08. Hero Academy Frolics
Sword clashed against sword.
BOOM!
It wasn't the sound of metal, wood, or stone colliding.
It was mana.
The faint coating of mana on the two blades slammed together, creating a deafening roar.
Mana was a truly peculiar existence.
It belonged to none of the states—solid, liquid, or gas—yet it undoubtedly existed as a tangible force.
Even among the same mana, countless properties would emerge and vanish. And those were dictated by the mana’s owner. That was why the sound it made could vary endlessly depending on the circumstances.
This thing's no joke—heavy as hell.
Han Siu deflected the blade while muttering to himself inwardly.
It wasn't just raw strength.
The weight of the sword itself, the force behind its swing, plus the added heft from the mana coating it.
It was hard to believe she'd only awakened her mana two days ago—the control was exquisitely precise. Maybe having a good example nearby helped. Baek Hye-yeon's handling of mana was leagues beyond her first-life self.
Thanks to that, Han Siu was struggling.
Damn it...
Ever since their first spar in the training grounds, Han Siu and Hye-yeon had dueled frequently.
During breaks or regular class time.
Among the hero candidates, only Han Siu could keep up with her freakishly prodigious swordsmanship. That held true even including all the previous classes who hadn't graduated yet.
Expanding beyond hero candidates, there were instructors or member hopefuls who might manage, but pairing her with them for lessons or training would drag down the overall level of the candidates too much. And pitting her against instructors one-on-one felt awkward too.
In the end, the two of them always ended up crossing blades.
But the problem didn't end there.
Hye-yeon's growth was insanely fast. Faster than even her first-life pace, in Han Siu's estimation.
So now, he was the one starting to get pushed back.
Especially after she'd awakened her mana and learned to infuse it into her weapon—it had gotten downright tough.
But I can't just throw the match half-assed...
While Han Siu was out on missions, Hye-yeon had to practice one-on-many or swing her sword solo. Even the instructors hesitated to face her purely on swordsmanship—they felt burdened. Winning was just breaking even; losing would be humiliating.
Han Siu still couldn't forget the happy expression she'd worn when they met at the training grounds over the weekend and crossed swords.
"Opening!"
The sharp word stung his ear, snapping Han Siu back to reality—but Hye-yeon's sword was faster.
Crack!
"Ugh...!"
Taking a hit to the waist, he planted his training iron sword into the ground and apologized to her.
"Sorry."
"...It's fine."
But contrary to her words, Hye-yeon's expression wasn't bright. Her ponytail was tied lower than usual today, making her look even more down.
It wasn't just because Han Siu hadn't focused. He sometimes zoned out mid-spar, but she'd never looked this upset before.
What's going on?
This time, even Han Siu couldn't read her.
Figuring it out alone seemed pointless, so he slipped over to Hwang Sa-yeon for a moment.
Sa-yeon had no interest or talent in cold weapons, so she'd half-assed her spar, lost quickly, and was now chilling in a corner. The instructors weren't paying her much mind either—no issue there.
"Sa-yeon."
"Yes, honey~?"
"...?"
"What's up?"
"No, uh..."
She'd called him "honey" so naturally that he wondered if that was her usual term—but no, it was definitely the first time today.
The familiar yet unfamiliar word felt oddly embarrassing. Sure, it could mean "hyung" or "oppa," but in martial arts novels, it was a term for lovers, which gave this long-time solo a weird vibe.
"Can't you call me something else besides honey?"
"Why? Isn't it nice? I heard guys love this stuff."
"It's not that I hate it, it's just..."
"Hehe, are you shy~?"
Watching her giggle and poke fun sparked his competitive side.
What was there to be embarrassed about over "honey"? He was already used to "Mommy" hanging off his lips.
I do need to get a bit thicker-skinned.
"Nah. Anyway, got a question."
"Sure, ask away~."
Han Siu consulted her about Baek Hye-yeon.
About the genius swordswoman who seemed inexplicably down for some unknown reason. Han Siu couldn't even tell if it was a swordsman issue or a woman issue. Maybe something about her genius nature wasn't sitting right.
"Hmm..."
Sa-yeon let out a thoughtful hum after hearing his explanation.
"Not sure, but... I think it's loneliness and isolation."
"Loneliness?"
"Yeah. I've seen it back home. People who are so outstanding they feel detached from everyone else. Usually, others give up after feeling defeated and humiliated—refuse to spar again."
"So..."
"Even if you lose, keep challenging her to spars. She'll love it."
"That tracks... Nice."
Solid advice.
