This World is too Cruel to Men

The hem of a kendo uniform, neatly dyed in deep navy, fluttered in time with the movements of a woman as she began to walk.

Swaying gently like a horse’s tail along with her movement was her jet-black hair, gathered and tied up elegantly.

Her long black hair, reaching down to her waist, swayed with the hem of her uniform.

And echoing in response throughout the hall—

“Baek Seol-hwa! Baek Seol-hwa! Baek Seol-hwa!”

“Unni! Seolhwa Unni!”

“Kyaaa!!!”

—were shouts calling her name.

“Huh…”

To be honest, I was a little surprised.

When I researched her, it said she was quite popular, but I’d internally assumed it couldn’t be ‘that’ much since she wasn’t even an official Hero yet.

But judging by the sounds echoing now, her popularity rivaled that of active Heroes.

On the other hand, it also made sense… She was undeniably beautiful.

Her slightly upturned eyes gave her a determined look, but they seemed like they would be beautiful when she smiled.

A perfectly straight nose, and small, but lovely, plump lips of a soft pink.

Combined with a physique so well-developed that it was hard to believe she was a high school student, she was a stately yet beautiful woman.

Simply put, she was the image of a beautiful student council president.

A beauty who could easily captivate both men and women, turning them into her devoted followers in an instant.

‘Well…’

Baek Seol-hwa’s popularity wasn’t solely due to her looks.

Of course, a visually appealing person is naturally more attractive, so the influence of her appearance couldn’t be entirely dismissed. However, her unique characteristics played a significant role.

What more needs to be said?

This woman, Baek Seol-hwa, possessed a very unusual history.

“Are you two ready?”

“…Yes.”

“Yes.”

“If you’re ready, please begin the sparring match at the signal.”

The two facing each other nodded.

As soon as they did, a beep sounded from the speaker on the ceiling.

And when it beeped exactly three times—

‘Thud…!’

A light sound of someone pushing off the ground, and that was it.

In the blink of an eye, the wooden sword in Baek Seol-hwa’s hand was poised right in front of her opponent’s throat.

What if that had been a real sword, not a wooden one?

What if this was a real battle, not sparring?

Her opponent would already be clutching their slashed throat, gasping for breath.

“…I, I lost.”

Perhaps that was why, despite the urge to try something more out of youthful frustration, the surrender came so quickly.

“Woooaaaaahhhh!!!”

“Baek Seol-hwa! Baek Seol-hwa! Baek Seol-hwa!”

And following the declaration of surrender…was a thunderous roar from her fans, and those who had just become her fans.

From this alone, it would seem that Baek Seol-hwa’s talent was acceleration-based, enhancing her physical movements, or perhaps related to swordsmanship…but that wasn’t the case.

In the sparring match just now, Baek Seol-hwa hadn’t even shown a sliver of her Awakened talent.

And that was precisely why she enjoyed such immense popularity.

Hadn’t I mentioned it several times already?

This world, where I lived my second life, was a talent-based game where everything depended on the talent one Awakened to.

As such, Awakened individuals with special talents, who could be considered prospective Heroes, occupied the highest stratum within the talent-based caste system.

Yet, she had easily secured victory against such individuals without even utilizing her own talent…

How exhilarating must that sight have been for those who despaired over their own talents, or those who were destined from birth to never Awaken a talent?

So, naturally, she was bound to be popular.

‘Honestly, she’s amazing.’

Although the specifics of her talent remained unknown because she rarely used it in sparring, the consensus among the institutions, based on rumors, was that it was definitely not related to physical enhancement or swordsmanship.

Yet, she possessed such skill.

That meant she had repeatedly performed what others might consider foolishly persistent acts for years until she reached this level of proficiency.

This wasn’t a matter of having talent or not.

Persistently pursuing something while enduring the ridicule of others was impossible without an iron will.

And that was precisely why I had marked Baek Seol-hwa as a person of interest.

After all, Yun-Seo had no experience against opponents like Baek Seol-hwa.

In contrast, her opponent would have already faced countless opponents like Yun-Seo. This fight was already a losing battle in terms of experience.

Of course, Yun-Seo would have seen the sparring match just now, so she wouldn’t be careless…but I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

‘Should I tell her now…?’

And that was the reason I was currently twirling my pen, lost in thought.

My original plan was to give Yun-Seo, whose confidence was soaring from repeated victories, a taste of defeat as a preventative measure…

‘…There are too many people.’

This way, the preventative measure might not stay just a preventative measure.

Moreover, Yun-Seo was at a particularly sensitive age.

While she might be fine with it during regular sparring sessions, witnessing herself being utterly defeated in front of so many people could have a devastating impact on her mentality.

