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Chapter 160: The Most Beautiful Spear Under Heaven, Yang Mi-ryeo

Countless nicknames adorned her name, but surprisingly, Yang Mi-ryeo’s favorite was none of them. What she preferred most was her nickname, “Bamboo Spear,” symbolizing a spear that did not bend even in the harshest cold—sturdy like bamboo.

At this point, it should have been clear why Yeon-woo reacted the way he did upon seeing Yang Mi-ryeo.

In this situation, it was evident that Yeon-woo and Jung Yu-jin were unceremoniously shaking down a poor, unfortunate student.

And it was predictable how Yang Mi-ryeo would react, having witnessed this scene herself. Her long cloak flew open, and the wooden staff she held pointed threateningly at Yeon-woo and Jung Yu-jin.

While he was curious to see her skills, Yeon-woo had no time for that right now. He needed to squash the rumors quickly and prepare for the afternoon match.

He patted Jung Yu-jin on the back as a signal to proceed and stepped forward.

“Wait, you seem to misunderstand something. This is definitely not a scene of shady dealings. I understand it may look that way, but…”

“That’s fair. But you’ll need to provide an explanation that convinces me… huh?”

As if realizing she needed to hear an explanation, Yang Mi-ryeo twirled her staff and, upon seeing Yeon-woo’s face, gasped in surprise.

“Choi Yeon-woo? Your name is Choi Yeon-woo, right?”

“Uh, yeah, but how…?”

“Oh my! I never thought I would run into a celebrity in a place like this! Do you know Sa-ryeon? She talks about you all the time!”

“Ah… that’s a bit unexpected.”

While Yang Mi-ryeo beamed with excitement, Yeon-woo awkwardly continued the conversation. There was no helping it. When meeting someone, especially a girl, if he showed too much enthusiasm, Shar would shoot him a suspicious glare.

So, it had become a habit to maintain a somewhat awkward demeanor.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad at all. People tended to respond more easily if he was a little awkward than if he came off as overly friendly.

“I was worried since you weren’t coming out much, but I’m glad to see your face now. Do you know how much Sa-ryeon complained about you not showing up for the match?”

“Hey, I wasn’t feeling great, and I initially took a break from matches for three days. I’ll be participating from this afternoon.”

“Oh, I see… this afternoon? What event are you joining, by chance?”

Perhaps she was considering attending. Yeon-woo casually answered.

“The Coliseum.”

It’s an event where participants fought against various enemies, somewhat like gladiators in ancient Rome. Most opponents were monster types, but occasionally, students from other academies would be drawn from a pre-determined list for a match.

Hearing that, Yang Mi-ryeo’s eyes sparkled. She looked like a fox who had just spotted prey, causing an ominous thought to flash through Yeon-woo’s mind.

“Wait, no way?”

*

– Now, hasn’t the day arrived to compare the skills of the academy students? The monumental match is about to begin!

– Yes, indeed! Up until now, it was merely a sports event, but from here on, it’s the real competition. Starting with the Coliseum matches, we’ll get to witness the fights of the hunters in earnest!

– Viewers across the nation, you’ve waited a long time! Let’s kick off the highlight of the competition, the Coliseum match!

The announcer’s voice echoed as the auditorium vibrated. Half the audience displayed nervousness as if an earthquake were occurring.

Given what happened just the other day, it wouldn’t be surprising for another odd event to occur. Of course, the other half remained calm because they understood the cause of the vibrations.

The ground of the auditorium, lined with an athletic track, split open, revealing a massive training stage that shot up into view.

As the dust settled, the grand sight of the training arena drew gasps from the audience.

– Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Students selected from five academies will compete against monsters or face off against students from other academies—this is the future of the hunters that everyone is eager to witness!

– The rules are simple. Imagine there’s a tower with ten floors. Each floor holds a monster or a hunter or a corresponding trial. The student who overcomes the most trials wins, and if there’s a tie, the time taken to reach there will determine the rankings.

– It’s all about how the hunters respond to the trials they might face in dungeons or mazes!

– Indeed! As you know, maintaining composure in any situation is one of the most crucial virtues of a hunter!

– Listening to the calm commentary from Kim Jeong-hwan, it sure sounds right! Now, let’s welcome the representative students from each academy!

As lively music played, the representatives of each academy lined up to enter the arena.

Choi Yeon-woo stood at the front of the group.

Even though it was a group, there were only five of them. Among them was a familiar face—Dang Sa-ryeon, the representative from the Chenghai Academy.

The order of matches was determined on the spot, but ironically, she crossed her arms with a fierce look as she glared at Yeon-woo from behind.

How did he know? He could feel her gaze piercing into his back—pinpricks all along his spine.

Surprisingly, Yang Mi-ryeo was not among the representatives. He had naturally expected her to compete and aim for a record, but it turned out that the representative for the Freedom side was none other than Bailey Crawford, the top student.

Perhaps in the old Wild West days, it was a different story, but for the Hunters’ world, it was far from an environment for a lone gunslinger.

