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Chapter 88

Yeonwoo faced the challenge of hearing Yuri say, “With that level, you could use it in real combat,” while Tae-oh and Shar applauded in awe.

Of course, that day was just a routine one, and before long, the Academy’s representative selection tournament had started.

“Is this real life?”

Yeonwoo hadn’t even used the techniques of the Lightweight Stance or the Half-Moon Blade properly. He couldn’t even execute the first form of the Half-Moon Blade satisfactorily when the day had come.

Although Yeonwoo had made significant growth compared to the beginning, it was absurd to think he hadn’t been lazily sucking his thumb while others were improving over these three months.

Just looking at his first duel opponent, Im Yu-bin, who had become surprisingly strong after a light spar just a few days ago, was enough to remind him that the already formidable Darius had only gotten stronger.

Honestly, it was just because it was himself that he could win; most Hunters would certainly lose to Darius. Winning through grit and willpower was something that could only happen in a duel.

Naturally, the entire Academy was buzzing with excitement. The clashes between the Hunter Department and the Magic Department seemed to be erupting everywhere, while the support department was selling popcorn, enjoying the spectacle.

The psychological warfare among third-year students was particularly tense. Among them, a black-haired cat-human who shamelessly boasted that the Magic Department was handling the tournament representatives caught Yeonwoo’s eye.

Yeonwoo turned his head. It would be more beneficial to watch the representative selection than to waste time watching such antics.

The selection would continue relentlessly until a week before the tournament. After all, even excluding the support department, there were about 1,500 students, and since some students from the support department also participated, the schedule was quite packed.

Of course, the Academy didn’t set up the selection period to be such a bonehead move, it was also a way to observe how well the students could manage themselves in the time leading up to the tournament after midterms. Self-management was not just recommended for Hunters; it was essential.

The training hall was packed, with no corner left unoccupied to take advantage of the slightly vacant time. Some students came to spectate, thinking they might be matched up next, while others came from the support department to sell popcorn.

With nothing useful to refer to, Yeonwoo observed the inside when a match concluded above.

A green-skinned man threw a punch, sending the man who tried to block it flying into the audience with a crash.

As the orc senior raised his fist in triumph, Yeonwoo spent some time clapping for him.

“Whoa, where did the time go? I’m going to be late.”

He had promised to meet Kim Yoo-min and had completely forgotten while watching the matches. Naturally, the more important commitment was his promise to Kim Yoo-min.

Although he had been asked by Kim Hyun-soo, he didn’t want to leave behind one of the top Hunters who was practically a symbol of their generation just because they were having a hard time hitting someone.

So, while he couldn’t make someone not die, he was spending his days training to ensure he could at least hit someone.

Honestly, it was ridiculous for someone as skilled as Kim Yoo-min to miss the tournament for such a reason.

The Body Training Room was still overcrowded. Fortunately, Namgung Seong had recently allowed him to use the training room, so there was no need to go to the Department Head’s Office with Kim Yoo-min.

“Alright, shall we go at it again today, Kim Yoo-min?”

“I’m getting tired of hitting Yeonwoo, is there no one else?”

“How can you want to hit Shar, Kim Yoo-min? I’m really disappointed.”

“Because you keep saying that, I can hit Yeonwoo without hesitation.”

With a satisfied expression, Kim Yoo-min spoke, but the figure of her training partner dissipated like mist. The rapid movement was so fast it was nearly impossible for the eye to track, but it was easy to recognize her when considering the weapon she wielded.

In the blink of an eye, Kim Yoo-min closed the distance, swinging her fist back with her shoulder drawn back. Yeonwoo, too, had already drawn his sword by then. The sword, transformed into the shape of a wooden sword, coiled around the thrust like a snake.

However, he couldn’t absorb all the power and lightly leaped back. Even after their first exchange of blows, Kim Yoo-min was unrelenting, causing Yeonwoo to exclaim in disbelief.

“Hey, if that hit my face, it would have been caved in. What are you doing to my handsome face? Isn’t this supposed to be non-lethal?”

“Yeonwoo… I thought you could take my full strength!!”

“That’s a bit overconfident…”

Thud, thud, thud.

With cheerful footwork, Kim Yoo-min pressed in on Yeonwoo, making it appear as if he was merely running away.

This was partly because Kim Yoo-min was exceptionally skilled at maintaining her offensive, but it was primarily due to her training allowing her to hit others.

Instead of genuinely trying to win, they were sparring to elevate each other’s senses.

Thanks to this sparring, Yeonwoo had also grown fairly accustomed to the Lightweight Stance. Like a current following its trail, Yeonwoo smoothly connected to the second and final form of the stance, the Gale Wind.

The Gale Wind utilized the principles of the Returning Flow to maximum effect to deflect the attacks, but with an offensive direction.

In other words, the philosophy of the Lightweight Stance was as follows: If one could completely defend against an opponent’s attack through softness and fully utilize that shock for a counter-attack, wouldn’t that be considered supreme?

Giving up the initiative was not Yeonwoo’s temperament. He twisted the attacking straight punch by subtly rotating the sword’s tip.

“Whoops!?”

If he forced an opening for a counter, the next move would be the Gale Wind. He twisted his wrist to add rotational power, stepping forward to thrust towards Kim Yoo-min.

Perfect timing. However, it was Kim Yoo-min who acted rashly. The left hand, previously pressed against her chest to extend a straight punch, shot out, powerfully grasping the swirling blade with a crunch.

