Guided Sparring
The Hunter Association has several training grounds, but only one can be fully reserved so you don't have to worry about prying eyes. And that one was currently occupied by the Mirinae Guild. That's why we'd planned to put it off until next time.
“There's a place like this.”
“Yeah. I had no idea either.”
I hadn't realized the association president had a private training ground. It was impressively spacious for an underground facility. So this was where they funneled the money.
“It's used as an emergency shelter during crises.”
Given that the entrance connected directly to the president's office, it was probably meant for high-ranking officials. Well, they needed to survive too, so I didn't feel much urge to criticize the setup.
“But why did you want a training ground?”
“That? Nothing major. Oh, perfect timing.”
“Huh?”
One of the president's direct agents emerged from the secret passage carrying Cheon Nu-ri's returned ootachi.
“Why this…?”
“Pick it up and come at me. I'll give you some simple guidance.”
“?!?!?!”
Cheon Ma-ru looked startled. Cheon Nu-ri looked ten times more shocked. I lightly removed my glasses and finished preparing.
“For real…?”
“Yes. If you don't want to, you can refuse—”
“No!!! I'll do it! Please let me do it!!”
X-rank hunters aren't just fools with raw power. Each of them pursues the absolute pinnacle in at least one field. For Baek Wol, that field was naturally swordsmanship. The chance to learn from someone like her couldn't be bought with money or influence. There was no way Cheon Nu-ri would pass up an opportunity to learn from her idol, Baek Wol. She'd be happy just getting beaten—naturally, she jumped at the offer.
“Now that I think about it, what about your sword?”
“I can use anything. Mine's at home right now.”
I picked up a suitable blade from the corner of the training ground. A low-grade item with minimal mana stone. Perfectly serviceable for practice.
“Shall we begin, then?”
“Yes! Please teach me!”
Even though she was using a random sword she'd just picked up instead of her familiar one, Cheon Nu-ri showed no hint of humiliation. After all, she'd once been subdued in an instant by me even without a weapon.
I'll go all out from the start.
Cheon Nu-ri had clearly resolved to show everything she possessed. Baek A-rang spoke as if she understood exactly how the girl felt.
“Don't go all out right from the beginning. This isn't a match to decide victory or defeat—it's about observing your posture and technique. I'll limit my magic power usage too.”
“Understood.”
Her voice had grown noticeably calmer as she gripped the sword. The lively girl from moments ago had vanished, replaced by a pure swordswoman.
She learned well.
I didn't know who her instructor was, but her mentality passed with flying colors. The way she calmed her emotions and focused completely on her opponent proved she wasn't merely an awakened with high magic reserves.
They say there are hunter-specialized high schools these days. Is she from one of them?
I set the passing thought aside and focused. Since we were both using real blades, a mistake could easily lead to death or serious injury.
“…”
I steadied my emotions. Every sense sharpened and expanded. I restricted myself to magic power output in the upper B-rank range.
Haha…
It was palpable. This was the moment Cheon Nu-ri finally glimpsed my true nature. The sensation of standing naked in bitter cold with a wolf's fangs pressed against her throat. One wrong breath and she'd be torn apart. She gripped her beloved sword—already drawn from its sheath—with white-knuckled strength.
Here it comes!
Baek A-rang charged straight forward. The spar had begun.
From his distant vantage point, Cheon Ma-ru could only watch in blank amazement.
What am I even looking at?
He couldn't begin to understand what techniques or experience were woven into the exchange. He couldn't even track their movements with his eyes. The gap between an average D-rank and upper B-rank was simply that vast.
White lines, blue lines.
All he could make out were flashes of white and blue cutting through the air.
Cheon Nu-ri, facing it directly, was having a far worse time.
This is Baek Wol!!
She'd heard plenty of praise about her own talent. No one in her academy cohort could keep up with her. She'd already surpassed several of her instructors long ago.
Yet the attacks raining down before her eyes were almost impossible to endure.
Precise, razor-sharp strikes poured forth without mercy. Every counter she barely managed was deflected or evaded.
Their magic power levels had clearly been matched, yet she was being completely overwhelmed. She was learning firsthand the instructors' warning that magic power wasn't everything.
Still, I can't just keep taking it like this!
Accepting the risk of injury and magic power exhaustion, she committed to a powerful strike. Fortunately, Baek A-rang retreated just as planned. Cheon Nu-ri chased after her at full speed.
This was the exact situation for her most confident technique. The opponent retreating while she pursued.
She swung the blade downward, then forward, then upward. The ground struck midway exploded forward in a shockwave, propelled by the magic-infused sword.
“?”
