EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school-Chapter 1083: Two people (8)

Arihara Tomoaki spoke to me in Korean.

"Is it surprising that Seiji and I are the first opponents?"

It was indeed surprising, but it wasn't entirely unexpected.

Everyone had been talking about how Renjo-in Karen would be the first to appear, so I thought there was a chance they might intentionally pair us differently to throw us off guard.

Arihara Tomoaki looked at me intently.

There seemed to be no hostility, but he looked like he had a lot to say.

"I heard about you from Seiji last night."

"What did he say?"

"It's not something to discuss here."

Arihara Tomoaki briefly changed the subject, as if conscious of the microphone installed in the arena, and the spectators, clearly curious, let out a collective "Uuu!" in protest.

Among the members of the Korean team, I had conversed the most with Hirano Seiji, so there was likely much to discuss, but it was clear that it wasn't something to be shared here.

Moreover, the previous day, Arihara Tomoaki had witnessed me giving orders to the legendary white tiger, a mythic figure from the Celestial World.

It must have seemed strange for an ordinary high school student to be bossing around one of the most powerful beings in mythology, yet he didn’t act surprised, which made sense.

‘Well, seeing that, he probably understands the situation by now.’

At the very least, he would have realized that neither I nor the Hojo clan had ever been manipulated by Kozuka Yashiro.

Anyway, he must have known I wasn’t an enemy, so there was no need to carry any personal grudges into this battle.

However, both Arihara Tomoaki and Hirano Seiji looked highly motivated.

Meanwhile, Choi Jina was explaining the rules and the introductions of the players.

[Each player will wear armor that records damage during the match. If the accumulated damage on the armor exceeds a certain threshold or the armor is destroyed, the player will be considered unable to continue the fight.]

There were a few situations where a player could be deemed unable to continue:

If the player is disqualified for being outside the designated area.If the accumulated damage on the armor becomes excessive.If the referee judges that the player can no longer continue due to safety concerns.

The last condition was designed to leave room for the referee to intervene if a player needs to protect their armor by sacrificing themselves or if they are exposed to lethal attacks unprotected.

‘The accumulated damage on the armor does not carry over to the next player. So, it's a strategic choice to barely fill the damage threshold and then switch players. But considering my current state and Ahn Da-in's abilities, my unique power will likely run out before the damage accumulates.’

I glanced over to the waiting area, or "high-touch zone," to check on the positions of the other players.

They were all warming up while keeping their eyes on Ahn Da-in and me.

Then, I locked eyes with Joo Su-hyeok.

When he saw Ahn Da-in and me standing together, his previously clouded gaze cleared, and it became sharp and focused.

[All players to their positions.]

With Choi Jina’s announcement, the stadium, which had been full of noise, suddenly became silent.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the next signal, the players and audience alike.

[Start!]

Kwahhhhh!

With Choi Jina’s declaration, cheers and explosions reverberated throughout the stadium.

Arihara Tomoaki erupted with an explosion at maximum output right from the start.

‘Fast. For such a quick explosion, the power behind it is considerable.’

If any ordinary player had faced such an explosion right at the start, they would have been caught off guard and taken out instantly.

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But neither Ahn Da-in nor I were ordinary players.

Ahn Da-in immediately sensed the explosion and leaped to a range where the shockwave wouldn't reach.

She jumped so far that her long hair flew wildly in the wake of the blast.

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They say that beautiful people have beautiful movements even in their hair, and it seemed to be true.

Ahn Da-in looked coldly through the smoke and smiled faintly.

"The first move was as Yi-shin predicted. The next one will be the same, I suppose."

In Ahn Da-in's hand, a tactical gun materialized as she jumped.

In this match, the intention was to avoid relying on powerful items and to use weapons of a standard, low rarity level, provided by the school. Because it was in Ahn Da-in's hands, the common-looking pistol seemed to have a sudden rise in perceived rarity.

Ahn Da-in, holding two pistols, charged straight into the center of the explosion.

