It was certain.
After all, Suho had taken Park Yong's life himself.
'That crazy guy is in this session…'
Park Yong deserved to be called crazy. No, he was truly insane.
And not just any insanity—he was obsessed with swords and strength.
He handled a blade like a madman and was utterly consumed by swordsmanship, earning him the nickname "Mad Sword".
Suho narrowed his eyes.
'So if both of us pass, that would make him a peer… a rival of sorts?'
Exactly. In the industry, titles like senior or junior aren't emphasized much, but if one had to define it, this counted.
And Park Yong would probably pass.
Suho couldn't recall his debut data, but Park Yong was one of the few sword prodigies Suho recognized in the world.
'Hmm.'
Suho stroked his chin, lost in thought for a moment.
Park Yong was a typical meritocrat, judging everything purely by strength.
Moreover, his thirst for power was extreme—he sought out masters at every opportunity just to fight them. That was why he became the serial-killer-type Hunter.
So preventive measures had to be taken while he still could.
If Suho ignored this, who knew how many innocent victims might appear next.
'Annoying, but it can't be helped.'
Formulating a plan, Suho approached Park Yong.
He checked the name tag on Park Yong's chest to reconfirm his identity, then spoke.
"Hello."
"...?"
Park Yong glanced at him briefly before looking away.
Right. That's the kind of guy he was.
He ignored the weak but obsessed over the strong like a stalker.
Suho knew better than anyone how to handle him.
"My name is An Suho," he said. "I see you're holding a sword, so I assume you're a prospective swordsman. How about sparring with me for a round?"
Suho swung the practice wooden sword he had brought.
Park Yong frowned.
"Get lost."
"Excuse me?"
"Get lost."
Cynical as ever.
But did Suho think he would give up just because of that?
A smirk formed on Suho's lips as he asked,
"You're talking a bit too much. Are you scared?"
At that, Park Yong's sidelong gaze snapped straight onto Suho instantly.
Good grief. As expected of Park Yong, he reacted sharply to anything involving skill.
He frowned.
"What did you just say?"
"I asked if you're scared and dodging."
"You think you're something special? Why so arrogant?"
"Something special? Want me to show you?"
"…Hah!"
At that, Park Yong jumped to his feet.
"I was getting bored with all these weaklings around. Just perfect timing. Let's see what you're made of. Come at me."
"That's more like it. Follow me—there's a sparring area over there. Let's settle this there."
"…Crazy bastard."
Park Yong laughed at Suho's confident attitude.
He had never seen anyone act like this in his life.
Fortunately, Park Yong followed Suho to the sparring area as suggested.
Even though they were technically in a waiting period, it was during the exam, and Park Yong didn't want to fail for some trivial reason.
"Sparring? Well… alright."
The proctor overseeing the sparring area looked slightly surprised but then nodded.
They'd seen this kind of student before.
Finally, the three of them—including the proctor—moved to the temporary sparring area set up at one side of the training grounds.
Of course, no one was actually sparring.
It was the most important exam day, and no one wanted to introduce the dangerous variable of injury.
Perhaps because of that, the news of the sudden sparring drew the bored examinees, who began to gather one by one to watch.
The proctor spoke.
"Both of you may only use the practice weapons provided by the Association. If the sparring gets too heated, I will stop it at my discretion. Also, since this is during the exam, you must be extremely careful. Any injuries here could prevent you from taking the actual exam."
Additionally, the two agreed that they wouldn't hold each other responsible for any injuries incurred during the sparring, and only then did they take their positions.
The spectators, witnessing this, began to comment among themselves.
"Wow, look at those guys!""Why can't they just wait until after today?""They're attention seekers, totally attention seekers.""Anyway, who do you think will win?""I think the guy with the drooping eyes will win.""Why?""In every manga or something, the ones with narrow or droopy eyes are always the skilled ones.""That's true too."
The "droopy-eyed guy" they were referring to was Park Yong.
Suho smirked.
"Not wrong, but this time will be different."
Park Yong was impressive, yes—but Suho was even more impressive.
The proctor gave the signal to start.
Immediately, Park Yong took a ready stance. But…
"Huh?""Look at that guy!""Why is he just standing there without even drawing his sword?"
Unlike Park Yong, who had gone into his stance, Suho stood in place, sword sheathed at his waist.
Some spectators were amazed, while others shook their heads, calling him arrogant.
"That guy, look at him. No skill, but acting all flashy. He must be some otaku obsessed with sword characters, totally pumped up from some anime. 100%, no doubt about it.""And what if he's actually skilled?""Then we'll just throw today's exam and go get some food afterward."
Park Yong frowned as much as the spectators were mocking him.
