233 — Hero (1)

Step step.

The rough sound of footsteps came to my ears.
Beyond my sight, a space filled with darkness.
The footprints, full of power, were deeply imprinted.
Though the footsteps sounded as if walking casually, a strange vibration and confidence were felt.

Surely, because he was strong from birth.
It was the ease shown by someone who had never experienced defeat.

I clicked my tongue.
I never thought such a trivial trigger would bring back old memories.

Childhood.
A shabby orphan not yet taken in by my father’s hand.

Those guys who strutted around me, acting tough.
Guys whose names and faces I don’t even remember.
All of them died for ridiculous reasons and became corpses.
And the old memory of rummaging through their belongings like a hyena.

I shook off the slightly unpleasant feeling and looked ahead.

“…Hmm?”
“Grrr!!!”

What appeared next was a tiger with scarlet fur and black stripes.
Of course, it was no ordinary tiger.
Its size and bulk were much larger.
It walked bipedally like a human.
On its lower body, it wore tiger-skin pants, presumably made from its own kind it had killed.

A well-developed humanoid body and a belt made of prayer beads around its waist.

There was no doubt.
I tilted my head.

‘Why on earth is this guy appearing here?’

It was the A-rank dungeon boss, <Heavenly Tiger >.
A boss that appears in the dungeon called <Call of the Wild> located in Baekdu Mountain.

Though not a beastman.
It was a creature that wielded powerful martial arts using the excellent physique and swift speed typical of beastmen.
Normally, it was not a boss you could easily encounter.

A brief question.
Soon, one speculation.

‘Ah, could it be that this guy appears in the <Sword Empress’s Tower>?’

Maybe.

Looking at its background story, there’s some useless tale about receiving help from a sage in the past.
If it turns out to be a celestial martial arts type monster, it would make sense.

Soon, the creature that spotted me ignited fighting spirit in its eyes.
The Heavenly Tiger immediately took a battle stance.

“Kuwaaaa-!!!”

A huge roar echoed from Heavenly Tiger’s mouth.
Not a simple shout, but a tiger’s unique ultra-low frequency roar.
It was the Hero-grade skill, [Tiger’s Fierce Roar].

It was a very good skill that reduced the composure of targets within range, and additionally decreased their stats—a very effective skill.
Of course, it had no effect on me.

[‘Unwavering Insight’ activates.]
[‘Endurance to Pain’ activates.]
[Status resistance: Resists confusion and stat reduction.]

When I remained unfazed, it hesitated slightly.

“Grrr…”

But only for a moment, it started circling around me, moving its legs.
Of course, as an A-rank boss, <Ho-cheon> was not to be underestimated.
Purely looking at base stats without buffs, it was probably higher than mine.

I knew I had to be tense.
I knew I had to take a stance.

But why?
I felt no particular emotion.

‘…Why?’

It was like watching a cat hiss.
A slight feeling of insignificance.
Of course, I remained cautious.
I neither underestimated nor let my guard down.
I just waited for it to make the first move.

Maybe it understood my intention.
Crack-!
The Heavenly Tiger powered its legs and charged like lightning.

“Kuwaaa!!!”

More than two <Movement Speed> abilities activated on its legs.
It sharpened its claws and infused them with intense magic.
It was definitely the Hero-grade skill, [Tiger Claw Slash].

<Heavenly Tiger> was a typical physical-type boss specialized in strength and speed.

In reality, it wouldn’t take even two seconds for its claws to reach me.

But I didn’t move a muscle.
Slow.
Too slow.

A moment of puzzlement.
Soon I realized.
I had already fought a strong opponent with speed incomparable to this guy.

A man naturally came to mind.

The wandering warrior wearing tattered clothes and a straw hat came to mind.

‘Gwae.’

Compared to him, <Heavenly Tiger> was slow and pathetic.
Compared to the swift blade he wielded, this guy’s claws were like a sluggish worm.

A fleeting moment.

I closed my eyes.

When I activated [Unprecedented Sense], the spreading red aura gathered like armor covering my body.

All my senses sharpened.
The presence lingering like a terminal in my memory became clear.

‘Like when I trained recalling Peng Jin-ah’s figure in the training ground in the past…’

Based on the stronger and clearer [Unprecedented Sense], I projected the image of ‘Kwai.’

Ripple-!

Soon, the red aura shifted form.
It was undoubtedly the ronin himself.

[‘Unprecedented Sense’ is unleashed to the extreme.]
[The essence of ‘Swift Sword’ flows through your entire body.]
[‘Black Iron’ responds to its new master’s call.]

Before I knew it, in my hand was not the [Sword of the Saint],
But [Black Iron], the sword used by the ronin.

I thought of him.
I recalled the strike he unleashed.
I remembered the moment we clashed and looked at each other.

—Well done.

The blade of [Black Iron] darkened into a deep black.
A phenomenon shown because I had the understanding and qualification for the weapon.

Before I knew it,
I had become the warrior himself.

I lightly lifted Black Iron.
And slashed.

Slice-!

Heavenly Tiger’s both arms were cleanly severed, floating in the air.

“Grr…k?”

Heavenly Tiger spat blood and was flustered.
Feeling something was terribly wrong,
it tried to pull back before feeling pain.

