Hwindungi is the Best!
Hwindungi's true ability was revealed right after the spar began.
"Su-ah!"
The Backcode team, including Woo-rin, unleashed their abilities in tandem, linking them together just as they had during their previous spar with the Seeker team.
Threads, talismans, and wind—all coordinated under the control of Woo-rin's telekinesis.
Meanwhile, the remaining Seeker, Ha-eum—a boy with wavy reddish-brown hair—donned a red bachelor mask and began to dance merrily.
W-What is this...?
Suddenly, my vision blurred.
It felt as if heat haze were shimmering across my entire field of vision. I felt nauseous, and my head began to throb.
It seemed Ha-eum was a Backcode who specialized in buffs and debuffs. Recalling what I'd glimpsed during training, he could probably heal as well.
Ugh... I'm so dizzy.
Being hit directly by a debuff for the first time caught me off guard. Just as I was agonizing over what to do—
— Squeak!
Hwindungi's sharp squeak pierced through my nausea.
As I caught a faint glimpse of her wagging her tail, the confusing mana clouding my eyes vanished in an instant.
"Oh!"
I hadn't fully measured her capabilities yet, but Hwindungi seemed to possess abilities perfectly suited for a classic Backcode position.
She had already demonstrated telekinesis, and now she had cleansed a debuff.
"Alright, I'm going to get serious now...!"
Now that Hwindungi had cleared my dizziness, it was time to fight for real! I clenched my fists with determination, but...
"Huh?"
"Gasp...!"
"What...?"
All the skills the opposing team had deployed were gone.
Su-ah's threads, Jun-hyeok's talismans, Ga-yeong's wind...
...Even Ha-eum's red mask had vanished.
For Backcodes, who relied entirely on their specialized supernatural abilities, their current state was equivalent to walking out in their underwear to pick up a package, only to bump straight into their neighbor.
— Squeak.
Hwindungi puffed out her chest and let out a proud huff, as if to say this was all her doing.
"...Whoa!"
Missing an opportunity like this would make me a failure of a Hunter! I poured all my remaining mana toward the completely defenseless team.
Crack, crack, crack—
Blue ice spread from beneath my feet, racing toward the Backcode team at incredible speed. Woo-rin rushed forward and spread his hands wide to block it, but...
— Squeeeak!
Hwindungi simply flicked her tail, and Woo-rin's telekinesis was instantly neutralized. It seemed Hwindungi's telekinesis was far stronger.
Was it because my mana tier was higher?
Well, when it came to anything mana-related, I was an absolute, once-in-a-generation genius. Mmhmm.
"W-Well, we have no choice but to surrender."
The ice had frozen the floor solid, trapping their legs completely. Since they were Awakened, the cold wouldn't injure them, but moving was out of the question.
Woo-rin let out an awkward laugh and raised both hands in surrender.
Man, if only this weren't a private spar, it would have made the news. Something like: Genius Girl Shiro Neutralizes Backcode Team Instantly After Striker Team!
"Hehe, you're amazing, Hwindungi!"
— Squeak! Squeeeak!
I tightly hugged Hwindungi, who had been yawning beside me. She flailed her short limbs, struggling to get free.
— Whimper...
— Hoot.
Jeolmi and Bombe seemed disappointed that the spar had ended so quickly. Bombe, in particular, shrank back down to her small size and smacked her lips dejectedly.
I thought Jeolmi would be the one more disappointed, which was surprising. She usually just rolled around lazily, but did she actually find sparring fun?
"Haha! Shiro is the winner!"
"Whoa!"
Grandfather Yong-su beamed and tossed me up and down in the air. One might ask if this was any way to treat a young girl... but it was actually pretty fun.
After all, I used to be a guy...!
"Hohoho."
Once Grandfather Yong-su gently set me back down, Master approached with a smile.
"Did ye have fun?"
"Mmh... I think it was fun."
I whispered softly so only Master could hear.
People like Woo-rin might be fine with it, but someone else might feel humiliated losing to a nine-year-old girl.
I spoke quietly, afraid of making enemies. But I really did enjoy it. Winning is fun.
"Ye did well. That's just our role, after all. To win overwhelmingly..."
Master's wrinkled hand patted my head. I loved the feeling of my mind clearing up whenever he stroked my hair.
Our role.
When Master grouped himself and me together as "our," he was probably referring to Wildcards. I wondered what kind of world Master saw and experienced.
He felt so much like a Taoist immortal that whenever he spoke, it felt more mystical than suspicious.
"Truly remarkable, Miss Shiro. I had no idea you had grown this much."
"Did I really change that much after only three days of training?"
"You are vastly different from before. In particular, the presence of Miss Hwindungi is hard to ignore."
Uncle Jong-woo approached and showered me with praise, looking highly excited. Had I really grown that much...?
To be fair, I hadn't really shown him my full power before, and a lot had happened since my initial evaluation.
So it was only natural that I'd changed.
"If we synthesize even higher-quality snow for Miss Hwindungi in the future... she will undoubtedly become a being that average Hunters won't even be able to stand against. As expected of the Yeouiju's power..."
— Hoooooot!!
