Knight Candidate Chun So-yeon is the granddaughter of the leader of Korea's premier hunter guild, the Divine Sword Guild.
From the moment she awakened as a Hunter, she was favored to succeed Guild Leader Chun Jinsoo.
Not surprisingly, Chun So-yeon's own talents are more than adequate to succeed him.
[Young lady, do you really intend to stay there?]
Beyond the receiver, a familiar female voice could be heard.
As such, it could only be addressed to her, the successor of the Divine Sword Guild.
"Uh, yeah. For a while."
[No one is saying anything yet, but they're all talking, because you've practically stepped out of your appointed position].
"I can't help it, I was that attracted."
[Was the holy law that impressive?]
"Yeah. I've seen it time and time again."
Chun So-yeon, the successor of the Divine Sword Guild, who had been treated like a young lady her entire life, was the reason she had come down here.
The Holy Law is a miraculous power and Chun So-yeon wanted to have that power.
[We, the Divine Sword Guild, also have many sword laws and arcane.]
"I know, but you know, it's not enough to kill that man."
[Lady....]
The voice on the other end of the phone grows somber at the name now forbidden to even be mentioned in the Divine Sword Guild.
The only people who can speak it are the Guild Leader Chun Jinsoo and his granddaughter Chun So-yeon.
"Do we know where he is now?"
[...The last place it was seen was in Vietnam, and it's still with us]
Yeah, he's not dead yet, and he can't kill anyone.
A wandering demon, hiding in the back of the world, and no one has ever hunted it down.
'The Lionheart King… maybe.'
No, So-yeon denied the thought she hadn't uttered.
It had to be her who took its life. It could never be Leon, or it would mean nothing. Therefore──
"I will master the Holy Law. If I have this power…I can do it."
Chun So-yeon ended the call, silently vowing revenge.
* * * *
The training manuals of the Temple of the Ten Thousand Gods are not for the faint of heart, even for soldiers.
It's true that the world is different when compared to the modern military, which is plagued by issues of basic human rights and brutality, but the medieval system of training in the TTG Guild cannot be compared to the modern era.
"One!"
"Two…!"
"Three!"
The soldiers raise their shields in response to the roaring commander's call, and dozens of horses charge in front of them.
-Quang!
-Quang!
-Quang!
The riders charge into the shield wall. It's a joint morning drill between the Knight Cadets and the Man at Arms heavy infantry.
"Break through! Break through no matter what!"
"Block it! Block it with all the strength you can muster!"
Those who want to break through and those who want to block. The fierce confrontation is kept tense because the blockers vastly outnumber the chargers.
A hundred Man-At-Arms and ten knight cadets, that's a tenfold difference, which means they lack the mass of a collision, and it's not easy to penetrate the layers of armor.
"Shit, the horses are stuck!"
"Try pushing through the front!"
The knight cadets, unable to penetrate the dense shield wall, let out a collective yell. Their gazes turn to Han Soo-ho, who is at the front of the line.
"Soo-ho, try to break through!"
"Ugh… I'm trying my best… Ugh!"
As Soo-ho taps at the shield wall with his wooden sword, it is grabbed, and he is dragged to the center of the shield wall.
"Hit him!"
"Stomp!"
The Man-At-Arms stomped and stabbed relentlessly. A fallen cavalryman is a terrible thing.
"Boys, wait…!"
"He'll recover quickly anyway, thanks to the Grail!"
"Surely they don't have the same base as we do!"
"Ugh!"
Even as Soo-ho was being dragged away and beaten, the knight cadets in the back row were unable to make a move. Watching, Leon stood up.
"Stop! Shield group wins! Next group!"
The second group was Ha-ri's. She cast a pitying glance at Soo-ho, who was being dragged toward the Holy Grail with bloodied hands.
"Ugh, Soo-ho… I'll avenge you."
Ha-ri raised her lance. The cadets were equipped with the standard Lionheart gear: swords, spears, and horses.
Surprisingly armor had not been adopted on the grounds since in Leon's estimation, it was better to be unarmored than armored.
It was quite a comparison to the heavily armored men-at-arms who spent a fortune on it.
"Let's go!"
"Follow Senior Han!"
"Let's avenge the others!"
The feverish knight cadets raced across the ground and at the head of the pack, Ha-ri raised her lance.
It was far from a formal charge since from the moment the horse gains momentum, air resistance is forced into every action.
