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She let out a deep sigh.
She reached into her bosom and pulled out her wallet.
Her gaze fell upon a photo tucked inside.
In it was…
A young Cha Yeo-ju herself.
Holding two twin swords and a shield at her waist, with a youthful expression, standing shyly.
On the opposite side stood another woman of similar age.
With a bashful smile, holding up a V with her fingers, a red-haired woman with a hammer and striking bronze skin.
It was Im Hyeja, whose appearance hadn’t changed much since her younger days.
‘…We did meet recently, didn’t we?’
She had visited the
Im Hyeja seemed unaware, but Cha Yeo-ju had sneaked a glance at her once.
A deceptively youthful appearance that seemed not to age at all.
There didn’t seem to be any shadow on her face…
Thankfully, she seemed to be living well.
‘Has it been over five years since we last met…?’
Yes, that should be about right.
Im Hyeja and she were not exactly close friends, more like former colleagues.
Strictly speaking, they were rivals competing fairly over a man…
In the end, since both of them lost, it was a meaningless statement to say.
She looked at the photo again.
Right in the center.
A man over 190 cm tall, smiling awkwardly between Cha Yeo-ju and Im Hyeja.
Not handsome, but with distinctly masculine features.
A likable man with what was commonly called a bear-like face.
‘Senior.’
The party leader and Ma Hana’s father.The man Cha Yeo-ju loved dearly.It was Ma Tae-han.
Snap.
Cha Yeo-ju quietly closed the photo album.
Beyond the sight.
She looked at Ma Hana, who was squatting and moaning “Meow…” and Yu Seha, who was trying his best to comfort her.
No, correction.
What lingered in Cha Yeo-ju’s eyes was…
An adult woman with an atmosphere similar to Ma Hana.
The woman who seized the side of her senior, Ma Tae-han, while wagging two tails.
Cha Yeo-ju closed her eyes.
The beginning was, yes… in the
One day, she was discovered in an
A girl who proved she was not of this world.
With a gentle, naive-looking appearance…She was the fox-like woman who completely took away her beloved senior.
‘……’
Strength entered Cha Yeo-ju’s grip.She wanted to utter resentful words immediately…
‘…Hoo.’
She soon trembled slightly.
This was just a vent of anger.
What fault could that little girl possibly have?
She looked at Ma Hana again.
It was true she resembled that woman, but…
‘Senior.’
She looked exactly like Senior Ma Tae-han.
The smile she showed with a bright grin naturally overlapped with the Senior’s face, evoking nostalgia.
In addition…
‘She even inherited his talent.’
Cha Yeo-ju had clearly seen it during the sparring match.
The skilled [Shield Technique] she had displayed against Jeon Hee-ju.
The scene of demonstrating martial arts based on speed against Yu Seha.
From Cha Yeo-ju’s perspective, it was a ‘talent’ that met and exceeded the ‘standard’ she set for herself.
Of course, strictly speaking, Ma Hana’s growth had been possible because of the opportunities Yu Seha had enthusiastically provided, thinking of her as ‘his favorite character.’
Cha Yeo-ju, unaware of this, simply thought that Ma Hana had inherited great talent just like her senior.
She sighed.
She had hoped it wouldn’t be true.
She had wished for Ma Hana to fall short, to be weaker.
It would have been less painful for her.
‘But…’
Having proven it so confidently, she had to keep her promise.
―Yeo-ju. Someday, ‘that day’ will come for our Meowi. Preparation is necessary for that time. There’s no one but you to guide the child.―…What are you talking about, suddenly showing up? And why have you gotten so thin since I last saw you? Is it because of that woman? Is it because of her? Answer me, Senior!!!―…I’m sorry, but still…
Please.
“Haa…”
Cha Yeo-ju placed her hand on her forehead.
Soon, she pulled herself together.
Clap, clap!
She clapped her hands to gather the cadets’ attention.
“…Everyone, you worked hard. Today’s class will end here. The winner, please receive your reward before leaving.”
Cha Yeo-ju’s gaze fixed on Ma Hana.
‘Mmm…’ Ma Hana shivered slightly.
Cha Yeo-ju nodded at her.
‘I understand, Senior.’
At the very least…
She would ensure that the Senior’s daughter was raised to be someone he could be truly proud of.
But it seemed she wouldn’t have to intervene much.
‘That child already…’
Found her path, a being to protect on her own.
