The sound of birds chirping could be heard floating through the trees.
Shin YuSung was focusing his mind in the middle of the dense forest. Of course, the intent wasn't to train for the intramurals that were taking place the next day.
The thing that he was pursuing was something that he had been chasing after for a long time, since even before leaving the Martial Spirits' Mountain.
'To think that I still cannot utilize anything past the 3rd form of the Battle God Style.'
It had been four years since he had learned the 3rd form, the heaven-shattering fist, and Shin YuSung had still not achieved the 4th form. That being said, the Fist King had created the 3rd form of the Battle God Style during the time when he was an active hunter. Considering that Shin YuSung was still a student, his potential could truly be called limitless.
But Shin YuSung did not like the fact that he was currently stagnating.
'I want to go farther.'
The desire to become stronger was what drove Shin YuSung every day. It was understandable. One could use his life on the Martial Spirits' Mountain after being abandoned for being 'too weak' as proof.
Shin YuSung could not afford to stagnate.
For the Shin-Oh family, who had thrown him aside,
For the Fist King, who had believed in his potential,
And even for his own self.
Whoosh.
Shin YuSung coated both arms with mana, then closed his eyes in concentration. His body's senses opened up as he did so, and everything around him began to slow down.
Crinkle.
The sound of small animals stepping on fallen leaves.
Fwoo.
The pleasant breeze.
Shin YuSung could even feel the wavelength of the mana wrapped around his hands.
But as he shifted his position to use the skill, the mana in his hand dispersed into the air.
'Another failure.'
Shin YuSung let out a big breath and turned his head to face behind him.
"What do you want?"
Shin YuSung was looking at what seemed to be a blank patch of air. But as he kept staring at it, the voice of a surprised male suddenly rang in the air.
"…To think that you would actually sense me?"
The colors around the trees warped and shifted into the shape of a man. This person was the only student in Gaon Academy to have an invisibility Trait.
The boy that Shin YuSung was staring at was an S Class student, called an elite by some. He was 4th in the student rankings, his name was Min SungHyuk.
Min SungHyuk looked at Shin YuSung as if fascinated, then held out an arm to offer it for a handshake.
"You don't have some kind of radar installed in your body, right? This is the first time anyone's noticed me at that distance!"
But Shin YuSung did not take Min SungHyuk's hand, nor did he reply to him. He merely stared at the other boy's eyes without a word. Min SungHyuk cooly smiled, a bit taken aback by Shin YuSung's attitude towards him even when he tried to smooth things over.
"S-sorry. You just interested me since you were training even on our off day. I guess, if I had to be honest, I also wanted to test your skills. I guess that's kind of rude? Anyways…"
Min SungHyuk laughed in a friendly manner. Suddenly, his demeanor changed.
"I do have another reason I came here. I have something I need to deliver to you."
Min SungHyuk touched his Pocket, eyes slit. As he did so, a beam emitted from the Pocket and formed letters using holograms.
[Club Member Application Form]
[Club Name – Hunter Club]
[President – 2nd Year S Class Shin HaYoon]
"…Shin HaYoon."
Shin YuSung's face stiffened at the name. Min SungHyuk laughed with a triumphant look on his face.
"So you do know this name, huh? It's no surprise that you're shocked. Our president is from the famous Shin-Oh family, after all."
Shin HaYoon was first in the student rankings among the second years and was slated to be the student council president next term. She was a powerful individual. Min SungHyuk seemed to think that Shin YuSung was going to accept the invitation.
"Isn't this amazing? A person like that is personally recruiting you. There will never be a chance like this again. On top of that, the extracurriculars we do are guild-level."
Min SungHyuk kept lauding praise over the club and Shin HaYoon. Of course, Shin YuSung was interested in her offer. Shin HaYoon was called a genius born with exceptional talent, even among the Shin-Oh family, which was known for its hunters.
When Shin YuSung had been sent to the orphanage at five, Shin HaYoon had been selected as the next successor for the Shin-Oh family at six.
Their Traits were what had put such a large chasm between both childrens' fates. Shin HaYoon had been born with an S-rank Trait, and Shin YuSung had been born with an F-rank Trait; that one difference was what had led to the current circumstances between these two.
"Is that so?"
Shin YuSung looked at Min SungHyuk. He had been a little shaken when Shin HaYoon had been mentioned, but he had already regained his calm.
"What happens if I refuse?"
Min SungHyuk was puzzled at Shin YuSung's reply.
"Naw, there's no way you're going to do that, right? This is the Shin-Oh family! Senior Shin HaYoon is trying to become the best hunter in the world, not to even mention South Korea!"
The other boy couldn't comprehend Shin YuSung's question. A student could receive many privileges if the student council president had a favorable impression of them. Because of this, the Hunter Club was famous for being a club that many adored, but only a few got to be a part of.
This meant that the Hunter Club, considering its position in the greatest academy in Korea, was where the chosen ones were gathered. And someone would refuse an invitation to it? This was an incomprehensible concept to Min SungHyuk.
"Hey, you gotta at least stay next to someone like that so you can pick up the scraps, right?"
Min SungHyuk laughed good-naturedly, but Shin YuSung's expression was cold. The other boy wasn't wrong. Being under Shin HaYoon's wing was definitely going to help in one's growth.
But Shin YuSung pressed the [Decline] button on the hologram.
Ping!
