HLSEBT - 37

37. The Blue Uniform 1

When she whipped her head around, everyone had an expression that said, “I didn’t push you.” Even she thought it didn’t feel like a person had pushed her. 

Seo Dojin asked slowly, 

“So... are you going to do it?” 

Are you trying to kill this kid? 

“Uh? W-well, since it’s just practice, I’ll give it a try.” 

Does it look like I came out here willingly? 

She sent him a signal to read the room. Seo Dojin gave an ambiguous smile and handed Yoon Taeha a practice sword. 

Kim Soochan in the white uniform. 

The transfer student in the blue uniform. 

The intriguing matchup made the kids start whispering amongst themselves. 

“Teacher! Kim Soochan has physical enhancement, but the transfer student doesn’t have anything! Isn’t this too unfair?” 

Do you really think so, my friend? 

Seo Dojin looked like he wanted to ask that. Yoon Taeha rolled the sword once on her palm. 

How much durability did this thing have again? 

Seeing the calm demeanor of the transfer student, who didn’t seem to have been dragged out suddenly, the kids began making their own assumptions. 

Does she have some hidden ace up her sleeve? Does she think Kim Soochan will go easy on her? She doesn’t look that naive, though. 

Yoon Taeha, who had been quietly listening to their chatter, gripped the sword firmly. 

“Then shall we add a penalty? Kim Soochan, do you agree?” 

“Yes. Please adjust it to match my level.” 

It wasn’t necessary, but Seo Dojin used his tablet to increase the destructive power of the sword the transfer student was holding by one level. 

The sword became slightly heavier. 

This makes things even more disadvantageous for her. Yoon Taeha wanted to stop Kim Soochan’s arrogance, but there was no undoing what had already been done. 

Seo Dojin warned them in a stern voice, 

“This is a competition based solely on strike values. Any direct attacks on your opponent will result in immediate disqualification.” 

Kim Soochan smirked and nodded. As the two stood at an appropriate distance facing each other, Seo Dojin spoke into the air, 

“Take it easy.” 

It was obvious who he was addressing. 

---

The two beasts raised by Lee Haekyung. That was the epithet given to Yoon Taeha and Seo Dojin, who grew up in the northern shelter. 

The two were officially recognized rivals within the northern shelter. 

Seo Dojin misunderstood that Yoon Taeha used her high rank as an excuse to lord over others’ heads. 

There was no way Yoon Taeha, who could eerily read how others perceived her, wouldn’t know this. Detecting hostility was like a third ability for her. Moreover, back then, Yoon Taeha was particularly shy around people she met for the first time. 

Seo Dojin’s misunderstanding and Yoon Taeha’s shyness collided, forming the worst kind of relationship where conflicts arose for no real reason. Expecting seniority respect from high-ranked espers was a foolish notion. 

They fought under the guise of swordsmanship practice, unarmed sparring, or live combat drills. 

Whenever Lee Haekyung returned from long overseas missions, both would have wounds inflicted by the other. 

Lee Haekyung would return with souvenirs in hand and sigh deeply. 

“You two never tire, do you?” 

Both would clamor to explain their side of the story to Lee Haekyung first. When that happened, Lee Haekyung would create two pieces of ice and place one in each of their mouths—his way of telling them to shut up. 

“We’re not kids anymore, and yet it’s always ice. We don’t even know where it comes from...” 

“The ice Hyukyung Oppa makes is cleaner than the tears you just shed, right?” 

“This is ridiculous, seriously.” 

“Yoon Taeha. Seo Dojin. Are you going to keep sucking on another piece of ice?” 

“...No.” 

“We reflect on our actions.” 

Like trampled weeds that regain vitality after tomorrow’s rain, they endlessly clashed. 

After they began being deployed on missions and acknowledged that they were better than the monsters outside, the frequency of their fights decreased dramatically. 

Thanks to that, they became thoroughly familiar with each other’s fighting styles. 

Just by looking at how they held their swords, they could tell whether the other was serious or just teasing. 

---

From Seo Dojin’s perspective, Yoon Taeha was slightly serious right now. 

Good thing I pre-downloaded the incident report form. 

With a slight ease of mind, Seo Dojin crossed his arms like a proper spectator. 

A student with excellent vision was chosen as the referee.

“The protective gear has been confirmed!” 

The referee, having checked that both participants were wearing shock-absorbing functional tops underneath, stepped back. 

What Seo Dojin referred to as “assault” was an emotionally charged act of venting frustration. 

In truth, it was a warning directed at Yoon Taeha. However, the majority of the kids seemed to have misunderstood it the other way around. 

“Kim Soochan, be polite!” 

“Polite? What nonsense. Are you going to ask monsters in the Fractures for a gentleman’s duel? They’ll slit your throat right away.” 

The kids, sitting in a large circle like they were playing hot potato, buzzed with excitement, each throwing in their own comments. 

“Is Sung-ha going to cry today?” 

“My heart already hurts. What should we do?” 

The transfer student calmly inspected her weapon. Kim Soochan, spinning his sword flamboyantly, initiated the first provocation. 

“Let’s see what the eastern region’s got!” 

“Tollgate skills? Hah! Soochan, that’s too much!” 

With a composed expression, the transfer student took her stance. In truth, it wasn’t much of a stance—she simply held the sword in her right hand and aimed it toward Kim Soochan. 

