Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Yeongcheon Style
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I jumped right up from my seat. My body felt heavy as lead, but the surging joy wouldn't let me stay still.
"Kuh..."
Ignoring the screaming muscles, I swung my sword.
The basic forms of Yeongcheon Style flowed one after another. Just moments ago, I'd been stumbling through the transitions, but now it was completely different. My stance flowed as smoothly as water.
Moreover, the sword tip grazed the wall without slicing into it, brushing past by a hair's breadth. Unlike before, I could perfectly gauge and control the sword's length with flawless skill.
'This is it!'
I suddenly understood why I'd failed at the basics until now and why Jin Se-young had said I needed talent.
Yeongcheon Style's movements required adding or releasing power as they continued. In other words, minute adjustments of force were needed in the brief instant of each swing.
'The timing for releasing and applying power is key. This isn't something you can teach.'
It was pure talent, in the realm of instinct.
'This is fun!'
I swung the sword until I was exhausted. Being able to suddenly handle Yeongcheon Style, which I'd failed at completely before, had me exhilarated.
Lying back down, I looked at the Yeongcheon Style trait on the screen. Its simple description belied its tremendous effect.
'This is just level 1? What happens at higher levels?'
Level 2 required 3 points.
My hand was already moving.
'Something... something's entering my head.'
My body shuddered. What flooded in was knowledge about Yeongcheon Style.
I now knew how to use it efficiently in various situations. Or rather than "knew," it felt more like it was etched into my body.
'Level 2 is this good? What about higher levels?'
Level 3 cost 5 points, level 4 cost 10. It matched exactly what I had left.
Level 5 required a whopping 30 points. I couldn't even imagine how many for level 6.
'Heh heh. Tomorrow, when Jin Se-young sees my skills, she'll be shocked. She might even grab my legs and beg me not to leave.'
I was really looking forward to seeing how Jin Se-young would react tomorrow.
"Noona. Spar with me."
I said to Jin Se-young as soon as I arrived at the Yeongcheon Sword Hall.
"Spar?"
Jin Se-young looked surprised.
Until now, I'd never asked her for a spar first. Her Spartan training made no exceptions for spars either. Getting hit and swelling up somewhere was routine.
"I had a breakthrough yesterday. I'm a bit different from before."
"A breakthrough? Got it."
Jin Se-young didn't seem to expect much as she spoke.
We took some distance from each other and pointed our wooden swords.
Jin Se-young was a B-rank Hunter. Even if I hit her full force, it'd be like a child's punch. So I could go all out without worrying about the aftermath.
"Huh?!"
Jin Se-young was startled by my movements.
And rightly so—my movements now were completely different from yesterday. If yesterday's me was a larva, today's me was a butterfly.
Stepping into the footwork hidden within Yeongcheon Style's basic forms, I closed in on her blind spot and swung my wooden sword.
Thwack!
As expected, she blocked it.
But I didn't stop. Yeongcheon Style's features were fast speed and attacks from blind spots. Maintaining attack momentum with that speed suited me.
"Ugh...!"
Even the old her could have blocked casually, but now she was backpedaling while defending.
Jin Se-young's eyes grew more serious. She was now fully engaged in the spar.
Yeongcheon Style versus Yeongcheon Style.
It was a battle of concentration. Whoever lost focus first or couldn't keep up with the speed...
The moment you lost sight of your opponent's sword, the match was decided.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Wooden swords clashed. We darted around the wide training hall. Aiming for blind spots naturally led to more movement.
Physical stats favored her. But in Yeongcheon Style basics, I had a slight edge. She'd learned the minimum basics as a kid before advancing.
But she soon seized the initiative.
My stamina hit its limit. The moment I lost sight of her wooden sword, it slammed into my left shoulder.
Thud!
"Kuh!"
"Ah...?!"
As I clutched my shoulder and fell, Jin Se-young panicked. She dropped her wooden sword and rushed over, reaching out.
'Kuhuhu. Gotcha. Arousal Surge.'
Arousal Surge
Vitality continuously consumed.
Jin Se-young's body twitched, but she couldn't pull her hand away from my shoulder. She gently stroked my reddened shoulder with her palm.
"S-Sorry... I got too into it without realizing. The injury's fine. It'll swell a bit, but no bruising. D-Does it hurt a lot?"
"It hurts. But it's getting better with you rubbing it. Sorry, but keep going a bit longer."
"Really? But wouldn't ice be better?"
"I hate cold stuff. Rub it with your palm."
"O-Okay."
She nodded reluctantly as I acted spoiled.
If it were yesterday, she wouldn't have listened so obediently. Today, I'd proven my talent to her, raising my own value.
'Now the positions are reversed. She needs to hold onto me, not kick me out of Yeongcheon Sword Hall.'
