HLSEBT - 38

38. The Blue Uniform 2

Out of spite, Kim Soochan received two more new swords, but the outcome was inevitable. The transfer student continued to slice through the practice swords like she was chopping vegetables, breaking them one after another. 

“Why is her sword still intact?” 

“Even cutting kimchi with a knife leaves some red pepper flakes… doesn’t this seem too clean?” 

“Isn’t that sword defective?” 

Kim Soochan panted heavily, his eyes straining with effort. The transfer student still held the same weapon she had started with. 

Aside from her slightly flushed cheeks, there wasn’t a drop of sweat on her. Everyone had assumed she’d be a complete failure when it came to physical activity due to her lack of vigor… 

The students whispered among themselves with those thoughts in mind. 

“Isn’t she a ‘dot-five’?” 

“Yeah, that’s what it seems like. Honestly, you can’t call her completely ordinary.” 

Espers who weren’t strong enough to qualify for physical enhancement but still exhibited abilities beyond the norm were internally referred to as “dot-fives.” The students now categorized her as such. 

“She’s got everything going for her—telekinesis and being a dot-five.” 

“If she picks a good guide, don’t you think she could push past the upper-tier students?” 

“…Keep it down. Someone might hear you.” 

Beeeeep! The sound signaling the end of the three minutes rang out. Seo Dojin, leaning on a sword like a cane, stopped the students. 

“Three minutes are up. Sparring ends.” 

The transfer student turned her sword to the side and took a proper bowing stance. Kim Soochan pressed his palms hard against his thighs to steady his trembling body. 

“Breaking weapons results in automatic disqualification. You all know that, right?” 

“…” 

“We used up quite a bit of the school’s budget today. But I think everyone learned something. How’s the posture of the eastern kids these days?” 

Seo Dojin subtly shifted the focus so the students wouldn’t fixate solely on the transfer student’s skill. 

“Bow to your sparring partner.” 

Kim Soochan originally intended to skip the formalities and leave, but before he could storm off, his gaze locked with the transfer student’s. 

Her eyes were indifferent—no mockery, no contempt. It was as if his feet were glued to the mat; he couldn’t move. 

Seo Dojin urged him. 

“Not bowing? Leaving immediately after a match isn’t allowed during my class time.” 

“Thank you for your hard work!” Yoon Taeha called out in a spirited voice and bowed deeply first. 

Kim Soochan awkwardly bent his body as well. His legs gave out, and he ended up almost collapsing into a seated position amidst the disarrayed group, unable to walk far. 

Yoon Taeha remained standing inside the circle. She glanced at the strike value displayed on her sword. 

“…” 

It was higher than expected. 

She had planned to make Kim Soochan give up within three exchanges, but his persistence prolonged the fight. 

Even with the increased destructive power, the numbers weren’t typical for an esper without physical enhancement. 

The system would be adjusted by Jet later, so that wasn’t a concern, but what about the data left on the sword? 

Would she need to sneak into the equipment room later to erase it? What a hassle. This wasn’t even a match she had wanted to participate in, yet here she was dealing with all this extra work. 

Lost in thought, she didn’t return to her spot, deepening the other students’ misunderstandings about her. 

“Looks like she wants to keep fighting.” 

“She’s a destruction queen.” 

Amidst the murmurs, Seo Dojin stepped back into the circle to resume the lesson. Kang Jinho, who had been watching intently, raised his voice. 

“How about having Sung-ha as a demonstration sparring partner?” 

Yoon Taeha immediately looked at Kang Jinho. He shrugged as if to say, “What about it?” 

The initial shove to her back hadn’t been from a person—it was Kang Jinho’s telekinesis. His expression made that clear. 

His earlier attempt to embarrass her with his right arm had failed. Now, it seemed his strategy was to make her face an official A-rank esper, someone he himself had lost to, to emphasize the gap in their levels. 

“Let her try!” 

“I’m excited, I’m excited.” 

The guys beside him immediately chimed in. Yoon Taeha subtly tilted her sword toward Seo Dojin at an angle the students couldn’t see, showing him the strike value. 

“Hmm, it’s pretty high,” Seo Dojin’s expression seemed to say. Pretending to adjust her glasses, she nodded slightly. 

This might actually be better. 

If she lost gloriously, no one would suspect foul play. And it wasn’t a bad proposition for Seo Dojin either. 

He wouldn’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt while demonstrating techniques.

“Would it be okay to allow the transfer student to use her telekinesis just a little?” 

But even Seo Dojin found this suggestion somewhat absurd. 

Who exactly would benefit from that? If Yoon Taeha used her telekinesis, I’d have zero confidence in winning! 

Yoon Taeha spoke in a voice clearly trying to suppress laughter. 

“I’d like to learn a thing or two.” 

To the other students, it sounded like a voice trembling with nervousness. 

[[SYSTEM] Shall we begin the 357th sibling match? Spectator forfeits are not allowed.] 

[[SYSTEM] I won’t tell the director. I don’t have a mouth, after all.] 

The one most excited was Jet. This was entertainment money couldn’t buy. 

As Yoon Taeha retied her belt, she tilted her head at the number 357. 

Have we really only fought 357 times? But she soon understood—it meant Jet had officially recorded 357 matches. 