“3, 2, 1. Begin.” 

As Seo Dojin’s voice rang out, the stopwatch began ticking. Kim Soochan flicked his fingers, signaling he’d go easy on her. 

“I’ll give you two chances since you’re wearing blue.” 

She nodded meekly. 

“Looks like the transfer student has no pride!” 

Whether Kang Jinho’s gang chimed in or not made no difference. 

Without any dramatic leap, the transfer student strode forward and swung her sword diagonally toward her opponent. 

Thwack! The force applied was just enough for Kim Soochan to handle comfortably. 

Stronger than expected, but only up to a point. 

With a relaxed smile, Kim Soochan swung his sword again to defend himself. Even though the destructive power of her sword had been increased, she still seemed unskilled at wielding borrowed strength. 

Her sword came flying again along an ordinary trajectory—it was all too predictable. 

Should I block this and toy with her a bit? 

A sly smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he prepared his next move. 

Bam! 

The transfer student’s upward strike shattered Kim Soochan’s sword. Clunk. Half of the broken sword fell pitifully outside the circle. 

“...” 

The audience, who had been gleefully watching like it was a dogfight, fell silent as if doused with cold water. The silence was broken by the transfer student. 

“Looks like the sword was defective.” 

Kim Soochan could only stare blankly at the half-broken sword in his hand. 

“Teacher, my sparring partner needs a new weapon.” 

Seo Dojin tossed another sword. Instead of Kim Soochan, the transfer student caught it and handed it to him. 

“It must’ve been defective, the one before.” 

“Uh… obviously. How do they manage the school equipment anyway?” 

The transfer student returned to her position. Kim Soochan put on another show of bravado. 

“Hey, sorry about that. Come at me again.” 

“Is that okay? I feel bad.” 

“Of course!” 

This time, Kim Soochan also took a proper stance. The transfer student walked forward and swung her sword as she had before. Prepared this time, Kim Soochan blocked it properly. 

The blue uniform was pushed back slightly. 

Yes, this is how it should be! 

Forgetting his promise to give her two chances, Kim Soochan aggressively swung his sword. Clang! The second clash rang out as their swords met properly. 

Seeing that his sword hadn’t broken, Kim Soochan gained confidence. 

It really was just luck earlier. 

With a hint of resentment, he suddenly aimed a thrust at the transfer student’s stomach. 

Whoosh. She dodged it with a light step and brought her sword down clumsily, like a kitchen knife striking a cutting board—hardly a technique worth mentioning. 

Bam! 

Once again, the sword in the white uniform snapped cleanly. 

“What the heck?” 

“Hey, can it really break that easily? I’ve never seen one break before!”

“Soochan’s having some bad luck today.” 

“That’s strange. Did we increase the destructive power too much?” 

Questions began to surface for the first time. Kim Soochan stared down at his now-useless broken sword. A sense of foreboding crept over him, and beads of sweat began forming on his back. 

“Teacher, another sword please.” 

Seo Dojin, who had roughly figured out Yoon Taeha’s intentions, had already placed several spare swords beside him. Kim Soochan received another sword. 

“This time, you come at me first.” 

She said it as if offering him a favor. The transfer student held her sword just as loosely as before. Kim Soochan gritted his teeth. 

Whatever trick she was pulling, there was no way she could keep that calm expression once he attacked with full force. 

“Yoonsungha, are you being too cocky?” 

After two broken swords, he wasn’t foolish enough to cling to his pride. With genuine effort, he leaped forward with a fierce battle cry. 

“Aaargh!” 

An overwhelming battle cry, a massive build, and a terrifying sword strike aimed downward from above. But the transfer student didn’t budge, meeting the charging Kim Soochan—like an angry bear—right where she stood. 

“S-Soochan’s serious!” 

The spectators gulped nervously. The slender wrist visible beneath the blue uniform seemed incapable of handling the hulking figure in the white uniform. 

But the first strike: 

Bam! 

The transfer student blocked the attack without so much as flinching. 

The second strike: 

“Aaah!” 

With a scream, she nimbly ducked under the sword aimed at her neck. 

Watching her agile and effortless movements, the students began to form a prediction about what would happen next: the transfer student wouldn’t lose. 

And the third strike: 

Bam! 

Once again, Kim Soochan’s sword shattered. 

As if waiting for this exact moment, Seo Dojin tossed another new sword. Kim Soochan caught it with a growl and immediately began attacking without any preparation time. 

The children scrambled away on their hands and knees to avoid the violently moving pair. The neat circle began to fall apart. Even as they fled, the kids instinctively kept their eyes on the blue uniform. 

The instinct to chase after raw power was still deeply ingrained in espers. 

“You’re running around like rats!” 

It was the transfer student who was dodging the attacks, but it was Kim Soochan whose stamina was rapidly depleting due to his excitement. 

After dodging consecutively, the transfer student struck the right side of her opponent’s sword once, then the left. It was as if she knew exactly where to hit to make it break. 

Once again, the weapon was destroyed within three exchanges. 

By now, everyone in the gymnasium understood. 

“Wow, this is insane...” 

Who was the one giving two chances? 

Kim Soochan realized it too. His own words were coming back to bite him. 

The girl in front of him—if he had said he’d give her one chance, she would have ended everything in two strikes.