Hunter Academy: Song Yu-na (1)
Once the simple orientation wrapped up, all the students except the second-years filed out.
"Is there a class rep here?"
"The student council president is present!!"
At my words, most of the kids' eyes turned to one side. There stood a single girl with her hand raised.
Oh...?
Brown hair reaching her shoulders. A pure, untainted face. A perfectly balanced figure that I could sense even from afar.
From what I'd heard, becoming student council president at Hunter Academy wasn't just about popularity. It depended on how strong you were. At minimum, she had to be in the top five at the academy right now.
Approved.
If her abilities checked out too, it'd be perfect.
"Come up here, please. Student Council President."
Her hunter uniform hugged her body perfectly. As she approached, the president gave me a polite bow.
"It's an honor, Hunter Kwon Yong-jin."
"Nice to meet you. What's your name?"
"Ah! I'm Song Yu-na."
"Nice to meet you, Hunter Yu-na. Anyway, no more chit-chat—shall we spar?"
"Yes!"
At the word "spar," her innocent expression shifted in an instant. So she wasn't just any student president, huh?
A massive protective barrier sprang up around the sparring area's center. I poked it with a black particle tendril, and it held up better than expected—a solid shield.
"Attack however you like."
"Then I won't hold back...!"
The moment she finished speaking, she drew the sword at her waist without a hint of hesitation and charged me. It wasn't a normal rush. She accelerated in a flash, closing the distance right to my front.
This feels like what I sensed from Se-mi.
Speed type?
Song Yu-na's blade nearly grazed my throat. This sparring room only had the barrier separating inside from outside. It didn't mean no damage—just no instant death.
But she was thrusting her sword at my neck like she meant to kill me. Her mindset was approved too. No half-assed hesitation.
Bam!
A thin branch that looked like it could snap with a finger blocked her sword. Then an exchange of blows at blinding speed. Her sword swung at me too fast to see, but countless branches sprouted from my body, blocking every attack.
Song Yu-na leaped back, creating distance. Branches began overtaking the sparring space. She reset her stance.
Fruits formed on the space-dominating branches.
Whoosh!
Her head snapped back fast.
Dodged that?
She'd evaded the fruit hidden with Perception Reduction. No presence, no sound—must be her ability.
Curious, I hurled only Perception Reduction fruits. Hundreds of them flew at her.
Song Yu-na dodged or blocked the barrage. At first, about 30% got through, dealing damage, but she gradually blocked them all. By the time the fruits ran out, she was still standing on her own two feet.
Impressive.
After inwardly admiring her, I made more fruits. Fruits of every color filled the sparring room.
==
I stared blankly ahead. Black branches blanketed the sparring room, vibrant fruits everywhere. A beautiful sight.
I quickly pulled myself together and focused. I could feel Hunter Kwon Yong-jin watching me. No choice.
If he'd moved with that last attack, I'd have lost without doing a thing.
First, survive the fruits in front of me. Not possible in my current state.
Telekinesis—the ability to control objects. But mine was way too weak. I could only manipulate up to about 100 grams as I wanted.
Pretty useless in combat. Others with Telekinesis had weight limits on objects, but mine had no such restriction.
So I dominated a thin layer of space within my 1-meter radius with my ability. I'd mastered a skill to detect anything entering that zone.
That's how I coped with invisible attacks like before. If I concentrated, I was confident I could block everything coming at me.
Or so I thought.
Thud!!
"Guh!!"
A massive impact hit my stomach.
Huh, how?
The fruit had bypassed my 1-meter space like it appeared out of nowhere. Snap out of it. Abandon what I can't block. Push forward one step at a time.
Wind howled from all sides like a typhoon. No fear—I charged at Hunter Kwon Yong-jin.
Fruits battered my body hard. Agonizing pain surged, but I blocked only the lethal ones and pressed on.
Bam!
As I tried to block a fruit nearing my face, it exploded before touching my blade, spewing some kind of particles.
"Hng."
I held my breath and kept advancing. Exploding fruits filled the air with particles so dense they were visible.
