112

Chapter 112 — Before the Final

The Association headquarters was unusually quiet that evening.

The National A-Rank Evaluation had consumed nearly everyone's attention for the past several days, yet after the semifinals ended, the corridors gradually emptied. The competitors had been instructed to rest, the media had been moved outside the restricted areas, and Association staff were preparing the arena for the final.

Subin had expected to spend the evening training.

Instead, he found himself standing outside the Association building with Han Yerin.

She had changed out of her combat uniform and was wearing a simple dark jacket. Without her spear and the atmosphere of the arena around her, she looked less like the country's number-one A-rank Awakener and more like an ordinary young woman enjoying an evening outside.

“You're actually here,” she said.

“You invited me.”

“I know. I wasn't sure whether you'd remember.”

“I remember important things.”

Yerin looked at him for a moment.

“Am I an important thing?”

Subin paused.

“Yes.”

Her expression changed slightly.

She looked away.

“You say things like that too casually.”

“I wasn't trying to be casual.”

That made her laugh.

“Come on.”

They walked through the busy evening streets near the Association. Restaurants and cafés had become more crowded than usual because of the tournament. Large screens outside several buildings were showing highlights from the semifinals, including Yerin's victory over Min-seok and Subin's fight against Jae-hyun.

A group of young Awakeners recognized them almost immediately.

“That's Han Yerin!”

“And Subin!”

“Are they together?”

Yerin heard them.

She lowered her voice.

“We should have gone somewhere quieter.”

Subin glanced around.

“Why?”

“Because everyone is watching.”

“They've been watching me for months.”

“That doesn't mean you should enjoy it.”

“I don't.”

Yerin smiled.

“Good.”

They eventually entered a small restaurant several streets away from the Association.

It wasn't luxurious.

There were only a few tables, warm lighting, and a quiet atmosphere.

Yerin looked around.

“I like this place.”

“Have you been here before?”

“Once.”

“With friends?”

“No.”

Subin sat across from her.

“Then why did you come?”

“I don't know.”

She smiled.

“I just wanted somewhere normal.”

Subin understood.

The lives of A-rank Awakeners had become increasingly abnormal since the awakening era began. Their names appeared in news reports. Their battles were broadcast. Guilds competed for their contracts. Association officials monitored their movements. Even ordinary outings could become public events.

For a few hours, neither of them wanted to be famous.

They ordered dinner.

For the first few minutes, they talked about ordinary things.

Food.

Training.

The tournament.

Min-seok's habit of challenging people.

Ara's obsession with analyzing battles.

Eventually, Yerin leaned back.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you become an Awakener?”

Subin thought about it.

“I didn't choose it.”

“I know.”

She waited.

“I mean, after you awakened. Why did you decide to become a swordsman?”

Subin looked down at his hands.

“Because the sword made sense to me.”

Yerin smiled.

“That sounds like something only you would say.”

“I tried other things.”

“Really?”

“I considered learning magic.”

“And?”

“I didn't like it.”

“Why?”

“Too many things to manage.”

Yerin laughed.

“You really are simple.”

“I prefer simple.”

She looked at the sword case resting beside him.

“Simple Edge.”

“Yes.”

“Do you ever regret choosing only one path?”

“No.”

“Even when you encounter abilities that can do things a sword can't?”

Subin answered immediately.

“Yes.”

Yerin blinked.

“Yes?”

“I don't regret it.”

She smiled.

“I knew what you meant.”

Subin continued, “A sword doesn't need to do everything. I only need to understand what it can do.”

Yerin looked at him quietly.

“That mindset is probably why you've come this far.”

“Maybe.”

She looked toward the window.

“I've been thinking about tomorrow.”

“So have I.”

“I'm not going to hold back.”

“I know.”

“And I don't want you to hold back either.”

“I won't.”

She nodded.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then Yerin asked softly, “What happens if I win?”

“You become champion.”

“I mean after that.”

Subin looked at her.

“I'll congratulate you.”

“And?”

“Then I'll continue training.”

She laughed.

“Of course.”

She picked up her glass.

“You know, sometimes I wonder whether anything other than the sword can make you stop.”

Subin thought about it.

“Probably.”

“What?”

“I haven't found it yet.”

Yerin smiled.

“Maybe you will.”

Their dinner continued for another hour.

There was no dramatic confession.

No sudden declaration.

Just two people gradually becoming more comfortable around each other.

When they finally left the restaurant, the streets had become quieter.

They walked toward the Association together.

Yerin looked up at the night sky.

“Tomorrow, we'll probably go back to being rivals.”

“We already are.”

“Not like this.”

She stopped.

Subin turned toward her.

Yerin looked at him.

“During the tournament, when I watched you fight, I kept thinking about how to beat you.”

“And now?”

She smiled.

“Now I'm thinking about having dinner with you again.”

Subin looked at her.

“I'd like that.”

Her smile became warmer.

“Then let's do it.”

They continued walking.

Neither noticed the figure standing across the street.

Lee Jae-hyun had finished a meeting with several guild executives and happened to see them leaving the restaurant.

He watched for a moment before smiling.

“So that's how it is.”

He didn't interfere.

