Chapter 108. Reunited with Junseok (2)
“……Is this really happening?”
Garibaldi couldn’t quite grasp the situation, his confusion veering more toward absurdity than outright panic.
A mock battle had kicked off out of nowhere.
The training ground had cleared out in the middle, with Kingdom Guild members forming a circular arena around it.
“If you beat me this time too, then by my authority, I’ll send you wherever you want—dungeon, raid, anything.”
Junseok had proposed the mock battle as if he’d been waiting for the perfect moment.
Jeonghyeon had no choice but to accept.
What could he do when someone with power insisted?
Plus, dragging Garibaldi along to a D-rank dungeon would’ve been embarrassing anyway.
Not to mention, it wouldn’t even test Garibaldi’s current level properly.
“Ah, damn. He’s just offering to sub in for a pain-in-the-ass dungeon instead. What’s so hard about that?”
Jeonghyeon, for his part, was genuinely disappointed.
Philip, watching the exchange, quietly explained to Garibaldi.
“Jeonghyeon doesn’t really know how to handle people well. He probably thought it was a great deal.”
“With that tone……? Anyone would think it was a taunt.”
“No, it was sincere.”
Jeonghu responded slowly as well.
He’d experienced Jeonghyeon enough to know.
Demand something, cause friction, resolve it eventually.
Philip nodded nonchalantly, familiar with Jeonghyeon’s pattern up to now.
If anything, he’d had smoother luck building relationships with monsters—like with Horakti or the Rock Dwarves—than with humans, who always ended up like this.
“Since it’s a mock battle, we’ll use wooden weapons. That cool?”
“A guild with top-tier healers being this stingy? Fine, whatever.”
Jeonghyeon shrugged like he had no choice.
“Armor—you wanna wear what you’ve got, or use personal gear?”
Junseok asked provocatively on purpose.
He’d recently pooled materials from dungeons and raids, dropping a fortune on top-grade equipment suited for Albatron’s awakener.
Items with insane durability and boosted mobility.
Jeonghyeon glanced at his gear and knew right away.
Not quite Wakin sisters level, but crafted by master smiths.
Layered monster hides fused with mana—not light or heavy armor.
It looked like a regular leather jacket, but no ordinary blade would scratch it.
Let’s scratch that pride a bit more.
Junseok aimed to poke at Jeonghyeon’s pride as a hunter.
“What, you think one suit of armor decides the fight when even weapons are wooden? Right?”
A taunt implying: If you’re so great, you can beat me even with my awesome gear.
If Jeonghyeon had any hunter’s pride or ego, he’d snap back: Fine, personal gear it is. Real weapons too?
Then Junseok could land a critical hit and crush him for good.
Ever since Jeonghyeon had “invaded” Kingdom and utterly demolished his pride, Junseok had thrown himself into hellish training.
His body and mind brimmed with confidence now.
Bastard. Looks like you’ve been practicing.
Jeonghyeon, who always appreciated effort from hunters who hadn’t betrayed humanity—no matter the motivation—grinned pleasantly instead.
“Nah, let’s just use training armor. Don’t wanna hurt you.”
He chose training armor to spare Junseok’s pride an even bigger blow.
“……Huh?”
Junseok wanted victory and restored pride, but Jeonghyeon couldn’t fathom losing—no matter the simulation in his head.
Once again, Jeonghyeon proved he had no clue how to handle people.
Strapping on training light armor, Junseok scowled in irritation.
“Fucking psycho……”
There was a reason.
“Gotta go light—nothing at all’s best.”
Jeonghyeon wasn’t even wearing the training armor—just casual clothes.
And the real kicker was his weapon.
“You always use that one?”
Garibaldi asked in surprise at Jeonghyeon’s odd choice: a two-handed greatsword.
About the same size as his own.
“Eh, I can handle it a bit.”
Though he’d switched to the harvesting knife lately and mastered one-handed Dissection Swordsmanship, Jeonghyeon was a former Swordmaster.
Any bladed weapon was second nature—leagues beyond others.
Here, he figured he’d score points with Garibaldi.
Once we can craft mana stone weapons…… turn a greatsword into an Epic Weapon for Garibaldi…… heh…… kekeke!
