Give It Your All and Attack Me
Today was Lee Hye-ri's tutoring day. I headed to her gleaming mansion as usual.
Damn, it's impressive.
It was a sprawling, magnificent house that left me awestruck every time. No wonder she has no worries living here. Yeah, an S-rank hunter like her brother should pull in at least this much.
Ding dong!
I rang the doorbell.
-You're here.
Lee Hye-ri's curt voice crackled through the speaker.
"It's tutoring day. Open up."
-Hmph.
Her irritated grunt came through, and moments later, the door swung open. There she stood, arms crossed, glaring daggers at me.
"You actually showed up. I thought you'd forgotten all about me."
"What's with the attitude?"
Why was she so pissed?
"Why didn't you check?"
"Check what?"
"The texts! Texts! You gave me homework and didn't even bother checking!"
"Oh, did I forget to check?"
"Did you forget to cheeeeck? How can you even say that...?"
She stared at me like I was insane. From our few meetings, I'd noticed she had a feisty streak. Was it from hanging around her brother Lee Kang-san? Or just the bratty tone of someone spoiled rotten?
"I trusted you'd handle it yourself. You're Lee Kang-san's sister—the top tanker's little sis. No need to babysit; you'd get it done."
"Ugh!"
Pumping up her brother while praising her softened that fiery glare. Simple girl. Secretly weak to compliments. She craved validation, which was why she'd leaned so hard on Lee Kang-san.
"Or am I wrong? You wouldn't trick me or anything, right?"
"Y-yeah, but..."
She stammered, flustered, like she hadn't seen this coming.
"Let's check now, then."
I pulled up the texts she'd sent.
"Two successes, huh."
"Yeah. You didn't check, but I did it diligently. Proper successes too—no reply, no read receipts, nothing."
She jutted out her lower lip, face flushed with barely contained anger.
Surprisingly diligent. And those successes? Purely her own effort, no tricks.
"Good job."
I ruffled her sulky head.
"Didn't think you'd actually pull it off."
"...Ugh. D-don't do that."
She swatted my hand away.
"Not used to praise?"
"Th-that's not it!"
She bit her lip, cheeks reddening. Pretending otherwise, but she liked it.
"If it feels good, just say so. Gotta express yourself honestly sometimes."
"..."
This was just the start. To make her depend on me, not Lee Kang-san, it'd take time. Ignoring her texts? Intentional. Spoil her too much, and she'd take it for granted. I wanted genuine joy and gratitude from my praise.
Thorough conditioning. The more she grew leaning on my approval...
She'll depend on me even deeper. Maybe more than her brother.
"Anyway, did you drink the Merubasa bone dust properly?"
"Yeah."
"Lemme see your hands."
I gently took her wrist.
"Scars are gone. You drank it right."
"Couldn't go out because of these scars."
"Sorry. Had to mark you to ensure you drank it."
"I'd have done it without that."
"Yeah. More diligent than I thought."
"Ugh..."
I studied her for a moment.
"No punishment for homework today."
"R-really?"
"Yeah. My fault for not checking. And you succeeded through practice and patience—deserves a reward."
"The reward is just skipping punishment...?"
"What, not good enough?"
"No, it's fine. More than enough."
Her lips twitched upward at no punishment. Must've been a huge relief. Good sign. The more grueling the ordeal, the more she'd fear me—the punisher. That fear would amplify the joy of small rewards after.
Unlike Yoo Ara, who leveled up from spankings alone, Hye-ri needed a different tack. Expert authority. Justified discipline. Rewards post-punishment.
These would perfect her conditioning. Time to show my pro side.
"Let's start class. Theory first."
"Theory?"
"Yeah."
"No need. I know all about tanking and positioning."
"Oh? What's a tank to you, then?"
"Blocking enemy attacks up front."
Confidence lit her face.
"Protecting the party from monsters and villains. Standing at the forefront, tanking so allies can hit easy."
"Spot on. That's classic tank posture."
Her shoulders squared proudly.
"But you missed the core."
"What?"
"Drawing aggro. A tank's heart is pulling enemy focus."
"..."
