Chapter 2

<Warrior's Pride> One hit from Koi and he went down! WWW

Chul-soo has one childhood friend.

Ever since they first met, they’ve always had this special connection.

They shared the common tragedy of losing their families to monsters.

Each was the only one who could truly heal the other’s wounds.

By the time they grew up, they were practically inseparable.

Neither ever thought it strange.

She felt the same way too.

Even without words, they both understood how important the other was.

To Chul-soo, she was his salvation.

When he became an Awakened Hunter and entered the Academy, he vowed to protect her no matter what.

He never wanted to experience the pain of losing someone precious… again.

At least, that’s how it was supposed to be…

“Ho, didn’t know you were this pretty!”

It was a kind of tragedy.

Or maybe it was more like a natural disaster.

Young-hee was definitely beautiful.

Not just because she was his childhood friend either.

In the Academy, home to talents from all over the nation, her beauty still stood out among the best.

She got confessions about twice a month.

Of course, she turned them all down flat.

Strangely, Chul-soo didn’t feel jealous at all.

If anything, he felt proud.

Their bond was that strong.

Seeing her blush in her school uniform made him swell with pride for some reason.

“Like you’re my brother or something?”

Young-hee teased him constantly, but he couldn’t help feeling that way.

But could he have imagined she’d become a target because of her looks?

Their paths crossed early in the semester.

“I don’t want this. I already have someone I love.”

“Are you sure? You might regret it later.”

“No, I won’t.”

“We’ll see about that…”

Even when he found out Yu-jin Kim was the infamous successor of Hwagcheon, he didn’t care.

“Just another academy student,” he thought.

Probably just some delinquent trying to bully people around.

After all, Chul-soo had dealt with bullies before and sent them packing.

For a while, everything seemed fine.

Then the orphanage director mentioned something odd.

“Lately, donations have been dropping, but suddenly this company wants to sponsor us. Feels kinda sketchy.”

That was the beginning.

Other sponsors disappeared overnight, leaving only this one company standing.

Seemed okay on the surface, right?

Wrong.

Now the orphanage’s lifeline was controlled by a single corporation.

Worse, the director ended up dragged away on corruption charges.

All their connections vanished in the blink of an eye.

It didn’t take long to figure out “Hwagcheon” was behind it all.

Neither of them said anything, but they both realized…

This was Yu-jin Kim’s doing.

And it didn’t stop there.

Subtle bullying started at school.

No outright attacks, but whenever Chul-soo tried to join group activities, they’d awkwardly disband.

People ignored him outright when he spoke.

The same friends who called him a genius yesterday now acted completely different.

Chul-soo felt betrayed, but deep down, he understood.

What happens if you cross Yu-jin Kim?

They were living proof.

As things worsened, Young-hee and Chul-soo found themselves isolated psychologically.

Yu-jin Kim then approached Young-hee.

She’s protective by nature and probably blamed herself for the situation.

Trying to make amends, Young-hee attempted to reason with him.

But Yu-jin cleverly manipulated her efforts.

Using her good intentions against her, he schemed to make Young-hee his own.

“I can’t let this continue. No matter what else I lose, I can’t lose Young-hee.”

Finally, Chul-soo decided to force Yu-jin into submission through strength.

His greatest advantage, his only weapon – the sword.

Both were Hunters after all.

Especially in Hwagcheon’s world where power equals justice.

Even someone as trashy as Yu-jin would have to respect raw strength.

If he lost, he wouldn’t dare harass Young-hee openly anymore.

“Don’t want to resort to violence first…”

But he couldn’t stand seeing Young-hee sad anymore.

“I’ll crush you today and ensure you never approach Young-hee again.”

With that resolve, Chul-soo challenged Yu-jin to a duel.

Without answering, Yu-jin simply walked away.

But his confident strides spoke volumes.

Chul-soo struggled not to feel intimidated.

“Never lost to anyone my age. You won’t be any different.”

Looking at Yu-jin’s retreating back, Chul-soo thought.

His determination wouldn’t falter against someone who just toys with others…

* * *

“Wow, you’re way too nice, man!”

Thinking back, Chul-soo remembered being a good kid.

“Who knew you’d even prepare equipment for playtime?”

Granted, the equipment was kinda weird.

Thought they’d be playing soccer or basketball, but instead got wooden swords thrown at him.

“In this world, this is normal I guess.”

Considering this is a fantasy world overrun by monsters, having weapons as toys isn’t so strange.

Didn’t kids in Silla ride bamboo horses for fun?

