The healers, who had dexterously caught Park Chan-hee as he rolled a few times, quickly started healing him.
Seeing the twisted faces of the healers, Jang Yu-chan suggested that once the injured were treated, they should resume the match.
“You don’t have to say thank you. Healers are valuable assets, after all. Haha.”
“……….”
It was quite amusing to see Hyun Woo-seok’s eyes twitching at Jang Yu-chan’s comment, as if he had made some grand gesture.
Hyun Woo-seok had a perplexed expression as if he couldn’t fathom how such a situation could arise. It seemed he never even imagined this turn of events.
Well, with only a C-rank, these knights had stats way above that, benefiting from their spatial advantage and having taken potions, it would have been hard to think they could lose.
After winning, they would have surely laid out plans A to E for how to deal with us and how to establish a relationship with the Vision Guild afterward.
‘Looks like… the mental state’s a bit off…’
Hyun Woo-seok wore a dazed expression.
When our eyes met, I didn’t show any reaction.
The understanding that I was a strong summoned creature was enough.
There was no need to show a human-like demeanor.
After that, two more hunters from Ilseom entered the fray, but they were distinctly weaker than the two ahead, so I remained still and only faced them with Rakan.
“Ugh! Stop it!”
The third opponent had to surrender without landing a single hit on Rakan.
The fourth opponent put up a decent fight but ended up slammed to the ground, stepping beneath Rakan’s foot.
As I avenged the humiliation Noh Ha-yoon faced, Hyun Woo-seok’s complexion grew darker.
Rakan was contemplating whether to bite down on the neck of the man he had grappled, considering it or not.
The face of the man, half-swallowed by Rakan’s gaping maw, showed he had soiled himself. He lost consciousness immediately.
‘I doubt he’ll recover from that…’
Regret washed over me for sending Rakan out, losing a valuable talent.
However, in such a special circumstance, it was also necessary for Yeon-hee to gain experience in managing summoned creatures.
“Il-wol, I was worried about you. Looks like there’s less to worry about than I thought, right?”
“Clap, clap, clap!”
Although I wasn’t really worried, I still entered with a tinge of tension, thinking that there might be a chance my summon could be forcibly released.
But the worries we had didn’t come true, and our power had already surpassed our expectations by a long shot.
Even the one who had put Noh Ha-yoon in a groggy state was not a threat to me.
Of course, it tried to exploit weaknesses, but I don’t think it would have been hard to subdue it even without that.
Hyun Woo-seok gazed at the training ground with a blank look.
What was on his mind right now?
If I were human, I could have approached him and exchanged some amusing conversations, which I found rather regrettable.
‘I hope he gets his act together soon. The biggest problem is that there’s no one around to rein him in.’
The knights of Ilseom are remembered as a group that fought valiantly and put their lives on the line when the Orc Legion came in the future.
That’s why the current events were even less understandable.
Though I didn’t approve of Hyun Woo-seok’s behavior, I genuinely hoped he would find his way back on the right track.
Because it was a matter of survival. If not, there would be no reason to worry about such a screwball.
– Already the end…?
– How did it come to this?
We had finally come to the last contender from Ilseom.
At this point, the atmosphere on the Ilseom side was heavily subdued, with everyone lowering their heads, while we were freely chatting as if throwing a festival.
– Have you seen our Lady Ha-yoon’s comrades’ power? Hahaha!!
– You even resorted to cowardly tricks, and this is all you managed? Damn you fools!
– Woo-woo-woo!
– Next time, come to our side for a rematch! This time, I’ll freeze you all solid!
Most people were jeering, so openly that it made one wonder if it was even okay.
The hunters of Ilseom had to taste the shame while trembling, but with something to brag about, they couldn’t rightfully retaliate.
Despite effectively overwhelming us and getting what they wanted, it felt like a bitter situation since they had been heavily pushed back.
On the other hand, Jang Yu-chan of the Vision Guild and the person who seemed to be his assistant were now keeping a keen eye on us rather than Ilseom, exchanging a few more steps in conversation.
– I heard from Lady Ha-yoon… but that armored skeleton is really frightening. Shouldn’t we prepare as well?
– For sure… there’s a substantial gap compared to the latest information. That skeleton has already surpassed B-rank. The Mutant Werewolf is no different. And don’t get me started on Lee Yeon-hee, who’s managing two summons above her rank in this setting.
– I heard Lee Yeon-hee is already contracted with the White Knight Guild…
– Hehe… if we play our cards right, we can nullify that. If we make a suitable proposal to the White Knight Guild, they wouldn’t need to hold on to those kids.
