Not All S-Ranks Are Weak
Baek Sung-jun couldn't help but wonder if there was a god out there who hated him. When the great rift opened and Cheon Ji-hoo descended, why had he been standing right up front? If he hadn't been, he never would have had the chance to talk to Cheon Ji-hoo. Some other Korean S-rank hunter would have handled it instead.
Or maybe that makes it a good thing after all?
If not for that, he might have witnessed the head of the B-rank hunter who'd just tried to pick a fight with Cheon Ji-hoo exploding in real time. He'd learned later that the guy was just a last-minute sub anyway—he wasn't even supposed to be there.
Anyway.
"Then let's begin."
A strange standoff unfolded in the training grounds at the heart of Hunter Academy. Baek Sung-jun, the S-rank hunter, gripped his wooden sword, facing off against the brother and sister who held theirs as well. Non-awakened versus awakened meant a massive gap in physical ability, so this was a guidance spar focused purely on technique, with power held back. But he couldn't afford to let his guard down.
It was because of Cheon Ji-hoo standing beside Cheon Ji-yoon.
"Ji-yoon, you go first."
He patted her back lightly as he spoke, and her tense expression hardened. Gripping her wooden sword with both hands, she charged. Her stance was excellent. She must have trained diligently; she barreled forward with impressive momentum, swinging at Baek Sung-jun.
Baek Sung-jun drew a short breath and met her strike with his own sword.
Crack!
Cheon Ji-yoon was shoved sideways, but in that instant, Baek Sung-jun felt a chill. His eyes flicked over, and there was Cheon Ji-hoo's wooden sword coming from the opposite side, already closing in.
He was certain to take a hit to the head if he didn't move, so he urgently leaned back to dodge. But Cheon Ji-hoo's swing bent at an unnatural angle. The horizontal slash halted midway and plunged vertically down.
"Urk!"
Baek Sung-jun took it straight to the solar plexus and leaped back, blinking in surprise. It didn't hurt, but it was weird. An attack from outside his perception. No overwhelming power or ferocious momentum, yet Cheon Ji-hoo's sword had come right up to his nose without him noticing.
Cheon Ji-hoo, having landed a clean hit on an S-rank, rested his wooden sword on his shoulder with a cocky swagger and fist-bumped Cheon Ji-yoon.
"Oppa, that was awesome! How'd you do it?"
"Just walked up and swung."
Is that even an answer?
Baek Sung-jun exhaled long to steady his temper and reset his stance. This time, he took the initiative. If he kept defending until he understood Cheon Ji-hoo's attacks, he'd just get pummeled one-sidedly—that was the only future he could see.
"Ji-yoon."
"Yeah!"
As Baek Sung-jun charged, Cheon Ji-hoo positioned Cheon Ji-yoon in front and gripped his sword tightly from behind. Since this was nominally her guidance spar, Baek Sung-jun couldn't complain. He swung at her.
She angled her sword obliquely to deflect his attack—a smart choice, betting on skill over strength. But Baek Sung-jun was no pushover S-rank. The moment he twisted his wrist to adjust and show her that her novice technique wouldn't cut it—
Her wooden sword slipped away like it was oiled, sending his strike into the ground.
Crack!
And right on cue, Cheon Ji-hoo's attack followed. This time, it clipped the back of his head.
"Ugh!"
As Baek Sung-jun let out a small groan, the watching students and hunters murmured.
"Isn't Hunter Baek Sung-jun going way too easy on them?"
"Yeah, right? How else do they land two hits?"
With an S-rank's sharp hearing, he couldn't miss it. He wanted to protest, but Cheon Ji-hoo's existence was classified—he couldn't breathe a word. He stood, shaking out his stance. That sensation just now was truly bizarre. He'd swung to strike her sword squarely, but it slid away like greased lightning. Cheon Ji-hoo had to be behind it.
He glared at Cheon Ji-hoo, who shrugged lightly.
Fine, if that's how you wanna play.
Monster or not, getting humiliated like this in front of everyone stirred his pride. Solar plexus and the back of the head—one hit each. Plenty to bruise his ego. They thought he was holding back, but no. He'd relaxed his strength, sure, but honed his senses sharper than usual.
"Oppa... am I actually pretty strong? Did you see me block an S-rank hunter's wooden sword?"
"Yeah, I saw."
"Like, one of those trendy book titles? 'Me, an unawakened SSS-rank hunter?'"
"What the hell is that?"
"It's a popular book title these days."
"Sounds lame. Get your stance ready. We're not done."
Cheon Ji-yoon nodded at her brother's words and gripped her wooden sword tight again. Baek Sung-jun felt the tension drain from his body. But the spar wasn't over yet. Hoping to glean even a hint about Cheon Ji-hoo's abilities before it ended, he kicked off the ground.
Baek Sung-jun rushed faster than before. In that instant, Cheon Ji-hoo poked Cheon Ji-yoon's back with his finger, casting two spells.
<Strength Enhancement> and <Speed Enhancement>.
The spells unfolded in a flash, unseen by anyone. Suddenly surging with power, Cheon Ji-yoon instinctively lunged forward to meet Baek Sung-jun head-on.
Clang!
A sharp crack rang out as they clashed midway. Cheon Ji-yoon grinned, feeling that intense power again. The same euphoria flooded her mind. It vividly recalled the sensation from fighting three other students one-on-two-three. Adrenaline surged, bringing ecstasy.
Crack! Clack!
Their wooden swords crossed in the air, clashing several times with explosive sounds. Cheon Ji-yoon matched Baek Sung-jun's speed, exchanging a flurry of strikes. Cheon Ji-hoo watched with a small smile, while the stunned Baek Sung-jun ground his teeth.
