A profound silence settled over the scene.
The Goblin Shaman.
It was a monster equivalent to a Second-Circle Mage.
Even several Swordsmen working together could barely defeat one.
There was a reason for that.
Not only could it cast defensive Magic, but numerous Goblins also stood guard around it.
And its defensive Magic, in particular—
It was Magic that a Swordsman's sword couldn't penetrate.
Yet it had been breached.
No. More precisely, a sword had cut straight through it, splitting it in two.
"......"
Han Na-yeon stood frozen, as though she'd witnessed something impossible.
Something that should never have happened had happened.
A Swordsman had cut through Magic.
It made no sense whatsoever.
"Hmm......"
Meanwhile, Ji-han checked his condition without paying any attention to the stares around him.
He still had plenty of stamina.
He could keep moving, and there was nothing wrong with his body.
Ji-han looked toward Director Yoon Tae-hyun.
The director, too, was staring at Ji-han with trembling eyes.
Their gazes soon met.
They didn't need to exchange words to understand each other.
'Can you do it?'
Ji-han nodded.
After all, there had only ever been one opponent he'd wanted to face from the beginning.
'Understood.'
Director Yoon Tae-hyun adjusted the device's settings with a satisfied smile.
At the same moment, an enormous figure materialized.
A monster with thick, bulging muscles.
It stood over five meters tall.
The monster known as the gatekeeper of Floor 11.
An Orc.
"!?"
Shocked by the virtual Orc's appearance, Han Na-yeon hurriedly shouted at Director Yoon Tae-hyun.
"What are you doing?! Stop it! That's an Orc!"
"I know."
Sweat beaded on Director Yoon Tae-hyun's forehead as he watched Ji-han with a tense expression.
This time, he fully intended to stop the test immediately if the situation turned dangerous.
"Please be quiet for a moment. I need to concentrate."
He had to watch the situation carefully.
Even the slightest mistake could lead to serious injury now.
Yoon Tae-hyun kept his eyes fixed on Ji-han without so much as blinking.
And then—
'Is that......?'
Ji-han assumed a stance.
He lowered his body and, this time, gripped the sword with both hands.
He turned the blade sideways, adopting a stance suited to a horizontal slash.
Then—
FWOOSH—!
Blue energy rose from the sword.
Aura.
That was what Kim Ji-han had called it.
Yoon Tae-hyun had already seen the phenomenon before, so he had no particular reason to be surprised by it.
Yet he found himself staring at Ji-han in a daze, momentarily forgetting even the need to concentrate.
The Awakened could gauge an opponent's strength and distinguish between those they could defeat and those they couldn't.
And the overwhelming pressure now radiating from Ji-han reminded him of an unforgettable experience from his past.
'......War Chief.'
The War Chief who had made an Archmage flee.
He could sense the same immeasurable awe he'd felt back then emanating from Ji-han.
THUD—!
Ji-han moved.
He kicked off the ground and charged forward with explosive speed.
The Orc wasn't about to stand still, either.
An enormous fist swung toward Ji-han's face.
It was a vicious blow, as though intended to burst his head in a single strike.
'!?'
Ji-han watched the approaching fist, then tilted his head to the side.
The Orc's fist narrowly brushed past his hair.
It was faster than he'd expected.
For its size, the Orc moved remarkably quickly.
'With that enormous body and that kind of speed, no wonder......'
I could see why it took four Swordsmen working together to barely bring one down.
Something that big would be hard to react to if it could move so quickly.
'Even so—'
Its movements were too broad.
That created an opening.
My sword swung toward its left leg.
SLICE—
The blade passed through cleanly, as though slicing tofu.
I'd cut through its left leg.
As a result, the Orc's body began tipping forward.
What came next was easy.
SLICE—
Ji-han lightly swung his sword upward from below.
The blade's path cut through the neck of the Orc as it pitched forward.
As its body toppled, its head came off.
THUD! TAP— ROLL, ROLL......
All that remained was the Orc's corpse, stripped of the threatening might it had displayed only moments earlier.
***
He'd killed an Orc.
Yet despite accomplishing something unprecedented, Ji-han's expression remained utterly indifferent.
'Is that all?'
That was what he found himself thinking.
Contrary to what he'd heard from Director Yoon Tae-hyun, it hadn't been particularly difficult.
Ji-han looked toward the director.
