59) Chapter 10. Hey, You—Come Out. (5)

Why… why are there so many people?

When I stared at Hyeonji, she quickly shook her head. Apparently she wasn’t the one who brought them.

So the rumor must’ve spread while she was looking for an instructor.

It wasn’t just me who was panicking—Soi, Chae‑yi, Jinwoo, and even the boy I was supposed to fight all looked stunned.

If I lose now, it’ll be humiliating.

Cold sweat ran down my back. If it were just a private fight, losing wouldn’t be the end of the world.

“Hmm, excellent!”

The nun‑instructor stepped forward cheerfully.

“Our student Rua really listens to her instructor’s advice. Good, good.”

A grumbling voice rose from somewhere behind her.

No, seriously—this looks like blatant favoritism. Sure, the boy did pick a fight with me unfairly, and I don’t like him, but…

There are so many people watching.

“So, student? You wish to duel that boy?”

The monk who’d followed behind her addressed me.

He didn’t speak in the stereotypical wuxia “this humble monk~” tone—just like a normal teacher. Makes sense; even the Buddhist chaplains in the military didn’t talk like that.

His head was perfectly round. Was this what people meant by a “beautifully shaped head”?

He didn’t look much older than the nun.

“Y‑Yes. I want to duel…”

“Hmm.”

“Well, why not? Let them duel.”

“……”

The monk stared at the nun. It was a very clear look of disapproval, but she just kept smiling.

I still didn’t know her name. I hadn’t taken any classes with her yet, and nun habits didn’t have name tags.

“Do you agree as well?”

The monk turned to the boy.

“Yeah, sure.”

He nodded.

“A duel is not something to take lightly. I’ll mediate, but every year, quite a few students get injured.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. In-class duels rarely involve strong emotions, but when students meet separately like this, they often begin with deep hostility.”

Will you still proceed?

His eyes moved between us.

“…Yes.”

“Yeah.”

Maybe my earlier provocation worked—he answered confidently. Honestly, now I was getting scared.

“Very well. Then you will both sign consent forms and write a pledge not to inflict grievous harm.”

This was getting serious.

I’d imagined something more casual—like a wuxia duel with a monk referee. I underestimated how formal a modern academy would be.

*

It didn’t end with a simple explanation. The instructors read every clause of the consent form aloud and made us write the pledge by hand. Only after signing with our names were we allowed onto the dueling platform.

“Isn’t two‑against‑one allowed?”

“Of course not.”

The nun‑instructor shut down Soi’s worried question immediately.

“Hing…”

Soi whimpered like a sad puppy and looked at me.

No matter how she looked at me…

I couldn’t always hide behind them.

Insults toward me were easy to endure—they were my problem. If I ignored them, they disappeared.

But dragging Auntie Yujin, or Soi, or Chae‑yi into it… that was different.

I lifted my gaze toward the boy.

I’d heard his name when we stepped onto the platform. I’d seen his name tag.

But I didn’t want to remember it.

I wanted him to remain an “extra” in my mind.

Petty revenge? Maybe. Or maybe I was just being childish.

I’d find out soon enough.

“You may begin.”

The monk declared solemnly.

Tap.

A sharp sound hit the floor. Before I could blink, he was right in front of me.

A faint rush of air brushed past—he moved fast.

But it wasn’t “super speed” like Uncle Dohyeon’s ability. It was pure leg strength—far beyond normal, but still just physical power.

So his ability wasn’t limited to leg strength?

Probably not. His clenched fist said otherwise.

If his legs were that strong, he’d rely on kicks. He must be the type who used his whole body.

Thud!

“Ghk!?”

Flesh hit flesh. Pain followed.

But I didn’t crash to the ground.

He stumbled back, startled.

It hurt, but there was no real impact. No injury.

The pain faded quickly. Just like my invisible hand had no physical substance, the pain lingered only for a moment.

Students murmured around us. The boy heard it too.

“…Isn’t that too much…?”

“…That’s kinda…”

Blunt whispers.

Come to think of it, not many students actively bullied me. Most avoided me, but few picked fights.

They were hero children, after all.

Even if their sense of justice was old‑fashioned, it wasn’t surprising.

Like thinking it was wrong for a boy to hit a girl.

If we both held swords, maybe it’d feel equal. But neither of our abilities were visible.

“Hah.”

The boy sounded uneasy.

“Your ability’s just like that witch’s—”

“Student.”

His words were cut off.

“Do not insult your opponent during a duel.”

Especially with an audience—psychological attacks could be dangerous.

The academy was a place of learning.

A duel was a duel.

Not a real fight where dirty tricks were allowed.

“Heh.”

I felt a spark of courage.

A witch, huh.

Yes.

It was a witch’s ability. I could only make two arms, and they moved like extensions of my own hands. If the witch herself taught me, maybe I’d learn more—but she wouldn’t teach me kindly.

But now I was certain.

His ability wasn’t impressive.

He’d probably been bullying powerless kids to boost his ego—

—a pathetic coward.

“What.”

He must’ve thought my smile was mocking him. His face twisted in anger.

Smack!

His head snapped to the side.

I hadn’t moved.

My invisible hand had.

My palm tingled.

But it was a strange, new kind of pain.

Not the pain of being hit—
the pain of hitting someone.

He wasn’t hurt badly.

So his ability strengthened his whole body—stronger muscles, tougher skin.

That explained why he panicked when Chae‑yi poked him earlier.

So what next?

“You—!”

He lunged forward—

“Ah.”

—and immediately fell face‑first.

He couldn’t see my hand.

I could use it to hit, push, or block.

“Heh… heheh…”

It hurt. My hand felt like it had been kicked. Even though it wasn’t real, the pain tricked my brain.

But it faded quickly. Fake pain didn’t linger.

Thud!

His face hit the floor. Students winced in sympathy, even though he wasn’t actually injured.

“G‑ghk!?”

He tried to push himself up—
I pressed down on him from above.

The limit of my hand’s strength was my own pain tolerance. Pressing down hard hurt, but it was manageable.

Compared to smashing my own head into the floor, it was nothing.

And the sensation was strange.

I only felt what the hand touched. If I pressed with my palm, only my palm hurt. If someone tried to grab or hit the invisible arm, their hand passed through.

Fascinating.

So what if I pressed hard enough to almost break something?

Just a little. Just enough to scare him.

I pressed down on his spine.

“Gyaaa!?”

A pathetic scream burst out.

He’d probably never felt real pain. His body was always reinforced.

Sometimes, in combat sports, huge fighters crumble when they feel their first real punch.

This coward was the same.

I had two hands.

With the other, I grabbed his arm.

He tensed, but my hand wasn’t real.

So what if I pulled hard enough to almost dislocate it?

“H‑Hey—hey!?”

He thrashed wildly as his arm was dragged while his back was pinned.

Now I understood.

When I used the hand instinctively, only the point of contact mattered. But when I wanted more strength, the rest of the arm formed—muscles, bones, tendons.

Maybe that’s why I could “grab” Seo Arin’s arm before.

“Seo Rua.”

The monk’s voice snapped me back.

“H‑Hh… hhh…”

The boy looked up at me, drenched in cold sweat.

Flattened against the floor.

His arm wasn’t broken. His spine wasn’t damaged.

But he’d felt the fear that they could be.

The students were silent, staring at me.

“Seo Rua wins. That should be acceptable.”

“Ah—y‑yes.”

I bowed slightly.

…This was…

In a different way…

Didn’t this make my reputation even stranger?

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Pub: 05 Apr 2026 06:48 UTC

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