Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: E-rank Hunter
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"Congrats on becoming an E-rank hunter."
Jin Se-young greeted me with a smile as I entered the Youngcheon Sword Hall.
Her black ponytail swayed, and her leggings hugged her body tightly. Jin Se-young always wore leggings.
Yesterday, I had become an E-rank hunter.
The E-rank promotion exam was a breeze. I just had to hunt in an F-rank dungeon with an association staff member. After checking my skills, they passed me in under an hour.
"Thanks, noona."
I replied to Jin Se-young and stepped closer. I naturally reached out, wrapping my arm around her waist. She melted into my embrace as if she'd been waiting, pressing her lips to mine. Our tongues intertwined, exchanging saliva.
My hands naturally drifted toward her ass and chest.
Jin Se-young pulled back a step, creating some distance.
"Mm... Not today. Remember what I said on the phone earlier?"
"That's a shame. Sex should be an everyday thing."
A moment later, Jin Se-young and I faced each other, swords drawn.
It was our usual sparring session. Normally, we'd do it completely naked, without a stitch of clothing, but today we were properly dressed.
I glanced over.
A burly man in his early forties stood at the center of the training hall, arms crossed, watching us. He had tanned skin and wore hiking clothes, with an eyepatch over his left eye.
Jin Woo-sung.
The master of the Youngcheon Sword Hall and Jin Se-young's father.
From what Jin Se-young had told me, he was an executive in the Jaun Guild and an A-rank hunter nicknamed the Venomous Beast.
I'd known about him for a while, but this was our first meeting. He probably knew about me too.
Last time, when I sold gold bars to Branch Manager Hwang Min-jun, I'd indirectly received his help.
"Begin."
Surprisingly, his gruff appearance belied a gentle voice.
Youngcheon-style Practical Technique: Flying Tiger.
I charged straight at him with full power.
I didn't feel any danger. Even at full strength, Jin Se-young was untouchable for me right now. I'd never once beaten her in a spar.
Jin Se-young easily parried my sword.
She was a B-rank hunter. A fresh E-rank like me couldn't match her physically.
But Jin Se-young always sparred at my level.
'This time, I'll go for her back.'
I circled behind her with footwork. She could have blocked me but let me do it on purpose.
But thrusting here would get blocked effortlessly. Her sword came stabbing toward me.
'That's Shadow Serpent. Gotta dodge.'
Blocking with my sword would just make it bend like a snake. I retreated without hesitation.
Since we both knew the Youngcheon-style Practical Techniques, we couldn't fully utilize the hidden aspects.
'She's extra intense today. Because of the master, maybe.'
As the spar dragged on, I started tiring. Jin Se-young looked fine. It was a familiar situation for me.
'An opening.'
I spotted a gap in Jin Se-young's stance. Of course, it was deliberate.
'The question is whether it's valid or not.'
The openings Jin Se-young showed fell into two categories.
Valid or invalid.
A valid one meant she wouldn't properly defend if I struck it. An invalid one was a trap. She always forced this choice in spars. It was training to properly read an opponent's gaps.
'...Damn. I'm too tired to judge right.'
A person's judgment clouds when body or mind is exhausted. And that's when you have to be most careful.
'What Practical Techniques can counter from that stance? One Slash Wisdom? Void Night?'
Five techniques came to mind immediately.
I couldn't decide.
I gave up on exploiting the opening.
When judgment fails, abandon cleanly and wait for the next chance. One of the things I'd learned from Jin Se-young.
'Here it comes.'
Jin Se-young moved. As she closed in, she gripped her sword in reverse, hiding the blade behind her back. I clicked my tongue.
'Noona's trying to end it. Dawn Light.'
In decisive moments, she usually chose Dawn Light, the fastest strike. It was a habit. I prepared to block it.
'Can't block by watching the sword. Watch her shoulder and forearm movement...'
Jin Se-young's sword moved. I raised mine just in time. It wasn't Dawn Light.
Her blade slowly slid past mine. That's how it looked to me.
'Void Night.'
Her sword stopped just before my throat. I lowered my blade.
"I lost."
Jin Se-young lowered her sword and smiled brightly at my words.
"Good work. Smart call abandoning that opening earlier."
"......"
I looked at Jin Se-young with eyes full of heated desire. She gave a troubled smile and shook her head slightly.
Normally, we'd jump straight into sex after sparring. I'd vent the frustration of defeat using my cock. She always ended up writhing beneath me—it was the set order.
If not for her father being here.
"Good work. As you said, Se-young, Yu-jin's got real talent for the Youngcheon style."
Jin Woo-sung patted my shoulder lightly with a grin. I returned an awkward smile.
"Why don't you spar with him yourself, Dad?"
"You know I'm weak up close."
"You're A-rank."
"Daughter. What's my nickname?"
"......"
Jin Se-young shut her mouth.
Jin Woo-sung's nickname was Venomous Beast. A poisonous animal. It wasn't given lightly.
"But something's off."
Jin Woo-sung eyed me. His gaze sharpened. The kindly uncle look turned piercing.
"Pardon?"
I asked back. What was off? Reviewing my memory, I hadn't slipped up anywhere.
"Your skills. Youngcheon techniques are perfect. But everything else is lacking. Normally, no one excels solely in one area. It's impossible. Yet your Youngcheon style is undeniably top-tier."
I realized what he meant. He'd seen it. That I had nothing outside the Youngcheon style.
"Is that a problem?"
"Not necessarily. Your talent for Youngcheon is genuine. Just... swordsmanship is only swordsmanship."
