Korea-Japan Friendly Match (5)
The truth was, Ryo had been in a bad mood for a while now. More precisely, he had been irritated from the moment they came here.
Because he just couldn't understand the other side's attitude.
What?
'They want 10 billion won per match? And if we don't like that, they want to bet 100 billion won?'
He couldn't understand how Shusuke could hear such absurd nonsense and still let it slide.
Japan had already proven its strength to the entire world.
So why did it feel like Japan was being dragged around by players from some backward country like this?
'Well, fine.'
Let's say the bet itself was acceptable.
But what happened in the earlier match made his heart burn even more.
They beat Atsuto?
Korea's strength had been far more formidable than he expected.
Kang Jihoe, Hong Ari.
Those two players had given it their all, sure, but he never imagined they could hold their own against Atsuto, one of the top-ranking members of Japan's national team.
And that stung his pride a little.
Fine.
Let's be generous one more time and say he could understand even that.
It wasn't Korea's fault that Japan failed to dominate.
But then—
-Why, you think you can't win?
- I'll definitely win.
-Good. That's the mindset.
He had overheard their conversation.
That tone, the way they spoke as if beating someone like Ryo was only natural, pierced straight into his mind.
'Arrogant bastards.'
That was the moment he snapped.
"Since when does some nobody I've never even heard of get to act relaxed against me?"
Ryo curled up the corners of his lips as he stared at Gi Jaehyuk, who stood facing him with a grim expression.
"Fine."
I'll show you!
The true difference in power!
Why Japan is called a great nation!
Kwagagagagak!
At Ryo's gesture, two chickens the size of adult men began charging at Gi Jaehyuk.
They weren't ordinary chickens.
They were none other than Transcendent Chickens (B-rank), monsters said to even prey on birds of prey.
Gi Jaehyuk's summons were centered around goblins.
If Oh Sunyoung insisted on using only wolves, then Gi Jaehyuk insisted on using only goblins.
As for the reason, that would be explained later.
Two Hop Goblins (B-rank) and a Poison Goblin (B-rank) took the front line in battle!
A Forest Goblin (C-rank) acted as the healer, while a Goblin Priest (B-rank) served as the buffer.
"Goblins? You think those trash summons can do anything?"
Kwagagagagak!
After clashing once, Ryo sneered.
Gi Jaehyuk was young.
And the fiery spirit of a young Korean was not the type to overlook that sneer.
"Ohh…, KFC."
"..."
"They look way cooler than a pair of chickens, don't they?"
"Shut your mouth."
"Ah, after the match I should go eat Baek's Chicken again. Om nom nom."
Creak!
Ryo, losing the battle of words, ground his teeth.
Japan had always been weak at verbal sparring.
There was even a rumor that, in the past, instead of trading insults, they usually just killed each other for real.
...Anyway.
It was not easy to beat a Korean high schooler in a contest of words when he had been trained by insults since elementary school.
"Just die!"
The beaks of the Transcendent Chickens began pecking at the goblins' torsos at the speed of light.
Perhaps because the player was enraged, the summons' movements were even rougher than before.
Swaeaeaeak!
A Hop Goblin instinctively swung its club, but—
Swish!
The chicken easily dodged it and pecked straight into its belly.
"Th-that's insane."
"What kind of chicken is that?"
"That thing's no joke. Even our Firebird got wrecked by it."
The disciples watching were filled with admiration.
It was truly fascinating.
It was obvious that no matter what summon it was, the difference varied wildly depending on who was using it.
Apparently unable to find a proper countermeasure, Gi Jaehyuk kept pulling his goblins back.
"That's right!"
"Push him!"
The Japanese rankers finally looked relieved, their expressions loosening.
'Yes, this was it.'
The reality was that Korea's national team got pushed around even by the 9th-ranked player in Japan, and this was the kind of scene they should have seen from the start.
"As expected of the Transcendent Chicken!"
"Ryo! Just wipe them all out by yourself!"
But.
There was one among the Japanese rankers whose expression alone did not relax.
"..."
It was Shusuke.
If this were the Korea from before, it should've already been over by now.
The Transcendent Chicken's movements were explosive and fast.
