096. Hunter Management Bureau (5)
096. Hunter Management Bureau (5)
Lately, Baek Seol-hee had been having one recurring thought.
'My disciple is too outstanding.'
For her, it was a truly unfamiliar sensation.
The number of times Baek Seol-hee had acknowledged someone and felt genuine admiration could be counted on one hand.
Of course, looking only at his current level objectively, he might still be slightly lacking.
But what she focused on was Jin Yu-ha's growth rate, his endurance, his tenacity, and his diligence.
No matter what training she gave him, Jin Yu-ha carried it out silently and without complaint.
As if not even content with just the sword, he had recently even begun to encroach upon the realm of hand-to-hand combat.
Had he said such a thing while failing to produce proper results with the sword, she would have been disappointed, but Jin Yu-ha always far surpassed her own standards of passing.
Because he possessed such outstanding talent, she had been prepared to tolerate a certain degree of arrogance in his nature.
But Jin Yu-ha always operated under the premise that he was lacking and moved his body with desperation.
As if every minute, every second of class time was a treasure that would never come again.
How could a disciple like this not make her proud?
She occasionally heard of trashy masters who grew jealous of their own disciples, but Baek Seol-hee was of a different breed.
'I wonder what others think of Jin Yu-ha.'
If anything, she wanted everyone to recognize the qualities of this outstanding disciple.
Thus, even within her narrow social circle, Jin Yu-ha's name was spreading by word of mouth.
— I've never seen the Commander run her mouth so much.
— Jin Yu-ha, who the hell is that bastard that he gets acknowledged by that Commander.......
— I heard he's still a first-year, so maybe she's just going easy on him?
— Hey, you. Have you ever seen the Slaughter-Crazed Woman go easy on anyone?
— Hey, hey......! Be, behind you!
— Eek!!!
The members of the Demonized Human Extermination Squad, operating beneath the surface of Velvet Hunter Academy, were constantly told they were "bastards worse than a Velvet Academy first-year,"
and they were genuinely curious just what kind of guy Jin Yu-ha was to be acknowledged by that monster of a Commander.
— Seol-hee....... Did you barge in here just to talk about that bastard and nothing else?
— What on earth is so special about that bastard......!
— N-No, it's not that I don't want to hear it! B-But shouldn't I get a report first! I will gladly listen once the re, report is finished!
Even Chairwoman Rina, whom she directly served, wasn't spared.
— Haa... never, ever speak that name in front of Jin Yu-ha again.......
— Instructor Yoo Mi-ra. What on earth happened to make you like this?
— Don't even ask. That day, that bastard definitely promised to keep a secret, but....... I seriously almost died that day....... Eek!? I-I'm sorry! I will never speak that name again!
Because Jin Yu-ha caused a stir wherever he went, her fellow instructors also occasionally brought him up,
and every time, Baek Seol-hee would appear like a ghost and poke them in the ribs with the pommel of her sword. Prod. Prod.
— Ehh? Y-You want me to talk more about him?
— U-Uhm, last time, during my first class, I had them run a combat simulation with two B-Rank Healers, four C-Rank Damage Dealers, and one E-Rank Tank against four A-Rank Monsters.......
With the Slaughter-Crazed Woman genuinely threatening them with a drawn sword and demanding they talk about Jin Yu-ha, the instructors on the receiving end felt like dying.
By this point.
Monday and Friday.
The mere twice-a-week "Basic Swordsmanship Education" class had become a day Baek Seol-hee eagerly counted down to.
Then, Baek Seol-hee recently saw an article that had surfaced on the internet.
Normally, she had little interest in such idle gossip, but this time was different.
Because her disciple's face was filling every single portal site.
'......He's already standing out. An awl in a pocket always sticks out, after all.'
Unaware that the corners of her own lips had risen, Baek Seol-hee eagerly read through the articles.
'But he's become too widely known from the start. Now that his name has begun to spread among the public like this....... He might get drunk on the public's gaze and lose his discipline.'
So on Monday, when Jin Yu-ha came to her major class, Baek Seol-hee ran him slightly harder than usual.
