City of Witches Chapter 341

As soon as Diana left the host bar, she bought a Witchboard from a nearby store.

Then, she ordered ice cream at the cafe she had eyed yesterday and began reviewing the game.

It involved recalling all the moves made by both sides and replaying them one by one, alternating turns.

“Hoo…”

Siwoo, who had blocked all of Diana’s attacks as if they were trivial.

The chaotic moves from the very beginning that had shaken Diana.

After meticulously and calmly retracing the game, a single thought abruptly surfaced in her heart.

“If I just play by the book, it seems like I’d win easily…”

Reflecting on the pattern of their matches, it was always similar.

Siwoo making unexpected moves, Diana getting tangled up in them.

Whenever Diana, driven by impatience, tried to do something, she’d be sunk by a surprise masterstroke.

And the most infuriating part was.

“Why did it have to be Dispel Pins…?”

Dispel Pins are a strategy with very low utility even in Witchboard.

Generally, they’re not only hard to pull off, but even if successful, the merit isn’t that great.

It’s a high-risk, low-return tactic where the successful player feels smug and the victim feels incredibly annoyed.

In other words, it’s a kind of taunting, personality-questioning playstyle.

Yet, the number of Dispels Diana had suffered from Siwoo in just one day today exceeded the total number of Dispels she had ever suffered in all her Witchboard games until now.

It was only natural her clothes felt turned inside out with frustration.

“Still…”

Thinking coldly, it wasn’t something to end by just grumbling angrily about how unfair it was.

Regardless of the process, he had read Diana’s intentions and seized victory through strategic groundwork.

However.

“Grrrr…!”

No matter how much she thought about it, she was furious.

“How dare…”

A half-baked amateur who probably can’t even study standard strategies properly!

“To resort to such bizarre tricks and cheap cunning…”

But in this feeling of having victory stolen, a cold, objective evaluation was impossible.

Absolutely impossible, if only for her pride’s sake.

“You’re really dead tomorrow…!”

A strategy with a distinct characteristic like Siwoo’s isn’t something that can be used over and over again.

It’s literally a Joker card.

At best, it’s effective only once or twice.

Firmly believing today was just bad luck, caught off guard by a fluke.

Diana prepared for tomorrow.

“Welcome, Miss Diana.”

“Please prepare the Witchboard. I’ll order a drink.”

6 AM the next day.

Diana, who had even skipped breakfast today to visit the host bar, repeated to herself that this time, she was confident.

Her strategic analysis and countermeasures were perfect.

To return the humiliation she suffered yesterday, she stepped into the bar with an unyielding spirit of no retreat and immediately prepared the board.

“You’re in quite a hurry. Do you have plans today?”

Looking at Siwoo, who spoke with an innocent smile as if he knew nothing, Diana felt her heart pounding thump-thump.

After all, when people get angry, their heart races.

That always clueless-looking grinning expression, that sly attitude, that annoying playstyle, the fact he’s a male witch—she disliked them all equally.

“Hoo…”

Revealing emotions directly is not a refined thing to do.

Even if dissatisfied, it’s proper for a young lady to hint at it gracefully, allowing the other party to notice on their own.

But this, she absolutely had to say.

“I don’t like you.”

“Is that so? Yet you visit every morning lately?”

Diana, pouting her lips unconsciously and sniping back in a displeased voice.

Siwoo, in host mode, receiving it nonchalantly.

“That persistent, annoying quality is what I dislike most about you.”

“I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“Hmph…!”

At his appearance of not conceding a single word until the end (or so it seemed to Diana), she snorted and sat down on the sofa somewhat roughly.

The current overall score was 2 to 2.

If Diana lost this match, it would mean allowing a reverse sweep by a Witchboard beginner.

Before the real game began, Diana spoke first.

“Dispel Pins seem to be your specialty, huh?”

Siwoo, who had paused for a moment, answered sincerely.

“I don’t know much about Magic, but I have some experience in interpreting and countering Magic Formulas.”

“It won’t work like that this time.”

“I look forward to it.”

Diana sharply raised her eyebrows and focused her gaze intently.

The arrangement of magical energy sources between the two was the same as usual.

Orthodox, standard-following, righteous faction Diana.

Unorthodox, standard-defying, heterodox Shin Siwoo.

But today, there was a slight difference.

Diana, who always solidified her position, built up her foundation step by step, and then prepared to attack, began to recklessly use aggressive moves from the very start.

