The Thunder God's Shadow

"Alright, then... since you both seem ready... a light handshake~"

At the teacher's signal, Jaemin took a step forward and extended his hand.

Ah, still wearing that smug, obnoxious smirk of his.

I calmly shook his hand without a change in expression.

"Let's have a good match."

At my dry voice, Jaemin snorted and yanked his hand away roughly.

"Hmph, I'll go easy on you. Just don't cry, alright?"

Despite his mocking attitude, I just stood there quietly.

Between us, the teacher's warnings drifted over.

"Everyone, you remember what we learned in ethics class, right? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Sparring is a chance to test each other's skills, not to hurt one another. You mustn't get too rough, okay? Now, then...!"

The teacher placed the whistle in her mouth, and a tense silence settled over the School Gym.

Soon...

Fweeeeet!

"Begin!"

The moment the teacher signaled the start of the spar, Jaemin kicked off the ground and lunged at me.

The training sword in his hand sliced through the air.

It was a blunt, soft training weapon, so it wasn't life-threatening, but judging by the speed of his swing, a direct hit would definitely leave a nasty bruise.

But to me, his movements were painfully predictable.

It was just a crude slash, devoid of both technique and philosophy. I could see the trajectory of his clumsy attack clear as day.

Whoosh—

The moment the tip of the sword grazed past the bridge of my nose, I simply ducked my head slightly to dodge, keeping both hands shoved deep in my pockets.

"...!"

His eyes flickered with a brief moment of shock at my effortless dodge.

He was visibly flustered by the unexpected reaction.

But he quickly sneered, trying to salvage his pride.

"Lucky guess, huh?"

He put on that obnoxious face again and swung his sword in rapid succession.

Swish! Swish!

But every time my upper body fluidly swayed left and right, his sword cut ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠through nothing but empty air.

"You little... quit squirming around...!"

His voice grew harsh, thoroughly irritated.

Granted, my current physical condition was pathetic compared to my past prime.

But it didn't matter.

It was only pathetic by my standards.

Compared to the kids here, it was more than enough.

"Pant... pant..."

After a few more empty swings, Jaemin's shoulders heaved as he gasped for breath.

It looked like his stamina was already bottoming out.

Is he going to get serious now?

Just then.

Jaemin suddenly dropped into a low stance.

His eyes flashed a pure, brilliant white, and a faint aura began to shimmer around his body.

A physical enhancement type...?

"That's a nice ability."

It was a genuine compliment, but it didn't seem to register that way to him.

"Ha... why don't you stop running away and actually fight? What, are you scared?"

"Ah... should I?"

I slowly pulled one hand out of my pocket.

"...?"

Jaemin looked puzzled, but his confusion turned to sheer terror in less than a second.

Because my eyes had begun to glow with a cold, brilliant blue light.

I had briefly considered dropping a Lightning Strike on him...

But that would be way too excessive for an elementary school spar.

Besides, the ceiling was closed, making it a hassle to guide lightning indoors anyway.

That was when Jaemin began to stumble backward.

"Y-You...! What on earth..."

Ah... did I spend too much time lost in thought?

Even if I didn't open my mouth, the answer was already presenting itself.

Crackle-crackle-crackle!

A chilling, explosive crackle echoed throughout the entire School Gym.

In the empty air behind me, currents of brilliant blue electricity tangled together, taking on a massive, coalescing shape.

Crackle-crackle-crackle!

The currents of electricity seemed to possess a will of their own, drawing back like a bowstring aimed right at him.

"W-Wait...!"

"This might sting a bit."

As I flicked my finger toward Jaemin, the swirling currents of electricity behind me surged forward.

Swoosh—!

"Ugh... Aaaah!"

BOOM!

And then...

"S-Shin-ah...? Don't you think that was a tad too much...?"

Her usual gentle smile was nowhere to be found. Instead, a visibly flustered Teacher Jung Ah-young stood in front of Jaemin, having blocked the attack with her bare body.

Sparks crackled around her, but she didn't budge an inch, staring at me while breaking out in a cold sweat.

Jung Ah-young, schoolteacher.

Thirty-five years old this year.

Known as an infinitely kind teacher to the children and a diligent colleague to her peers, she was a rare talent who possessed both striking beauty and exceptional skill.

An enviable career, an impeccable reputation, and a gentle, soft-spoken demeanor.

Everything about her seemed perfect.

Yet, even she had a worry that kept her up at night. Specifically...

The fact that she was standing at the very edge of marriageable age and was still single.

