The Righteous Shield's Trial
“What should I do about the evidence…?”
The thought came to him all at once. Hyun-jun frowned. There were no witnesses, or so he believed, but some other trace might still be left behind and make things annoying.
Hashashin’s sinister scheme begins. The Shadow Behind You erases all traces related to you.
The blessing manifested once more. Black shadows spilled from the cuffs of his sleeves, wiping away the bloodstains on Hyun-jun’s clothes and sweeping across the site of the stabbing once. Seeing his clothes come clean, a satisfied smile touched his lips.
He did not take any items from the dead. If he sold them, he would be caught without fail. The guild that had sent out the enforcement hunters would probably suspect Hyun-jun the moment they failed to return, but as long as he left no physical evidence, he could avoid troublesome police questioning and the like.
“Let’s go.”
He looked almost like a child declaring that the picnic was over and it was time to go home. Perhaps it was because he had already experienced situations just like death more than a thousand times over. Some part of his mind felt worn down.
His steps back to the one-room apartment were light.
*
Morning came. Hyun-jun rose from bed. After showering, he took a taxi to the Dungeon Management Bureau.
“Good morning, Hunter. May I see your license?”
When his number came up, he sat down in front of the reception desk. A clerk greeted him with a bright smile. Hyun-jun took out his C-Class hunter license from inside his jacket and showed it. The clerk skimmed it quickly, then checked the records in the network.
“Confirmed. Welcome, Hunter Kang Hyun-jun. What brings you to the Dungeon Management Bureau today?”
It was a female clerk with a bright smile. Now that he had earned C-Class status, even the way the staff treated him had changed. Back when he had been an F-Class hunter, he had been ignored so often that he used to contact Seok-gyu, his friend and an employee of the Dungeon Management Bureau, to ask him for personal help.
“I came for matchmaking.”
“What difficulty would you like to apply for?”
“C-Class.”
For safety reasons, hunters could only apply for party matchmaking for dungeons at or below their own level, except for porters. As much as he would have preferred to challenge one alone, solo entry was only permitted for A-Class hunters and above.
“Application received. We’ll contact you once matchmaking is complete.”
“How long will it take?”
This was his first time applying for a C-Class dungeon party match, so there was still plenty he did not know.
“It can take up to three days, but if it moves quickly, you may hear from us today.”
The clerk explained it kindly. Hyun-jun nodded, rose from his chair, and left the Dungeon Management Bureau at once.
Until I can buy spatial storage, I’ll save money.
He made the small vow to himself. If he kept clearing dungeons, he would be able to buy a spatial storage item worth fifty million won before long. Back when he had been an F-Class hunter, he would not even have dared to dream of it.
He returned to his cozy one-room apartment. He spent a while browsing the internet on his smartphone, and before long he received a call from the Dungeon Management Bureau.
-Is this Hunter Kang Hyun-jun?
This time it was a man’s voice.
“Yes. This is Kang Hyun-jun.”
-The matchmaking for the C-Class dungeon you applied for has been completed. We’ll send you the schedule and gathering location by message.
“Understood. Thank you.”
After the call ended, a message arrived. The raid schedule was a little early, set for the next day, but Hyun-jun did not mind. He replied to confirm his acceptance. He passed the rest of the time on his smartphone, and when night came, he ate dinner and fell asleep.
And, as always, he dreamed.
*
[The Righteous Shield.]
This time it was Carthago. Hyun-jun opened the door and went inside. In the center of the huge room, the size of a schoolyard, stood Carthago. Unlike their first meeting, he was fully armored, helm and all.
“You’re here. I’ve been waiting.”
“I’ve been waiting too.”
Smiling, Hyun-jun took a step closer to Carthago. At their feet lay a shield and a sword.
“I’ve watched you since then. From the way you fight, a sword suits you better than a spear. So I prepared this.”
Carthago spoke. Hyun-jun nodded and picked up the sword and shield. Training would begin soon.
“What kind of training is this?”
“You’ll spar with me. Until I am wounded.”
“What?”
He could not help but be taken aback. Hyun-jun was not deeply versed in martial arts, but he knew enough to understand that Carthago’s level was so far above his own it could not even be compared. He had only managed to block a single attack. There was no way a spar could be sustained under those conditions.
“Don’t worry. I won’t go all out, and besides…”
He raised his shield to cover his body and leveled his spear at Hyun-jun.
“Now that you’ve met Hashashin, I expect you’ve grown a little more.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Good. I’m coming.”
Carthago vanished from sight. At the same moment, the blessing activated.
Carthago’s Righteous Shield protects you.
Hashashin’s insidious laughter warns you of danger.
An Aura Shield formed, and all his senses sharpened.
I can see it!
It was impossible to read every movement perfectly. But he could see the real body, not just the afterimage. Carthago might not be fighting at full strength, but even this was a major leap forward.
