Beyond the Heavens
"Today, we will be conducting individual skill training," Grandfather Yong-su said.
"Individual skills?"
Grandfather Yong-su continued his explanation with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore a warm, gentle smile, so despite him being an S-rank hunter, none of the students felt intimidated.
"I plan to group you by your positions for this training. I've brought in specialized coaches for each role."
"You gathered the coaches yourself, Hunter Kang Yong-su?"
"Indeed."
"Wow!"
At first, the students had looked a bit disappointed. They had assumed Grandfather would be training all of them personally today.
But their faces brightened again at the news of the position-specific coaches. After all, given an S-rank hunter's connections, they wouldn't be bringing in just anyone.
"Huff, puff... I'm... I'm back—"
"Ah, excellent. Now go run another thirty laps."
"Pardon...?"
"Hurry along!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Just as Woo-rin Oppa returned from finishing his twenty laps, Grandfather wiped the smile clean off his face and ordered him to run again.
As an A-rank hunter, Woo-rin Oppa's physical abilities were naturally outstanding, so running itself didn't seem to pose a physical danger to him.
Watching this, I couldn't help but wonder what on earth had happened between the two of them. It didn't seem like Woo-rin Oppa disliked Grandfather, though.
"Will you be coaching the Vanguards, sir?"
"Yes, I will be personally taking charge of the students in the Vanguard position."
"Yes...!"
The older boys and girls in the Vanguard position cheered under their breath.
Out of the five strongest members of the Nova team—Woo-rin Oppa, Seong-hyeon Oppa, Hwa Eonni, Yeo-woon Eonni, and... me!—it was a bit of a shame that none of us were Vanguards.
If the strongest received guidance from the absolute strongest, wouldn't our chances of winning increase? But then again, maybe it was better for Grandfather to strengthen the relatively weaker members.
Grandfather probably had the same thought.
"Now, let me introduce the coaches who will be in charge of each position. First, for the Striker position..."
"Huh?"
"Wait..."
"No way, is that...!"
Seong-hyeon Oppa trembled, clutching his spear in sheer shock. I also widened my eyes in surprise as I looked at the person who had just appeared.
"Good to see ya."
It was Yeon-hwa Eonni, casually waving her hand as she walked in. The students began to whisper, breaking out in cold sweats at her arrival.
Why is Yeon-hwa Eonni's reputation like this? She's an S-rank hunter, after all.
"B-But still, she's S-rank, right? There must be a lot we can learn from her."
"Are you stupid? That's Shin Yeon-hwa! The Madwoman of Gangwon Province!"
"I know that, but why is she called that?"
"Haven't you heard? She beat up every single hunter in Cheorwon just because they picked a fight with her, and she even had the instructors wrapped around her finger back when she was in the academy!"
"My, you sure know a lot about me."
"...!!"
Seong-hyeon Oppa, who had been passionately gossiping about Yeon-hwa Eonni, turned pale. Creaking like a rusty robot, he slowly turned his head to look at Yeon-hwa Eonni standing right behind him.
"C-Coach."
"Oh, really? Just call me the Madwoman of Gangwon Province from now on."
"N-No, that's not what I..."
"Do it."
"T-The Madwoman of Gang—"
Whoosh—Crash! Yeon-hwa Eonni grabbed him and hurled him across the training ground. He flew through the air and slammed into the safety mats stacked against the wall.
She dusted off her hands and spoke.
"I'm in charge of the Strikers. Got it? Answer me."
"Yes, ma'am...!!"
Wow, she completely dominated the students in an instant. I gave her a small round of applause, impressed by the display.
"Hoot."
Jeolmi, in particular, was so deeply moved that it looked like it was about to shed tears. It flapped its wings together in applause, which was quite cute.
Bombe, who had been sleeping soundly, flinched at the sound of Jeolmi's clapping. Ah... Jeolmi was studying Yeon-hwa Eonni to learn how to keep Bombe in line.
Hang in there, Bombe.
"Hoho, next up is Hunter Lee Gyeong-seon for the Backcode position."
"Nice to meet you all~"
Hunter Lee Gyeong-seon was an A-rank hunter based in Seoul, holding the class of 'Puppeteer'. Her specialty was a skill that allowed her to control living creatures or objects infused with mana.
The Backcode students seemed quite pleased. She was a professor at a Hunter University currently on sabbatical. She gave off the vibe of someone highly skilled and reputable.
"Next..."
"Huff...! Puff...! Thirty laps... completed...!"
"...Hoho."
Woo-rin Oppa, drenched in a waterfall of sweat, approached Grandfather Yong-su. Grandfather looked at him with a trace of disapproval, giving a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"The Seeker coach will be Hunter Kang Se-eun."
"...! Se-eun Noona!"
"Hello, my little chicks~ Oh? Woo-rin is here too?"
Se-eun Eonni, who had walked in smiling and waving, looked surprised when she spotted Woo-rin Oppa.
"My~ Is Woo-rin already old enough to participate in Nova?"
"O-Of course! I'm all grown up now."
Huh?
Woo-rin Oppa's demeanor had subtly changed. Before, he had the vibe of a flawless, uptight student council president... but now, he seemed somewhat softer?
Could it be...!
"Go run another twenty laps."
"M-Me...?"
"Hurry!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Woo-rin Oppa glanced back at Se-eun Eonni as he dragged his exhausted body to run again. Meanwhile, Grandfather Yong-su watched him with a deeply displeased expression.
