Chapter 40
Sehyun’s expression turned blank at Jungwook’s words, as if she had been struck on the back of the head.
Jungwook’s brows furrowed, and his eyes sharpened.
“Sparring is about filling what you lack. You can only grow a little by giving it your all. But what’s this? You’re too busy running away like a rat. Am I forcing you to learn against your will? Or…”
“…”
“…are you just going through the motions?”
Sehyun’s head shot up at Jungwook’s words.
“No, that’s not it… It’s just that I’m not used to using all my skills in the sparring room. I apologize if you misunderstood.”
“Ah, hiding is a habit?”
“…”
Jungwook’s expression softened, and he scratched his forehead.
He belatedly understood that it was understandable from Sehyun’s perspective.
“Alright, I’ll let it slide this time. But there won’t be a second time. So attack me with all you’ve got.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jungwook disappeared.
A gust of wind swept through the room.
When she finally sensed him, Jungwook was standing behind her with his sword raised.
‘Dodge!’
Sehyun moved to the side.
‘Acceleration!’
She quickly created distance between them. Jungwook smiled and charged at her with lightning speed.
Wham!
Jungwook’s fist flew towards her.
Dodge!
As she twisted her body to dodge,
A kick flew towards her, slicing through the air. With no time to dodge the follow-up attack, Sehyun raised her arm to protect her ribs.
‘Recoil!’
“Ho.”
A short gasp escaped Jungwook’s lips. Sehyun used ‘Acceleration’ to close the distance and lunged at him. She pushed off the ground, using ‘Elasticity’ to propel herself upwards, and aimed a punch at Jungwook.
Jungwook dodged, and Sehyun followed closely.
Her foot, imbued with ‘Recoil’, struck at Jungwook. But he had already moved away. Jungwook smiled at her from a distance.
Fast.
Her speed, and her learning speed.
More than anything, her calm personality was a great asset in battle.
“I…”
Sehyun, who he had expected to continue her attack, stopped and called out to him.
“Speak.”
“I’ll bring a sword too.”
“Ha…”
Jungwook chuckled at Sehyun’s words.
He was starting to wonder if he was going to be defeated by someone who hadn’t even received her Guard certification yet.
“As you said, Instructor, this is my only chance to learn like this.”
Sehyun’s eyes shone with determination.
“Fine, whatever.”
Jungwook sheathed one of his swords and tossed it to Sehyun.
Sehyun looked at Jungwook and the sword she had caught in surprise.
“Thank you.”
“It’s not a gift.”
“I know.”
“You’re no fun.”
Jungwook gripped his remaining sword.
“Come at me.”
Sehyun unsheathed the sword and charged at him in a straight line.
Jungwook, watching her with a smile, thought,
…I didn’t tell her to unsheathe it.
Lee Jungwook, an A-grade.
The first person in Guard history to enter and return from inside a Hole.
Once a promising and skilled Guard, he had become an instructor after being caught in an incident inside a Hole.
Yet he was still a renowned figure.
Sehyun finally understood why.
Skills: Pull, Dodge, Enhanced Vision, Fruit Knife Swing… Sound Blocking, Eye of Truth (Unavailable), Dazzling Dance, Miniaturization (Unavailable), Dynamic Vision Activation, The Listener, Divine Touch Upon You, Recoil, Elasticity, Acceleration,… Cocoon (Unavailable)
Below her existing skills, new ones were clearly listed.
Imbue Sword with Holy Energy (Level 1), Rapid Movement (Level 1), Barrier (Level 1), Scan (Level 1)
Skill: Imbue Sword with Holy Energy
Imbues a sword with energy to inflict a powerful blow on the enemy. Stamina consumption is doubled when using this skill. Sword only.
Skill: Rapid Movement
Can move at three times the maximum speed. Stamina consumption is doubled when using this skill.
Skill: Barrier
Can create a barrier of the desired size. However, the larger the area and width, the thinner the barrier becomes.
Skill: Scan
Can scan the opponent to identify their weaknesses. Can only be used once a day.
Sehyun stared at her status window, speechless. Most of them were skills far superior to the ones she already possessed.
And ‘Scan’…
‘Looking at these skills, it feels like I’m playing a game. There’s a joke that games were a prophecy of this era.’
She suddenly remembered what a program host had said. It had sounded like a joke back then, but it didn’t feel like a joke anymore.
Each skill had its own characteristics and limitations. Just like in a game.