Kim Yoo-min, undeterred by the tearing of her palm, leaped into the air, swinging her left leg toward Yeonwoo’s temple.

Yeonwoo, in a panic, ducked to evade, only to realize moments later that it had been a bad decision. His body was suddenly airborne. By the time his back hit the floor, Yoo-min had already assumed a perfect position.

With her right arm outstretched, she had caught Yeonwoo, with her leg positioned above his head and chest.

“Where’d you learn to do something like this?”

“I saw it on TV!”

Saying this, Kim Yoo-min twisted Yeonwoo’s arm lightly with an air of pride.

“Ouch, that really hurts!! I surrender, I surrender!!”

“Hehe, it feels like playing with a doll; it’s so much fun.”

Seemingly enjoying Yeonwoo’s squirming beneath her, Kim Yoo-min kept twisting the arm she held.

Yeonwoo was left pondering how to politely convey to this girl that he wished she would stop playing and let him get up, while feeling the soft sensations touching different parts of his arm.

‘Who would have thought my first demonstration would be in a situation like this?’

Yeonwoo thought as he sent dark mana flowing through his arm. A black arm sprang forth from his elbow, causing Kim Yoo-min to scream.

“Ah, ahh, what is this!! Yeonwoo, your arm is weird!!”

“Then let go, you idiot.”

It was quite ridiculous, truly.

As Yeonwoo manipulated his magic, Kim Yoo-min, startled, let go of him and pulled away her thigh, which he had grabbed.

Rolling away, Kim Yoo-min stared at Yeonwoo with a bewildered expression for a moment before she blushed and yelled.

“How can you just grab a girl’s leg so shamelessly…!?”

“I know it’s not cool to say this nowadays, but are you from ancient times or something?”

The shadow arm didn’t just lack pain; it wasn’t even attached to a body. There were no bones, so it could move in a way that felt a bit nasty, but one could say it was somewhat off-putting…

“You were the one teasing me while holding onto my arm first.”

“Uh, um, that’s true… But what is that arm? Did it become three arms?”

“Not entirely wrong.”

The only thing misleading was the fact that he currently had control over the third one because he couldn’t manage the elemental mana’s quantity; if he increased it, he could use up to four arms, which had been confirmed by Tae-oh.

Having explained what that arm was in general, Yeonwoo lay back down and asked Kim Yoo-min.

“So, do you think you can enter the tournament now?”

“…I can fight even without you worrying about it.”

“I wasn’t worried that I couldn’t hit someone… Just wanted to know if you felt ready.”

Once Yeonwoo finished speaking, the atmosphere in the training room went quiet. Lately, something felt off when conversing with Kim Yoo-min, so he fidgeted a bit.

“But why are you going this far? Honestly, there’s no reason for you to do this. If I can’t enter the tournament, you get one less competitor… right?”

That statement was… not entirely incorrect.

In fact, aside from his memories from before his regression, Yeonwoo had no reason to do all this for Kim Yoo-min. Yet, he couldn’t exactly tell her that he was this way before his regression either.

Essentially, Yeonwoo was relying on another apparent reason, which was Kim Hyun-soo’s request.

What he wanted to do was simply because he wanted to. He didn’t want to waste the future talent.

If he had to attach a reason…

“We have a lot of things going on. I’ve been asked by Professor Hyun-soo, and it wasn’t intentional, but I also became a bit of a trauma for you.”

“Why did you ask that from him?”

“Of course, I gain a lot from helping you. Things like a good relationship with Professor Hyun-soo or putting you in my debt, I could say.”

But the truth was, not all human relationships were formed based on some mutual interest. Some people interacted for reasons, and others simply met without any purpose.

“It’s just… we’re friends. I don’t know if my standards for friendship are too loose, but I just figured I wanted to help a friend who was struggling a bit. The involvement of self-interest is a separate story after that.”

“…Really?”

It was somewhat embarrassing to say, and after brushing his face with his hands, Kim Yoo-min tilted her head and gazed into Yeonwoo’s face. Her eyes were straight and honest. Just meeting her gaze felt like revealing his inner thoughts.

Yeonwoo, feeling a bit overwhelmed by that stare, briefly closed his eyes.

—“Hey, hey! You’ll regret it if you die here, won’t you!? Let’s not have any regrets!!”

Amidst the corpses of countless beasts, a girl said this, her long black hair waving freely, unkempt. After hours of fighting, she had smashed hundreds of monsters with her small fists and still showed no signs of fatigue, her voice bright and cheerful.

In that battleground of that era, it was impossible to not notice her. Her flowing black hair was like our flag. It was proof that humanity had not yet finished. A battle flag promising that we still had strength.

Now that he thought about it, would she have wanted to play a mascot role among the rough and savage Hunters at just twenty-five? But… what could be done? People sought her strength; they defined the battleground as the place where she belonged.

With a cheerful smile, she shouted joyfully, her attitude undoubtedly giving immense strength to the Hunters who had nearly given up.

A memory emerged of those shiny black eyes they had encountered in the middle of the battlefield. Among the two staring blankly at each other, only the girl suddenly smiled warmly.

The little fist she pounded against her chest repeatedly seemed to say the words that had been heard hundreds of times. Her familiar lips were so recognizable to Yeonwoo that it felt as if her voice echoed in his ears.

To live without regrets, especially in a world where one could die at any moment.

Yeonwoo slowly opened his eyes. It was just that.

“Don’t you ever think about wanting to live without regrets? I sometimes do.”

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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