–FIGHT!!!!
The air tensed, everyone watched the start of the first of many duels in this period.
Two cadets, two different approaches.
One used nothing but his hands and gauntlets. The other used an unusual weapon, a handgun.
One showed aggression and volatility on his face; the other revealed his cool and tranquil demeanour.
Two different personalities, with two distinct ideals, have clashed for a while and are now finally meeting on the stage.
Everything will be resolved now.
As soon as the match started, Kim Horak showed no hesitation in crushing the eyesore before him. Forsaking his guard, he rushed off at high speed closing the distance between him and 'the insect' in his eyes.
Hajin on the other hand, let out a breath. His focus tightened as he watched his surroundings with cold eyes. His prey had already been in front of his barrel. All he had to do was squeeze his fingers.
Throughout the history of the new age, cold steel and combat have always triumphed over modern weapons in a 1v1. The limited power of a gun could never pierce through the hardness of a mana barrier that every Hero used. This has been common knowledge to all, proven by time.
However, this is the time when knowledge isn't everything.
*BANG*
With a sharp explosion, the seemingly useless gun has broken the so-called common law of every Hero. Kim Horak's barrier had failed, one of his arms had been broken. Kim Hajin had drawn first blood.
The audience's reactions were mixed. Some were shocked, some were baffled, some even showed curiosity. Only Kim Hajin expressed nothingness, and he capitalised on their frozen state, especially Kim Horak.
*Bang* *Bang*
More bullets flew out, snapping Kim Horak back to reality. But he was a little late to the actions. Horak fell back only to see his mana armour break down more.
Now, he had no choice but to push forward, even if he had to become a living beehive. With all his strength, Kim Horak launched his body straight at Hajin, hoping to deny him his only damage-dealing method.
Due to his suicidal tendency, he closed in way too fast for Hajin to avoid. Dodging was not an option, so Hajin did what he knew how: aim his gun and shoot.
Kim Horak threw his non-bleeding fist at Hajin to cave his head in. This was his chance to beat the living out of the bastard who mocked him in the past. Horak's knuckle was inches away from Hajin's face.
*Bang*... Hajin missed.
Kim Horak smiled at his fortune.
But a sharpshooter would never miss at this distance. Unless he intended to do so.
*Whooosshh*
But instead of feeling the contact of flesh and bones, his hand felt air. And instead of inflicting pain on Hajin's face, He felt a sharp one on his abdomen. The one person he wanted to vent his anger on had vanished, leaving him with a bleeding wound. Horak got on one knee and clutched his stomach. He could no longer fight.
The spectators were definitely shocked. Sharpshooters typically have lower mobility compared to close-quarters combatants. But what they had seen was no less of a miracle.
Kim Hajin had somehow moved behind Kim Horak and shot his front at the same time. A gift? A special ability? A magic item? Questions filled the viewer's minds about the impossible feat.
Those who don't know were left in the dark. Those who had seen it before recognised it immediately. For example, Chae Nayun, who happened to be in another waiting room watching, knew what it was: Shiki's magical teleportation. Even when she had only seen it once back in the museum, Chae Nayun had no doubt of what she had witnessed.
Kim Hajin, at that moment, had switched places with the missed bullet earlier; and the bullet kept going, resulting in Kim Horak's injury.
**
How was Hajin able to use Shiki's signature move without any prior lesson? We will have to dive into the character of Kim Hajin.
From when he arrived in this world to now, maybe even in the future, Kim Hajin's actions can be defined by two major reasons: He did it to survive or He did it to gain power to survive. Ever since becoming a disciple of the magus, Kim Hajin has done nothing but study this art along with raising his physical stats.
If there was a chance to learn a new spell, Hajin would not hesitate and take it. So after seeing Shiki's regular usage of Displacement to arrive and leave at training, Hajin had an idea. Shiki once said that anyone can learn his magecraft, then...
What if he could analyse the spell and use it on his own? Thus began Hajin's experiment. Within a week before this duel, Hajin had pushed his 'Book of Truth' to its limit, hoping to gain something, one at a time. While it did give him a rough understanding of the spell in theory, he couldn't grasp its power in practice yet.
However, it was not yet time to despair, cause he had found hope in his other power. By filling the missing pieces with 'System intervention', Hajin had created his own version of Displacement, without cashing in too much 'S.p' into his Authority. This Displacement allows Hajin to swap places with anything that has his mana imbued, including bullets and spells.
**
Back to the arena.
Under the miraculous performance of a low-ranking cadet, Kim Hajin was dubbed the victor. Under the attention of the audience, Hajin walked back to the waiting room.
