067. Personal Combat Class (4)
067. Personal Combat Class (4)
Tap.
Tap.
"So, Yellow Dog. Ready to get your ass kicked?"
"If this were one of the dog days, wouldn't you be the mutt getting beaten?"
"Heh. Yeah, yeah. Run your mouth while you can. So you'll be groveling and apologizing later."
Kang Do-hee cracked her neck and swaggered out onto the sparring floor.
She looked relaxed, full of openings, but there was no way that was true.
"......."
I heightened my alertness and angled the scabbard at my waist.
And I leaned my upper body forward slightly, ready to grip the handle and draw in an instant.
The quick-draw stance.
Not a skill.
I was just mimicking the form of the skill.
But, unlike the times I'd forced myself to follow Instructor Baek Seol-hee's swordsmanship, this felt natural, like my body had already learned it.
'Can't mess around in front of her.'
There was none of that leeway to think about other things like during my spar with Lee Min-young just moments ago.
Because if I let my guard down for a single moment, I'd be the one sprawled out on the floor.
Fwoosh—
Around her body, crimson Mana flickered across her whole form as if charged with heat.
She really was a Tier-1 Damage Dealer.
A Mana capacity on a completely different level from ordinary cadets.
Gulp.
My pupils trembled involuntarily, and saliva slid down my throat.
'Her power's on a different level now compared to when she's wearing that Mana Restraint Bangle.......'
Hiss.
Hoo—
I watched her with sunken eyes and let out a low breath.
'Alright, come at me.......'
And then I waited like a hunter who'd dug a pitfall, biding my time.
Waiting for the moment she stepped within the reach of my sword.
'One more step.'
Right there, just before the range of my blade.
Stop.
She halted abruptly in that very spot.
FWOOM—!!
In an instant, her form vanished from my sight, and a light sonic boom erupted.
'Tch, she's still disgustingly fast!'
Shing—!
I gritted my teeth and drew my sword without hesitation.
And immediately thrust it toward my left flank.
BOOM!!
Then, my blade collided with a completely bare fist.
But it felt as futile as swinging a sword at a solid boulder.
*
Fist and Foot Technique.
Kang Do-hee's main weapons were her own fists and feet.
Unlike other hunters, she didn't use any separate weapon to speak of.
She'd tried wearing greaves or knuckles before, but none of them lasted more than a few hits at her strength and ended up breaking or shattering.
She liked the sensation of smashing monsters with her raw, natural body, so she felt no particular need for them.
Power drawn up from the soles of her feet planted firmly on the training ground floor.
A natural sequence of motion flowed from her solid lower body through her waist, then to her shoulders, all aimed at the point of impact.
BOOM—!!
A sound erupted that you'd never imagine came from a sword and a fist clashing.
Jin Yu-ha gritted his teeth and blocked her attack.
Screeeech—!
A brief deadlock ensued.
In a flash, Kang Do-hee dropped her body low and shot a kick upward.
The heel aimed right for Jin Yu-ha's chin.
BOOM—!
The air tore apart from the force of the kick.
Jin Yu-ha sucked in a sharp breath and pulled his chin back, narrowly dodging the attack.
Next, she spun her body and launched her foot at Jin Yu-ha at a speed invisible to the eye.
CLANG—!
CLANG—!
CLANG—!
Once. Twice. Three times.
His sword moved swiftly, blocking the kicks.
Each time, Jin Yu-ha's body was pushed back helplessly.
Hah!
Kang Do-hee kicked off the ground and launched herself into the air.
Whirl—!
This time, her fist split into multiple afterimages and rained down on Jin Yu-ha like a shower.
He seemed to be trying to flick away the attacks somehow with the same dance-like movements he'd shown in the group sparring finals.
But every time he met one of her punches, his sword guard was brutally smashed aside.
Though Jin Yu-ha was clearly being pushed back, Kang Do-hee inwardly marveled.
'Heh, Yellow Dog can keep up with my speed?'
She was sure she'd aimed for his openings, but each time, he managed to move his sword somehow and block or evade the attack.
Jin Yu-ha's body, Mana, and all other stats were clearly inferior to her own.
Yet how was it possible for him to keep the fight going like this?
Kang Do-hee pondered for a moment.
Suddenly, her smile deepened.
'Right. It's his field of view, isn't it?'
Jin Yu-ha had a wide field of view.
So wide that even while dealing with an enemy in front, he could issue timely orders to party members behind him and even designate their movement paths.
'And he always gave me very specific instructions.'
During basic training, Jin Yu-ha gave particularly detailed instructions to her alone.
At first, she did feel some resistance, as if he was denying the abilities she'd built up.
But in reality, doing as he said let her move her body far more efficiently than before.
