Summer Comprehensive Training (6) Instructor Sonya
Instructor Sonya. Even in the original story, she was Yujin's and my assigned instructor—a heroine infamous for her brutally high conquest difficulty. The reason was dead simple. She was ridiculously strong. If she'd been just a little more proactive, people would've said humanity's Five Heroes could've been six. She was already so powerful that she had no need to get tamed by Yujin just to supplement her strength. She was too strong for tactics like rape to ever work. Approach her thinking, "She's an early-game heroine, so it'll work out somehow~" and you'd bleed out spectacularly. If your levels didn't match, you might not even catch a glimpse of her naked by the true ending. That's Sonya for you.
And right now, I was facing off against that very Sonya instructor, sword to sword. What the hell was going on? Even if I'd imagined a day like this coming someday, I'd figured it was at least one or two years away.
"Let me explain the rules one more time. Simply put, you can do anything. Unique Ability activation? Fine. Unlimited use of all Three Core Laws? Go for it. On my end—no Unique Ability, no Sense Qi, no Emit Qi. I can only use Gather Qi. Land even one solid hit on me, and it's an A-grade for sure. Fail, and it's a B. Simple, right?"
Sonya twirled her massive greatsword—which looked like a butcher's cleaver stretched to absurd length—like it was a feather, explaining all the while. It was so straightforward there wasn't even room for argument. But outside those rules, there were a million things to nitpick.
"Why am I taking this exam all by myself in the first place? That's weird, isn't it?"
"Didn't I tell you? You're on a different level from the other freshmen. Putting you through the same test would be pointless—no training value. For example, even a Harvester would've gone down without a hitch for you. Right?"
Well, yeah, obviously. Honestly, I'd only worried about Yujin back then. I wasn't exactly complaining about a separate exam. I didn't have a hobby of slaughtering civilians, and yeah, I admit the special treatment gave my ego a little boost. But still, the test itself made no sense. Where was the principle of proportionality? I could use every trick in the book, while the instructor was restricted to the bare minimum Gather Qi for safety—no other qi manipulation allowed. Against a regular hero, even I'd think I had a shot. But the problem was, the opponent was Sonya. Our levels were worlds apart—what could I do? Even blindfolded, she'd probably crush me.
"It was one of the Five Heroes, Sir Fernando's idea. He said this would draw out your potential to the max."
"Wait, how does he know anything about me to suggest that?"
"Who knows? Guess your performance at the Fluid Gate stuck with him."
Sonya let her arm holding the butcher-knife greatsword drop, tilting her chin up. "And this isn't an impossible game by any means. I think you've got a real shot."
"...You're joking, right? Like, y'know, to pump up your favorite student with some encouragement."
"No."
As if no more words were needed, tension rippled through Sonya's forearm. The starting signal hadn't dropped yet. I exhaled a breath like ice, lifting my head.
If Yujin's performance had been an unexpected underdog's hilarious rebellion, what I was about to show was a promising star's off-the-charts battle. The heroes who'd come just to check on the freshmen would leave with their dopamine tanks full. I could feel their expectant gazes prickling my skin. Yujin the nobody had put on such a fiery show—how much more impressive would Joo Hyowon, the academy-famous prodigy, be? I could sense the unwanted hype pouring in.
...Gotta live up to it, I guess.
"Huuuuh."
I steadied my stance. I didn't need to beat the instructor. Just land one hit, and done. No matter how superhuman her strength, without qi manipulation, her technique was barely above a normal person's. With all but Gather Qi sealed... at least I could land one hit, right?
Beep. An electronic chime signaling the countdown.
Beep. Despite the hair-trigger tension, Sonya stayed utterly relaxed. Full of openings.
Bam. My foot slammed down, burying the match-start tone. I'd somehow picked up this precise weight-shift from god-knows-where, channeling it into thrust. That thrust—my ace in the hole—bounced uselessly off the greatsword she'd raised out of nowhere. The focused kinetic energy should've at least wobbled the blade, but no—not a single nick. It showed just how insanely mastered her Gather Qi was.
Hmph, figured as much. No restrictions on her Gather Qi, after all. If it created such a perfect hierarchy, straight-up swordplay and textbook melee were off the table from the start.
Time for tricks, then. Unique Ability activation! I infused the qi coiling around my body with my Unique Ability and unleashed it. Simple this time: light!
"Oh."
Without Sense Qi, Sonya had to rely on her senses to predict attacks. Vision was at least 70% of that. Neutralize it with blinding light. And on top!
Thud! I split off a sliver of qi, firing it at the floor to mimic a footstep. Disrupt hearing too, and I'd buy a split-second delay. Then circle behind for the slash! Too late to block now!
