Baek Ha-yeon and Jeong Seok-jung stared at the screen in a daze.
They had witnessed something utterly unbelievable with their own eyes, and it had left them speechless.
“……He really did cut it off.”
“H-how is that possible?”
Members of the Tarntar Tribe easily stood over two meters tall, sometimes even exceeding three. As befitted a race of hulking warriors, they had exceptionally thick neck muscles.
Their bones were also extremely sturdy, befitting a warrior race, so cutting through them with a sword in a single stroke was no easy feat.
They were the very embodiment of warriors.
And he'd severed the neck of one of them cleanly in a single exchange?
How could they not be astonished?
SWISH—
Just then, Ji-han appeared.
He had safely passed the Tower's trial.
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
Jeong Seok-jung and Baek Ha-yeon stared at him in silence.
Their vacant expressions suggested they still hadn't recovered from their shock.
They almost looked as though they were wondering whether he was really human.
Feeling awkward, Ji-han scratched his head.
CLAP— CLAP— CLAP—
Then Director Yoon Tae-hyun applauded, congratulating him.
“Congratulations, Mr. Ji-han. I'm glad you passed the test safely.”
“Uh, then does that mean……?”
“Yes. From this moment on, you are a Grade 10 Swordsman Hunter. You've become the youngest Hunter.”
“Really?”
“Indeed. You may even make it into the Guinness Book of Records.”
While Director Yoon Tae-hyun was congratulating him with a smile, Baek Ha-yeon urgently asked,
“Hey, how did you do that?”
“Huh? Do what?”
“Do you know how to use Physical Enhancement?”
“No.”
“Then how on earth did you do it?”
At those words, Jeong Seok-jung, who had been standing there dumbfounded, pricked up his ears.
As a Swordsman himself, he was curious to know how Ji-han had managed to sever a Tarntar warrior's head in a single stroke.
To begin with, even Physical Enhancement couldn't explain what had happened.
No matter how much someone enhanced their body, severing a Tarntar warrior's head that cleanly was impossible.
And Ji-han, who had awakened only a week ago, couldn't possibly know how to use Physical Enhancement.
“Hmm…….”
At the question, Ji-han folded his arms for a moment.
He thought carefully back over what had happened.
An opponent had appeared ten meters ahead.
He was a muscular man with bronzed skin, dressed like someone from a primitive tribe. He was two meters tall? No, he looked closer to three.
The man looked at me and approached.
I walked toward him as well.
At the same time, a black line appeared.
No, this time it wasn't a line but a surface.
A broad area, about as wide as the double-bladed axe the man was holding.
WHOOSH!
The man swung his axe, and as he did, a blue line appeared.
It was just like before.
Whenever I swung along the blue line, my opponent died without fail.
I lowered my stance and dodged the black line first.
The double-bladed axe swept past above my head.
Then I spun my body, using the momentum to slash through his neck.
The path of my sword followed the blue line.
“Hmm…….”
That was everything I'd experienced inside the Tower.
And if I had to describe what it had in common with the times I'd cut down Ha Jeong-tae and his father……
“When I felt certain that my opponent was going to kill me, my body reacted on its own.”
“……?”
“……?”
“Uh…… My mind went blank, and it felt like the sword I was holding had become part of my hand? Anyway, something like that.”
“I understand.”
It was Director Yoon Tae-hyun who answered.
“Get some good rest today. Instructor Jeong Seok-jung.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Please show Mr. Kim Ji-han to his quarters.”
“Yes, understood.”
***
After Kim Ji-han left, Yoon Tae-hyun and Baek Ha-yeon repeatedly watched the recording of his test in the Tower.
“What do you think?”
Yoon Tae-hyun asked Baek Ha-yeon.
Baek Ha-yeon.
She had originally been a Grade 3 Swordsman, placing her among the upper ranks of Hunters, but an injury had forced her to retire. She now worked as an instructor.
And from the perspective of a Grade 3 Swordsman—
“I'm not sure.”
She frowned and shook her head.
“Even with your experience, Ms. Baek Ha-yeon, you cannot tell?”
“Even if it's a defense mechanism, it doesn't make sense.”
How could a defense mechanism produce movements that precise in the first place?
“Besides, how am I supposed to understand something I can't even do myself?”
“Could you not even attempt to imitate it?”
“I doubt even a Grade 2 Swordsman could do that.”
“That's right.”
“……?”
“Because I discovered something remarkable.”
Yoon Tae-hyun pointed at the Tarntar warrior on the screen.
More precisely, at the circular tattoo on his right arm.