That was why the shorter the match, the more advantageous it became...
'Gi Jaehyuk, was it?'
That bastard's control is no joke.
It looked like he was getting overwhelmed, but avoiding it like that was actually incredibly difficult.
At this rate, the Transcendent Chickens would be the ones to tire out and drop first.
Creak!
Shusuke was right.
'Damn it.'
Unlike how it looked on the surface, Ryo was burning up inside.
"You pest-like bastard! How long are you going to keep dodging?!"
It was frustrating.
It felt like he should be able to hit him, yet he couldn't.
And every piece of flesh he managed to tear off was quickly healed by the Forest Goblin.
On top of that—
"Come on, calling me a pest is a bit harsh. It's not like I'm dodging because I want to."
He just kept chattering away. Constantly getting on Ryo's nerves.
"If you don't want to dodge, then fight me head-on!"
"Hey, let's be accurate here. If you want me to fight head-on, stop pecking at me like that."
"You bastard, all you've got is your mouth...!"
"Yeah, cluck-cluck."
"Kraaaaah!"
In the end, there was only one method the berserk Ryo chose.
Swish.
He took something out of his pocket.
[Top-grade Movement Speed Increase Scroll]
[Rank: A-rank]
[Temporarily amplifies a summon's movement speed by 10 times.]
This was crafted from a blueprint that appeared as a reward in the Tower of Trials.
But the materials were so absurd that nobody ever made it.
The effect was good, but considering the materials alone, it cost well over 100 billion won.
In other words, it had terrible cost-effectiveness.
'This won't do.'
Ryo had already gone mad and was no longer capable of normal thought.
"H-hey!"
Shusuke realized what Ryo was trying to do and urgently tried to stop him.
That crazy bastard.
The use of scrolls in official matches had been prohibited by international law.
System-wise, they could still be used, but Rachel had pushed through a resolution that there was no reason to waste resources in leagues like this.
'Even if he wins and takes 100 billion won, it won't matter if he uses that!'
But it was already too late.
Riiip!
Ryo had already torn the scroll.
"You're dead."
At the same moment, the Transcendent Chickens' movements began to change on an entirely different level.
Puagagagagak!
They rushed in like streaks of light and devoured the Hop Goblin's vital points.
"You idiot. This is the gap between you and me."
Gi Jaehyuk's goblins were subdued in an instant.
"Oh?"
With his arms folded, Baek Jinwoo's eyes gleamed.
'So Japan had that blueprint.'
For reference, that scroll blueprint was Unique-grade.
Only one existed in the entire world!
Baek Jinwoo knew that well, since he had possessed it during the Battle of Summoners.
But still.
Those materials wouldn't have been easy to gather, so they used it in a place like this?
He couldn't understand it.
That precious scroll should have been stockpiled and used when breaking through the upper floors of the Tower of Trials.
Anyway.
If they had used that, then things were different now.
No matter how good Gi Jaehyuk's control was, he would no longer be able to deal with it.
"Th-this is bad."
Gi Jaehyuk looked at his goblins with a flustered expression. They had already collapsed and were no longer capable of fighting.
And the chickens thoroughly trampled over the goblins.
"A mere mutant chicken... why is it so damn strong?"
And then—
Ryo took it a step further.
Instead of forcing the enemy goblins into reverse summoning, he barely suppressed them and started humiliating them on purpose.
-Kiruk?
Whenever a goblin tried to get up, the chickens pecked its legs and knocked it back down.
Whoooosh!
If it swung its club while lying down, they dodged it and pecked at its armpits and arms.
"What the hell is he doing?"
"Isn't that going too far?"
The disciples watching burst out in anger.
"A match should be clean. Is it really okay to torment them like that?"
Players, in particular, grow attached to their summons.
That was only natural.
Whether they liked it or not, they spent time together, and as that happened, they could not help but realize those summons were living beings with emotions too.
Ryo gave a crooked smile as he looked at the angry crowd.
"Why? Was there a clause about that in the contract?"
"Have some sportsmanship!"
"Sportsmanship, my ass."
Ryo's lips trembled.
"He's the one who broke manners first!"
