Chapter 119
Chapter 119
“Now who should I cheer for…”
Bestia muttered with a troubled expression. In the ssireum arena, the match between Saladin and me was in full swing. Her green eyes moved back and forth between us. Unlike her usual cheerful self, she looked unusually serious this time.
“Bestia, it’s okay. You don’t have to cheer—”
Before I could even finish speaking, she suddenly sprang to her feet. Her hair shimmered gold under the sunlight.
“Ah! I got it!”
Her eyes sparkled. She looked delighted, as if she had just unraveled every secret in the world. Her pure enthusiasm, so characteristic of her, filled her face.
“Van! You can do it! I want Van to win!”
Bestia cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted loudly. Her voice carried its usual warmth.
And then, the very next moment.
“Saladin, you can do it too! I want Saladin to win as well!”
This time, her voice was even louder. It was as if she wanted both of us to win at the same time. There was a contradiction in her cheering, but there was no doubting her sincerity.
Ivaki burst into loud laughter. His hearty voice filled the training grounds.
“Puhahahahaha! What kind of nonsense is that, Bestia! There can only be one winner!”
“My, my, Lady Bestia, you’re quite greedy, aren’t you?”
Nia covered her mouth in embarrassment, not knowing how to react. Ryeong quietly smiled, and for a brief moment, her cold gaze seemed to soften.
“……”
I let out a bitter smile as I spoke. My match with Saladin had paused for a moment.
“Bestia, both of us can’t win…”
“But still! You’re both so cool! Van is cool in his own way, and Saladin is cool in his own way!”
She said it while clenching her fists tightly.
Her eyes were serious.
“Van, it’s cool how you never give up and keep challenging yourself! Because of that determination, we’re able to move forward. And Saladin is… Saladin is just cool in every way!”
Saladin also spoke with a smile. His laughter carried warmth. Our ssireum match had paused, but this moment was even more enjoyable.
“Hahaha! Yes, you’re right.”
Bestia continued to cheer for us alternately. Sometimes for me, sometimes for Saladin, and sometimes for both at once.
Her pure enthusiasm made all of us smile. Those days were that happy. There was no suspicion toward one another, no betrayal. There was only pure friendship and trust. Bestia’s bright smile, Saladin’s warm laughter—everything was genuine.
But back then, I didn’t know.
Just how precious moments like this were… and how easily all of this could shatter…
“Alright, again.”
Saladin took his ssireum stance. The power of the Hero was fully contained within his muscles. I faced him. It was the moment when our breathing became one.
“Hup!”
I moved first. I put strength into the hand that wrapped around Saladin’s waist. But his center of gravity was as solid as a rock. As if he had rooted himself deep into the ground, he didn’t budge an inch.
“Van, your strength has grown a lot.”
Saladin said with a smile. His body suddenly moved. It was a fluid motion, like wielding a sword. His technique crossed the boundary between ssireum and swordsmanship.
My feet lifted slightly before touching the ground again. Saladin’s techniques were difficult to predict. It was a refined kind of power, completely different from Ivaki’s monstrous strength.
I also smiled faintly.
“But…”
The experience from hundreds of matches with Ivaki surfaced through my movements.
Lowering my center of gravity, using the opponent’s strength against them.
“Oh?”
Saladin’s eyes widened. His body tilted for a brief moment. But he quickly regained his balance.
That was the reaction speed of a Hero.
Our bodies tangled and separated repeatedly. At times I gained the upper hand, and at times Saladin pulled ahead. The outcome was impossible to predict.
Bestia’s cheering continued to ring out. She still alternated between cheering for both of us.
Ryeong, unlike usual, watched without taking her eyes off us, and Nia seemed to be in awe of our movements.
“Now…”
A new power began to stir within Saladin’s muscles. I could feel the blood of the Hero coursing through his veins. His muscles hardened like steel cords, then swelled in an instant.
I instinctively knew the decisive moment was approaching. The power of the Hero enveloped his entire body. Just like when he wielded the holy sword, an overwhelming pressure emanated from him.
“Uryaaaaaah!”
Saladin unleashed an explosive force. There was none of his usual elegance in his movement. Instead, it carried the sharpness and precision of a sword strike. Like a blade that cleaved the same spot even after a thousand swings, his technique was lethally precise. The moment he twisted his waist and drove his strength forward, it felt as though a mountain was crashing into me.
But I had already been waiting for this moment. The hundreds of matches with Ivaki had taught me one truth. That the moment when an opponent’s power reached its peak was, in fact, the optimal moment to turn that power against them. It was knowledge engraved into my body through hundreds of defeats.
“This will…!”
