a decent fellow.’
Kim Do-jin organized his thoughts and gathered the team for a strategy meeting.
“Still, we should do what we can. Now, let’s lay out the plan.”
Soon, the five team members huddled around a monitor displaying the exam site map.
“Where should we strike?”
The exam site had a total of five capture points, and victory could be claimed by holding just three of them until the end of the test.
Thus, rather than spreading their forces thin across all five points, the basic strategy was to select three and distribute their efforts.
“I’ll go to point three.”
As Kim Do-jin abruptly pointed to a location, the team members, who had been deep in thought, turned to him with puzzled expressions.
“Point three? Why there?”
While there were strategic factors like distance to other points and terrain, ultimately, luck was the greatest variable.
“I just think it’ll be good there.”
Kim Do-jin indicated that his choice was somewhat arbitrary, and the team members, after a moment of contemplation, nodded in agreement.
“Um… alright then. But you’ll go alone?”
“Yeah.”
With three points to capture and five members on the team, it was typical to divide them into 2/2/1.
Yet, with Kim Do-jin willingly stepping up to be that one, none of the team members objected.
“Alright. So where shall we go?”
The strategy meeting continued for a while, and finally, the time for the exam arrived.
– Beep!
The mechanical sound signaling the start echoed, and the team members dispersed in an orderly fashion according to the plan.
Kim Do-jin headed alone to point three.
Ryu Woo-jin and Khalidou Babacar made their way to point four.
John Davis and Kim Yu-jong went to point two.
“Remember the plan, John?”
“Call me DJ JD, bro.”
Though there was something untrustworthy about the team members, it didn’t matter.
He hadn’t expected much from the start anyway.
– Thud!
Kim Do-jin, after a diligent run, finally arrived at the third stronghold.
The third stronghold was a small hill located at the five o’clock position on the map, with a device planted at its center to hold a flag.
The outcome of the trial would be determined by which flag was planted there at the end.
“Ha…”
He wasn’t sure if he could hold it until the end, but for now, he trudged over and planted the red flag he had been carrying on his back into the device.
Then, he plopped down beside it, waiting for a while, when, as expected, the opposing team arrived to claim this spot.
“…Not a bad combination.”
From Team Lee Jin-ryul, the members sent to the third stronghold were Yoon Yu-na, Nasca, and Renya.
“Of course, for me too.”
Kim Do-jin muttered to himself as he slowly rose from his seat.
And shortly after.
– Thud!
Finally, Yoon Yu-na, Nasca, and Renya stood before Kim Do-jin.
“Hey, Do-jin-kun! All alone?”
Nasca and Renya looked around, confirming that only Kim Do-jin was there, and their faces brightened.
In a one-on-one, he would obviously be outmatched, but with Yoon Yu-na by their side, they seemed confident they could easily win.
“Uh, I’m solo.”
“Solo? Kuku! What are you going to do now? Fight, or will you just give up and aim for another stronghold?”
Quickly abandoning this place and fleeing to target another stronghold was indeed a good strategy.
If there was no chance of winning in this two-on-one fight, that is.
But what was the situation now?
‘If it were Renya instead of Lee Jin-ryul, I might have had no chance. But with Renya… this might actually work in my favor.’
Coincidentally, Nasca and Renya’s superpower was ‘Petrification,’ while Kim Do-jin’s was ‘Rock Manipulation.’
Using ‘Petrification,’ Nasca and Renya would essentially become Kim Do-jin’s puppets.
“Why would I?”
Kim Do-jin drew the sword he had planted beside him, signaling his intent to fight, and Yoon Yu-na, Nasca, and Renya looked taken aback.
“Whoa… you’re really going for it? Yuna-chan, it seems we have to have a proper match!”
As Nasca and Renya said this, they unsheathed the swords they had at their waists.
“Ugh, don’t call me that.”
Yoon Yu-na also drew her sword, and soon, the battle of two against one began.
“Stand back!”
Naska and Renya, with a hint of kindness, launched their first strike.
– Swack!
The blade that pierced toward the abdomen was swift, yet all too easy to read.
– Clang!
Kim Do-jin lightly deflected the sword while simultaneously counterattacking.
– Whoosh!
His sword carved a circle in the air, surging toward the side of Naska and Renya with a timing and trajectory so exquisite that evasion became a daunting task.
“What!?”
Instead of dodging, Naska and Renya resorted to their ‘Petrification’ ability for defense.
– Crack!
In an instant, their sides hardened like stone, colliding with Kim Do-jin’s blade.
– Ka-thunk!
Once again, the sword failed to deliver a solid blow, bouncing off, while Naska and Renya wore triumphant smiles.
But then.
“Ugh!?”
That smile was swiftly erased.
“No way!”
Kim Do-jin, as if waiting for the moment, sent the petrified side of Naska and Renya flying aside, causing Yoon Yuna, standing nearby, to flinch and pull her sword back.
“What are you doing?”
Naska and Renya, with pouting faces, replied to Yoon Yuna’s reprimand.
“No, it’s not me! It’s Do-jin-kun!”
