So That This Doesn’t Happen Again (3)

The last day of the second week of training.

Unlike the first week, it was a day with no special tests or training.

Originally, it was a day to give the cadets some rest and personal time to form teams for the sparring matches starting from the third week.

So, I thought of taking my angelic Meowi out to town.

Because I wanted to put some snacks into her cute and squishy mouth.

But that thought was interrupted by the sudden visit of Moon Bora late at night.

“Mister Yu Seha. Sorry for coming this late.”
“…Moon Bora? Oh, Meowi too?”
“Meowi. Hi, Seha.”

Meowi was also urgently called by Moon Bora, it seemed.

Moon Bora, catching her breath, briefly explained the situation.

‘…Haa.’

A sigh escaped naturally.
Meowi and I were not very surprised.

Actually, we had suspected it.

‘<Garden of the Pearl Spitting Tortoise>.’

A precious resource called <Trial>, which was rare in the country.

It was discovered and tackled by newly ranked D-class hunters.

Thanks to that, the <Association> was able to puff up its chest.
We had anticipated that unpleasant people would show up.

‘…That’s why we sold it quietly…’

But we didn’t expect such a power struggle from other guild branches.

Even Guild Leader Su Ok-bin admitted it was a slip-up.

―I’m sorry. Mister Yu Seha, Miss Ma Hana. I didn’t expect that damn old monster to pull such a stunt. But don’t worry.

When this farce is over, I’ll take responsibility and tear them apart.

Hmm, honestly, it was a little scary.
The grinding of teeth at the word ‘Old’…
Even over the phone, I could feel the murderous intent.

Anyway, I decided to end my thoughts here.

It was time to get ready.

A faint magical aura filled the training room where all the preparations were complete.

“…Yu Seha.”
“Hmm?”

Next to me, Ju Na-young approached with a hesitant and apologetic expression.

“Why are you making that face? You’re trying to help, right?”
“…It’s probably because of me, too.”

What on earth was this kid talking about?

“…? Why apologize? If someone saw, they might think that person, Noh Kyung-wan, came to impress you.”
“…Uh, Yu Seha. Don’t you know anything about me?”
“…Know what?”

When I tilted my head, Ju Na-young mumbled, ‘Oh, it’s nothing…’

A peculiar kid, but anyway, I was grateful.

She had no reason to be involved, yet she stepped up.

‘Let’s escalate things…’

Moon Bora’s words were grand in scale yet effective.

The content was roughly like this.

―Shall we have a 4-on-4 duel against virtual enemies?

―Yes, Noh Kyung-wan mentioned it. She suggested summoning the <Sacred> class to fight. She might have said it without much thought, but it would give us an opportunity to catch her. If we get a definite test done, we can send them to ruin. At the same time, no one will suspect the two of you.

In essence, it meant dragging them in as much as possible to ensure such talk never came up again.

Meowi and I agreed on the spot.

Whether that Guild Leader Noh Kyung-wan or whatever gets into trouble doesn’t really matter…

‘…How dare they suspect my Meowi?’

I don’t care what happens to me.

If I can get revenge, I will.

If I lack strength, I’ll just run away.

If I end up dying in the process, it’s the way of nature.

But our Meowi must never be harmed.

‘…Touching my favorite character?’

No way; I absolutely won’t forgive that.

When I lifted my head, there were many adults standing beyond the opaque glass installed in the training ground.

They could be broadly classified into three categories.

The first group appeared to be the woman named Noh Kyung-wan and her gang.

The second group consisted of individuals dispatched from <Dragon Sword Mir>, one of the [Four Great Clans]. Among them, a short-haired woman who seemed to be the leader had her arms crossed.

‘Didn’t Ju Na-young say she was the Team Leader…?’

Honestly, I didn’t know why they were here.

Neither Moon Bora nor Ju Na-young explained it to me.

I heard that if things went well, <Dragon Sword-Mir> would have our backs…

Well, since it was those two saying it.
I thought it would be easier to consider them as allies.

The last, third person was none other than Su Ok-bin noona… ah, no, the Guild Leader.

She appeared confidently by herself, with eyes so cold that frost could fall in midsummer.

Without saying a word…
She stared at Noh Kyung-wan as if she would devour her.

“…!”

At that moment, our eyes met.

As if nothing had happened, she smiled brightly and raised her hand. Her lips moved slightly to convey a message.

―Don’t worry. I will definitely protect you.

I bowed my head in gratitude.

Noh Kyung-wan had been arguing with Su Ok-bin and the short-haired woman who was called the Team Leader.

I couldn’t hear clearly, but it seemed like she was saying something like, ‘Hey, I was just joking; why are you taking it so seriously?!’