“…This is insane.”
Sehyun, who rarely got surprised, stammered as she looked at her status window.
Jungwook, watching her, muttered softly with an indifferent expression.
“She took them all, she took everything.”
He hadn’t intended to go this far. He had planned to teach her two important skills and be done with it.
But Sehyun was far more persistent than he had expected.
She had attacked him with all her might, as if the spar wouldn’t end until one of them died.
In the end, Jungwook had used his skills out of habit, and when he came to his senses, he realized he had exposed at least four of his skills.
Well, it wasn’t that he felt wronged.
Jungwook turned his head and looked ahead.
Sehyun, sitting on the floor, staring blankly into space, looked like a rag doll.
Her hair was a mess, and her face and body were covered in bruises and scratches.
I feel a little bad for her, considering she just got discharged from the hospital today…
Just as Jungwook was scratching his cheek,
“Thank you.”
Sehyun, getting up unsteadily like a newborn fawn, put her hands politely on her stomach and bowed deeply.
Although she almost faceplanted because she couldn’t keep her balance.
As Jungwook stared at her in disbelief, Sehyun straightened up again.
“Let me bow again.”
“…You don’t bow twice to a living person. I still have a long life ahead of me. I managed to survive.”
“Ah… I apologize.”
“Good, I’m glad you learned something. Make sure to practice diligently so you don’t get indigestion. I’ll be going now. Ah, my back aches. It must be going to rain.”
As Jungwook turned around to leave,
“Instructor.”
Jungwook stopped and looked at Sehyun. As if telling her to hurry up and say what she wanted to say. Sehyun hesitated and then spoke slowly.
“I don’t know if I’ll be of any help, but…”
“…”
“If you ever need my help, please let me know. I’ll definitely come and help you. No matter what.”
“…You’re making it sound like we’re making a blood oath. I hate that kind of stuff.”
“I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”
“It’s not that… I’m just not that good of a person.”
“What?”
Jungwook waved his hand dismissively at Sehyun’s question. Then he glanced at her and smiled.
The rigid Kim Sehyun.
Kim Sehyun, who made such a serious promise to repay him instead of just saying thank you.
That’s why he liked her.
He was glad. Glad that he had met someone like her, even if it was now.
Jungwook sighed briefly and smiled.
“Alright. Then, next time I’m in danger, fly over like a hero and save me, the innocent.”
“Understood. I’ll definitely do that if I can be of help.”
Such a rigid response to a joke.
Jungwook chuckled and waved his hand again.
Sehyun was busy as soon as she was discharged.
Sparring with Jungwook, catching up on the training she had missed, studying for the related exams, and giving statements about the incident to the training center and the government officials in charge of Hole-related matters.
It was a hassle, but it wasn’t all bad.
Compensation payment.
‘It’s not much, but…’
She had thought it would be a small amount, considering the compensation her aunt had received when her house was caught in a Hole.
‘You will receive a compensation of 200 million won. It will be deposited into the account you provided on the statement within a week.’
Sehyun couldn’t believe her ears.
‘…200 million won?’
‘Yes. I know it’s not a large amount, but I hope you’re satisfied.’
The official smiled wryly, as if apologizing for the small amount, but it was a huge sum for Sehyun. She had never even had 10 million won in her life.
Of course, there were conditions for receiving such a large compensation.
Rejecting all future media interview requests and keeping silent about everything that had happened inside the Hole.
In short, 200 million won was the price of her silence. Some people might consider it a small amount, considering the price.
But Sehyun, who had no intention of talking about that day anyway, considered it a freebie and quickly signed the statement.
‘There’s no rule against getting rich.’
She had just bought a new phone on her way back from the hospital, so she was running low on cash. It was perfect timing.
Sehyun, her steps lighter than usual, was heading towards the east auditorium for her training when,
“Sehyun!”
Hye Ryeon, who had just arrived, called out to her.
“Hey, hi.”
“Did you hear the news?”
“What?”
Sehyun asked, looking around the unusually noisy hallway.
“About Instructor Lee Jungwook.”
“What about him?”
“He quit.”
“…What?”
Sehyun stopped walking and stared at Hye Ryeon.
“He quit.”
“Not that he’s going to quit, but that he already quit?”
“Yes, his desk is gone.”
“Why?”
Sehyun turned around and looked directly at Hye Ryeon, asking again.
“Because of the Variant Hole incident.”