This Is My One Move
The news that Cheon Yooshin and Baek Woohyun were going to spar spread like wildfire among the staff waiting at the Hunter Management Department headquarters.
"Is it true? Captain Baek and Hunter Cheon Yooshin are really going at it?"
"Eh, it’s not a real fight. I heard Hunter Cheon Yooshin is just going to give him a little lesson."
"No way. Is Cheon Yooshin really that strong?"
"Isn't it obvious? Just look at the media reports. Whoa! It’s no joke."
The staff stopped what they were doing and began to gather in the training room one by one, filled with anticipation. The section chiefs were no different. While they maintained solemn expressions, a hint of excitement flickered on their faces at the prospect of the sparring match—or rather, the one-sided demonstration—that was about to unfold. Furthermore, over a dozen cameras were trained on them. They had been installed in the hopes that the hunters belonging to the Hunter Management Department would study the footage and grow stronger.
Park Haesu personally escorted Lee Eunsoo, the Chief of the Hunter Strategy Division, to the training room.
"Hunter Cheon Yooshin and Hunter Baek Woohyun will be sparring shortly, Chief."
"Ho-ho, thanks to Team Leader Park Haesu, I get to see a very interesting spectacle."
Chief Lee Eunsoo sat in his seat, his eyes gleaming.
"It’s a truly rare sparring match. Hunter Baek Woohyun is on the verge of a B-rank promotion, and Hunter Cheon Yooshin is..."
"I know, I know. Do you think there’s a single citizen who doesn't know about Hunter Cheon Yooshin’s exploits? Who do you think will win?"
At that question, the staff watching Cheon Yooshin around the Chief held their breath. After all, everyone knew that Team Leader Park Haesu was the person who knew Cheon Yooshin best.
"Probably..." Park Haesu hesitated.
"Ahem, come on, tell me." Just as Chief Lee Eunsoo urged him and Park Haesu was about to open his mouth, as if he had no choice—
KWA-A-A-A-ANG!
A shockwave echoed throughout the room. At the same time, everyone’s gaze turned toward Cheon Yooshin and Baek Woohyun.
Baek Woohyun stared at his sword with trembling eyes. The blade was vibrating violently. It wasn't a clash of steel against steel; it was a clash of steel against a fist. If a blade and a fist collided, common sense dictated that the fist should be the one to shatter.
'W-what is this...'
While Baek Woohyun stood dazed by the surreal turn of events, a shout jolted him back to reality.
"C-Captain!"
'Huh?'
Just as he was about to turn toward the voice calling him—
PU-EOK!
"Gah!"
An indescribable pain, as if his stomach had been pierced through, surged from his abdomen and spread throughout his entire body.
"Didn't you say it was fine even if it hurt enough to die?"
Yooshin let go of his hand and smirked. Baek Woohyun endured the immense agony, barely managing to straighten his hunched, shrimp-like back.
"Ho?"
Yooshin’s eyes twinkled as if he were surprised. 'It must hurt quite a bit, right?' It wasn't a full-power strike, but it wasn't the kind of blow one could just shrug off.
"H-how..." Baek Woohyun couldn't understand the situation.
"'How,' what?" Yooshin tilted his head as if it were nothing.
"Did you think I’d get hit by that swordplay, which looks like you're just cutting down a stationary scarecrow?"
Baek Woohyun bristled at Yooshin’s words, which belittled his swordsmanship as mere 'swordplay.'
"T-that... I’ve killed countless monsters, and while others were playing and drinking, I trained and trained again. You call that swordsmanship 'swordplay'?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You still can't read the room. Your sword has no technique. None at all. Someone who’s practiced kendo their whole life could probably follow your moves in no time."
"That’s ridiculous! I’m a C-rank hunt..."
"A C-rank hunter? What does that matter? Is the rank others hand out to you that important? I’m E-rank, so how does it feel to get hit in the gut by a mere E-rank?"
Baek Woohyun’s forehead tightened. But he had nothing to say. Cheon Yooshin’s words were right, every single one of them.
"B-but..."
"'But,' what? Don't act like you're something special just because you got lucky and awakened as a hunter. It’s disgusting."
Baek Woohyun’s mouth snapped shut. But Yooshin’s mouth continued to move, still biting.
"And the word 'enough to die' isn't a word someone like you can use."
Yooshin’s eyes began to sink.
"I’ll let you experience it for a moment. Just how hard it is to endure pain that makes you want to die."
At that moment, Yooshin’s body vanished.
'W-what!'
Having lost track of Yooshin’s movement, Baek Woohyun whipped his head left and right. But he couldn't find him.
'W-where are you!?'
Just then, Joo Jowoon shouted from behind.
"Captain, above! Above!"
As he hurriedly tilted his head up, Yooshin’s knee loomed large. The moment he realized it, Yooshin’s knee slammed into the bridge of Baek Woohyun’s nose.
"Kuh!"
Feeling his nose break, he collapsed backward. No, just before he hit the ground, Yooshin grabbed him. Yooshin’s fists, which seemed to have multiplied into dozens, began to embed themselves into Baek Woohyun’s entire body.
PU-PU-PU-PU-PU-PU-PU-PU-PU-EOK!
The sound began to fill the room like a drum solo. Seeing that, the hunters and staff watching muttered in a daze.
"Whoa. Is that even possible?"
"I’ve lived a long time, but I never thought I’d see Captain Baek Woohyun getting beaten like a dog."
"That clean-cut Captain is soaked in blood right now."
"Wow, I didn't know an elbow could bend at that angle."
"Is he an Asura? How can his fists stretch like that? Is it a skill?"
"But isn't it amazing? Even in that situation, he absolutely refuses to fall. The Captain, I mean."
