123. Melgard Tournament (5)
123. Melgard Tournament (5)
ㅡ 『The winner. Woros Blood!』
At the words of the host, the stadium was filled with pleasant applause. Staffine Corroman was on the floor, coughing. He is the aftermath of being strangled with his forearm. He lands on the floor and glares at me like he’s going to kill me.
I also stood there and looked down at him, narrowing my eyes. Then Staffin averted her gaze from me, looked down at the floor, and gnashed her teeth in resentment. Amid applause and cheers, I looked up at the lights.
I won. Victory might have been difficult if he hadn’t mastered the aura. No, if the level of the aura stayed at 10 lines, it wouldn’t have been easy to receive Stuffin’s ice spear. But he overcame it. At the end of a lot of hard work, my ability increased dramatically, and with it, victory was confirmed.
This pleasure of being rewarded for hard work. It is this pleasure. I became an athlete to feel this feeling. I clenched my fists and savored the victory. Conversely, Steffen shook off the medical team with a stretcher and trudged toward the waiting room.
When there are winners, there are losers. I looked at Staffin, who was heading to the waiting room with a droopy face. I know very well what Steffen Corroman is carrying. The decisive reason for his downfall in the original work was that he got involved with Rin Ren incorrectly.
It was Staffin that provided the cause. He was feeling threatened by his grades. As the third place got closer and closer to the second place, he became more aggressive and bolder. The result waiting at the end is the downfall of the name of expulsion.
In the Arisha Life community, there were many people who enjoyed Staffin’s downfall. But I didn’t feel that good when I saw such a staffine.
It was because he knew that Staffin had been studying spearmanship and sleeping less in order to somehow maintain his grades. Somehow, the fact that he had put so much effort into it didn’t seem like anyone else’s.
Efforts are not always rewarded. I know it so well that my bones ache. Because I also fell into despair because my efforts were not rewarded.
Those who look up at the fruit of fruition and think about how sweet that fruit will be are all working hard. Effort itself is a law that makes you happy and proud. That’s because you’ll feel closer to the fruit.
But there are things you can see the more you try. I begin to judge whether the fruit on the tree can be picked with my hands or not. Those who despair there start to become more and more crooked. The more you try, the more you try. The intensity of the pain increases. The more you feel the pain rather than the reward from the effort itself. That person is crooked.
Staffin Corroman was distorted that way. Because I also almost strayed, I feel more deeply into his heart than anyone else.
“…… “
It reminds me of the experience of being crushed countless times as an athlete in the past. He eventually won the title of judo champion, but the process was not so smooth. As the pain of the past came to mind, I was running on the road that Staffin passed without realizing it. My heart, not my head, moved me.
Staffin is a loser. When the winner walks into the waiting room, it fills up with people to congratulate. For example, the hallway was packed to see Sotia, who had entered with Irina. However, the place where Staffin passed is as infinitely cool and quiet as his ice spear. This is the loneliness a loser feels.
As I recall my past experiences, I naturally feel empowered in my hands. I opened the door to the waiting room where Staffin entered. Then, in the dark waiting room, I see Staffin sitting on a chair and looking down at the floor. Because I opened the door, only the light that came in was shining on Staffin.
“Hey. Staffin Corroman!”
“Ah… Are you here to laugh at me?”
Staffin clenched his fists as he said that. His gaze is still fixed on the floor. Seeing his behavior, I was horrified. After losing It’s because I know from experience how miserable it feels to be comforted. It is also nonsense that the winner encourages the loser.
But it has already come. So I won’t console you openly.
“Why are you so downhearted? Is it because you lost? Or is it because I missed the opportunity to step on me and get noticed?”
“…… “
“If it’s not that, I’m afraid that the latecomer will get caught by the scruff of the neck—”
“Shut up!”
Staffin stood up and grabbed me by the collar.
“Let’s make sure. Staffine Corroman. You are a weak and cowardly bastard Being that kind of guy, he was miserably defeated by someone he thought was much weaker than himself.”
“Do you want to die? Uh? Shall I kill you?”
“I’m sorry, but you can’t kill me. I’m stupid, but I’m not stupid, don’t you know that too?”
“Kuh… “
I grabbed Staffin’s wrist, which was holding me by the collar, and forcibly pulled it off, continuing.
