What Are You All?
"Pardon…?"
Ma Chul-woong's eyes went wide.
"…The Ohodanmundo?"
I knew it! Brother already knew!
The moment Kang Hyun had recognized the manual as a fake at a glance, Ma Chul-woong had wondered. You couldn't spot a counterfeit if you didn't know the real thing.
"I am a professor at the Academy," Kang Hyun said with a crooked smile. "You paid me fifty billion. Wasn't that because you wanted me to teach you something?"
"No, I just meant it as repayment for—"
Snap!
Kang Hyun broke off a bare branch from a nearby tree, cutting him short.
Why a branch?
A rough, overbearing aura began pouring from the stick in Kang Hyun's hand. Ma Chul-woong's breath locked in his throat. Even as an S-rank hunter, the presence was so crushing he wanted to step back.
Kang Hyun casually swept the branch through the air.
In that instant—
Ma Chul-woong saw it clearly. Along the trajectory, a massive tiger burst forth and tore at empty space.
Kang Hyun did not stop.
The Habuk region is cold, and life there is hard.
Foreign tribes raided constantly from the north. Demonic forces never stopped their plunder from the west. The harsh land left mountain strongholds and warlords scattered across every rugged range.
And so siege warfare—barring the gates and holding out—became everyday life.
Kang Hyun swung the branch twice more, then a third time. With each cut, another roaring tiger shape joined the first in terrifying force.
The saber art that raised the Paeng family to the greatest martial house in Habuk through that brutal war—that's this one.
Exactly as the name says: five tigers smashing through a gate.
Not a technique for fighting people—an ultimate, overbearing art for shattering gates and structures whole.
Before long, four tigers writhed and roared in the air. Ma Chul-woong felt every hair on his body stand on end.
This is insane!
Each one was more vicious and terrifying than an S-rank magic beast. If those tigers came at him, he didn't think he would even consider defending.
So the previous manual really was a fake.
Third-rank arts like the Heavenly Wind Saber or the Blood Fiend Saber were fine techniques in their own right. In front of these tigers, they were nothing but children's games.
"The number of tigers you can summon depends on your realm."
Kang Hyun's wrist made one final, sweeping rotation.
Five.
At last, all five tigers manifested in the air.
"When all five gather, nothing remains before them but ruins."
As Kang Hyun withdrew his energy, the tiger phantoms scattered as if they had never been.
"Hah… hahh!"
Ma Chul-woong finally dragged air into his lungs.
"At your current level, you won't be able to summon even a single one of those tigers."
Ma Chul-woong reeled. He was an S-rank—one of South Korea's top hunters—and he couldn't even imitate it?
Then just what is Brother's true identity?
"So first, you need to learn these."
Kang Hyun drew two manuals from his coat and held them out.
I wrote these out ahead of time for Seo Hae-in, originally.
Well—he'd taken the money. Making one more copy was nothing.
"The saber art will open and expand your meridians. The divine art will let you withstand the backlash of that overbearing saber style. Well? Take them."
"B-Brother…"
"Master these first, then come find me. Then I'll teach you the Ohodanmundo."
Ma Chul-woong, who had accepted the manuals without thinking, was shocked all over again.
"I-I know these!"
"Hmm?"
"Aren't these a saber art and a divine art that Manbakza rates as third-rank? You had these, Brother?"
"I don't know about any of that. Before that, let me ask you one thing."
"Please, go ahead."
"If something that could destroy the world ever appeared—and you had the power to fight it… would you risk your life to fight?"
It was a question out of nowhere. But Ma Chul-woong didn't hesitate. His thick voice answered at once.
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Why?"
"If the world ends, the place I live disappears, and then I die too. Of course I'd fight."
Kang Hyun smiled inwardly.
Fair enough.
Lee Se-ah had told him. One of the five S-rank hunters who'd foolishly charged to the front when Leviathan appeared. He'd already proven it with his actions. That earned trust.
"If there's anything you don't understand, come here once a week at this hour. I'll help you."
Time passed.
Throughout it all, the cadets never missed a single dawn training session.
"Hoo, hoo!"
"Hahk, haahk!"
Five cadets sprawled across the peak after climbing the steep cliff—
07:00 AM
The amazing part was that only an hour had gone by.
"Now you've got the basics down."
Perched on a rock and sipping whiskey, Kang Hyun looked them over with a crooked smile.
Must be the effect of the Cheongbodan.
Elixirs raised internal energy, but they also boosted physical recovery. Their stamina had climbed as fast as they'd worked for it.
"Everyone sit. Time to circulate your energy."
At Kang Hyun's order, the cadets staggered up and settled into lotus position. Exhausted as they were, they moved fast. This was that kind of hour.
They were already past the midpoint of the mental cultivation formulas, and the more time passed, the more they could feel it.
This mental art is ridiculous.
I don't know what it is, but… it's no ordinary thing.
How does the professor know all of this?
Kang Hyun never told them the names of the martial arts he taught. They would learn those names only after meeting the standards he'd set. Fail to meet them, and from that moment on they would never hear the next formula.
The lesson continued.
09:00 AM
"That's all for today's class."
Checking the time, Kang Hyun threw himself off the cliff without a second thought. His usual ghost-like exit.
On the peak after he vanished—
"Ugh, I'm dead."
