195. Hell Training (5)
195. Hell Training (5)
"You cannot cross this line."
Baek Seol-hee's voice was cold, absolute.
She had drawn that line, but inwardly, she felt a pang of regret.
What she had sought to see from the Utopia Party in this test
was whether, when faced with an insurmountable enemy, they could push beyond it.
The line she'd scratched into the floor marked that boundary.
Of course, the guts and mental fortitude to face death were necessary too.
But what mattered most was the potential to go beyond that point.
In other words, talent.
To judge a person's worth by talent alone. She knew it was cruel, but whenever she thought of Jin Yu-ha, it was unavoidable.
'Thinking about the path my disciple will walk... an ordinary one would never survive it.'
Fortunately, most of the Utopia Party were so overflowing with talent it made her wonder where on earth he'd rounded up such people.
The blue-haired one called Ichika went without saying.
Kang Do-hee, Sofia, Im Ga-eul—the magnitude of the talent those three carried within them was overwhelming too.
But.
The one before her now was different.
Their innate level, so to speak,
was sorely lacking.
Though, surprisingly, the one who fell shortest in that regard was her own disciple, Jin Yu-ha—
but that child was never part of the equation to begin with.
From the moment she'd first seen him, Jin Yu-ha had easily transcended that lacking level, and his rate of growth was so unfathomable that he wasn't even a target she could evaluate.
'So I wondered, just maybe, if this one might be like my disciple... but then, I suppose monsters like that can't be common.'
A lacking level, just like Jin Yu-ha.
But unlike him, she saw nothing in Lee Yu-ri to overcome it.
She could tell Lee Yu-ri was diligent just from the way she held her shield.
Because the traces of effort, stubbornly forged in unfavorable circumstances, bled through every movement she made.
And as if to attest to that, her mental fortitude was also impeccably outstanding.
Which was why it was such a shame.
'She's hit the wall too soon.'
Having been stalled before that same wall for a very long time, Baek Seol-hee could tell immediately.
The artifact her disciple had used this time had raised her stats, but that was all.
The other party members still had plenty of room to grow, but not this one.
She might look comparable to the others now, but the longer they were together, the more quickly that gap would widen.
And there was one more bad habit.
That was evasion.
When faced with an attack she could never block with her own strength, Lee Yu-ri did not raise her shield and stand her ground—she chose to deflect it or dodge.
She'd heard from her disciple that in their last request, she had blocked a tremendous attack all alone, but objectively assessed,
that was nothing more than a moment's quick thinking, using other monsters to diminish the impact,
and blocking an attack that was “blockable.”
'Her movements show she's made evasion her primary weapon since she was very young. A habit this deeply rooted is impossible to fix now.'
If she kept choosing only to dodge in the face of irresistible attacks,
then one day, in a place where she absolutely must block, she would end up listening to the voice of that habit.
And that inevitably meant she would endanger Jin Yu-ha and the other party members.
Or else she herself would be the first to die.
As a Tank responsible for the party's safety, that made her unfit for the role.
Following that series of assessments,
Baek Seol-hee had no choice but to utter cruel words.
"Give it up. Cadet Lee Yu-ri."
*
"This is not meant to disparage you. On the contrary, I say it because I acknowledge you."
The low voice reverberated dully in Lee Yu-ri's ears, as if she were underwater.
'You acknowledge me... so give up? What the hell kind of bullshit is that...'
Her body was already a wreck from countless trials.
A chill rose from her forehead where it touched the floor.
Over her hollow pupils, the deep sword scar gouged before her was reflected.
'What the hell is so special about a line like this...'
All she had to do was take one step forward.
Kang Do-hee had done it. So had Sofia, so had Im Ga-eul. Even Ichika, who had only just joined, had succeeded in crossing the line before her.
So why? Why was she the only one who couldn't cross it?
'...Is all of that just a difference in talent?'
Tremble—
The corners of her tightly bitten lips trembled.
It felt as if the line itself was speaking.
This is as far as you go.
You've done well enough.
So stop now.
"You have already reached your limit. No matter how much more you train, you will only grow a little more seasoned. It is impossible for you to become any stronger. Give it up."
Uncharacteristically for her, Baek Seol-hee urged surrender again in a gentle voice.
Impossible.
At those words, like a terminal diagnosis, Lee Yu-ri's vision blurred.
'So you're saying... I can't keep going with Jin Yu-ha anymore...?'
Suddenly, the moment she had first met Jin Yu-ha flickered through her mind.
Before entering the academy,
the Damage Dealer who was supposed to raid the Camela Forest Dungeon with her had no-showed without a word.
And the man who'd been hurriedly brought in as a fill-in for that spot—
—Um, I am an academy cadet, you know?
How startled she'd been back then when she saw that face.
Even her own party members had questioned, with open distrust, whether someone with that face could really be a hunter.
—Two Nakey ahead.
But, as if mocking those doubts,
Jin Yu-ha proved himself with astonishing skill.
—M-My food—!
And how flustered she'd been when he'd snatched her food while she was eating that packaged meal alone in the dungeon.