Ah.
"You were just cute when you were little, but you've grown up to be quite handsome, haven't you?"
I understood completely.
Woo-rin Oppa's type is older women... Yeon-hwa Eonni watched Woo-rin Oppa run off again, giving him a look of profound sympathy.
Good grief...
"Lastly, the coach in charge of the Wildcard position is Hunter Cheong Il-hwan."
"Hunter Cheong Il-hwan is coming?"
"Seriously?"
"Hunter Il-hwan??"
If it's Hunter Cheong Il-hwan...
Following Grandfather Yong-su's introduction, another elderly man with long, flowing white hair made his appearance. He exuded an aura that made him seem at least two generations older than Grandfather Yong-su.
The retired S-rank hunter, Cheong Il-hwan.
Now in his late nineties, he was one of the oldest living hunters. The Korean hunter industry was generally divided into the old and new generations around the year 2010, and he was a living legend who held the absolute peak position among the old-generation hunters.
The Illusion God.
It was a title bestowed upon him by China, a country notorious in the hunter community for rarely acknowledging foreign hunters. True to his name, he was famous for creating countless illusions and manifesting them with physical force.
The man who reached World Rank 4 during his active years...!
I knew he had retired over thirty years ago, but he still maintained his abilities?
Did he occasionally remain active even after retirement... like Grandfather Yong-su?
Since the rule of 'activity' applied to all hunters to maintain their rank, he couldn't have avoided it entirely.
I wasn't sure. Maybe there was something different when you reached the level of a legend.
"Pleasure to meet ye. I am Cheong Il-hwan."
"Ah, hello."
"Ye may call me Master."
"Master...?"
"!"
Master Il-hwan walked straight toward me without even asking who the Wildcard was. I felt a strange, spiritual energy radiating from him... similar to when I met General Nami.
When he claimed the title of master, Grandfather Yong-su looked slightly surprised. But then, a satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Well then, I hope the next four days will be meaningful for everyone. Please follow your respective coaches."
"Strikers, this way~ Hurry up and follow me~"
"Seekers, gather over here~"
"Backcodes, please follow me this way."
The coaches naturally led the students away. They certainly had the experience; they knew exactly how to command a crowd.
Though Se-eun Eonni and Yeon-hwa Eonni weren't exactly old, but still.
As I blinked up at Master Il-hwan, he slowly reached out his hand. He wanted me to take it, right? His eyes were so tightly shut that it was hard to read his intentions.
I hesitated for a moment before grasping his hand.
"Hwawa!"
The surrounding scenery changed in an instant. The fresh scent of grass, Taereung Camp visible far in the distance... I realized we had teleported to a nearby mountain.
"What is your name, child?"
"I-I'm Shiro."
"Are ye a child of the Japanese Empire...?"
"N-No, I'm Korean!"
"Ah, I see. Good, good."
Master patted a flat boulder, gesturing for me to sit. I stared at him for a moment before quietly sitting down.
Jeolmi scratched its head in confusion at the sudden change of scenery, while Bombe just kept sleeping, completely unaware that we had moved.
"Like any bear, it seems she loves her sleep."
"I-I guess so."
Master stared intently at Bombe for a moment, then sat down beside me and began to stroke the crown of my head. His wrinkled hands tickled my scalp.
The head-patting session went on for quite a while. I began to wonder if we were actually going to train today.
"...The word 'Wildcard' did not exist in my day."
"Really?"
"Instead, we called it the Boundless Class."
"Boundless Class?"
"We called it 'Boundless' because we had no standard classification."
Boundless... The nuance felt a bit strange. In modern terms, Wildcards were a special classification because they could perform all roles, not because they lacked one.
"Actually... there was another term before 'Boundless'. But because the power of the Boundless was too great, the leader of the continent feared it and took the lead in changing the terminology."
"What was it originally?"
"We were called the Omni-Class, or Beyond Heaven."
Ah.
Omni-Class obviously meant being proficient in all systems, and Beyond Heaven seemed to refer to superhumans who transcended the ordinary sky.
So the Chinese government of that era, fearing that the Omni-Class would become too powerful, stepped in to change the name.
"That is how powerful and fearsome our strength is."
"Mmm... but in the end, positions are just things given to us by people."
"Hoho... I suppose it might feel that way to ye."
Well, the classification of 'Wildcard' was ultimately created by humans, and the designation was handed down by the Association President.
"Do ye know the meaning of 'heavenly mandate'?"
"Isn't it the same as destiny?"
"Indeed, it is..."
Tap, tap. As Master tapped his foot on the ground, a brilliant light enveloped the surrounding forest. At the same time, countless mystical plants and flowers sprouted, and giant, glowing butterflies and whales began to float through the sky.
"Whoa!"
"Hoooot?!"
"Whimper!"
As Jeolmi and I cried out in awe, Bombe startled awake. She waddled toward one of the glowing blue butterflies floating by.
"Those who are Beyond Heaven are born with such a destiny. In the end, human classifications merely follow that fate."
"Mmm... I think I understand a little."
"What we must do... is feel the master of that destiny."
"The master of destiny?"
What did he mean?
Wasn't I the one born with the destiny...?
"The previous owner who shared our fate. A predecessor, an existence that has become a class... ourselves from another dimension. Those who are Beyond Heaven are the closest to them."
Ourselves from another dimension...?