[Translator – Bob ]
[Proofreader – ilafy ]
The building, already in ruins.
Park HaWon, the class president of D Class, forced her eyes open.
"Augh, what the hell… did I pass out?"
Dirt was flying up in clouds all around D Class's battalion members, who were strewn all over the floor. Park HaWon glanced carefully at Ju HaJin, then collapsed back on the ground with a sigh.
"Haah, I can't believe…we were all eliminated…by just Shin YuSung."
That was when she realized that the only way they could have beaten F Class was to try and occupy their base.
'We shouldn't have fought… a monster like that in the first place.'
One of the arms on her glasses was broken. She placed it back on her face nonetheless and shakily stood up. A surge of emotion flared up within her as she looked at Shin YuSung, who didn't even have a speck of dirt on him.
'How is that guy so strong when he has a lower rank Trait than me?'
Swept up by her sense of inferiority, Park HaWon began to yell at Shin YuSung.
"Hey! What do you mean… you're in F Class?"
This situation was incredibly unfair to her.
To her, it was a given that D Class would win against F Class. The other D Class students believed the same thing without a single shred of doubt. However, Shin YuSung had completely thrown what seemed to be a written rule of the universe over its head. Park HaWon was irritated, but wasn't sure herself why specifically she was angry at Shin YuSung. She didn't think about that and instead began her discontent at him.
"Your Trait isn't F-rank, right? There's no way you are, not when you're this strong! You must've scammed or cheated somehow!"
In lieu of replying, Shin YuSung simply approached Park HaWon, legs forming long strides until standing in front of her. He was a good half a head taller than her. Cowered by his presence, the female student took a step backwards.
"…Ugh."
Shin YuSung looked down at the cowering Park HaWon with a blank expression on his face. Her previous bluster was all but gone at this point. She looked at him, not meeting his eyes.
"A-am I wrong?"
Park HaWon mustered up the courage to give an act of feeble resistance. Only then did Shin YuSung open his mouth.
"You are. The rank of a hunter's Trait isn't what's important."
This was what the Fist King had taught him and the path that he had been going down for the past ten-odd years. The Shin-Oh family had abandoned Shin YuSung for his F-rank Trait, but the Fist King had discovered his talent and had made it blossom. That was when Shin YuSung had wholeheartedly believed that the worth of a hunter didn't lie solely on the rankings of their Traits that the Association had given them.
"That's… just what you think."
Even so, Park HaWon did not back down and held steadfast to her stubborn attitude.
"F-ranks are weak. S-ranks are strong. This is common sense! Everyone knows this! You're just a freak!" she screamed, anger rising to her head. Shin YuSung glared and began to speak, the words coming out slow and unhurried.
"Yes. Like you've said: some people are born with more talent than others."
Shin YuSung drew in a breath.
He met Park HaWon's eyes, then continued in a considerate tone of voice.
"Because effort doesn't always translate to results."
Park HaWon stopped breathing at his words. The words 'talent' and 'effort' had always been a source of frustration for her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even approach the top 10 in the student rankings, let alone become a Seven. She always thought that the reason for this was because she had been born with a D-rank Trait.
She believed wholeheartedly that she would have reached those positions if she had been born with an S-rank Trait.
The existence of Shin YuSung, who possessed great skill despite his F-rank Trait, drove her inferiority complex over the edge.
But at the same time, his existence also drove her desire to become stronger.
"Even so, don't set arbitrary limits on yourself because you're so caught up in the rank of your Trait."
Park HaWon bit her lip in an effort to force her irritation back down her throat.
"…Easy for you to say."
She had completely lost to him, both within and outside of the exam. Park HaWon fiddled with her broken glasses and turned her head to the side.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator – Bob
Proofreader – ilafy
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* * *
Korea's greatest academy, Gaon.
The test between the elites of this academy, the members of S Class and A Class, was significant enough for the world to take note of. K Channel, of course, didn't miss the opportunity they had with their broadcasting rights to film this event.
