Black hair fell gracefully.
Swallow!
It was obvious that Gye Suji was swallowing saliva.
It was clear that the invisible sword had taken him by surprise.
But Seo Woojin did not stop his sword.
The sword that seemed to pierce the sky made a semi-circle around Gye Suji's waist.
It was an incredibly elegant and beautiful sword.
As if to prove that Seo Woojin's swordsmanship had reached a certain level, the black lines were naturally drawn.
Swish-!
But Gye Suji was no ordinary hero.
She noticed where the sword was going and thrust her fist down.
The fist collided with Seo Woojin's sword.
Unable to withstand the force, the sword fell and passed by her feet.
'Impressive.'
Even though it happened in the blink of an eye, Gye Suji remained calm and successfully defended herself.
She was far superior to Lee Ji-ah, who also used her fists.
"You're fast."
Gye Suji stepped back and looked at Seo Woojin's sword with an admiring expression.
"You too, Gye Suji."
Seo Woojin also acknowledged her skills.
'At this level, I could use a little more strength.'
The exchange took place with Seo Woojin conserving his strength.
Even though Gye Suji was strong, she was defeated by Baek Siwoo without even being able to withstand three strikes.
If Seo Woojin had used his full strength from the beginning, it wouldn't have been a real fight.
So he tried to keep his strength to a minimum.
Seeing her skills, it seemed like he could push a little harder.
That should be better for her as well.
It was not just a demonstration of their skills, but part of their training.
There would undoubtedly be something to be gained from sparring with her.
Seo Woojin wanted to lead the training as long as possible by adjusting his strength.
"Well, I'll go first this time."
He tapped the ground lightly.
But the speed was anything but light.
Like an arrow, Seo Woojin, who had rushed forward, thrust the sword towards her shoulders.
"Rock slide!"
Gye Suji's skill was activated.
Her arm, hardened as her name suggests, deflected the sword.
Kagaak-!
"Thunder Step!"
Kuurrrung-!
Gye Suji's true skill echoed through the ground.
It wasn't just a mere tremor; from her toes, a yellow flash spread out in all directions and began to burn everything around her.
Seo Woojin decided to avoid it and jumped backwards.
But that was Gye Suji's aim.
"Stone Splitting Step".
With a small whirlwind, her figure quickly approached.
Much faster than the speed at which Seo Woojin retreats!
'Oh.'
Seo Woojin was truly impressed.
Most heroes use their abilities as if they were playing a game, thinking only of power and effect, often ending them thoughtlessly and temporarily.
But not Gye Suji.
She understood her skills and used them without waste.
Each skill had a purpose and was seamlessly connected, flowing naturally like water.
'In terms of talent alone, she's on the same level as Baek Siwoo.'
Unfortunately, her job rank was lower, but her fighting sense seemed comparable to Baek Siwoo's.
But there was no time to just be impressed.
Seo Woojin, as if he couldn't afford to lose, used his own skill.
"Power Strike."
As mana flowed in, an immense force gripped the sword.
Seo Woojin smashed it to the ground.
Quaaang-!
The training ground, which could not withstand the power of the Power Strike, was destroyed.
"Oh no!"
A panicked cry was heard.
Seo Woojin hadn't thought that he would break the floor of the training ground.
Originally, he hadn't expected it to be destroyed so easily because it was enchanted and not easy to break.
Due to the 'Power Strike', fragments scattered in all directions.
Some of them quickly flew towards Gye Suji.
She quickly waved her hand.
"Protect the formation!"
Gye Suji's hand drew a circle, deflecting all the fragments falling towards her.
It was like deflecting raindrops.
Since each fragment carried a considerable amount of power, Gye Suji used all her strength to prevent any of them from getting through.
"Impressive."
At that moment, Seo Woojin's voice came from behind.
"What…!"
Gye Suji turned around, her vision obscured by the fragments, and faced Seo Woojin.
Although Gye Suji didn't let her guard down against Seo Woojin, she was unable to capture all of his movements using 'acceleration'.
"Well then, excuse me."
Thud!
Instead of a sword, the scabbard hit Gye Suji's forehead.
"Ugh-"
Gye Suji's eyes widened immediately.
Her mind was blurred by the shock coming from her head.
"It might be a bit dangerous if we continue. Please get some rest."
The scabbard swung once again.
Thump!
In the end, Gye Suji fainted.
"Phew."
Seo Woojin took a deep breath and retrieved his sword.
"Mister! Wow… that was amazing!"
Lee Ji-ah ran over and expressed her admiration.
The others who had lost consciousness seemed to have woken up and looked in her direction.
"I knew he would win, but so easily…"
"Well, if you think about it, it's a natural thing."
Except for Gu Dong-hwan, the people didn't show any surprised expressions.
No, they rather admired Gye Suji who lasted longer than expected.
Honestly, they thought it would end in the blink of an eye.
"Uncle, did you see that?"
Looking at the fallen Gye Suji, Lee Ji-ah whispered into Seo Woojin's ear, watching his reaction.
"Step back a bit. And I didn't just watch."
It was more like testing her skills than just watching.
