"......?"
"What?"
"What just happened?"
"Did Sang-hyeok's wooden sword break?"
Park Sang-hyeok stared at his wooden sword in shock.
He had quickly realized that it hadn't simply broken. It had been cut.
"H-How did this......?"
"I'm glad you weren't hurt."
Amid the confusion, Director Yoon Tae-hyun approached Park Sang-hyeok. No one had noticed when he'd arrived.
He studied the severed wooden sword for a moment, then continued with a bitter smile.
"I told you, didn't I? You could have died."
"Is that what you meant?"
"Yes. It's fortunate you used your wooden sword."
If he had used his fist, it would have been severed.
At those words, Park Sang-hyeok's face turned deathly pale, and goose bumps rose across his skin.
As the director had said, if he'd thrown a punch at Kim Ji-han, it would have been his arm, not his wooden sword, that got cut off.
But how on earth?
How had a wooden sword made such a clean cut?
Park Sang-hyeok looked at Director Yoon Tae-hyun, but the director offered no explanation. He simply walked over to Kim Ji-han.
Director Yoon Tae-hyun spoke.
"So you've learned to cut more than just necks. You can target other parts now, too?"
"I practiced, and it worked."
"Ah, so that's what you've been practicing?"
"Yes."
If the Blue Line targeted a vital point of whatever entered my field of vision, then I could choose what I wanted to cut simply by looking at something else.
I'd focused my gaze on the wooden sword being swung at me rather than on the person holding it.
And, just as I'd expected, the Blue Line had connected to the wooden sword.
"Still, that's surprising. I thought your ability would react to hostility."
I scratched my head.
I'd thought the same thing—that his hostility would trigger my ability and cause another incident. But nothing like that had happened.
If I had to guess......
"I don't think he was really serious, either."
That was putting it mildly.
What I actually thought was that my body hadn't reacted because he hadn't posed enough of a threat to kill me.
But saying that aloud would have been rude, so I kept it to myself.
"......"
Meanwhile, Director Yoon Tae-hyun wore an enigmatic smile.
After a brief silence, he spoke.
"All right, everyone, get back to your training. And Mr. Kim Ji-han, I'd like a word with you."
Is he going to scold me?
Feeling a little uneasy, I nodded anyway.
***
I followed Director Yoon Tae-hyun up to his office on the third floor.
The third floor housed the instructors' lounge and the director's office.
"Have a seat wherever you're comfortable."
At Director Yoon Tae-hyun's invitation, I sat on a nearby sofa.
The director himself didn't sit down. Instead, he rummaged through a drawer in his desk, looking for something.
"Ah, here it is."
What he pulled from the drawer was a rather old, worn book.
He stroked its cover as he continued.
"I obtained this book in the Tower ten years ago, when I was still active as a Hunter."
The Tarntar Tribe.
They were a dangerous race inhabiting the Tower, one we'd learned about in this morning's lecture.
From what I'd heard, they were strong enough to rip an entire tree out of the ground with their grip alone, and they had extremely aggressive personalities.
"There are three principal races you're likely to encounter in the Tower."
The warriors of the Tarntar Tribe.
The Mages of Hailen.
The elves of Lunilia.
"The reason Magic has advanced so much among Earth's Mages is thanks to the Mages of Hailen. Unlike the Tarntar Tribe or the elves of Lunilia, the Mages of Hailen are generous toward anyone with talent, at least where Magic is concerned."
That was why Earth's Hunters had been able to learn and share their Magic.
"One prime example is the Circle—the heart of a Mage. When a Mage reaches the pinnacle of the Circles, their Magic is on the level of a natural disaster."
They could raise the sea, set mountains ablaze, summon storms, and call enormous meteors down from the sky.
That was also why people said that Mages were everything when it came to Hunters.
And we Swordsmen existed to protect those Mages.
That was the role of a Swordsman, according to today's lesson.
"Mages are everything to Hunters. A Swordsman can never defeat a Mage. No, it's ridiculous to even consider the two as opponents in the first place. That's how the public sees Mages."
