"Second dan..."
Looking at the board before him, Kudan Ogata took off his glasses and sighed.
He had not been careless. He had given it his all.
Yet all his strength had been like a clay ox entering the sea, unable to stir even the slightest ripple.
Not even his teacher had ever given him such an overwhelming sense of pressure!
And this guy was still a second dan?
No wonder the Go world's match rules were being changed. The capable would rise, and the incapable would fall.
This time, he had lost...
"No wonder I couldn't find the game between you and Oza Zama. Not even my teacher ever set it up before me. So he was afraid it would crush people's confidence. Those little shrimps before must not have been enough to satisfy you."
Kudan Ogata already possessed the strength to challenge for a title. With his composure, even in defeat, he could remain broad-minded.
"Not at all. Every game is different, and there is always something to learn from it. So it makes no difference whether I fight my way up from the bottom."
Xu Yue spoke calmly as he put away the stones.
There was not the slightest joy in having defeated a peak ninth-dan player.
This secretly startled Ogata.
Perhaps this guy had never considered him a true opponent at all! He thought victory was only natural!
But then again, judging from this game alone, that was indeed the case.
With a quiet sigh in his heart, Kudan Ogata prepared to rise and take his leave.
But just as he turned, he heard Xu Yue's voice behind him.
"Also, Ogata-senpai, be more careful in tomorrow's game. Inoue Ieyasu's strength should not be underestimated. His explosive performance during matches in particular might make you suffer badly."