Breaking Up With the Heroine in an Otome Game - Breaking Up With the Heroine in an Otome Game chapter 96

96 – Byak Yurin and the Ranking Match (10)

096.

In the past, the Baek Family’s martial arts training hall.

“Huh?!”

Swish.

The iron sword spun round and round in the air.

Rising to the edge of the ceiling in the training hall, the iron sword hovered in the air for a moment.

Gradually, the sword began to descend and weakly tumbled to the ground.

“Ugh… Ugh, hah.”

Byak Yurin, who had dropped the sword, intermittently gasped for breath.

Partially bending his knees, he bit his lower lip tightly enough to draw blood.

His beautiful crimson hair was disheveled, and his pristine white uniform was stained with sweat and blood.

He looked utterly defeated, as if he had endured a significant battle.

“Haah, haah, hoo.”

He lost.

He lost again.

There was no room for excuses.

He had already suffered defeat several times.

Grandfather is watching, and yet I’ve fallen apart like this.

“Haah, haah, you…”

Baek Yurin frowned and gave the man a piercing look.

Even though his face was obscured by a black mask and a hat, it was clear that he was around the same age as Baek Yurin.

He seemed deliberately secretive, but judging by his altered voice, mannerisms, behavior, physique, and build, it could only be Baek Yurin, albeit disguised as someone a year or two older.

It was humiliating.

Baek Yurin had never lost to someone his age before.

As befitting the best prodigy in the current Baek family, there was hardly anyone among his peers who could compare.

Most of the children who showed talent in martial arts kneeled before the monster known as Baek Yurin.

Even in middle school, Baek Yurin displayed tremendous skills that could rival active heroes.

Therefore, it could be said that there was no one among his peers who could defeat Baek Yurin.

But.

He suffered a devastating defeat against the boy he had just met.

Because he was defeated so thoroughly, Baek Yurin suffered a great blow to his self-esteem beyond the humiliation.

Of course, he had experienced defeat before, against members of the Baek family or individuals who were senior martial arts masters.

But this was the first time he had lost to someone his age, the first time.

He had never lost to his peers, not even once…

He swung his sword multiple times, thrashed and struggled, fought with all his might, but he couldn’t bring down that boy.

It was like facing an insurmountable wall.

He believed his talent in martial arts was unmatched, even compared to his grandfather.

But he couldn’t win a single match against a guy he had never even heard of?

Is this Bai Yurin?

“…You, again, hah, again, let’s go for another round!”

For Bai Yurin, it was an unbearable humiliation.

At the same time, it was something he couldn’t acknowledge.

The harsh reality of being pushed back by that guy.

He could never admit being surpassed by that guy not just in talent but also in skills and experience…

“That’s enough.”

It was then.

“Ha, grandfather.”

“That’s far enough.”

“But…!”

Bai Yurin was rebellious against the dissuasion of Bai Yeonghyun, who had been silently watching.

If only, if they fought a bit more, he might win.

Could it be that Grandfather thinks Bai Yurin has no chance of winning?

That Bai Yurin, having tasted only the bitterness of defeat, will never be able to defeat that guy even once?

“Your physical condition doesn’t seem good. How about stopping at this point?”

“I can still fight more!”

“Hmm, Yurin.”

As Bai Yeonghyun spoke as if advising, Bai Yurin could only fall silent with tightly pressed lips.

“It was hard work for you to go against our granddaughter.”

“No.”

Baek Yeonghyeon finally spoke to the man.

“You have outstanding skills.”

It was unexpected for the grandfather, who was usually reserved in his praise, to compliment him like that.

“Even my granddaughter is exceptionally talented.”

Baek Yurin’s expression turned slightly sour.

That man spoke as if he were looking down from above.

So, he thinks his skills are superior, huh?

“Well, what about you? Do you have any intention of learning swordsmanship from me in earnest?”

“I’m sorry. I truly appreciate the offer, but I have other matters to attend to.”

The man rejected the grandfather’s proposal.

It was the first time the grandfather, renowned as the best swordsman in the peninsula, had made such a direct offer.

And he rejected it?

“I apologize for any inconvenience today. I’ll take my leave then.”

“The offer stands, so come again.”

After the man left,

the grandfather sat alone and muttered to himself from time to time.

