Chapter 243


    Jijel''s voice trembled. "I must have seen it wrong... No."


    To her surprise, the Curare Lizards were approaching them. Why? she wondered. These lizards were clever monsters. They usually targeted prey that was paralyzed and slow-moving, not threatening mages like them. Why were they being pursued?


    -! !-


    -!


    The lizards, now more agitated than before, hissed sharply and shot their paralyzing venom.


    "Ssh! Stter!" It was evident that they were infuriated, their venomous anger palpable.


    "Persistent creatures," Yi-Han muttered,manding his bones to attack. "Bones, strike! Strike! Strike!" His bone shards rained down like a shower, shing the ground and tearing through the bushes. The lizards hastily dodged and howled even louder.


    -!!-


    "Ah," Yi-Han realized why the Curare Lizards had abandoned the weaker prey and were pursuing them instead. Jijel realized it too.


    "They''re chasing us just because we hit them a bit," she said.


    "Exactly," Yi-Han agreed, restraining himself from cursing. Arguing with allies would serve no purpose.


    "Wardanaz... Moradi..." the retreating students from the White Tiger shouted hoarsely. They clearly misunderstood, thinking Yi-Han and Jijel were sacrificing themselves for them.


    "These damn fools," Yi-Han grumbled.


    "What?"


    "Just ignore them and retreat!" Although he wanted tosh out, he held back, nning to gloat about itter.


    "Thud!" One lizard, unable to contain its fury, charged. It collided with a swiftly approaching shield and howled.


    "Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!" Yi-Han showed no mercy, bombarding the lizard with bone shards. Dazed, the creature fled.


    This isn''t good. Yi-Han knew the lizards'' patience was wearing thin, a bad omen. If the growing number of lizards attacked simultaneously, even he would struggle to fend them off. A sessful attack from just one would mean defeat.


    Jijel, sensing the same danger, drew her dual swords and shouted fiercely, "Wardanaz. I''ll buy time! When will your mana recover?"


    She seemed to misunderstand that Yi-Han''s mana was temporarily depleted. Otherwise, there was no reason for him, who had easily defeated the White Tiger students, to rely solely on dark magic.


    "It''s not a mana issue!" he eximed.


    "What?"


    "It''s not mana. I''m just too exhausted for precise control after staying up all night."


    "Are you insane... Urgh!" Jijel stabbed at the mouth of an attacking lizard and retreated.


    "You''re telling me this now? Why did you stay up all night?!" Climbing a mountain was physically demanding; she couldn''t fathom why he would do so without rest.


    "Too much homework," Yi-Han replied casually.


    ...


    Jijel was speechless, unable to counter such an unexpected response.


    -Come to the riverbank-


    ...


    Amanding voice suddenly instructed, which startled them.


    -Come to the riverbank. Those lizards dislike this stream, so they won''t follow you.-


    They didnt know who was the one talking, but both quickly headed towards the riverbank. In their current situation, they had nothing to lose.


    -... -


    "Ssh... Ssh..." As they waded into the river up to their waists, the Curare Lizards, seemingly despising the water, halted and red furiously but did not follow.


    Jijel spoke, disbelief in her tone.


    "Do you see that? Why are those lizards behaving like that? Wardanaz? ...Wardanaz!"


    Jijel''s eyes widened in shock as she saw Yi-Han fall forward.


    ''Paralyzing venom?!'' She was certain he hadn''t been hit by the lizards'' attack. Why then?


    -He''s just copsed from exhaustion.-


    "...What?"


    -He''s tired, that''s all. Are you a freshman? It''s unusual for freshmen to study until they copse from exhaustion. Quite remarkable.-


    "..."


    When Yi-Han opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a shield floating in the air.


    ''Where am I?''


    Lying on a soft animal hide, he realized he wasn''t on the street but must have been taken into some sort of cabin.


    Turning his head, he saw Moradi sitting on a chair. Yi-Han checked his coat pocket for his belongings first.


    ''Hm. Nothing''s been taken.''


    -Are you checking for lost items? You haven''t lost anything.-


    "!" Yi-Han was startled by the voiceing from above and looked up.


    A giant he had never seen before was sitting at the cave entrance, facing Moradi.


    Moradi had her fingers on her temples, intensely focused on the table in front of her, seemingly unaware that Yi-Han had awoken.


    ''What''s going on?''


    Not sensing hostility from the giant, Yi-Han stood up and approached.


    Surprisingly, whaty between them was a chessboard.


    ''It''s the endgame.''


    Yi-Han, observing the pieces and their arrangement on the board, realized the game was in itste stages. And Moradi was in a disadvantageous position.


    -Isn''t it about time you make your move? No amount of pondering will change the oue. You can recover from a mistake in the opening during the middlegame, and from the middlegame in the endgame. But in the endgame, there''s no next step.-


    ''Hmm. He sure knows how to make his opponent feel bad during a chess game.''


    Apparently hitting the mark, Jijel bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.


    After much contemtion, Jijel finallyid her white king on its side, signifying defeat.


    "...I''ve lost."


    -Don''t take it too hard. Not all giants are dumb, you know.-


    The giant spoke in a gentle tone, but it was no constion to Jijel. Yi-Han understood her feelings.


    Losing a game of chess to a giant, notoriously known for theirck of intelligence, must be frustrating. Would it feel the same to lose to Gainando?


