Hunter Academy Entrance Exam (8)

Clang!

The sword that had been circling in the air gracefully fell.

The blade, deeply cutting into the floor, made a unique sound.

“……”

Peng Jin-ah couldn’t say anything, even though the sword she cherished like a part of herself had fallen.

She stood frozen like a statue, unable to think of retrieving it, staring ahead.

Right in front of her.

Yu Seha was frozen in the same posture as her.

The focus in his eyes was blurry.

Like an incandescent bulb nearing its end, flickering, it wouldn’t be strange if it went out at any moment.

It was surely evident that he had pushed himself beyond his limits to achieve enlightenment.

Even so, his posture did not falter.

With his right hand, he steadied the blade, while his left hand was attached to his wrist, ready to switch between offense and defense at any moment.

Perhaps he merely followed what he saw without knowing the exact meaning of it.

But that alone was sufficient.

Even though it wasn’t taught, he understood it and displayed it right before his eyes now.

‘…Ha.’

Peng Jin-ah let out a small sigh.

[Overlord Sword Technique].
A skill of Epic grade.

Strictly speaking, it was a Blade technique, but systemically, it was classified as [Swordsmanship].

It was the unique [Swordsmanship] passed down in the Peng family for generations, and it was an arrangement of the [Peng Commanding Sword], which was also of the same Epic grade, in its own unique way.

In reality, it was a sword that no one but herself could wield, and now he had mastered it.

As if that wasn’t enough, he also acquired the ‘Counter’ technique, a derivative skill of [Overlord Sword Technique], which could only be mastered through numerous trials and errors.

He even mastered [Peng Furious Wolf].

Peng Jin-ah thought that during these mere 30 minutes, she had been surprised enough for an entire year’s worth.

Therefore, she didn’t want to be surprised anymore.

But there was one more unavoidable thing before her eyes.

Beyond her gaze, a silently burning flame.

The tip of Yu Seha’s sword.

The white flame flowing along it was the subject.

Fwoosh!

It was weak and faint.
But the white flame was clearer and more transparent than anything.
At the unmistakable manifestation of the [Sword of Purification], Moon Bora, who had been watching from afar, stood up abruptly.

“…Unbelievable.”
“Meow? Miss B-Bora?”

[Demons] could never learn the [Sword of Purification], even if they were reborn.

Even those who had learned it would lose their qualification the moment they stepped into the path of evil.

However, Yu Seha now showed signs of the [Sword of Purification].

This could only mean one thing.

“Yu Seha is…”

No, he wasn’t.

Peng Jin-ah also had the same thought as Moon Bora.

He wasn’t.

He, possessing such an unbelievable talent, was not one who made a deal with the devil.

Originally, it was an unbelievable story.

If it were her just an hour ago, she would have rebuked him, calling it nonsense.

‘…I see.’

Peng Jin-ah understood right here and now.

This was a feeling she could recognize because she had shared a sword with Yu Seha.

Additionally, it was also the true identity of the discomfort she had felt earlier.

‘I was under a big misconception from the beginning.’

She had undoubtedly thought it was a talent nurtured by being tainted by the devil.

But it was not.

His blossoming was achieved through his own effort and innate genius.

It was natural to feel discomfort since the method of blossoming was entirely different from the beginning.

A flower grown in rotten soil.
A flower grown in clear, clean soil.

It was natural that the scents emanating from each of them were different.

‘…I was foolish.’

Peng Jin-ah blamed herself.

She should have looked without prejudice.

Because he was a man and because there was an inherent difference in magical power, it couldn’t be possible.

She shouldn’t have concluded that he must have gained power by making a deal with a demon.

If she had, she would have realized it sooner.

‘…This golden gemstone shining before my eyes.’

Yu Seha was a genius.

A genius to the extent that Peng Jin-ah could hardly judge.

Creak!

“……”

Yu Seha’s sword moved again.

Even though his eyes no longer shone, the trajectory of the [Overlord Sword Technique] unfolded.

It was so slow that it made one yawn.
So imperfect that it couldn’t even brush her collar.
So weak that it couldn’t draw a single drop of blood.

However, it was not evaluated as ridiculous.
Because within that clumsiness lay the most important subtleties.

From his sword, she felt the freedom of a bird flapping its wings vigorously.

At the same time, Peng Jin-ah also saw the problem.

‘His swordsmanship and skills are out of sync.’

The reason was something she could guess.

‘Did he never have a proper teacher?’

Probably, no one had accepted him as a student.

Like herself, people must have judged him through tinted glasses and rejected him without even testing him.