“Huh? A red pattern!?”
Among the Tarntar Tribe, the color of the pattern tattooed on one's arm indicated one's strength.
In ascending order, the colors were yellow, blue, and finally red, the strongest.
And a red pattern meant—
“He was a War Chief Candidate.”
“My goodness…….”
A War Chief.
A candidate recognized by the tribal chief as a great warrior.
A monster whose appearance in the Tower would make an entire party prepare for annihilation.
“It's astonishing enough that he killed a member of the Tarntar Tribe, but to think he killed a War Chief Candidate…….”
There were warnings that instructors always gave Hunter candidates about to take the Floor 0 trial.
If your opponent was from the Tarntar Tribe, give up without hesitation.
If your opponent was a Mage of Hailen, withdraw immediately.
It meant abandoning the chance to become a Hunter, but nothing was more precious than one's life.
“Are you sure he really doesn't know Physical Enhancement?”
“Since his awakening, he has spent his time going back and forth between detention and court. He would not have had the opportunity to learn it.”
“Then how on earth……?”
“That's what we have to find out from now on.”
Yoon Tae-hyun rose from his chair as he spoke.
“I will personally oversee Mr. Kim Ji-han's training for the time being.”
“Hah…… Yes, I suppose that's for the best.”
If his defense mechanism reacted to hostility or murderous intent, there was a risk of trouble among the hot-blooded Hunter trainees.
Of course, there was something else that bothered her, quite apart from that.
Kim Ji-han had just come out of the Tower after cutting someone's head off, yet he'd seemed completely unfazed.
Familiarity?
At the very least, it wasn't the kind of reaction one would expect from a seventeen-year-old boy.
“He doesn't have some kind of mental illness, does he?”
“No.”
“Really? You're telling me a perfectly normal kid killed someone just now and stayed that calm?”
“Wouldn't it be enough that he isn't the sort of person who grins while sawing through someone's neck with a shard of glass or a utility knife?”
“……You're messing with me, aren't you?”
“Of course not.”
PAT—
Yoon Tae-hyun placed a hand on Baek Ha-yeon's shoulder and said,
“Keep a close eye on Mr. Kim Ji-han. I have a feeling he may hold the key to advancing swordsmanship.”
“Hah…… Yes, all right.”
***
For the first time in a long while, I had a dream.
It took place in a village engulfed in raging flames.
My height was about the same as now? No, I think I was smaller.
I was a young boy.
A longsword was gripped in my hand.
-Aaaaaagh!! Save me!!
-You crazy little bastard!!
I was slaughtering the bandits who had attacked the village.
My hands never stopped moving, and I had no intention of stopping until I'd killed every last bandit who had attacked.
WHOOSH!!!
-Aaaaaaaagh!!
CRACKLE!!
The scene shifted.
The dark night sky had somehow given way to daylight, and the village that had been engulfed in flames was now a ruined heap of ashes.
Every villager except me was dead.
I was burying the villagers' bodies one by one.
At that moment, sensing someone's presence behind me, I drew my sword and swung it.
CLANG!
-Do not be wary, child.
My sword was blocked.
My opponent had drawn his own sword in an instant and knocked aside my strike.
I remained on guard, but I sensed no hostility from him.
I slowly relaxed the grip I'd been tightening around my sword.
He spoke with a troubled expression.
-I had hoped to help…… but it seems I arrived far too late.
He surveyed the scene around us, then turned his gaze back to me and asked,
-How old are you?
My mouth opened against my will.
-A flight of dragons has crossed the sky eleven times.
-So young.
He gave a bitter smile and continued.
-Who implanted your Core?
-Core? What's a Core?
-Hmm?
Puzzled by my response, he reached out his hand.
-Give me your hand for a moment.
I slowly extended my hand.
He gently felt it, then looked utterly astonished.
-You have no Core, yet you managed to envelop your sword in Mana……. You truly are a Child of the Sword chosen by the stars.
He looked at me seriously and asked,
-Do you have somewhere to go?
I shook my head.
-Then come with me.
I nodded.
The village had been reduced to ruins, and I had no way to feed or support myself.
The dream ended there.
.
.
.
KNOCK— KNOCK— KNOCK—
I slowly opened my eyes at the rhythmic sound.
Looking around, I found myself in a small studio apartment.
‘Ah, right.’
I'm going to be living here from now on, aren't I?
I sat up and looked toward the source of the sound.
Someone was knocking on the front door.
I got out of bed and opened it.
BANG—
“Good morning, Mr. Kim Ji-han.”
“Hello.”
It was Director Yoon Tae-hyun.
