Whip Sword (2)
The momentum was overwhelmingly in Jeonghyeon's favor.
No matter how much she twisted her trajectory, switched between long and short range, or altered the whip's form, Jeonghyeon toyed with Serin as if he'd foreseen every attack. Each time, the handle's tip struck her joints—wrists, knees—sending waves of nauseating pain through her body.
He could have killed her ages ago if he'd wanted. But it felt like he was savoring the hunt, deliberately letting his prey slip away again and again just to prolong the fun.
"Damn it...!"
Serin grimaced, cursing under her breath without realizing it.
Solgaleh must've yelled at her again.
She was already pissed that some no-name hunter had shown up to mock her, and now she couldn't even vent properly. It had to be torture for Serin in her own way.
Too relatable—but right now, Jeonghyeon had to exploit that vulnerability to the fullest.
To end it, he slowly approached Serin.
His posture showed no hint of defense: sword lowered, every weakness exposed.
Yet to Serin, each step felt like a wall slamming down.
She'd never encountered anyone like this. No monster, no human, had ever inflicted this much damage on her. In a real fight, she'd have died in the first clash.
"This can't happen...! It can't!"
A new pattern emerged from her fury—one Jeonghyeon recognized from the Serin of years later, but utterly unused up to this point.
"Developing this fast...? She's driving me nuts."
She feinted a whip-like swing, then bent the blade into a straight thrust at an angle—like a spider's leg stabbing in.
"Tch!"
His body reacted from memory before his mind could, barely dodging.
Shwick!
A harsh screech echoed as blood trickled from Jeonghyeon's shoulder.
Didn't dodge clean. Gotta stay sharp.
Seeing her adapt on the fly like this—no more dragging it out. Jeonghyeon charged at Serin.
Amazed by her learning speed, he'd just copied and remixed Junseok's charge for speed, Serin's fluid swordplay, and Philip's raw power for the finishing blow.
The fused, perfected dissection swordsmanship pierced her guard in an instant, reaching for her throat.
"You think I'll just take it?!"
Serin slammed the whip sword's tip into the ground, shortening the blade like a hook and yanking herself free.
"Oh ho...!"
The whip sword's greatest strength shone: turning terrain into an extension of the weapon.
"Hmph...!"
Serin scoffed like it was nothing, but a strange glee flickered in her eyes.
Probably the first time she'd pulled it off by accident.
"Sorry, but..."
He'd predicted—no, known it was coming.
He knew her patterns better than anyone. And her skill was still raw back then, so Jeonghyeon was already in position where she'd escape to.
"I've dueled the whip sword a bit longer, it seems."
"?!"
He swung the Blood Dissector straight for her throat, dead set on killing.
Faced with certain death, golden light flared in Serin's eyes.
Not her instinct or a cheap trick—Solgaleh forcing her power to protect its awakener.
Finally!
This was why he'd come.
As the golden glow began forming a barrier around her...
"Ow, ouch! How could you!"
Jeonghyeon halted mid-swing, tossed the Blood Dissector into the air, and rolled awkwardly on the ground in the most unnatural pose imaginable.
For extra flair(?), he even hooked his leg on the whip sword during the roll, drawing blood.
"What the...? Suddenly acting like an idiot..."
"Is he insane...?"
The watching hunters went from confused to baffled at his forced antics.
Thud crash clatter.
Like a wooden puppet, Jeonghyeon flopped over and launched into cheap theater overacting.
"Argh! Dropped my sword! In a real fight, I'd be dead! At a time like this!"
The glow faded, rationality returned, and Serin gawked at the show in disbelief, eyes wide.
Jeonghyeon sat on the ground in an awkward sprawl, offering a handshake to the staring Serin.
"You're strong as expected, Serin. The one and only. I forfeit."
Then boldly declared it.
"What the hell's this lunatic saying? What's your game?!"
"Explosive magic on his hand or something?"
The sudden forfeit riled the hunters.
"Didn't you say fight to the death?!"
"Yeah! Till one drops dead!"
They'd sat quiet till he dropped his weapon and went low—now they roared, sensing opportunity.