Thus, he had no choice but to rely on firepower-type skills like [Flowing Slash] until now, which had suppressed his genius.

He couldn’t gain the wings of freedom because he used skills according to set rules and methods.

But here, he could unfold them a little bit.

Peng Jin-ah dodged the sword and faintly smiled.

She too…

‘Had times like that.’

Peng Jin-ah was also a person called a genius.

She climbed up by stepping on numerous others through bloody efforts.

The more she was pointed at and called ruthless, the more fiercely she trained.

This allowed her to reach a level that anyone would envy at the young age of 25.

An A-rank Hunter.

Not just any A-rank, but undoubtedly one of the top-tier Hunters.

No, if you purely looked at her stats, she was close to an S-rank.

This was known personally by someone who knew her.
The great senior who had guided her was an S-rank Hunter.
It was the [Plum Blossom Sword Saint].

Everyone said.
Peng Jin-ah would reach S-rank.
That she would conquer the world with a sword like the [Sword Saint].

She herself believed so.
She firmly believed that she would reach S-rank in just a few years.

‘…No.’

The result was entirely different.

S-rank was truly a realm beyond the heavens.
A realm beyond the cliff, too far to ever reach.

In the A-class, she had risen as much as she could, but the gap with the S-class was evident.

28 years old.
This was what Peng Jin-ah realized after three years of closed-door training.

‘I am…’

‘I can’t advance any further.’ That was the truth.

No matter how much she swung her sword, she couldn’t feel any progress.

She doubted herself.

She wondered if she was really a genius, if she had any talent.

She swallowed her pride and went to ask the Sword Saint.

―…Jin-ah. Your sword has no purpose.

What on earth are you swinging your sword for?

She only said that, leaving her even more uncertain.

If this had worsened, she might have been consumed by her inner demons and become a wreck.

Going further…

‘…A deal.’

She might have made a deal with the devil herself.
The reason she didn’t do it until the end was…

Because she saw it with her own eyes.
The fate of those who made a deal with the devil in pursuit of power…

‘Just like… Mother’s death…’

Peng Jin-ah remembered clearly.
The image of her mother, who made a deal with the devil in despair.

The sight of her going mad, massacring family members instead of breaking down walls with her newfound power.

Lastly…
The miserable death she faced after exhausting all her energy and life force.

Reacting sensitively to the unique traces left on the [Silverback]’s fur.

Seeking out Hunter Moon Bora, who bore similar wounds.

And the reason she tested Yu Seha in the end might have been due to this background.

‘…No.’

They were all an excuse.
Just…
She couldn’t see properly because of her foolishness.

‘…Swamp.’

Yes, she had fallen into a dreadful swamp.

She lived as a recluse for several months.

The ones who approached her were none other than two people.

One was the Chairman of the Academy, who was also the top-ranked individual.

“…Professor?”
“It’s been a while, Peng Jin-ah.”

The other was someone who knew nothing… during her cringey middle school phase.
It was Professor Bong Mi-chun, who had watched over her to prevent her from going astray.

Even thinking about that time made her face flush.
Professor Bong Mi-chun just laughed, recalling those days.

“What brings you here…?”
“Peng Jin-ah, have you ever thought about becoming a professor?”
“What…?”

The two explained slowly to her.
The Academy was currently facing a talent shortage.

This was something one would nod to if they knew even a bit about the societal background.

‘Hunters’ risk their lives but gain unimaginable wealth and honor that ordinary people couldn’t even dream of.

For them, [Skills] and [Traits] were pride, treasure, and business tools in and of themselves.

Teaching them to someone else was out of the question.

And that wasn’t the only reason.
From a practical economic standpoint, she had no reason to teach.

She’d get a salary too?

No matter how much it was, it was less than going into a B-rank or higher dungeon and selling mana stones and by-products.

In the first place, being a professor was about teaching someone.

Not just imparting knowledge.
It also required a moral sense and understanding to responsibly guide students.

“In other words, it doesn’t make money, I’m going to become a punching bag for complaints from all over, and I have to kill the personality I’ve lived with as a Hunter… Is that right?”
“Ahem.”
“Eek…”

At Peng Jin-ah’s blunt words, the two people cleared their throats.

They kept persuading her, but it didn’t appeal to her at all.

Just one word.

A single word that came out by chance moved Peng Jin-ah’s heart.

“…Exclusive disciple…?”

“Yes, a contract not just to teach and end, but to form a proper master-disciple relationship by staking your origins. Your [Overlord Sword Technique] is a unique martial arts. If you die, there is no one to inherit it. At the very least, shouldn’t you leave the technique you created for future generations?”

