Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: High-Level Tutoring
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Under the red sky where black rain poured down.
Everything was frozen solid.
The flowers that had been blooming, the squirrels scurrying by.
Even the instructors leading the students in retreat.
"...My legs... my legs..."
"Ugh... ughhh..."
A named monster descended from the S-Rank Gate.
With the Death Knight's appearance, the surrounding temperature plummeted to minus ten degrees in an instant.
The terrifying aura emanating from the skeletal horse and the black knight weighed down not only the students but also the less experienced instructors, turning their ankles as heavy as iron blocks.
A hopeless situation where even the thought to flee was paralyzed.
That was when it happened.
Roar!!
Red flames erupted, tearing through the frozen air.
"Get a grip!? Are you all suicidal or what?!"
It was Yoo Na-yeon.
The fierce flames bursting from her entire body melted away the black frost that had been crushing the students.
Warmed by the heat, the students finally snapped out of it and staggered to their feet.
"Y-Yoo Na-yeon Hunter...?"
"Everyone, fall back! Full sprint!!"
Yoo Na-yeon roared like a lioness and stepped forward.
Instructor Na Yeo-rin then buffed the students and urged them all on.
"Jin-il! Ha-eun hurt her leg. Can you carry her!?"
"I can do it!"
"The rest of you, save yourselves however you can! Don't look back!"
"You heard her!? Class A! Class B! Everyone, run!!"
Na Jin-il hoisted Lee Ha-eun onto his back and took the lead.
Empowered by Instructor Na Yeo-rin's buffs, the kids began retreating toward the forest.
Tatata!
Watching the instructors and students retreat like an ebbing tide, the Death Knight tilted its helmet curiously, showing no interest in pursuit.
Its voice grated like nails on a chalkboard as the Death Knight expressed admiration.
Its gaze wasn't on the fleeing crowd but fixed on Yoo Na-yeon burning brightly before it.
"Thanks for the compliment, bonehead."
Yoo Na-yeon drew her sword from her waist.
Red ether enveloped the blade, surging massively.
The ground around her began bubbling like lava.
'Ether. Na-yeon uses it too.'
Named monsters were pure masses of mana.
They used nova, a massive area-of-effect technique that condensed ether into spheres and fired them.
Yoo Na-yeon wasn't at that level, but she wielded her mana affinity masterfully in combat.
Even for swordsmen, coating a blade purely in ether was no easy feat.
Clang.
The Death Knight dismounted its skeletal horse.
Stepping off as a mounted knight meant forfeiting its greatest advantage.
Yoo Na-yeon frowned at the arrogant move.
"What are you playing at?"
The Death Knight drew its greatsword from its back.
"Posing like an edgelord!"
Thud!
Yoo Na-yeon kicked off the ground and shot forward.
I watched the scene from a short distance away, sipping my canned coffee.
'A talking undead...'
Intelligent monsters were hunters' worst nightmare.
They didn't move on mere slaughter instinct—they schemed strategies and waged psychological warfare.
Clang! Kaaang!
Every clash of Yoo Na-yeon's sword and the Death Knight's magic blade unleashed red and black shockwaves like explosions.
It looked evenly matched at a glance.
Yoo Na-yeon blinded it with flashy flames, stabbing from blind spots, only for the Death Knight to barely block.
Like a duel between master warriors.
"Yoo Na-yeon Hunter's pushing it back!!"
"Win!!"
"Just a bit more!!"
The students cheered.
To onlookers from afar, it truly seemed neck-and-neck.
But eyes that mocked the flow of time couldn't be fooled.
'That bastard's going easy.'
The Death Knight's swordplay was excessively straightforward.
Swinging in paths Yoo Na-yeon could dodge, with just enough weight for her to barely parry.
This wasn't slaughter.
It was closer to a seasoned master testing a disciple's skill.
"Da... mn...!"
Yoo Na-yeon, the one involved, surely knew it too.
Just one minute in, and her breathing was already ragged.
Realizing her opponent's caliber, she'd pushed recklessly for a quick win.
But it was little more than assisting the Death Knight's wrist exercises.
The Death Knight murmured in a quiet voice.
No mockery or scorn.
Just disappointment laced through.
That scraped at Yoo Na-yeon's pride.
"Shut up!!"
Yoo Na-yeon squeezed out more ether, swinging a blade of flame.