"As expected of our God-Captain!"
People marveled quietly at his indomitable spirit, refusing to fall even while being beaten. However—
'T-this guy, what on earth is he?'
He really felt like he was going to die. The pain, as if he would head to the afterlife if he took even one more hit, was assaulting Baek Woohyun’s entire body. If he could just collapse to the floor, he felt like he would be liberated from this agony. But the fists, which seemed to be swung randomly, were thoroughly marking him to prevent him from even falling. It was impossible to dodge. Just when he thought he had dodged, he was being hit somewhere else.
'Is this what pain enough to die feels like?'
How long had he been beaten? Baek Woohyun’s handsome face was bruised and swollen to the point where its shape was unrecognizable, and the clothes he wore were soaked in his own blood. Now, even his mind was fading. He thought he would rather be dead. The surrounding objects now looked blurred. That was when it happened.
For some reason, Cheon Yooshin’s mutter was heard clearly in Baek Woohyun’s ears, even though all his other senses had dulled.
"This is my one move."
'W-what did you say?'
KWA-A-A-A-ANG!
Along with a flash of light, Baek Woohyun lost consciousness.
#
"This is my one move."
No sooner had Yooshin’s mouth opened than everyone watching rubbed their eyes as if they had seen an illusion. But the illusion did not disappear.
"W-what is that again?"
"I-I don't know. Is it a new skill?"
Everyone’s gaze focused on one spot. To be precise, behind Cheon Yooshin’s back. A dark, massive shadow of fire was rippling and burning behind him. People felt a sense of alienation and chills just by looking at it. But that wasn't the end. Something dark and rippling around Yooshin’s fist shot toward Baek Woohyun at high speed. The moment the fist was about to touch his body, Baek Woohyun’s body slumped to the floor. And the dark, rippling something that had extended from Yooshin’s fist lost its target and collided with the wall.
KWA-A-A-A-ANG!
As if it had been hit by a bomb, one side of the wall collapsed entirely. Dust rose from between the debris that had fallen inside the building.
"H-holy..."
"Does that make sense with just a punch?"
"Wow... Captain is still alive, right?"
Everyone gasped at the spectacle created by a human fist. On the other hand, the staff member in charge of the headquarters looked like he was about to cry.
"Ah, I’m screwed. We don't even have the budget."
At this level of damage, it would require major repairs. Since they hadn't secured a reserve fund for major repairs, the staff member’s vision went dark at the thought of being grilled by the National Assembly members during the next supplementary budget request.
However, the gaze of Cheon Yooshin, the protagonist of all this commotion, remained indifferent. He looked at Baek Woohyun, who had fainted on the floor, and muttered.
"You’re lucky."
No sooner had Yooshin finished speaking than Baek Woohyun’s entire body trembled faintly.
#
KU-DANG-TANG!
Without realizing it, he kicked his chair and stood up. Chief Lee Eunsoo’s eyes were trembling violently.
"A-amazing. Is that hunter really E-rank?"
"On paper, yes."
Chief Lee Eunsoo laughed as if it were absurd, then straightened his face.
"How much is his salary?"
"100 million won."
"You caught that guy for only that amount?"
"...Actually, I’m not sure myself. The MNL Guild offered better conditions."
"The MNL Guild?"
"There was a guild that moved faster than us."
Chief Lee Eunsoo let out a short sigh and sat back down in his chair. Yet, his gaze never left Cheon Yooshin.
"It’s fortunate, at least. He joined us, regardless."
"It really is fortunate. Thanks to Hunter Cheon Yooshin, our department will be able to spread its wings wide and soar into the sky again."
At Park Haesu’s words, Chief Lee Eunsoo became serious.
"Don't think of him as a fish already caught, and don't let your guard down. Have you forgotten? Most of the hunters who used to be with us moved to private guilds."
"..."
"Increase the budget for the next supplementary session. I’ll persuade the Minister."
"Are you doing this because of Hunter Cheon Yooshin’s salary?"
"Yes. Don't you think 100 million won is too little to keep that hunter?"
"But there’s the issue of equity..."
At the word 'equity,' Chief Lee Eunsoo chuckled.
"Look. Look at the people watching that hunter."
Park Haesu turned his gaze toward the staff. Hunters and staff alike were all staring with their mouths agape at Cheon Yooshin and the results he had created. Chief Lee Eunsoo’s eyes, staring at Cheon Yooshin, deepened.
"There is only one person. Is there anyone else in our department capable of that? No, how many hunters in this country have that kind of impact? If we bind such a hunter with the word 'equity,' we might lose him again."
"...Then how much should we set the budget for?"
"Why is Team Leader Park Haesu like this today? We should set it at least at 2 billion won."
"2, 2 billion won?"
"I’m actually disappointed I can't give him more. In an era where athletes receive tens of billions in annual salaries, the fact that we can't pay him properly just because he’s a state employee."
However, 2 billion won was also a huge amount of money. The National Assembly members wouldn't just sit by... As if understanding Park Haesu’s inner thoughts, Chief Lee Eunsoo opened his mouth.
"Just increase the budget; I’ll be the one to persuade the Minister."
Park Haesu, who was about to say something, had no choice but to close his mouth. It was because of Chief Lee Eunsoo’s eyes, filled with a passion he hadn't seen in a very long time. Suddenly, Baek Woohyun, who was fainted on the cold floor, caught his eye.
"By the way, Captain Baek Woohyun seems to have taken quite a shock."
"It couldn't be helped. I just hope this serves as a catalyst for Captain Baek to grow."
"I really hope so."
A low sigh escaped Park Haesu’s lips.
'I hope he recovers well.'