Chapter 109
Chapter 109. Education (4)
“See you both later.”
“Don’t get hurt.”
“Yes!”
It was the second day of positional training at the Hero Academy.
Before the training began, Yoo Ji-han stood up with his party members, ready to head out.
‘Was it the front door?’
The warriors of the Hero Academy’s third class were moving to the lecture hall inside the building.
He, however, exited the Hero Academy building.
And in a moment of looking around outside the building.
‘Is that it?’
He spotted a black vehicle with its hazard lights on, waiting on one side of the road.
He approached the passenger side of the vehicle and knocked on the window.
The closed window slid down slightly, revealing the driver inside.
“Are you Yoo Ji-han?”
“Yes. Are you here to pick me up?”
“That’s correct. Please get in.”
After confirming, Yoo Ji-han boarded the vehicle.
According to the information provided by the Hero Academy, he was to receive training externally today.
‘Why am I the only one going separately…?’
Go Mina, who was training with him, hadn’t received any additional guidance other than to come to the same lecture hall as before.
As he fastened his seatbelt, Yoo Ji-han pondered his curiosity.
Without picking up any more passengers, the car soon set off.
Yoo Ji-han, gazing blankly at the road, finally asked,
“Where are we going?”
“We will be heading to the headquarters of the Dice Guild.”
“Dice?”
Suddenly, they were going to the Dice.
Although the Dice was certainly included among the cooperative guilds of the Hero Academy,
Yoo Ji-han had absolutely no idea why he would be taken there.
After about 40 minutes of the car racing swiftly,
He could see the familiar building of the Dice Guild beyond the car window.
“Here we are.”
The driver, who got out of the car, led Yoo Ji-han down to the basement.
This was the same place he had visited once before, the Training Center.
“Why are we here…?”
“There’s someone waiting inside.”
The driver knocked on the firmly closed door and opened it.
What he saw inside was—
“Hey!”
“……Yoon Do-ha?”
Yoon Do-ha waved one hand in greeting, a smile on his face.
He was wearing those familiar sunglasses, looking almost exactly the same as the last time they met.
‘Why is he here?’
What was he doing in the Dice Guild’s building?
It wouldn’t be strange for him to be here as a representative, but it was certainly odd that he had been the one guided here.
“Come on in.”
Still in a daze, Yoo Ji-han stepped into the training room.
The driver, who kindly held the door open for him, then shut it and left.
Stealing a glance at the closed door, Yoo Ji-han turned back to Yoon Do-ha and said,
“The Hero Academy said to come this way.”
“That’s right. I contacted them directly.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m the one who brought Ji-han.”
Just when he thought he was going out for training alone, it turned out Yoon Do-ha was the reason.
“They say training has started little by little within the Hero Academy?”
“Correct.”
“Ji-han would have been training with the warriors.”
“That too is correct.”
“Then, is there even a need to receive additional guidance?”
“What do you mean by that…?”
Yoo Ji-han, looking befuddled, was met with Yoon Do-ha’s half-lidded gaze behind his sunglasses.
“I did a bit of digging through my informants about you. …Have you heard of the Kim Hyun-tae Party?”
“…….”
“It seems you’ve been a lot more active than I initially thought.”
As soon as the Kim Hyun-tae Party was mentioned, Yoo Ji-han’s expression hardened slightly.
‘Caught red-handed.’
There are no eternal secrets.
It seems one can’t conceal the truth from someone with great influence, like a Rank 1 Hero.
He could pretend he didn’t know, but that would require some careful navigation.
Thus, Yoo Ji-han responded with silence.
“I won’t ask too much deeply since it seems you have your reasons.”
“……Yes.”
“However, if you’re an individual of the caliber I’ve gathered information on, then there’s really no need for such guidance.”
“That’s an overestimation.”
“Really, is it?”
Yoon Do-ha scrutinized Yoo Ji-han’s eyes.
The Kim Hyun-tae Party, which boasted a high status comparable to Rank 1 Heroes.
And there was Yoo Ji-han, a hero who had been hiding himself while participating among them for years.
With that in mind, it made sense that the Dice’s Rank 4 Party had once been defeated by Yoo Ji-han’s party.
In fact, had Yoo Ji-han fought with all his heart then, the Rank 4 Party might have been no match.
“Anyway, for the time being, Ji-han will have to take lessons from me.”
“From Do-ha?”
“Ji-han is a Spirit Master. Wouldn’t it be much better to learn here than to receive unnecessary training from the Hero Academy?”
Rank 1 Spirit Master Yoon Do-ha.
His sheer power was such that the perception of fire spirits being the strongest was entirely reversed because of him.
If he could receive his guidance, many Spirit Masters would kneel and empty their entire fortune for the privilege.
Thus, Yoo Ji-han couldn’t understand him.
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Is that a complaint?”
“It’s not that.”
“There’s the aspect of nurturing a promising junior… and a little bit of personal vengeance.”
Yoon Do-ha wore a meaningful smile.
He knew that Baek Kang-cheon from the Red Hole had interfered in the Hero Academy selection process previously.
He had explicitly warned Baek Kang-cheon not to meddle last time they met, yet Baek Kang-cheon extended a hand to Yoo Ji-han’s party through the Hero Academy instead of the Red Hole.
‘Even if there hadn’t been any interference, it feels like we would have crossed paths anyway.’
Clap!
Yoon Do-ha clapped his hands and said,
“Let’s wrap this introduction up. Are you ready?”
“Understood.”
Yoo Ji-han stepped a bit closer to Yoon Do-ha.
It was a rather sudden meeting, but that didn’t really matter much.
It was abundantly clear that opportunities to learn from a hero right before his eyes were exceptionally rare.