‘Not my problem.’

There was no need to care about such a woman anymore.

I should focus on what I need to do now and put all my effort into ending this ridiculous situation as soon as possible.

“Meowi.”
“Meow!”

Next to me stood Meowi, nodding with a resolute determination.

I patted her head.

“Let’s win confidently, get tested, and make sure this never happens again.”
“Meow… okay!”

Anyway, I hope it starts soon.

“…Um, Professor Peng Jin-ah?”
“……”

Peng Jin-ah, who was supposed to announce the start of the match, hadn’t been in a good state for a while.
She covered her face with both hands and crouched on the floor, trembling.
It was as if she couldn’t contain her shame and was shaking.

And next to her, for some unknown reason, Moon Bora was patting her back.

‘…What is going on?’

A moment later, Peng Jin-ah cleared her throat.

Unable to meet my gaze, she explained the rules and raised a signal flare from her bosom.

“…Then, we shall begin.”

Right after she finished speaking.
As if on cue, a blue light source spread out in all directions and flickered.

As previously explained, four awakened beings materialized with virtual data.

One vanguard wielding a two-handed greatsword, likely a tank class.
One masked figure holding two blades, presumed to be the main dealer.
One masked figure wielding twin swords, thought to be a subdealer.
Lastly, one cloaked woman, assumed to be a supporter and rear guard.

From the marks engraved on their shoulders, it was clear they had once belonged to the “Cult.”

‘…All C-rank.’

All had their stats and skills adjusted.

But we must not let our guard down.

Simply dealing with a ‘monster’ and facing a ‘human’ were completely different levels.

Not only is it difficult, but the resistance to confronting one’s own kind subtly prevents hunters from showing their true skills.

‘Here…’

The more numerous they were, the more powerful the ‘divine’ trait became, and it was a force not to be underestimated.

“Meeeoooow!”

As planned, Meowi charged forward first.

She raised the shield in her hand, preparing to use [Provocative Roar].

Kang!

“Meeeeoow?!”

But she was quickly stopped by the attack of the dual-sword woman, who charged even faster.

She spun her two swords and presented four blades towards Meowi.

[Quadruple Strike].
It was a perfect, superior version of the [Edge Strike] used by the green-haired one.

‘…This is bad.’

The initial plan to rush in and use ‘wide-area provocation’ had gone awry.

As expected, no matter how virtual it was, obvious tactics wouldn’t work against humans.

Next, the female knight holding a greatsword in both hands charged at me as if she were waiting for it.

“Se-Seha!”
“It’s okay. Meowi! Focus on dealing with that one!”

I made a quick judgment.
I drew my sword from my waist and countered the female knight’s attack.

Kakak!

A clear and sharp clash of swords resounded.

I gripped the [Turtle’s Longsword] in my hand tightly.

My current strength was 22.

Among my peers, I intended to push through with my significantly higher strength, but…

‘…She won’t even budge?!’

It ended in failure.

I realized it.
The female knight in front of me.
Her strength stat was at least 25.

‘Is she focusing on power at the expense of some speed?’

In a sparring match of C-rank level.
It was unlikely that her raw abilities alone accounted for her strength.

In other words, this was…

‘A buff, perhaps.’

‘Blessing’.
The simplest yet most effective ability-enhancing holy spell.

Even if they were downgraded to C-rank, they were still a tough opponent for the four of us to face.

‘That’s why it’s even better.’

I will defeat them and make sure no one dares to speak up again.

Bang, bang, bang-!

Explosions erupted everywhere.
The sound of weapons clashing spread chaotically.

Ju Na-young dodged the ‘katar’ dagger aimed at her head without even looking.

Using the rotational recoil to her advantage, she put strength into her knee and struck her opponent’s abdomen.

Thwack! With a sound, the woman presumed to be of the <Inquisitor> class sprawled out.

Ju Na-young, who had a brief moment of respite, quickly looked around.

Ma Hana and Moon Bora.

Lastly, Yu Seha, who was presumed to be clashing with the leader, the holy knight with a greatsword.

Everyone was fighting better than expected.

Ju Na-young, who smiled brightly, soon looked up as if nothing had happened.

Step!

Beyond the glass, she noticed an old woman stepping back when their eyes met.

‘Noh Kyung-wan…’

Ju Na-young, who disliked using her family’s power recklessly, endured and asked for help.
The old monster who somehow made it all the way here.

Ju Na-young gritted her teeth as she looked at her.

How dare you suspect my friends?

‘Watch closely.’

How foolish the thoughts in your head are.

The fight proceeded smoothly and calmly.