By the standards of difficulty, it was at a level where a Demonized Human Extermination Squad rookie would instantly try to run away with tears and snot streaming,
and even seasoned veterans would turn pale and mutter about fake illnesses.
But although Jin Yu-ha wore a tired expression at the increased difficulty compared to normal, in the end, he diligently absorbed every minute of that time.
'Ha, it was a needless worry. A disciple who, despite being born with such talent, does not rest on his laurels and never neglects his effort....... Those Extermination Squad brats should take a good look and learn from him.'
It was no wonder that satisfaction, pride, and what one might call the disciple-high swelled up once again within Baek Seol-hee.
It was then that a message came from her old classmate.
[ Ji So-yeon : Seol-hee, do you happen to know a guy named Jin Yu-ha? ]
It was the type of frivolous message that occasionally came in from this person, and normally it would have been ignored.
'Hm?'
But because the text she sent contained a name that could not be ignored, she sent a reply.
[ Baek Seol-hee : I know him. ]
[ Ji So-yeon : Wha!? Really!? Then could you maybe bring him with you when you come to the Management Bureau today? ]
[ Baek Seol-hee : State your reason for summoning him first. What business do you have with him. ]
[ Ji So-yeon : Oh, no, it's nothing special......! It's just, he's been so hot on the internet lately! I wanted to see what kind of kid he is! ]
Hmm.
Baek Seol-hee swallowed a hum of contemplation.
'Indeed, if it's this brat....... Showing her Jin Yu-ha once would be a good idea.'
A worry that arose precisely because her disciple was too outstanding.
Since this brat possessed a peculiar ability to see the magnitude of talent,
she could likely help in planning his future growth direction and training schedule.
Baek Seol-hee nodded and pressed the keypad.
[ Baek Seol-hee : Understood. I shall ask him once first. ]
[ Ji So-yeon : Huh!? Really!!? You'll bring him!? Okay okay! Bring him bring him! If you bring him to the Director's Office of the Management Bureau later, I'll come there!!! ]
A noisy reply came immediately, but Baek Seol-hee ignored it.
'Hmm....... I look forward to the expression on that brat's face when her eyes go wide upon seeing Jin Yu-ha.'
Secretly harboring such thoughts, Baek Seol-hee continued running Jin Yu-ha's training.
* * *
That was how she brought Jin Yu-ha to Ji So-yeon and received that evaluation.
"This child was born with exactly one star."
Since she knew that this brat expressed the magnitude of talent as the number of stars, Baek Seol-hee could immediately grasp its meaning.
In other words, it meant that the magnitude of innate talent Jin Yu-ha was born with was practically at rock bottom.
The shock she felt upon hearing those words was tremendous.
Enough to want to storm out of the place, insisting it was impossible.
However, at Ji So-yeon's next words, Baek Seol-hee settled her rear back down into the chair.
"But he rejected that innate birth and forcibly expanded it. Probably through training so grueling that we could never even imagine it......."
Ah.
Baek Seol-hee felt as if she had finally learned Jin Yu-ha's secret.
Honestly, when she first taught Jin Yu-ha swordsmanship, she had been someone who thought this much should be a given for others as well,
but as the class stages gradually rose and reached a level comparable to the Demonized Human Extermination Squad she trained.
Because the reactions they showed and Jin Yu-ha's reactions were so vastly different, she'd had no choice but to naturally compare the two.
And having realized that Jin Yu-ha's mental fortitude was abnormally strong, she had once again reached the doting conclusion that 'my disciple is a genius,' but.
Jin Yu-ha was not that kind of genius at all.
'......His innate talent was rock bottom, and all of the genius-level talent he shows now was achieved entirely through his own solitary effort......?'
An electric chill—
A cold shudder ran down Baek Seol-hee's spine.
The genius-like qualities Jin Yu-ha displayed now were all merely beginning to sprout after enduring a long, agonizing period of suffering!
Along with that realization, a wave of shame washed over her.
'Haa....... I am unworthy of being called a master.'
Because she had never once bothered to care about the circumstances under which her disciple sought to become stronger, or what his past was like.