“Plotting something weird again, huh.”
“Yeah.”
Philip and Jeonghu shook their heads at Jeonghyeon’s overclocked happy circuit.
“Alright, let’s get started.”
Jeonghyeon signaled the start.
“This time’s different from before!”
As Jeonghyeon adjusted his grip, Junseok rode the wind at blinding speed.
Shiiik—!
His form vanished in a rip through the air, reappearing behind Jeonghyeon to thrust his spear.
“Oho. Way faster now.”
Jeonghyeon didn’t dodge—just raised the greatsword behind him.
Clang!
The “wooden” training weapons—tempered hard—clashed with a harsh ring.
“If it were real blades, that’d have pierced through, huh?”
Jeonghyeon voiced Junseok’s exact thoughts.
Adapting style to weapon traits was Swordmaster basics.
With his vast experience, humans were less fun than monsters.
His senses and analysis made it……
“My turn now!”
Too easy.
Jeonghyeon dropped low, bracing the broad flat with his other hand, and swung upward.
Junseok, airborne, got swatted like a fly.
“No talisman yet, huh.”
Jeonghyeon’s sincere pity sounded like mockery to Junseok.
“You bastard!”
Albatron’s talisman was usually Harpie Wings—air dominance incarnate.
Far beyond Han Serin’s in mobility and freedom.
Top Albatron awakeners could pivot to pure aerial ranged DPS.
Their parties were dubbed “bombers” for a reason.
But only after the talisman.
Junseok’s air game was even worse than Jeonghu’s now.
Fast dives and piercing strikes.
Like a human projectile—but wooden spear meant no penetration.
“C’mon, pick up the pace.”
Hard to match a greatsword’s wide sweeps.
“Tch! Think it ends this easy?!”
Spouting third-rate villain lines casually, Junseok kicked off the ground toward Jeonghyeon’s flank.
“Erratic’s good.”
But the sword waited like a shield.
Greatswords were slow with wide arcs—but set sideways, they blocked like a wall.
“Damn!”
Junseok couldn’t brake, slamming into it.
Now or never…… ride it out!
He lightened his body, planted on the flat, and flipped into a spear swing at Jeonghyeon’s neck.
“?!”
Jeonghyeon was gone.
“Why assume I gotta hold the sword?”
Only now did Junseok spot it stabbed into the ground.
He’d predicted the landing perfectly, twisting for an uppercut.
“No…… stop……!”
It connected clean as Junseok plummeted.
“Gyaak!!”
Unfortunately, not chest or jaw.
Would’ve been merciful.
“Oof. Right in the……”
Philip, Jeonghu, and Garibaldi winced in unison.
Junseok’s pride as hunter—and man—was shattered.
“Kuhk…… guk!”
Downed, no real wounds, he rolled drooling on the verge of blackout.
“S…… sorry. Didn’t mean to aim there……”
Bald-faced lie.
Of course he did.
Targeting weaknesses was combat 101.
Otherwise, someone’d get seriously hurt.
Better to end it quick, Jeonghyeon rationalized.
“N-not yet……! I can still fight!”
“Yeah? How about this?”
Jeonghyeon crouched, making an offer.
At his level, no point showing off greatsword skills to Garibaldi.
Victory was certain, but Junseok wouldn’t yield.
Make him concede on new terms.
A real fight to convince him.
“See Jeonghu over there? Last direct Jo heir. Storm Dragon Mirtus’s awakener.”
“So…… what, you little shit……!”
Junseok clutched his groin, rising slowly.
“Speed battle. We win, you guide us no questions. You win……”
“And if I win?”
“You win. What more you want after losing?”
Junseok’s lip twisted.
“You sneaky fuck! Hitting weak spots……”
“Think you’d win for real?”
Junseok fell silent at the innocent question.
Real blades? Game over when he failed to pierce first clash.
Weak spots only work in mocks.
Jeonghyeon whispered to him alone.
“You came to kill me, but cry foul when it’s you? Your fault for showing it.”
Junseok lost words again at the casual, brutal whisper.
“Giving you a shot. One more round?”
“……Fine. Let’s do it, asshole.”