    "Um... If it''s not too rude, may I ask your name?"


    -That''s not hard to answer.-


    The giant shared that he had lived in this area for a long time and asionally enjoyed casual conversations or bets with students and professors from the magic academy.


    "But, um..."


    -You''re curious about the source of my uncharacteristic intelligence for a giant?-


    "If my question was impolite, I apologize."


    -No, it''s a natural curiosity. But I''m afraid I can''t provide a satisfactory exnation. Think of it this way. Aren''t there particrly unintelligent people among humans?-


    The giant''s logic was sound. Yi-Han found it hard to argue.


    "I understand."


    -Good. I appreciate your understanding.-


    "...But why chess?"


    Hearing the question, the giant shrugged.


    -I mentioned I like bets.-


    "A bet at a time like this?"


    Yi-Han was astonished by Moradi''s greed.


    How much greed does one have...


    Jijel shouted irritably, "You copsed, you bastard!"


    ording to the giant, while he would talk to passersby, he never forced anyone into a bet.


    However, the situation changed when debts or favors were involved.


    Since the giant had brought the copsed Yi-Han to his cave and cared for him, the mages owed him a corresponding gratitude, ording to the giant''s logic.


    "What kind of repayment are you talking about?"


    -There are a few options.-


    The giant tapped on the wall, revealing lists written in crooked letters.


    -Tasks for the mages who lost the bet-<ol><li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">


    Clean the cave''s cer (Make sure to throw away all the expired potions and rbel them)</li></ol><ol start="2"><li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">


    Organize the library (Something seems to be hiding among the books)</li></ol><ol start="3"><li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"></li></ol>


    -Complete one of these, and we''ll be even.-


    Yi-Han scanned the list again.


    At first nce, the tasks didn''t seem too time-consuming, but Yi-Han knew all too well the cunning traps hidden in the ''simple to-do lists'' provided by the professors.


    ''The cer might be bigger than the cave itself. The same goes for the library.''


    -If you don''t like these, we can settle it with a bet.-


    "A bet... Can we do something like a contest of mana?"


    Yi-Han asked casually.


    The giant chuckled and shook his head.


    -A bet must be fair to both sides. What fun would it be if it only favored me? I also don''t ept bets based on physical strength.-


    "Oh... I don''t mind..."


    -If you have a bet in mind, propose it. If it''s fair, I''ll ept.-


    ''I thought a contest of mana would be good.''


    Yi-Han clicked his tongue.


    The giant''s unnecessary consideration made things more troublesome.


    ''I see why Moradi chose chess.''


    The giant was not as easy an opponent as he had thought. Living far longer than the students, he had more experience and knowledge. From his brief disy of wisdom, it seemed he was also superior in intellect.


    Yi-Han looked at the chessboard again.


    At least in the current situation, he could gauge the giant''s skill in chess.


    The problem was, Yi-Han had no confidence in chess.


    He had never considered himself particrly good at chess. He had won against a few opponents at the magic academy, but that was more due to their poor skills.


    His record against a professor in the past was also dismal...


    "May I discuss this for a moment?"


    -As you wish.-


    "Moradi. Moradi."


    "What."


    "Why did you move the rook here? You could have just kept it on the third rank and moved the king to avoid check and aim for a draw."


    "..."


    Sometimes a correct criticism is more annoying than a wrong one.


    That was precisely what Yi-Han was doing.


    "Why did you move it?"


    "Shut up. Just..."


    "Was it a mistake? I see. Did the giant use any particr opening?"


    -Are you considering challenging me again in chess? Not a bad idea. But think carefully. You might regret it.-


    "Could you y without one or two pieces to make it fair?"


    -We don''t know each other''s skills, so I can''t do that. But I''ll allow you to take advice from your friend.-


    The giant sat back leisurely, waiting with theposure only a true expert could exhibit, making Yi-Han suddenly feel nervous.


    ''Damn it. He seems to have an aggressive style. Can I manage a draw?''


    Yi-Han''s aim was essentially a draw.


    Winning would be great if luck favored him, but if not, he nned to aim for a draw and move on to the next bet.


    ''If his skills are as Moradi described, I should be able to manage that.''


    The problem was if the giant was hiding his true skills.


    Yi-Han fervently hoped the giant''s abilities were within his expectations.


    30 minutester.


    Yi-Han was astounded.


    "...No..."


    -Grooaning-


    "...It seems to be over."


    -Just a moment. Give me five more minutes.-


    "No. It''s over. If you move here, my knight blocks, and if you move there, my pawn blocks."


    -...Just a moment. But still, five minutes.-


    "..."


    The giant''s chess skills were, contrary to expectations...


    ...remarkably weak.


    As Yi-Han firmly held his defense, the giant''s forced attacks led to his own downfall.


    Yi-Han looked at Jijel.


    ''So, it was just that Moradi was bad at ying.''


    ''Why do I feel displeased...?''


    -I''ve lost. Yes, I''ve lost.-


    The giantid down his king, conceding defeat.


    Yi-Han sighed in relief and asked, "So, can we go now?"


    -Not yet.-


    "?"


    -You''ve just repaid the defeat of your friend here. But the favor of saving you still remains.-


    "...Have you ever worked as a professor at a magic academy?"


    Yi-Han''s question slipped out involuntarily, astounded by the opponent''sck of conscience.


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