"That's why evasion tanks count too. No need to eat hits—if you steal their gaze, you're tanking."
"Still want me as an evasion tank, huh."
"That's your path to tanking."
"If I dodge, the DPS behind me gets hit."
"Fight in separate lanes. No backline splash then."
She shut her mouth. She got it.
A tank who can't frontline? Half-assed.
"That's why evasion tanks can't main tank."
Fatal flaw. Fine vs. mobs or villains, but raid bosses? Useless. Couldn't shield the DPS from AoE.
"You said it yourself—evasion tanks can't main. I don't want half-assed..."
Not again with the sulk. Yeah, she wanted to be a rock-solid tank like Lee Kang-san.
Fat chance. Physically impossible. Talent-wise too.
But I'd make her one. A main evasion tank.
"What if there's a way for evasion tanks to main? Would you learn it?"
"There is?"
"Yeah. One method. My secret."
"..."
"Won't be easy. Off the beaten path—no academy teaches it. Might even clash with what they taught. Total restart."
That's why I'd gotten Cheonryu Swordsmanship from Geom-seong on purpose.
"Well? In?"
"It really works?"
"Yeah. I never lie to my students."
"If it really works... I can. No, I will. Gotta!"
"No matter how tough?"
"Yes."
"Good. Preview time."
I stood.
"Up. Theory's over."
Her eyes burned with resolve.
"Protections solid?"
"Yeah."
Lee Hye-ri nodded, tapping the walls and ceiling at Kim Siu's question.
"Can tank A-rank hunter hits."
"Sturdy. Good for training here."
"What're we doing?"
"I'll show you. How evasion tanks main."
"...For real?"
"Yeah. Give it your all—attack me."
"Attack? You? Me on my teacher?"
"Yeah."
Kim Siu's eyes rang true—no bullshit.
"You think I'm weak 'cause I'm D-class tank? I hold my own vs. A-ranks."
"I know. That's why I'm telling you to come at me."
"..."
Lee Hye-ri hadn't pegged her tutor as powerhouse material. No heavy mana vibe, no fame. Just the guy who'd whipped Yoo Ara into shape. Nothing more.
She followed him for his teaching chops.
"Don't cry if you get hurt."
"Quit yapping. Come on."
He beckoned. Felt bad hitting an unarmed guy, but whatever—he asked for it, his responsibility.
"Fine. Full power."
"Do it."
Huuu.
She steadied her breath, focusing. Tank now, but elite DPS before. Her strikes rivaled pros. She'd raided B-dungeons with Lee Kang-san plenty.
She had skills.
Focus set, she thrust her spear. Monster-heart-piercer. If he couldn't block, she'd curve mid-thrust.
As she stabbed, she saw it—Kim Siu smirking.
His hand slapped her spear's side. Trajectory warped.
"Huh?"
Bang!
Spear rocketed skyward, smashing the ceiling wards with a deafening crack.
It betrayed her will, all from one flick.
Possible?
"How's that?"
He grinned.
"A-again."
"Same result."
"I was careless."
"Fine. Again."
She recovered, swung horizontal. Feint—counter with thrust if blocked. Advanced technique from France's spear master Charles, anti-villain/monster.
Can't block this.
Full sincerity. Pride-staking strike.
But.
Bang!
Spear slammed floor. A few flicks again.
"Infuse mana."
"For real?"
"Yeah."
She gritted teeth. Mana meant hunter-killing potential.
"N-no responsibility if bad."
"Don't worry. Non-active skills, I can handle."
"Ugh..."
She swung again, mana-loaded.
Boom!
Another miss.
"..."
All slid off his hands. Like caught in a gale, her attacks fizzled.
"That's how evasion tanks main. If dodging threatens backline, redirect the flow."
True. Un-dodgeable? Redirect.
But if doable, evasion wouldn't be niche. Easy in theory, impossible in practice.
"H-how?"
Her eyes sparkled, staring at her miracle-working teacher.
Cheonryu Swordsmanship. Applied.
"Cheonryu Swordsmanship? Geom-seong's style?"
"Yeah."
For the first time, Kim Siu looked cool to her. Not just some perv—a real teacher.