The Legend's Departure
My master has passed away.
"You all worked hard these past four days," Grandfather Yong-su said.
Grandfather Yong-su gathered the students as he wrapped up his assigned training session.
The coaches in charge of each group stood in a neat line behind him. Whether they liked it or not, the older kids knew they had received excellent training, so they all looked genuinely grateful.
"Finally...!"
Ah, except for Seong-hyeon.
He looked absolutely thrilled to finally be liberated from Yeon-hwa. Of course, Yeon-hwa had incredibly sharp hearing, and she seemed to have caught his muttering.
He's going to suffer even more...
I silently prayed for his soul. Rest in peace.
"Four days is a very short time. It is hardly enough to change the course of your lives. However, if you have succeeded in changing even one small thing... this old man is satisfied. You all did well."
Clap, clap, clap, clap—
A round of applause erupted as Grandfather Yong-su finished speaking. He smiled warmly, looking pleased, and stepped back.
"Alright, you worked hard these past four days. You have three days of rest now, so those who want to visit home may do so. Those who wish to stay behind and live here can do as they please. Dismissed!" the director announced.
"Excuse me, do we get fed if we stay here?"
"Yes. The cafeteria will remain open. We have staff here to manage the facilities, after all."
With Grandfather stepping aside, the director stepped up to wrap things up.
The Nova team's training schedule was basically four days of training followed by three days of rest. There would be adjustments during academy exam periods or other special circumstances, but that was the general rule.
The older kids seemed fine, but to be honest, this was my first time doing such intense training, so I was pretty exhausted.
Fighting Gate bosses was no easy task.
"Now, officially dismissed!"
At the director's command, the gathered students began to disperse.
Most of them walked over to the coaches who had trained their respective groups. Even though it was short, they seemed to have grown attached to their mentors.
"What did you just say?"
"Aaargh! You misheard me! You misheard me!"
"My ears don't mishear things."
Yeon-hwa immediately grabbed Seong-hyeon's head and locked him in a headlock. Honestly, he totally deserved it.
Ihwa immediately made a phone call and left the training grounds. Someone must be coming to pick her up.
After watching the chaos for a bit, I slowly walked over to my master.
"Master, where are you going now?"
"Hoho... I must head off somewhere. My story ended yesterday, you see."
"Your story?"
Master's hand patted my head.
But unlike before, I didn't feel that refreshing sensation.
It was just the touch of a simple, elderly grandfather. Nothing more.
"I have wagered all of my fate, so I leave the rest to you."
Master slowly knelt on one knee to meet my gaze. His eyes, which were usually kept closed, looked directly at me.
They were incredibly clear, green eyes.
Beyond them, the image of a man in a hanbok flickered by. It was the figure of Bihyeongrang... the one Master had shown me before.
"Live happily."
Slump.
Master then sat cross-legged on the floor and closed his eyes. The strength drained completely from his arm, leaving it barely resting on my head.
"Master?"
Is he tired?
I checked his presence.
"Wait, Shiro."
The moment Master told me to live happily, everyone who had been chatting noisily in the training area froze.
Everyone gathered here was an Awakened.
Because of that, they couldn't help but sense it instinctively. A powerful Awakened—someone who best fit the description of a hidden master or a transcendent being.
They sensed that such a being had departed.
Grandfather gently pulled me back and examined Master.
An ominous feeling washed over me.
"He lived out his natural lifespan and passed away peacefully."
"Sniff..."
At Master's funeral, I clung to Grandfather's leg and cried continuously.
I never imagined he would leave me like that, right before my eyes. Maybe I had gotten too excited about being his first disciple.
Ninety-seven.
Even for the Awakened, unless they were born with a skill directly related to longevity, their lifespan wasn't much different from ordinary people.
It was an age where passing away was entirely natural. Yet, the reason Master had seemed so healthy and energetic was proof of just how powerful of an Awakened he was.
"It's alright, it's alright."
Grandfather Yong-su's palm patted the crown of my head.
The gesture felt completely different from Master's, which only made me sadder.
Master's funeral was held in his hometown of Yeongdong, Gangwon Province. A massive crowd gathered in a spacious open lot, weeping over his passing.
He had no surviving relatives.
For reasons unknown, I heard Master had never started a family. Some speculated it was because he was a Hunter, a profession where one could die at any moment, so he chose not to have a family.
But... I thought differently.
What did he see... and what was he preparing for?
Master was definitely different from others.
He read things, calculated the future in the name of fate, and left the rest to me. That was probably why he didn't have the time to look after a family.
Disciple. I had a strong premonition that this word would bind me from now on.
"Uwahhh..."
My tears wouldn't stop.
It wasn't like we had formed a deep, lifelong bond. Even though he was my master, it had only been four days.
Yet, I was already missing him and grieving his death.
The reason so many people gathered for the funeral despite his lack of relatives was all thanks to the good deeds of his youth.
