113

Chapter 113 — The Distance Between Them

The arena had become strangely quiet.

Thousands of people filled the stadium, yet the clash between Subin's sword and Yerin's spear had created a different kind of silence. The audience was no longer reacting to every exchange. They were watching carefully, trying to understand what made the two fighters different from the others who had participated in the evaluation.

Yerin stood several meters away, her spear held loosely in both hands.

Subin's Simple Edge remained lowered beside him.

Neither attacked.

The arena's stone pillars surrounded them, creating dozens of possible paths.

Yerin finally moved.

Her spear shot forward.

Subin stepped sideways.

The spear passed his shoulder by several centimeters.

Yerin immediately rotated the weapon and attacked from behind him.

Subin turned.

Steel collided.

He didn't counter.

Instead, he stepped backward.

Yerin followed.

The distance between them remained almost exactly the same.

Three meters.

Two and a half.

Three again.

Yerin understood what he was doing.

“You're measuring the distance.”

“Yes.”

“You didn't do that against Jae-hyun.”

“He was trying to control my decisions.”

“And I'm controlling your distance.”

“Yes.”

Yerin smiled.

“Then we're both learning.”

She suddenly accelerated.

Subin moved backward.

The spear extended.

He deflected it.

Yerin stepped closer.

Subin retreated.

Another thrust.

He redirected it.

Another.

He moved around a pillar.

Yerin followed.

The battle became a continuous exchange of position rather than a contest of individual attacks.

The spear had superior reach.

The sword had superior adaptability at close range.

Neither advantage was absolute.

Yerin knew that if Subin entered close enough, her spear would become harder to maneuver.

Subin knew that if he allowed her to maintain distance, every approach would become dangerous.

Their strengths naturally created a battlefield where distance itself became the most important resource.

Subin suddenly stepped forward.

Yerin immediately retreated.

He followed.

She thrust.

He tilted his body.

The spear passed.

Subin's sword moved toward her wrist.

Yerin released one hand from the shaft and rotated her body, allowing the blade to pass while pulling the spear backward.

Subin stopped his sword.

Yerin used the recovered position to strike again.

He blocked.

The impact pushed him back.

Yerin didn't pursue immediately.

She watched him.

“You stopped.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“You left your hand exposed.”

Yerin looked at her hand.

“If you had attacked, you could have damaged it.”

“Yes.”

“But you didn't.”

“No.”

“Why?”

Subin looked at her.

“Because I knew you would change your grip.”

Yerin smiled.

“That's confidence.”

“No.”

He raised Simple Edge.

“It's trust.”

For the first time, Yerin's expression softened.

Then she attacked.

There was no hesitation.

Her spear became a blur.

Subin moved between the pillars.

The arena changed again.

The stone pillars began shifting positions.

The battlefield itself became unpredictable.

Yerin adapted immediately.

Subin did the same.

A pillar emerged between them.

Yerin used it as cover.

Subin moved around it.

Her spear appeared from the opposite side.

He blocked.

The force pushed him backward.

Yerin advanced.

Subin stepped into her range.

She attempted to withdraw.

He followed.

Their weapons crossed.

Yerin's spear shaft pressed against Simple Edge.

Neither could move without giving the other an opening.

They stood only a meter apart.

Yerin looked directly into his eyes.

“You've become stronger.”

“So have you.”

“That's not what I mean.”

Subin remained silent.

“You're not fighting like you did when we first met.”

“I've learned.”

“From the dungeons?”

“From everyone.”

Yerin nodded.

“Good.”

She suddenly twisted the spear.

Subin released pressure.

The weapons separated.

Yerin spun.

The spear struck his side.

The barrier flashed.

Subin stumbled one step.

The crowd erupted.

Yerin had landed another clean hit.

She immediately retreated.

Subin touched his side.

The barrier had prevented injury, but the impact had been strong.

Yerin raised an eyebrow.

“You're still smiling.”

“I learned something.”

“What?”

“You've been deliberately giving me opportunities.”

Yerin's eyes widened slightly.

Subin continued.

“Not real weaknesses. Controlled openings.”

She smiled.

“You noticed.”

“You wanted me to attack your hands earlier.”

“Yes.”

“So you could counter my counter.”

“Yes.”

Subin nodded.

“That was good.”

Yerin laughed.

“Stop complimenting me during a fight.”

“Why?”

“It makes me feel strange.”

Subin looked genuinely confused.

Yerin shook her head.

“Forget it.”

She charged again.

This time Subin didn't retreat.

He moved forward.

The distance disappeared.

Yerin's spear became awkward at close range.

Subin's sword moved.

Yerin stepped backward.

He followed.

She rotated the spear horizontally.

Subin ducked.

The shaft passed over his head.

He stepped inside.

Yerin released the spear with one hand.

Her elbow struck toward his chest.

Subin blocked with his forearm.