"Not bad. But 'not bad' isn't good enough. You've got real talent—use it more effectively. Right?"
Blade catch. Index and middle fingers stopped my katana like it was a playing card. How many tons of grip strength does that take?! Then her back kick slammed into my gut. A sloppy, cow-swatting flail of a strike, posture all wrong. That garbage hit filled my mouth with bitter bile.
"Come on, again. You're not giving up already, are you?"
"......"
Give me a sec to think, jeez. Sure, my specs outclassed any freshman, but my brain was still a vanilla civilian's. Okay, think. No head-on clashes. My feint got read instantly. What could I do here?
...Kinda dirty, but maybe a loophole. Victory was just one solid hit, right? Unique Ability again. Not the flashbang light this time. I'm thinking laser weapon. No superhuman in this world could outpace light. Right!? Photon Laser. Convert qi to light or gather ambient photons, then fire as a laser. In the original, it was mid-tier power but a sure-hit skill. Time to recreate it here. Count this as a valid hit, Instructor!
"Hah!!"
I poured qi into the katana and unleashed it in a straight line. Short charge time meant meh power, but it'd be meaningful! Or so I thought—but by the time my Photon Laser fired, Sonya was gone.
"Eut!?"
"Beam attack. Not bad. But if I dodge before you even fire, it's no guaranteed hit. And once you know she handles light, laser attacks are top of the suspect list, yeah?"
The flat of her greatsword cracked my side. Clear contact. But that one brush blacked out my vision for a split second, then lit it back up.
Ah, should I forfeit?
"Not over yet, right? Show me another move."
※ The gap in skill was obvious. Sonya knew that better than anyone. 'No way I let a genius freshman land a hit that easily—ruins my rep.' But she wasn't holding back. If it were impossible, she wouldn't have bothered. She believed this girl's potential could bloom enough for at least one hit right now.
She'd said one hit for A-grade, none for B—but grades meant nothing to Joo Hyowon anyway. Her skill already outshone any A-grader; a B wouldn't change that. The grade talk was just bait to motivate her.
'Come at me, Joo Hyowon. This isn't the end of your talent.'
As if answering Sonya's inner voice, Hyowon reset her stance. The fire in her eyes hadn't dimmed. Even against a clear skill gap, her will to fight burned on.
'That's it.' Even as a cadet aiming for hero, retreat or evasion were options against overwhelming foes. But losing all will to fight? Unacceptable. In that sense, this girl had real talent.
"Haaaaaaaah!!!"
Hyowon charged with a kiai. Melee play? What was her angle? In that instant, Sonya's senses caught Hyowon's wrist twisting impossibly. Light refraction to fake the attack direction, huh. Not bad. She'd clearly pondered her Unique Ability's uses. But not quite passing grade yet. Sorry—aim for the next chance!
Sonya adjusted her greatsword to block any slash angle. That hasty call was her mistake.
Hyowon's light refraction wasn't mere misdirection. The goal: focus sunlight to ignite. Not on Sonya—that'd get noticed and countered. She targeted herself. Her black uniform was perfect kindling!
Whoosh! Her uniform vomited crimson plasma like blood, warping the air.
"What?"
Even Sonya, who'd seen it all as a hero, froze at the spontaneous combustion. Hyowon piled on, hurling her katana. Spinal reflex before brain caught up—clang off the greatsword. Seizing the recovery gap, Hyowon plunged in with reckless abandon.
She'd bet on radical disruption to create an opening. Sometimes you had to... but not now.
'Too bad—time to end it. Can't predict her next crazy move.'
Sonya cocked her off-hand. Blow her away on entry, pin her. Done.
...Or so she thought. What was that confident smirk on Hyowon's lips?
"Hah!!"
Straight punch. Too short—wouldn't connect. Emit Qi energy bullet? A freshman's pure qi couldn't dent Sonya... but.
In that moment, the flames on Hyowon's body vanished. No—invisible now. Then—thwack—a red handprint bloomed on Sonya's solar plexus.
"......"
"......"
"That's one hit. Counts, right?"
"......You planning suicide charges like that on monsters too? You'd die, idiot."
"As if. Obviously depends on the opponent. Bold tactics tailored to who you're facing, yeah?"
She's lost it. Sonya clicked her tongue, brushing embers off Hyowon. Self-immolation wasn't just for shock. Fire constantly emits light and heat. Light—Photon Laser ammo. She'd skipped gathering by making herself an infinite source. The sheer madness made it hard to suspect.
...Still, normal people don't do that.
...Then again, fighting monsters nonstop might demand that kinda crazy.
Vivian, how'd you raise this lunatic?
Sonya chuckled dryly, flicking Hyowon's forehead hard.
"Fine. You pass, you madwoman."