Baek A-rang looked momentarily flustered. Cheon Nu-ri slipped beneath the airborne hunter and unleashed an upward slash with everything she had.
Her most trusted combination—Heavenly Kill following Earth Crush.
Earth Crush
Strike the ground with magic power to generate a shockwave, launching the opponent into the air.
Heavenly Kill
Aerial follow-up slash delivered with full power against a defenseless airborne foe.
By blasting the ground ahead with Earth Crush to launch the opponent upward, she could reposition beneath them and deliver a devastating slash while they hung helplessly in the air. At least among everyone she'd fought so far, no one had ever stopped this combination.
Yes. Among them.
“I never imagined I'd end up on the receiving end of this.”
Baek A-rang stepped on a nearby airborne fragment and twisted her body. Under normal circumstances she could have leaped through the air on her own, but with her magic power restricted, she needed the extra help.
She met Cheon Nu-ri's incoming blade with her own, adding the momentum of her rotation. The impact sent her flying toward the training ground wall, but she kicked off it and charged back at Cheon Nu-ri, swinging her sword in a wide arc.
“Ugh!”
Cheon Nu-ri barely avoided it with a broken stance left over from the aftermath of Heavenly Kill. Her posture collapsed into something resembling a modern dance pose, but Baek A-rang's sword had also been carried far back by the momentum of her own attack.
So if she could just retreat for a moment—
“?!”
Baek A-rang used the rotational force of her wide swing to spin rapidly. She stopped with the hilt of her sword hovering right in front of Cheon Nu-ri's face.
“…”
The strength drained from Cheon Nu-ri's legs as she realized she'd been killed in an instant.
“It's the same with other weapons, but an ootachi is finished the moment your posture breaks. If your stance collapses, buy time however you can.”
“I was trying to…”
“Also, Earth Crush and Heavenly Kill barely work on opponents above a certain level. Don't rely on them so heavily.”
“Understood… Wait, how do you know about that, sis?”
This was a technique she'd learned at her specialized academy. The instructor had clearly said it was a secret skill only she knew. Yet Baek A-rang smiled faintly and replied.
“That instructor. His name is Baek Seok-gyu, right?”
“Yes. You know him?”
“A little. The original creator of that technique is me.”
“Eh…?”
“Three years ago, before I cleared the X-rank gate, I had a similar spar. I defeated him using that exact method—shattering the ground to launch him into the air and then slashing. It must have left quite an impression. He researched it, refined it, and proudly showed it to me later. He even named them Earth Crush and Heavenly Kill.”
I hadn't seen it since clearing the X-rank gate. Had he become an instructor? Maybe I should drop by and observe one of his classes sometime.
“Anyway, that technique won't work if the opponent can twist their body in midair. It might be effective against unintelligent magic beasts, but it's hard to launch massive, heavy opponents. It's not a bad technique, but don't depend on it too much.”
“Understood…”
She seemed somewhat attached to it. In any case, this was enough for today.
“Your fundamentals are solid. Good mental fortitude, and you're putting proper power into your strikes.”
“Ooh…”
“If I were to offer advice, make better use of the ootachi's strengths. Its long reach and high destructive power are major advantages. Right now you're using it too much like a one-handed sword.”
“Yes!”
I gave her several more pieces of advice.
“Are you done?”
“Yeah. Trying to absorb everything in one day would backfire. Was it boring for you?”
“No. It didn't take that long. Are we heading back?”
“After I greet the president. And…”
The shattered floor caught my eye, but I deliberately ignored it. If they asked for compensation, I'd pay it then.
“Let me know when you get home.”
“Yes, sis! Thank you so much for today. Let's hang out again next time.”
“Hey, what about me?”
“Be grateful I even showed up.”
Cheon Nu-ri had come primarily to check on how Cheon Ma-ru was doing. I sent her home, setting aside any lingering reluctance.
“By the way, your mother is something else. No matter how worried she is about her son, spending a million won just to confirm he's doing well…”
“…I'm always grateful.”
“Don't just feel grateful—tell her. She's worried because you never call, so she sent Cheon Nu-ri, didn't she?”
“I'll keep that in mind.”
The equipment Cheon Nu-ri was supposed to receive for confirming Cheon Ma-ru's well-being cost a million won. It really did seem like a well-off household. They apparently sent him an extremely generous living allowance too.
“Oh, the president asked me to pass on a message.”
“What about?”
“That suspicious gaze you asked him to look into.”
“Ah, the one from when I was getting in the car?”
“He said the person has no particular issues. It seems they were genuinely just amazed by the car.”
“…Is that so?”
The gaze had felt strangely sticky for mere curiosity about a car.