The Swordmaster Wants to Live Peacefully
A way to get strong without awakening.
After the weekend had passed, Cheon Ji-yoon headed to the academy, spinning her pen as she mulled over what Cheon Ji-hoo had told her.
You couldn't become a hunter without awakening. That was common sense in the modern world. How could an unawakened ordinary person match a hunter's strength, flexibility, or agility? Without special abilities, modern firearms malfunctioned inside rifts. There was no way for a regular person to thrive in a rift like a hunter.
How's he gonna make that happen?
Because of that, she couldn't focus on her classes. Cheon Ji-hoo had said something about turning her into a swordmaster, but she had no idea what that even meant. Sword and master—didn't that just mean someone skilled with a blade? Was he going to teach her swordsmanship? But he'd said he was a mage, hadn't he? That didn't seem likely.
After academy ended, Cheon Ji-yoon walked home and found Cheon Ji-hoo in the living room, drawing something on a massive whiteboard with a marker. It looked complicated at a glance—countless circles, neatly written incomprehensible characters. He was still scribbling away.
"Oppa, I'm home."
"Welcome back."
She dropped her bag in her room and flopped onto the sofa, staring at him as he continued drawing on the giant board.
"Whatcha doing?"
"Prep work to turn you into a swordmaster."
"Oh, cool."
"Just wait a sec."
Cheon Ji-hoo sped up as he drew the magic circle. The marker flowed unhesitatingly over the pristine white surface. Soon, a geometric yet beautifully intricate magic circle was complete. She couldn't make heads or tails of it, but it had to be something amazing. After all, this was the guy who'd made that mysterious ring. She'd looked it up online later and found out rings like that were worth a fortune—far more precious than standard hunter gear.
He stood, capping the marker, and said, "Ji-yoon, come sit in the center."
"Okay."
She obediently went to the middle of the magic circle and sat comfortably. Cheon Ji-hoo spoke.
"There are many paths to enter the way of the sword. The first is to join the Sword Tower young and train diligently to build your skills."
"Not an option for me."
"The second is to stumble upon an unbelievable stroke of luck. Like a wandering swordmaster taking you under their wing."
"Second one's impossible too, right?"
"It's possible. Close your eyes for now."
Though skeptical, she closed her eyes as instructed. Cheon Ji-hoo, standing beside her, pulled an A-rank rift core from his subspace. It was from an A-rank rift he'd cleared during his contract with the Hunter Association. He infused mana into the drawn magic circle and murmured softly.
"O hunk of iron sharpened to a lethal edge, steeped in scorching flames."
This was an ancient incantation, one long forgotten—a call to summon the Sword Spirit.
As he finished the verse, the magic circle reacted, emitting a brilliant light. Mana flowed along the marker lines like a babbling brook. A chill like cold metal against her nape, followed by searing heat.
Cheon Ji-hoo chanted the second verse. "Soul forged for the cut—reveal thyself."
No sooner had he spoken than a hot wind whipped up. Mana scattered everywhere, tousling Cheon Ji-hoo and Cheon Ji-yoon's hair. It gradually coalesced into the plain form of a dagger.
The Sword Spirit had arrived.
Cheon Ji-hoo narrowed his eyes at it and said, "Sword Spirit, I request a contract in exchange for this mana crystal."
He held out the core, and it vibrated with a low hum—uwoong—a ripple of refusal. Give me more mana if you want a deal.
"Don't you know who I am?"
Cheon Ji-hoo clicked his tongue. He'd successfully summoned sword spirits back in that other world too, but this one seemed poorly mannered. It circled him inspectively, vibrating again as if to say, Who the hell are you? He reached out, and it was caught.
It struggled desperately but couldn't budge, trembling helplessly in his grip.
"How long's it been since I wrecked the spirit realm? You already forget?"
It felt like only about 150 years to him. His magic circle had opened a path to the spirit realm of that other world, so this spirit was surely from there too—not native to Earth. He'd once fought the Spirit King there while gathering materials, won, and even drilled some manners into them...
They'd apparently forgotten already. He had no desire to return and reteach them.
"Wanna get smacked and then contract, or behave and contract nicely?"
He felt the spirit shudder. Cheon Ji-hoo tightened his grip threateningly. Its arrogance had killed any pity; no way he'd waste the core now. Climb down properly. Who did it think it was, bargaining?