But I didn’t want to waste any more time on it.
I pulled my hand back.
Without moving a single step, I gathered magic into Black Iron.

Flash-!

The nape.
The heart.
Finally, beyond the brow to the brain.

The [Triple Thrust] I unleashed after a long time neatly took Heavenly Tiger’s life.

That was the end.

Thud-!

Heavenly Tiger knelt down right there.
Its eyes rolled back.
It buried its face in the ground and stuck out its tongue.
All this took only five seconds.

[‘Eye of Reverse Heaven’ flows through your genius.]
[Your understanding of ‘Swift Sword’ increases. When this process repeats several times, you permanently acquire some of ‘Gwae’s skills.]
[The level of ‘Triple Thrust’ rises. You acquire the derived skill: ‘One Slash Thrust’.]
[Your ‘Swordsmanship’ level increases.]
[As a total level reward, Strength +1, Speed +1.]

“Phew…”

It was right after finishing the test and earning the qualification to enter <Sword Heaven Eastern Mansion>.

When I went outside, murmurs were heard everywhere.
They were hunters who had looked at me earlier with various meanings.

“Did you just see that?”
“Not really…”
“Wow, did you see the sword speed? It’s really fast…?”
“Sword Empress sister brought him, so I wondered… Could it be she finally took a disciple?”
“Nah, she’s never taken a disciple before.”
“With that kind of talent, shouldn’t she keep him no matter what?”
“The swordsmanship he used earlier. What kind of style is that?”

Various murmurs and talks.
Among them, a woman wearing sunglasses snapped her fingers.

“Ah, I remember! That person. The one who landed a hit on the S-rank monster Kirin this time!”
“…What? But they said he’s a young Hero, he’s just a kid.”
“A kid that young defeated an S-rank monster?”
“Everyone’s late on the news. You should notice that as soon as you enter.”
“Well, I heard it but thought it was nonsense… But now seeing it, maybe the rumor was underestimated…?”

Hmm.
The attention was so intense it naturally felt burdensome.
Eyes full of expectation and rivalry poured from all directions.

Then a late question arose.

‘Huh?’

Wait, how do they know how I fought?
I was inside the <Tower> just a moment ago?

Then a noise came.
I turned around.
And was shocked.

‘W-what the hell?’

A huge electronic billboard.
The scene of me fighting <Heavenly Tiger> just now was fully recorded.

Even the part where I closed my eyes and acted cool!

‘Oh shit!’

Meanwhile, at a table a little away.
Peng Jin-ah covered her face with both hands and looked at the embarrassed Yu Seha.

A warm pride bubbled up in her chest.
Though she was confident Yu Seha would succeed, she didn’t expect him to do so well.

As expected of her own disciple.

“Ahem!”

A slight cough.
Peng Jin-ah straightened her shoulders.
Then she subtly looked back at the Sword Empress beside her to brag about her disciple.

“…!”

She flinched immediately.

Plum Blossom Sword Empress.
She was staring intently at Yu Seha with an expressionless face.

Though she seemed emotionless, Peng Jin-ah, who had known her since childhood, knew well.
That was her unique habit that came out when she felt strong desire.

‘Could it be…?’

An old memory suddenly came to mind.
A fleeting thought that with Yu Seha’s shining talent, even the private residence might covet him.

Swallow-!

Peng Jin-ah swallowed.
Gulp.
She placed her hand on the Sword Empress’s shoulder.

“Hmm? Jin-ah?”
“…senior. Cadet Yu Seha is my disciple.”

Though sudden, Peng Jin-ah was serious.

The Sword Empress, blinking in confusion, chuckled softly.

She tapped her sister’s shoulder as if to say, “What are you talking about?” and laughed.

“Our Jin-ah~ is a total fool for her disciple?”
“N-no, don’t tease me!”
“Stop teasing~”
“Eek!!!”

The Sword Empress laughed as if finding it cute.
Then she pushed Peng Jin-ah’s back.
A gesture to hurry and go to Yu Seha.

“…”

Yet her thin eyes remained fixed on Yu Seha without looking away.

30 minutes later.
I was left alone awkwardly.

-Cadet Yu Seha. We’ll go organize some necessary supplies.
-Ah, I’ll come too.
-It’s okay. There are some things only for women… it’s embarrassing to show.

Sit comfortably on the sofa and rest.

The three left to buy luggage and essentials after saying that.

I felt awkward and sat like a stone statue.
Around me, people still showed interest.
They didn’t approach but just lingered.

‘…At this level, it’s a bit burdensome.’

I fiddled with my fingers while waiting for a moment.

‘Hmm?’

I realized someone was approaching and looked up.

Our eyes naturally met.

She was a young woman in her early thirties.
She was wearing a brass-colored armor reminiscent of medieval Roman times.
On her back, a round shield as big as her body, and a long folding spear on her shoulder.

‘Hmm, huh?’

A strange sense of déjà vu.
I was sure I had seen her somewhere before.
I couldn’t remember clearly.

A second of pondering.
Then, I remembered.

‘Ah, definitely…’

The person Chairman Yu Neung-ha had shown…

‘She’s the person on that list?!’