TOP 79

Chapter 79

A Monster Rookie Out of Nowhere

Beeeep!

With the sound of the whistle, the match began.

But they didn’t clash right away.

“Hm. Seems you’ve actually learned proper swordsmanship.”

“…Thank you for the compliment.”

It was still just a probing exchange.

Cha Suho and I held our swords raised, watching one another closely.

I was the more nervous of the two.
Naturally.

‘If I can’t create a variable, I’ll lose.’

Sure, thanks to the Dragon’s powers, I was far stronger than a normal 6-star hunter. But defeating a seasoned 7-star hunter was impossible.

“You seemed to know Team Leader Joo. Did you learn Mujin Sword from him?”

“…Not deeply, but yes, to some extent.”

“This could be troublesome.”

Cha Suho kept his usual relaxed demeanor as he observed me.
He showed no intent to attack first.

“I won’t use my full power, but still—”

I didn’t like how he tried to fish for information with words before the fight even began.

In that case, the impatient one had to move first.

Tap—!

I suddenly kicked off the floor and dashed forward, forming an aura blade from the start.

Claaang—!

“My, my. You could’ve taken your time.”

“This wasn’t meant to be a contest of witty banter, was it?”

“That’s true.”

Whish—

With a smooth swing, Cha Suho deflected my Permafrost Sword.

‘…Damn.’

And I was startled.

His sword…

‘It’s lighter than I thought?’

It was actually blockable.

Of course, he wasn’t using full strength, but still… if it stayed like this, hiding my abilities might not be so easy.

Even right now, countless ways to exploit his carelessness and gain the upper hand were flashing through my mind.

“Hm. Not following up your attack?”

“……”

I’d always given my all.
No matter the method.
Always striving only to win.

So ironically, holding back was harder for me.

“If you’re going to just freeze there, then I’ll go.”

Seeming to misinterpret my hesitation, Cha Suho stepped forward.

Boom—!

He advanced sharply, swinging his sword downward.

The blade, suddenly weighted with tremendous force, came crashing toward my head.

‘Block it first.’

I raised the Permafrost Sword at an angle.

Screeech—!

The aura blades ground against each other with a screeching burst.

Even angled to deflect, the weight was intense.

“Kh…!”

“Impressive. To deflect it so easily.”

“…Haa.”

Cha Suho’s swordsmanship was heavy.

Not as intricate as the subtleties of Mujin Sword, but the sheer weight behind it was formidable.

Completely different from how lightly he had brushed off my earlier strike.

‘So this is his real strength.’

My earlier worry had been pointless.

That maybe Cha Suho was weaker than expected, forcing me to hold back.

‘And he’s probably hiding more.’

Like the “Dispel” item Cobra showed earlier, Suho must also have hidden items or skills.

He was, after all, a 7-star hunter and guildmaster of the major guild “Royal Guard.”

Relieved, I resolved to fight more seriously.

Swish!

I swung, aiming at an opening.

He tried to block—

“Hm?”

But my strike twisted mid-swing, as if switching dance styles.

A deeper application of Mujin Sword.

Slash!

He barely pulled back, but his collar was cut.

“…Heh. Truly, you have confidence.”

Had I been a 7-star hunter, that blow would’ve been a lethal strike.

Since 7-stars could extend their aura blades at will.

Smiling, I replied,

“At the very least, I should show you this much.”

“Indeed. Seems this warm-up has lost its meaning.”

His gaze shifted.

At first, he might’ve intended to play around.
But now, he was ready to fight seriously.

“Let’s see how you handle this.”

Swoosh—

The aura blade around his sword extended—
to nearly twice my height.

And with that, he swung heavily.

“Haa…”

I steadied my breath, then moved immediately.

‘Can’t retreat.’

If I stepped back, the lengthened aura blade would still catch me.

So the only option was—

‘Close in!’

I dashed into the arc of his massive strike.

But he stepped back, widening the gap.

Clang!

I had no choice but to clash blades mid-charge.
Otherwise, my torso would’ve been split in two.

“…Kh!”

A groan slipped from me.

This time, I should’ve had the advantage—
he couldn’t use his full rotational force, while I had an efficient guard.

And yet—

‘So damn heavy.’

His unique heavy swordsmanship broke the rules, forcing me back.

The stat difference shouldn’t have been this big.

“That’s strange.”

After pushing me back, he didn’t continue.
Instead, he spoke.

“I heard you only recently reached 6-star.”

“……”

“Yet your raw physical stats seem far beyond that.”

“……”

I said nothing.

No way I was going to reveal that thanks to the Dragon’s power, [Dragon Body – Stage 3], my stats had skyrocketed.

“At first, I was casual about this match, but…”

Unbothered by my silence, he continued.

“Now I’m curious. Just how strong are you?”

“…Didn’t you say you’d hold back?”

“I said I wouldn’t use my full power.”

A grin spread across his face.

“So then—let’s have some fun.”