“You can’t ignore someone who wants to learn.” 

Seo Dojin walked over to the waiting spot where Kim Soochan had stood and said, 

“I’ll adjust my level to that of a trained ordinary person, so there’s no need to worry too much.” 

He had already laid the groundwork, implying he’d go easy on her. Since he said it himself, no student here would object. 

Yoon Taeha also planned to lose gracefully after breaking a few swords. It seemed fun, after all. Sometimes, being an esper had its perks. 

[Jet: Kang Jinho is staring at you, Master.] 

I know. Without replying, she simply spun her sword around absentmindedly. 

The espers were all thrilled by the appearance of this exciting event. Seo Dojin gripped his sword and took his stance. 

The student who had been the referee earlier set the timer and stepped back. 

Even though it was a demonstration match between master and disciple, tension flowed between the two. 

No matter how staged it might be, it had been a long time since Yoon Taeha had pointed her sword at Seo Dojin. The corners of her lips twitched upward slightly. 

The kids began discussing the transfer student’s extraordinary aggression. 

“Match start!” 

As soon as the referee stepped back, Seo Dojin charged toward the transfer student with incredible speed. 

The children held their breaths as they watched the man in the black uniform swing his sword like lightning. 

Bam! An unbelievable roar erupted when the swords clashed. 

Her body tilted at an angle completely different from before. 

[Jet (commentary): Seo Dojin starts strong right out of the gate!] 

Jet began narrating wildly. The only person who could “watch” the commentary was busy dodging Seo Dojin’s relentless strikes. 

Seo Dojin didn’t hold back—he struck upward from below, just as she had shattered Kim Soochan’s sword earlier. Pretending to struggle, Yoon Taeha blocked it. 

“Wow, she blocked that?” 

“Her reflexes are insane. Espers with telekinesis do tend to have faster reaction speeds, but still…” 

Cutting through the chatter, she launched her first proper attack. 

After being pushed back significantly, she quickly swung her sword at Seo Dojin’s side, half a beat faster than expected. It was a fairly sharp move. 

[Jet: Seo Dojin evades flexibly.] 

[It seems he noticed some personal feelings behind Yoon Taeha’s attack!] 

Seo Dojin cursed silently with his eyes after dodging the strike. 

[Jet: I recognize that expression. It’s the third most common face Seo Dojin makes when looking at you, Master.] 

[Do you want to die? ——] 

[Facial muscle analysis suggests this meaning!] 

Yoon Taeha bit her lip and unleashed another barrage of reckless swordplay like before. Seo Dojin flawlessly parried her irregular strikes. 

At the same time, he targeted openings, landing hits on her side and left forearm. Thwack! It hurt quite a bit. 

Was he really holding back to the level of an ordinary esper? Or was this his way of venting years of unresolved resentment? 

“Ouch… that must hurt.” 

“But she’s enduring well. Isn’t she lasting way longer than Jinho did last time?” 

“The teacher’s going easy on her, though.” 

“Do you think he went all out against Jinho?” 

Despite being on the losing end, public opinion was tilting in her favor. 

“If he’s matching the same level and she’s enduring better, doesn’t that mean the transfer student is stronger?” 

While pretending to dodge Seo Dojin’s strike, she glanced briefly at Kang Jinho’s reaction. 

[Jet: Looks like things aren’t going as planned, and he’s upset.] 

Kang Jinho glared at her with a flushed face. No matter how disadvantaged Yoon Taeha appeared in the match, the students weren’t blind. 

Everyone realized that the transfer student was drawing out more of Seo Dojin’s true strength. 

“Distracted, are we?”

In the blink of an eye, Seo Dojin’s sword came flying toward her. She tried to block it but ended up floating backward and rolling dramatically across the floor. 

Is he starting to get serious? 

It seemed like it was time to wrap up the show. She’d taken enough hits. Pretending to be in pain, she clutched her waist and staggered to her feet, wobbling unsteadily. 

“If you lose focus, you die, student.” 

Seo Dojin briefly increased the distance, giving her time to regroup. She feigned exhaustion, her chest heaving as if her stamina was failing her. It wasn’t hard to act this way—she simply recalled the pain that followed overusing her abilities. 

Watching her, Seo Dojin tapped his shoulder with the flat of his sword and asked, 

“Who taught you? Your response speed is good, and your breathing is steady. Though your consistency could use some work.” 

In truth, Yoon Taeha’s swordsmanship was a near-perfect copy of Seo Dojin’s. It made sense since she had learned from him. 

“It’s a practical style. This kind of approach works better against monsters than fancy techniques or flashy moves.” 

Which meant this was essentially self-praise. 

“I learned it from my second-oldest brother.” 

Throwing out the answer he wanted, she watched as Seo Dojin couldn’t hide his satisfied smile. A few of his followers let out small gasps. 

Do you really like that? Yoon Taeha barely managed to suppress the urge to look at them and ask. 

“I’d love to see my second-oldest brother’s face someday. He must be incredibly cool, right?” 

With playful sarcasm, Seo Dojin flicked his fingers, signaling for her to make one last attack. 

This time, unlike before, Yoon Taeha wiped her slightly sweaty palms on her uniform. Then, with a light kick off the mat, she leaped forward.