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Chapter 163

“I’m already tired…”

It seemed that Choi Yeon-woo had tentatively concluded that she might have to give up on the 10th stage.

Considering the possibility, it wasn’t impossible, but after this 8th stage battle, that possibility had significantly diminished, there was no doubt about it.

‘Gryphon is a bit of a bitter pill to swallow.’

A creature with the upper body of a bird and the lower body of a lion, the Gryphon.

It’s heard that any monster at C-rank is strong, but the Gryphon was quite impressive even among them.

With both magical resistance and physical defense not lagging behind and flying through the sky, it was a being that could only be an object of affection and hatred for most hunters.

Why affection and hatred, you ask? Because the byproducts obtained when defeating a Gryphon were sold for quite the hefty price.

In that sense, the Cyclops that Yeon-woo had just defeated was also worth a good amount.

In some ways, Yeon-woo had suffered losses amounting to hundreds or thousands due to the two battles. Her teeth chattered anxiously.

‘With these two, I could have equipped Shar and even repaired the orphanage…!!’

Of course, this was an emotional shock for Yeon-woo, and while her stamina was plentiful, her mana was beginning to run low.

Sitting crouched on the training field, Yeon-woo waited for the next moment.

There was no sign of an illusion spell, nor could she even feel the mana swirling around, so it was clear that the 9th stage would undoubtedly be the entrance of a student.

As Yeon-woo had predicted, the mana wall enveloping the training field like a dome was cut away in a circular fashion, resembling a door.

With a light leap, the person who jumped onto the training ground was none other than Yang Mi-ryeo.

The white strands of hair peeking through her black hair were striking. Her attire was equally remarkable, reminiscent of a white pear blossom blooming against the dark sky.

The family that used the pure white pear blossom as their emblem was none other than the Sinchang Yang family, known in both Earth and Arkelion.

The spear she lightly gripped shimmered coolly as it caught the light.

“Hello, Choi Yeon-woo. I’ve come to test you.”

“Ah, a test, huh? Not exactly the best news… What happens if I say I’m not taking the test?”

“Then you have to forfeit right here.”

“Well, that can’t be right.”

With a brisk movement, Yeon-woo stood up.

The blades of the sword and spear were aimed at each other. It’s quite amusing how weapons meant to kill can be pointed without any intention of doing so.

“The second daughter of the Sinchang Yang family, Yang Mi-ryeo. Here I come!”

“I don’t have any cool introduction lines or anything. Nice to meet you, I guess.”

Yeon-woo retorted humorously with a combative smile on her face.

*

Knowing that she was also a spear wielder, Yeon-woo understood better than anyone how difficult it was to fight against a spear user as a sword user.

Especially if the opponent was proficient in spear techniques, and even more so if those techniques belonged to the Yang family.

To be honest, Yeon-woo was already familiar with the style and intricacies of the Yang family spear technique. She had even tried to learn it once.

Although she had given up because it was too tough, the accessibility of the technique was unmatched.

Because the Hunter Guild actively promoted access to martial arts books as part of welfare benefits for new hunters.

Despite this, the Sinchang Yang family rarely asserted their claim over the Yang family spear technique.

If one wanted to learn, they could go ahead, yet they seemed to imply not to forget that this spear technique belonged to the Sinchang Yang family.

The reason for this posture was mentioned earlier: it was difficult.

It was possible to learn it even if one wasn’t part of the lineage, but the swordsmanship of the Namgung family could only be learned if you were of the same blood.

In contrast, anyone could learn the Sinchang Yang family spear technique, but the foundational Yang family technique was on a whole different level of difficulty.

It was almost amusing compared to other martial arts.

Kaga-kang!!

Yeon-woo barely evaded the spearhead as it came spinning in like a drill.

The Yang family spear technique, rooted in warfare, focused on maximizing the length of the spear.

In other words, it made it so the spear user could not easily draw in the opponent.

It seemed the essence of warfare was to fight from a favorable position, as Yang Mi-ryeo actively took the offensive while blocking Yeon-woo’s progress.

Holding the end of the spear’s handle meant it was any moment until the weapon could fly off, but Yeon-woo couldn’t muster the courage to attempt anything like that.

‘It seems I could just knock it away…!’

Yet her instincts were ringing alarm bells. A trap. It was like laying a snare and waiting for the prey to stumble in.

Yeon-woo’s best friend, her crisis sense, was screaming at her.

However, she also knew that simply blocking like this wouldn’t get her anywhere.

At some point, she needed to seize the moment and flip this atmosphere around, or she would just wither away.

“Alright, let’s keep going!”

As Yang Mi-ryeo shouted that, the spear whipped around, creating curves like a willow tree bending under the wind.

Until now, Yeon-woo had been managing to keep up with the rhythm, but it was clear that it would become increasingly difficult from now on.

From Yeon-woo’s standpoint, it felt like having a Gatling gun firing at her, even though Yang Mi-ryeo only wielded a single spear.

She wasn’t even making big sweeping motions, merely adjusting slightly, yet she was pressing Yeon-woo with her attacks and controlling the space around her.

The spear’s point sparkled in the light, resembling pear blossoms dancing in the breeze—this was called the Pear Blossom Spear.

Why they used the pear blossom emblem, the scenery that could not possibly be seen through the simplest spear styles proved that.