The Death Knight, which had only been blocking casually, finally swung its greatsword in return.
Whoosh!
The black arc sliced straight through the heart of her flashy skill.
All too futilely.
Her flames split in two and scattered into the air.
Ting!
Her sword flew from her hand.
The Death Knight's blade tip halted right before the defenseless Yoo Na-yeon's throat.
"...Ah."
Her pupils shook like an earthquake.
Eyes sensing the end.
She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, but the Death Knight didn't strike.
Instead, its red gaze from within the helmet pointed to her sword flung far away.
"...What?"
This was probably the first humiliation Yoo Na-yeon had ever faced in her life.
To receive pity from an enemy she'd staked her life against.
She bit her lip until it bled.
"...!"
She rolled across the ground to snatch her sword.
Then squeezed out more ether and charged again.
But the result didn't change.
This time, she couldn't even exchange a few blows.
"Ah...!"
Her sword flew a second time.
Yoo Na-yeon clutched her dislocated shoulder with one hand.
The pure strength gap was overwhelming.
Plus, single-handedly enduring the Death Knight's chill made her knees tremble; even standing looked grueling.
The Death Knight said coldly.
Yoo Na-yeon tripped while going for her sword and collapsed.
The kids in hiding couldn't hold back and screamed at the pitiful sight.
"Yoo Na-yeon Hunter!!"
"Sis! Please hang in there just a little more!!"
"Reinforcements are coming soon!!"
The students cried out desperately.
Those with even a scrap of mana left cast weak buffs on Yoo Na-yeon.
"Get up!! Please... don't die!"
The children's cheers echoed across the battlefield.
Everyone was desperate.
Everyone except one. Me.
'Hang in there, Na-yeon.'
I was still in spectator mode.
Not because I'm a demon.
This was priceless experience points money couldn't buy.
People grow by overcoming brushes with death.
Yoo Na-yeon had walked too smooth a path till now.
A genius S-Rank Awakened, treated like royalty everywhere, barbecuing most monsters with one spell—she'd never hit a wall.
But now an S-Rank monster with a knightly code was giving her 1-on-1 hardcore training?
With a Blue Vest safety net behind her to boot?
If the Phoenix Guildmaster knew, she'd pay me 5 billion for the lesson fee—and I'd still be undercharging.
'Na-yeon, let's grit your teeth and aim for Korea's top rank.'
Only if Yoo Na-yeon got stronger could we prevent the president calling only for the Blue Vest every S-Rank Gate outbreak.
Strangers might think I'm Korea's only hunter.
For my peaceful future, this scene was essential...
"Urgh...!"
But that bastard.
It's been crossing the line lately?
Seeing my childhood friend wallowing in the mud pissed me off too.
'Daring to send killing intent at her?'
I crumpled my empty can and stood up.
"Hang in there!!!"
I joined the kids, shouting loudly at Yoo Na-yeon.
"Yoo Na-yeon! You got this! Don't lose to that tin can freak!!"
The students roared in response to my yell, voices cracking.
Yoo Na-yeon glanced my way briefly... and her eyes widened in surprise.
Yoo Na-yeon lifted the corner of her mouth and slowly rose.
The Death Knight grinned back at her.
Through the helmet's slit, I could see its torn lips.
Uttering cringeworthy lines with utter seriousness, the Death Knight readjusted its grip on its sword.
"Raaaaah!!"
Yoo Na-yeon exploded her ether and charged like a meteor.
Unlike before, this was her all-out effort.
Trusting me to protect the kids, her strongest thrust.
The incarnation of flame magnificently deflected the Death Knight's greatsword and aimed for its heart.
The students' roars pierced the sky.
"Goooo!!"
But.
Reality was cruel.
Kaaang-!
With a clear metallic ring, her sword flew a third time, vanishing into the forest somewhere.
The Death Knight smiled contentedly at its own armor split in half and fallen to the ground.
Yoo Na-yeon slumped to the ground, head bowed.
Exhausted, having depleted all her mana.
She couldn't even twitch a finger.
The kids wailed.
"No!!!!"
"Yoo Na-yeon Hunter!!"
Despairing silence enveloped the training grounds.
The Death Knight slowly raised its sword.
The 1-on-1 high-level tutoring session was over.
Class dismissed, so the teacher was no longer needed.
'Swiftness.'
In the time that seemed frozen still, I slowly walked toward the Death Knight.