Kwak Do-jin was stretching, getting ready to head down, when Cha Yu-sik called the others back as they reached for their outer clothes.
"Everyone gather for a second."
"What is it, Cha?"
"We're running out of time."
Cha Yu-sik's expression was serious.
"Exactly two weeks left until the midterm Murim Tournament. I checked yesterday—they're already setting up the arena."
The cadets' faces hardened. For them, this midterm meant more pressure than the Academy entrance exam itself. Professor Kang Hyun's neck—and their own futures—were on the line.
"So."
Cha Yu-sik looked over the others.
"What if we start skipping all regular classes?"
"Skip class?"
"Don't waste time on lessons from mediocre professors. Use that time to spar among ourselves instead."
"Oh, that sounds good."
Kwak Do-jin agreed at once.
"I think that would be better too."
Yoon Hyun-jong stepped forward as well.
"Actually, something uncomfortable happened in major class a few days ago."
"What?"
"Professor Park openly mocked our group of five."
"Professor Park—Park Gwang-woo? What did he say?"
"It's the trash professor's words. Senior, you don't need to hear it."
"No, I'm just curious."
At Cha Yu-sik's prompting, Yoon Hyun-jong had no choice.
"He said the son of Cheonrang can't live up to his name, Senior Kwak still can't shake the hopeless thug image, the freshman doesn't know his place, and Seo Hae-in—well, talking about her is a waste of breath."
"What a funny guy."
Kwak Do-jin laughed in disbelief.
"What'd he say about you, Yoon Hyun-jong?"
"I was sitting in the front row, so he didn't single me out. He's probably trash-talking me when I'm not around."
"This works out even better."
Cha Yu-sik smirked.
"If they stay careless to the end, we're the ones who should be grateful. Claws only come out right before the hunt."
Seo Hae-in, who had been listening quietly, nodded.
The professor said so.
If it bothers you, get stronger. Get strong enough and everyone shuts their mouths on their own.
"Honestly, I'm under a lot of pressure from my family too. Father heard the news somehow—apparently he wasn't pleased."
"Hup."
Yoon Hyun-jong swallowed. Cha Yu-sik's father would be Cha Ha-rang, the S-rank hunter.
"In the end, we just show them with results."
Cha Yu-sik shrugged lightly and untied a bundle of gear from the corner.
Clatter. Five wooden swords came out.
"Huh."
Kwak Do-jin sucked in a breath.
"Cha. Don't tell me you climbed this cliff carrying those heavy things?"
"Yeah. Figured it'd double as stamina training."
"Crazy bastard."
Kwak Do-jin clicked his tongue. The other cadets were equally stunned. They'd been gasping just climbing empty-handed—and Cha Yu-sik had carried five iron-heavy wooden swords and still reached the peak first.
Truly a candidate for heir of a major guild.
Cha Yu-sik kicked the wooden swords up with his toes and tossed one to each cadet. To the four who'd caught them on reflex, he gripped the last one and said:
"Come at me one at a time. Three Talents Sword Style."
The cadets charged Cha Yu-sik one by one.
Ordinarily, given his personality, he wouldn't have gone easy on them. But his goal was stopping Professor Kang Hyun's dismissal. That wasn't something he could do alone by being good. Someone had to lead, objectively assess, and pull up the weak points.
But the more their wooden swords clashed and they traded exchanges, the more Cha Yu-sik's mind filled not with assessment—but with shock.
What… are you all?
First up was Kwak Do-jin. Who could call him a half-baked thug? Whatever else, his grit was monstrous. Even with the edge in technique, power, and stamina… that pure stubbornness had made even Cha Yu-sik suck in a startled breath more than once.
If I'm at this level… Senior Kwak should be fine.
Next, Yoon Hyun-jong. He was surprisingly meticulous. Originally mid-to-upper among the 20th batch, Yoon Hyun-jong was good at exploiting openings. Cha Yu-sik praised that calculating side and sharpened the timing of his thrusts a little further.
The freshman Han Tae-ho was surprising too. His sword was crude and rough, but his growth rate was enormous.
If I'd met Han Tae-ho when I was a first-year?
He might have lost. This was where Professor Kang Hyun's emphasis on fundamentals truly showed.
Junior Han should climb without much trouble too.
But the one who truly made Cha Yu-sik shudder was someone else.
Seo Hae-in.
The moment their swords met once, Cha Yu-sik felt like he'd crashed into a giant boulder. His wrist went numb, tingling as if it might snap.
What the hell…
Outwardly he kept a calm face, but inside he was reeling.
This is a female cadet's sword?
If he'd fought with his eyes closed, he'd have sworn he was sparring some massive brute. That much overwhelming force was packed into the Three Talents Sword Style.
And she was the permanent last place?
Objectively, she was far harder to handle than his peer Yoon Hyun-jong—harder even than the gritty Kwak Do-jin.
The professors really were incompetent.
Treating a raw gem like a common roadside rock and handing out nothing but F's. Only Kang Hyun must have seen Seo Hae-in's true worth.
"I take it back."
After the sparring ended, Cha Yu-sik nodded.
"No need for us to train among ourselves."
"Why?"
Yoon Hyun-jong asked.
"The midterms look fine as we are now. Let's just… practice on our own."
Only now did Cha Yu-sik realize the professor had had a plan all along.