I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 193: I'm Not a Genius

"Baek Mokhwa."

Gyeoul extended her hand to Mokhwa, who had just introduced herself.

It was meant as a light handshake.

"I-I'm Han Gyeoul..."

She could feel Gyeoul's hand trembling as they shook.

To Mokhwa, Gyeoul's hand felt like that of a baby.

Mokhwa let out a hollow laugh and turned to her Master.

"Master, are we really doing this?"

"No, we're doing it fake. Go easy on her."

So that's how it is.

The very idea of sparring seriously with a child was insane.

"Don't worry too much, I'll only go hard enough not to hurt her."

Mokhwa placed her hand on top of Gyeoul's head.

Her cat-like ears were especially soft, so she focused on petting that area.

"Gently, right?"

"Yes."

So they're not fighting all-out like MMA fighters.

If that's the case, there's no reason to be scared.

Relieved, Gyeoul's tail perked up.

"Alright, shall we fight barehanded, no weapons?"

"Huh?"

Barehanded?

My strength is below average human level.

And without mana, I'm basically at toddler level!

Gyeoul looked around at Juyeon and the others in panic.

No one seemed to have any objections to this part.

'Is this normal?'

Not knowing the rules of this world well, Gyeoul decided to go along with what everyone accepted.

"Gyeoul, Mokhwa, are you ready?"

"Y-yes..."

I'll have to give it a try.

It's not like we're fighting at full strength anyway.

Having made up her mind, Gyeoul stepped onto the sparring grounds as Juyeon directed.

At the same time, mana began draining from both their bodies.

"The mana..."

"Don't worry too much. It's not actually restricted. That kind of technology doesn't exist yet."

"Hmm..."

She could definitely feel that sensation.

The feeling that she could draw on mana if needed and it wouldn't be blocked.

Gyeoul felt slightly relieved to learn there was no technology to forcibly suppress adventurers' mana.

"Alright, are you two ready?"

At Juyeon's voice, everyone's attention focused on them.

They had gathered to watch the new match.

"Gyeoul and Mokhwa, huh?"

"Yeah."

Though it was a match between a child and an adult, no one criticized Mokhwa.

That would be tantamount to disrespecting Gyeoul as an opponent.

Those in the training grounds had no intention of mocking Gyeoul, who was giving it her all.

"Okay, face each other and..."

As tension filled the air, a bell rang out - ding!

Before the sound faded, Gyeoul dashed backward to create distance.

Tap tap tap-!

Even without mana, her beast-kin body moved at considerable speed.

The onlookers were shocked at her quadruped-like speed.

"How is she so fast?"

"I guess beast-kin have good base stats even without mana."

Tap tap tap-

Gyeoul circled around Mokhwa.

Faced with Gyeoul's unexpectedly fast speed, Mokhwa had to spin like a top to keep her in sight.

Without mana, it made her dizzy.

'I might lose this.'

Gyeoul occasionally disappeared from view as she circled.

It was because Mokhwa wasn't used to her body without mana.

Whoosh-!

Gyeoul, who had been circling, suddenly rushed at Mokhwa's right side.

Tok-

She punched the waist and quickly retreated.

Though the hit landed, there was no damage.

It felt more like a light massage.

"...?"

Gyeoul continued attacking Mokhwa's openings.

Unfortunately, no damage accumulated, and Gyeoul only grew tired.

Watching Gyeoul gradually slow down, Mokhwa realized.

Those light attacks were Gyeoul's full-power punches.

She's just fast.

Mokhwa focused on guarding while waiting for Gyeoul to tire out.

It wasn't something to say to a sparring partner, but Gyeoul running around her like a kitten was cute.

She even spread her arms wide for sharp turns, scampering about.

Tok-

As time passed, Gyeoul grew more exhausted.

Mokhwa, who had mostly just stood still, was still fresh.

Mokhwa caught Gyeoul's incoming hand.

She was able to thanks to Gyeoul's reduced speed.

'Got her.'

Instinctively, Mokhwa grabbed Gyeoul's collar.

It was her specialty - a throw using her large build.

But wait, this is Gyeoul we're talking about.

Mokhwa looked around reflexively.

Members of both Sacred and Yeomyeong guilds glared at her fiercely.

This included Guild Masters Juyeon and Jinho.

Though they didn't interfere out of respect for the match, their murderous gazes remained.

"......"

Mokhwa forced herself to look back at Gyeoul.

She thought she'd only grabbed the collar, but Gyeoul was so light she was dangling in the air.

Gyeoul gripped Mokhwa's wrist and flailed her legs in the air.

She struggled to break free but couldn't escape.

"Ugh..."

