The headmaster's office at Gaon Academy.
Jin ByungCheol put on his business smile while serving the tea that he saved for his most valued guests.
"Um, ha, haha… w-what are you saying? You'll be participating with Miss S-Sumire?"
"Yes," replied Shin YuSung calmly.
The headmaster began to lament.
"No, really, that Sumire? The student that I know about?"
"Sumire is a Seven. Isn't she plenty qualified?"
Everyone in the Academy knew that the reason Sumire became one of the Sevens was due to the efforts of Shin YuSung.
It was obvious once one looked at Sumire's student ranking before becoming Shin YuSung's partner. It was why Jin ByungCheol carefully tried to convince him not to pair up her in a way so as to not put Shin YuSung in a bad mood.
"But still… Miss Sumire has an F-rank Trait, no? Wouldn't it be better to pair up with someone from S Class…"
But Shin YuSung was unmoved.
"Headmaster, I am also F-rank. A hunter does not start and end with their Trait."
"Erm, of course! You are absolutely correct! But even so… those participating will be representing the Academy…"
Jin ByungCheol was frustrated. If he managed to actually piss off Shin YuSung—which could possibly make the boy want to transfer to a different school—it would be a great loss to Gaon Academy.
But he also could not accept the idea of sending Sumire to the Association competition, thereby ruining the reputation of the Academy.
Shin YuSung stared at his cooling mug of tea, then began to talk in a composed manner.
"F-rank Traits are considered the weakest. Even so, my master believed in my talent and gave me a chance."
The Fist King had visited the orphanage and discovered Shin YuSung's constitution. Even though his Trait was F-rank, his talent was like an unpolished gem. If the Fist King had not believed in Shin YuSung's potential, the Shin YuSung of today would have never existed.
He would have spent the rest of his life as a child thrown away by his own family.
The same could be said of Sumire.
Sumire's potential was limitless in the [Graveyard of Despair], where many undead monsters resided, but Jin ByungCheol did not believe in Sumire's ability—he did not even give her a chance.
That was why Shin YuSung could not agree with Jin ByungCheol's advice. He tried to convince the man with his usual calm tone and honest eyes.
"So Sumire must be given a chance as well."
Just like his master had given Shin YuSung a chance, it was time for him to give Sumire a chance as well.
"Hm…"
Murmuring to himself, Jin ByungCheol slowly nodded in lieu of a response.
* * * *
The luxurious Sevens dormitories.
Sumire, who had finished her training with Shin YuSung in the Forest of Spirits and returned to the dorms, was again taken with its facilities.
"Wow…"
Shhh!
'Hot water!'
Hot water poured from the showerhead.
The bathtub was filled with aromatic bath products.
On top of that, there was a large TV mounted on the opposite wall.
'…There's even a TV in the bathroom!'
Stroke. Stroke.
Sumire touched the remote with a deeply moved expression in her eyes. When she had lived in Japan, she always gave up the small TV they had to the others. For someone with a weak personality like Sumire, she had very few days when she had control of the remote. But everything in her dorm had been prepared for Sumire and only Sumire.
Beep!
When Sumire—in the drawn bath—turned on the TV with the remote, a large variety of news began to play.
A familiar face appeared in the news.
It was reporter Yu HanNah, who had interviewed Sumire at the Academy. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
[In preparation for the competition being held tomorrow, the Academy City branch of the Association has employed 10 of its hunters as safety personnel!]
Yu HanNah pointed her mic towards the Academy City branch manager Mei Lin.
[Is there a reason why you have employed so many people?], she asked.
Mei Lin calmly began to reply.
[It is because the safety of the students is paramount to the Association. This sort of treatment is a given.]
Sumire was touched by the words Mei Lin was saying on TV, but reality was much more complicated than that.
The foreigners participating in the competition in South Korea were elites who were representing their nations.
The Association simply did not want to deal with any accidents happening, as it would be a headache and a half.
This was a nationwide broadcast.
For whoever may be listening, Mei Lin looked at the camera and continued to speak.
[…And the Hunter Association has prepared artifacts befitting Korea's status as the greatest hunter nation for the competition. Please look forward to the prizes.]
Beep!
Artifacts.
The greatest treasure one could obtain, that one only had a small chance to get when conquering the Tower.
'I-I'm going to be in a competition that has such incredible rewards?'
Sumire gulped and walked out of the bathroom. The air flowing out of the heater was warm and drying, and the sleep gown wrapped around her body was of the highest quality.
Everything happening to her felt like a dream.
After transferring there from Japan, Sumire's grades were always at the bottom of the rankings. But the current Sumire was one of the Sevens. She attributed her success to Shin YuSung.
'He even gave me his hairs, and…'
Shin YuSung had comforted Sumire when she had been nervous about being a burden to him.
[Don't worry, you did your best.]
The result was, of course, first place among the lower-rank classes.
Shin YuSung displayed his incredible prowess and completely cleaned out the points on Jewel Island. He had also defeated the rank 4 boss golem. It was a given.
Sumire wasn't used to goodwill being directed towards her, and Shin YuSung had told her that this competition was important. He had also told her that her Trait would be crucial to them conquering the dungeon. Shin YuSung was the first person who had ever put so much confidence in Sumire.
"…I want to repay it."
Sumire, who was staring at the ceiling, muttered this out loud without thinking.
Shut.