A Yeongcheon Style genius.
I felt it myself—how must she feel?
'Tsk. Noona still smells amazing. Her sweat is pure pheromones. Pheromones.'
I wanted to hug her right then and bury my nose in her nape.
Stroke. Stroke. Rub.
With each stroke on my shoulder, Jin Se-young's breaths grew slowly hotter.
"Noona. That's enough."
"R-Really? Should I rub a bit more? No. How about a pain relief patch?"
"I'm fine. I'm a Hunter too, you know."
I couldn't stand up right away. My crotch was slightly erect, so I needed a moment.
"Ah. I guess I can only come here for two more weeks now. It was nice while it lasted."
"W-Wait! What do you mean? Only two weeks?!"
"You said it yesterday, noona. That I have no talent."
"T-That was my mistake! You're a Yeongcheon Style genius! So keep coming, okay? You can use the private training room for free forever!"
Jin Se-young grabbed my arm desperately.
I chuckled inwardly but kept a straight face, feigning a slightly dumbstruck expression.
Now it was clear who was the boss and who was the underling.
"Maybe. But I'm getting busier, so coming every day like now might be tough."
"Why suddenly?"
"I'm a college student originally, noona. I have to study, and to raise my Hunter rank, I need to hunt steadily in dungeons."
To raise rank, you needed two things: skill and achievements. Lacking either meant no promotion.
"Yu-jin. You've only mastered Yeongcheon Style basics. To truly master it, you need to start practical combat training now."
"I'm not quitting. Just... might slack a bit. And lately, something..."
I trailed off, glancing at her. Blue leggings and pink tank top. Her body was always mesmerizing.
"Never mind. I want to train alone today. That's okay, right?"
"Sure. But wouldn't it be better with me beside you?"
"Sometimes solo training feels better. I had my breakthrough yesterday practicing alone at home."
"Breakthrough, huh..."
"Hard to put into words, but it just came to me. That's why my skills improved today."
I deliberately put some distance between us.
Thinking about it, I'd been dragged around by her too much until now. As her student, it was inevitable. But now was different.
With Arousal Surge heating her body and her eyes confirming my talent, her heart would heat up too.
I entered my private training room, closed the door, and stripped completely naked, down to my underwear. Then I stood before the mirror wall.
"Damn. Killer body."
The past week of intense training had toned my body with lean muscle. Just two more months at Yeongcheon Sword Hall, and I'd look like those ripped guys on the internet.
"And the dick's still impressive."
My large, dangling cock was my pride. Even soft, it was thick as a carrot.
"Time for serious practice."
I gripped the wooden sword naked and executed Yeongcheon Style basics.
The sense of liberation from nudity—I was getting addicted to it.
"What if Yu-jin quits? I've been too cold to him..."
Jin Se-young paced the training hall anxiously. Her mind was filled with worries about Sung Yu-jin quitting.
He said he wasn't quitting, but the vibe suggested he'd stop in a few days.
"Aah... My fault. Why did I say that yesterday...!"
If she'd known he'd explode with potential today, she'd have been kinder.
'Normal talent wouldn't make me this anxious...!'
If it were just enough to learn Yeongcheon Style, she'd be fine with him quitting. No drive meant no results anyway.
'Yu-jin's talent is off the charts. Even in basics, he's slightly better than me.'
His sudden change in one day was odd, but Hunter life was full of absurdities, so she accepted it quickly.
And above all...
"A breakthrough..."
Jin Se-young knew about breakthroughs. Her father and grandfather always emphasized them.
"Isn't there... some way to hold onto Yu-jin?"
If free private room wasn't enough, she could waive fees entirely. The building was her father's, so no fees wouldn't hurt maintenance.
'But that'd make Yeongcheon Sword Hall look cheap.'
As a B-rank Hunter, she understood Hunter psychology.
Hunters didn't like freebies. Earning big, they chased luxury. Free made them doubt quality.
'He's low-rank now, so free appeals, but at D-rank, he'd avoid it.'
She imagined Sung Yu-jin ditching Yeongcheon Style for another Hunter academy.
With his talent, any academy would welcome him. He'd rise fast, gain fame, and his old academy would get attention.
'Ugh.'
Just imagining it sucked.
She racked her brain desperately, but no ideas came.
'Can't help it. First, talk and find out what he wants...'
As she opened Sung Yu-jin's private training room door, she froze. Forgetting to knock since no long-term guests lately.
She started to close it to knock, but through the crack, she saw Sung Yu-jin practicing Yeongcheon Style.
'Aah?!'
Shocked, Jin Se-young nearly screamed. Sung Yu-jin was practicing basics stark naked.
His body, newly muscled from training, looked great, and between his legs dangled a massive cock.
Even soft and limp, it was bigger than her ex from three years ago.