Still wearing his usual smiling expression, he continued,
“Do you happen to like blood sausage soup with rice?”
“……?”
***
After enjoying a hearty breakfast at a nearby restaurant specializing in blood sausage soup with rice, I followed Director Yoon Tae-hyun to the Swordsmanship Institute.
“The soup was delicious, wasn't it? It's a hidden gem. Don't go telling just anyone about it, all right?”
“Um, Director?”
“Yes. Please, speak freely.”
“Will I be entering the Tower from now on?”
Director Yoon Tae-hyun grinned and shook his head.
He said,
“You passed the Tower's test and became a Hunter, but you're not yet a full-fledged Hunter. More precisely, you could call yourself a Hunter trainee.”
“A trainee?”
“Yes. You'll enter the Tower after receiving sufficient training at the Swordsmanship Institute. You'll need to reach around Grade 7 as a Swordsman.”
After entering the Swordsmanship Institute building, we headed down to the basement.
Director Yoon Tae-hyun continued,
“Physical training, lectures, tactics, hand signals. Once you've completed all of that training, you'll be recognized as Grade 7. In other words, Grade 7 is where being a real Hunter begins.”
“Then will my training start today?”
“Yes. And I will be in charge of your instruction.”
Director Yoon Tae-hyun opened the door to the first basement level and stepped inside.
I followed him through the doorway.
The scene inside was quite different from yesterday.
Unlike yesterday, there were many people.
People running around the training ground.
People swinging swords at wooden training dummies.
People building strength on exercise equipment.
Unlike yesterday, the place was filled with the heat of vigorous activity.
“The trainees are divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes. Naturally, you belong in the beginner class, Mr. Kim Ji-han, but…….”
We passed the other trainees and approached a door at the back of the training ground.
The nameplate read: Private Training Room.
There was only a single wooden training dummy standing in the center of the room.
Director Yoon Tae-hyun said,
“You'll be training individually for the time being, Mr. Kim Ji-han. Your defense mechanism is rather dangerous.”
“What kind of training will I be doing?”
“Learning to control your defense mechanism.”
He pointed at the wooden dummy and said,
“I suspect your defense mechanism causes your body to react automatically to an opponent's ‘hostility’ or ‘murderous intent.’ Is that correct?”
“Yes. I think so.”
“If you can learn to control it, it could become an excellent means of attack. So let's first find out how to control it.”
He tapped the wooden dummy on the shoulder and said,
“Imagine that this wooden dummy is your enemy. And if your defense mechanism activates, remember what that feels like.”
“Even if you suddenly tell me that…….”
“Hmm…… It's a little difficult, isn't it? Then how about imagining that this wooden dummy is your sworn enemy? This bastard is the mortal enemy who brutally murdered your parents. Something along those lines.”
“I'm an orphan, though.”
“Ah, my mistake. Anyway, try it with that sort of feeling.”
“All right. I'll give it a try.”
I nodded and picked up a wooden sword lying nearby.
Just as I was about to begin training, something suddenly came to mind.
“Oh, Director.”
“Yes?”
“Do you happen to know what a Core is?”
Director Yoon Tae-hyun blinked in puzzlement.
After thinking deeply for a moment, he spoke.
“What is that?”
Apparently, he didn't know.
I moved on to my next question.
“Uh, um…… Then do you know anything about enveloping a sword in Mana?”
“That's impossible.”
Director Yoon Tae-hyun continued in a voice full of certainty.
“Mana is an intangible energy that circulates only within the human body. Once it leaves the skin, you lose control over it. Think of it like the blood flowing through your body. The difference is whether you can control it while it's inside you.”
“I see.”
“Is there anything else you're curious about?”
“Uh…… No.”
“Then let's begin right away.”
I nodded and turned my gaze toward the wooden dummy.
Sword in hand, I stared intently at it.
That bastard is my enemy.
The enemy who killed my parents, whom I don't even have.
That was when it happened.
‘……Huh?’
A blue line appeared.
That was rather strange.
I could call the wooden dummy my sworn enemy all I wanted, but there was no way I'd actually feel any resentment toward it.
Nor, of course, did I sense any hostility or murderous intent coming from the dummy, as I had on those previous occasions.
There was only one thing in common: I was holding something in my hand.
I swung the wooden sword along the blue line.
Its path led directly toward the neck.
SLASH—
THUMP— ROLL, ROLL…….
“Huh?”
The wooden dummy's head fell off.
The cleanly severed surface looked as though it had truly been cut by a real sword.
An incredulous voice came from behind me.
“How…… did you just do that?”