The hologram disappeared as soon as Shin YuSung made his choice. Min SungHyuk, in shock, opened his slit eyes and began to shout.
"You… what?!"
"Thanks, but I'll decline the offer."
Shin YuSung had already made his decision. It wasn't a bad idea to work under Shin HaYoon if he wanted to grow his strength a reasonable amount, but it wasn't something that would let him become the greatest hunter in the world. If he was taken under the wing of the Hunter Club's president, he couldn't form his own party.
'And that's not all…'
The stronger he got, the more Shin HaYoon would use him, throwing him around according to her own whims. Min SungHyuk grimaced at Shin YuSung's choice.
"Are you really… refusing senior Shin HaYoon's offer?"
Shin HaYoon was a genius above all the students, but Shin YuSung had decided he didn't care. If Shin HaYoon had the Shin-Oh family behind her, Shin YuSung had the Fist King behind him.
"Yeah."
Shin YuSUng's goal, like Shin HaYoon, was also to be the greatest. To do so, he had to bear an equivalent amount of burden and responsibility to Shin HaYoon.
But Min SungHyuk began to mumble, bewildered by the other boy's answer.
"…Weird. She was so certain that you would accept it."
"What?"
"She said that you two have a close relationship together."
That wasn't wrong since they were both members of the same family, but that was twelve years ago.
"A close relationship…"
Shin YuSung couldn't help it. He laughed. Shin HaYoon really was the lawful heir of the Shin-Oh family.
A meritocracy based on one's skill that threw those who were useless in the garbage and had the gall to pull out the same garbage that they had thrown away in the first place if it suddenly became useful to them. Shin YuSung began speaking to Min SungHyuk once more with an expression that suggested that a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
"Tell this to my sister: I don't even remember what you look like anymore."
He was no longer Shin YuSung of the Shin-Oh family.
* * * freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
* * *
The Hunter Club: the greatest club of Gaon Academy.
Shin HaYoon slowly read through the documents on the desk. Many changes had taken place in the Hunter Club after she had taken charge of it, things that a mere club would usually never do.
[Request Location – Coral Cave]
[Request Type – Collecting By-Product]
[Request Payment – 22,000,000 won]
For one, the Hutner Club didn't need to rely on the extracurriculars for hunter requests, as they never stopped flowing in. That was, of course, all due to the networking that Shin HaYoon's family provided and her own innate resourcefulness.
There were countless corporations that wanted people from Gaon, Korea's greatest academy. Despite being a student, Shin HaYoon was acting as the 'guild leader' for the academy.
"Send students who are at least second years to the Coral Cave."
Rank 4 monsters lived in Coral Cave. As the barebones order fell from her lips, the student next to her nodded.
"Understood, President. This is the Shinsung group's request, right? How about we send the students who are somewhere around 10th and above in the student rankings?"
The club members seemed to defer to Shin HaYoon, even if they were in the same grade. It was as if she was in a class higher than them.
"Sounds good. I'll assign the people."
Shin HaYoon quickly stamped the document. The students in the Hutner Club were allowed to start their extracurriculars as soon as Shin HaYoon allowed them to, without a staff member's approval.
This was actually a huge boon to Gaon Academy. Through this, the club brought in an astronomical amount of money for the school and improved Gaon's image in the process.
First in the student rankings for the second-year students…
A family background in the Shin-Oh family, a clan that was famous for producing hunters…
And the president of the Hunter Club. With all of these prestigious titles, Shin HaYoon was all but guaranteed to be the student council president next year.
It was rather obvious why the other club members were trying to make a good impression on her.
'Though…'
Shin HaYoon looked at the message from her Pocket and laughed.
[Club Member Application Form]
[Name – Shin YuSung]
[Answer – Decline]
Shin YuSung had refused her offer. This was the first time that this had happened to Shin HaYoona after she had become the president of the Hunter Club.
But she could understand why.
'…it's because of what happened 12 years ago, I bet.'
The Shin-Oh family had abandoned Shin YuSung. She, at first, could not understand why her parents had done this. But now, she understood. Only the few who were skilled above the rest were in charge of the world, and the Shin-Oh family was one of those families.
A hunter with an F-rank Trait was not needed in such a family.
'That was why he was thrown away.'
She could agree with this logic, herself.
But the story now was different Shin YuSung had shown incredible prowess with his F-rank Trait, possibly due to his lineage. He had already been chosen for the Representative Selection and had the chance of going to the International Competition.
Shin YuSung now had the right to come back into the fold of the Shin-Oh family. The club invitation that Shin HaYoon had sent him was a form of acknowledgment of that fact, and also a gesture of goodwill.
'The head of the household also approved of this.'
But Shin YuSung did not seem like he was willing to return to the Shin-Oh family. Shin HaYoon fell into deep thought. Shin YuSung was just too ripe of a fruit to not pick, considering the skills and growth that he had exhibited.
What had tipped the scales was the fact that he was the official disciple of the 'Fist King'. Shin HaYoon gave a leisurely smile.
'What to do…'
Tap tap tap–
Shin HaYoon's index finger tapped the surface of the desk in a rhythmical manner. This was a habit that she exhibited when she was deep in thought.
Her finger only stopped after she had finished her calculations.
'…Well, I can just watch him for now. I'm curious to see how much he'll develop, after all.'
Shin HaYoon was not worried.
As long as Gaon Academy was the stage, she was its director.
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