Consequently, Yeon-woo’s mind began to settle down.

No matter how much the Full Moon Triple Sword was supposed to be fast, even if she used the Yoon-woo Sword, she had no way to keep up with the level of agility displayed by that spear technique.

Then it would be right to counter by rotating halfway.

As Yeon-woo’s sword began to slow down, it could no longer match Yang Mi-ryeo’s spear.

Using dullness (dùn) to suppress agility (kuài)—it seemed impossible just by hearing the words.

However, that essentially meant discarding what didn’t need blocking and focusing only on what must be defended.

Then, taking a step further, one should use one defense to disrupt the flow of the opponent’s attack.

In simple terms, it was called a parry. By receiving the opponent’s attack and bouncing it away, a gap opens up.

Until now, Yeon-woo’s defenses had primarily involved evasive maneuvers, but now it was time to vary her approach since evasion would lead to a counterattack as well.

Yeon-woo secretly moved the shadows and shot out a blade of the sword. However, Yang Mi-ryeo, keeping a wide view of the situation, didn’t miss that fact.

A line drawn by the spear was shot towards the shadow on the ground.

“You won’t catch me with such tactics.”

“No, I’ve kind of caught you already.”

But that was Yeon-woo’s intention. A parry was one of the most complex techniques.

Especially against an opponent who relied heavily on agile moves like the Yang family spear techniques.

They would quickly tighten up the moment they had a sense of unease amidst an attack.

That was the folly of someone who could change even the slightest misstep into success in an instant; if a powerful blow was needed, the efficiency of a parry diminished significantly.

So they had to rely on a clear hit to avoid losses.

That was the shadow. Thanks to it, Yeon-woo understood perfectly the force and direction contained in Yang Mi-ryeo’s spear.

“Ugh, huh!!”

Boom!!

Yeon-woo brought down her sword onto the spear that had stabbed into the ground.

A tremendous force crashed down upon the bent spear shaft, causing it to break and not slice through, bouncing back onto the ground.

“Oh my.”

Yang Mi-ryeo appeared taken aback, covering her mouth in surprise at the sight.

To remain that calm despite having her spear broken was something Yeon-woo found incomprehensible, but considering her characteristics, it could’ve been quite natural.

“Damn, this is really impossible.”

She had barely succeeded in breaking the spear, but it didn’t hold much meaning.

Of course, there was only one spear Yang Mi-ryeo had brought in. Though she had studied martial arts as a warrior, it remained to be seen if that was enough to defeat Yeon-woo.

However, the need to use the martial arts meant it was primarily only when she truly had no spear left.

Once, Yeon-woo had explained about the Odae family.

They were all Ain, and instead of abandoning their characteristics as Ain, they chose to live carrying the identity of being Ain.

Then what kind of Ain is the Sinchang Yang family?

The answer manifested right before her eyes.

The white hand gripping the spear slowly distorted.

With strange sounds of crackling, it changed shape like the roots of a tree. Ultimately, what formed from the shape of that hand was an elongated wooden stick.

The reason she mentioned that breaking the spear was meaningless was that the Sinchang Yang family had always been descendants of Woodians (木人).

Though they desired to be called Flowerians (花人), to be honest, what about this resembled a flower? It’s wood.

While she thought this, a flower bud bloomed at the tip of the spear.

The round, curled flower bud began to spin and sharpen its form before solidifying into a spearhead.

“This is undeniably cowardly.”

“Oh my, you can just cut it again.”

“Anyway, it’ll just grow back again, you guys!!”

To Yeon-woo’s anguished shout, Yang Mi-ryeo burst into a clear laughter.

In any case, for Yeon-woo, giving up without a fight did not align with their nature. Gripping the sword tightly, Yeon-woo charged at Yang Mi-ryeo, who lifted her spearhead in response.

*

– Ah, Choi Yeon-woo! Unfortunately, you’ve been blocked at the wall of the 9th stage! But let us applaud Choi Yeon-woo for the excellent battle and strategies presented!

– Indeed. We must say that she showed a clear distinction between what’s crucial as a hunter and what can be set aside for now. It was evident that passing through the mid-stage with the power of children was due to her thoughts for them.

– Commentary by Kim Jung-hwan! In what aspects did you notice this?

– The way she didn’t overly push the children, and even when she seemed to be resting in the background, she was observing the situation coldly, ready to jump in at any moment. It was hard to believe she was only fifteen.

As Yeon-woo trudged out of the training area, her eyes met those of Dang Sa-ryeon.

She cast an empathetic look at the excessive girl, and Yeon-woo chuckled.

Is it okay for you to treat your friend like that?

When Yeon-woo indicated she was leaving first, Dang Sa-ryeon nodded. As she exited through the spectators’ area, her eyes caught the sight of two familiar figures sitting side by side, exuding an awkward tension.

Baek In-hwa and Kim Yoo-min were sitting there, radiating a strange atmosphere.

‘What’s going on? Are they having a thing? Why so awkward?’

[Is that the first thought that came to your mind, Dad?]

‘Wait, Shar. Looking at homosexuals through such a prejudiced lens is bad. Be careful next time!’

[Aaaaah, no, that wasn’t the intention!!]

Having skillfully teased Shar today as well, Yeon-woo walked over toward them.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

 

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