Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 044
Chapter Title: Erina Esnatia Knows the Answer
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"You bought me dinner, and now you're treating me like this, Si-woo KIMCHI!!"
"That's why you help me out, and then we eat."
The reason I'd dragged Erina Esnatia back to my dorm. Sure, after lectures ended, I got personal training from Professor Kang Geom-seon, but that was only about three hours at most.
The rest of the time, I had to train alone.
My dorm's training ground did have a holographic practice device, but it was outdated, as expected.
Just straw dummies with holograms slapped on top—nothing more.
'It just doesn't feel right.'
I'd been thinking how nice it'd be to have a real, living sparring partner that moved properly.
And the perfect candidates were either Baek A-rin or Erina Esnatia.
With Baek A-rin, it was best to only show her my strong side.
Letting her see me fumbling through trial and error wasn't a good choice.
'Especially not right now.'
Not when I was currently baiting Baek A-rin to convince her father, Snow Mountain Clan Leader Baek Ho-yun.
But with Erina, it didn't matter how I looked.
'And I happened to run into her by chance.'
"Here, take this. In return, I'll make you some killer budae jjigae."
"My pride's crumbling! I feel like you're using me more and more!"
"Thanks as always, and sorry about that."
"SHIT!!"
Erina Esnatia had been shocked three times by the time she arrived at the dorm.
First, by the dorm's vibe—like someone slapping cheeks in a horror flick.
Second, by how Kim Si-woo's promise of a lavish guest welcome turned into her holding a shield in the training ground.
"I'm the idiot for trusting Kim Si-woo."
"Oof, watch the harsh language."
And the third shock was the training facility she was standing in right now.
'How the hell does a guy living alone have facilities like this?'
It was midway up a mountain, but it still looked like academy grounds. A massive dorm for just one person? No matter how I thought about it, it didn't suit Kim Si-woo.
'And what's with this training ground? Even the special dorms don't have anything like it.'
The equipment looked a bit old, but the space and facilities were ridiculously expansive for personal use.
There was a communal training ground for Building A residents, but that was 'communal.'
This place, though? Clearly built just for Kim Si-woo.
'The more I look, the more mysterious he gets.'
What blew her mind most was that he'd brought her here just to use her as a training dummy.
"Here I go again!!"
"SHIT! I'm gonna die of exhaustion."
Erina Esnatia raised her shield toward Kim Si-woo once more.
"How long are you gonna keep slamming your face into this wall that doesn't even hit back? What are you even trying to do? Why am I putting up with this...?"
Erina Esnatia could only sigh in exasperation.
When she first arrived in Korea, her interest had naturally been solely on Lee Seong-hyeon.
The guy making waves in the Korean media with his absurd skills.
Pure talent-wise, he held his own against top hunters—no, he surpassed them.
That's why she'd planned to see him in person and make him hers.
But she'd been duped by that con artist Kim Si-woo, missing her chance to approach Lee Seong-hyeon.
She'd thought it was fine—once things settled, she could just ignore a KIMCHI like him.
But why?
Why was she always ending up by Kim Si-woo's side?
Was it because of what she'd seen in the dungeon?
Erina denied it to herself, but that was surely part of it.
'He definitely looked cool back then, for a Kim Si-woo.'
But fundamentally, the reason she kept circling him...
Was Erina Esnatia herself.
Above all else, her feelings were telling her it was fun.
'Being around that guy Kim Si-woo is fun. Though now I can't spot a single cool thing about him. My eyes must've been broken back then.'
Right as Erina was doubting whether the man before her was really the same one from the dungeon.
"How long are you planning to keep at this weird crap?!"
"I feel it now. This time it'll be for real. Raise the shield."
"Please, I'm starving already."
She grumbled but raised the shield anyway.
In that instant, Erina sensed something different from all his previous attacks.
A sudden chill down her spine.
'What the...?'
And in the brief moment she blinked, Kim Si-woo had vanished.
"Wh-where?!"
-Kaang!
A heavy impact slammed into her shield in a flash, and Kim Si-woo was already behind her, sword in hand.
'What the hell just...'
It had happened so fast that Erina was speechless.
Part of it was how much it resembled a skill used by that man Korea called the Sword Saint, whom she'd seen before.
But more than that, it was because her heart was racing at the sight of the man before her now.
'You're truly impossible to pin down, Kim Si-woo.'
'It... it worked.'
It wasn't luck.
I'd targeted Erina Esnatia precisely and landed the attack perfectly.