Just a little guidance was all she would need to absorb well.
‘Lastly…’
The ‘thing’ the Senior had entrusted to her.
When the time comes, I’ll pass it on to her.
‘That’s the last debt I owe you.’
Whoosh.
Flames blazed across my entire body.
I let out a small exclamation at the flames that had become much stronger than before.
‘I knew it, but…’
I thought Unique grade really was different.
Currently, I was at Peng Jin-ah’s personal training ground.
I arrived here about an hour earlier than our
The reason was the Unique grade skill I acquired a little while ago.
To test [Burning Flame Demon].
Usually, from Unique grade onwards, you’d receive special treatment in ‘GAL’.
If Hero grade could be acquired through gacha and used moderately well.
From Unique grade onwards, it was considered an endgame setup.
‘Well, I use all sorts of skills without discrimination, so it doesn’t really matter.’
Still, [Burning Flame Demon] was a skill with enough performance for a decisive battle.
It even had two
‘And the first of those…’
[Crimson Flame’s Eye].
Clang!Bubble bubble!
I blocked the dummies’ attacks with my shield.As soon as they touched the shield, their weapons melted and burst into bubbles.
The training virtual dummies hesitated and stepped back as their weapons melted.
‘Nice.’
As shown in the sparring, [Crimson Flame’s Eye] was a skill worth using repeatedly.
Its benefits included enhanced durability and the
There was practically nothing to discard.
‘The only drawback is that it can’t apply to multiple items simultaneously.’
I wasn’t sure whether this was due to my inexperience or an inherent limitation of the skill itself.
Applying to both the [Saint’s Sword] and [Shield] simultaneously was impossible.
Anyway, it was good.
Since [Crimson Flame’s Eye] already proved its worth in sparring, there seemed no need for further confirmation.
‘Now, the moment of truth.’
This was essentially today’s highlight.
I focused solely on the [Burning Flame Demon].
The hot flames surrounded the area like a living creature.
The second ability of the [Burning Flame Demon] was an
Yes, it was an
Occasionally, some skills had
‘I’m really lucky after all.’
I figured this stroke of luck was the result of hanging out with Meowi.
Thud!
While preparing, new enemies began to appear in the training ground.
All the small dummies scattered before me disappeared, and a huge dummy approached at a reasonable distance.
A towering figure that must be at least three meters tall.
It was clad in what was commonly called ‘overkill armor’, covered in iron plates.
It was a typical
Ziiiing!
As I infused magic, my arms became engulfed in flames, revealing a fiery red color.
‘Focus…’
Though it was my first time activating the skill, it was mine nonetheless. If I possessed it, I could wield it.
At some point, my left arm extended, palm open, aiming directly at the dummy.
My right hand gripped my left wrist for support.
Volcanic-like magic surged up.
The tattoo signaling the
“
The manifestation of a command spell.
Immediately, the size of the flames, which had been swirling down my left hand, amplified.
Kuwaa!!!
A gigantic fireball.
A fiery judgment, as if it could melt anything, burst upon the
Pooong!!!!
It was like witnessing the spherical breath that the
Moments later.
The
“Hmm…”
I dismissed the
As expected, it was powerful.
The range was decent, too.
However, compared to the same
‘…Approximately a quarter of [Overlord’s Annihilation]’s strength, I suppose.’
[Flare Buster] was by no means weak.
It was just that the skill, [Overlord’s Annihilation], was such a powerful ultimate move that the comparison felt unfair.
However, as a veteran, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of slight disappointment in various ways.
If I had to classify it by tier, it could be said to be a 2nd tier ultimate.
Of course, [Overlord’s Annihilation] was at the top among the 1st tier.
‘Still, it has definite advantages.’
From the floating window, I could tell.
[Flare Buster] had a remarkably short cooldown.
For an
Additionally, it came with no particular restrictions, proving that it was a skill I could reliably wield.
‘The mana consumption isn’t that high…’
Decisively, the fact that it was a mid-to-long-range skill with about a 50-meter range was very favorable.
Currently, aside from attacks using [Bow], I didn’t have any noteworthy long-range techniques.
However, as there were advantages, there were also clear disadvantages.
The mediocre power was one thing.
Perhaps because it hadn’t reached a mature stage yet.
It required extending my left arm forward and taking time to aim.
