Only I Am A Reader

'Ugh…'

Thanks to Baekho's blurry memory, Leo only felt his heart tighten a bit. Whether it was in the novel or what he 'knew', all there was to remember was an impression of a tragic past. Emotions usually bloomed from experience, but Baekho was someone who barely kept the emotions at the expense of that experience.

'Ho.'

On the other hand, Yeon's memory was rather fresh in comparison. A person usually didn't remember much about their childhood, but she had a basic grasp of what had happened. However, that was also the reason she questioned herself.

'My Ho…'

She obviously didn't question how true her feelings were with such a deep imprinting experience, only trying to define them. Baekho was undeniably her home, but was that all he was to her? Could he be something more?

Swish!

In the midst of her thoughts, Yeon's blade moved as Heavenly Reign Energy surrounded her foot. Hurting Baekho was something that she could never think of, but this was the perfect opportunity to find an answer.

Twisshsh!

Leo's spear didn't shy away from the battle either. This spar was also important for him. This was his opportunity to understand his heart just like it was an opportunity to shine light on their ability.

His first step was slow, so he couldn't stand next to her, but he had waited so long to prove that he had the right to. Whether it was to fulfill his role or use her as a quest helper, this was a stage that he had to stand on.

Thud!

Regardless of their skillful blocking, the blade and spear clashed as they were aiming for each other from the very beginning. This wasn't a battle to potentially kill the other but to destroy or lose one's weapon!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Leo's spear was a hint slower than Yeon's sword, not only was a polearm harder to handle, but Yeon's skill with the eastern blade easily triumphed over his spear skill!

It wasn't at the level of either Ray or Cheon Chang, but Yeon's blade was inching towards the end pages of the advanced level!

'Is this it?'

Although the difference wasn't too apparent as the battle had just started, this was just the first thing that Leo had noticed. Other than skill, Yeon also won in both aspects of strength and speed…

Leo was undeniably confident that his Physique was superior to her. However, despite the fact that they were on the same level, Yeon's Internal Energy strengthening was more effective than his. It was only a slight edge, but that would easily determine the result of the battle in a few minutes' time.

At one point, Leo believed that all of his little advantages were enough for him to fake being a genius when combined together, but it seemed like he overestimated himself. Wasn't this why competing with geniuses was irritating? No matter how hard their counterparts tried, they would just always come first if even by a second!

'As expected.'

Leo, however, wasn't irritated or frustrated. Rather, he was happy that Yeon had truly come out of her cocoon to blind the world with her ability. Unlike certain geniuses, he knew that she tried hard to obtain her current standing just like he did.

'Is this how far I can go?'

Even then, Leo couldn't accept that. He wasn't willing to be an accessory just like the original Baekho would grow to be, he didn't plan on dying and leaving everything to the protagonist's hand! There was no way he could accept that fate! He couldn't give up, not as Leo, not as Baekho!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud…

The weapons didn't stop clashing just as Leo's emotions did. He hadn't spent a dozen days being beaten by Cheon Chang, only resting through meditation before throwing himself back for this… He hadn't spent another dozen days in seclusion by himself, trying to realize everything that his senior brother beat into him, even coming late to this… He hadn't done all of that to break down and just highlight Yeon's ability!

Thud!

The blades of frost conjured by Yeon's 'Ten Thousand Blades' were quickly eating away at Leo's black lightning snakes. His Black Dragon Energy was still the only aspect that he was equal or even better than her in, but her martial art's versatility rendered his lone advantage useless!

"Use it."

Just as Leo was hesitating about his last option, Cheon Chang's voice reached his ears after resounding in the training hall. It was only then that he noticed that his senior brother was watching this battle.

'Let's do it.'

They were only two words, but Leo completely understood their underlying meaning. Without further delay, he forcefully stabbed his spear to the ground before flashing in front of the weapon rack, quickly grabbing a sword and a blade!

"Let's start again."

Throwing the new blade to Yeon, Leo firmly grasped the sword's handle, flashing it about with all his might. Like a tiger that found its lost fangs, Leo's sword let out a ferocious roar!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Yeon exchanged her blade and replied by smoothly linking her moves. Since this was a battle of weapons, Leo wanted to balance his weapon exchange by renewing her weapon.

Roar!

Martial arts usually didn't produce sound effects, but almost everyone could hear something as a tiger's silhouette seemed to overlap over Leo's. He was still being pushed back, but Leo's passive expression soon turned to an aggressive smile!

This was right. This was how it should have been from the very start! It didn't matter if he was to win or lose, but he at least had to give it his all! Especially in a battle like this! The sharp fang covering his sword appeared to respond to his excitement, destroying Yeon's blades of frost.

Although the battle's flow didn't completely change, the scales slightly tilted in Leo's favor. Replacing the black dragon with the white tiger might not be enough, but… Was that all Leo had to show?