His gaze conveyed that he wanted to try Floor 12, too, but this time even Director Yoon Tae-hyun shook his head.
"Well done."
CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.
Director Yoon Tae-hyun applauded, as though congratulating Ji-han and acknowledging his hard work.
The trainees who'd been watching joined in, clapping with bewildered expressions.
I approached Director Yoon Tae-hyun.
But before I could reach him, Instructor Han Na-yeon came over and asked with a serious expression,
"What on earth is that kid?"
"The hope of us Swordsmen."
"Stop joking. Does it make any sense for a Swordsman to have that kind of power?"
"That's what I told you, isn't it? He's the hope of us Swordsmen. And that's how extraordinary our hope is."
Yoon Tae-hyun sounded immensely proud.
Han Na-yeon sighed and spoke.
"So this is what you've been plotting ever since you suddenly quit being a Mage and became director of the Swordsmanship Institute?"
"You've misunderstood. Even I found Ji-han by chance. Well, it wasn't intentional, but I think you should definitely be careful from now on."
"What do you—"
Director Yoon Tae-hyun stepped closer to Instructor Han Na-yeon.
He leaned toward her ear and whispered quietly.
"He's a Swordsman who doesn't need Mages."
"!?"
"And there may be more Swordsmen like him in the future. You understand what that means, don't you?"
Goose bumps rose across Han Na-yeon's skin before she knew it.
Meanwhile, Director Yoon Tae-hyun drew back from her ear and smiled mischievously.
Han Na-yeon's face immediately twisted in irritation.
"Ah, shit, Senior! Why do you always dump such fucking troublesome things on me?"
"The trainees are watching. Please call me Director."
"Haah...... Seriously. What am I supposed to do about this?"
Han Na-yeon raked her fingers through her hair in frustration.
Then she turned that irritation on the trainees.
"What are you staring at?! Is this some kind of show? Get back to training!"
The trainees returned to their places with uneasy expressions.
Watching Instructor Han Na-yeon, I spoke to the director.
"That Magic Institute instructor is pretty intense."
"She didn't used to be like that. Perhaps she's had a lot of stressful things to deal with lately."
"What do we do now?"
"It's nearly lunchtime, so let's go eat. I know a good place near here, too."
Director Yoon Tae-hyun's restaurant recommendations had never disappointed me.
I nodded and followed him.
The spicy pork set meal really was delicious.
***
In the afternoon, the Swordsmen and Mages formed teams and continued training with the MSD.
Since they were using the MSD, Director Yoon Tae-hyun couldn't take things as easy as he had in the morning.
I watched from a nearby bench.
I chatted with the older trainees whose turns hadn't come yet.
"Hey, Ji-han, that was seriously fucking amazing."
"Seriously, what are you? How did you do that?"
"Wow...... You cut down a fucking Orc. Are you actually a Mage?"
The older girls doted on me, too.
"Ji-han, would you like some chocolate?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Ji-han, I've got some snacks here, too."
"Want something to drink, Ji-han?"
It was the first time I'd ever received this much attention, and it was almost overwhelming.
Still, I ate everything they offered me.
Just then, Sang-hyeok approached and asked,
"Hey, Ji-han. Seriously, how did you do it?"
I looked at Senior Sang-hyeok.
There was an intensity in his expression.
He looked both hopeful and desperate for something.
After thinking for a moment, I spoke.
"Would you like me to teach you?"
The eyes of the older trainees listening nearby widened.
Sang-hyeok spoke on their behalf.
"If we learn it, can we do it too?"
"Yes, you can. But......"
"But?"
"I'd have to get the director's permission first."
"Ah."
Sang-hyeok nodded in understanding.
"Right. The director definitely seems to know something about this, so that's probably the right thing to do."
Sang-hyeok then returned to his team to prepare for training.
Meanwhile, my answer sent the other trainees into an excited uproar.
"Holy shit! Does that mean we'll be able to go around cutting down Orcs on our own now?"
"Come on, even if we learn, I doubt we'll be able to do it like him."
The older trainees turned their gazes toward Ji-han again.
Their expressions were those of people looking at something wondrous.
Just then—
BANG—!
The training hall door swung open, and someone entered.
It was a woman dressed in office attire with a black cardigan.
I watched her, wondering who she was, as she approached Director Yoon Tae-hyun.