The shockwave had subsided, but the smoke was still thick.

Though visibility hadn’t been restored, Ahn Da-in's movements were unimpeded.

‘I can sense a presence in the smoke. An ambush, no, they’re attempting a surprise attack.’

As I expected, Arihara Tomoaki had used the first explosion to throw me off guard and now, using the fact that he wasn’t affected by the blast, was closing in on us.

Arihara Tomoaki was not particularly skilled at closing the distance, but as was widely known, Ahn Da-in was no better in that regard either.

Ahn Da-in, with her immense strength that allowed her to disregard recoil, favored long-range rifles with high destruction power and long range to make the most of ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) her shooting skills.

Perhaps Arihara Tomoaki thought that by disrupting her line of sight and closing the distance, he could have a chance against her.

Ahn Da-in had been somewhat underrated by the Japanese team, and with no opportunity to show her full strength in the first and second rounds, he might have believed that.

But there was no meaning in distance when it came to Ahn Da-in, the unparalleled genius of Eungwang High and the undisputed title heroine of Plumago.

Clang! Bang! Clang! Bang! Bang! Clang!

The sound of metal clashing and gunfire echoed from beyond the smoke.

It happened so fast that the spectators, eager to review the match, rewound their holographic broadcasts to slow mode. Choi Jina, acting as both commentator and announcer, quickly added her input.

[In the aftermath of the explosion, the combat has begun. Currently, the marksman from the Korean team is simultaneously facing two Japanese team members!]

Ahn Da-in, instead of creating distance from Arihara Tomoaki, charged forward as if taunting him, swinging her pistol toward him.

Arihara Tomoaki quickly used his abilities to protect his vital points, but Ahn Da-in pressed forward, jamming the gun barrel into the opening and firing at the shuriken thrown by Hirano Seiji.

Arihara Tomoaki was in a perilous position, but Hirano Seiji remained calm and continued throwing shuriken.

Even with a low rarity pistol, the recoil and power usage for rapid fire made it difficult to maintain accuracy.

It seemed that Hirano Seiji had targeted this aspect, but Ahn Da-in’s control over her abilities and her skill with firearms allowed her to compensate and land her shots with precision.

Boom!

"Ugh!"

Beyond the smoke, Arihara Tomoaki let out a short scream as the sound of him scraping along the floor could be heard.

Having grown accustomed to Arihara Tomoaki’s combat style, Ahn Da-in seized the opportunity to land a powerful kick to his abdomen, breaking through his shield of abilities and leaving a visible impact on the floor and his armor.

As Arihara Tomoaki staggered, Ahn Da-in spun and unleashed a barrage of gunfire from all directions.

Her flawless balance and fluid movement, as if dancing, made her gunplay appear like a work of art.

Woooooah!

The crowd cheered, their admiration audible as the smoke cleared and the battle continued.

Among the applause, the sound of Hirano Seiji’s shuriken assault on Ahn Da-in was abruptly halted by the gunfire.

Seizing the opportunity, Ahn Da-in didn’t hesitate to aim her pistols at Arihara Tomoaki’s armor.

Arihara Tomoaki hastily triggered an explosion, but Ahn Da-in’s shots were faster.

Bang bang bang! KABOOM!

Woooooah!

The audience erupted in applause, thinking Ahn Da-in had successfully taken down Arihara Tomoaki.

The battle, which had begun mere seconds ago, had already escalated to this point, leaving some spectators shocked and others disappointed.

However, knowing the situation from my heightened senses, I was well aware that the match wasn’t over yet.

Beyond the smoke, Arihara Tomoaki appeared slightly battered but was still alive.

"To think a pistol-sized energy gun could have such power? The rate of fire is too fast. Is this really an R-rank weapon?"

"Stay away from the marksman. This isn’t the kind of fight you want up close!"

Arihara Tomoaki had managed to accumulate damage to his armor, but he hadn’t been finished off yet.

Hirano Seiji, with his support, had managed to help him barely hold on.