Sumire closed her mouth and looked at her hands. Even though she was an F-rank, if she used her [Call of the Undead] Skill well to tame the monster, she could help Shin YuSung. freewebnoveℓ.com
'I have to… do this!'
Lying on her bed, Sumire slowly fell into slumber while vowing this to herself.
* * *
* * *
The day of the competition.
As the 30 selected parties arrived at the location, the Hunter Association's organizers began to guide them in an orderly manner.
"Participants, please follow all instructions given by the organizers!"
"All parties from outside Korea must complete their procedure here!"
Participants from famous academies from each city were a given, but if one also added the participants coming from the international academies, almost 100 people were gathered at the Association.
But even among such a numerous group, there was only a single party with one member in it.
First place of Gaon Academy.
Adela Ortensia.
She was one out of the two seeded participants from Gaon, but she had decided not to make a party with any other students.
Because of this, Adela stood out from the group of contestants and managed to catch Yu HanNah's eye.
'Oh? That's…?'
Yu HanNah, who was looking for an interview subject, began to approach Adela with a shine in her eyes.
"Gaon's first in the student rankings! Miss Adela, right? I'm from K Channel. Do you mind doing a short interview with me?"
Adela did not reply to Yu HanNah's question; she instead looked in a different direction with a blank expression on her face.
'So is that a yes or a no?'
Yu HanNah wasn't a fan of people with personalities like Adela, but she put aside her distaste for the sake of the interview.
"It seems like you're the only one who decided to participate in the competition alone. Is there a particular reason?" she asked. "Maybe to keep an artifact all to yourself? If not, maybe…"
"…Because I'm fine on my own," Adela replied curtly to Yu HanNah's endless stream of questions.
The dungeon raid competition was something that most academies were deathly afraid of. But Adela didn't even need to prepare for it.
'Astella Ice Castle'.
Adela stared at the currently inactive portal. It was a dungeon where the boss was an ice witch who would freeze an enemy to the bone.
The boss was estimated to be rank 4 or 5.
No one but first place of Gaon Academy's student rankings, that being Adela, could think to conquer the dungeon all by themselves.
Yu HanNah laughed at Adela's pensive expression.
"Fine on your own, huh. As expected of first place! Do you have a student that you consider your rival, then?"
Adela mulled over the question. The term 'rival' was incredibly unfamiliar to her as someone who had never lost a fight.
But there was someone who kept nagging at her mind—the disciple of the Fist King, who had defeated her grandfather. The boy who had won against Park SuHyun and had become a Seven, despite having an F-rank Trait.
"…Shin YuSung."
Yu HanNah smirked at the answer Adela blurted out without thinking.
* * * *
China's representative was chosen as the dark horse of the event despite the venue being in South Korea.
Liú Jùn.
The contestants' gazes turned towards Liú Jùn when he entered as if drawn to him. It was a given, considering that Liú Jùn was the disciple of the famous Sword God and that he was a well-known hunter not just in his homeland China but also around the world.
But Liú Jùn himself did not care about the looks people were giving him—he was staring at his silent phone while deep in thought.
Han SeolAh began to jab at Liú Jùn in fluent Korean.
"Wow, you're still concerned about your sister when you're all the way out here?"
Liú Jùn didn't fall for Han SeolAh's taunts. He considered her nothing more than a noisy woman.
Han SeolAh kept talking at her own pace without paying mind to Liú Jùn's reactions.
"Ha~ if I were you, I'd be coasting on this fame. Maybe get myself on TV while I have the chance."
Liú Jùn still made no acknowledgment of her.
Han SeolAh clicked her tongue in disappointment. A handsome face didn't enhance a hunter's capabilities in combat, but it did raise one's popularity with the citizens. And hunters with lots of prominence, of course, received more opportunities.
"Tch, this is what you're supposed to use your looks for. What a waste. A waste. Um… wait, who's that?"
Han SeolAh stopped her rambling to stare at something, interest piqued.
"Sh-Shin YuSung-ssi! There are only ten minutes left! Oh, it's nine minutes now…"
"There's no need to be nervous."
The source of the voices was Sumire, who was shaking with apprehension, and Shin YuSung, who had a calm expression on his face. Han SeolAh looked at the two before beginning to talk to Liú Jùn again.
"Ooh, the Fist King's disciple. It's him, right? His name is… ugh, I forgot."
Liú Jùn finally showed some sort of reaction.
He was interested by the fact that the notoriously picky Fist King had chosen someone with an F-rank Trait to be his disciple.
Liú Jùn took a look at the name of the portal that Shin YuSung was getting ready to enter.
[Graveyard of Despair]
It was a difficult dungeon for a martial artist to challenge, as the undead monsters had resistance to physical attacks. Han SeolAh looked at Shin YuSung with a puzzled expression.
"Did he choose the wrong dungeon? Why would someone who fights with his bare fists go and try to defeat the undead?"
The four parties to clear a dungeon the quickest were the ones who were going to receive the artifact prizes. Even when this was the case, Shin YuSung had chosen the dungeon most disadvantageous to himself.
Vmmm!
The portals activated as the competition began. Shin YuSung and Sumire disappeared into the blue, glowing portal.
Shhnk.
Liú Jùn pulled out his sword and spoke to Han SeolAh for the first time.
"Don't slack off."
Liú Jùn wanted first place and nothing less.
A teammate who did not meet his standards was nothing more than an obstacle for him.
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