That's why the lance, assuming a frontal impact, is designed to have as little drag as possible and by lifting it, you're violating the fundamentals of jousting.
"I've got it all figured out!"
Holy Technique
Water flows from Ha-ri's lance. The water wraps around the lance in a spiral, and Ha-ri swings it.
-Kaaaaaah!
"Woah!"
Small waves pounded against the barrier, and no matter how steadfast the humans were, they could not withstand the onslaught.
The shields crumble, and Ha-ri leaps over them in a single bound.
"Cadets win!"
-Ouch!
-That's it!
Cadet Group 2 bursts into laughter as Ha-ri's holy arts allow them to break through but the shield group scowls at them.
"Ugh, isn't it cheating to use the Holy Law?"
Shield Captain Kim Do-han protested, but Ha-ri giggled and made a V with her fingers.
"There was no rule about foul play!"
"Huh...."
Scratching his head at the trouble he was having dealing with the only gender-neutral cadet in the group, Kim Do-han moved to the grail with his teammates.
Next up was Chun So-yeon's group 3 and Kim Jae-hyuk's group 4.
Both of them were ranked Knight Cadets, and both succeeded in breaking through the shield wall.
They switched groups and repeated the attack and defense. After the joint training, they reviewed each other's attacks and defenses.
"The Guardians have a good defense, but their offense is weak."
"Still, they have the lowest loss rate after a failed breakthrough."
"Ms. Han Ha-ri is just out of spec, no group can stop her."
"She's a fraud."
"Chun So-yeon is a bitch."
"Her breakthrough power is unbelievable. After using the spear, she immediately threw it away and switched to a sword."
"Mr. Kim is used to using spears. He used his own spear, not a lance."
"He's simply strong, but he's surprisingly cautious, which is the opposite of his usual personality."
On the other hand, the knight cadets were also back in training.
" Kim Do-han is from the first class, so he's definitely a veteran."
"Surprisingly, the fourth-grade trainees are pretty tough, too. Is it a numbers game?"
"I've heard there are quite a few C- and B-class Hunters from the third and fourth classes."
"They must have the impact power of a mounted charge, but how are they holding up so well?"
"It's the aftermath of the charge, after they fail to break through, that's the problem. If they dry out a bit, they'll be eaten."
It takes at least a few years of training to create proper knights and soldiers.
But they were already quality trainees who had received practical training at the gate and in the academy, and they rose quickly.
Best of all, they had the most exemplary knight in front of them.
"Get out! If you fail to break through, fall back with the rear ranks leading the way! The infantry are bound to be slower than you, so use your maneuverability to close the distance and prepare to charge again!"
"Hold your shields steady! Threaten your horses to reduce the moment of impact! Knights are not invincible! Let the rear ranks support the men in the lead!"
Leon was a military strategist who mastered both the exemplary breakthrough tactics of the knight and the defensive tactics that prevented the knight from breaking through.
A veteran of more than a hundred years of leading legions to war was a great help.
As the training drew to a close, Leon analyzed each of the knight cadets and tailored his training to them.
Needless to say, the cadets' abilities were growing by the day, as were the trainees'.
-Your Majesty.
"Lord Spinner, what's going on?"
-This quarter's batch of knight cadet applications. Several B-class Hunters. Several A-ranked Hunters available.
"Well, it's time for the next batch of knight cadets."
They haven't even formed a Knight Order yet, but the more the merrier.
After all, what Leon ultimately wanted was an army to destroy demons, not a guild to raid the Gates.
"It's time to start preparing for the ceremony."
Leon looked at the papers before the upcoming ceremony.
Han Soo-ho, Han Ha-ri, Kim Jae-hyuk, Chun So-yeon, Koo Dae-sung and about 40 other cadets from the academy.
How many of them would be able to pass the first exam?
* * * *
"Hey, kids~ snacks are here."
In the dormitory of the knight cadets, the cadets jumped at the sight of the potatoes and sweet potatoes that Ha-ri brought them.
"Senior, where's the kimchi?"
"Inspector Choi took care of some."
"Oh!"
Kim Jae-hyuk excitedly accepted the vat of kimchi that Ha-ri brought.
Over the years, many franchise shops and restaurants have opened near TTG Guild.
The economic cycle created by Georgic's one-handed hammer was enough to revitalize the rural village.
As the original producer of the Blessed Crops, it was only a matter of time before the city's economic power grew.
The problem was that the benefits of such capital were not available to the cadets and trainees of the TTG Guild.