Bang!
“Aaaagh!”
The two shields, wreathed in aura, collided. Fragments of mana sprayed in all directions. Hyun-jun screamed as the pain of his left arm, the one holding the shield, felt as though it were being crushed to pieces, and he was driven backward. Sure enough, his left arm was completely broken, bent grotesquely out of shape.
“To block my strike, remarkable!”
Even as he praised him, Carthago aimed his spear at Hyun-jun’s throat.
Block with the sword!
His left arm was ruined. He could not use the shield. That meant he had no choice but to defend with the sword. Hyun-jun hurriedly raised the blade to protect his neck. But Carthago’s spear deftly slid past the sword and pierced through Hyun-jun’s throat at the same time.
“Ghk!”
Hyun-jun let out a short cry and collapsed weakly. Red blood gushed out, but the punctured throat and shattered bones of his left arm healed almost instantly.
“Incredible. Honestly, I am awed by your miraculous growth rate. I said I would not go all out, but I did not even match myself to your level. And yet you blocked that…”
Carthago said. Hyun-jun had already finished recovering and was settling back into a fighting stance. Having experienced pain akin to death thousands of times, he was used to it now.
“Thank you.”
A smile spread across Hyun-jun’s lips. It felt good to be acknowledged by one of the strongest beings alive, a man who possessed absolute force.
“Again.”
“I’m ready.”
The spar began again.
“Grrk!”
Hyun-jun groaned in pain. Thanks to Carthago’s merciless style, one that granted no pity, Hyun-jun was brought down in a variety of ways.
“An astonishing rate of growth. Remarkable.”
Each time Hyun-jun fell, Carthago marveled. As the spar continued, Hyun-jun was growing rapidly.
I can see it. I can.
His eyes sharpened. Carthago’s movements were growing clearer and clearer in his vision. Just a little more, and he felt as if he might be able to inflict an actual wound on him. Hyun-jun adjusted his grip on the sword. Then, as the blessings of Carthago and Hashashin joined together, he drew out the memories and experience they had left in his mind as fully as he could.
“Aaaagh!”
His shoulder was pierced through. But this time he did not retreat. He realized too late that simply trying to evade would never end this. So instead of pulling back, he endured the pain and chose to drive himself into Carthago’s body.
“Aaaaah!”
“This is bad!”
Carthago, the Righteous Shield. He was a master of shield techniques, but because he was restraining his true strength for the sake of the spar and because Hyun-jun had launched an unexpected frontal charge, he allowed the distance between them to close. He tried to pull the spear free, but as Hyun-jun pressed in, the weapon had sunk too deeply into his body to come out easily.
I’ll abandon the spear!
The decision was quick. He let go of the shaft and stepped back, trying to bash Hyun-jun with the shield. Unfortunately, Hyun-jun was a little faster. The sword he thrust out grazed Carthago’s cheek. A line of red blood beaded on his face.
“A graze?”
Carthago yanked the spear free with a speed far beyond anything he had shown so far, then retreated.
“Ghk!”
He let out a short grunt. When Carthago waved a hand, Hyun-jun’s wound healed.
“Congratulations.”
“Is it over?”
“Yes. Honestly, I did not expect it to end this quickly. I thought you would be knocked down at least five hundred more times.”
Carthago said it plainly. But contrary to his expectations, Hyun-jun’s growth rate had been too fast.
“Thank you for today as well, Carthago.”
Then he woke from the dream. As always, he came to himself in the bed of his one-room apartment. He checked the clock. There was not much time left before the gathering for the C-Class dungeon raid. He showered, packed his shield and sword, and headed to the meeting place.
If it had been before, he would have used public transportation. But now that he had come into a fair amount of money, and confidence that he could earn more, he had started using taxis, if not yet private cars.
“Over here.”
Hyun-jun, armed with sword and shield, looked every inch the hunter. As he neared the gathering point, a man dressed like a hunter waved him over. Hyun-jun’s gaze shifted toward where the man was standing. There were four people gathered there in total.
Looks like I’m the last one.
He had heard there were five people in the raid party. He was the last to arrive, but there were still about ten minutes left before the appointed time, so there was nothing to worry about.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Park Se-jun, and I’ll be serving as party leader.”
“I’m Kang Hyun-jun.”
The introductions were finished. Se-jun was the party’s only B-Class hunter.
“Now that everyone’s here, if you’re all okay with it, I’d like to enter right away. That all right?”
Se-jun asked. Hyun-jun nodded, and no one objected.
“Good. Mr. Kang Hyun-jun? Could I ask you to take the tank position?”
He seemed to trust the sight of the shield in his hands.
“Yes. I’ll handle it.”
Hyun-jun agreed readily.
“I’ll open the dungeon entrance.”
The door opened. A staircase leading underground was revealed.
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