"...I've heard that before."
"Oh? From who? Se-young's not at that level yet."
"Not a friend."
"I see?"
Baek Sang-gi.
Baek Sang-gi had said that to me.
I'd recently told Jin Se-young about Baek Sang-gi. Not in detail, but circuitously. And she'd said this to me:
Baek Sang-gi was the first wall I'd hit. The emotion I'd felt from him was frustration.
'No way. That guy's no wall for me.'
I rejected her words. With just D-rank hunter physicals, I could beat him easily.
"Anyway, Yu-jin, your Youngcheon style is imbalanced. We need to fix that."
"...Isn't Youngcheon style enough?"
"No."
Jin Woo-sung stated flatly.
"I told you. Swordsmanship is just swordsmanship. If you fight someone of equal skill... that imbalance guarantees your loss."
"Guarantees...?"
Jin Woo-sung was judging based solely on my Youngcheon style. He hadn't factored in Acceleration, Complete Recovery, or other skills. But his confident assertion hit hard.
"What should I do?"
"First time I've heard of a case like this, so I can't be sure... But I see three ways."
"Three ways? That's plenty."
I relaxed. Not a hopeless dead end.
"First: shelve Youngcheon style temporarily. Train as a general swordsman to build overall skill. Downside: takes a long time."
Abandon Youngcheon style now?
No way.
How many points had I invested?
"Second?"
"Real combat. Real combat. Most reliable method. Accumulate experience in battle, and the imbalance fades naturally. Downside: dangerous."
"I already dungeon regularly."
"Not enough. Need fights against equals at minimum. And ideally, not just monsters—people too."
"......"
I thought of the Playful Life app.
Among the creations I'd seen, some mimicked reality closely. I could gain safe combat experience there. Even if I died sloppily, my real self wouldn't.
"Third?"
"Mana awakening. Practical Techniques are just the start for Youngcheon style. Advanced Techniques are on another level. Mana boosts your prowess too."
My face didn't brighten.
Mana awakening isn't for everyone. Most hunters awaken naturally, but some never do.
'Professor Park said it: 20% of D-ranks retire without awakening.'
I knew myself well.
Talent for mana? No chance. If there was, the Potential Potion would have worked properly last time.
'But too early to quit. I've got Playful Life. Some creation might have the answer.'
Playful Life was the key, as always.
I relaxed my serious expression. My true power wasn't Youngcheon style—it was Playful Life. Youngcheon was just a byproduct.
"But what exactly are Advanced Techniques?"
"Huh? Se-young didn't teach you?"
"No."
I knew Advanced Techniques came after Practical ones, using mana. No details. Jin Se-young said I wasn't ready yet.
Jin Woo-sung looked at Jin Se-young.
"Too early for Yu-jin. What if knowing Advanced Techniques gives him false hopes? He'll awaken mana naturally anyway, so I planned to teach then."
"True, can't use them without mana awakening. But you should at least know what Youngcheon style entails. You're disqualified as an instructor, Se-young."
"What? You have zero interest in the Youngcheon Sword Hall yourself."
"Ahem."
Jin Woo-sung cleared his throat awkwardly. He owned the hall, but Jin Se-young had founded it. Without me, he probably wouldn't visit today.
At a loss for words, Jin Woo-sung turned to me sternly.
"If you awaken mana, you'll learn Shadow Heaven Energy Technique. It teaches how to wield mana suited to Youngcheon style. Once mastered... you'll choose one of two, based on your talent."
"Choose?"
"Yes. Thunderflash or Dark Shadow. No point explaining theory now—you can't grasp it without mana. Just know you'll reach that realm someday. Seeing is believing. Here, Se-young. Sword."
"Dad, please go easy. Don't break the walls or anything!"
"I'll try."
Jin Woo-sung took the sword.
"This is Thunderflash."
Bzzt!
White lightning coiled around his blade.
"Advanced Techniques are just Thunderflash and Dark Shadow. They upgrade the Practical Techniques."
Jin Woo-sung assumed Dawn Light stance.
"Thunderflash is speed. Se-young has talent for it."
He swung. A lightning slash flew, crashing into the wall with a boom. The wall crumbled, electricity writhing in the debris.
I gaped slightly.
I hadn't seen the swing at all. Just the lightning-wrapped slash.
'...Insane. That's mana power?'
The saying "C-rank and above are the real hunters" hit home.
"Dark Shadow is concealment. Rare talent among Youngcheon disciples."
Black, sticky shadow formed on the blade.
He swung again. The dark slash hit the wall without shattering it. It sliced clean through, flying upward until it vanished.
"Dark Shadow isn't used like that, though. Remember that."
"You broke the wall! I said go easy!"
Jin Se-young yelled. Jin Woo-sung grinned awkwardly and bolted outside.
"Se-young, Dad has an important appointment."
"What appointment all of a sudden?! Get back here!"
I ignored their father-daughter banter and stared at the crumbled and sliced walls.
'Mana. Mana. Mana. I need to awaken mana!'
Vrrr.
My happy delusions spun, imagining my future self.
-Hey, hey. Don't touch that woman if you wanna live.
-...Guess I have to draw my sword.
-Cry! Blazing Lotus Blade!
-Thunder Sever! Lightning... sliced!
-The ultimate Dark Shadow... is becoming the shadow myself!
"Grr...!"
An exclamation slipped out unwittingly.
I pulled out my smartphone.
Time to check mana-related creations. A few existed, but none would awaken my real self.
"...New ones at level 30. Gotta hope for those."