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Chapter 107: That Didn’t Happen

During the five-minute spar, Claire’s expression didn’t change at all. Instead of struggling, panicking, or tensing up, she received all of Yeon-woo’s attacks with a cheerful smile that seemed to say she’d applaud if only he hadn’t been wielding a sword.

Fortunately, Yeon-woo’s mental state was strong enough not to feel defeated or frustrated; he merely reflected on how much he still had to improve.

“…Huh? Is that it?”

However, as Yeon-woo caught his breath and sheathed his sword, Claire tilted her head in confusion. She looked puzzled.

Come to think of it, hadn’t Yuri mentioned she referenced the Crescent Moon Sect’s swordsmanship when creating the Full Moon Thousand Swords? Since Claire is also part of the Crescent Moon Sect, it wouldn’t be odd if she knew about it.

“The last…. Well, the Full Moon Thousand Swords is something I still can’t fully master.”

“Oh, that’s the name. It seems like it concludes with that Full Moon Thousand Swords technique, so it’s a shame you can’t execute it.”

It was a funny situation, but that was the truth. Back then, while mastering the Full Moon Thousand Swords, he had completed the Aura Blade technique, only to find himself unable to use the Full Moon Thousand Swords now.

For that reason, he wanted to step away from the sword and reflect for a moment, but he felt too restless to do so.

“If I were to give an evaluation, it’s pretty good. I would have thought I should have taught you if I knew you could bring it out to this extent.”

“Hahaha….”

It was a delightful compliment. Although it hinted that Claire had previously given up after realizing she didn’t have the talent, he didn’t feel any resentment toward her for it.

In fact, before his regression, he had no talent whatsoever and switched from a sword to a spear. Her judgment was not wrong.

“I’m just glad you found a good teacher instead of me. But… it doesn’t feel special? Is it because it’s not a real battle?”

Not feeling special, huh? For Yeon-woo, who always received such evaluations, those words hit him like an arrow to the heart, but he understood. Specialness, what is that…?

Coincidentally, that was something Yeon-woo couldn’t attain. Just like Darius’s Aura Blade, most aura users typically have techniques that follow their attributes.

However, Yeon-woo didn’t possess any attributes that would leak out from his Aura Blade. Unlike him being an incompatible mana user, he simply lacked innate elemental mana.

“Well, if it were a real fight, it wouldn’t just be with the sword, so the story would change…. But if you want to become strong with just the sword, you’ll need a lot of practical experience. Breaking through an opponent’s solid defense requires experience above all else.”

It sounded like something Yeon-woo shouldn’t be hearing, but it wasn’t entirely wrong.

His countless practical experiences had all been built up using a spear. Now using a sword, he couldn’t fully apply that experience, meaning he needed to gather practical experience with just the sword.

“…Could it be that it didn’t help much?”

Seeing Claire speak with a slightly subdued voice while gauging Yeon-woo’s reaction made him chuckle. It was surprising to see someone like her, who was usually considerate of others, reach this level in swordsmanship.

“Honestly, I’m satisfied just being able to wield a sword.”

“But I want to help you, too. You may not think so, but all the kids in the orphanage are like my children.”

Claire’s posture, with both hands clasped to her chest, was the epitome of a nun. But honestly, Yeon-woo was taken aback, wondering why she suddenly said that.

He also considered Claire as a mother.

How much help had he received since he was little? This aspect had remained unchanged before and after his regression. It was during the time he lived in the orphanage.

“Um, I’ve always thought of you as a mother, Sister… so why are you saying this all of a sudden?”

“Because it got incredibly hard to run the orphanage ever since you became the eldest. I felt terrible when little Yeon-woo took care of what I couldn’t manage inside the orphanage.”

Had there been such times…? He couldn’t quite remember, but it seemed like there was a period when Claire was extremely busy. He recalled her bustling about with laundry and looking after the kids.

“I think that may have happened….”

“Why don’t you remember it? How could you, of all people, send me a huge sum saying thank you while I felt so miserable? I’d done nothing for you!”

Suddenly growing agitated, Claire started to sniffle, and Yeon-woo found himself panicking, unsure of what to do. Cautiously, he wrapped his arms around her as she began to cry. It brought back memories of before his regression; this was how Claire warmly embraced him when he returned to the orphanage.

As he hugged Claire silently and patted her back, the sound of her sobs slowly faded.

“…Thank you for worrying about me. When the time comes when I truly feel I can’t manage alone, I’ll tell you for sure, Mother.”

