Chapter 254: S-rank (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 254: S-rank (2)
Unlike A-rank, which one could achieve by building up a record and reputation even with slightly lacking skills, S-rank required only one thing.
Overwhelming power.
A strength that no one would dare to ignore was the sole symbol of an S-rank.
Korea's most representative S-ranks were Han Lael, the Lord of the Gray Magic Tower, and Kang Cheolho, the head of the Hunter Association's branch.
And the middle-aged man before me exuded an aura comparable to theirs.
I thought I’d seen his face somewhere before...
A deep scar crossing his face, a massive frame well over two meters tall, and fiery red eyes.
There was no doubt.
He was the British S-rank hunter who had saved hundreds of lives during the A-rank Gate Break in London, tearing off the boss's head with his bare hands.
“How dare you... my granddaughter...”
Henry Abercromby, Duke of Rutland.
It was definitely him.
Why is the man called the Pillar of England here...?
A thought flashed through my mind.
The Duke of Rutland had clearly said, "my granddaughter.”
And the only person here who could be his granddaughter was Choi Hyena.
Did that mean Choi Hyena was the Duke of Rutland's granddaughter?
No, that was absurd.
As far as I knew, the Duke of Rutland was unmarried.
Many had questioned his choice to remain single even in his seventies, but he had always met their inquiries with silence.
If word got out that he had married into the Seongbuk Choi family, it wouldn't be strange at all for massive protests to erupt in England.
But what if he had deliberately hidden his marriage for that very reason?
Besides, the maid had said the reason for the commotion in the mansion was the return of Choi Hyena's grandfather.
All the circumstantial evidence pointed to the Duke of Rutland being Choi Hyena's grandfather, but it was hard to believe.
“Grandpa?!”
Ah, so she really is his granddaughter.
I'd always had a strange feeling that Hyena looked mixed-race whenever I saw her. I never imagined she was half-British.
“Hyena! Get away from that filthy bastard right now!”
“Who are you calling filthy?”
Thwack!
“Ugh?!”
A clean kick sent the Duke of Rutland flying sideways.
It was Grandma Choi Young-ok.
“You're back home for the first time in six months, and instead of washing your hands and getting to work, you dare try to ruin your granddaughter's love life?”
“Love life! It's still ten years too early for our Hyena—”
“Don't give me that 'ten years' crap. Was that what you were thinking when you chased me around for six months proposing when I was twenty-five?”
“A-ahem...”
The Duke of Rutland broke into a cold sweat and turned his head away.
He looked so pathetic it was hard to believe he was the same person who had been glaring at me as if to kill me just moments ago.
It was obvious who held the power in their relationship.
Sigh, a man walking on eggshells around his wife.
I took a sip of my tea, vowing I would never end up like that.
The memory of fleeing from Noel and comforting Jeon Seoha the night before had long since faded.
*
Afterward, the situation was resolved amicably thanks to Grandma Choi Young-ok's mediation.
“My apologies.”
The Duke of Rutland bowed his head to me.
I never expected a duke to obediently apologize to someone so much younger than him at a single word from his wife.
Is he a devoted husband?
I thought I could vaguely understand why a British duke would go as far as to hide his marriage to be adopted into a foreign family.
Of course, my skin still tingled from the Duke's killing intent, a clear sign he still didn't like me.
It wasn't for nothing that he was known in Asia as a monster of immense strength wearing the mask of a nobleman.
“I'm fine.”
“What do you mean, you're fine!”
Choi Hyena, who had been watching from the side, shouted at the Duke of Rutland.
“You're the one who kept introducing me to weird guys, and now you're trying to kick out the man I brought home?!”
“W-weird guys! They were from fine noble families...”
“What's with all this noble nonsense? This isn't England!”
I turned my head away from their heartwarming family moment.
If an outsider like me got involved, it would only lower the Duke of Rutland's favorability toward me.
Of course, I couldn't care less about some old man's opinion, but it was a different story if he was Choi Hyena's grandfather.