I accepted all of Saladin’s power head-on. At the peak of his movement, I instead carried my body along with that very direction. This was the ‘flow of power’ that Ivaki had emphasized so much. At the unexpected shift, Saladin’s perfect balance faltered. The Hero’s feet, which had been firmly planted, began to lift slightly off the ground.
“This…!”
I heard Saladin’s startled voice. His feet finally left the ground. The Hero, who had always maintained perfect balance, lost his footing for the first time. It was the moment the outcome was decided. The instant the Hero’s flawless center—one that had never wavered even after clashing swords countless times—collapsed, everyone in the training ground held their breath.
“Van! Saladin! Both of you, hang in there!”
Bestia’s clear voice grew louder. Even at this moment, she was cheering for both of us at the same time. Just like her pure heart, there was no bias in her cheers. Only sincere encouragement for her two friends.
“Ooooooh!”
Ivaki shot up from his seat. His eyes were filled with indescribable joy. As a master watching a disciple who had endured hundreds of defeats and grown stronger, deep pride showed on his face. His massive frame trembled visibly.
Ryeong’s cold gaze sharpened in an instant. It was completely different from her usual expressionless and composed demeanor—it was filled with deep interest and tension.
As she watched the growth of Van Descartes, there was a profound emotion in her eyes. Nia covered her mouth with her small hands, watching the scene with such tension that it seemed she had even forgotten to breathe.
Thud!
At last, Saladin’s massive body struck the ground. With his fall, the entire training ground shook violently.
As if a small earthquake had occurred, a faint cloud of dust rose into the air.
The match was over.
The Hero’s defeat had been decided.
“Splendid.”
Saladin, lying on the training ground floor, burst into a refreshing laugh.
“That was splendid skill, Van. This is my complete defeat.”
Even though he had tasted the bitterness of defeat, his face was instead filled with deep satisfaction. It was the dignity of a true Hero, one who could even elevate defeat into learning.
“So this is what you learned from your matches with Ivaki.”
He said as he slowly stood up. As he brushed the dust off the training ground floor, there was still elegance and composure in his movements. As if even defeat were just another form of training, he remained calm.
I quietly nodded.
“Yeah. It’s thanks to Ivaki.”
It was a lesson taught by hundreds of defeats.
Ivaki’s booming laughter filled the training ground. His hearty laugh always brought us joy.
“Hahaha! My disciple has reached this level now!”
Bestia ran around, dancing in joy like a child, while Nia let out a sigh of relief as if the tension had finally left her. Even Ryeong, who rarely showed emotion, had a faint smile on her lips.
“Now, it’s my turn.”
Ivaki stood up again. His eyes shimmered like moonlight reflected on a lake.
“That earlier one must have been luck, right? This time for sure…”
It was the master’s challenge.
We stood once more in front of the white line. This time, with more serious expressions and deeper resolve. This was our daily life. Trusting one another, learning from one another, and growing together—such precious time.
“Ivaki.”
“What is it, Van? Don’t tell me you’re scared! Hahaha!”
“……”
Seeing my serious expression, Ivaki’s face stiffened. The others, sensing something unusual, also grew somber.
The atmosphere around us changed abruptly.
Then, the scenery twisted, and grotesque trees began to sprout wildly in all directions.
The clear sky vanished without a trace, replaced by a pitch-black moon that covered the heavens. Moonlight poured through darkened clouds.
Bestia asked,
“Van? What’s wrong all of a sudden? Did something happen?”
Saladin also asked with concern,
“Van. What is it? Were you injured during the match just now? Or is something else wrong?”
Nia approached me.
“You don’t seem hurt on the outside… May I take a closer look?”
Ryeong said nothing and simply stared at me.
“Haha… damn it.”
I wished this moment could continue forever.
But now, it was time to wake up.
This was a dream.
And it was a past and a memory that would never return.
Those happy days were gone.
I lifted my head and looked at Ivaki, Nia, and Ryeong one by one as I spoke.
“I’m sorry. I want to see you all longer, too… but it’s time for us to part.”
Ivaki asked back,
“Why?”
“Because this… is a dream of the past created by me, who longs for you.”
Ivaki burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha! So that’s what it was? I see. This is a world inside a dream, and we are nothing but illusions created by your dream.”
Strangely enough, Ivaki accepted my words just as they were. In a way, that too was very much like him.
“Van.”
“Yeah, Ivaki.”
“Don’t make that face. The Van I know is the toughest one among us.”
“……”
Nia smiled brightly as she spoke.
“Let’s meet again next time, Van.”
“Yeah. Nia.”
Take care. Everyone.
When I closed my eyes, the world around me collapsed.
And as I awakened from that sweet dream, the first thing I heard was news of someone’s death.