Extreme Techniques

"I want to take your measure. Would you care to spar with me?"

"…"

A free sparring match with an S-Class Hunter was not the kind of opportunity that came around often. Ha Heon-shin — the man known by the moniker Monster God — had retired from the hunter world on account of his age. No one, however, believed he had grown weak.

Even now, well past eighty, he still carried the appearance of a man in his mid-forties. That alone was enough to tell you he was no ordinary person.

So why had a man like that asked me to spar? Did he truly just want to confirm my talent?

Why does he even need to check my talent?

I was a great noble of the Baekhwan World. A few turns of the mind and the answer came at once. No — the answer was standing right beside me.

It has to be about Ha Seung-hee. He thinks I'm her lover, doesn't he?

Ha Heon-shin wanted to confirm my talent — more precisely, my limits. How far I could climb.

"A chance to spar with the Monster God… that doesn't come easily. If anything, I'd like to be the one asking for the match."

"Glad to hear you feel that way. Strike while the iron's hot, as they say. Shall we do it now?"

"I'd be honored — but we can hardly spar just anywhere, can we?"

"I have a training hall I use regularly. We'll do it there."

Ha ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Heon-shin rose from his chair and walked out. I moved to follow him, only for Ha Seung-hee to catch my sleeve.

"What."

"Now that you've agreed to spar with Grandfather, give it everything you have. Please don't disappoint him."

Her eyes were complicated. I turned it over for a moment, then understood — she didn't have much talent as a hunter. She must have disappointed Ha Heon-shin once before.

Ha Jun-soo doesn't have much hunter talent either. He's impressive in his own way, but that combat power tops out at B-Class, maybe.

That alone was nothing to sneeze at — but set against the backdrop of being the grandson of an S-Class like Ha Heon-shin, it felt underwhelming.

"I'm starting to want to see the old man's surprised face."

"Could you not call someone else's grandfather 'old man'? And if you want to surprise ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him, you're going to have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to work very hard."

I shrugged at Ha Seung-hee and stepped out of the study. A man who looked like a secretary approached and guided the two of us along. Ha Heon-shin had apparently stopped somewhere else first.

We entered an annex beside the mansion. The entire annex, it turned out, was a training hall. The ceiling soared high, and a strange energy radiated from the walls.

A barrier? I don't know what kind, but I can tell it's impressive.

Then I reminded myself that the owner of this place was one of the richest men in Korea and an S-Class Hunter, and suddenly even this remarkable training hall felt unremarkable.

A murmur rose around us. Ha Seung-hee, her brother Ha Jun-soo, and a crowd of company presidents had filed into the hall to watch.

"Apologies for the audience. Do their eyes bother you?"

Ha Heon-shin appeared in a martial arts uniform and asked me. Through the fabric, the hard lines of his muscle were visible.

"Their eyes don't particularly bother me — but I don't care for gossipmongers running their mouths however they please."

"I'll put my name on their silence and make sure of it. Don't worry."

"Then I'll trust the Chairman's name."

Ha Heon-shin called over an older man in a suit standing nearby.

"Secretary Choi."

"Yes, Chairman."

Secretary Choi held out a cloth-draped case. Atop the cloth, a meticulously maintained sword radiated killing intent, flaunting its presence.

"I heard you use a blade, so I prepared one."

"This is no ordinary sword."

"It's a restoration — by special means — of a hwando once used by Kim Yu-shin. One of my treasures. I'll lend it to you."

"Ah, Kim Yu-shin. The Sea King. I know him well."

"…The Sea King… You mean Jang Bogo, the Maritime King?"

"Ah — I'm weak on history. I mixed them up."

I pretended not to notice Ha Heon-shin's dubious expression and closed my hand around the hilt. A cool sensation ran up my arm and into my head.

A fine blade.

Still, it fell short of Hwaryeonbido. If you asked me what was lacking, I'd have a hard time putting it into words. It might simply have been that my hand had grown used to Hwaryeonbido.

Should I pull Hwaryeonbido out now? …Too many eyes. Better to keep it hidden.

I gave the sword a few cuts through empty air. Not bad. When I stirred my mana, blue sword-ki condensed along the edge. A touch of Yeongcheon-gigong on top of that, and current began to run over the blade-ki.

"Sword-ki of the Yeongcheon Style. I knew you were of that school, but seeing it in person is a different feeling entirely."

"You know the Yeongcheon Style?"

"I had a slight connection with the previous generation's master."

Ha Heon-shin drifted into memory, then shook his head.

"Dusty old recollections — not worth telling you. Do you need more time to prepare?"

"This is fine. Chairman, will you not be using a weapon?"

"My body is the weapon."

I looked at the uniform he wore. Nothing special about the white fabric. A plain martial arts uniform. No ornaments of any kind. In other words, Ha Heon-shin stood there bare — no weapon, no armor.

I knew he was S-Class, but at this point even I felt my pride take a hit.

"Before we begin, I'd like something made clear. If I inflict a serious injury on you, Chairman — what happens? If an accident were to occur and you died…"

Hostility poured in from every direction. The company presidents' malice was nothing. The real thing came from straight ahead — the presence rolling off Ha Heon-shin. Several times denser than what I'd felt in the study, it pressed down on me.

Then the man whose face had gone rigid let out a short laugh. The pressure vanished.

"You're rather insolent."

"…I've offended you. I apologize."

"No need. It's been ten years since anyone said something like that to my face. Exciting, really."

Ha Heon-shin stepped back, opening distance between us. His eyes sharpened. The presence he'd reined in spilled out through his gaze.