It would be best to be careful not to become his enemy, even if we couldn't have a good relationship.
“Both of you, quiet.”
At Grandma Choi Young-ok's timely intervention, the Duke of Rutland instantly became as quiet as a mouse.
Is he really a duke?
“Hmph.”
Choi Hyena just pouted with a dissatisfied expression and said no more.
“Hyun-woo.”
“Yes?”
I raised my head at the sound of my name.
In that instant, I felt a scorching magic power, like a fiercely blazing fire. It was Grandma Choi Young-ok's.
Thanks to reaching the 5th Circle, I was able to get a small glimpse of her power, something I couldn't even fathom before.
And I realized.
If the gap between the 4th and 5th Circles was a small mountain range, the gap between the 5th and 6th was a colossal one, battered by fierce blizzards.
My next destination lay there.
“It seems you've taken another step forward.”
A smile spread across Grandma Choi Young-ok's lips.
She was acting composed, but various emotions—surprise, astonishment, shock—flashed through her eyes.
“I was lucky.”
As expected, I couldn't hide it from a 6th-Circle mage.
“A 5th-Circle mage at the age of twenty-one... It's not an unprecedented record, but considering when you started learning magic, it's an achievement that would astound even the first Tower Lord.”
Reaching the 5th Circle in less than a year.
Even I had to admit it was an insane pace.
“W-what are you talking about? 5th Circle?”
Choi Hyena, who had been listening beside me, urgently pulled on my arm.
Her eyes, demanding an explanation, were filled with anxiety and impatience.
I could understand her reaction.
As I'd said before, magic was a field where talent crushed effort.
Some people couldn't even form a mana circle in their entire lifetime, while others advanced through the ranks as easily as breathing. Like me and the Tower Lord, Han Lael.
Choi Hyena was at the 3rd Circle, which was by no means a low level for her age. I'd even heard she was now approaching the 4th Circle.
By any normal standard, Choi Hyena was a genius. A diamond-spoon genius with an overwhelming background, at that.
If nothing had changed, she would have smoothly advanced her skills and become an outstanding mage.
But then I appeared before her.
A being who couldn't even be called a genius, something closer to an irregular.
At first, it might have been motivating, but as time went on, the gap must have become overwhelming.
This was a matter of logic versus emotion.
She knew she should be congratulating me, but would the pride she had built as a mage allow it?
I watched her constantly wavering eyes and gently took her hand. I sent a telepathic message so the others wouldn't notice.
-You trust me, right?
The most important thing between lovers is trust.
I trust Choi Hyena. Even if she were to stab me in the back.
And it seemed she felt the same way.
After hearing my message, Choi Hyena's lips quivered for a moment before she slowly nodded.
The anxious trembling in her eyes was gone.
Instead, a faint blush spread across her pale cheeks. With a small smile, Choi Hyena hugged my arm and quietly closed her eyes.
“Oh, my! To see our Hyena so docile...!”
Seeing this, Grandma Choi Young-ok's eyes welled up with tears as if she were deeply moved.
“That bastard...!”
In contrast, the Duke of Rutland's face twisted viciously.
If Grandma Choi Young-ok hadn't been next to him, he would have charged at me already.
Ignoring him, I savored the feeling of her chest pressing against my arm and watched Choi Hyena closely.
She was currently one wall away from the 4th Circle.
And the thickness of that wall was determined by the mage themselves.
I had been uncertain before coming to the mansion, but now I was sure.
I could break that wall for her.
It was just my guess, but even the 7th-Circle Tower Lord probably couldn't break through another person's wall.
If that were possible, mages would have conquered the world long ago.
This was likely a skill only I, who had mastered both magic and martial arts, could perform—and only because I had mastered the Formless Vajra Art.
But I couldn't do it right now.
I needed to move to a private room where we wouldn't be disturbed by others.
“Excuse me, I have something to discuss with Hyena for a moment...”
“Hyun-woo.”
Just as I was about to leave with Hyena, Grandma Choi Young-ok called out to me.