"As we speak, S Class has begun destroying A Class's formation in a full-frontal assault!"
K Channel had dispatched Yu HanNah.
She was acting as a reporter, the microphone tightly clenched in her fist. S Class and A Class had many students in them who were strong, but even among them, the ones who caught people's attention were Sevens: Adela and Kim EunAh.
"Ah! Miss Adela's solo attack has already eliminated five people!"
Like Yu HanNah had said, Adela had swept her ice over the A Class's formation and defeated a large number of students in one move.
"Student Kim EunAh is also making a full-frontal assault! It looks like she's aiming for Adela!"
Kim EunAh was exuding electricity from every pore, not even giving enemies a chance to approach her.
Bzzt! Bzz!
Her electricity was strong enough that a person's barrier was liable to explode on contact with it. On top of that, her Trait had a long, wide range. The S Class students were having a hard time trying to muster up the courage to attack her.
"Oho! Student Kim EunAh, what strength! She pierces through the solid guard created by S Class and approaches student Adela! Is this perhaps the beginning of A Class's comeback?"
Unlike Yu HanNah's words, however, A Class was in a fairly rough spot. Kim EunAh was showing great prowess, but at the end of the day, that was just one of the Sevens, Kim EunAh.
The other students of S Class were suppressing the A Class members. On top of that, 4th in the student rankings, Min SungHyuk, managed to catch up to Kim EunAh using his invisibility.
"And who do you think you are, approaching our leader?"
Bam!
Min SungHyuk kicked her in the back. Losing her balance, Kim EunAh was thrown to the ground.
"Hyaa! Pbbt, spit!"
She grabbed her tangled hair and spit the dirt out of her mouth.
"You son of a…"
Face set in a grimace, Kim EunAh looked up at Min SungHyuk. A chill went down the boy's spine.
Boom!
Kim EunAh stomped on the ground, and a flurry of electricity made a beeline towards Min SungHyuk. The boy tried to pivot his body to avoid the attack, but he couldn't move faster than the lightning.
"Keukuk!"
Hit by the electricity, Min SungHyuk fell onto his knees, then the ground. Kim EunAh turned her head right after she had defeated him.
Wshh! Slice!
At that split second, a dagger flew by and grazed her cheek. The weapon belonged to S Class's Lee ChaeHyun.
"…Hah."
Kim EunAh smirked. Lee ChaeHyun took out another dagger from her Pocket and narrowed her eyes.
"How about you stop all of this prancing around you're doing?"
"Says who?"
Kim EunAh looked at Lee ChaeHyun, who wore the smile of victory on her face. This girl knew better than anyone else why Kim EunAh's Trait was A-rank, as well as what her weaknesses were.
"…How about your esteemed brother? I bet he'll be disgusted at the sight of you tromping around like a gorilla everywhere. Oh! Wait."
Lee ChaeHyun pivoted from the sentence as if she had just remembered something.
"He's still in a coma, right? Thank god, he won't be here to see this, then."
She provoked the other girl.
Kim EunAh began to glare at Lee ChaeHyun.
"…What the hell did you just say?"
Crack! Crackkkkle!
The sound was like a clap of thunder in the middle of a rainstorm.
As Kim EunAh's temper rose, bursts of electricity, even stronger than previous ones, started to emit from her in uncontrollable fits. It was as if her Trait was responding to the emotions of its master.
This was what Lee ChaeHyun was aiming for.
She continued to taunt Kim EunAh even more. This wasn't enough.
"Didn't you hear me? You want me to say it again?"
"I heard everything, you crazy bitch!"
Kim EunAh let out a roar from her mouth and threw a punch at Lee ChaeHyun.
Bzz! Bzzzt!
Electricity carved a destructive path along her fist, ominously crackling all the way, but it dissipated into the air without harming a single hair on Lee ChaeHyun's head.
" And where are you aiming? Hm?"
The girl laughed and threw her dagger, which nicked Kim EunAh's thigh.
Wsh! Drip.
Red blood began to pour down her pale thigh.