Instead, he turned and walked away.

His own defeat had changed something inside him.

He no longer wanted to waste energy worrying about Subin's relationships.

He wanted to become stronger.

That was enough.

---

The following morning, the Association arena was packed.

The final of the National A-Rank Evaluation had attracted international attention.

Awakener organizations from Japan, China, Europe, North America, and several other regions were monitoring the event.

The reason was simple.

Earth's Awakeners were becoming stronger.

And the strongest individuals were beginning to attract attention beyond their own countries.

Subin stood inside the preparation room.

Simple Edge was in his hand.

He wasn't meditating.

He wasn't using the system.

He was simply practicing basic sword movements.

One.

Two.

Three.

Each movement was clean.

There was no unnecessary force.

No wasted motion.

The door opened.

Seo Jin-ho entered.

The older swordsman watched for a while.

“You haven't changed your routine.”

“No.”

“Good.”

Subin stopped.

Seo Jin-ho walked closer.

“Tomorrow's opponent is different from the people you've fought recently.”

“I know.”

“Yerin doesn't create false openings the way Jae-hyun does.”

Subin listened.

“She'll give you real openings,” Jin-ho continued. “But every opening will have a price.”

Subin nodded.

“Because of the spear.”

“Exactly.”

Jin-ho smiled.

“You understand.”

“She controls distance better than Jae-hyun.”

“And she's faster at changing between offense and defense.”

“Yes.”

Jin-ho looked at Simple Edge.

“Then don't try to defeat the spear.”

Subin looked at him.

“Defeat the swordsman.”

Jin-ho smiled.

“No.”

Subin waited.

“Understand the person.”

The words remained in the room for several seconds.

Jin-ho continued.

“You've spent months learning how monsters fight. Then you learned how Awakeners fight. Now you're beginning to understand how people make decisions.”

He tapped Subin lightly on the shoulder.

“Tomorrow isn't about proving your sword is stronger than her spear.”

“What is it about?”

“Finding out what happens when two people who understand each other's strengths stop trying to hide them.”

Jin-ho left.

Subin remained still.

He looked at Simple Edge.

For the first time, the sword didn't feel like a weapon.

It felt like a question.

Not a question asking what it could cut.

A question asking what he would choose to cut.

---

The final began at noon.

The announcer's voice echoed through the stadium.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final match of the National A-Rank Evaluation!”

The crowd erupted.

“On one side, the country's number-one ranked A-rank Awakener, master of the spear, Han Yerin!”

Yerin entered the arena.

She received a massive ovation.

Then the announcer continued.

“And on the opposite side, the fastest-rising A-rank Awakener in the country, the Sword God, Subin Vans!”

Subin walked onto the battlefield.

The crowd became even louder.

The two competitors stopped at opposite ends.

The barrier formed around them.

Yerin raised her spear.

Subin drew Simple Edge.

Their eyes met.

For a moment, the noise disappeared.

Yerin smiled.

“Don't go easy on me.”

“I won't.”

“Good.”

The referee raised his hand.

The audience became silent.

“Begin!”

Yerin moved first.

Her spear shot forward.

Subin's sword intercepted it.

The impact sent a vibration through his arm.

Yerin immediately changed the angle.

Subin stepped aside.

The spear followed him.

He blocked again.

She attacked from below.

He moved backward.

Another thrust.

Another.

Yerin wasn't testing him.

She was already fighting seriously.

Subin recognized the pattern.

Every attack was designed to make the next position unfavorable.

But unlike Jae-hyun, she wasn't trying to trap him.

She was continuously taking control of distance.

Subin stepped forward.

Yerin immediately retreated.

He followed.

Her spear extended.

He redirected it.

She rotated.

The shaft struck his shoulder.

The barrier flashed.

Subin stepped back.

The crowd reacted.

Yerin had landed the first clean hit.

Subin smiled.

Yerin smiled back.

“Still want to say you won't hold back?”

“I wasn't.”

“Good.”

She attacked again.

Subin moved.

Their weapons collided.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then the arena changed.

The flat floor transformed into a forest of stone pillars.

Yerin immediately used them.

Subin didn't.

He stepped into the open space.

Her spear emerged from behind a pillar.

He blocked.

She moved behind another.

The spear came again.

Subin followed her movement.

But Yerin had anticipated that.

She suddenly changed direction.

The spear struck.

Subin barely avoided it.

Yerin's eyes sharpened.

“You're watching me too closely.”

Subin smiled.

“Then I'll stop.”

He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second.

Yerin's expression changed.

Subin opened them again.

His stance had changed.

He wasn't watching the spear.

He wasn't watching her body.

He was watching the space between them.

The distance.

The available paths.

The decisions that would disappear when either of them moved.

Yerin understood.

“So that's what you've learned.”

Subin raised Simple Edge.

“Yes.”

The battle continued.

And for the first time since the evaluation began, Subin wasn't fighting to finish the battle quickly.

He was fighting to understand someone who knew him almost as well as he knew himself.

The system remained silent.

No new skill appeared.

No percentage increased.

There was only the sword, the spear, and two people moving toward the limits of what they had learned.

And neither intended to stop.