One-Sided Dominance
Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan instinctively felt it. The man standing before them, Lee Do-hyun, was going all out.
The moment they realized it, the two became even more tense than when they had faced the four dwarves. Do-hyun had already reached a level where he could be called a D-class hunter, and that presence of his far surpassed simple mana pressure. It was something entirely different, a layer of intimidation. Both Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan pulled out everything they had.
What Do-hyun said was true. Even if the two of them gave it everything right now, they still wouldn’t be able to do anything to him. The thought made them calm down and truly go all out.
Watching the two raise their power to the limit, Do-hyun let out a faint smile. ‘Let me check if the Guardian’s Body is really that broken.’
Pew!
The compressed air exploded in a sonic boom, and Do-hyun surged forward like a raging torrent. In the blink of an eye, his footwork carried him from the realm of humans straight into the domain of the transcendent, fast as a machine and precise to the point of perfection.
If Ji Yu-chan had only watched from the side, he might have guessed at the skill, but facing Do-hyun directly made the truth hit him like a truck. How terrifying and awe-inspiring that refined, efficient movement was.
Do all those who had faced him feel the same way? A wave of admiration erupted from the crowd, and Ji Yu-chan blurred forward to meet Do-hyun’s charge head-on.
He blocked Do-hyun’s path toward Hana Rin in the nick of time, raising his sword, only for Do-hyun to mock him with a flick of his wrist, creating a platform of telekinesis in mid-air and leaping over Ji Yu-chan with effortless grace.
Whoosh!
The piercing air-cut sound rang out again, and Do-hyun accelerated without losing even a fraction of his initial speed, charging straight at Hana Rin. “!!!”
Ji Yu-chan twisted his body desperately to intercept from behind, but his reaction was too slow. Do-hyun would never let him catch him. He had already passed the opportunity by and was now merely watching Do-hyun’s tail.
Ji Yu-chan refused to give up, charging forward again.
Whoosh!
His own speed from pushing off the ground was fast, yet Do-hyun’s pace to reach Hana Rin was faster still. Hana Rin knew it and exhaled a soft “Hoo…” when she saw him approaching.
That breath turned instantly into freezing cold air that slammed into her like a blizzard. A magic circle formed in the air, its origin unknown, swirling with ice-cold mana.
Do-hyun’s eyes narrowed, and he chuckled. Hana Rin had known he was targeting her and had already laid the magic circle the moment it started, layering her own mana charged with cold on top of it to complete the preparation.
The magic circle opened at the same time, unleashing its spell right in the training hall.
Intermediate-level elemental magic, Snowstorm. ‘Snow Storm’
Normally this spell would spread out around the user, slowly chipping away at life forms with icy wind. But what Hana Rin had created was different. She twisted the orbit and parameters of the magic circle, gathering the snow and ice into a straight-line beam that slammed forward like a laser.
The pure white beam in the air carried enough cold to drop the surrounding temperature by twenty degrees in an instant. The ice that followed was sharp and solid enough to match.
The biting gale struck like knives, yet it did nothing. Do-hyun’s firm legs stood rooted to the ground, pushing backward only slightly, not a single mark on his clothes.
He had perfectly blocked the white beam that was almost like a surprise attack.
Hana Rin watched Do-hyun in shock. Around him heat was swirling, and she noticed a circular barrier of pure heat that enveloped him completely.
Just as she had altered the orbit of her Snow Storm, Do-hyun had turned his blazing wall into a perfect sphere of heat that shielded him. The fire had gone out from the heat contact, but the remaining warmth still wrapped around his body. ‘Monster…’
Hana Rin couldn’t help but stare in awe at Do-hyun’s casting speed and his terrifying reaction speed. Ji Yu-chan seized the moment Do-hyun paused to rush in again.
Even though he rushed forward quickly, Ji Yu-chan was still too slow compared to Do-hyun. Do-hyun held a short blade in his left hand and a long blade in his right.
Ji Yu-chan exploded his Mana Manipulation skill, flooding his legs with mana and shooting forward in an explosive burst of speed.
Pew!
Just like Do-hyun had done, the air exploded with a sonic boom. Ji Yu-chan infused his swordsmanship with mana. The explosive speed was enough to give him a temporary edge, but it was still nowhere near Do-hyun’s reaction time.
Ji Yu-chan swung his blue-glowing sword as he closed the distance, and the mana-infused strike was released the instant he moved, creating a blade so sharp it looked like nothing could cut it.
Do-hyun blocked the attack with the short blade he was lightly holding. Because he gripped it so casually, his arm flailed like a whip.
At first glance it looked like his arm would snap from the impact, but the short blade he swung was far more efficient, snapping into a perfect whip-like arc that struck the exact point where Ji Yu-chan’s blade would land.
Crack!
Jing!
The sharp metallic clash echoed. Ji Yu-chan’s sword trajectory twisted wildly. Do-hyun sidestepped lightly along the new path and swung the long blade in his hand.
Though not as light as the short blade, it was powerful enough to swing fast and carry a terrifying edge that could cut anything. The blade targeted Ji Yu-chan’s waist.
The instant he saw it, Ji Yu-chan understood instinctively. There was not only mana from swordsmanship in that blade but also a low-level Sharpness spell layered on top.
It wasn’t light like the short blade, yet the strike was strong enough to break a waist in one swing. Ji Yu-chan’s eyes widened. He loosened his stance, released his lower body, and pushed off the ground to dodge Do-hyun’s blade like a high jump.