Enraged, Kim EunAh ignored the wound and—gritting her teeth—ran towards Lee ChaeHyun.
Buzz! Bzzzt!!
But the stronger her rage got, the wilder her electricity ran amok.
"Man~ even as a Seven, an A Class student is just an A Class student, huh? Why is your accuracy so bad?"
Lee ChaeHyun was trapping Kim EunAh with her insults. Her goal was not to eliminate Kim EunAh because if they fought one-on-one, Lee ChaeHyun would definitely lose. Her goal was to keep the ace of the opposing team occupied for the sake of her own class.
Bzz! Bzzt!
Yu HanNah continued to give her commentary with fervor.
"A Class's ace, Kim EunAh, is being held up by student Lee ChaeHyun! And all the while, A Class's situation is getting more and more dire…"
Flash!
A bolt of lightning struck from the clear sky. As it did so, Kim EunAh's body disappeared.
Kim EunAh appeared behind Lee ChaeHyun. If electricity wasn't going to work, she would just have to fight her opponent in close combat.
Boom!
Kim EunAh appeared in a flash of blue lightning.
"Got you."
"Th-this speed!"
Lee ChaeHyun hadn't underestimated her opponent.
Kim EunAh's light-speed teleportation, enabled by her electricity Trait, could physically not be followed by Lee ChaeHyun's senses.
Squeeze!
Kim EunAh grabbed Lee ChaeHyun's collar.
"C-cough! Urk!"
Lee ChaeHyun, with her breathing cut off, started to gag. The A Class student looked at this sight, expressionless.
Bzz! Bzzt!
Blue lightning began to surround Kim EunAh's hand.
"You're too slow!"
She swung her fist, yelling.
Splinter!
Right then, a sphere made of ice appeared in front of Kim EunAh's fist. As she hit it, it encased her arm.
Crrrrack!
"Khh!"
She lost her balance. More ice began flying at her from the back and hit her leg.
Bam!
"Keuk!"
Kim EunAh gasped and fell to the ground.
Immediately, the chill emanating from the ground grabbed ahold of her legs.
"…You, you!"
Kim EunAh, consumed by her anger, began to struggle with all her might. But it was no use, her body was pinned down by the ice. Only then did she take the time to look at her surroundings.
While Lee ChaeHyun was taking up her attention, A Class had been completely destroyed. It was S Class's complete victory.
Trot trot.
S Class's leader, Adela, lowered her gaze down at a fuming Kim EunAh.
Her expression was hard to read.
Right after, she walked away from Kim EunAh without a word. Lee ChaeHyun coughed and regained her breath before approaching her opponent.
"Ah~ I really thought I was gonna die there! Fufu, EunAh. Sorry~ are you pissed?"
She began to laugh at Kim EunAh.
Kim EunAh, still trapped in the ice, ground her teeth and looked up at the other girl. Lee ChaeHyun began to pet her head.
"Don't hate me too much for this. This is all~ for the sake of the test. You understand, right? Since you're a hunter as well?"
She continued to laugh at Kim EunAh, sitting on the ground in a way where she was crouched down to the other girl's level.
"So take this opportunity to fix that fiery personality of yours. You can't even use your Trait properly when you get all pissed, right~? This was all~ done for your sake. Got it?"
Lee ChaeHyun pinched Kim EunAh's cheek. The defeated girl let out a guttural cry.
But nothing had changed.
Kim EunAh was still trapped by the ice, and A Class had still lost. She had led her own class to its downfall because she couldn't control her own emotions.
The A Class student bit her lip as she watched her classmates being loaded up onto the stretchers.
Her feelings began to dribble out of her mouth like coarse sand.
"Disgusting…"
Blood was dripping from her mouth because of how hard she had bit her lip earlier.
"Really…"
Tug.
Kim EunAh tightly gripped her bangs. Her well-groomed hair was in shambles, but that wasn't what was important to her.
More than anything, Kim EunAh was suffering under the fact that she had lost to Lee ChaeHyun, who had bad-mouthed her brother.
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