Building those kinds of traditions leads to calling lifelong friends “childhood buddies” or “best friends forever.”

“Best friends, soulmates, social kings… Ugh…”

Just thinking about those epic words makes his frontal lobe tingle.

Yu-jin faced Chul-soo on the field.

Sensing eyes on him, he turned around.

Students heading to class had stopped to watch.

Even those inside classrooms were peeking through windows.

“Ugh, this is awkward…”

Realizing practicing during school hours draws attention.

Sure, Chul-soo might be a social king, but this feels way too much pressure.

Can’t we move this to the gym or something?

“Do we really need to fight here and now?”

“What nonsense is this? Not chickening out, are you?”

No, it’s great. Really.

Enjoying sports with friends is cool, but I’d prefer less attention.

Unlike you, I suck at this.

One mistake and it becomes lifelong trauma for me.

“You started this, don’t back out now.”

Wait, did Kim Yu-jin initiate this originally?

If so, backing out now would be awkward.

Reluctantly, he looked at the wooden sword in his hand.

“Ah, never used a sword before. Never fought anyone either. Total nobody here.”

Yu-jin had always been gentle and pure since birth.

So pure that elementary school kids joked he might accidentally kill someone with his innocence.

“…On second thought, that wasn’t exactly a compliment…”

Still, childhood was somewhat happy.

Had a few friends back then.

How did I end up so socially awkward?

Thinking about it made him a little sad.

“Stop daydreaming! Raise your sword already!”

At least he’s lucky to have Kim Yu-jin.

Here’s someone willing to invite him to play right after arriving.

Work up a sweat together, then enjoy lunch.

Would be nice to walk home together too.

Watching silently, Chul-soo suddenly frowned.

“What are you doing? Standing like that?”

Startled, Yu-jin checked his stance.

It was the best he could do, but apparently it wasn’t satisfactory.

Only learned basic moves during middle school kendo class.

Gripping the sword with both hands, keeping thumbs and index fingers upward, right?

Meanwhile, Chul-soo held the sword one-handed.

His other hand rested on his forehead in a unique pose.

Seemed like the official stance for this sport.

Tried mimicking it but decided against it.

Beginners shouldn’t try copying experts half-heartedly.

Focus on what you can actually do.

“This stance works for me.”

“That position will make you too slow to dodge properly.”

“Eh, it’ll be fine, right?”

“No skills to rely on anyway.

Most you can do is block, strike, thrust like kids do.

Chul-soo still looked dissatisfied.

His serious expression suggested deep thought.

Then he shook his head dismissively.

“Whatever. Just don’t blame me if you lose because you underestimated me.”

Underestimated?

I’m literally glued to you watching every move carefully.

Is this really how we start?

Should I ask about the rules?

But would that seem weird?

Does he even have the guts to ask?

While worrying, Chul-soo explained the rules.

“The match ends when one side admits defeat or can’t continue fighting. Got it?”

Silently nodded.

Good of him to remind me considering my hospital stay.

Truly a decent guy.

“Let’s see how long your confidence lasts.”

No, I don’t have any confidence!

All these kids staring already make me want to die from tension!

Anyway, looks like we’re starting for real.

Chul-soo didn’t charge immediately.

Instead, he began circling slowly.

Apparently conducting pre-fight reconnaissance.

After observing for a bit…

Slowly moved in the same direction as Chul-soo.

“Ah-ha! Of course!”

Looks simple, but I’ve got decent instincts.

Copying the opponent’s actions often gets you halfway there.

“Damn…”

Seeing this, Chul-soo’s eyebrows twitched.

Then he launched forward suddenly.

Swung his sword in a diagonal slash.

Though fast, it didn’t feel overwhelmingly quick somehow.

“Just swing the same way, probably…”

Briefly considered taking one hit and falling dramatically.

But that’d be rude, right?

“Might as well, since everyone here knows how useless I am against monsters…”

Raised the wooden sword with both hands above his head.

Swung it downward.

The trajectory formed a sharp straight line.

Made contact with Chul-soo’s swinging sword.

A dull thud echoed as the swords collided.

And shattered…

“KWAHHHH!”

Chul-soo flew several meters after getting hit.

“Huh?”

Dropping his broken sword, Chul-soo fell clutching his arm.

Staring alternately between his intact sword, Chul-soo’s broken one, and Chul-soo’s broken arm, Yu-jin tilted his head in confusion.

[Brutal and reckless assault!]

[Infamy increased!]

[Bonus stats acquired!]

…Ah, screwed.

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