The director greeted her with his characteristic smile.
"Oh, what an honored guest. It's been a while, Director Shin Ha-rim."
"Could you stop making that sly face for once?"
"They say smiling brings good fortune."
"Tsk. Whatever. Where's the trainee who cut down the Orc?"
Director Yoon Tae-hyun looked toward Ji-han.
Following his gaze, Director Shin Ha-rim stared in disbelief.
"You mean that kid? Seriously?"
"Yes."
"He looks young. How old is he?"
"Seventeen."
"Quite a remarkable kid."
Director Shin Ha-rim broke into a broad grin, turned, and walked straight toward Ji-han.
When she reached him, she asked,
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Kim Ji-han."
"Is that so? Have you ever thought about becoming a Mage?"
The older trainees watching beside me were startled.
A recruitment offer to become a Mage.
And not just from anyone—
"By the way, who are you?"
"Me? I'm the director of this Magic Institute."
It was a personal recruitment offer from the director of the Magic Institute.
Ji-han's response, however, came remarkably quickly.
"No, thank you."
"......?"
For a moment, Shin Ha-rim looked as though she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
"You do understand what I just said, don't you?"
"Yes."
"No, no. I don't think you've understood properly, so let me explain. I'm offering to take you as my disciple and train you to become a Mage."
In other words, the director of the Magic Institute was offering to keep Ji-han by her side and personally teach him Magic.
"Seventeen. Yes, you're really young. And to have this much potential at seventeen...... Wow. Good heavens, Korea might actually produce a new S-Grade Hunter. That's how valuable you are right now. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
I looked puzzled for a moment, then shook my head.
Shin Ha-rim struggled to keep smiling as she asked,
"Which part, exactly, do you not understand?"
"I don't understand why you're trying to recruit me in the first place. I've never used Magic."
"Then are you saying the phenomenon you produced wasn't Magic?"
"Yes."
"No, that was Magic. A supernatural phenomenon created through Mana. That's what we call Magic."
"But it wasn't."
Shin Ha-rim shot a sharp glare at Yoon Tae-hyun.
She turned toward him and asked in a voice full of displeasure,
"Wow, shit. Have you brainwashed this kid or something?"
"Was there Magic that could do that?"
Yoon Tae-hyun approached with his usual sly smile.
He continued,
"I don't fully understand Mr. Kim Ji-han's supernatural ability myself. Of course, the person using it would know better than anyone."
Yoon Tae-hyun's gaze settled on Ji-han.
"If Ji-han himself says it isn't Magic, perhaps it isn't?"
"What kind of bull—"
"Could you tell us why you think so, Mr. Ji-han?"
Director Yoon Tae-hyun cut off Director Shin Ha-rim and asked me the question.
I thought for a moment, then nodded and answered.
"Hmm...... First of all, there's nothing for me to learn at the Magic Institute. That's the first reason."
Shin Ha-rim wanted to ask what kind of bullshit that was, but Ji-han continued before she could.
"And because of the Core in my body."
"Core?"
"Could you place your hand on my chest?"
With a dubious expression, Shin Ha-rim placed her hand on Ji-han's chest.
That was when it happened.
FWOOSH—!
"!?"
She immediately snatched her hand away and stumbled backward.
Her expression was that of someone who'd just witnessed something impossible.
"What are you?"
Shin Ha-rim stared at Ji-han with trembling eyes.
"How do you have a C-Circle?"
"!?"
Director Yoon Tae-hyun's eyes widened as he looked at Ji-han.
But Ji-han simply shook his head and answered.
"Could you check again?"
"......"
Shin Ha-rim approached without answering.
Still looking bewildered, she reached toward Ji-han again.
And in the next moment, she could feel it.
'It's not a ring.'
An intense energy radiated from the area around Ji-han's heart.
She felt as though she could vaguely make out its shape.
'This is......'
Something circular, without the structured configuration of a Circle.
It definitely wasn't a Circle.
It contained an energy entirely different from that of a Circle—almost its opposite.
There was power within it.
Heavy, intense power.
"......"
Having finished examining it, Shin Ha-rim withdrew her hand.
But the bewilderment on her face remained.
She looked as though she were staring at something beyond her comprehension.
Even so, there was one thing she could understand.
"Impossible......"
Whatever resided inside Ji-han's body was a new kind of power, fundamentally different from a Circle.