He'd been holding back, but for a split second, he'd been pushed back in raw power by a non-awakened schoolgirl. Her speed and strength felt like a completely different person. At this rate, he'd lose.
Baek Sung-jun had no choice but to grip his sword harder. As Cheon Ji-yoon slashed down from above, he angled his wooden sword upward in a path that wouldn't hit her too hard.
The two wooden swords tangled in midair. A more horrific explosion rang out, and they shattered like glass.
Weaponless, Cheon Ji-yoon glanced at her hands, then bowed deeply to Baek Sung-jun. Instinct told her this was the end. The boiling power inside her had vanished.
"Thanks for the guidance spar!"
"Y-yeah... But what was that just now? You suddenly got so fast and strong."
"No idea. It happens sometimes lately."
"You're definitely unawakened, right?"
"Yes."
"Got it. Good work."
Baek Sung-jun thought it was odd as he bowed back. What he'd felt was at least C-rank hunter level in power and speed. Nothing for an S-rank, but worlds apart from a non-awakened—like ground versus skyscraper.
"Weird."
Finishing the spar, Baek Sung-jun muttered as he returned to his students. It had been a bizarre match, but he chalked it up to whatever Cheon Ji-hoo had done and let it go. Thinking too hard would just give him a headache.
Cheon Ji-yoon bounced over to Cheon Ji-hoo, beaming. He ruffled her hair.
"How was it? Feel like you're improving?"
"Totally. Did you see me? I was like an awakener, whoa."
"Probably a fluke."
"No way!"
The sharp edge from fighting Baek Sung-jun faded, leaving them as ordinary siblings again. The watching students murmured once more.
"...She's really unawakened?"
"Baek Sung-jun must've been going easy."
"Nah, that wasn't easy easy."
"It was, though."
They argued, but Cheon Ji-hoo paid it no mind. Watching the spar, he pondered what to do with Cheon Ji-yoon.
She's got sword talent.
Talent. To the archmage's eyes, that meant serious growth potential. Her movements had been solid. Despite just entering Hunter Academy, her muscles showed trained flexibility, explosive power in bursts. Not bad at all.
Glimpses of 'sword talent' that never would have surfaced in a peaceful era—it was tempting. Talent enough to excel without even awakening as a hunter. But jumping straight to training her into a swordmaster? As her brother, that felt off. Putting her in dangerous hunter work at all felt wrong. Their parents would curse him for throwing their daughter into the fire.
Better to discuss it with Cheon Ji-yoon first.
"So, when does school end today?"
"This is it, I think."
"It's still morning?"
"Afternoon's free training. Since oppa came to see me, wanna skip and head home together?"
"Sure. Then... lunch? Sotdelia."
"Sotdelia again?"
How much could she have eaten already? Cheon Ji-yoon made a face, and Cheon Ji-hoo pinched her cheek lightly. He stabbed his wooden sword into the ground, shook out his hands, and headed for the main gate.
"I'll wait at the gate. Clean up and come."
"Got it."
Once Cheon Ji-hoo vanished from the training grounds, students swarmed Cheon Ji-yoon. Naturally, the topic was him.
"That's really your brother?"
"Y-yeah."
"I thought you had no family? But he's your real bro?"
"You guys look nothing alike. His face is, like, whoa."
"Introduce me!"
A bit rude, but Cheon Ji-yoon puffed out her chest proudly, unfazed.
Now she could say it with confidence.
"My real brother, just returned from another world as a Returner."
"A Returner? All Returners look like that?"
"Introduce me!"
Returners weren't rare—people summoned to other worlds and back. But most came back broken, crippled by persecution and discrimination.
The mysterious white-haired man before them fit none of that. He'd even landed two solid hits on Baek Sung-jun with poise.
"My brother's special. Something happened there, changed him like that."
"No way..."
"Like a swordmaster who lost his powers in a dimensional transfer? Baek Sung-jun's attitude makes him seem important."
"Introduce me!"
They peppered her with questions—not just about Cheon Ji-hoo, but her final burst of movement too. Today, Cheon Ji-yoon's self-esteem had been filled to the brim by her brother.
"Introduce me already!"
* * *
Lunch was Sotdelia. Dinner was pork cutlet. Cheon Ji-hoo took her wherever she wanted, splurging on things they usually skipped to save money.
Ending the happy day, Cheon Ji-yoon lay in bed, listening to Cheon Ji-hoo again. Stories of his life in that other world. About their parents. How he'd escaped the mana vein, taken a dragon as his master to learn magic, and how thrilled their parents had been at his birth.
Tears came unbidden during the parents' tales, leaving her sniffling.
Then, out of nowhere, Cheon Ji-hoo asked:
"Ji-yoon, what kind of house do you want to live in?"
"Why ask suddenly?"
"Gonna find a new place. Wanna hear your thoughts. Money no object—just what you want."
"Hm, something big? Super comfy sofa, huge TV? Big desk too... A bed big enough for two to roll around in? Gaming console would be cool. Not sure if I'd be good, but I always envied kids bragging about theirs."
Simple wishes. Things she'd never had, fueling her insecurities and dreams.
"Wide bathtub you can stretch out in, terrace too."
"Got it. I'll look for one."
"Something fitting for just us two. Hehe."
She'd listed tons, then laughed shyly to cover her embarrassment. She knew their finances inside out. Hunter Way's housing was pricey thanks to the academy— with what they had, it'd be a basic one-room at best. Barely enough for two.
Cheon Ji-hoo added:
"Tomorrow after school, let's go house hunting."
"Sounds good. Hope we find a nice one."
He smiled faintly at her reply. He could hardly wait to see her reaction tomorrow.