The spirit, hating the beating idea, bent its blade in a nodding gesture. Cheon Ji-hoo pointed at Cheon Ji-yoon, still eyes shut. "And the contract's not with me—it's with her. Your job is to train her into a swordmaster. She's got talent, so you won't mind."
He released it, and it shot to Cheon Ji-yoon, circling her wildly.
"Ji-yoon, open your eyes."
She did— she'd been dying to since the wind started and the mystery conversation. Now she saw the dagger zipping around her.
"Wh-what is that?!"
"A sword spirit."
"A sword spirit?"
Cheon Ji-yoon's face was pure confusion. The spirit circled her, then halted, pointing its tip at her. As she panicked at the sharp edge, Cheon Ji-hoo explained.
"It wants to contract. Extend your right index finger."
A spirit contract was sacred—etched in blood and soul through mutual will. Semi-forced or not, a contract was a contract. If it'd really hated it, no deal. It could've gotten mana if it'd behaved.
She held out her finger, and the spirit gingerly pricked it with its tip. A drop of blood welled up, and a new magic circle rose from the floor. It enveloped her and the spirit—a pact with an ancient spirit sealed.
The moment it formed, Cheon Ji-yoon felt a strange sensation sweep over her. Her vision blazed white, expanding. She saw more, vitality surging through her body. She looked at her hands, clenching and unclenching fists. Her strength felt different. Like when she wore the ring from Cheon Ji-hoo.
"What... is this?"
"Spirits are born from nature's will or human aspiration—things humans can't fully grasp. The one in you is the same."
Especially the sword spirit, one of the ancient spirits, born from human will forged into blades. Legend said a master blacksmith's endless wish birthed the first. Many more arose from smiths and swordsmen, and most called swordmasters had their aid. Sure, some bragged without real skill, but contracting a spirit was skill. A little intimidation aside, it wouldn't have agreed if it truly disliked her.
Cheon Ji-hoo added, "This apartment has a hunter training room in the basement, right? Let's go there."
Time to test her new power.
* * *
People began emerging from the Seongnam rift that had sucked in all those big shots. From the tightly controlled rift came HCU agents led by Hong Ji-hwa—and the trapped civilians. The 17-hour rescue op had just wrapped.
"It's safe now."
Hong Ji-hwa set down the person she'd been carrying. Her agents did the same. Few could be saved. Most had been torn apart by monsters before they arrived; the survivors owed their lives to bodyguards' sacrifices. Of the top-priority targets, they'd only saved two out of four.
Fuck...
Hong Ji-hwa exhaled deeply, cursing inwardly. Over forty caught in the backdraft rift, but only eighteen rescued.
S-ranks weren't omnipotent. They were hunter elites, but geared for destruction, not rescue. Lee Joo-hwan's sonar was a rare exception.
"Sorry, Commander."
"How many times is that? It's not your fault."
Lee Joo-hwan had entered with them. His sonar pinpointed survivors immediately, but the dungeon was too vast and deep. They'd ended up searching on foot.
Goddammit...
Days like this soured her mood extra. Monster numbers were high; some agents got hurt. In a standard raid, no issue—but "rescue" jacked the difficulty. Civilians couldn't handle her hellfire up close either, limiting her.
"How the hell did he do it?"
After handing people to medics, she blurted in the car back to HQ. Lee Joo-hwan, beside her, tilted his head.
"Rescue 89 from an A-rank rift without a scratch."
"Cheon Ji-hoo, huh?"
"Yeah. Makes sense? Fuck, I just crawled out of a B-rank hellhole... and we didn't even save everyone."
"Honestly? He's not human. Him just existing is a blessing for us."
Hong Ji-hwa nodded at Lee Joo-hwan's words. Cheon Ji-hoo—the unprecedented mage who'd humbled S-ranks. Korea keeping him was pure luck. Overseas powers feigned disinterest while pulling every trick to contact him; blocking them took massive resources. His erratic movements made direct approaches impossible, luckily.
"Regular guilds would've swarmed without gov orders. Who wouldn't salivate over power to upend hunter politics?"
"Public servants are crying for real..."
Hong Ji-hwa sighed heavily. What the hell was happening to the world? She felt changes piling up since his return. But bigger crises loomed—she didn't know yet this was just the tip of the iceberg.
A few days later, Cheon Ji-hoo contacted Hong Ji-hwa. She'd expected a money-for-job pitch, but no.
-My little sister's apparently hit S-rank. Can we borrow a measuring device for her ranking?
"Hello? Pardon? What? S-rank? Borrow what?"
It sounded like asking to rent a video.