Not just hating on Jeonghyeon—Serin shot them a chilling glare.
"All of you, shut up."
Her gaze swung back to him.
"Why forfeit? Now? Didn't you say the dead one loses?"
"Eh, just talk. If you'd used mana, I wouldn't have touched you before dying~?"
It stabbed like a dagger. Jeonghyeon had surely seen Solgaleh's power burst from her.
Seeing her use mana would've meant his win, yet he forfeited to spare her face. What did he want?
As if reading her mind, Jeonghyeon spouted something unrelated.
"Heard there's a raid in the north soon. Wanted to gauge if you had the skills. Figured I'd fight someone strong while at it. Haha."
Ignoring her unoffered hand, he crossed the training ground to retrieve his dropped Blood Dissector.
"Great spar. See ya...!"
An empty silence fell as Jeonghyeon left without a backward glance.
"H-Hey! Wait!"
As Serin shot up, agony buckled her leg—she collapsed to one knee. Was this the setup? Her joints screamed from accumulated damage.
"Ngh...!"
Guildmates finally rushed over, supporting her with worried eyes.
"A-Are you okay?!"
"That bastard...!"
Before orders to grab him, Jeonghyeon was gone.
"Ha...!"
For the first time in her life, defeat sank in—her lips trembled faintly.
"Me...! Me...!!"
To lose to that guy? Serin wasn't arrogant or negative. Humble, always seeking growth—that was her.
But such a ridiculous loss cut deeper for someone who'd risen through effort.
Especially witnessing an absurdly overwhelming genius.
***
"P-Pardon...?"
Philip's face twisted in bewilderment at Jeonghyeon's tale.
"Something that insane...? Jeonghyeon-ssi isn't exactly normal either."
"And the guy who flattened an entire mountain field is?"
Jeonghyeon felt the same bafflement.
Wander the field, smash every rock in sight. Catch the monsters that spawn, but don't crush heads first—limbs. See you in three days.
His last words to Philip.
He'd expected some rock-breaking and monster fights. Not this.
The area had been a rocky mountain field not long ago—now every stone was pulverized to dust, like a mountain shaved flat.
Bonus: countless monster corpses reduced to unrecognizable limb-paste.
"W-Well... you told me to train."
Philip scratched his head sheepishly. The blood drenching him was monsters', his only "loss" sweat from swinging the mace over a full day-plus.
"Yeah... good job."
This bullheadedness must be why he's Uldran's awakener. Not easy.
Taking the near-genocidal trainee out of the field, Jeonghyeon headed back east—tedious, but necessary.
"But... what'd you gain fighting like that? Just pissed off the guildmaster...?"
Philip asked after hearing the story.
"That's the point."
To his puzzled look, Jeonghyeon explained.
"Han Serin? Her competitive streak is no joke."
He knew from a lifetime haunted by it. She'd cling till death, never quitting. Enough to think she'd have reached the Demon King's Palace with him if she'd hunted instead.
In fact, excluding him, she'd gotten closest to the palace.
'Ugh... let's clash in hell...!'
Her eerie last words—embodiment of rivalry.
"Told her I'm hitting the northern raid? She'll show."
Such an icon, pride crushed in first real defeat? No way she'd sit.
"And?"
"What 'and'? That's the plan. Minimum rank for raid hunters?"
"C-rank and up, I think."
"Guildmaster like her can bump a D-rank to C easy, right?"
"Ah...!!"
Info from Hwang Dooman was bait to lure Serin; challenging her was the hook.
"She'll drag us to the raid to test our skills—you're C-rank instant."
Straight rank-ups were near-impossible now. Needed ties with her for later anyway.
Winning her over? One fight beat a thousand words or treasures. Imprinting strength before she grew more? Perfect gain.
"All this... a grand scheme to make me C-rank! Thank you!"
"Yeah, yeah. Be grateful."
"Really... who am I to deserve...!"
Philip teared up, arms wide for a hug.
"Don't overdo it. Might actually kill you."
"Yes, sir."
Thus, the two hunters arrived at the eastern field's heart on raid day.