Hye-yeon wore her emotions on her face, so he could test the theory right now by suggesting another round. If it fit, great; if not, he'd just ruled out one possibility—no loss.
"Alright, I'm heading back."
"Wait, honey."
"...Yeah?"
Sa-yeon grabbed him as he turned to go, glancing around. People glanced their way, but no one was eavesdropping intently.
"What'd you wanna ask so badly..."
"Are you, like, on your second life or something?"
"...Huh?"
Han Siu froze. But since it was such an out-of-left-field question, his delayed reaction didn't give much away. His face just looked blankly like, What nonsense is this?
"No, I mean, I'm not an idiot... Some candidates joke about it. Like, aren't you regressed? Y'know, back from the future to live a second life."
"......"
"Eek! D-don't look at me like that! It just popped into my head. I don't really believe it?"
Han Siu had been too stunned to react properly.
But Sa-yeon's flustered, cute flailing let him chuckle it off lightly. If she'd asked more seriously, he might've slipped and shown a hint of panic.
That could've made Sa-yeon suspicious—or worse, someone else might notice.
Earthling. Probably Korean. I've been standing out too much.
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Compliment...?"
"Means I'm doing that well, right?"
Sa-yeon tilted her head.
True enough. But regression implied succeeding more through future knowledge and luck than pure talent and effort. Stealing opportunities that might've been others'—but since Sa-yeon liked it, he didn't care.
"You're so unique, honey."
"Haha. Thanks for the advice anyway."
Han Siu smirked and headed back to Hye-yeon.
Inwardly, he pondered regression.
It was quite different from the norm, but he still saw his situation as a kind of regression. He hadn't leaned much on future knowledge yet—his talent and luck fit this world better anyway.
Still, if others are jealous, it means I'm killing it. Not bad.
Of course, he wasn't satisfied yet—his ambitions were far grander.
Baek Hye-yeon was crouched in a corner after their spar with Han Siu.
Her expression was still sour, her mood visibly gloomy. Normally, she'd review the match and refine her technique, but skipping that said it all.
"Hye-yeon."
"......!?"
She jumped when he approached and spoke.
"Wanna spar?"
"...Again?"
Despite her words, her lips twitched upward.
"Don't want to?"
"N-no! Let's do it!"
She shot to her feet, yelling. Heads turned briefly.
Her face flushed, but ignoring the stares, she rushed over and grabbed both his hands. Han Siu flinched instead, but her beaming smile lifted his mood too.
"You really love sparring, huh."
"Uh... so you hate it...?"
"No way. I wouldn't suggest it otherwise."
"......"
Hye-yeon fidgeted oddly.
She seemed to want to say something but couldn't open her mouth. It might be rude to ask, but he had to.
He wouldn't have guessed earlier, but now he had a hunch—thanks to Sa-yeon's spot-on advice. It gave him deeper insight into Hye-yeon.
So he took the lead.
"Hye-yeon."
"Y-yes?"
"You might not see it that way, but I'm having fun."
"Huh?"
"Your talent's incredible. But I'm not sitting idle. I'll work hard... to catch up to your sword someday. ...Might take a lifetime, though."
Hye-yeon's face went blank.
It was an answer she'd never expected. Overwhelming talent in this world was even more standout than on Earth. After a certain age, almost no one wanted to cross swords with her anymore.
This was the first time. Someone chasing her even as she rocketed ahead at terrifying speed. Separate from swordsmanship or mana control, she felt respect bloom.
He's really doing so much for me...
"O-oppa."
"Yeah?"
"Can I call you oppa...?"
"Uh... sure, whatever."
"Drop the formal speech too. No oppa talks politely to his little sis."
"...Yeah, okay."
Hye-yeon grinned ear to ear at his reply.
Watching from afar, Hwang Sa-yeon let out a hollow chuckle.
"Hmph. Writing their own romance novel over there."
She firmly believed it wasn't jealousy over their bond with Han Siu.
They sparred repeatedly until class ended. Wins were split evenly today. Pure swordplay only, but Han Siu's battle experience kept it close.
"Haa... wiped out."
Back-to-back spars had melted him halfway.
"If this was morning class, I'd be flat on my face."
Oddly, he could handle all-day sex, but other stamina wasn't improving.
Yin energy effect maybe?
Lost in thought, he stripped in the changing room.
Shower quick, then lunch.
Clank.
Opening his usual locker, Han Siu doubted his eyes at what was inside.
"...Elaine?"
Calling the woman's name in the locker, she flashed a sweet smile and pressed a finger to her lips.
"Shh. We might get caught, Sir Han Siu♥"