“You are weaker than me. As a human being, you are extremely weak. It’s like that, so it’s embarrassing—”
Bagak!ㅡ
Staffin punched me. His fist hit him right in the face, and his nose bleed. Staffin tries to punch me again. I grabbed his arm and collar and threw him to the floor.
Bang!
“Cheer!”
“Look at that. If anger is the wrong direction to go, that’s what it ends up being.”
“Let go! Let go!!”
“Are you angry? Are you so mad that the victor came to temper?”
“Lee. Jesse-“
“Be alert.”
I removed my hands from his body, stood up, wiped the blood from his nose, and brushed off his clothes.
“Your anger is now directed at me, but the source of that anger will not be me.”
“Shut up! What are you doing that-“
“Aren’t you angry with yourself?”
“…… “
Staffin, who was about to stand up, froze as it was. I looked down at him and continued.
“I am also a spearman. So even if you don’t like it, you know. Your spear. It wasn’t a quality that could be completed by swinging the spear once or twice.”
“That… So what do you want to say!”
“Even though I worked hard to the extent of cutting myself down. You lost me Not only that, but you never know when you will be caught up by latecomers who are aiming for your next seat.”
As soon as I said that, Staffin hit the floor with his fist.
“So what! Whatever! I know. I know at least that I have no talent! Are you satisfied now?”
“I admit that you lack talent, but that’s probably not the only reason you lost. You. Knowing that the other person was me, did you work as hard as usual?”
“…… “
“Did you go into the game with serious thoughts like you did during the exam?”
“…… “
I took Staffin’s hand and helped him stand up. Then, pushing him into a chair, he continued.
“I tried. In order not to lose, I worked hard while shaving my bones and flesh. Staffin, you caught me off guard that you once stamped on me. You didn’t know Even though there are many people you can defeat, there is no weaker person in this world than you. Everyone becomes stronger if they have a goal. That’s what being human is.”
Upon hearing my words, Staffin narrows his eyes.
“When running forward is not enough, what do you mean by looking back and setting traps and digging? What do you think will happen if you fall into the trap you set and the person you dug doesn’t give up?”
“…… “
“I get poisoned. I came running with one single thought to defeat you with that venom.”
I took out a dagger from my waistband, wrapped it in an aura, and showed it to Staffin.
“Until a few days ago, I couldn’t even deal with the natural aura. But now I’ve done it like it’s showing off and I’ve overcome you. When you are standing on top of a hill, giggling as the people following you fall into a trap. It is the result of running while looking forward.”
“What I want to say… What the hell is it?”
“Staffin Corroman. Look ahead. Your job is not to push back those who follow and use the weak as a stepping stone to look at the scenery above.”
Of those who aspire to become athletes, only one in thousands achieves their dream. Most of those who fail find other jobs. Those who stray from it fall into evil ways. Step on the weak and climb up to admire the scenery above. At first, the scenery will be sweet and pleasant.
But you will come to realize it yourself. The fact that he is a person outside the landscape. That’s how people get more and more broken. Most athletes-turned-criminals are broken that way. Staffine Corroman is no different.
“I can tell how much effort you have put in. Turn your body and look away. The place you look at will not be the road you have passed.”
“…… “
“I will be participating in the Melgard Tournament again next year. If you felt something from this defeat, send me a challenge yourself next year.”
After saying that, I turned around and left the waiting room. Staffin Corroman will soon be pushed out of the car. Then, as twisted as he is, he will have an accident and face the worst outcome of being expelled.
If there is something he felt from this defeat, if he gets back upright. He will not be pushed out of the second seat. No, even if he is pushed out, he will sew the spot again. Will he fall like the original? Whether he recovers completely using this defeat as a stepping stone, and whether or not Melgard’s second-year second-year student has changed will tell the result.
Looking at Staffin right now, I couldn’t just watch it because I felt like I was in despair in the past. If I had been alone, I would not have been able to rise again in despair and win the title of judo champion. A colleague who lifted me up. It was possible because of the mentors. But unfortunately, Staffin did not have such people. Of course, it’s not that I’m going to be that kind of person for Staffin. Just like I received. It was the first and last time I shared with him what I had received.
If possible, I’d like him to stand up proudly and come back to return the throw I threw. If that’s the case, I’m thinking of laughing and going over to him. It would be difficult for me to beat if it was not Steffen Corroman who tried to push the late runners away, but if it was Steffen Corroman who ran to the top.
Aren’t humans capable of becoming strong as long as they have a goal? At least I think so.