The duel was over. About eight minutes had passed.
It wasn't particularly fast or slow.
But the result of the duel was as unexpected, and because the process was beyond anyone's imagination, the audience was dead silent.
"How scary. Those were real bullets, right?"
In this silence, Oh Junhyuk looked down at Kim Hajin, who was walking to his waiting room.
"Yep."
Seo Youngji nodded.
"It looked hurt from here, he doesn't even look like a beehive."
This time, he spoke while pointing at Kim Horak. Just like he said, Kim Horak only took a few bullets. Though the vital points like the neck and heart weren't targeted, he was still carried away and seemed to be in a lot of pain.
"For martial art types, their bodies are their weapons. Recovery is their specialty, even so..."
"So, what did you think?"
"Kim Hajin did flawlessly and Kim Horak was too reckless. Kim Horak tried to show too much and suffered a loss. If he took it slow... Well, I guess the result would have been worse."
In truth, the only way Kim Horak could win was to somehow disarm Kim Hajin before he could fire a single bullet. But Kim Hajin's sudden vanishment rendered that option useless.
"There is a lot to write about from start to finish."
Seo Youngji murmured with a frown. A picture of Kim Hajin was displayed on her laptop screen. She was writing a report.
—Yes, Kim Hajin. Never heard of him? Me neither, but he just fought with Kim Horak and he…
—He uses a gun. Yes, his limit should be clear, but he won against a high rank, he also broke a qi reinforcement…
—I don't know how he destroyed a qi reinforcement either. That's why I'm calling you…
Guild associates were already making calls.
At that moment, the host announced the next battle.
Seo Youngji glanced at the watch on her wrist.
"Kim Hajin, I'll have to remember him. Let's leave after we see Chae Nayun's match. It's coming up in two fights."
"Yeah, I planned on doing the same."
.
.
.
After the second duel concluded, the highlight of the day had come: Duel 3 featuring Kim Suho.
—The third duel is between rank 1, Kim Suho, and unranked, Tastuya Shiki!!! Is this another unseen power like the first duel? Is this why Kim Suho has nominated him as the first cadet?
The host once again tried to hype the arena up with his announcement. But this time, the crowd reacted differently. Based on what had happened in the first match, the viewer had hope that the same would happen here as well, not that they believed Kim Suho would actually lose.
"That must be him. Our second dark horse."
"Yep."
"A bare-handed fighter? Interesting."
Oh Junhyuk looked at the man walking out from the right passageway. He looked slightly handsome, but with a dangerous pressure. Comparable to a high rank hero.
***
"Let's go."
"…Yes."
Led by the staff, I walked up to the stage.
First, I took a good look around the arena. A translucent mana barrier surrounded the arena, with thousands of spectators looking down. Both an indescribable pressure and excitement overwhelmed me.
While I was shaking from this strange sensation, Kim Suho walked up from the other side.
"Shiki."
Kim Suho had a troubled expression while he said that.
"Don't worry too much. I'll hold back, so you won't get too injured."
That was true. I didn't deliberately show my magecraft to anyone besides my students and Lancer. There is no reason to do it now; a minor sense enhancement is enough.
Speaking of, Lancer is watching on the side as always. I can feel her gaze from the viewer booth. She didn't have to hide this week as that would raise some suspicion. Instead, Lancer can just sit somewhere in the crowd as a freelance Hero written on her fake ID.
"I won't give up."
Kim Suho said with determination as he took his stance.
—Counting down! Three!
The host started his countdown as he saw Suho getting ready.
—Two!
Suho ignited his magic power, a faint blue glow appeared around his sword. That was his gift, Sword Saint.
—One!
He opened his eyes as wide as he could, trying to see my attack. While also layering magic power on the surface of his body.
—Start!
Suho didn't move.
He knew I was stronger. He knew that fighting head-on was foolish. Defensive style is the right way just like our first spar.
I started walking toward him.
Kim Suho stared at it with his utmost concentration. A decisive strike would end this match.
But I wasn't planning to finish this early. This is the man whom my idiotic pupil had praised. The chosen one who is said to grow non-stop until he is the strongest.
What I wanted to see was how much he could improve during this match. How much could he push himself in an impossible fight?
*Clang*
Fist and steel caught in a stand off right when I walk into range. The deadlock soon broke as I pushed for advantages. Suho backed off in an instant looking for another chance to counter.
'He has learned not to linger with a faster opponent for too long.'
I chased after Suho right away as I led him into a dead end. Punch after punch, Suho slowly got used to the tempo while not knowing my plan for him. Soon, he had been cornered.
