The Elf of the Skill Training Center

The Skill Training Center looked just as I remembered it after all this time.

"We didn't just enter a dungeon, did we...?"

Lush forests, swamps, ancient-looking waterways, and even a gloomy makeshift ossuary. Every kind of environment blended seamlessly by zone, creating a landscape so convincing it could make you mistake it for a real dungeon, just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like Jeong-hwa had said.

"I told you. This is a place that teaches real combat skills. So wouldn't training in a real combat environment be the best?"

"Coming back after so long, have you finally grown up? You're making sense ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for once."

Riiip— Out of nowhere, a rift tore open in the empty air, and a handsome middle-aged man stepped through the gap.

Seeing the man emerge, Jeong-hwa muttered in surprise.

"An elf?"

"First elf you've seen? Hmm, looks like my kin still aren't venturing out much."

"You're one to talk, Master Hose—you hardly ever leave this place yourself."

"What can I do when Earth's environment is so harsh it's hard to even breathe out there? Especially this country's weather—far too fickle. I miss the eternal embrace of the World Tree's verdant boughs."

The elf, Hose, closed the rift door and pointed at Jeong-hwa.

"So, who's this woman? A new recruit you're registering?"

"Ah, about that, I'll explain separately..."

I stepped aside with him and quietly filled him in so Jeong-hwa couldn't hear. Hose readily agreed to play along with my request.

"Well, nothing in it for me to lose, so do as you like."

"Thank you, Master Hose."

"Hmm, shall we handle the registration first? You'll need to renew yours too, so let's do it together."

With a wave of his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hand, mana naturally rose and touched the backs of my hand and Jeong-hwa's. A mana seal appeared briefly on our skin—a triangle stylized as the World Tree symbolic of the elf race, crossed by a line through its center—glowing before sinking beneath the surface.

"I've imprinted a seal active for one month. From now on, the entrance will recognize it and let you in automatically. Get the details from Han Yeoul. I'll be off."

"No one else around today?"

"It's a holiday. Just me here."

As Hose opened the rift door again to leave, he paused as if remembering something and added,

"Oh, right—my daughter should be training somewhere around here, so don't run into her and start fighting."

"We don't fight anymore. Don't worry."

"I'll believe you once."

With that, Hose vanished through the rift door.

Who would've thought she'd still be here. She was probably training at a high rank anyway, so we wouldn't cross paths, but I made a mental note to stay cautious.

While I was talking with Hose, Jeong-hwa had stayed quiet, but now she asked me,

"That elf isn't the one training us?"

"Ah, Master Hose just manages this place. He built and maintains all these underground facilities."

"All of it?"

It was no wonder Jeong-hwa was shocked—the interior was so vast and dungeon-like, it was impossible to believe it was underground.

"Not just here—he oversees every Skill Training Center branch in the country. That's why he uses rift doors to move between them like he did just now."

"Wow, he's amazing."

"Looks like we'll have to train just the two of us today. I didn't realize it was a holiday since it's been so long."

"Oh, that's fine. I just tagged along anyway."

"How about we review with an environment similar to the last dungeon?"

Looking toward the densely forested zone amid the mixed environments, a single door now stood there that hadn't been visible before.

"Huh? I didn't see that door earlier."

"Only people with the mana seal can perceive it. It's the door to the mimic dungeon. Weapons are all prepared inside, so let's head in."

When I placed my hand on the door, the mana seal on my hand activated, and a system message appeared.

The training center's mimic dungeons let you select up to one rank above any dungeon I'd cleared before. Since the national admin system recorded that I'd cleared a 7th Grade dungeon with Jeon So-young, the max here was 6th Grade. But since we were just reviewing lightly today, I picked 10th Grade.

The door opened automatically once I selected the rank.

Stepping into the mimic dungeon, Jeong-hwa marveled in wonder.

"It's exactly like a real dungeon."