—I can't eat this much. I think Yu-na packed extra just because I'm a guy.
She'd found it genuinely fascinating how he closed the distance without any hesitation even though they'd just met.
And that day, thanks to Jin Yu-ha's performance, they cleared the dungeon faster than usual.
They'd challenged the unknown
and suddenly been surrounded by a horde of goblins that appeared out of nowhere.
—Everyone──!! Retreat─!!!!!
And she had even resolved to sacrifice herself, luring the goblin swarm deep into the forest alone.
—Tch....... Honestly, I thought if I went to the academy with Jin Yu-ha, we could've gotten pretty close.
Right, she'd thought that as she stared at the surging green wave of goblins before her eyes.
That was when it happened.
In that moment of crisis.
When, like a lie, a man appeared and rescued her.
—Then let's go together, Gukbap.
.
.
.
.
—So, it's a proposal. Can you be the Tank for my party? There is someone else I'm planning to bring in, but you're the first one I've made an official recruitment offer to.
—What about me. Am I someone your party needs?
—From the beginning you were, and right now, absolutely.
—Yeah, looking at how I am now... well, I've got nothing to say... I'm all decked out head to toe in stuff you gave me. Anyone watching would probably say I'm the bitch who got rich off finding a good man. A dirt-poor nobody whose life hit the jackpot, a lucky fucking bitch.
—What do you mean, your gift is a scrap of trash? Out of all the presents I got today, yours was my favorite.
—Who the hell messed with our Gukbap!!!!!!!
—So, let's move out.
—You came all the way to the ocean, are you just gonna watch everyone else have fun? Here, look. This is the ocean.
The scenes from after she'd met him swept dizzily through her head like a panorama.
Heh—
A laugh suddenly leaked from Lee Yu-ri's mouth.
"......What about that monthly Lee Yu-ri free-use coupon you gave me before? Why don't you ever use it? You liked it so much. Was that just an act?"
Family, home, poverty, talent, effort.
Her world had always been bleak, stained in shades of ashen gray.
But that colorless world had started shining with so many colors ever since she met Jin Yu-ha.
And then.
—Lee Yu-ri, I want you to be the vice-captain of our Utopia.
A voice, held back as if chewing it to pieces, leaked from Lee Yu-ri's lips where her head rested on the ground.
"I know it. I have the least talent."
She'd known it for a long time, ever since she'd found herself stuck between Shin Se-hee and Kang Do-hee.
It wasn't news. Yeah. I fall short.
"Even so... I promised to raise this shield...."
But despite how lacking she was,
he had never once doubted her.
He believed in her.
He trusted her.
He supported her.
"That's why... I made a promise...."
That she would stay by Jin Yu-ha's side and protect him with her life.
She had sworn her conviction before her shield.
And yet—
"When you don't even know what this shield means to me...."
Stagger.
Stagger.
Lee Yu-ri's body slowly rose, using her shield as a support to push herself upright.
She lifted her tear-streaked face.
"Give it up......?"
Her pupils reflected the moonlight, emanating a vivid blue glare.
Crunch—
A stream of blood trickled from her clenched teeth.
"If you press further than that, you really might die. Your body is not in a normal state right now."
That damn instructor's indifferent voice.
Crrrreak—
Veins bulged on the hand gripping the shield as she poured strength into it.
"SHUT UPPPPPP──!!!!!"
Lee Yu-ri kicked off the ground and charged forward, shield first.
WHOOOOOSH—!!!!
A monstrous force she could never hope to block came crashing down as if to split her head open.
Her sharp intuition and her ingrained habits whispered in her ears.
Run away from here right now.
Dodge to the side.
Deflect it somehow.
There's no other way.
This is what you must do.
The lingering spell of the past, built up over a long time, bit down hard on Lee Yu-ri's ankles and refused to let go.
As if to fight off those voices, Lee Yu-ri opened her mouth wide and screamed.
"I AM─!!!!"
Before the sword that came slamming down furiously from above,
a girl raised her shield.
"THE SHIELD THAT PROTECTS JIN YU-HA!!!!!!!!!!"
* * *
The silent training ground beneath the moon.
Baek Seol-hee still stood there stock-still, like a sword driven upright.
She stared blankly at the girl collapsed before her.
Beside her, the shattered remains of a shield lay scattered carelessly about.
"......Stupid girl."
She was truly a fool.
Charging ahead when you know it's impossible isn't courage—it's recklessness.
Not fighting spirit—it's bravado.
Sometimes, recognizing your own limits and stopping there is the proper thing to do.
Yes, this girl had certainly done that too.
"However,"
Baek Seol-hee looked at the line she had drawn before her.
"It's precisely because you're so stupid......."
Pfft—
"That miracles are sometimes made."
Lee Yu-ri's footprints, cutting across the line as if invading it.
Her footprints had left deep traces, as if to prove herself.
"Cadet Lee Yu-ri. You pass."
Smiling softly, Baek Seol-hee declared her passing in a calm voice into the stillness.