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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Picked Up and Slammed Down
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068. Picked Up and Slammed Down.
The faces of the cadets watching the spar were etched with shock.
A heavy silence, where even breaths were held, fell over the training ground, their eyes wide.
Because something no one had ever imagined had just unfolded before their very eyes.
"...He picked her up from behind."
"...And slammed her down?"
"...Kang Do-hee?"
A male cadet, not even a female one, had picked her up and slammed her to the ground.
Kang Do-hee, too, wore a bewildered expression, as if her mind couldn't process what had just happened.
Even in her normal state, Kang Do-hee's physical combat specialization was S-class, yet she couldn't react to the grappling. The reason was simple.
It was due to the characteristics of the enemies she had fought so far.
She had always faced monsters several times larger than herself.
It was impossible to use joint locks on opponents whose forearms or thighs were as big as her entire body.
Moreover, anyone who had picked a fight with her so far had been knocked out with a light punch or a single kick, making a messy, entangled fight like this utterly unfamiliar to her.
'Of course, once she gains more experience in human-to-human combat, she'll learn quickly.'
I held her by the waist, my eyes calm.
'But this wouldn't have caused much damage.'
In my original world, it would have been a strong enough impact to worry about a concussion, but for her, this much would be nothing.
I had to move immediately while she was still dazed and unable to grasp the situation.
'If I don't seize victory now, it's over!'
I released my grip on her waist and immediately rolled over.
Then, I entangled my foot with her leg, pinning it.
Kang Do-hee's foot was positioned in front of my face.
I wrapped my arms around her leg and took her foot in my hand.
Heel Hook
A technique that twists the Achilles tendon, knee, and ankle ligaments.
Even a beginner can do it easily, but it's extremely dangerous.
The reason I chose a heel hook instead of an armbar, which breaks elbows, was simple.
If it were Kang Do-hee, she would surely try to fight to the end, even if it meant sacrificing one hand.
But she couldn't give up her foot, as it was responsible for her mobility.
'At least with joint locks, I can contend with Kang Do-hee.'
Joint locks were originally developed to overcome differences in strength.
On top of that, I specialized in swordsmanship.
This meant that the gripping strength of my hands, used to hold something, received a specialization bonus.
As long as I got into the right position and held on, I could gain the upper hand!
*Creaaak—*
I grabbed her ankle and began to twist it with force.
"Urgh—!"
Kang Do-hee let out a painful groan.
A clear vein pulsed on her forehead.
Even though it was a joint lock that was hard to apply force to, I felt considerable resistance in my hands.
"Give up…! Kang Do-hee!"
I bit down on my teeth as I held her ankle, speaking.
"...Give up...!? Don't mess with me!!!!"
Then she bit her lip tightly and put strength into her ankle, as if telling me not to spout nonsense.
A tense tug-of-war of strength continued between Kang Do-hee, who was trying to break free, and me, who was twisting.
'I could completely twist it off like this… I probably could…'
Hmm, even if she could recover with a heal, that would be a bit too much for a fellow party member.
Jin Yu-ha thought this, completely oblivious to the fact that slamming a Summon Suplex on a fellow party member was already an act of pure shamelessness.
'…Hmm, this far is enough.'
I was sufficiently satisfied with this.
I had climbed to a position equal to Kang Do-hee.
'Excellent. Myself.'
That's enough for today.
As long as I was taking classes with her, I would keep meeting her.
And every time, I just needed to provoke her from behind.
'And I won't fight her.'
I calmly nodded.
"Kang Do-hee."
I called out to her, as she lay sprawled on the floor, struggling with all her might.
"Alright, I'll admit it."
When I spoke in a serious voice,
Kang Do-hee paused her attempt to pull her foot away and stared intently at me.
"As expected, you're strong."
"..."
"You're my equal, or even stronger."
I threw out a time-honored taunt at her.
Then, Kang Do-hee's face, which had been momentarily blank, twisted into a demonic grimace.
"You mutt...!"
She lifted her foot high, as if to slam it down onto the floor, foot and all.
*Whoosh—!*
But,
I immediately let go of her hand, threw my body back, and performed a backflip.
*Thud.*
And just before she could charge.
I turned my body and raised my hand towards the instructor.
With a refreshing smile, I opened my mouth.
"I lost."
"...What?"
Instructor Hong Ji-na, who had been staring blankly at our spar, looked bewildered.
And at the same time, Kang Do-hee charged from behind.
I immediately hid behind the instructor's large and comfortable back.