"Ah, and of course, Master Jeolmi is amazing too."
When Uncle Jong-woo showered Hwindungi with praise while thinking of the Yeouiju, Jeolmi spread her wings wide, asserting her own greatness.
Of course, even with her wings fully spread, she wasn't nearly as intimidating as a giant-sized Bombe.
"So, is training over for today?"
"Hoho... Shiro, follow me."
I wondered if we were done after just sparring. Sparring itself was a highly exhausting activity.
Since most of my combat involved manipulating mana from the backline, I hadn't used much physical energy, but people like Seong-hyeon already looked completely exhausted.
Curious about what was next, I asked, but Master simply told me to follow him and vanished outside in a flash.
"Ah, w-wait for me!"
This is suspicious.
William, the President of the United States Awakened Association.
He was currently on edge regarding the N.O.V.A. tournament, which was overseen by the International Awakened Organization.
Documents were scattered across the messy desk in the president's office. As he reviewed various pieces of information, something grated on his already frayed nerves.
The President of the Korean Association had done something highly suspicious.
Why did he keep the roster private? Even going so far as to exercise his special privileges?
In the international community, the higher a nation's Hunter standing, the more influence its association president wielded.
While the influence of the Korean Association President, Lee Jong-woo, didn't quite match William's own or that of the Japanese Association President, it was still formidable.
After all, the caliber of Korean Hunters wasn't bad. If anything, they possessed a strange kind of resilience. Their star Hunters might not have the highest peak, but their baseline was remarkably high.
And yet.
President Lee Jong-woo had suddenly submitted the finalized N.O.V.A. roster under a confidentiality clause, claiming it was to protect his country's Hunters.
This meant that only Lee Jong-woo himself and the Chairman of the International Organization knew who was on the Korean team.
"Incomprehensible."
Nothing like this had ever happened before.
What reason could a man like Lee Jong-woo have to make such a sudden move? As a fellow president who respected Lee Jong-woo's competence, William suspected there had to be a hidden motive.
"...Could it be?"
His thoughts drifted to the major event that had recently upended the global Hunter landscape: Shiro, the monster of the Tower.
Is that monster young enough to participate in N.O.V.A.? And in South Korea, of all places?
It wasn't impossible.
Nothing in this world was truly impossible.
If a minor Hunter had suddenly awakened with transcendent talent, an overwhelming class, and peerless skills, it was entirely within the realm of possibility.
Even if the probability was astronomically low...
We've been barking up the wrong tree.
The United States Awakened Association, led by William, had been narrowing their investigation around Japan.
Coincidentally, the Japanese Association President had behaved similarly to Lee Jong-woo. The moment America's gaze turned toward them, they had locked down all information regarding their domestic Hunters.
I was certain they were in Japan... but President Lee Jong-woo's movements keep bothering me.
In terms of hard evidence, Japan was still the more logical choice.
The Japanese Association was also protecting its Hunters, the name inscribed on the Tower of Awakening was in Japanese, and Japan's Hunter level was second only to the United States.
Yet, William's gut feeling kept signaling that the mysterious figure, Shiro, was in South Korea.
"...Let's widen the net."
America's power was unmatched.
Expanding the investigation from Japan to South Korea was no trouble at all. In reality, the President of the United States Awakened Association held more authority than the presidents of most other nations.
I will find them, without fail.
Naturalization? That would be ideal.
Bringing the monster who had shattered the Tower of Awakening to their side would boost approval ratings and yield countless benefits.
But even if naturalization proved impossible, the necessity of locating them remained unchanged.
A storm... must be monitored from its point of origin.
A storm.
The birth of a monster that would one day strike the global Awakened society.
He had to read the signs and prepare. If he didn't want to be snuffed out like a candle in the wind.
"Master? I don't have much mana left... Are we going to fight again?"
Master walked leisurely toward the flat rock halfway up the mountain.
Coming here always made my heart flutter as I recalled the magical boy's first appearance. Was another Gate going to open today...?
I really had almost no mana left...
"Sit comfortably. We're only talkin'."
"Hehe, okay."
I sat down quietly on the flat rock.
Even though Master's stories were hard to understand, they were always fascinating. It felt like I was learning the truths of the world.
Master also approached the rock and sat down calmly. Bombe curled up in front of me and fell asleep, while Jeolmi flew around the sky, seemingly bored.
Hwindungi tilted her head as if wondering where to go, then lay down using Bombe as a pillow.
— Whi, whimper...
Is she... heavy?
Bombe grimaced even in her sleep. Hwindungi glared at her, tempted to smack her with her tail, but held back and tried to sleep.
"Hoho... They get along well."
"T-They do. Hehe... Ah, Master, why did you bring me here?"
Today was the last day of the training overseen by Grandfather Yong-su. Tomorrow, the guest coaches would probably all return.
Since we had already finished sparring, I was curious about what Master wanted to talk about.
"I ought to give ye a gift. Since ye're my first disciple."
"I'm your first disciple?! A gift?"
Hearing that I was Master's first disciple made my heart feel all warm and fuzzy.
And he was giving me a gift? What could it possibly be?
I can't wait.