The Heretic of Cleric Academy-Chapter 60

"Gu Jun-hyeok combat incapacitation. Do Seon-woo wins."

So Do-jin announced the judgment. It was my victory.

Gu Jun-hyeok seemed to have fainted briefly, lying spread-eagle with his eyes closed, but after 3 seconds he suddenly sprang up from his position. Then he touched his waist with a puzzled expression.

"What? I thought it was broken but it’s fine?"

"As long as the blessing circle is operating, you ’absolutely’ cannot get hurt."

"Huh? Does that make sense?"

Gu Jun-hyeok said while gathering up the scattered rope from the ring. So Do-jin chuckled.

"It doesn’t make sense. But there’s someone who makes it make sense."

"Oh... That’s philosophical."

"Anyway, next is..."

So Do-jin ignored Gu Jun-hyeok’s nonsense and resumed the practical.

Numerous students climbed into the ring to engage in sparring, and victories and defeats were decided.

During all this, there wasn’t a single injured student. Not just no injuries, but even students complaining of pain were rare.

This was thanks to Saint Judas’s blessing circle completely offsetting not just impact but even pain.

I glanced at Saint Judas’s blessing circle.

Among all the blessing circles I had seen so far, it was the most perfect blessing circle. I even thought it was beautiful.

[His skills have improved since that time.]

Legba said bitterly. ’That time’ probably referred to the Holy War 7 years ago.

During the Holy War, Saint Judas had contributed to, no, led the massacre of Voodoo practitioners. As an inquisitor, he stood at the forefront arresting innocent Voodoo practitioners, and killed them if they resisted.

In the end, he killed our father and captured mother, imprisoning her in an underground dungeon.

My teeth were grinding. But I didn’t feel much desire for revenge. No, it would be more accurate to say I felt such an overwhelming gap that I didn’t want to have revenge feelings.

Right now, I didn’t have the ability to take revenge. I was fundamentally incompatible with Saint Judas and that damned clan with the ’blood of purification.’

"Next. Kim Jin-seo, Yeo Min-seo."

During this time, time had already passed. Next was the sparring between Kim Jin-seo, representative of the Patience class, and Yeo Min-seo, representative of the Kindness class. It was the moment when the practical’s excitement reached its peak.

"Kim Jin-seo will win. Didn’t you see her 10-second knockout earlier?"

"Stop talking nonsense~ Yeo Min-seo has never lost a sparring match~"

"That’s because she hasn’t met Kim Jin-seo."

"Nope~ Yeo Min-seo won in middle school too~"

Students bickered over who would win between the two. Some students were even placing bets.

"Hey. Who do you think will win?"

Gu Jun-hyeok asked with a grinning face. I looked up at the ring.

Kim Jin-seo was wrapping her hands, and Yeo Min-seo was leaning against the cage, staring at Kim Jin-seo with vacant, empty eyes.

Neither had weapons. I couldn’t guess who would win.

"I don’t know. Kim Jin-seo probably won’t win."

Thinking logically, Kim Jin-seo would probably have a higher chance of winning.

Yeo Min-seo didn’t look like she’d be good at fighting. She seemed more specialized in verbal fights than physical ones.

"Well... I think so too. If the rumors are true."

"What rumors."

"Huh, you don’t know? It’s famous."

Gu Jun-hyeok continued his explanation.

Kim Jin-seo and Yeo Min-seo were middle school classmates, and the two had sparred a total of 3 times.

And Yeo Min-seo had won all 3 times. By overwhelming margins at that.

"Does that make sense."

It was an unbelievable story. People who exercise and those who don’t have different body lines entirely. Kim Jin-seo was the former and Yeo Min-seo was the latter.

For such a Kim Jin-seo to have lost to Yeo Min-seo as many as three times.

"But how did they arrange this bracket? They made it interesting."

"They said it was arranged randomly."

"Huh? Really? Random but it turned out like this?"

Gu Jun-hyeok tilted his head for quite a while with a puzzled expression. His eyebrows wriggled freely like earthworms.

"...It’s a bit strange. Didn’t they manipulate it?"

I had the same doubt. The bracket arrangement felt so contrived that it couldn’t be explained unless it had been manipulated.

But So Do-jin had said with his own mouth that it was random, and So Do-jin himself had shown a confused reaction when seeing the bracket arrangement, so it must have been randomly arranged.

"Come to think of it, there’s no reason to manipulate it. Maybe it really is just coincidence."

After thinking for a while, Gu Jun-hyeok nodded as if finally convinced. Since it wasn’t something he said for me to hear but just muttering to himself, I didn’t respond.

Ding!

And the bell rang.

In the ring, Kim Jin-seo and Yeo Min-seo’s sharp gazes crossed.

* * *

Even after the bell had rung for some time, Kim Jin-seo just stood there staring at Yeo Min-seo.

Yeo Min-seo was quickly deploying blessing circles while waving her hands. Most were intermediate-level or higher physical enhancement blessings.

"Hey. Not coming? You’re going to just watch for all 3 minutes?"

"..."