With a slightly bashful voice, Yeon-woo confessed this, only for Claire to look at him with shock as tears began to pour down her face again.

*

A few days passed after their slightly embarrassing conversation had ended. Since that day, Claire had started to dash over to hug him every time she saw him, treating Yeon-woo like she would Shar or Tae-oh, which made him increase his outings.

It felt like he was avoiding Claire, but really, he was just shy. If he hugged her in front of the children, they’d giggle and stare at them.

“Alright, since we’ve had enough fun, it’s time to work. Is that okay, kids?”

“Where are we going this time?”

“Well, let’s think about that while looking at requests.”

“Then, can Tae-oh help Dad?”

“Of course!”

In fact, Tae-oh’s true value would shine in real battles or at Gates.

Whether it’s a request to gather materials using his special perception abilities or to hunt magical beasts, he could showcase his skills.

Thinking of asking Tae-oh for help, Yeon-woo recalled the first nest Shar had used. The map-shaped nest that beautifully illustrated the area, like a game map. Tae-oh could be expected to perform even better than that.

Leading his party of three, which felt like just one person, they arrived at the Hunter Guild. Although it wasn’t as glamorous as Harmony City, it had a tidy structure. Of course, it still bore that inexplicable medieval style.

Perhaps because it was during a weekday lunch, the place was bustling with people, unlike when he’d last visited Harmony City. Thankfully, he was with Shar and Tae-oh, or he might have attracted even more attention bringing the children along.

Weaving through the thick crowd, Yeon-woo approached the terminal.

While it seemed unlikely he could receive requests away from Harmony City, it just so happened that a student ID with even a single record of receiving a request from the guild was a must-have item for Academy students, usable even in other countries.

Familiar with the routine, when he scanned his student ID, the screen displayed different information than before. He could now select between E-rank for his contributions in a doppelganger discovery and D-rank as well.

‘What’s this? Did the Ice Palace request something?’

Usually, requests from a noble family to the Hunter Guild went unnoticed, but the Ice Palace was a bit different.

Because they had such close cooperation with the Hunter Guild that when an S-rank hunter emerged, they were invited as examiners.

If they’re offering a promotion, there’s no reason to refuse. After all, the next challenge awaiting him is breaking through the wall to C-rank, so accepting this shouldn’t pose any problems.

‘But why didn’t they inform me? This is startling.’

Grumbling internally, Yeon-woo picked three requests suitable for executing in the sandy white ocean. The materials gathering and magical beast hunting requests were a historical match, while the last one was a search request that piqued his interest.

Fortunately, just around that time, the gazes that had been focused on Yeon-woo were far less intense. As expected, academy student IDs were ultra-effective.

‘Alright, shall we set out?’

[Okay!]

[I’m so nervous…!!]

Tae-oh is going out for his first appearance…!!

He found out the name of the desert-type gate that had turned the nameless city into the White City shortly after the explosion. A weathered sign broken and rolling on the ground near a close sand dune.

Typically, one would use a detector to identify the type of gate and learn its name, but sometimes, a sign like this reveals a gate’s name. Of course, it’s only natural that various methods were used to interpret those few words.

But ultimately, the critical point was that the existence of the sign revealed this gate had once been a part of a civilization.

Understanding, analyzing, and dismantling the phenomenon of gates. Acquiring the strength to face the threat of magical beasts and clearly understanding the phenomenon of gates was humanity’s pressing challenge.

In this sense, the ruins exploration requests discovered at the gates were immensely tempting yet challenging for hunters who had just established themselves after barely rising above F-rank.

Of course, Yeon-woo didn’t think this was beyond his capabilities. It wasn’t about exploring uncharted gates; this was a ruins exploration. If it seemed too difficult, he could always back off and just observe without penalty.

“Let’s see…. Even if I finish in record time, it’ll take at least a day.”

Looking at the map sent to his smartphone, which displayed the ruins’ location, Yeon-woo scratched his head. He felt a bit awkward explaining to Claire that it might take a few days because of this and that.

Considering it was a desert, appropriate tools would be essential as well. He had the basics prepared last time for sightseeing, and even camping tools he hadn’t used yet were stashed away, but now that he might have to sleep in the middle of the desert, that changed everything. He needed camping tools suitable for such conditions.

In the end, he naturally headed to the golden goblin’s convenience store he knew well. Once again, he managed to purchase camping supplies at outrageous prices, and the two of them were able to shake hands in satisfaction.

“Let’s go, to the desert…!!”

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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