From his subspace, Suho pulled out another sword, gripping it in his left hand.

A second blade to join the first.

Meaning—

‘…Dual blades.’

Dual-wielding, infused with his weighty swordsmanship.

This was the true form of Cha Suho, Guildmaster of Royal Guard, when he got serious.

Seeing him, I thought:

‘This just got harder…’

But rather than fear—
I welcomed it.

To experience the swordsmanship of a successful 7-star hunter like him?
And without the risk of death?

‘This’ll give me new data for the Special Training Room.’

Later, in the “Room of Time and Space,” I could refine it and make it my own.

Filled with anticipation, I tightened my grip on the Permafrost Sword and said,

“Then, please… come at me properly.”

A grin tugged at my lips.

The Investigations Chief watched the duel with wide eyes.

‘…Holy crap. This is way beyond what I expected.’

The battle between Cha Suho and Kim Yujin—
its result was nothing short of shocking.

‘He’s supposed to be 6-star…’

Yes, Kim Yujin was a 6-star hunter.

He had claimed to have slain a hidden-boss 7-star monster, but the Chief had assumed that was just a freak accident, a fluke.

But now…

‘He’s not being overpowered by Hunter Cha Suho.’

His performance far surpassed the Chief’s expectations.

He’d even cut Suho’s collar early on, showing unexpected moves one after another.

That boldness had even drawn out Suho’s true fighting spirit.

‘He actually forced Hunter Cha to use dual swords!’

And more shocking still—
he was holding his own against them!

Of course…

‘Not truly equal.’

He was being pushed back.

If he could actually win this, he wouldn’t be 6-star at all.
He’d have to be 7-star.

Yes, he was slowly being pushed back.

But slowly—
which was insane.

Because who was Suho?

The Guildmaster of Royal Guard.
A 7-star hunter.
One of the most seasoned veterans among them—
a man who could reach 8-star any day.

And yet—

‘A 6-star is holding his ground!?’

It made no sense.

‘No… Hunter Cha hasn’t used his real skills or items yet.’

True, Suho hadn’t used any hidden skills or items.
Not even his publicly known ones.

But still—

‘…That doesn’t mean Hunter Kim is weak.’

The Chief thought grimly.

And then—

“Holy shit.”

“What kind of 6-star is that?”

“…He is 6-star. He can’t even extend his aura blade.”

“Still, come on!”

Others around him had the same stunned reactions.

Meanwhile—

“As expected! I knew it, Yujin-nim…!”

“Master’s amazing, isn’t he?”

“Eh? Master?”

“Ah—! I mean, Yujin… Master! Uh!”

“…Well, it’s not wrong. At this point, he deserves to be called Master. Hunter Kim Yujin is incredible!”

“Y-yeah, that’s right! Haha…!”

“He’s the pride of our New Cherry Guild…!”

Shin Chaeri was moved to tears.

Her intuition had been right.

Even if she’d had to take on some risks, forming ties with Yujin had been the right choice.

Anyway—

The bald-headed Chief rubbed his shining scalp, thinking:

‘No wonder that person has an eye on him.’

Yes. The reason this whole test had been arranged.

In truth, the Chief hadn’t believed Yujin was the “Red Hunter.”

Sure, the “Burning Lands” dungeon incident had been a big deal.

But in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t unexplainable.
Dungeon accidents weren’t rare, and there was no hard evidence tying Yujin to wrongdoing.

Suspicion lingered, yes.
But not enough to nail him.

His true purpose had always been—

‘…To measure Hunter Kim Yujin’s combat strength.’

The Chief had never been motivated by “justice.”

But he was devout.

“Goddess Gaia…” he prayed silently.

He was a believer of the Gaia Order.

That identity mattered to him more than being Chief Investigator of the Hunter Bureau.

That was why, when a high priest of the Order summoned him, he had obeyed gladly.

“Faithful one.”

“Yes, Priest.”

“Do you know the hunter called Kim Yujin?”

“Yes. The one applying for rank evaluation, isn’t he?”

“The Goddess commands—watch him closely.”

“…Watch, you say?”

“Yes. You are to discover the power he hides, and report back.”

“…As you command, Priest.”

And so this stage had been set.

Luckily, Yujin had agreed to a test of his combat abilities.

So far, so good.
The Chief had thought it would be smooth sailing, serving the Goddess.

But now—

‘…I think I understand why the Goddess wanted him watched.’

Yujin’s combat power had far exceeded his imagination.

‘That mage was amazing too, but this guy… this guy is truly monstrous.’

If Yoo Seora was a “highly skilled mage,” then Kim Yujin was nothing less than “a monster rookie, out of nowhere.”

‘No, even that doesn’t do him justice.’

Perhaps, in the future, he could become a great instrument of the Goddess herself.

Therefore—

In the name of his sacred duty—

‘I must deliver this recording to the Priest, no matter what.’

He resolved to play the spy.

For the record, the Chief had no idea.

That Yujin was still hiding far, far more power.