Yerin used the contact to create distance.

The spear returned.

Subin's sword intercepted it.

The two weapons collided.

A sharp metallic sound rang across the arena.

Then the arena changed.

The floor tilted sharply.

Yerin adjusted first.

Subin deliberately allowed himself to slide.

Yerin saw the opening.

She lunged.

Subin's body continued sliding downward.

The spear passed above him.

He planted Simple Edge against the floor.

The blade stopped his movement.

Yerin's eyes widened.

Subin pushed himself upward.

Their positions reversed.

Yerin was now below him.

Subin's sword moved toward her shoulder.

She blocked with the spear shaft.

The barrier activated.

Neither had been defeated.

But the exchange had changed something.

Subin had discovered that he could use the arena's transformations without simply reacting to them.

He could incorporate them into his sword movement.

Yerin had discovered the same thing.

The next arena change came immediately.

The floor became almost completely frictionless.

Both fighters adjusted their footing.

Yerin lowered her center of gravity.

Subin did the same.

Neither rushed.

The audience became restless.

But neither fighter cared.

They were waiting for the other to make the first meaningful decision.

Yerin eventually moved.

One step.

Subin moved.

One step.

Another.

Another.

They slowly circled.

Subin realized something.

Yerin wasn't looking at his sword.

She was looking at his shoulders.

He changed his posture.

Her eyes followed.

He changed again.

She didn't move.

Interesting.

Subin understood.

She had learned his habits.

She wasn't predicting his attacks.

She was waiting for his body to commit.

Subin smiled.

Yerin smiled back.

Then both moved simultaneously.

The spear thrust.

The sword moved.

The weapons crossed.

Yerin rotated.

Subin turned.

The spear passed.

Simple Edge stopped beside her shoulder.

Yerin's spear stopped against his chest.

Both barriers activated.

The referee raised his hand.

The system evaluated the exchange.

No decisive strike.

The match continued.

The audience erupted.

Neither fighter had gained the advantage.

Yerin stepped back.

Her breathing was slightly heavier now.

Subin was breathing normally, but his expression had become increasingly serious.

Yerin noticed.

“You're tired.”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“Why?”

“Because now we're actually fighting.”

Subin laughed quietly.

“You're right.”

The battle resumed.

Minutes passed.

Their movements became faster.

Yerin's spear struck from multiple angles.

Subin's sword redirected each attack.

Neither tried to overwhelm the other.

They gradually stripped away unnecessary movement.

The fight became simpler.

One step.

One decision.

One response.

Then something unexpected happened.

Subin's Simple Edge vibrated.

Only once.

A faint golden line appeared along the blade.

Subin noticed.

Yerin noticed.

The audience didn't.

The golden light disappeared almost immediately.

Subin stared at the sword.

The system appeared.

[Simple Edge awakening condition detected.]

[Current compatibility: 99.99%]

[Condition remains incomplete.]

Subin dismissed the notification.

Not now.

He returned his attention to Yerin.

She was already attacking.

The spear came toward him.

Subin blocked.

Yerin changed direction.

He stepped aside.

She followed.

Their battle continued.

But something inside Subin had shifted.

He finally understood why Simple Edge had refused to awaken.

It wasn't waiting for him to become stronger.

It wasn't waiting for another percentage.

It was waiting for him to understand what his sword actually meant.

And that understanding wasn't something a dungeon could give him.

It came from people.

From choices.

From relationships.

From knowing what he wanted to protect, what he wanted to overcome, and what kind of swordsman he wanted to become.

Yerin attacked again.

Subin met her.

Their weapons crossed.

This time, neither immediately separated.

Yerin whispered, “Whatever you're thinking about, forget it.”

Subin looked at her.

“Why?”

“Because I'm right here.”

Subin smiled.

“You're right.”

His grip tightened.

He stopped thinking about the system.

Stopped thinking about Simple Edge.

Stopped thinking about rankings.

There was only the opponent in front of him.

Yerin.

The woman who had trained beside him.

The woman who had challenged him repeatedly.

The woman whose victory he had begun caring about.

And the person who had become important enough that he didn't want to defeat her simply because the match demanded it.

But he also wouldn't lose deliberately.

He would fight her honestly.

Yerin seemed to understand.

She pulled her spear back.

“Then let's finish this properly.”

Subin raised his sword.

“Yes.”

The arena changed one final time.

Every stone pillar disappeared.

The floor returned to a completely flat surface.

The barrier expanded.

The crowd fell silent.

The final phase had begun.

No terrain advantage.

No environmental tricks.

No obstacles.

Just sword and spear.

Subin and Yerin stood twenty meters apart.

Neither moved.

Then Yerin took the first step.

Subin did the same.

The distance began to disappear.

And for the first time in the entire evaluation, Subin wasn't trying to find the fastest way to win.

He was trying to find the one strike that would prove he had truly understood her.