“It’s a pity, a shame… Even if he’s born with natural talent, without a guiding mentor, his limitations are clear…”

The grandfather longed for that man.

It was a reaction even unseen from Baek Yurin and Lee Siwoon.

Is that guy’s talent really so exceptional?

More so than Baek Yurin?

“…….”

Realizing that the man would be called Vittilante one day, Baek Yurin firmly vowed in her heart.

If, if that man and I meet again, I’ll show clearly.

How much Baek Yurin has changed since then.

To everyone, including that man and her grandfather.

***

Baek Yurin’s expression twitched slightly.

“Surrender…? You’re perfectly fine…?”

Ironically, it was Baek Yurin, not Lee Jinhyuk, who was injured.

Though she had deftly blocked his finishing move, causing him some injuries, why suddenly surrender?

Look, look at the blood flowing from her shoulder.

Meanwhile, Lee Jinhyuk hadn’t suffered a single scratch.

It was crystal clear that Lee Jinhyuk was in a much better position, so what surrender?

“Like I’d ever tolerate surrender.”

Baek Yurin showed nothing.

If Lee Jinhyuk were to surrender in this situation, what would become of Baek Yurin?

Would she show her grandfather such a pitiful sight, likely watching this tournament on TV?

“Don’t be ridiculous… Let’s fight again.”

“Now you should know too. I’m not that man.”

Certainly, the possibility of Lee Jin-hyuk being that man seemed low.

If he were the man from the past who overwhelmed Baek Yoo-rin with pure skill alone, he wouldn’t be groaning and struggling against Baek Yoo-rin like this.

He was distinctly different from the man in the past, who absorbed magical power and created rifts in dimensions.

…Of course, it couldn’t be completely ruled out that Jin-hyuk was intentionally acting to avoid revealing his true identity.

“Jin, Hyuk.”

He approached the adjudicator, expressing his intention to surrender.

Ignoring her.

Just like that man.

“Lee Jin-hyuk.”

Was Jin-hyuk really the one from the past?

Honestly, at this point, it didn’t matter much.

What mattered now was that Jin-hyuk had inflicted injuries on Baek Yoo-rin and gained the upper hand.

Jin-hyuk’s movements were sluggish, his swordsmanship was mediocre, and his physical abilities seemed low, but what did that matter?

In the end, the fact remained that he had clearly wounded Baek Yoo-rin.

Among the academy trainees known as geniuses, how many could dare to inflict this level of injury on Baek Yoo-rin?

At best, Lee Si-woon and Kang Dae-han?

No, that’s not it.

Even if it were them, they wouldn’t be able to inflict this level of injury on Baek Yoo-rin. Despite both of them becoming stronger than ordinary heroes after intense training, it was still not enough, insufficient.

Baek Yoorin was a top-level warrior, equivalent to a heroic idol.

“Lee Jinhyuk…!”

The fight begins now.

You got the advantage, so where are you running off to?

Don’t make me laugh. Are you joking right now? Where do you think you’re going, where?

“E, Education Trainee Baek Yoorin?”

Taken aback by the sudden surge of intense aura, Judge looked at Baek Yoorin in astonishment.

Even Judge, who was a former hero, felt a shiver down his spine from the intense aura, causing him to swallow his saliva involuntarily.

Why is there such an intense aura all of a sudden?

Lee Jinhyuk also noticed that Baek Yoorin’s atmosphere was not normal.

Ignoring Judge’s words as if she couldn’t hear them, Baek Yoorin tightly gripped her sword, twisting it as she concentrated her magic power with all her might.

“Trainee, Baek Yoorin! What are you doing right now…?”

“Lee Jinhyuk, where are you trying to go?”

Without hesitation, Baek Yoorin swung her sword, completely disregarding Judge’s words.

A dense blue crescent-shaped aura was left behind as it surged towards Lee Jinhyuk.

Reacting instinctively, Lee Jinhyuk swung his sword to defend.

Since Baek Yoorin swung her sword a little slowly, as if telling him to block it openly, Lee Jinhyuk had enough time to react.

“Hey, are you crazy?!”

Could it be that Baek Yoorin would go this far?

“Ugh!”

Pazijijiji, jijijik!

The sword aura of Baek Yurin clashed with Lee Jinhyuk’s sword.

