Chapter 242: Bastro Dimension (3)
‘Yeah… That looks better…’
Han-Yeol was fine with anything, except for that sad smile.
“What about you, Riru?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you made a wager with them just a while ago. Doesn’t that mean you will have to marry that musclebrain Kandir if I fail to win even once?”
“Y-Yeah, but there’s no way you can win against Kandir! You could even die if you fight him!”
Han-Yeol could see that Riru’s eyes were full of worry.
He knew that she was not Harkan’s family member, judging by the color of her fur and appearance, and it seemed that she was an entirely different canine species from Harkan. Then, he could only come to one conclusion based on what he had observed so far.
‘I often read about this in Japanese light novels: the guy is a loser, but the childhood friend is smart and famous. They like each other but can't confess their feelings.’
Han-Yeol was an avid fan of novels, particularly enjoying Japanese light novels and watching anime. There was a time during his school days when he was addicted to anime, which is why he immediately realized what was going on.
‘I have no idea what kind of world this is, but…’
Han-Yeol decided he could not simply sit around and do nothing after seeing Riru’s sad smile from a while ago.
“I’m alright, Riru.”
“S-Still…”
Han-Yeol simply smiled in response.
“D-Don’t smile like that when you’re nothing but an idiot!” Riru exclaimed.
‘Hey… Don’t do that…’?Han-Yeol thought after seeing the way she reacted. Then, he wondered, ‘Ah… Maybe this is how Mariam feels?’
He patted Riru’s head before stepping in front of Kandir.
"Hey, why don't we give it a try?" Han-Yeol said.
"Oh? Why is Harkan the Coward suddenly so brave?"
"He's acting all tough!"
"Why all the boasting when he's going to fall in one punch?"
"Hahahaha!"
The beastmen began laughing at him, and he could sense their contemptuous glares.
Suddenly, Riru grabbed Han-Yeol's arm and pulled him back. She pleaded, "Harkan... I'm okay, so please don't fight."
It seemed she was worried after hearing that Kandir would be Harkan's first opponent.
‘It’s all because I agreed to that wager…!’
She agreed to the wager because some of the beastmen who applied for the placement exam weren't as weak as Harkan, though they were still quite weak and not significantly stronger than him. However, she didn't anticipate Kandir being his first opponent, and it was an entirely different situation for Harkan to face Kandir right from the start.
The reason Kandir failed to qualify last year was solely because he had broken the one rule in the placement exam. The placement exam had no rules except for one that prohibited killing one's opponent, but Kandir failed to control himself and ended up killing one of his opponents. In other words, he didn't fail because he lacked qualifications, but rather because he had killed another beastman.
Riru was fine with Harkan not becoming a warrior, and she didn't want to see him die or become disabled for the rest of his life. After all, there was another exam taking place next year, so he still had another chance.
"I already told you it will be alright, Riru," Han-Yeol said before patting her twice on the shoulder.
"Whew!"
"Wow! What's gotten into Harkan the Coward today?"
"Yeah, he was always the first to run away with his tail tucked between his legs!"
"Hahaha!"
Harkan had become a laughingstock.
‘Tsk… How did this guy live like this?’?Han-Yeol clicked his tongue in frustration.
Han-Yeol had grown up in poverty, but he had refused to allow himself to become a laughingstock. In fact, he had formed his own group in school, resembling a gang, and had earned quite a reputation for being at the pinnacle of the school's social hierarchy. Unfortunately, this status was short-lived and came to an end as soon as he graduated from high school.
Han-Yeol found Harkan's situation to be profoundly frustrating, and he couldn't bear to witness the ridicule Harkan was enduring because of it.
‘I mean… This guy’s life has nothing to do with me, to be honest, but…’?Han-Yeol thought for a second, but he immediately changed his mind. ‘Ah, whatever… I’m the one controlling him right now, so it’s my body.’
He had no idea how he was going to return to reality, but he resolved to think positively and give his best for as long as he remained in this world. The first task at hand was defeating that Kandir fellow.
"Let's have a good fight, Kandir," Han-Yeol said.
"Kekeke! Did you eat something strange this morning, Harkan?" Kandir sneered in response, his voice laced with a threatening growl.
Grrr…!
However, Han-Yeol didn't even flinch and remained completely unfazed by it.
"Tsk! What a loser." Kandir clicked his tongue and walked away.
The rest of the beastmen followed suit since there was no fun in bullying someone who wasn't reacting.
"Harkan..."
On the other hand, Riru looked at Han-Yeol with eyes filled with concern. Then, the placement exam finally commenced.
***
Thud!
“The winner is, Sulradkhan!”
“Whoooooo!”
“As expected of Sulradkhan! He’s amazing!”
The placement exam was quite straightforward. Both participants would engage in combat until one of them became incapacitated, and the exam followed a knockout tournament format.
"Really?"
"Yeah, there are one hundred participants this year, and they will compete until only twenty remain," Riru answered every single question Han-Yeol had.
"Harkan... What were you doing in class?!"
"Hahaha... My bad..."
"Geez... That's why you should pay attention in class, you know!" Riru scolded him, but she still patiently answered every single question he had.
Her eyes were filled with warmth and affection for him, and Han-Yeol couldn't help but feel frustrated with Harkan whenever he saw her gaze.
‘Hey, are you dumb? Just what in the world were you doing when such a beautiful woman, no, beautiful beast is practically throwing herself at you?!’?