"Ugh… How long are we going to have to eat nothing but sugar-salt water?"
"It's better when we raid the gates, at least we've had a good meal."
"I know."
It's no wonder the cadets, including Kim Jae-hyuk, are making 'boo' noises.
While the soldiers can eat properly after the completion ceremony, the cadets are still eating sugar-salt water over and over again.
This is how they quench their hunger in the name of late-night snacks, but they can't help but be reminded of the fast food restaurants they can see across the street from the TTG Guild building.
-Bang!
Ha-ri clapped her hands, silencing the cadets' complaints.
"Come on, it's only a matter of time before the commissioning ceremony, so you'll be able to eat proper food from then on!"
"But, senior, didn't you say that we'll finish our faith education before the ceremony?"
"Didn't I? Apparently, to become a Kingdom Knight, you have to use the Holy Law."
"You said we're going to connect with the gods, what is that?"
All eyes turned to Ha-ri since she was the only one of the knight cadets with a connection to the gods.
Ha-ri's knighthood was already a foregone conclusion.
"Hmm~ In my case, Lord Poma and Lord Petos handpicked me, so I'm not sure… Didn't you all choose the ones you mainly believe in?"
"Well, we're basically the same, Lady Arianna of light and justice and Lord Petos of war and flame."
"His Majesty has said that knights usually serve those two."
"Isn't Poma, the god of the sea and waves, hot these days? I heard that the Kikiruks have erected a new statue of him off the coast of Mokpo."
Naturally, after talking about the gods, the cadets began to talk about lesser deities.
"Sir Yappy is the Holy Knight of Lord Heto of Iron and Blacksmithing, right? What did he say about his powers?"
"He said it was a blacksmithing ability."
"He's been making things in his base. Last time I checked, he was experimenting with sub-luminous firing of charged particles or something."
"... Why is he doing sci-fi by himself?"
It was then that a familiar mechanical sound came from the dorm's public address system.
[Beep!]
"I heard a tiger comes when you say so...."
[This is not a tiger]
Yappy picking up on the cadets' monologues and answering them horrified the cadets.
"Lord Yappy, did you put a recorder in here too!"
[No. The machine's sound wave detection is not comparable to that of an organism]
"Privacy! Privacy!"
[Considered.]
Yappy replied with a cynical mechanical sound, then returned to his original request.
[Cadet Kim Jae-hyuk, you have a visit from your chaperone; please make your way to the entrance of the compound quickly].
"...."
Hearing the news, Jae-hyuk's expression instantly stiffened.
"I'll go."
"That's right."
Seeing his suddenly stiffened expression, the cadets gave Jae-hyuk a puzzled look as he left the dormitory.
"What's wrong?"
"I thought...was going to come up."
Jae-hyuk's best friend, Soo-ho, looked like he had guessed.
"What is it?"
"Uhm… it's not something I can answer, so… just… do it."
Soo-ho shut his mouth, and no one could ask more.
* * * *
Jae-hyuk trudged toward the entrance of the TTG Guild building.
Hunter Academy is a boarding school and even now, when he was practicing for graduation, he was still living in the TTG Guild, so he had been away from his family for a long time.
While most cadets would feel nostalgic and excited, Jae-hyuk was different.
Jae-hyuk spotted a middle-aged woman waiting for him at the entrance of the TTG Guild building and bluntly asked her,
"Why are you here?"
"Jae-hyuk!"
The middle-aged woman was Jae-hyuk's mother, Shin Jin-soo, and rushed toward him.
"Is that what you want to say to your mom?"
"Forget it. Just tell me what you want."
At Jae-hyuk's attitude, Shin-shin made a sad face and said in an impatient voice.
"Do I need a reason to come see my son?"
"You came because you have a reason."
"You, what kind of language is that!"
"I'm busy. So just say what you have to say and go."
"Kim Jae-hyuk!"
Shin Jin-soo looked extremely angry at her son's bad attitude.
"You… you requested a draft from our guild, why are you here?"
"That's my business. Don't bother."
"How could I not care? I'm your mom!"
"I don't care what you say, I'm not going to your place."
"What's wrong with you? That's a top 10 guild and you were promised a bright future, why are you doing this...."
If anyone else had seen this, they would have dismissed it as a conflict between a bad son and his mother, a common scene of conflict over future plans.
But the next words she spoke were not from a normal mother-son relationship.
"Have you entered this den of heretics? This is a betrayal of Him!"