This was over.

Sensing her defeat, Gyeoul's ears and tail drooped.

Her body trembled like a frightened child.

"H-hyah!"

Mokhwa performed a shoulder throw on Gyeoul.

She threw quickly but slowed down just as Gyeoul's back was about to hit the ground.

It felt like gently laying a sleeping child on a bed.

She was so careful that it didn't make a sound.

It doesn't hurt at all?

Gyeoul's eyes went wide.

Mokhwa had clearly been considerate.

Realizing this, Gyeoul's tail began to wag slightly.

"I lost."

"Yeah. But Gyeoul, you're really fast. I was surprised."

Sparring with such a quick opponent.

This had been quite helpful.

Mokhwa sincerely thanked Gyeoul.

It had been a match where she learned a lot.

---

---

I sat in a chair near the training grounds, reviewing the match.

The one problem I discovered was that I'm weak.

'I tried to win with speed.'

Even with quick movements, I couldn't deal damage.

As a result, I just tired myself out moving quickly.

"Ugh."

Maybe I can't beat active adventurers even without mana.

Thinking I'd fight well without mana might have been arrogant.

Haah.

As I sighed and looked around, Juyeon approached me.

"Gyeoul, you fought really well! I was surprised!"

"N-no, I couldn't land a single hit..."

"Come on, that's because you fought bare-handed. If you had a weapon, Mokhwa wouldn't have stood a chance!"

"Hmm... still, a loss is a loss."

I probably would've won if I'd used a short sword to stab and retreat repeatedly.

Of course, for the sake of growth, I decided to gracefully accept the outcome.

"Wow, Gyeoul, you're so cool. There are tons of adults out there who can't admit defeat."

Juyeon picked me up.

Perhaps to erase my fear of battle and disappointment in defeat, she patted my back several times.

"So, how was the match? We're planning to hold a tournament like this later."

"It was fun, but there were a lot of problems."

"There were problems?"

"Yes. With the rules."

"The rules...?"

Juyeon looked at me quizzically.

It was natural that she couldn't understand.

"This match was without mana, but you're using rules for mana-based fights."

"Oh...!"

Seeming to realize something from my words, Juyeon looked down at me with wide eyes.

Her gaze urged me to continue.

"First, the arena is too big. It'd take forever just to corner someone."

Corners are important in fighting.

They're a means to pressure your opponent.

But our arena was too large.

About 200 square meters side to side.

Without mana, you might collapse from exhaustion before cornering someone.

Realizing this, Juyeon stopped patting my back and started stroking her chin.

"You're right... I didn't even think about needing different rules..."

"It's the first time, after all."

"Yeah. We'll need to rethink the rules. Gyeoul, is there anything else?"

Anything else.

There was a lot.

Rules that exist in all sports in our world, but not here.

"There should be rest periods between matches. Like fight for three minutes, rest for one minute."

"Rest? Resting in the middle of a fight?"

"Yes. Without mana, you tire quickly. With intense fighting, you might not last five minutes."

Is that so?

As Juyeon tilted her head, Mokhwa, who was nearby, joined our conversation.

"Master, Gyeoul is right. Without mana, you tire out incredibly fast."

"Really? Is a rest period necessary?"

"It's essential for strategic fighting. Without breaks, everyone would tire quickly and it'd turn into a brawl."

When exhausted and unable to think, it becomes a mindless brawl.

That's not fun for the fighters or the audience.

Especially in a world where people appreciate skilled fighting.

"That would be terrible..."

"Yes. Gyeoul caught an important point we missed."

"N-no... this is just..."

I just borrowed rules from my original world.

I couldn't bring myself to tell the truth.

Blood rushed to my face from embarrassment.

"Gyeoul, is there anything else?"

"W-well, there is, but..."

"Oh! Can you tell us?"

I could tell them, but...

It's a bit embarrassing to take credit for this.

But I can't talk about my past life either.

I glanced at our Master for no reason.

Knowing my situation, he nodded.

It meant it was okay to continue.

"I can tell you, but I didn't actually figure this out myself..."

"Who figured it out then?"

"...I'm not sure?"

Mokhwa tilted her head.

Before she could grow suspicious, I hurried to change the subject.

"Ah, regarding safety..."

And so I shared all the knowledge I had with everyone.

As I made suggestions, I felt the attention of those around me focusing on me.

Their gazes, like they were looking at a genius, were burdensome.

"You came up with all that in such a short time?"

"Amazing. You've addressed all the finicky stuff."

"She's a real natural..."

I told them I didn't figure it out myself.

For some reason, they didn't believe me.

It was an even harder time than sparring with Mokhwa.

---

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