“Show me a spirit.”
Ploing!
At Yoon Do-ha’s request, the Sylph appeared without delay.
Yoon Do-ha lowered his sunglasses slightly and scrutinized the Sylph with his naked eyes.
“It seems to have grown more than before.”
“Thanks to Do-ha.”
“You don’t have to sugarcoat it right now. You’ll see for yourself later.”
Possibly sensing the presence of someone akin to a Spirit Master, the Sylph approached Yoon Do-ha and spun around in the air.
Yoon Do-ha responded by summoning his own spirit, Mumu.
Rumble!
Mumu burst up from below the ground, and the Sylph soared low just above it.
The scene resembled two long-lost friends joyfully conversing.
As Yoo Ji-han quietly watched, he casually remarked,
“By coincidence, I got my hands on a Magic Crystal and will be feeding it soon.”
“That’s good news.”
Yoo Ji-han had been storing the Magic Crystals he extracted from a Barbarian’s axe.
A treasure for the spirits, akin to a precious elixir.
For rapid growth, nothing was better than that.
“How many do you have?”
“I have about six, each the size of a fingernail.”
“Oh wow, lucky you.”
“Should I give you one?”
“Don’t! I’ve already received enough. Just to let you know, the Magic Crystals are categorized by their transparency. The effectiveness differs based on how clear they appear to the eye.”
“What about the color of the gem?”
“Not very meaningful at all. I’ve broken it down and studied it extensively, but I didn’t find any significant differences.”
“I see.”
“And just because you feed a lot at once, it doesn’t mean they’ll drastically strengthen, so be careful.”
Yoo Ji-han nodded.
All new information to him.
If it weren’t for someone the caliber of Yoon Do-ha, he would have found it hard to encounter such knowledge.
“Are you not thinking of changing your position?”
“I’ve been asked something similar by my party members, but currently, I have no plans to.”
It was a question Kim Si-hu had recently asked.
Yoo Ji-han still stood firm to his decision from that time.
“Well, that could be interesting in its own way. Following the crowd is usually not that exciting.”
Yoon Do-ha seemed quite pleased with Yoo Ji-han’s answer.
He already knew that it wasn’t merely stubbornness.
“A Spirit Master wielding a sword. Should I call you a Spirit Swordsman? If done right, it’s bound to look pretty cool.”
“Have there been cases of that before?”
“There have been a few. Most gave up halfway and switched to being a Mage, though.”
Spirit Masters are favored in all guilds.
The reason they are so favored is that previous Spirit Masters have showcased exceptional abilities.
Spirits priding themselves on extraordinarily powerful abilities within a single element.
While getting friendly with them may be very difficult at first, over time, spirits grant tremendous power to their contractors.
Very few dared to persist in insisting on melee weapons even while possessing such spirits.
After all, plenty of people are eager to step in and protect the Spirit Master without the need to take frontline actions.
“Can you show me a skill or ability utilizing your spirit?”
“Anything at all?”
“Just show me anything.”
After a moment of contemplation, Yoo Ji-han drew his sword.
Then he concentrated the Sylph’s magical power into the blade.
Shaaa—!
A green aura enveloped his sword.
That was the best he could display at the moment.
“This is…!”
Yoon Do-ha was internally surprised as he looked at Yoo Ji-han’s sword.
It felt like a sword that contained a small whirlwind!
The aura surrounding Yoo Ji-han’s sword was unmistakably magical.
However, it was very different from the ordinary auras of warriors; it was an aura infused with the power of a spirit.
“You infused the spirit’s magic into the aura?”
“Yeah.”
“This is interesting…. To be honest, it’s also the first time I’ve seen such a phenomenon.”
Though the short-lived aura disappeared after a few seconds,
It left a fresh impact even on Rank 1 Hero Yoon Do-ha.
‘Did I underestimate him a bit?’
He had imagined Yoo Ji-han could only utilize basic magic, yet here he was pulling out an aura.
“It hasn’t even been a few months since you signed with a spirit, right? Yet, Ji-han, you seem nearly two years in.”
“I still have a long way to go.”
“Ahahaha! At this rate, I might end up learning from you instead!”
Yoon Do-ha laughed heartily.
He had come to teach a student but found himself in a position to learn something new.
However, the goal for today was education.
There were many things he could teach him as a Spirit Master.
“Regarding the aura a moment ago, there is one thing I find disappointing; the duration was quite short.”
“I’m aware of that part as well.”
“Spirits’ magic tends to be quite volatile. To extend the duration, you’ll need to keep it close by and avoid letting it scatter. It’s a bit different from general magical usage… but I can guide you on that.”
Yoon Do-ha announced that he would teach him how to handle the magical power of spirits during their private training for the time being.
He also mentioned that if Yoo Ji-han wasn’t satisfied, he could always return to the Hero Academy.
“I’m counting on you.”
Yoo Ji-han was ready to accept his teachings without any complaints.
Indeed, such a rare opportunity.
He had no intention of letting it slip away.
“By the way, do you like pizza?”
“Pizza? I do. But…”
“Let’s grab a bite before we start.”
“Suddenly?”
“I skipped breakfast this morning. There’s a wood-fired pizza place nearby, so let’s go.”
Hero Yoon Do-ha.
One of only ten Rank 1 Heroes in Korea.
A Spirit Master with the earth spirit, writing a new history for Spirit Masters!
“How about we casually pair it with some wine or beer?”
“Are you suggesting we drink? Wasn’t this about the education today?”
“For Spirit Masters like us, you need a bit of alcohol in your system to handle spirits better.”
“….”
And thus, Yoo Ji-han began to build a friendship with someone of such stature.