To analogize Siwoo’s method of placing Dispels, it’s like ‘mine-laying.’

A surprise attack from an unexpected angle, emerging from meaningless moves scattered all around.

Until now, Diana, focused on steadily building her foundation, had not contested that mine-laying operation at all.

Wasn’t the result getting hit when she thought, ‘Now I’ve won!’?

“Hehe…”

Then.

She modifies her strategy.

What if she induces constant, small-scale skirmishes, applying tight, dense pressure to leave no room for other moves?

It becomes difficult to pull off cheap tricks like Dispels.

Diana’s habit.

When things go according to plan, she twists the corner of her mouth into a subtle smile.

Right now, the corners of her mouth were lifted high.

Because she could clearly see Siwoo’s flustered appearance, scrambling to respond to Diana’s completely changed style overnight.

“Hmm…”

As evidence, the frequency of Siwoo’s long deliberations increased.

It made sense, as his only strong suit, Dispels, had been sealed.

This is the difference between a Witch who relies solely on cheap tactics and an Apprentice Witch who has diligently honed her fundamentals and followed the standard path.

Someone who depends only on tricks can never defeat a model of orthodoxy.

“Hmm, you’re sharp today. Did something bad happen? You’re playing very aggressively.”

See this.

How cornered must he be to say something like that?

Originally, when engaged in a serious match, it’s a principle not to talk about things unrelated to the game, but Diana, feeling a sense of triumph, lifted her chin.

“You, on the other hand, look quite stifled. Do you have no skills other than Dispel Pins?”

“It certainly seems difficult to use Dispels now. Then I suppose I should do this.”

“Try struggling a bit. I’ll show you what proper Magic is.”

With these bold words from both, the fiercely spreading flames of battle.

Siwoo’s momentum, which had been focused solely on defense, suddenly changed.

He began to engage Diana in skirmishes as well, meeting her small-scale battles head-on.

“Fighting fire with fire. A good choice. Are you confident?”Until now, Diana hadn't given it much thought.

Continuously provoking these small-scale chaotic battles was also a textbook strategy, if there ever was one.

She thought she wouldn't lose.

An endless, back-and-forth struggle unfolded.

A dizzying battle of snatching Runes, having snatched Runes snatched away, and snatching back the Runes that were snatched away.

"......"

After a little time passed, Diana felt a hot flush rising to her head.

Chaotic battles were inherently a massive headache.

Being small-scale meant less calculation was required, but that also meant the situation could flip with a single move.

A single moment of wavering could lead to defeat in that particular skirmish.

"This... this..."

That's why chaotic battles on the Witchboard usually only occur across 5 to 6 sectors.

But this man was blatantly pushing it further, fueling the flames of battle to spread across 10, 15, 20 sectors.

Against Diana, who was taking an aggressive offensive stance.

He had initiated an even more aggressive, mud-slinging brawl that even he couldn't possibly handle.

"What on earth was he thinking, acting like this..."

Yet another strange move.

A dogfight where both sides grabbed each other's hair and shook wildly.

While inwardly shouting, 'He plays the game so dirty!', Diana countered Siwoo's attacks.

Once the board had expanded this much, the side that pulled back first would be at a disadvantage.

"Ah..."

Diana, whose soul was utterly consumed by the chaotic battles unfolding seamlessly all over the place.

Only when Siwoo seemed to halt his offensive and wrap up the battle could she finally catch her breath.

Finally free from her narrow field of vision and gaining the leisure to see the broader board, Diana vaguely sensed something.

"Huh?"

At first, she thought she might have seen wrong.

But even after rubbing her eyes and looking carefully, it was the same.

The game was already lost.

She distinctly thought they had fought on fairly equal terms, trading blow for blow.

Take a hit, land a hit; land a hit, take a hit.

Even though it was a messy brawl not found in any textbook, she inwardly acknowledged Siwoo's skill in fighting back to this extent and thought she had fought well enough.

But looking again, the tide had already turned.

The number of occupied Runes was similar, but the crucial Runes had somehow ended up in Siwoo's possession.

Compared to Diana's camp, left in tatters after the chaotic battle, the opponent was prepared to switch formations and leap forward again at any moment.

This created a difference in the sequence of organizing Magic Formulas.

While Diana would be applying medicine, wrapping bandages, and stepping into the ring, her opponent would already be in full Plate Armor wielding a warhammer.

From here on, she couldn't even guess what she needed to do to seize victory.

She had lost.

Even though all her magic power sources were still alive, Diana intuited her defeat.