On top of everything else, he had already been mocked by the Japanese public because of his summons.
KFC, Mos Burger, Toribani...
He had developed a trauma over people calling his summons by the names of Japanese chicken brands, and Gi Jaehyuk had hit that sore spot perfectly.
"Sorry... I was just joking. I didn't know you'd get that worked up over it."
Gi Jaehyuk scratched his head and apologized, but that only made Ryo angrier.
"You son of a bitch!"
Crack!
In the end, after making the chicken rip out a goblin's heart and force it into reverse summoning, Ryo sent the Transcendent Chicken charging at Gi Jaehyuk, whose barrier had completely disappeared.
"Ryo, stop!"
Shusuke shouted in horror, but—
Cluck-cluck-cluck!
The enraged chickens were already rushing straight at Gi Jaehyuk!
"Uh, uhh?"
Gi Jaehyuk was dumbfounded.
The match was already over, so doing this just because he was mad—wasn't that a crime?
It was a clear violation of international law and attempted murder.
"Tsk."
Baek Jinwoo, who had been watching, clicked his tongue.
Then he raised his hand.
Slash, slash!
Gale Slayer, who had been waiting while hidden in transparency, swung its scythe and lightly sliced off the heads of both Transcendent Chickens as if cutting radishes.
"Wha..."
Ryo's mouth fell open in disbelief.
"What the hell?"
Something unknown had leaped out of empty air, instantly butchered the heavily buffed Transcendent Chickens, then vanished again.
A grim reaper?
A scythe?
'No, what even—'
Was something like that possible?
Even a buffed Transcendent Chicken should have been competitive enough to fight Shusuke.
And that wasn't all.
Sguguguk!
The necks of the three summons supporting from the rear were cut at the same time as well.
And then—
Step, step.
Baek Jinwoo strode toward Ryo, whose barrier had disappeared.
The force of his presence was like looking at a reckless summon charging forward.
"H-hold on—"
Thud!
Baek Jinwoo drove his fist into Ryo's abdomen, putting the full rotational force of his body into it.
It was so fast and sudden that Ryo did not even have time to think about summoning extra summons.
"Ggh, gghuuuuuurk!"
Baek Jinwoo, who received special training from HunGyo every single day, already possessed inhuman strength and elasticity.
From that single blow, Ryo collapsed on the spot and threw up everything he had eaten.
And yet—
"Kgh... hurrk! H-how can you...!"
Even while trembling in convulsions, he glared at Baek Jinwoo with resentful eyes.
Baek Jinwoo looked down at him coldly.
"Why? Was there a clause about that in the contract?"
You little bastard.
How dare you touch my disciple?
And with a summon, no less.
No matter how he thought about it, he simply could not let it go.
Shusuke or no Shusuke—
Boooom!
Baek Jinwoo kicked the fallen Ryo hard in the side.
"Aaagh!"
Spinning round and round, Ryo rolled across the ground, kicking up dust.
Shusuke, startled out of his wits, came running over, but he had nothing to say.
From any third party's perspective, Ryo was clearly the one in the wrong.
But—
Baek Jinwoo had not handled it perfectly either.
He should have only dealt with the Transcendent Chickens and left Ryo's punishment to Shusuke, the current representative of Japan.
"No matter what, this is clearly an act of disrespect toward us—"
"What."
This time, Baek Jinwoo looked at Shusuke.
"You want to get hit too?"
A nobody like you, acting like you want to die.
'If Sugoi brother were here, he'd be the one raising hell.'
Baek Jinwoo absolutely hated anyone laying a hand on his people.
No matter the circumstances, Gi Jaehyuk was his disciple, and Ryo had tried to threaten that disciple's life.
These bastards should have been begging for it to end with just those two hits, and instead what?
An act of disrespect?
These punks really need to be taught a lesson.
"HunGyo."
Swish!
At Baek Jinwoo's call, HunGyo sprang out.
"That guy. One minute."
He muttered while looking at Ryo.
Paat!
A blast of ki shot from HunGyo's finger.
Tendon-Breaking Bone-Crushing.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Ryo's horrific scream rang throughout the training grounds.
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