Yoon Yuna shook her head vigorously, trying to refocus on the fight, but Naska and Renya continued to disrupt her time and again.
“Ha… really…”
At last, Yoon Yuna grasped the truth: Naska and Renya were more hindrance than help.
After much deliberation, she decided to send them to another conquest.
“This won’t do. I’ll handle this alone, so you should help with capturing another area instead.”
Naska and Renya scratched their heads awkwardly in response.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay by yourself?”
“…I don’t know. But honestly, having you around is just a minus, right?”
In the end, as Nasca and Renya withdrew, only Kim Do-jin and Yoon Yuna remained at the third stronghold, locked in a tense standoff.
– Thud.
Yoon Yuna adjusted her stance, her body taut with anticipation.
In the past, she might have been unaware, but now, knowing that she was concealing her true strength, she felt no confidence in winning a one-on-one fight.
No, if the masked hero who had saved her not long ago was indeed the same person as Kim Do-jin, she could never hope to match him.
Thus, with her palms sweating, she scrutinized Kim Do-jin’s expression, which was, indeed, disturbingly relaxed.
‘Hmm…’
In truth, Kim Do-jin was not merely at ease; he was deep in thought.
He weighed two choices: Should he go easy on Yoon Yuna or not?
‘What should I do? Perhaps it’s best to fight just enough to lose naturally?’
There were still many opportunities ahead to earn points.
Even if he won here, it didn’t seem likely that the other team members would secure the other two strongholds…
Ultimately, Kim Do-jin decided to feign defeat after a moderate fight, raising his sword slightly forward.
“…….”
Meanwhile, Yoon Yuna, aware of Kim Do-jin’s prowess, had gone all out from the very beginning.
– Whoosh!
She activated one of her two superpowers, ‘Mana Enhancement,’ on herself first.
‘Oh…’
In that moment, her entire being was enveloped in a golden light, and her movements surged to a higher level.
‘Impressive indeed.’
Yoon Yuna’s ‘Mana Enhancement’ was something every student would envy as a teammate.
Originally at the mid-level of C rank, her mana had now crossed the threshold into B rank, matching Kim Do-jin’s current level.
– Whoosh!
The blade that lunged at her was faster than expected, proving to be quite a threat even to Kim Do-jin.
But.
– Thud!
Kim Do-jin’s combat skills were exceptional enough to subdue opponents with far greater mana than his own.
– Clang!
Just before Yoon Yuna’s sword could touch him, Kim Do-jin twisted his waist with impeccable timing, deflecting her strike.
“……!”
Yun Yuna swiftly retrieved her sword, slicing through the air, her eyes narrowing.
It wasn’t the near miss of her attack that left her feeling regretful.
Rather, it was the fact that it had been so close that gnawed at her.
‘Is this what you call giving it your all?’
Yun Yuna’s doubt quickly morphed into certainty.
– Clang! Ka-kang!
Kim Do-jin evaded or blocked the subsequent attacks, each one barely escaping, and Yun Yuna realized it was all intentional.
“Ugh!”
How much stronger could he be to orchestrate such a situation?
As Yun Yuna bit down hard in frustration and pressed on, Kim Do-jin displayed the expected movements.
– Clang!
As if to say he had had enough, he feigned weakness and let his sword slip from his grasp.
“I surrender.”
Seeing Kim Do-jin raise his hands, Yun Yuna erupted in protest.
“Are you mocking me? Do you think I wouldn’t notice you pretending to be weak?”
Kim Do-jin thought his act wasn’t half bad.
Yet, it seemed insufficient to deceive Yun Yuna, who was already watching with suspicion.
“…….”
After a moment of studying Yun Yuna’s expression, Kim Do-jin decided to play dumb.
He couldn’t just say, “It’s because you’re the daughter of my benefactor.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Yun Yuna pressed on, her anger flaring.
“Lie! You were the one who saved me from that villain before, weren’t you? Am I wrong?”
Once again, Kim Do-jin feigned ignorance, and their conversation stalled.
“Ugh….”
Yun Yuna could no longer tolerate Kim Do-jin’s persistent lies.
She didn’t even understand why she felt this way, but she desperately wanted to know why he was acting so strangely now.
So, the method she chose was simple.
– Slash!
With a sudden strike, she aimed her sword at Kim Do-jin.
—
If she were indeed the person he had surmised, then such an attack, even barehanded, would pose no danger at all.
“……!”
The next moment unfolded precisely as she had anticipated.
– Thud!
Kim Do-jin deftly dodged the sword while simultaneously seizing Yoon Yu-na’s wrist.
“Are you still going to play dumb?”
With a gaze that seemed to say she had expected this, Yoon Yu-na spoke, and Kim Do-jin replied with a wry smile.
“Yes. Just a moment ago, it wasn’t my full strength.”
“I know. And it was you who wore a mask and saved me before, wasn’t it?”
She had already suspected to some extent.
Realizing that further deception would be pointless, Kim Do-jin finally nodded in acknowledgment.
“Yeah.”