He gave a faint chuckle and continued.
"But I don't see it that way."
"......?"
"This happened a very long time ago, too."
It was something that had happened when he witnessed an unbelievable sight inside the Tower many years earlier.
"The Tarntar Tribe has individuals known as War Chiefs. I've encountered many War Chiefs while climbing the Tower. Their monstrous strength and toughness make them nothing short of a disaster for Hunters. In terms of our Hunter grades, they'd be A-Grade, perhaps? Of course, some War Chiefs are S-Grade or even stronger. But the War Chief I saw that day was different."
"How was he different?"
Yoon Tae-hyun recalled the events of that day.
"If I'd gone anywhere near him, I would have died. Without even having a chance to defend myself. Fortunately, he didn't seem to notice me. No, perhaps he did notice me and simply wasn't interested. Then someone appeared before that War Chief."
It was an Archmage of Hailen.
The director had recognized him because he was one of the Mages who maintained contact with Earth.
"A Seventh-Circle Archmage. One of those beings capable of causing the natural disasters I mentioned earlier. He appeared and stood before the War Chief. What do you think happened next?"
"Did they fight, and the Archmage lose?"
Given where the story seemed to be going, I figured that was what he'd say.
But the director shook his head.
He continued in a serious voice.
"No. Something even more astonishing happened."
"What happened?"
"The Archmage of Hailen ran away."
My eyes widened before I could stop them.
He ran away......? That was almost like......
"He looked as though he was terrified. That Archmage, of all people."
Not an ordinary Mage, but an Archmage, trembling with fear and running away.
To be honest, it was hard to believe, even as a story.
Even ordinary people who knew little about Hunters understood how powerful Mages were.
"That was when I realized there had to be something more to the Tarntar Tribe's strength, something that couldn't be explained by their physical abilities alone."
Director Yoon Tae-hyun held the book out to me.
"Open it."
I opened the book.
But I couldn't read it.
For the simple reason that it wasn't written in Korean.
I looked back at the director in confusion. He nodded as though he understood and explained.
"It's written in a language from another world. We can't translate it."
"Then why are you giving it to me......?"
"You may not be able to read the words, but you can look at the pictures."
Pictures?
I flipped through the pages again to check.
Sure enough, there were pages containing drawings I couldn't make sense of.
Of course, they were quite crude, as one might expect from drawings made by a primitive tribe.
"You can keep it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I've already made a copy."
"Oh."
Well, in that case.
I couldn't read any of it, and I wasn't sure it would be useful, but you never knew.
"That's everything I wanted to discuss. You haven't had dinner yet, have you? Let's go eat."
I nodded and got to my feet.
"Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
"Sundae-gukbap."
"I knew we had similar tastes. Let's go."
I glanced at Director Yoon Tae-hyun out of the corner of my eye.
He always wore a smile, so I could never quite tell what he was thinking, but for some reason, he seemed particularly pleased this time.
***
Late that night.
I was reading the book Director Yoon Tae-hyun had given me.
Though calling it reading wasn't quite right. I was really just skimming through it.
After all, it was impossible to read a book written in a language I couldn't understand.
So I ignored the writing and looked only at the illustrations.
They were drawings of stick figures.
'Are these supposed to be movements?'
There were stick figures holding swords, stick figures sitting upright, and even stick figures embracing one another.
I couldn't figure out what any of it was supposed to mean.
One thing was certain, though: staring at these pictures wasn't going to help me improve.
I closed the book and lay down on my bed.
There was no point in continuing to stare at something I couldn't read. It would only strain my eyes.
It was late anyway, so I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
Rather than read something like that, I'd be better off seeing those mysterious memories from my dreams again.
"......"
My mind gradually grew hazy.
My consciousness seemed to be slipping away, only to slowly rise again.
But I hadn't awakened from the dream.
On the contrary, I was dreaming.
I hadn't intended it, but it seemed I was having the very dream I'd wanted.
Once again, I had become one with the boy.
The Knight standing before me spoke.