Those who owed him debts of gratitude gathered, and junior Hunters who had been inspired by him stepped up to help, resulting in a grand funeral.
What the Hunter named Cheong Il-hwan left behind.
I, his disciple, was not the only thing. Seeing so many people honoring him proved that.
Grandfather Yong-su acted as the chief mourner. Since I was the only one officially recognized as his disciple, and Grandfather was my guardian, it fell to him.
"Your master was... an even greater man than you think, Shiro."
I nodded at Grandfather's words.
I had to live in a way that wouldn't bring shame to his name.
It seemed they had decided to establish a memorial hall in Yeongdong to honor Master, with Uncle Jong-woo leading the project.
I made a mental note to visit it someday.
Two months passed.
Master's passing had a profound impact on all of Korean society.
It truly showed just how great of a Hunter he was, a legend who had dominated an era.
Amidst that solemn atmosphere, though I was sad, I focused on my training to move forward, even if only by a step.
"Hwaaa..."
The past two months of training had been absolute hell.
Why did I have to increase my basic physical stamina...? Sure, it would be nice to have more. But no matter how much I ran, my stamina just wouldn't go up.
What on earth was the reason?!
Instead, running and jumping rope diligently only increased my mana pool. Why did my mana get stronger when I was training my physical body?
That's why I didn't want to do it... but since at least my mana is getting stronger, I can't exactly tell the director I don't want to train...
Anyway, after training together for two months, I managed to get close to the older kids.
Though it was mostly just me being unilaterally doted on.
"Shiro!"
"Oh! You're here!"
It was July, right in the middle of final exams at the academy.
On the day exams ended, I had planned to hang out around Seoul with the older kids I'd gotten close to. We had agreed to eat something delicious together.
At a cafe on the outskirts of Seongsu-dong. As I waited on the terrace, sipping a drink with Grandfather Yong-su, I heard Woo-rin calling my name from afar.
"Ah, Hunter Kang is here too."
"What's your relationship with Hunter Kang Yong-su anyway, Shiro? Are y'all family?"
"Why are you asking something like that?"
"I can ask, can't I? Why are you always so snappy with me?"
"Haha, you've all arrived. Yes, please take good care of Shiro today."
Woo-rin was the first to approach, followed by Seong-hyeon, Ihwa, and Yeo-un.
Eun-seol couldn't make it because he had other plans.
Grandfather Yong-su glared at Woo-rin with disapproval, but knowing he was trustworthy, he stepped back without a fuss.
Freedom!
To be honest, while the Nova training had been tough, homeschooling was even harder. If I had to look at the English alphabet for one more second, I felt like I would throw up.
*Blegh.*
"So, what are we doing today?"
"Hmm, shouldn't we eat first?"
"That's true."
"Since Shiro's here, we gotta eat somethin' delicious~"
"I-I'm fine with anything!"
Woo-rin rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
He naturally fell into the role of the group's leader. He just had this presence that made people want to rely on him.
"Then should we go get some Korean BBQ?"
"Beef! Let's eat beef!"
"Wow! I love that too!"
Beef was the best.
Ever since I started living at Grandfather Yong-su's place, I got to eat beef every now and then, and I never grew tired of it.
I think beef suits my palate much better than pork. I wonder if the Snow Girl felt the same way?
"Alright, let's eat first. Everyone's hungry, right?"
"Of course~"
"Let's go."
Getting to eat beef again today. I was in a great mood.
Ihwa walked ahead confidently, as if she knew a good restaurant. Excited at the thought of beef, I followed closely behind her.
But...
Is it just me, or is this path getting weird?
"...Where are we?"
"Did you get lost again? I'm the idiot for trusting you and just following along. An idiot."
"I just got confused once along the way!"
"That's exactly what makes you directionally challenged. Good grief."
"It's fine~ We just need to get there by tomorrow."
*Gasp.*
Yeo-un's passive-aggressive sarcasm was next level. The Chungcheong dialect way of speaking was truly something else.
"It's fine, we can just take a taxi. Let's see, where should we—"
Woo-rin laughed it off and pulled out his phone. But at that exact moment, a heavy vibration shook the ground beneath our feet.
"Kyaaaaah!"
An ear-piercing shriek rang out.
It was impossible to grasp the exact situation immediately, but everyone felt it instinctively.
Something was very wrong.
"...Guys, let's go!"
The moment Woo-rin finished speaking, everyone bolted.
Crack! I quickly created a platform of ice and hopped onto it.
Two months of training.
During that time, I had managed to create another art. It was Boreas, named after the god of the north wind.
It was essentially a flying nimbus made of ice that could carry me around. Since my physical stats were terrible, I had to compensate like this.
Thanks to it, I could keep up with the running speed of the older kids.
"Over there!"
Our eyes followed Seong-hyeon's pointing finger.
In the air above the busy road, a man was floating, black lightning crackling all over his body.
"A villain...!"
Another enemy of humanity, distinct from Gates and Labyrinths.
A villain.
Had appeared.