Crunch!
However, because he had twisted his trajectory and loosened his stance, a tearing sound echoed inside Ji Yu-chan’s body as his arm muscles tore. He didn’t flinch at all. He tumbled forward, regained his posture, and charged at Do-hyun again.
Do-hyun swung his long blade again, then flicked his fingers. The ground erupted upward toward the speeding bullet that was already closing in.
Squeak!
Boom!
Pew!
The bullet that hit the raised ground smashed through more than half of it but didn’t penetrate. Do-hyun immediately swung his long blade, and the heavy mana inside it forced Ji Yu-chan to grip the sword with both hands to block. The impact sent him flying back ten meters.
Chiiiii!
Watching Ji Yu-chan get knocked back, Do-hyun floated in mid-air, spun once, and caught the short blade falling toward him again in his left hand. It looked like pure skill, but both Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan were sweating cold sweat.
At this rate, Do-hyun really was going to leave them without a single scratch, the thought flashed through both their minds. They forced themselves to gather strength and fight harder. Do-hyun, watching them, thought to himself. ‘The Guardian’s Body is seriously broken, isn’t it?’
The two had no idea, but right now Do-hyun was pushing his limits hard. He was using his muscles to their absolute maximum, tearing them if necessary, yet moving like a madman.
Even the short blade he swung like a whip had torn through cartilage, ligaments, and muscles with just that one strike, but the Guardian’s Body healed them instantly. He could still move his left hand, though the pain was immense.
On the flip side, pain was the only thing standing in his way. ‘If I can just endure the pain, I can exert power beyond my limits.’
In other words, Ji Yu-chan and Hana Rin weren’t weak at all. They were over thirty percent stronger than when they had fought Deokrin. Do-hyun felt a chill run down his spine. Their eyes burned with light, and he couldn’t help but smile bitterly. It was a razor-thin tightrope.
If he slipped even a little here, the two would leave him with a fatal wound, and it wouldn’t be strange at all. Do-hyun thought. ‘Still, I have to show the leader’s dignity.’
Do-hyun charged back at Hana Rin at full speed. Ji Yu-chan blocked him by dashing in diagonally and swinging his sword. They split the attack into dozens of strikes per second, while Hana Rin cast spells behind them as support.
Four or five magic spells shot at once. Do-hyun had no choice but to fight both magic and sword at the same time to block their assault. Their teamwork was slowly improving, and their attacks were growing fiercer with every second. Do-hyun laughed inwardly. ‘They really are monsters.’
He almost wanted to shout it out, but he meant every word. Even with Analysis revealing their attack paths and spell types in advance, sparring with the two of them was no easy task.
But that was exactly why it was meaningful. Do-hyun charged harder, and Ji Yu-chan and Hana Rin met him head-on, gripping their swords and staffs.
Pew! Pew!
Boom!
Whoosh!
The entire training hall shook from the shockwaves. Everyone in the equipment training area stopped training and turned to watch the spar. Even those training in the hall froze in place.
D-class hunters had their own designated training grounds, so no one above that rank was here. Everyone watching Do-hyun’s party was simply stunned speechless.
“They… they blocked it?”
“B-but a moment ago I lost track of their movement…”
“Insane. Is that really what D-class fighters look like?!”
“Whoa…”
“What kind of person uses both magic and swordsmanship at the same time?!”
“They’re insane. They’re insane.”
The gap in skill was so vast that jealousy didn’t even appear, only pure awe. Lee Hee-jae, watching like the others, had the same feeling he got when he first saw Hana Rin.
Could he become like that too? The thought made him feel small in front of the two. He looked like an extra just admiring geniuses from the sidelines. Lee Hee-jae tore his eyes away from the spar and headed back to the equipment training area.
‘I have to get stronger too…’
He started training with that resolve, but before long the outcome of Do-hyun’s party was decided.
The winner was…
“Haak… haaak…”
“Huk… heo… heo-ack…”
Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan lay collapsed on the ground, panting desperately. Do-hyun stood in front of them, still upright despite the exhaustion, and spoke wearily.
“Huuu… I really won after all.”
Do-hyun.
The training hall was still shaking from the aftershocks. The defeated pair tried to stand, but their legs gave out completely. Do-hyun helped them up one by one with a tired smile.
“You two really fought hard,” he said gently. “Next time, let’s push each other a little more. I want to see how far we can go together.”
Hana Rin nodded weakly, her body still trembling. “Yes… Oppa.”
Ji Yu-chan, still breathing heavily, gave a formal bow. “I have learned much from you today, Lee Do-hyun. Thank you.”
Do-hyun waved it off with a casual laugh. “Come on, no need to be so formal. We’re all on the same team now. Let’s get some rest and eat something good. I’m starving.”
He offered his arms for support, and the two leaned on him gratefully. Around them, the other trainees were still staring in awe, but Do-hyun paid them no mind. He was already thinking about the next challenge, the next copy, the next growth.
‘Just a little more… and I’ll be unstoppable.’
The sun was setting outside the training center, painting the sky in warm oranges and pinks. Inside the quiet hall, the three of them walked out together, laughing softly as they headed toward the cafeteria. The rivalry between Do-hyun, Hana Rin, and Ji Yu-chan had only just begun, but today it had ended in a draw that felt like a victory for all three.