First Battle (2)
“Huff... huff!”
My lungs feel like they're about to burst. A metallic tang fills my mouth.
Chae Yu-ra. The youngest daughter of Daesan Group, one of the nation's top conglomerates. Born with a silver spoon that might as well have been diamond-encrusted. Sure, she's a high schooler now, stressed out over college entrance exams, but she's lived a life without a single worry, pampered from birth.
And yet here she was, running for her life, death breathing down her neck.
“Eek!”
Glancing back without thinking, Chae Yu-ra's legs nearly gave out. Right on her tail loomed a massive shadow. An orc. Easily over two meters tall, its body packed with bulging muscles ready to explode. And in one meaty hand, it gripped a thick iron pipe from who-knows-where.
Thud—! Thud—! Thud—!
The ground shook with every step. Each footfall threatened to drive her insane.
I just stepped out for a walk... how did this happen?!
Tears welled up, ready to spill. She'd been cooped up studying mock exams, her mind suffocating, so she'd ditched her bodyguards for a quiet nighttime stroll to clear her head. That's all it was. Then, on a dark roadside, her eyes met the orc's from a distance.
Feral eyes gleaming like a mad dog's. Yellow drool dripping from its gaping maw. The gaze of a starved beast.
The moment their eyes locked, the orc charged like a maniac.
A monster...!
Gates sometimes burst, spilling monsters into the city. Hunters usually swooped in fast to clean up, but in the chaos, some broke through the cordons. Instinct-driven ones got taken out quick, but smarter ones? They hunkered down, suppressing urges to survive.
But orcs were orcs. When hunger clawed at their guts, even that thin thread of reason snapped.
Just like the beast chasing her now.
It's... so fast...!
When their eyes first met, it had been far off. She thought she could escape. But the gap between human and monster physique was overwhelming. The distance had closed in no time. She could almost feel its hot breath on her back.
Aaah...!
Her heart pounded like it would shatter her ribs and burst free. They say your life flashes before your eyes when death looms, but all Chae Yu-ra could think was I don't want to die.
No old memories surfaced—not with that pipe-wielding freak about to smash her skull.
The orc's heavy footsteps drew closer, inch by inch, choking the air from her lungs.
I'm really... really gonna die...!
She didn't dare look back, but she felt it right behind her. Seconds left? As she squeezed her eyes shut—
A kid?
Someone entered her view. Right in the middle of her escape path stood a petite girl with waist-length black hair. One hand held a wooden sword. The other clutched a wooden staff.
Playing with a bokken at night?
“R-Run away!”
Her lungs burned, but Chae Yu-ra screamed with all she had. She was done for, but she couldn't let this child get turned into orc bait too.
But—
“...!”
The girl didn't budge at her shout. The orc barreling down from behind. Did she not grasp how dire this was? Or was fear paralyzing her?
She's gonna die too! What could she do? Not that I'm lasting much longer...
Chae Yu-ra's head throbbed.
Then—
Swoosh—
The girl's knees bent lightly.
Fwhoosh—!
“...Huh?”
Chae Yu-ra's eyes widened. The girl's tiny body floated into the air, defying gravity. The wooden sword in her hand whipped forward.
A dull crack echoed.
Chae Yu-ra skidded to a halt and whipped around.
“...!”
The nightmare that had been charging her moments ago now knelt on one knee, clutching its head. Crimson blood streamed from between its thick fingers. Clear headshot.
“Kreeee...!”
The monster wailed in agony.
And before it stood the girl—porcelain-pale face spotless, wooden sword dangling loosely.
“...Huh?”
A dumb noise leaked from Chae Yu-ra's mouth.
What... what the hell is going on?
***
Just like in practice.
I guide the qi flow according to the heart method etched in my mind. A warm, sticky heat bubbles up from my dantian, spreading inner power through my body.
Body reinforcement. The way murim hunter-types amp their physiques. The moment I channel it, impossible strength surges from this soft girl's frame.
I'd drilled it all day.
Here goes.
I leap over the fleeing woman, reinforced body soaring, and slam the wooden sword straight into the orc's skull.
Orcs. Seen 'em a million times on screens, but first time IRL. Grossly huge, tanky build. Green skin that screams trouble.
But I time my aerial launch perfectly and crack its dome clean.
Tough bastard.
I flick the wooden sword. It buckled one knee in pain, but the melon didn't split.
Monster skull different from humans, huh?
“An excellent strike nonetheless. It landed solidly.”
Heukryeon spoke calmly from beside me. I kept my eyes locked on the orc, pondering.
Hey, Heukryeon, can't you help a bit?
First real fight and all—better as a 2v1, right? Tactical superiority, not cowardice. Definitely not 'cause I'm spooked by the orc glaring murder at me, brainpan cracked open, veins bulging in its eyes.
“I wish I could assist, my lady.”
She read my mind or something, sounding regretful.
“But this servant wields almost no physical force. As a formless martial spirit, my interference in this realm is exceedingly faint.”
Fair enough—ghostly being and all. Disappointing, but expected.
“Fear not, however. With the footwork you just learned, you can handle a mere beast like this.”
Her confident tone barely finished when—
“Grrrraaah...!”
The orc wiped blood from its brow with a thick hand, staggering to its feet. Pissed-off beast growl.
Whoosh—!
It swung the iron pipe with full force. Air-ripping whoosh.
Dodge.
The thought flashed, and—
Swoosh.
My body slid back like silk. All-day training paying off? Instinct took over.
Whoosh—!
The pipe whistled through where I'd been.
“Kree?”
Like it'd lost sight of prey, the orc looked confused.
“That's the Gwieungbo you learned today. Simple, yet profoundly practical.”
“KREEEEK!”
Missed swing pissed it off more. It roared and flailed wildly.
Fury-fueled swings.
BOOM! Crash!
The pipe pulverized nearby walls and ground. Debris flew. Dust billowed.
Each blow terrifying. Filthy strong.
But.
Weirdly, no fear. Its power was brute force, but patterns? Predictably simple. Just big, heavy swings. Instinct over technique.
Gwieungbo.
I inhale, channeling dantian qi to my legs. My stance feels feather-light.
I see its attack paths. Before, I'd panic—but now, one step evades it all.
Pipe whistles past my face, not grazing cloth.
Worth the all-day grind.
Dodging every assault smooth as water with just footwork.
This... is mugong.
I marveled quietly at my flow. Practice felt iffy for real fights, but damn, it's useful.
“RAAAAARGH!”
Orc gripped the pipe two-handed, hoisting it sky-high. Whiffing nonstop enraged it. Massive overhead smash incoming.
Thud!
Ground craters. Big wind-up? Easy dodge.
And big attacks leave—
openings.
Now.
Gwieungbo propels me in. Hands tighten on the wooden sword.
This time, shatter it for real.
I swing hard at its head.
Orc panics, face twisting.
And—
Crack—!
Dull yet crisp rupture echoes across the abandoned lot.
Perfect hit.
Not the orc's skull—the ten-thousand-won practice bokken from the mart.
Plop.
One half spins into the air, clattering down.
“...Huh?”
Me? Stunned. Orc? Stunned, getting clocked but weapon exploding.
Heukryeon muttered softly.
“That's why this servant said wood wouldn't cut it.”