And I didn't even stumble afterward—straight into combat stance.
Still a bit rough around the edges, but it felt like a solid Flash Strike imitation.
Erina Esnatia.
Thanks!
With genuine gratitude for her help, I grinned and said,
"Let's eat."
"Finally?!"
...
After training, drenched in sweat, I'd lent Erina the bathroom while I prepped budae jjigae for her.
'She helped with training, so I gotta feed her properly.'
Plus, this was my chance to restore K-food's reputation after the cheonggukjang trauma.
I had to do it right.
I set the perfectly simmered budae jjigae on the table and waited for Erina.
"Is it ready, Si-woo?"
Erina emerged, towel around her head. Steam rose from her body in the cool air.
Maybe because of that, her allure hit me harder than expected, catching my breath a bit.
'Up close like this, she's definitely a beauty.'
But! Her looks weren't the point right now.
It was dyeing her blood with garlic and kimchi through this K-food.
"Come eat."
"Was planning to. Who starves a guest till now?"
She sat at the table.
"Where's the spoon? Not like I'm gonna scoop it by hand... Why're you staring like that, Si-woo?"
"Not a spoon. You can't eat it like that with that attitude."
"What nonsense."
"Chopsticks. No talk of spoons at this table."
"...Cut the crap and hand 'em over, Si-woo."
I passed her the chopsticks, and she stirred the stew.
"Sausage? Yeah, this looks edible."
"Not sausage. Meat blood sausage."
"Has your brain been pickled in nationalism? You watching those shows where America's shaking and Japan's kneeling?"
"You've conquered K-culture too, huh."
Ignoring me, she scooped up some stew.
"How is it?"
"This is..."
Yeah, delicious, right?
The cliché here is her head exploding in awe at K-food's greatness.
Right on cue, a dull thud.
-Tok
She'd already knelt.
Or rather, sadly, it was just the chopsticks hitting the table.
"How is it?"
"Pretty... tasty."
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Try this too."
I fished out some ramen noodles for her.
"This RAMEN...?"
"No, ramen."
-Slurp.
Erina slurped the noodles into her mouth.
"Th-this..."
"Yeah, delicious, right?"
"Better than the ramen I had in Japan."
"Obviously. Japanese ramen originated from Korea anyway."
"For real?!"
"Yep. Source of all noodles. Origin of ramen. The first noodle dish in human history was Korean ramen. Wheat itself was 'invented' in Korea."
"N-never knew that."
"No worries. You'll learn bit by bit."
Maybe she was starving, but she devoured the stew without pause.
'Even with that on her forehead, she doesn't notice?'
I eyed her, planning to wipe the red broth from her forehead with some tissue.
The red broth.
'Red broth.'
...!
"Ah, so that's it."
The red broth on her forehead, beneath her blue eyes.
It was unmistakably the Taeguk pattern.
'Your blood's already flowing with Taeguk.'
"Why're you staring like that, Si-woo?"
"Nothing. Tell me if you need anything—I'll get it. Eat up comfortably."
"Wh-what? You're creeping me out. People die from sudden personality changes."
I gave her a kind smile, and she squinted suspiciously, keeping her distance.
Two weeks passed, the day before Professor Kang Geom-seon's sparring evaluation. I attended his class.
Professor Kang Geom-seon shouted loudly.
"Your proficiency will be evaluated through spars."
The students buzzed at his words.
"Sparring? I'm not confident there..."
"Ah, I wanna pair with that E3 guy. Free win."
"Didn't you see last time?"
"Dude, even so, scared of losing to him?"
"I dunno."
"The evaluation will be a tournament-style, just like real combat. Any sword you're used to is fine—no restrictions on type. A swordsman is strongest with their own blade."
The spars would probably be in the hologram room where I'd trained against Panpagia. Academy uniform tech would minimize injuries while simulating real battles.
Weapons, huh.
"I got a sword just as I entered the academy, as a commemorative thing."
"This body's using a polished horn blade."
"Isn't that C-rank material?! Rich folks are different."
"What do I do?"
"Whatever we bring, won't be as disadvantaged as him."
I had no idea why my wallet woes had spread that far, but the pitying looks felt weird.
Kang Hwa-yeon glanced my way too.
Not in a good way, though.
'Why's she been glaring since last time?'
More importantly, using our usual swords in spars?
That condition disadvantages me?
Ridiculous.
No matter what you bring.
It won't happen.
My sword's national treasure grade.