And ever since, she'd been constantly working to make what he taught her into habits.
'So, the one who knows my movements best right now is this Yellow Dog bastard.'
Jin Yu-ha hadn't matched her speed.
He'd just used that godlike judgment of his to read her movements in advance and react a beat faster.
Like that, he was keeping right on her heels even with his inferior physical abilities.
A man who knew her movements better than she did herself. Wasn't that truly delightful?
'Ha.'
Kang Do-hee's lips curled up in a grin, as if amused.
'Yeah, that's what I want to see! If you're the head of the party I belong to, you should at least be this good......!'
She had already forgotten her original purpose and was now fully engrossed in the spar with Jin Yu-ha.
BOOM—!
Kang Do-hee spun her body and lashed out at Jin Yu-ha with her heel.
In response, the bastard actually pressed his palm against the flat of his blade to block it.
Fearsome Mana clashed against Mana, making her red hair fly wildly.
'This is fun.'
How long had it been since she'd moved her body this much?
She'd thought it would be enough just to draw out his fighting spirit in this spar, but by fighting him, her own fighting spirit was being stimulated instead.
Honestly, she had no equal among people her age.
So the fact that Jin Yu-ha would hold out this long was unexpected.
Because the gap between him and her was obvious.
Nonetheless, the reasons Kang Do-hee hadn't rebelled against Jin Yu-ha's orders all this time.
First, because she'd occasionally glimpsed Parandis Guild Leader Choi Hye-seo in him.
Second, because his command ability was far beyond the ordinary.
Lastly, because her preference was to freely use her own body rather than standing above others issuing orders.
That was why she hadn't expected much from Jin Yu-ha in terms of combat power.
His command ability was beyond common sense, so a moderate amount of strength was enough.
But, that was a mistake.
'Right, if someone's going to stand above me, they should at least be able to fight me on equal footing......!'
Just like right now.
But still, maybe the difference in physical ability was just insurmountable.
Kang Do-hee could see Jin Yu-ha's movements gradually, gradually slowing down.
BOOM—!
A powerfully swung fist.
Jin Yu-ha blocked it with his sword, but his feet scraped the training ground floor as he was pushed way back.
Scriiiitch—
"Nngh!"
He bit his lip hard and let out a pained groan.
The frequency with which he blocked with his sword increased, whereas before he'd managed to twist his body and dodge the most powerful attacks.
'......So this is his limit.'
She was quite satisfied with this.
Because she'd seen the possibility that Jin Yu-ha could rise to stand on equal ground with her.
'Magnificent. Yellow Dog.'
Before she knew it, Kang Do-hee had forgotten her initial goal and was sincerely acknowledging him as a rival.
So much so that she couldn't contain her anticipation for how delightful the party activities with this man would be from now on.
'Still, time to end it.'
That was enough for today.
Since he was taking this class too, there would be plenty of chances to spar and compete with him in the future.
Each time, she could stay wary of him closing in from behind, and they could grow together as rivals.
Fwooorr—
A crimson aura blazed even more vividly than before around Kang Do-hee's fist.
And just as she launched that tightly clenched fist toward his face.
Jin Yu-ha's expression suddenly changed, as if he'd been waiting for this moment.
'......!?'
She heightened her guard, wondering if he had something prepared.
But he took the same defensive stance as before, raising his sword to block her fist.
Ting.
The unexpected happened right at the moment her fist met his sword.
'Ting......?'
Jin Yu-ha had abruptly let go of his sword.
The sword flew backward without resistance.
Kang Do-hee's gaze instinctively chased after the flying blade.
Flustered for a moment by the fact that he'd released his sword, Kang Do-hee.
In that instant, she lost track of Jin Yu-ha's movement.
Shiver—
Then she felt an unfamiliar touch at her waist.
A man's arm wrapped around her waist.
Squeeze—
Jin Yu-ha was holding her tightly from behind.
'Wh-What—!?'
The intense physical contact with a man—something she was experiencing for the very first time.
Her usual nonchalant poker face crumbled, and an unprecedented fluster spread across her face.
"Yo-you, Yellow Dog! What the hell do you think you're doing—!"
She turned her head and screamed in a shrill voice.
Then, Jin Yu-ha brought his mouth to her ear and whispered.
"Kang Do-hee."
"......Huh?"
'This Yellow Dog bastard, during a spar, wh-what the hell is he......!'
"You still don't know how to grapple, right?"
"What......?"
Jin Yu-ha hoisted her up just like that.
Before she could recover from her surprise, Kang Do-hee was airborne.
He bent his back and slammed her straight into the ground.
BOOOOM—!
'German suplex, you bitch!'
And the faces of the cadets watching this filled with sheer horror.