"What are you doing right now?""What do you think? Sparring with you. Hurry up and attack.""This guy…"
Seeing Suho standing with his sword at his waist, not even in a combat stance, Park Yong ground his teeth.
He made a vow: even if it cost him some compensation today, he would break at least one… no, two or three of Suho's bones.
With that resolve, Park Yong charged at Suho ferociously.
Still, Suho remained standing in place. As Park Yong's sword closed in, just inches away,
Whoosh!
A sound cut through the air.
Park Yong's eyes went wide—like dinner plates.
There was nothing where he was supposed to hit.
Suho had subtly twisted his body to dodge the attack.
Beginner's luck? Perhaps. After all, someone wins the lottery every week; maybe the first strike could be avoided.
Thinking that, he followed up with a combination move, aiming to swing the wooden sword in the direction of his evasive twist.
No—he tried to swing.
Thuck!
Just as the sword was about to swing, something pressed against it.
Amazingly, it was Suho's foot.
Before Park Yong's force could explode, Suho placed his foot on the blade, preventing it from swinging.
Park Yong was shocked, forcing both hands against the sword to push Suho back, trying to create distance, but Suho didn't budge an inch, standing like a rock.
Heh.
Seeing Park Yong flustered and struggling, Suho couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Of course, he must have been flustered.
But there was nothing he could do.
Suho's level was now 10.
Without a doubt, among all unregistered hunters nationwide… no, among all unregistered hunters in existence, he probably had the highest level and the highest stats.
That was only natural—unregistered hunters were absolutely forbidden from entering gates under the World Hunter Law.
Then it happened.
Suho, using his foot, pinned down Park Yong's movement and thrust him away with full force.
Park Yong, unable to overcome the overwhelming stat difference, was pushed back and nearly stumbled.
The spectators around them fell into stunned silence, as if someone had doused them with cold water.
Everyone had expected either a chaotic brawl or one-sided beatings—but no one could have imagined the sparring unfolding this way.
Even the proctor was taken aback.
"What… what is that person?"
The proctor had been exhausted from preparing for the Hunter exam until the previous night, barely sleeping.
But seeing Suho's skill, all his drowsiness vanished.
He had seen countless examinees and many elite students backed by large guilds, but he had never witnessed a case like Suho's.
Suho smirked.
"What's the matter? Not attacking again? Giving up already?"
"You…!"
Park Yong ground his teeth in fury but quickly swallowed his anger and lifted one side of his mouth in a half-smile.
At first, he had been angry at being mocked so comically, but as a meritocratic swordsman, he immediately acknowledged Suho's skill.
After all, when it came to swordsmanship, Park Yong saw the truth clearly.
What had just happened wasn't beginner's luck or some skill—it was the real deal.
So Park Yong adjusted his stance.
"You're interesting. Now I understand why you were so relaxed with me earlier. Fine, from now on, I'll take this seriously."
"You looked pretty serious before, though."
"Yeah, I was serious then too."
Park Yong's smile was unnerving. For a brief moment, Suho caught a glimpse of the real, crazed Park Yong—the one he had known—and felt satisfied.
"Good. Looks like he's finally triggered properly."
Perfect. That had been Suho's intention from the start.
He wanted Park Yong fixated on him. That way, until Park Yong defeated him, he wouldn't glance at anyone else.
Park Yong adopted a new stance, a different form of ready posture.
Suho's mouth fell open.
The stance Park Yong had taken was the basic posture of his original sword style, Dragon Sword Technique.
"It's been a while since I've seen the Dragon Sword Technique. People who know it sometimes call it the Mad Dragon Sword instead of just Dragon Sword."
Why "Mad Dragon Sword"?
Simple—his nickname was Mad Sword (Gwanggeom), and his name was Park Yong.
Still, he didn't have a Hunter license yet, so he probably hadn't fully mastered the original technique—likely just the basic moves.
At that moment, Park Yong closed the distance to Suho in an instant.
This wasn't ordinary movement.
It was clear that his footwork skill was providing him with a precision bonus.
But…
"I have the footwork skill too."
Suho's eyes followed Park Yong closely.
And as if calculated by a computer, as soon as Park Yong swung his sword, Suho twisted his body a half-beat faster, letting the blade pass harmlessly in front of him.
Once.
Twice.
Even a third time.
All three attacks missed, yet Park Yong did not flare with anger.
He didn't laugh like a madman either.
His eyes gleamed intensely as he focused on Suho, terrifyingly concentrated.
Seeing this, Suho, just as the fourth attack was coming, suddenly thrust his forehead forward.
Thunk!
A light, dull impact.
Suho's forehead hit Park Yong's philtrum.
Both of Suho's hands remained at his waist.
It was a headbutt.
Startled by the sudden forehead strike, Park Yong staggered back a few steps.
He covered his mouth, staring at Suho in utter disbelief.