And Seo Woojin acknowledged Gye Suji.
'She's strong. And will become even stronger.'
He had to hurry and knock her out before she hurt herself, but Gye Suji's potential was overwhelming.
If there was room for growth in the grades, she could easily reach above S-rank.
'But luck was not in her favour.'
It was unfortunate, but if she continued to work hard, she could have skills comparable to S-rank.
Seo Woojin smiled at Gye Suji.
'The more she grows, the better it will be for me.'
Lately, training with others hasn't been satisfying.
It got even worse after he accepted Rosie Ruby's mana and demonic energy.
Because of the overwhelming difference, it didn't help Seo Woojin much.
But Gye Suji and Gu Dong-hwan appeared.
Although it was a bit unfortunate, it was enough to train with them.
'It will help other heroes as well.'
Training with them would be much more effective than having a big difference like with himself.
"It's a good thing in many ways."
Seo Woojin looked around with a satisfied smile.
Many people had gathered.
Irene, Lee Ji-ah, Kim Dahye, Kang Byeong-gyu, Jin Tae-seong, Yu Hong-seol, Gu Dong-hwan and Gye Suji.
When he was first summoned.
Considering the time when even soldiers ignored and despised him, it was a huge improvement.
'If I increase my allies like this…'
Even if something goes wrong, it will be of great help.
"Everyone must be tired. Let's call it a day and rest."
Unknown to them, the day had passed.
The twilight sky was completely engulfed in darkness, with only the moon gently illuminating the ground.
"This is unfortunate."
Gu Dong-hwan licked his lips as he looked at Seo Woojin.
In his heart he wanted to fight again, but it was a pity that he couldn't because it was too late.
"Today is just not my day."
For the time being, training at the academy was the only thing going on.
So there was plenty of time to train together.
"Well, isn't it? Hahaha!"
Gu Dong-hwan turned his body with a hearty laugh as if to hide his disappointment.
"Then let's all meet tomorrow!"
The man's broad back, the symbol of a real man, caught the eye.
'If only he wasn't wearing that dress…'
Worried that something might be visible or implied under the short skirt, Seo Woojin quickly looked away.
"I should go in now. Take care of Gye Suji for me."
"Don't worry! I'll take responsibility and move her safely to the Unnie's room!"
With a cheer, Gu Dong-hwan hugged Gye Suji.
"Th-Thank you."
Due to his short stature, her feet dragged a bit, but Seo Woojin pretended not to notice and walked out of the training ground.
"I'm tired."
The day had been too long.
He wanted to go back to his dorm quickly, wash up and rest.
As Seo Woojin hurried towards the dorm, he suddenly took something out of his pocket.
It was a gift from Martes, who claimed to be able to grant wishes.
A summoning stone.
That was what Martes called the stone.
"I should try to use this as well…"
Seo Woojin, who stopped for a moment and was lost in thought, soon shook his head.
"It's too late today. It's better to do it tomorrow."
According to Martes' explanation, using the 'Summoning Stone' now would cause quite a disturbance.
Since he didn't want the Academy to become noisy for no reason, he decided to consult with Ludian tomorrow and try to use it then.
"Let's get some rest today."
* * *
"Did you give him that?"
Barsik asked.
His expression was unusually grave.
To an unfamiliar person it might have been a subtle change, but Martes knew.
"Are you worried?"
"That's right. Because it's not an ordinary item."
Certainly, the 'summoning stone' Martes had given them wasn't something that could just be passed on to others.
Depending on how it was used, it could lead to great disaster.
"I've already made you aware of the precautions."
"But…"
Even with Martes' reassuring words, Barsik still seemed uncomfortable.
"How is the child, in your opinion?"
"Well…"
Barsik closed his eyes and remembered Seo Woojin.
Extraordinary mana and a physique close to perfection.
With that alone, Seo Woojin was a talent with the potential to reach the highest level, not as a hero, but as a human.
But that was in the distant future.
For now, he was still lacking.
"Is that so?"
Martes smiled and nodded.
"In fact, he is still an unripe child."
Martes warmed the cold tea and took a sip.
"But it's not something to be taken lightly."
"What do you mean?"
She took a sip.
After taking a sip of tea, Martes fell into thought for a moment.
He looked very nervous and even scared at the same time.
But there was something in him that even she couldn't see.
"Chaos."
"What?"
"Since the child's fate has not yet been determined… …I cannot be sure whether it will be wrath or blessing."
An almost prophetic premonition.
Barsik's eyebrows twitched at the words.
"Do we have to eliminate him?"
Even in Cruciel there were suspicions about Seo Woojin.
Even Martes, an enigmatic figure, saw him as suspicious, he thought it might be better to eliminate him now.
However, the owner of the Sky Tower shook her head firmly.
"Don't do anything stupid, my child."
The smile faded from Martes' face.
"Your reckless actions alone could change the fate of the world."
Barsik bowed his head.
"Just watch. Make sure the child does not go down the wrong path."
Martes closed her eyes.
'It must be so.'
Trying to suppress the anxiety rising in her heart, Martes engraved the name Seo Woojin in her mind.