The sword aura user was so ferocious that it could cut through training swords like tofu, making it extremely dangerous.

It was definitely not suitable for sparring.

Of course, it wouldn’t be fatal since it aimed for the shoulder, but there was a risk of losing one arm.

Even though a healing ability user was waiting, it was still absurd to unleash a sword aura that could damage the body to that extent.

“Ugh, for real!”

Without a choice, he used the Tears of the Moon.

He was quite exhausted, but losing an arm was out of the question.

Soon, the sword aura user shattered into pieces, and magical fragments scattered in the air.

Baek Yurin laughed as she witnessed the scene. “Ha,” she chuckled.

It wasn’t an aura that an ordinary trainee could block easily. But she managed to block it like that? Can she really absorb magical power? Well, whatever. The important thing is that she stopped it.

“Ha, ha… Hot.”

With an anticipatory smile, Baek Yurin looked at Lee Jinhyuk.

“Alright, you managed to block it…?”

“Subdue her immediately!”

Security agents quickly rushed in.

Several security agents surrounded Baek Yurin.

Baek Yurin glanced at the security agents for a moment. Suddenly, she felt like she was soaked in cold water. Oh, no. Perhaps she got too excited and caused an accident.

The excitement that had flared up like a fire momentarily subsided.

It has been a long time since I felt this excited, so it felt like there was nothing in sight.

If only I hadn’t done this, if only.

“Trainee Baek Yurin! Drop your sword immediately and surrender!”

“……”

“Baek Yurin!”

“……”

What should I do?

Baek Yurin pondered for a moment.

From Noble mtl dot com

As she glanced at the spectator seats, she realized that her uncle, Baek Namil, was watching. Even my father saw it firsthand, how fascinating.

“…Lee Jinhyuk.”

Unexpectedly, Baek Yurin put down her sword and took a submissive stance to surrender.

“…This match was fun, let’s meet again…next time.”

While being escorted away by security guards, Baek Yurin quietly murmured to Lee Jinhyuk.

Soon after, a disciplinary committee meeting was held for Baek Yurin at the academy.

Because she used a lethal move against her opponent who had surrendered in a major event where broadcasting was involved, the academy couldn’t just let it slide, even if Baek Yurin was a direct descendant of the Baek family.

In the end, Baek Yurin received a disciplinary punishment of one month of rigorous training and 150 hours of community service.

In the highly anticipated ranking tournament, the most talked-about matchup was undoubtedly Baek Yurin vs. Lee Jinhyuk.

It was because Lee Jinhyuk fought remarkably well beyond expectations.

He countered Baek Yurin several times, broke her sword in half, and even blocked the Sword Qi attack.

It was truly impressive.

If they were other trainees, would they have been able to go to such lengths?

It was certain that they would have collapsed with just one stab without properly grasping Baek Yurin’s movements.

However, Lee Jinhyuk was different.

To the extent that it made one wonder if he was truly the lowest-ranking in practical skills, Lee Jinhyuk successfully blocked all of Baek Yurin’s attacks.

Although Lee Jinhyuk’s surrender request was accepted, marking it as a defeat, judging from the content of the match alone, Lee Jinhyuk was close to victory.

That’s because Baek Yurin suffered a significant injury to one shoulder, but Lee Jinhyuk remained unscathed.

Unexpectedly, Lee Jinhyuk surrendered, but many trainees wondered what would have happened if they had continued to fight.

And through this duel, a strange rumor spread throughout the academy.

The rumor that Lee Jinhyuk might have intentionally hidden his supernatural abilities.

In addition, Yoo Seolhyun’s statement, “Ah, he said he would lose, but he lost quite splendidly,” and Lee Siwoon’s statement, “You were hiding a lot, Lee Jinhyuk. I enjoyed the match this time,” added credibility to the rumor.

So the kids chatted about Lee Jinhyuk and Baek Yurin’s confrontation, discussing various stories for a while.

And on the weekend, at Lee Jinhyuk’s house.

– Ding dong.

Opening the front door with the sound of the doorbell.

“……Hello.”

Baek Yurin, who had been dressed neatly, came to Lee Jinhyuk’s house.

“……You don’t have to be so guarded… I came to apologize for last time.”

Anyway, she came to apologize.