-Child, do you know how to write?
I shook my head.
The Knight nodded in understanding and continued.
-I see. You would not have had many opportunities to learn. Then I shall teach you to read and write for one hour every day.
-Am I really allowed to learn something so precious?
-Writing is not precious, child.
He continued with a gentle smile.
-But ignorance can be a sin.
I nodded silently.
The Knight had said that writing wasn't precious, but in this era, commoners had no opportunities to learn it. That was why literacy was considered something precious among them.
Now that I had the chance to learn for free, I had no reason to refuse.
Time passed after that.
A week, a month, three months.
Yet it didn't feel as though I'd actually lived through three months.
From the perspective of my consciousness, barely ten seconds had passed.
The Knight spoke.
-You learn quickly.
He nodded in satisfaction and continued.
-You have learned enough of your letters now.
WHOOSH—!
With those words, everything in my field of vision collapsed.
It crumbled, then reassembled itself.
As though my perspective were shifting to a different point in time.
It felt as if the hazy memories weren't connected naturally, but were breaking off and jumping ahead to the next one.
When my vision returned, I was sitting upright, waiting quietly for something.
The Knight's voice came from behind me.
-Remember this.
GRIP—
The Knight placed his hands on both of my shoulders and spoke.
-Remember this sensation. This is the first duty you bear as a Knight.
That was when it happened.
Something warm entered through the shoulders where the Knight's hands rested.
That warmth was gathering near my heart.
It was a familiar energy—Mana.
The Mana converged around my heart and began taking shape.
Something was forming there.
-The Knight Heart is the bond shared by Knights. You must know how to create one yourself, and you must know how to create one for another. One day, you too will have a duty to pass this on to a little star who dreams of becoming a Knight. So......
FWOOSH—!
Mana surged throughout my body with an intensity that couldn't be compared to anything I'd felt before.
I understood instinctively.
Along with the overwhelming force of that energy, I had crossed beyond the boundaries of being human.
-Never forget.
SNAP—!
"!?"
My eyes flew open.
Before I knew it, I'd jerked upright in bed.
Still dazed, I checked the time.
Seven in the morning.
It was early morning.
"......"
For a moment, I simply blinked in a daze.
I couldn't tell whether I was still dreaming or had returned to reality.
There was a reason for that.
The dream had been extraordinarily vivid, and the sensation I'd experienced in it was still there.
I placed a hand over my heart.
'There's...... something there.'
I could feel an intense concentration of Mana.
That Mana had taken the shape of a heart.
"......?"
It was distinct, powerful, and dense.
Something had formed near my heart, and it had changed my Mana in some way.
I tried circulating my Mana.
An intense surge of Mana spread from the area around my heart throughout my body.
I raised my hand and, just as I'd done before, tried coating it in Mana.
FWOOSH—!
"!?"
My eyes widened involuntarily.
'I...... can see it.'
I could see Mana.
And it was a vivid shade of blue.
Just like the blue cloak I'd created before.
At that moment, a memory flashed through my mind.
-The Core allows you to control Mana. Everyone who takes their first steps on the path of a Knight knows how to create Aura.
"Core......"
I placed my hand over my heart again.
I could clearly feel the mass of Mana gathered there.
Then I looked at my hand, still coated in Mana.
"Aura."
The Mana rose like blue flames.
This must be the Aura the Knight in my dream had spoken of.
"Oh, right."
Come to think of it, I'd learned to read and write in that dream, too.
The language of another world.
I remembered it clearly.
I hurriedly opened the book I'd left by the head of my bed.
"Oh."
I could read the writing.
It was the language the Knight had taught me in my dream.
I began reading the book.
[Today, I kissed Jarianne. It felt wonderful.]
[Today, Jarianne invited me to her house. What a naughty girl. My heart pounding, I headed to Jarianne's house.]
[Just yesterday, Jarianne and I did the deed—]
I stopped reading halfway through and closed the book.
"Ah, fucking hell."
Now that I could read it, I realized it was a diary full of someone's private affairs.