Han-Yeol couldn't understand why they weren't dating yet when Riru openly expressed her love for Harkan.
He still hadn't seen what Harkan looked like, but he figured he probably wasn't that good-looking. On the other hand, Riru was simply stunning, even in his eyes as a human. In fact, she was so beautiful that the beastman named Kandir seemed to have been pursuing her for quite a while now.
‘Tsk tsk… This is why those dogs are looking down on you, my man…’?Han-Yeol clicked his tongue out of frustration.
“Are you feeling sick, Harkan?” Riru asked.
“N-No…”
“You can forfeit the match if you’re worried about facing Kandir. I’m really going to be alright.”
Riru seemed dead-set on stopping Han-Yeol from fighting Kandir.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!?
Han-Yeol ignored her for now and turned his focus to the other ongoing matches.
‘Hmm... Their movements aren't that great. Maybe it's because they're still in training? But the problem is... How long will this darn body withstand a fight?’ he wondered.
Han-Yeol was no longer a normal human being. He had undergone hellish training under the Demon Drill Sergeant, mastering numerous weapons as well as hand-to-hand combat. Though he might have lost his skills and was not in his own body, that didn't mean all those training experiences had disappeared.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Crack!
Han-Yeol warmed up while watching the other battles, as there was nothing else he could do at the moment. It would be comical if he suddenly began training when there were so many eyes in the crowd, and he didn't have enough time to accomplish anything. He concluded that the best use of his limited time right now was to warm up and become accustomed to his body as quickly as possible.
"What are you doing, Harkan?" Riru asked.
"Can't you tell? I'm warming up," Han-Yeol replied.
"Warming... up...?" Riru muttered, tilting her head in confusion.
She appeared clueless about what he was talking about.
‘Oh, don’t tell me these guys don’t know what warming up is…?’?Han-Yeol was baffled for a second, but he figured it was not that strange.
After all, they weren't human to begin with; they were beasts, which meant they had different muscles and body functions compared to humans.
Of course, that didn't mean he was going to stop warming up. His muscles might be those of a beastman right now, but he still needed to get used to Harkan's body.
Time passed quickly while Han-Yeol was warming up and watching the other matches.
“The next match is between… Harkan and Kandir!”
“Boooo!”
“That’s too boring!”
The crowd pointed their furry thumbs down while jeering from the stands. Both of them were quite famous trainees, although one was famous while the other was infamous.
Kandir was renowned for his strength and vicious temperament; he had already been acknowledged as a warrior despite being a trainee. On the other hand, Harkan was infamous for his meek temperament, cowardice, and weakness. Everyone knew the outcome even before the match began.
"Harkan..."
Riru was concerned about Harkan, despite herself being in danger of marrying a beast with a vicious temperament.
"I'll be alright, so don't worry. Oh, right, Riru?"
"Yes?"
"If you're okay, then..." Han-Yeol said before approaching her.
"W-What?" Riru muttered in surprise, her cheeks turning red.
‘Wow, is she shy or what?’?
Of course, he didn't dislike her reaction, even though he thought that way. However, the problem was that this wasn't his body to enjoy.
"Can you lend me that sword?" he asked.
"What?!" Riru was shocked.
She didn't expect Harkan to make such a request, as he usually used a blade rather than a sword.
"S-Sure...!"
Despite her surprise, she took off her sword belt and handed it over to him while looking at the ground, just in case he noticed her blushing.
"H-Here..."
"Thanks," Han-Yeol said nonchalantly as he grabbed the sword and swung it around a few times.
Whoosh! Whoosh!?
The sword’s weight was well-distributed, and it was a much better weapon than the cheap blade Harkan was using.
‘It’s nice. I guess Riru already passed the exam, judging by her weapon.’
Han-Yeol didn't possess Harkan's memories, but he could roughly discern what was going on based on the information around him.
"Hurry up, Harkan!" an adult beastman called to him.
"Yes, I'm coming!" Han-Yeol replied.
"H-Harkan!" Riru cried out upon seeing him nonchalantly walking away.
Han-Yeol didn't bother looking back and simply waved his hand as he walked away from her.
Then, she was surprised when Harkan did something unexpected. She had expected him to change weapons, as the blade he was using was quite cheap, and it would have been better for him to use her sword, even though he wasn't used to it. However, Harkan didn't change his weapon; instead, he took both weapons with him.
"Harkan..." Riru prayed that nothing would happen to him.
Meanwhile, Han-Yeol stood in front of the adult beastman, and Kandir was already standing across from him.
Grr…!
Kandir threateningly growled before he sneered, “Keke! I’m surprised you didn’t run away like a coward.”
“Pfft!?Run away?” Han-Yeol replied with a laugh.
This might not be his body, but his opponent was just a trainee greenhorn. It wasn't important that he had almost qualified last year, as he would likely be at Level 10 at most.
That level was laughable for someone like Han-Yeol, who had already reached Level 299.
Crack! Crack!
"You dare laugh, you piece of trash? I'm going to make you beg for death today!" Kandir snarled.
The adult beastman didn't say anything in response to Kandir's murderous threat. Instead, he remained silent, as if he were encouraging the two to further intensify their confrontation before the match.
‘Ah, I guess the law of the jungle applies here since they’re all beasts,’?Han-Yeol thought.
He understood how things worked here, and he planned to do as the beasts did.
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