"It's created using principles similar to actual dungeons, so there won't be much difference. The main distinction is that instead of real monsters, they're fake ones—golems mimicking monster bodies with illusions overlaid to look real."

This was another of Hose's creations. Golems modeled after various monsters' anatomies, cloaked in illusions for realistic training. Built tough, they calculated incoming damage and shut down upon fatal blows. Clear the boss in the final room, and training ends.

"Got my dagger."

"Then let's move to the next room."

With Jeong-hwa grabbing her dagger, we proceeded to the second room. Three goblins appeared, one missing an arm—the illusions so perfect they were indistinguishable from the real thing.

I stepped back to let Jeong-hwa handle them alone.

"Let's see what you've got, Jeong-hwa."

She didn't seem tense at all, charging at the goblins with light steps. No wonder— she'd soloed the goblin warrior boss yesterday; these mobs wouldn't faze her.

The goblins, seeing her attack, hastily grabbed crude weapons and bared their aggression. The front one yelled as it lunged.

"Die!"

"Huh?"

For some reason, the goblin was speaking human language. Hose, always obsessed with realism, must've changed something—now monsters could talk.

Kieeeek! Hearing human words from a snarling goblin felt off somehow.

What was he thinking, making that change?

It didn't seem like Hose at all, but for now, I watched Jeong-hwa fight.

Stab—

She ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠effortlessly sidestepped the lunging goblin's attack with a single step, her dagger flashing into its nape and out.

Thud—

The illusion shattered, revealing a gray golem that powered down. She dispatched the remaining two the same way—precise lethal strikes, all shut down.

"Hoo, ha. How was that?"

A bit winded, Jeong-hwa caught her breath and looked at me expectantly.

"Clean work. Fast clear time too. But your stamina's lacking."

It took about 30 seconds for three goblins. My influence showed in her efficient movements—minimal steps to control distance, dodging while landing hits. But even with shortened paths, getting winded that quickly was a fail in my book, no matter the skill.

Frontliners needed the best stamina of any role. No matter how well they attacked, they couldn't match a ranged dealer's firepower. A frontliner's job was pulling aggro upfront so the dealer could unleash safely. Attack power was secondary; stamina decided endurance.

Jeong-hwa's was abysmal—barely awakener level, almost civilian.

"If you don't mind, Jeong-hwa—what's your stamina stat?"

"Uh... 2."

"Jesus."

I could only slap my forehead. Stamina 2? Average 10th Grade hunter physical stats were around 5—that was dire.

"How the hell did you beat the boss?"

"As fast as possible before getting tired...?"

Her footwork just now made it plausible. But her stamina was worse than expected, giving me a headache.

"Let's call it here for today."

"Already?"

"No point pushing more. You need to build stamina first."

"Okaaaay..."

She deflated at my harsh words. But with stamina that low, nothing else mattered. She'd collapse after five minutes of intensity—what training could we do? Should've signed her up for a gym first, I thought as we left the Skill Training Center.

A short while after Han Yeoul and Jeong-hwa left.

A door in the snowy mountain zone opened, and a young female elf emerged from the mimic dungeon. Her silver-blue hair, shimmering as if icy to the touch, fluttered in the cold wind from within.

Brushing back the strands falling behind her long ears, she scanned the surroundings with silver-blue eyes like Han Yeoul's.

Sensing traces she'd missed before entering—detectable only to mana-sensitive elves—she followed them to the forest zone door and checked the entry logs.

Spotting a familiar name she hadn't seen lately, she muttered,

"Han Yeoul?"

Ten years ago, the insolent human brat who'd beaten her. She vividly recalled him looking down at her, muttering, "An elf should've trained decades longer than me—can't even do this?"

He'd probably thought it quiet, but to elf ears, it was a whisper in her ear.

Grind—

He hadn't even given her a rematch, vanishing from the center after. She'd trained relentlessly, vowing revenge for the humiliation.

Now, the time had come to settle that old grudge.

"Next time you show up..."

She vowed coldly, biding her time.