"If you can kill me, try. Even if I die in this spar, I will hold you to no responsibility whatsoever."

"…"

"I despise men who are all talk."

A chill ran down my spine as I tightened my grip on the hilt.

S-Class spar or not — being tested by someone always leaves a foul taste in my mouth.

I drew up fighting spirit along with my mana.

Consequences can wait. If the opening comes, I kill the old man on the spot.

Ha Heon-shin felt my murderous intent and smiled as if amused. The smile vanished in an instant.

"Begin."

The moment the word left his mouth, I closed the distance with Acceleration and Charna. Ha Heon-shin's only reaction was to move his eyes. I clenched my teeth. My absolute top speed, by my own standards, meant nothing to him.

Above Ha Heon-shin's body, the form of a bear with an eagle's head flickered into existence and vanished. An A-Class monster — the Eagle Bear.

I had never dreamed it would be stopped so easily. A faint hollowness settled in my chest.

"Is that the Chairman's ability — Monster Plunder?"

The power to steal a monster's traits. Ha Heon-shin's ability was famous.

"It is. Right now I've gained the Eagle Bear's physical capabilities on top of my own. Its strength and reaction speed are rather more formidable than you might imagine."

Crack.

Lightning answered my will.

Seal his mana with Binding Thunder and cut him down. No matter how S-Class he is, if he can't use mana— ghk!

Sensing something, Ha Heon-shin seized the sword and flung it upward. My body shot up and slammed into the ceiling, then fell. Ha Heon-shin was waiting for me to drop, an uppercut already loaded.

It did no damage. He backstepped an instant before the lightning struck and slipped the attack clean. Not a single scorch mark touched ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his white uniform.

I landed and let out a breath.

I expected him to be strong… but not this strong.

I thought of Han Ayeong and set them side by side. If the newly minted S-Class Han Ayeong fought Ha Heon-shin…

Nine times out of ten, Ha Heon-shin wins. Gaps exist even among A-Class. The same is true of S-Class.

Before the spar began, I'd vaguely thought I might have a one-percent chance of winning. Facing him directly, I knew even a tenth of a percent was generous.

That doesn't mean I quit.

Above Ha Heon-shin's body, the form of a white wolf rose. Golden eyes, a horn set in its brow. An S-Rank monster — the Lycross. And the Lycross's trait was lightning.

…This damn old man.

Lightning flew from Ha Heon-shin. Not ordinary lightning — mana-charged lightning. Lightning I couldn't simply ignore.

Cut it down.

I swung the sword into the bolt. The lightning clung to the blade and tried to electrocute me.

The way he uses lightning is crude. This isn't a technique Ha Heon-shin normally relies on. He's using it on purpose to toy with me.

The will inside the lightning was weak. Weak enough to steal. I ignored the pain of the shock and swung again. The deflected bolt flew back toward Ha Heon-shin.

"Oh-ho."

Ha Heon-shin let out a murmur of appreciation and reached out a hand. No intention of dodging. He meant to bat my returned lightning right back. I'd predicted that arrogance. He had earned the right to it.

And then the lightning exploded.

KRA-KOOM!

I mixed the essence of Explosive Thunder into the return. Unlike the other Extreme Techniques, this one has an unusually good affinity with that method — probably the lightning attribute at work.

"Ahem. Took a hit there."

The brief blast faded, and Ha Heon-shin coughed lightly. His white uniform was scorched — but his skin bore not a single wound.

…That's a bit of a shock.

I steadied my fraying focus. Opportunity remained. Ha Heon-shin's purpose was to confirm my talent. The spar would last at least three minutes.

I kicked off the ground and charged him.

Three minutes passed.

"You've got grit, I'll give you that."

Ha Heon-shin spoke. It was not praise. What filled his eyes was boredom and disappointment. I had not cleared his bar.

I put distance between us, breathing hard. I was soaked in sweat; Ha Heon-shin's breathing was still as a pond.

"Let's wrap this up and have dinner."

Ha Heon-shin clenched a fist and drove power into his legs, stamping a true step into the floor. The shock of that force became wind and swept the training hall once through.

Ordinarily, I would have quit right there. I didn't care how Ha Heon-shin rated me. Even if he thought highly of me, there was nothing in it for me.

But…

From a safe place, Ha Seung-hee was watching me in silence.

I did promise Seung-hee I'd show her the old man's surprised face.

I gripped the hilt with both hands and hauled up my mana. Every last scrap of it, wrung from every corner of my body. Aftereffects? When had I ever cared about that. If it came to it, I'd use Complete Recovery.

Next, I raised my concentration. Not on Ha Heon-shin — on the sword in my hands. He understood this was the final blow and waited for it.

Heavenly Mind.

My will refined the mana. The mana became sword-ki. The sword-ki became lightning and soaked into the blade.

Concentration, already heightened by combat, crossed its limit and drew me into a realm I still could not understand.

Was the sword me?

Was the lightning me?

I didn't know.

But the existence I had to cut — that alone stood out with perfect clarity.

I saw the shock on his face. Above his body, the form of a dark-crimson rock monster flashed. For the first time, Ha Heon-shin raised both hands into a guard.

I cut through him and past.

I locked strength into my reeling legs and stopped myself from falling. I had no interest in collapsing in an ugly heap.

Behind me, the sound of liquid dripping. Ha Heon-shin's blood.

I turned, tasting the residual sensation of the cut still lingering in my fingertips. Ha Heon-shin stood with both arms slashed open, staring at me in astonishment. The damage was not fatal.

"Remarkable. To think you'd pierce even the defense of the Crimson Rock Tortoise…"