Yeo Min-seo spoke provocatively to Kim Jin-seo. Kim Jin-seo didn’t answer. She didn’t draw blessing circles either. She just quietly stared at Yeo Min-seo.

She was looking for an opening, but no matter how she looked, there was no opening.

Honestly speaking, it didn’t seem like she could win.

During this time, Yeo Min-seo finished deploying her blessing circles. Blessing light was enveloping Yeo Min-seo’s entire body.

"Kim Jin-seo. Want to make a bet? How about it?"

Kim Jin-seo likewise didn’t answer. Yeo Min-seo smiled wickedly and continued.

"If I lose in this sparring match. Then I’ll go straight to the principal’s office with my withdrawal papers."

It was transparent provocation. Kim Jin-seo didn’t fall for that shallow provocation. Honestly, it was a bit annoying, but compared to Gu Jun-hyeok’s provocations, it was nothing.

"But if I win..."

Crack.

An opening appeared. Kim Jin-seo gritted her teeth and charged toward Yeo Min-seo.

First close the distance, and if an opportunity appeared, immediately deliver a kick to the temple. If she didn’t finish it in one blow, there would be no chance of victory.

Thwack.

A high kick with all her might. But there was no impact.

Yeo Min-seo was laughing mockingly while blocking Kim Jin-seo’s kick with one hand.

Yeo Min-seo grabbed Kim Jin-seo’s ankle as it was and threw her lightly like tossing a doll.

Bang!

"Ugh."

Kim Jin-seo hit the back of her head against the cage. Her head was slightly dizzy.

Yeo Min-seo approached Kim Jin-seo slowly with leisurely, relaxed steps. Kim Jin-seo looked up at Yeo Min-seo with sharp eyes.

"If you look at me like that, all the kids get scared and cower, so do you think I’ll be the same? Why are you doing that. Get up. Quickly."

Yeo Min-seo didn’t attack. Instead, she gently scratched at Kim Jin-seo’s nerves with words. Kim Jin-seo barely managed to get up from her position while biting her lip. She was dizzy and couldn’t maintain her balance well. There was no pain, but the shock remained.

"Not using blessings?"

Yeo Min-seo asked coercively. If she used blessings, defeat would be certain.

Right now she had to find a way to defeat Yeo Min-seo using only physical abilities without using blessings.

Kim Jin-seo shook her head to clear away distracting thoughts and took her stance again. Stray hair stuck to her lips.

Yeo Min-seo looked at her and chuckled. It seemed mocking.

"You’ve developed some fighting spirit that wasn’t there before."

Kim Jin-seo charged. It wasn’t particularly aiming for an opening. Since it didn’t seem like an opening would appear if she waited, she thought she’d rather create an opening herself.

Kim Jin-seo, who had been running, suddenly stopped her charge and put weight on her feet. It seemed like she planned to deliver a kick to the temple like before.

"You need to learn a bit..."

Flutter.

At that moment, Kim Jin-seo’s body spun once. Her collar fluttered accordingly.

Crack!

She put her body weight and rotational force into her elbow, striking Yeo Min-seo’s jaw directly. She had deceived Yeo Min-seo into letting her guard down by pretending to throw a kick.

Thus, Kim Jin-seo created an opening and caught Yeo Min-seo off guard.

"...Ah, this."

However, no sound came from Yeo Min-seo’s impact detection device. Even though she had struck the jaw directly with her elbow, Yeo Min-seo showed no sign of pain.

Instead, Yeo Min-seo showed a bloody smile.

"This is martial arts. Someone who’s learned is a bit different. Really."

Even though it was a blow with all her might, there was no effect. No matter how excellent Kim Jin-seo’s physical abilities were, the difference between a body using blessings and one not using blessings was significant.

A body not using blessings could never defeat a body using blessings.

"1 minute elapsed."

2 minutes remaining. Kim Jin-seo’s heart grew increasingly impatient.

If she didn’t use blessings, she would definitely lose. But even if she used blessings, she would still lose. Either way, the fact that she would be defeated was the same.

How could she win? How, exactly. Exactly how...

Every time Kim Jin-seo sparred with Yeo Min-seo, she felt hopeless. It was as if an impossibly high wall was blocking her path, one she couldn’t even think of overcoming.

"Phew."

Kim Jin-seo regulated her breathing. Perhaps because her breathing had gotten tangled due to psychological pressure, she was already out of breath.

While she could improve her physical abilities through training, the mental aspect remained in the same place.

Yeo Min-seo kept her distance while staring at Kim Jin-seo with calm eyes. Kim Jin-seo likewise glared at Yeo Min-seo. That deadly standoff took place in silence.

"What will you do next? Pretend to kick, then pretend to strike with your elbow, then kick again? That would be flashy."

Yeo Min-seo broke the silence. Her tone was filled with leisure. An incredibly arrogant tone that didn’t even consider the possibility that she might lose the sparring match.

Kim Jin-seo let out a hollow laugh. It was laughter close to losing her mind.

"Keep your word about withdrawing if you lose."