If I didn’t control the recoil with my right arm, it wasn’t easy to launch it to the desired location.
It required quite a tricky control.
Lastly, as it was a skill designed to be fired from a long distance, firing it at close range meant I couldn’t guarantee my own safety.
‘If I defend with [Fire Resistance] + [Eyes of Crimson Flames], it might be a bit better…’
I had to be prepared for some part of my body to get scorched.
Anyway, the analysis of the newly acquired skill was complete.
I ended [Virtual Training] while thinking of Peng Jin-ah, who would come soon.
Thud.
And at that moment.I turned my gaze toward the sound of something falling.
“Wh-What…?!”
A beauty with beige hair looked this way in disbelief.
It was none other than Peng Jin-ah.
She dropped several training tools she was holding with both hands.
Judging by how much she was carrying…It seemed she brought them for today’s class.
“Professor—ah, no, Master. You dropped something like a sandbag on the floor—”“That’s not what’s important, Cadet Yu Seha.”
Peng Jin-ah cut off my words and rushed over with a* ‘pang!’*
She was so quick, I only noticed her approaching after she grabbed my hand.
I wasn’t particularly off guard; it was just pure speed that overwhelmed me.
‘…As expected, I’m still far from it.’
The road to the destination, called A-grade, seemed arduous.
Peng Jin-ah began inspecting me from head to toe, fussing over me with exaggerated gestures. She glanced at the training area, which still bore the marks of my fiery attack, and exclaimed with a mixture of amazement and concern.
“Cadet Yu, Yu Seha! That just now… that, that gigantic fireball. Could it be the [Ultimate Skill]?”“…Uh, yes, that’s right.”“My goodness…!”
Peng Jin-ah swallowed her breath in rising astonishment.
The traces of the burning flames.
Judging by the damage, the skill didn’t appear to be among the most powerful
An Ultimate Skill was an Ultimate Skill.
Among
Even within
‘It’s a hidden card that can overturn the battlefield.’
And Yu Seha had just used one.
Usually,
Some who were called geniuses learned it around the middle of the second year.
However, this also varied by case.
Some only managed to acquire one after graduating from the Academy, and there were those who never mastered one, no matter how much they trained.
‘To have acquired it while still a first-year…’
Additionally, from Peng Jin-ah’s perspective, the skill Yu Seha had just used was clearly a fire-based
Fundamentally, skills were acquired to match the owner’s talent and specialization.
Even though Yu Seha possessed various abilities, he was essentially a warrior-type figure.
For him to acquire an
It was literally an expression of immense genius.
Peng Jin-ah couldn’t stop her rising admiration.
‘As expected…’
He was a genius among geniuses.
Peng Jin-ah resolved, ‘I guess I need to discard a certain level of common sense now,’ and cleared her throat with a cough.
“Congratulations, Cadet Yu Seha. You’ve gained another strategy with the acquisition of the Ultimate Skill.”
“Thank you.”
Peng Jin-ah looked at Yu Seha and quietly felt relieved inside.
Soon, she muttered something akin to a soliloquy.
“Still, that’s a relief.”
“Huh, what?”
“Seems like you haven’t mastered [Overlord’s Annihilation] yet. So, you’re honing other skills.”
“Oh.”
“Well, it won’t be easy. At least several times harder than the fireball you just used. No matter how remarkable Cadet Yu Seha is. Even if you’re extraordinary, you’ll need to be in your second year to attempt it.”
“…Um, about that…”
Peng Jin-ah nodded, mumbling, ‘Hmm, hmm…!’
For Peng Jin-ah, this was truly fortunate.
He hadn’t mastered [Overlord’s Annihilation].
In other words, there were still things to teach him.
‘Furthermore…’
This meant there was a pretext and reason to continue the exclusive lessons with Yu Seha until the third year.
In fact, she was quite anxious.
‘What if he claims there’s nothing left for me to teach him…?’
She wondered what if he would just leave her behind.
Despite her fondness for him, her thoughts came to a screeching halt when Yu Seha spoke, his voice small but clear.
“…I used it.”“…What?”“The [Overlord’s Annihilation]…”
I used it.When finishing off the [Sea Dragon].
“……”
Peng Jin-ah doubted her ears.
She blinked her eyes.
What on earth… did he say?
Peng Jin-ah stared blankly at Yu Seha.
Yu Seha, who looked at her, could only offer an awkward smile.
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