Ju Na-young noticed Noh Kyung-wan becoming increasingly pale.

Both Yu Seha and Ma Hana seemed unaffected by the [Divine Technique] despite being hit directly by it.

Of course, most hunters with some experience knew.

That the true power of [Divine Technique] was effective against demons who have fully unleashed their ‘Demonic Qi’, or devils inherently composed of demonic power.

If one resolutely endured, it was possible to resist to some extent.

But Guild Leader Noh Kyung-wan was not an awakened one.

As an ordinary person, she climbed to her position through connections and aggressive policies.

It was natural for her to be unaware of information that one could only know through direct experience.

‘Thanks to that, the scale of the situation could be significantly expanded.’

All these sparring sessions were clearly recorded on video.

Once the match ended, it would be sent to the Chairman of the <Academy>.
It would also reach the hands of her mother, the ‘Clan Master’ of <Dragon Sword Mir>.

‘Lastly, Guild Leader Su Ok-bin.’

It would also reach her, who was glaring at Noh Kyung-wan with a murderous look.

Eventually, it would end up in the hands of the <Association>’s President.

After that, there was no need to think about it.

20 minutes later.

As all the enemies fell, the inspectors approached Yu Seha and Ma Hana as if they had been waiting.

Bowing politely, they requested to conduct an inspection.

The two looked at each other and agreed immediately.

And Noh Kyung-wan, who was watching all this from a high place.

She realized once again that the situation was becoming irreversibly bad.

‘…I-I have to run away.’

Noh Kyung-wan regretted the words she had hastily uttered.

She thought they were just two rookies who wouldn’t put up much of a fight, even if provoked.

Perhaps Su Ok-bin…

She had hoped to dig up some dirt on that dirty mongrel woman.

H-However, no way…

She never imagined in her wildest dreams that those two people would be close to the successor of <Dragon Sword Mir>, Ju Na-young, and she never expected things to blow up like this.

“S-Secretary Kim. Is the limousine ready?”
“Yes, Guild Leader… We can escape right away.”

First, they had to get out of here.

As long as they could escape this place, no matter the outcome of those two, they could forcefully cover it up.

Noh Kyung-wan slowly retreated backward.
Just as she was about to flee before the results came out…

Crash!

“Aaah!”

As if crushed by some enormous force, she fell to the ground.

Noh Kyung-wan was an untrained civilian who hadn’t awakened the <Status Window> yet.

She wouldn’t be able to withstand even a simple attack.

But what had hit her wasn’t a simple attack.

A gigantic hand.

A massive, blood-red hand, easily capable of grabbing a full-grown man, seized Noh Kyung-wan and her group.

The hand was peculiarly composed entirely of ‘blood.’

Not just one, but over ten such hands appeared, causing even the onlookers to flinch.

“…Disgusting.”

With a low voice, the owner of the hand stepped forward.

A white suit and hair as white as the suit.
A beauty with pale skin.
Su Ok-bin smiled as radiantly as her beautiful face.

However, it was only her mouth that smiled radiantly.

Her eyes shone colder than anything.

“S-Su Ok-bin, G-Guild Leader… Even if we are competitors, such actions…”

Crunch!

“Aaah!”

Su Ok-bin, who had stopped the nonsense, slowly approached and bent down.

“Listen carefully, Noh Kyung-wan. You’re thinking this right now, aren’t you? It’s just a matter of framing an academy cadet. There’s no way someone in your position as a guild leader would fall. But you’re wrong. You’re finished.”

This information had already been delivered to the ‘President.’

“You know very well how much she has tried to ally with one of the Four Major Clans, <Dragon Sword Mir>, don’t you?”

But, oh my…
You’ve ruined it now?

“Do you think the President will protect you at the cost of antagonizing <Dragon Sword Mir>?”

“Su-Su Ok-bin. You filthy mixed breed!”

Bang!

She lightly slammed her head onto the floor.
Seeing Noh Kyung-wan foam at the mouth and faint, she stood up and made a brief phone call to the ‘Association’.

With this, the cleanup would proceed smoothly.

“…I owe you a big debt this time as well.”

Su Ok-bin thought.
It was the same during the <Trial>.
Thanks to him again, she unintentionally became the biggest beneficiary.

With the rival Noh Kyung-wan gone, Su Ok-bin could rise even higher.

She was convinced.
Soon, the core of the [Association] would fall into her hands.

Glance.

Su Ok-bin looked at Yu Seha, who was silently undergoing an inspection.

As if seeing something lovely, she blushed and smiled shyly.

‘…Soon.’

I should prepare a lot of gifts that Yu Seha would like.