“If you don't mind, how about you learn a thing or two from this old man?”
“...Pardon?”
She pointed at the Duke of Rutland.
“What?! Why should I teach that thief...”
“If you don't want to be kicked out of the house, be quiet.”
“...”
Watching her command an S-rank hunter with a single word was fascinating no matter how many times I saw it.
“Um, what do you mean by learn a thing or two...?”
“Don't think too hard about it.”
Clink.
Grandma Choi Young-ok smiled lightly and set down her teacup.
“To be honest, I wasn't pleased when I found out you were learning martial arts. I'm a mage, after all.”
Mages generally looked down on other mages learning martial arts.
To a mage, magic was their hard-earned honor, and for a mage to set aside magic to learn martial arts was to deny that honor to its face.
“But at this point, I'd have to be blind not to see it. Your talent is not something I can carelessly judge. Besides, though he won't show it, this old man is also quite surprised by your achievements, you know?”
“When did I—”
Thump!
Grandma Choi Young-ok's fist slammed into the Duke of Rutland's stomach.
“He was rude to you at first because he loves Hyena so much, so please try to understand.”
“I've already forgotten about it.”
“Thank you.”
I didn't have the luxury of holding onto such things.
The offer I had just heard was far too appealing.
“He's a grumpy old man, but his fists are quite decent. I think it would be a good opportunity for you... What do you say?”
Until now, I had been learning martial arts without a proper master.
Of course, I learned about martial arts from Cheon Yeo-hwa and basic swordsmanship and how to imbue my Sword Qi with will from Jeon Seoha, but that wasn't enough.
I sometimes wondered if I would have already reached the level of a Transcendent master if I had learned directly from Vajra Divine Monk.
I was already feeling lost, unable to see the path to becoming a Transcendent master, and now an opportunity to learn from an S-rank hunter had presented itself.
“I'll do it.”
There was no reason to refuse.
*
Arriving at the mansion's training room, I was left speechless by its immense scale.
I had expected it, but not to this extent.
It made the training room I visited yesterday look like an old model built a hundred years ago.
Not only was it nearly the size of a soccer field, but the walls, floor, and ceiling were all enchanted with various protection spells.
It was apparently used for magic demonstrations, but there wasn't a single scorch mark on the walls. It seemed to be enchanted with auto-recovery magic as well.
Should I build one of these for myself?
It wasn't certain yet, but I was planning to move soon.
Although it hadn't been long since I last moved, the house was a bit cramped for three people.
Moreover, my current house lacked a proper training ground and workshop.
I had the house next door, but creating a workshop would require a complete overhaul. It would be better to build a new one from scratch.
I was considering a location on the outskirts of Seoul.
The land was cheaper, and it was hard to find a suitable plot within Seoul.
The only problem was the Triad...
If I moved and they decided to attack, it would be harder to get help on the outskirts of Seoul.
No matter how formidable our side was, we were up against a criminal organization said to rule China.
I couldn't rule out the possibility of unexpected forces joining the fray.
I would probably move after I became a Transcendent master. By then, I wouldn't have to worry much about an attack.
“Pick up the sword.”
Clang.
The steel sword thrown by the Duke of Rutland fell to the floor.
“...Aren't we using wooden swords?”
“Wooden swords? Are you a newborn? How long do you think it'll take you to get strong training with that?”
He was a crazy old man.
It really looked like he just wanted to slice me up with a real sword.
“But aren't you going to use a sword, Your Grace?”
“Don't call me 'Your Grace.' When I'm within the family, I am not the Duke of Rutland.”
“Grandfather-in-law, then?”
The moment I finished speaking, the Duke of Rutland's face twisted viciously.
The killing intent leaking from him felt like it was about to take physical form.
“I have no intention of being called that by the likes of you.”
“Well, you never know, do you?”
“...Insolent whelp.”
I picked up the sword and charged toward the Duke of Rutland.
This was a chance to test just how far I could go against an S-rank.