“…”

In fact, Peng Jin-ah didn’t care whether it disappeared or not.

Swordsmanship was nothing more than a [Skill] to her, something trivial.

If she had such pride from the beginning, she would have used her late mother’s [Peng Family’s Arts] as they were.

What intrigued her was the completely unexpected possibility of an ‘exclusive disciple’ status.

‘…Yes.’

There was such a method.

If she were frustrated by not being able to overcome the wall.

Wasn’t entrusting that dream to a disciple one way of doing things?

‘Perhaps Professor Bong Mi-chun’s words carried that implication too.’

There was no way she didn’t know her situation.

It was probably difficult to speak directly, so she expressed it indirectly by suggesting training a disciple.

Indeed, it made sense.

Thus, Peng Jin-ah accepted the professorship offered to her.

For the next two years, she looked through countless cadets.
Searching for someone who could step on her dream, overcome the wall, and soar far beyond.

And now…

“Found you.”

Right in front of her, she had discovered the raw gem she had longed for so desperately.

Buzz, buzz!

Meanwhile, Yu Seha’s sword gradually gained speed.

On the other hand, his vitality and mana were running low.

His face grew increasingly pale.

He probably wasn’t aware of it himself.

If left like this, he might collapse and die from exhaustion right there, exam or not.

‘…I’m sorry for interrupting your enlightenment.’

It can’t be helped.

Peng Jin-ah quickly retrieved the fallen blade like lightning.

Concentrating on [Pasa’s Sword], she struck down towards him.

Bang! With the sound of air bursting, Yu Seha’s sword finally stopped.

“…Huh, what?”
“Are you conscious now?”
“Ah…”

Yu Seha, sprawled on the ground, realized he had lost.

With a bewildered expression, he soon muttered, ‘Keuk… It was fulfilling,’ and turned his head.

Satisfied with his training, he was indifferent to victory or defeat.

Peng Jin-ah smiled faintly at his pure thoughts.

Then, it dawned on her.

The sin she committed.
She once again felt the weight of the sin of doubting him.

‘But…’

Feeling guilty wouldn’t help her at all.

‘If you’re sorry…’

Move now. Peng Jin-ah.

She lowered her body to meet Yu Seha’s gaze.

“…I’m sorry.”
“…Huh, what?”
“It was me who was too foolish to see the truth. I don’t even know how to apologize… Even if I had a hundred mouths, I have nothing to say.”
“…What?”

Yu Seha stared blankly, as if wondering what on earth she was talking about.

Peng Jin-ah gave a bitter smile.

‘He didn’t even notice.’

No, it was actually better that way.

Making pitiful excuses didn’t suit her.

After all, words were easy to say.

What she had to do now was hold onto this sense of guilt and give her best to him.

“Hunter Yu Seha, no, Cadet.”
“Oh, yes?”
“I promise.”
“…What?”

Peng Jin-ah smiled broadly.
Her next words spread shock throughout the room.

“I will pass everything I know to you.”
“Huh, what?”

The murmuring voices of the professors could be heard, but Peng Jin-ah didn’t care.

Rather, she gained even more courage from Bong Mi-chun nodding from afar.

“Accepted.”
“…Huh?”
“I said you’re accepted.”

Peng Jin-ah gave a faint smile.

The guilt and sense of responsibility she felt towards him.
The relief of knowing he wasn’t a demon.
And the responsibility to repay him in any way she could.
Lastly, the hope that she had finally found a treasure.

With all these feelings combined, Peng Jin-ah unconsciously let out a smile from her innocent days.

She slowly extended her hand.

Holding Yu Seha, who was staring in bewilderment, she carefully helped him up.

“Congratulations on your admission, Cadet Yu Seha.”
“…O-oh, yes! Th-thank you!”

Meanwhile, Ma Hana was watching this scene with deep emotion.

“…Meow.”

Riding her heart, the overwhelming feeling of Meowi flowed out.

Yu Seha… She knew he could do it.
But she didn’t expect him to do so well, which made the tears of Meowi flow even more.

“…Meeow. Miss Bora. Do you see over there? Our Seha… Huh, what?”

Ma Hana was bewildered.

Because Moon Bora, who was there just a moment ago, had disappeared like a ghost.

As she hurriedly looked around, she saw Moon Bora carefully exiting through the back door.

Ma Hana thought about stopping her, but soon halted.

“……”

Moon Bora.
Because her expression was filled with such deep guilt.