No, to be completely honest… I wasn’t confident.

I wasn’t confident that I could console Yun-Seo if she experienced her first defeat and spiraled into despair.

Despite her tough exterior, Yun-Seo was surprisingly soft-hearted.

‘The epitome of crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.’

Tsk, it couldn’t be helped.

It might be a bit sickening for a while, but I had to at least give her a hint.

I could tell her via text, but knowing her personality, she probably wouldn’t take it seriously. So here…

“Ahjussi? I’m going to the restroom for a bit.”

“Hmm? Oh, okay.”

…talking to her in person was the best option.

So, I first left the spectator seats and as soon as I entered the hallway, I made the call.

While Dokgun was calling Yun-Seo, she was sitting in her assigned waiting room, thinking about her schedule for the day.

‘What should I eat after this…?’

Come to think of it, she had mentioned wanting to eat chili shrimp the other day.

Should I suggest we go eat that?

As she searched for nearby restaurants on her phone, she coincidentally found a movie theater right next to a famous chili shrimp restaurant.

‘A movie…’

It would be nice if we could watch it together, just the two of us.

But she couldn’t just bluntly suggest going to a movie.

She should have dropped some hints about wanting to see a movie beforehand.

As she scrolled through the movie schedule with a tinge of regret, Dokgun’s name suddenly popped up on her phone screen, as if he knew what she was thinking.

Startled by the incredibly coincidental timing of the call, she dropped her phone.

“Shoot…”

Her heart pounded in her chest.

Was it because Dokgun called right when she was having those thoughts?

Even though she knew it was realistically impossible, she felt as if Dokgun had seen right through her.

Hesitant to reach for the phone that had slid away, she couldn’t ignore Dokgun’s call, so she eventually answered.

“What, why?”

-Oh, it’s nothing much, I was wondering if we could meet for a bit?

“…Now?”

Meeting him was fine, but why now?

“Why?”

When she asked out of curiosity, the reply was that he had something to tell her.

Something to tell her?

Was it some words of encouragement before the match?

Or perhaps…

Although she thought it was unlikely, she couldn’t help but entertain the thought, so she got up from her seat.

She didn’t know what he wanted to say, but it was a good opportunity.

Since they were going to meet anyway, maybe, just maybe, they could watch a movie together after the regular sparring match?

“Ah, jeez… How bothersome…”

Despite her true feelings, she couldn’t express them honestly as a girl, so she grumbled a bit, then quickly added before Dokgun could change his mind.

“…So, where should I go?”

Perhaps he was being considerate of her.

The place Dokgun mentioned wasn’t far from the waiting room.

With a slight sense of anticipation, she headed towards the designated location, only to hear something completely unexpected.

Perhaps that was why…

“…You called me all the way here to say that?”

A harsh voice escaped her reflexively.

She didn’t like it.

Calling her all the way here, and then talking about another girl…

“Huh? Uh, uh… Yeah?”

He seemed clueless as to why she was reacting this way.

And to make matters worse, that other girl was undeniably beautiful, with a perfect figure that any man would find attractive.

She had suspected it since she secretly looked through Dokgun’s computer, but perhaps Dokgun… liked girls with that kind of body.

‘…What’s so good about being all plump and fleshy?’

Actually, she knew.

She knew Dokgun brought this up because he was worried about her, and that Baek Seol-hwa wasn’t plump, but had a great figure… she knew all of that.

She knew, but… she couldn’t help but feel a prick of her pride.

She appreciated his concern, but a few words of encouragement would have been enough.

A sense of defiance surged within her, and as Dokgun continued with his warnings, she let his words go in one ear and out the other, quickly interjecting.

“…What if I don’t lose?”

“Huh?”

“What if I win?”

“Well… that would be… good…?”

She knew it.

She knew he would try to avoid the question.

“…Let’s do this then.”

“Huh? What…”

“If I win… buy me dinner.”

“Well, dinner is fine…”

“And take me to a movie. With popcorn.”

“Huh? A, a movie?”

“Why? Can’t you?”

“No, it’s not that I can’t…”

His flustered and stammering response, so unlike his usual self, was her chance.

“So, we have a deal?”

“Uh, uh…”

The moment she managed to extract a half-forced nod from Dokgun, she made up her mind.

She would win, no matter what, against Baek Seol-hwa, or whatever her name was.

She had made that resolution, but—

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‘Beeeeeeeeeeep—!’

‘Huh…?’

Reality wasn’t as easy as she had imagined.

The moment the match began, a ringing sound, similar to tinnitus, filled her ears and invaded her mind.

The sound, beyond just loud, was dizzying, and as she reflexively stumbled, her opponent’s wooden sword was already aimed at her shoulder.