"Say things like that after you win..."

Before Yeo Min-seo could finish her words, Kim Jin-seo lowered her stance and charged again. Yeo Min-seo calmly observed her movements.

What kind of attack would come this time? A kick? Or maybe she’d give up on strikes and go for a joint lock. Either way, Yeo Min-seo was confident she could handle it.

Swish!

Contrary to her concerns, what Kim Jin-seo threw was a simple kick. Yeo Min-seo ducked her head and lightly avoided it.

At that moment, Yeo Min-seo saw Kim Jin-seo’s fingertips as they passed by. Divine power was flowing from her fingertips.

"...Aha."

Pretend to attack, steal the opponent’s attention, then secretly deploy blessing circles. It was a fairly decent strategy. But it was too clumsy to deceive Yeo Min-seo’s eyes.

She emitted divine power as if fighting fire with fire and quickly drew a blessing circle. Then she threw it into the blessing circle Kim Jin-seo had drawn.

Crack. Crack crack.

A creepy, sharp sound came, like forcibly connecting two gears that didn’t mesh. The two blessing circles were tangling together.

Soon, the blessing circles began to undulate irregularly. It was a precursor to collision phenomenon.

"This one was novel. I was a bit surprised."

Boom!

As soon as Yeo Min-seo finished speaking, a massive explosion sound erupted. The tangled blessing circles had finally collided, causing an explosion.

Kim Jin-seo’s body, caught in the explosion at close range, flew up into the sky then fell down. Perhaps because she landed poorly, her whole body hurt as if broken.

Yeo Min-seo watched the entire process with a relaxed posture, arms crossed.

Beep!

The moment Kim Jin-seo forcibly overcame the pain and staggered to her feet, the impact detection device attached to her body screamed.

"Kim Jin-seo combat incapacitation. Yeo Min-seo wins."

"Ah, it’s over. What did I say earlier? Thank you for your hard work?"

Yeo Min-seo smiled at Kim Jin-seo and stepped down from the ring with light steps. Kim Jin-seo leaned her back against the cage and slumped down in place.

If she didn’t use blessings, she was overwhelmed in strength and durability. If she used blessings, Yeo Min-seo would forcibly cause collision phenomena to create explosions.

No matter what she did, she lost. There was absolutely no way to win.

Kim Jin-seo sat slumped for quite a while, staring blankly into space.

"Kim Jin-seo. Come down. The next sparring match is soon."

So Do-jin climbed into the ring and extended his hand to Kim Jin-seo. Kim Jin-seo didn’t take that hand and got up on her own strength. Then she smiled bitterly and shook her head.

"I’ll just forfeit."

* * *

Kim Jin-seo forfeited and immediately left the Sacred Training Ground. It seemed she was leaving early because she wasn’t feeling well.

Thanks to that, I got a free victory, but somehow I wasn’t happy. Rather, I felt uncomfortable.

The sparring between Yeo Min-seo and Kim Jin-seo could be expressed in one word: ’toying.’

Yeo Min-seo had toyed with Kim Jin-seo like a plaything. I’m sorry to say this about Kim Jin-seo, but that’s really how it looked to me.

From the start, Yeo Min-seo could freely use blessings while Kim Jin-seo couldn’t use blessings. If she tried to use blessings, Yeo Min-seo would cause collision phenomena.

Honestly, I thought it was somewhat unfair.

[No, it wasn’t an unfair fight. The child called Yeo Min-seo just properly utilized her talent.]

Legba refuted. I neither nodded nor shook my head.

"Next is Yeo Min-seo, Do Seon-woo. Since Kim Jin-seo forfeited, the order has changed. Both of you come up."

So Do-jin said weakly. I climbed into the ring with my head down. Yeo Min-seo was staring at me intently from across, with an unpleasant smile on her lips.

"Why is your face like that? Did someone die?"

Yeo Min-seo asked. Transparent provocation with obvious intent. But compared to Gu Jun-hyeok’s provocations, it was nothing.

"Why do you hate her?"

"Her? Who, Kim Jin-seo?"

Yeo Min-seo leaned her back against the cage and rolled her eyes as if thinking. After a moment of silence, Yeo Min-seo opened her mouth.

"Well... Do you need a reason to dislike someone? You don’t particularly need a reason to like someone either. It’s similar."

I nodded slightly. That was sufficient as an answer.

Actually, I wasn’t in a position to talk about fairness to anyone. Until now, I had achieved grades not through ’my ability’ but through ’the Loa’s help.’ Whether diagnostic tests or practicals.

Interfering with opponent’s blessing circles was Yeo Min-seo’s talent. Yeo Min-seo had just actively utilized her talent; she hadn’t done anything unfair.

Come to think of it, the unfair one wasn’t Yeo Min-seo but me.

Ding!

The clear bell sound announced the start of the sparring match.

"Phew."

I regulated my breathing.

I had no intention of talking about fairness now. From now on, I planned to defeat Yeo Min-seo even if it meant adding a bit of unfairness.

Like Yeo Min-seo said, there wasn’t much reason.