Then, curling up the corners of my lips, I spoke to the instructor.
"Instructor. If one side declares defeat, it's immediately considered a defeat. Isn't that right?"
"..."
Then she looked back at me with a face that clearly said, "What kind of jerk is this?" But well, shouldn't she take responsibility for her own words?
As I hid behind the instructor, Kang Do-hee stopped in front.
"...Jin Yu-ha! You...!"
Kang Do-hee yelled, her face flushed crimson as if she couldn't accept it.
I peeked my head out and narrowed my brows.
"Kang Do-hee. Where's your conscience?"
"...What?"
"No, because we were sparring, the other cadets didn't even get to spar once. Did we rent out this class? We should make way for the other cadets. Right, Instructor?"
"..."
And so, our spar concluded with Kang Do-hee's nominal victory, but effectively, it was my victory.
* * *
After the spar.
Kang Do-hee, her head a little cooler, ran a hand over her face and thought.
'...I lost.'
I did.
Lost for the first time.
It wasn't just a simple loss.
She had been granted a 'charity win.'
While disgracefully rolling on the floor.
Even if she had been careless, this spar was indeed her defeat.
She had no choice but to admit it.
That if Jin Yu-ha had truly intended to break her ankle then, he could have.
And the subsequent match would naturally have turned out unfavorably for her.
From the start, he was a guy who could keep up with her speed and fight her even when both her feet and hands were free.
In such a situation, if she couldn't use one foot...?
Kang Do-hee bit her lip.
Honestly, she was still fuming.
The mutt's last words seemed to echo loudly in her mind.
'...My equal, or even stronger?'
*Haa—.*
Kang Do-hee let out a long breath and opened her eyes.
Jin Yu-ha was squatting a little distance away, watching the other cadets' spars with a bored expression.
She strode purposefully towards him and looked down at Jin Yu-ha.
"Jin Yu-ha. This time, I lost."
Then Jin Yu-ha turned his head and looked up.
"Huh? But you won."
That mutt, knowing full well what I was saying, replied with a sly voice.
"...I'll request a rematch next class."
"Do-hee, Do-hee... What are you talking about? Don't you know the winner can't request a spar from the loser? They say it could become one-sided bullying if the winner challenges the loser."
Jin Yu-ha shook his head and said with a smug grin.
The rules of this damned class stated that unless the loser requested it first,
a rematch was impossible.
"And what would we gain from fighting each other anyway?"
"...What?"
"No, we sparred once at first to gauge each other's skills, but we're both 'the same' A-grade, aren't we?"
"..."
"Even if you won the spar, I'm still A-grade. My equal, or even stronger."
Kang Do-hee's fists trembled at his condescending tone.
This situation, where she had to remain still despite hearing such humiliating words, felt incredibly alien to her.
'Should I just... beat him up...?'
Honestly, she felt like no one would blame her if she just thrashed this detestable guy right then and there.
They might even praise her, instead.
As if he sensed her inner thoughts, or perhaps it was an instinctive sense for survival, Jin Yu-ha spoke.
"Do you want to fight me that badly?"
"...Yes."
Kang Do-hee nodded.
"Then, Kang Do-hee. Let's practice grappling."
Her eyebrows furrowed, unable to grasp the intention behind his words.
"You must have realized your weakness this time, too. You might be used to fighting monsters, but you're weak in human-to-human combat, like with joint locks."
"That's…!"
"Yeah, well. You've probably won all your fights until now. But that's because you've never seriously fought someone similar to or stronger than you in human-to-human combat. Do you think there aren't any such guys among the demons?"
Kang Do-hee's mouth clamped shut like a clam.
Jin Yu-ha pointed a finger at her.
"Completely escaping my grappling. That's the condition for our spar."
"The condition for the spar..."
"Oh, and obviously, you can't just give up the limb that's caught."
Kang Do-hee stared intensely at Jin Yu-ha, then nodded.
"...Alright, I understand. I'll do it. Mutt. Don't forget that promise. That you'll spar with me if I escape your grappling."
"Alright, practice hard~"
Leaving Jin Yu-ha's words, which grated on her nerves until the very end, behind her, Kang Do-hee bit her lip tightly and turned her body.
'...Wait a minute.'
And then, a thought flashed through her mind.
'Jin Yu-ha... and grappling?'
That meant,
she would have to get tangled up with him and roll around on the floor every time.
And in front of the other cadets, no less.
'That crazy bastard...?!'
Kang Do-hee whirled her head around, her face crimson, and glared at him.