Ugh... when on earth am I going to get married...?

Today, too, she had lamented deeply in front of her mirror before heading out to work.

After changing into her gym clothes, she had gathered the children in the School Gym with a lively voice.

Today was a slightly more special day than usual.

It was the day a transfer student arrived.

Her name was Kim Shin-ah.

A quiet, calm girl whose first impression was quite adorable.

Ah-young had watched warmly as Shin-ah naturally mingled with Milla during warm-ups.

She's already gotten so close to Milla... She's much more mature and sweet-natured than she looks.

Ah-young smiled and scanned the special notes written next to the attendance sheet once more.

Hongryeon, one of the three pillars supporting South Korea. This child was personally brought in by its guild leader, Kim Jang-mi.

As a former hunter herself, Ah-young couldn't help but harbor high expectations for Shin-ah's abilities.

Jaemin should be the perfect opponent to gauge her skills.

Though she had lied to the children that the matchups ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were random, the pairing was actually the result of Ah-young's careful deliberation.

And the moment the spar began, Ah-young's eyes widened in sheer shock.

"...!!!"

Shin-ah's movements were far from ordinary.

Like a veteran who had survived countless battlefields, she evaded her opponent's attacks with absolute precision, without wasting even an inch of movement.

A relaxed composure, as if she already knew exactly where the tip of the sword was headed.

Incredible...! To possess such practical, combat-ready movements at that age. She's a natural.

Her movements alone were more than enough to prove her caliber.

But her admiration was short-lived as a chilling sense of incongruity crept down Ah-young's spine.

Crackle-crackle-crackle!

A terrifying crackle sliced through the air of the School Gym.

Wait... that's...

Awakened who manipulated electricity were common.

But that pure, high-density current laced with brilliant blue light instantly brought to mind someone buried deep within Ah-young's memories.

Surely... the signature Awakened of Hongryeon was...

"Ah...!"

The moment Ah-young's train of thought reached its conclusion, her body moved on instinct.

Because that was no longer on the level of an elementary school spar.

BOOM!

A cloud of dust billowed as an explosion shook the School Gym.

Ah-young took the lightning strike head-on with her bare body.

As the smoke slowly cleared, the black-haired girl, Shin-ah, was revealed standing at the center with an indifferent expression.

Ah-young stared at Shin-ah, catching her breath.

Behind the expressionless girl—

The phantom of a legendary man, who once ruled the battlefield and turned countless monsters to ash, seemed to overlap.

"...The Thunder God, Kim Shin-woo."

Oh... I screwed up, didn't I?

The teacher directly intervening meant... my attack just now was probably way too much.

I really should have dialed down the power a bit more...

In the silent School Gym, the teacher adjusted her clothes and took slow, deliberate steps toward me.

Instead of her usual gentle smile, she wore a look of absolute certainty—

and a highly complex, subtle gaze.

"Um, Shin-ah... excuse me, but... what is your father's name?"

"...?"

A sudden background check?

Unable to hide my bewilderment, I stared blankly at the teacher.

"It's... Kim Shin-woo."

It felt incredibly cringey to refer to my own name with honorifics, so I answered a bit bluntly.

But the moment the words left my mouth, the teacher's eyes sparkled.

"I knew it...! So that's what it was... No wonder... No wonder your movements were so extraordinary."

She nodded repeatedly, looking at me as if she had just solved a grand mystery all on her own.

Then, quickly switching back to her strict teacher persona, she lightly patted my shoulder.

"Shin-ah... but you do realize that what you did just now was a bit too much, right?"

"Yes..."

I replied, quietly casting my gaze downward.

"I'll let it slide just this once. But you have to be much more careful with your strength next time, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

As soon as the lecture was over, I turned my head to look at the floor.

There, Jaemin was sitting flat on his butt.

A few tears welled in the corners of his eyes as he stared blankly into space, completely shell-shocked.

Before I knew it, the teacher had rushed over to Jaemin, brushing the dust off him and starting to comfort him.

Once the atmosphere had settled down a bit, she called us back to the center of the School Gym.

"Alright, you both fought wonderfully! Now that the spar is over, shake hands~"

Under the teacher's mediation, I stood face-to-face with Jaemin once again.

When I grasped his extended hand, I could feel his entire body trembling violently right through his palm.

"..."

"...Ugh..."

Jaemin couldn't even look me in the eye, letting out nothing but a faint, whimpering groan.

Feeling his hand shake so pitifully, I thought to myself:

Yeah... I definitely went a bit too far.