Just as Diana had been disoriented, her opponent likely was too.

Yet, he had naturally prepared countermeasures even after the chaotic battle ended?

Was such a thing even possible?

If this was truly intentional...

That was no longer within the realm of human capability.

It was monstrous.

Around the time Diana was shocked by this unimaginable outcome.

-Thud!

Suddenly, a path opened up.

If Siwoo had proceeded to wrap up and solidify his position from here, Diana would have been ravaged without putting up any resistance.

But he recklessly tried to continue the chaotic battle.

Moreover, it was a sector where Diana already held the advantage.

This mistake was an opportunity.

Diana swiftly dealt with Siwoo's attack while gathering momentum.

It happens often.

Just as it had for Diana, one's field of vision narrows, failing to read the overall flow of the grand scheme.

Failing to realize one is in an advantageous or disadvantageous position.

Siwoo's current moves were clear proof of that state.

He wasn't even laying bait for a dispel; he was showing excessive obsession over an area that wouldn't affect the outcome, wasting moves.

Diana desperately engaged in the decisive battle.

She caught up with the gap that had opened while her opponent was making futile moves.

The conviction that the recent crushing defeat was due to 'luck' and not skill also brought a sense of ease to Diana's heart.

"I won. I did."

Turning the unfavorable situation around for a great victory.

She seized the sweet fruit of victory, aptly described as a last-minute triumph.

Diana clenched her fist timidly, her body trembling slightly as she fully savored the winner's thrill.

"You're amazing. I simply can't match you."

"That's what happens when you start a chaotic, scattered battle like that. You couldn't manage the mess you created, could you?"

"The score is now 3 to 2. I lost."

Diana was thrilled.

She didn't show it outright, but just looking at her twitching lips or flaring cute nostrils, she seemed extremely, extremely excited.

Therefore, she humbly acknowledges it.

Though he's an eccentric who uses only cheeky, strange strategies, she can see he has a certain level of ability.

"But you're amazing too. If it were any other Apprentice Witch besides me, they would have lost helplessly. Reaching that level with a man's body is something I can't help but praise."

"Is that so?"

"But if you had done this here, I would have lost, right? Look here."

Having grown more magnanimous with her final victory, Diana even offered Siwoo advice and praise.

"Anyway, you fought hard. I almost lost due to carelessness."

"You flatter me. I also feel like I learned a lot from you, Diana."

Diana rose from her seat.

"Well, if there's another chance, I'll come again."

"Huh? You're not coming tomorrow?"

"Why would I? I already won."

Diana arbitrarily decided on a best-of-five format, even though no such rule was ever mentioned.

Seeing Siwoo's seemingly flustered expression, she grinned.

This time, she couldn't hide her frivolous smile, even revealing her white, even teeth.

"Unfortunately, I dislike bullying people weaker than me... Well then, that's all. It was quite fun."

Having delivered her final satisfying line, Diana left the Host Bar with light, breezy steps.

It was a day with truly wonderful sunshine.

Siwoo stared blankly at the Witchboard.

He also looked at the door through which Diana had dashed out, refusing even to be seen off.

"Something got tangled up."

The situation had gotten tangled up.

Siwoo's goal was to become close to Diana and gain her help with magic barrier research.

For that, it was better to meet as often as possible.

"Maybe I shouldn't have held back and just won..."

But Diana was clearly the type who hated losing intensely.

Worried that thoroughly crushing her might wound her pride too deeply and she wouldn't return, he had subtly let her win.

Who would have thought she'd be satisfied with that and leave?

Moreover, if you think about it, wasn't Diana's one point earned by defeating Siwoo back when he knew nothing?If it had been Odil or Odette, they would have said, "That wasn't a fair win!" and challenged me to another round.

Apprentice Witches really are like unpredictable bouncing balls.

To be fair, even full-fledged Witches are similar, but Apprentice Witches are practically on the level of rugby balls...

In Siwoo's view, the skill gap between the two was already stark.

Ever since his first victory over Diana, he was confident he could win no matter what she tried.

This game ultimately came down to who was better at interpreting and constructing Magic Formulas, and that was Siwoo's forte.

If he even took off his eyepatch, the gap would widen to an incomparable degree.

Still.

"It was fun in its own way."

He felt like he'd thoroughly enjoyed a game that suited his tastes.

Siwoo stretched and headed briskly to the costume room to prepare for business.

And perhaps.

She might come looking for him on her own before long.

Siwoo thought quietly.