Bailey flicked her cowboy hat and grumbled, “Why the sudden switch-up…?”

Let’s clarify. It seemed Yang Mi-ryeo was indeed the original representative, but the fact that she had stepped down was blatantly clear.

‘That girl is planning to crash my party…!!’

It was a straight-up aggressive strategy, completely disregarding the academy’s victory.

While he wasn’t sure which floor she would show up on, it was clear he’d need to be cautious.

‘I wonder who from our side will step up.’

He’d put forth the names of several solid contenders, but unless they expressed their willingness to take part, one of them would be chosen at random.

“…Excuse me.”

From behind, a slender finger poked Yeon-woo’s shoulder.

His thoughts scattered in an instant. Oh no, as he turned around…

“Please take your positions, everyone!!”

With the staff urging them to hurry, he had no choice but to step inside the arena.

*

The order was determined by a draw, and Harmony was third. Conveniently, Chenghai was in the first position, meaning Dang Sa-ryeon was now on the training stage.

He realized upon stepping on stage that the environment was quite similar to a training ground.

Multiple protective barriers surrounded the training area for safety, and the formations connected to them seemed to be linked to something.

“Dang Sa-ryeon, are you ready?”

“Yes, please start.”

Though she seemed discontent, Dang Sa-ryeon nodded calmly. At the same moment, she conjured a formation that created external walls.

Screens displaying the interior popped up all around, and Dang Sa-ryeon curiously surveyed her surroundings.

– Ah, a wall just suddenly appeared! Kim Jeong-hwan, what’s the intention behind this?

– It’s a so-called battlefield setting. After all, hunters can’t always choose where to fight. According to information provided by Harmony, many environments, including terrain and climate, have been programmed in. A few will be randomly selected from those.

– Oh, it sounds like luck will be quite a significant factor!

– Ha ha, as I say, without luck, a hunter can’t get far.

A brief banter from the commentators filled the air as they allowed some preparation time.

At that moment, lights coalesced into the screen. Dang Sa-ryeon remained with her arms crossed, observing the spectacle.

– I suppose the first stage won’t be that difficult, but what kind of monster will appear, I wonder?

– While the Hunter Guild also administers similar tests, their first stage usually features a horde of goblins. Based on common logic, that’s the level we’d expect, but this is an academy after all. Just how high will the difficulty rise? That’s also one of the points to watch!

Listening to the commentators, Yeon-woo nodded.

As they said, a horde of goblins was something he could handle with support. If the standards were set clearly here, it wouldn’t be a disadvantage for future participants.

While receiving such expectations, beams of light began shaping into a clear figure.

An orc, towering nearly a meter taller than the 170 cm tall Dang Sa-ryeon. With its wide body and large head, the humanoid figure was becoming increasingly recognizable.

“Hm, it’s an Orc. It must have been recreated with illusion magic; the replication looks quite high-quality.”

With protruding tusks, green skin, and a massive physique. Despite its physical capabilities being impressive, it was classified as a weak monster due to its low intelligence.

Of course, while there were goblins who interacted with humans, similar types of orcs existed.

In fact, a few orc students were also present in Harmony.

Those orcs did not regard such simple-minded ones as their kin, so they didn’t mind when something like this occurred.

‘Will poison even work on that thing?’

Dang Sa-ryeon was likely contemplating the same thought, knowing it was a monster conjured with illusion magic.

Physical damage would definitely be reflected, but there were some doubts about whether the chemical death of poison would trigger any response.

As the orc charged towards her with heavy thuds, Dang Sa-ryeon calmly observed, tilting her head slightly before waving her hand.

Though it wasn’t visible on screen, a green mist was undoubtedly spreading in there.

Naturally, she wouldn’t have planned to use her family’s signature poison technique at this stage.

However, it would be problematic if she waited until the higher levels to use it without any effect, so it seemed she aimed to test it in advance.

As the rushing orc abruptly halted, it sniffed around before quickly clutching its throat and foaming at the mouth as it collapsed.

Soon after, it vanished like light, leaving the audience and the commentators stunned. The first to regain composure was Kim Jeong-hwan.

– Ah, that’s the direct bloodline’s Yungok technique! Truly, the direct line is so rarely encountered that I didn’t even recognize it—it looked so effortless. It seems she knew it was an illusion and decided to test it out.

– Oh, I see! However, from the spectator’s viewpoint, it’s a bit dull since it’s not visible.

While they exchanged such comments, staff discreetly whispered something to Kim Jeong-hwan.

– Apparently, there was something prepared by Harmony in case of this! Shall we take a look?

The overall tones of the screen shifted, and suddenly, the entire area around Dang Sa-ryeon was tinted green.

– An innovative technology designed for mana synesthesia! It’s called the Mana Glass!

‘What on earth is that?’

As he thought that, he recalled it was something being made based on a prototype collected from Yeon-woo and Shar.

‘Having something like that would certainly be convenient, from color perception to everything…’

As those thoughts crossed his mind, once more, beams of light began to converge before Dang Sa-ryeon.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

 

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