She had simply focused on her outstanding disciple's achievements and been busy bragging about him to those around her.
'Yes, perhaps....... No, it was certainly I who was drunk on it.'
Baek Seol-hee, a novice as a master, deeply reflected on herself.
And then she apologized to him.
"Because of my petty selfishness today... I've brought you here and caused you trouble."
Because she thought that hiding these true feelings would make her unable to stand tall before her disciple.
"Didn't I dredge up a past you wanted to keep hidden? If I hadn't brought you to meet her today, none of this would have happened."
Yet, the kind-hearted fool instead tried to comfort her.
"What do you mean, Instructor? I'm fine. And if you hadn't brought me here today, I wouldn't have been able to get that promise from Ji So-yeon, would I?"
'He truly is more than I deserve.......'
Perhaps it would be right to send this child to another, proper master rather than having me handle him.
It was then.
"...Hmm, but what did you mean by a personal motive? Did you have some personal reason for bringing me here, Instructor?"
A guy who tried to dig up even the feelings she had wanted to keep hidden to the very end.
Those dark, transparent eyes that asked the question would never permit a lie.
"Honestly, I had never expected to have a disciple of my own. Not until just a few months ago. The truth is, well, so....... I....... I wanted to show my disciple off a little....... to a f-friend."
Baek Seol-hee noticed her voice growing fainter and fainter as it left her lips, but she couldn't help it.
Because it felt exactly like confessing her sin before him.
'Far from caring about how difficult a time this child must have gone through....... This wench who calls herself a master......!'
She tried to maintain as dignified a demeanor as possible, but the tips of her lips trembled slightly, betraying her emotions.
'Will I truly be able to treat Jin Yu-ha as my disciple from now on?'
Baek Seol-hee was having such thoughts inwardly, but as if refusing to cut her any slack, Jin Yu-ha continued speaking.
"You can brag about me more, you know?"
"You heard all that....... No. I do not intend to continue this further....... I am currently regretting bringing you here quite heavily, so let us end this talk here."
"Don't tell me... Instructor, are you not proud of me anymore?"
"......What?"
"I mean, you originally thought your disciple was incredibly outstanding and were trying to show him off to others, but it turns out he's a guy born with only one star....... So, did you become too embarrassed to show me off to others?"
Baek Seol-hee whipped her head around with a startled expression.
While she had been agonizing over her qualifications as a master because of today's events,
Jin Yu-ha was instead worrying that he himself was lacking, and that he might have disappointed his master!
"N-No! That's not it! I do not hold such thoughts toward you."
Baek Seol-hee, though awkwardly, tried her absolute best to convey her sincerity to Jin Yu-ha.
Although she was originally inarticulate and utterly clumsy, fortunately, Jin Yu-ha made a relieved face at the single phrase, 'You are my disciple.'
'This brat, really.......'
Baek Seol-hee's eyes trembled.
Apology and sheepishness, embarrassment. Gratitude.
He was a disciple who made his master feel ashamed.
At that moment, Jin Yu-ha let out a deep sigh,
then abruptly said this.
"Then, Instructor. Can you trust me just this once, no matter what I say? And can you not ask me the reason why?"
Jin Yu-ha seemed to have some matter requiring help.
It appeared to be an important matter, but one he couldn't confide anywhere.
This was the first time he had asked for her help outside of class like this.
'No, he did once ask me to open the training grounds before.'
Well, that's nothing, so let's overlook it.
The fact that he regarded her as someone close and seemed to honestly reveal one of his secrets to her filled her with gladness.
Baek Seol-hee already had a firm trust established regarding Jin Yu-ha.
And thus.
Even when he said that outrageous thing—that there was a Demonized Human within the Hunter Management Bureau—she was able to take it in with a composed attitude.
Even the words that those bastards were targeting Ji So-yeon and Kim Ji-won.
'Those cockroach-like bastards are always scurrying around everywhere.'
"Then from now on, this shall be an additional lesson."
Baek Seol-hee smirked as she spoke to Jin Yu-ha.