Having nowhere to go, Kim Suho channelled more magic power into his sword, abandoning defence. His sword grew bright blue as if it were a blade from legend. He changed his posture, ready to intercept whatever came at him.
I gradually closed our space fishing for an opening. But instead, Suho swung his sword at me despite being out of range.
'A misstep? No. He wouldn't do that. Then what is he planning?'
As the attack approached, Suho released his magic power once again. The mana extruded from the tip of the blade extended a whole meter. This made what seemed to be a rookie mistake turn into a deadly strategic strike.
Caught in surprise, I raised my arm to block. The mana blade snapped, but not before lacerating into a bit of flesh on my forearm. Blood dripped out as the tables seemed to have turned to Suho's favour.
Spectators roared in excitement as Kim Suho had made a miraculous comeback. Looking at the open wound on my arm, I couldn't help but applaud his ingenuity.
If you can't fight someone at close range then fight at a long one. Even better, trick your opponent into a false sense of distance like Suho just did.
"Hahahaha! Even in a losing situation, you still manage to pull a reverse on me. That's good! That's improvement. That's what I want to see from you."
"Thank you for your words, Shiki."
"But don't think you have won now."
Showing my cut arm to Suho, the wound quickly closed as he widened his eyes in awe. Healing magic, regeneration,... There are a lot of ways I can heal my injury.
"Of course it isn't that easy to beat you."
Suho sighed as he tightened his sword, ready to fight once again.
"That's the spirit. Giving up now isn't like you.
As a reward for your milestone, allow me to show you one of my techniques."
That being said, I had only developed this move a while back. There are some parts I can still improve here and there but now is a good chance to demonstrate it.
I took my stance, bent my dominant knee, and straightened my other leg. I tucked my punching hand to my waist, turning my back to Suho. The other hand straightened out like my leg.
My eyes never left Suho the whole time.
Kim Suho, sensing a powerful killing intent, gripped his sword in a blocking stance.
"Here it comes, Suho. BRACE YOURSELF!!"
As soon as I finished my sentence, all spectators saw a vision. An omen that had yet to come.
Kim Suho was the one who saw it the most clearly.
*Splatt*
A hand had gone right through his heart, leaving a red-tinted fist on the other side. The image was so repulsive that it sent a chill down everyone's spine. Yet instead of blood gushing out of his back, the hand exploded into pink petals.
"Huh????"
Kim Suho snapped, looked down at his body. There was nothing there. No hole in his clothes, no blood drenching the uniform, no pain in his chest. As if it were all an illusion.
The audience also returned from their trance. Their reaction showed different stages of shock.
"What had happened?" Kim Suho asked himself.
But I wasn't waiting for an answer. I poured my mana into my hand, covering it with a deep red coating.
Having a bad feeling, Kim Suho turned to the flat side of his sword, covering his chest. A wise decision, but it was too late.
What he had seen wasn't an illusion. It was the future where he had been punched in the heart. The future he could no longer avoid.
The casualty had been reversed. 'The heart had been struck'. Now I only need to throw the punch to finish the sequence.
[
This strike is the embodiment of her accomplishment.
With this, I shall take your heart.
Gáe bolg Alternative
]
I disappeared. A flash of red flew across the arena. In the blink of an eye, it was over. The future was here. My mana imbued hand had reached Kim Suho.
Although Kim Suho had covered himself with mana reinforcement beforehand, the future was set. There is no blocking this. There is no blocking what has already happened.
My law-defying palm made contact. A huge cracking sound exploded into the crowd. A huge dent was imprinted into Suho's chest. As a result, Suho was knocked out of the arena ring. He was still conscious but couldn't get up. The future was half true. I only reached half of the casualty-bending process.
I sighed in relief, knowing that I wouldn't be made a killer today.
"How is it? Impressive, right?" I asked Suho.
"Hah...haah... Yeah, it really is. I couldn't even defend myself... No, it was meaningless even if I defended myself."
I nodded at his words. Suho gave me a small smile while hanging onto his sword. His breathing is still a little unsteady but he'll manage.
"I lost... Completely. You are too strong for me right now. But I will win, I will never give up."
"That's good. Keep it up. You may catch up someday."
Under the announcement of the host, the crowd cheered wildly. Under their eyes, it was a spectacular fight. Both fighters showed the depth of their power, tactics and experience.
I held my hand high in response and made my way back to the waiting room.
.
.
.
While the viewer basked in the after glow of the duel, Oh Junhyuk and Seo Youngji were silent.
"Hey Seo Youngji."
"What is it?"