Hunter Kwon Yong-jin was just a few steps away. My whole body went limp, like I'd been poisoned.
By the time I reached him, I collapsed forward, strength gone.
Almost. He smoothly caught me as I fell—in a princess carry, no less.
"Good work, Hunter Yu-na."
"You too... Hunter Kwon Yong-jin..."
As the spar ended, applause erupted around us. He carried me out beyond the barrier.
"The paralyzing poison should wear off in about 30 minutes. Anyway."
He walked back to the sparring room's center. Kids gathered around me.
How was it? You okay? How bad did it hurt? They worried, but it didn't register.
Hunter Kwon Yong-jin—one year younger than me. But S-rank. Experiencing it firsthand, I realized the gap was dimensional.
The spars resumed. Facing all the second-years took time flying by.
"Class dismissed—see you next time. And Hunter Yu-na, follow me."
==
I entered the assigned faculty office with Song Yu-na for the week. We sat facing each other on the sofa casually.
"So, what's up?"
Song Yu-na tilted her head slightly as she spoke. She'd been dead serious during the spar, but now she looked more innocent than anyone.
"Straight to the point: Graduate and join Black Tree Guild?"
"...Pardon?!"
"As student president, you've probably gotten offers from tons of guilds already. Consider this one of them."
"N-No, I haven't gotten any offers yet..."
"Huh? Why not? You're the type anyone would snatch up."
"Well... actually..."
Yu-na explained dejectedly. Her ability Telekinesis was decent, but its intensity was extremely low.
Ability type matters, but so does intensity. Take Time Stop: weak intensity stops only a few seconds; high lets you halt minutes.
Intensity can grow with training, though. But Song Yu-na's hadn't budged since her first year.
Guilds courted her back then, but as time passed without growth, they all bailed.
Unable to boost intensity, she'd honed her control to the extreme instead. But control has limits without power backing it.
"Hm... No issue there?"
"Pardon?"
That wasn't a problem at all. I could just force it higher. Pretty girl, good ability—approved. Getting stronger? I'd make her strong.
"Think it over and decide. Even with that issue, Black Tree Guild can fix it for you, Hunter Song Yu-na."
==
Black Tree Guild. A powerhouse that cracked Korea's top three with minimal members. Founded by first-gen magical girl Lianna at the helm.
That mega-guild had handed me their business card.
In my first year, offers poured in, and I got cocky. But as my ability's intensity stalled, I got branded.
The hunter who couldn't grow. Some whispered I should lose my student president spot.
I nearly broke then. If not for Shin-woo.
We met as kids and stayed friends. Separated at 16 when I moved, but reuniting at Hunter Academy was a joy.
Five years apart, but we clicked fast. Meals, outings—we had fun. It let me regroup.
I abandoned intensity growth, pouring effort into masterful control. And proved my skill was still top-tier.
But guilds had moved on. I knew my limits. Still, I ran. And today felt like reward.
The Black Tree Guild card in my hand. Time to tell Shin-woo the good news.
==
"Mmm~"
Yu-na downed her beer refreshingly. She seemed extra happy today. Because of Hunter Kwon Yong-jin's class?
"How was Hunter Kwon Yong-jin's class?"
"Whoa, he's insanely strong. I couldn't even touch a speck of dust."
Her eyes sparkled as she grabbed snacks.
"Oh, I got an offer from Black Tree Guild?"
"What? For real! Congrats, Yu-na!"
I knew all guilds had snubbed her. She'd been hurting bad. Guess Hunter Kwon Yong-jin noticed her. Good for her?
Deep down, I wanted her in the party I'd make after graduation. But she entered Hunter Academy a year ahead, so she'd debut first.
I swallowed my words and drank.
==
Ding.
Ding
A photo from Yu-na. She'd always been pretty, but as an adult, she was stunning. The girl I've crushed on forever.
[No thanks 🙅]
To hide my feelings, I threw in some trash talk. Looks like dinner alone after ages.
But isn't she dressed way too sexy for that?