"That last attack... Can you dodge it?"
"That huh... If it was like what we had seen in that vision, then no. Seeing it coming doesn't mean you can avoid it."
"I see. To be honest, I can't seem to figure out how to block it as well."
"You too, huh? Well, it was certainly terrifying. To see your death firsthand, yet can't do anything. If Shiki hadn't changed his attack, Cuba might have been cleaning a body by now."
"Yeah, I get it. In that last second, he used an open palm instead of what we had seen. The force is spread out more but the damage is still visible.
This year has a lot of great talents, don't you think?"
"You're right. Kim Hajin, Tatsuya Shiki, I'll remember their names."
.
.
.
A chilling wind brushed against leaves, creating a bleak melody.
In one of Cube's artificial forests, a man was sitting on a tree trunk. He was in the middle of pitch-black darkness, but his bulky body could be seen easily. The formal suit he was wearing made him especially eye-catching.
"He had crazy firepower, but I don't like him, a tiny guy only shooting from a faraway distance."
—You mean you don't like his battle style…
The man's eyes were bloodshot.
The duels he saw between rookies made his blood boil. He wanted to jump in and show them what a real fight was. Though he barely held in this urge, his instincts were constantly contending with his reason.
—What about Kim Suho and Shin Jonghak?
"Mm… I think they were okay… Maybe not…"
—Make up your mind.
"They were fine. Happy? I want to wait until they grow up to fight."
At that moment…
"Who are you?"
A voice rang out from behind him. The man turned around. It was a police officer who was deployed for the combat exams. The man didn't notice him because he was a weakling who hadn't even learned magic.
—Don't forget why Boss brought you.
At these words, the man nodded.
"Yeah… I know. I'm a master when it comes to recognising the strong."
—Right, that's the only reason.
"Excuse me, what are you doing here? The forest is off-limits to outsiders. Please come out."
The police officer approached the man with a flashlight. The man stared at him with scorn. The killing intent in his eyes radiated a clear warning.
But the officer couldn't see the man's expression in the dark, walking closer towards him.
"Oh right, how did you get in here in the first place? Sir? Come out!"
The man laughed.
"…Hey."
—What?
"I'll go after I crack open a nut."
"Sir, stop talking to yourself and come out!"
Immediately afterwards, the man's fist cut through the air. To be exact, he punched the air, causing a shockwave that ravaged the officer. Crushed by the pressure, the officer's body no longer resembled a human body.
—Did you do it?
"Yep."
—…Boss is going to kill you.
"Keep it a secret."
—I will until she finds out. For now, go do your job.
Thanks to the weakling, the man felt like his mind had cleared up slightly. He stood up and began to walk. The dorms were only a few minutes away…
After a while, his keen hearing picked up on faint voices.
—Hey, what is this?
—Ueeek. Fuck, this is a corpse! Contact the headquarters!
He turned around. Far off in the distance, he could see two officers vomiting. A grin emerged on his face.
Wiing—Wiing—
"Mm?"
Hearing the sound of a mosquito buzzing, he turned back to his front.
—What?
"…Nothing, just a mosquito."
—How lame. Hurry up before I tell Boss that you killed someone.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going."
The man quickened his pace.
A tiny drone hovering above him silently watched the man leave before disappearing.
===
—Tak.
I closed my laptop.
"…Well, that's terrifying."
Cheok Jungyeong killed someone without hesitation, purely for his own enjoyment.
The drone was unable to capture exactly what had happened.
Only after slowing it down ten times was I able to catch a glimpse. Cheok Jungyeong threw out a jab, and a violent pressure erupted, instantly killing the police officer.
"He killed someone without even making contact… Also, this thing…"
Hajin stared at the drone on my bed. It was more useful than he expected. He wondered if he could put it to more use if he bought a more expensive drone and put more settings.
At that moment, his smartwatch suddenly rang.
[Yo, can I nominate you?]
It was Chae Nayun. She seemed to be talking about tomorrow's duels.
[Why?]
[What do you mean why? You already provoked me several times.]
Cadets had to duel at least three times and could duel at most six times. Today, Hajin has fought three times and won all three. In other words, Hajin didn't need to fight anyone else unless someone nominated me.
[No, I'm exhausted from today.]
There was a high chance of him winning in a one-on-one fight against Chae Nayun. Not only is his arsenal much bigger and more powerful, but Chae Nayun also can't hit Hajin with her rapid-fire shot as he just teleported away. But he didn't feel like fighting more than three.
[You can think about that tomorrow morning. Also, how did you destroy qi reinforcement with a bullet? Ithe t didn't look like you used your personal weapon. Also, that last movement, how did you do it? Is it also your Gift?]
So this was her real goal. He ignored her message. Hajin turned off his smartwatch and lay on his bed. It was already midnight.
At that moment, his smartwatch suddenly rang.
[You put on quite a grand show.]
This time, it was Yoo Yeonha.
Hajin gave a short reply.
[Yeah, someone had told me to show off.]
[Oh, who?]
[Won't say.]
[Well, because you destroyed a qi reinforcement with your bullet, many guilds are showing interest in you.]
[I know.]
[They're already calling your Gift 'superpower bullet' or 'bullet reinforcement'… Speaking of which, what do you think about guilds?]
[Those names suck.]
[No, I mean, what do you think about Essence of the Strait?]
"Hmm."
Yoo Yeonha had a tendency to judge people based on their usefulness. This would only get worse as she got older, and she would eventually become someone who didn't care about someone's background as long as they were useful.
[Contacting cadets beforehand is illegal. That's a 500 million won penalty.]
Hajin sent a thoughtless message, trying to end the conversation.
[First, I'm still a cadet. Cadets can try to recruit other cadets without being in trouble with the law. Second, I can afford to pay that much.]
She returned a very serious reply.
Hajin felt a bit awkward.
[That's not your money, it's your parents'.]
[Oh right, your acting was pretty superb on your second and third match.]
"...This girl."
'Why was she talking like I was hiding my power? If anything, Kim Suho and Teach were the ones hiding their power.'
[Were you watching?]
[I had time. But to be honest, I think your growth speed is too quick. You were ranked 934 during the initial exams, but if you won over a rank 18 after switching to a sharpshooter role, it's too eye-catching no matter how much aptitude you have for it...
Seriously, you and your friend, can't you fight befitting your rank? Or is there another one I don't know about?]
"What is she on about now?"
He also ignored Yoo Yeonha's message, his eyelids were closing. Hajin fought three times today, so it wasn't surprising.
"...Oh right."
He suddenly remembered something else to do.
Hahin turned on my smartwatch and sent Park Soohyuk a message.
[Hyung, thanks for the drone. I'll take good care of it.]
.
.
.
—Next is the man you were talking about, Boss. The one who tried to peek at you.
She nodded silently. The video being reflected in her eyes changed. This time, it was a battle between a gun and a fist. A sharpshooter and a warrior. It was clear who should be the winner.
However...
She abruptly opened her eyes. She only watched the video for a short time, but during this time, the sharpshooter's bullet had destroyed the warrior's magic power. She examined the nature of the magic power around the bullet. If her eyes weren't seeing things, it could only be one thing. The power of 'anti-magic'. It was the power she was looking for, the silver bullet that could kill 'that man'.
—Interesting, isn't it? I was surprised too when I first saw it.
"Kim Hajin. Write his name down on the notebook."
She spoke without hesitation.
—...Really?
"Yes."
—But Jungyeong said he didn't like him.
"Gyeong hates sharpshooters."
Cheok Jungyeong was a warrior in and out. Staring at each other's eyes and trying to strike down death upon the enemy with deadly killing intent; he believed that was what a battle was.
Even in the Chameleon Troupe, there were members he didn't like just because they fought from a long range.
—I guess so. He did say Kim Suho and Shin Jonghak were okay. The one surprise me the most were that unknown guy, Shiki. To think he would notice you first.
"Then put their names down too."
—Then we'll only have 4 slots left. Is that okay?
People who had their names written down on the 'notebook' could have their live locations tracked. In a way, the notebook was like a GPS. In addition, the owner of the notebook could teleport to the location of a written target.
—Who do we prioritize?
In exchange for its wide-ranged power, the condition, [target cannot know that his name is on the notebook], had to be met. But as long as the target wasn't told about the notebook, there was no reason he should notice.
"Mm."
The boss closed her eyes. She remembered what happened a long time ago.
The death of the previous leader of Chameleon Troupe 11 years ago, "that" man's betrayal, and the day she cried for the first time.
In front of a grave, she felt the new burden on her shoulders as the Chameleon Troupe changed its colors once more.
"For now..."
The Chameleon Troupe survived even with the death of its leader. A new leader was chosen, and the group managed to take a huge step forward using resentment and vengeance as nourishment.
But now, they couldn't find where the traitor was hiding. No, even if they knew, they couldn't do anything about it.
So, she kept searching this entire time.
The power of anti-magic, which could destroy the Magic Power Physique...
"Put Kim Hajin on top priority. The one with him that day is the second choice."
————————————————————