‘What are you thinking…’
Seeing Jang Yu-chan suddenly trying to scout us had me feeling utterly baffled.
He must know we can hear him… but perhaps he intended for us to.
‘You think if you put out an offer, you can let us go? Hmm… seems like you’re underestimating the White Knight Guild a bit.’
Among the top-tier hunters of the White Knight Guild, only Kang Yeon-su was publicly active. The rest were surprisingly dungeon-hopping types, meaning if that time stretched on, people would inevitably look down on them.
But wanting us didn’t solely stem from underestimating the White Knight Guild.
‘It must be for Noh Ha-yoon.’
I could see Noh Ha-yoon sitting on the ground, catching her breath.
I thought she must have an awkward position in the guild due to her prickly personality, but seeing how many people followed her and sincerely cheered for her made it clear she was quite loved.
‘Though it looks like most of them have known her since childhood…’
When I thought about how they looked on warmly as she trained and naturally mingled with us, it made sense that wanting to recruit us stemmed from wanting to help Noh Ha-yoon.
‘Huh?’
Feeling an energy that stirred me while being distracted by other thoughts, I noticed that as it started to wobble and move, the air of expectation on the Ilseom side was reigniting, confirming that this was indeed the ace of this match.
“Hyun-a, give it your all. You can think of it as having no way back.”
“…… Yes.”
In response to Hyun Woo-seok’s ominous words, the woman exuded a sinister atmosphere as she replied with a slithering voice and then began stumbling toward me again.
‘Hyun-a… Hyun-a… was that her name?’
I thought meeting her blade head-on might help jog my memory.
The woman, named Hyun-a, who reached about five meters away from us, abruptly bowed her waist to greet and then immediately took a stance.
Whoooosh──
As she went into her stance, an unfamiliar energy enveloped her, slightly pushing the boundaries of my senses.
Vanish; the ability to detect and neutralize immaterial auras.
I had seen the red-haired elf do this previously.
It felt like this woman was also unconsciously pulling it off.
‘Uh… this is kind of… dangerous. And she hasn’t even taken any potions, and she’s radiating this much energy?’
The energy exuding from her was dark and ominous.
They say a swordsman’s aura reveals their hidden essence, and I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of life this person had lived.
“Il-wol… let’s widen the gap a bit. I don’t like the feeling of this.”
Nod-
Yeon-hee, being sharp, must have sensed something off too as she started to retreat a bit.
– Oh… you noticed that?
Jang Yu-chan nodded as if he found it admirable, and Hyun Woo-seok bit his lips for a moment.
“Huuh—”
Hyun-a, the opponent, exhaled once, and as if time froze, her arm moved, creating an afterimage.
[Ilseom – Sixth Step]
‘Huh?!’
The match began, and the woman’s swift sword was aimed directly for Yeon-hee’s neck, flying toward her in an instant.
But since Rakan and I were firmly guarding in front of Yeon-hee, her blade couldn’t achieve its aim.
Ting-ting-ting!
As I swiftly deflected the attack with my great sword, I couldn’t help but sweep my chest down.
‘Damn… what an incredible swift sword. That was close, right?!’
Of course, I blocked it, but the speed was unbelievable.
The magical energy swirling from the tip of the sword was enough to pierce a coin-sized hole through part of my arm, stretched out for defense.
It was demonic swordsmanship that pierced through not only my Flame Armor but even my [Tough Skin].
‘So the ones up front were just decoys. There was a trump card hidden. So this was the one Hyun Joong-gil had faith in when proposing the winning streak.’
Having tasted even a bit of Hyun Woo-seok’s swordsmanship, I could tell right away after getting into the match.
‘How talented Hyun Woo-seok is, I’ll need to clash with him directly to know for sure, but… this woman definitely has comparable genius.’
She had even interpreted Ilseom’s swordsmanship and arbitrarily changed her moves to execute extreme swift swords, and that was working wonders.
Zing-zzing-ting!
Naturally, using [Lightning Step] freely was a must.
Clash-chan-chan!
‘Ugh?! What kind of sword is that?!’
Even the sword curved like a snake, piercing into my side.
Thwack─!
“I-Il-wol!”
“Clap, clap, clap!”
I signaled to the startled Yeon-hee that I was fine.
‘It’s a monster…’
Destructive swordsmanship that possessed both irregularity and power at the same time.
The sword that entered through my armor pierced through to the empty space beside my bone, with a thrust so powerful it sent chills down my spine.
“Is it empty…?”
“Clap, clap, clap.”
“Skeleton…”
······
In just two clashes, the atmosphere of the training ground underwent a rapid reversal.
“Haha, you were hiding such a cute one?”
“You can expect great things…”
“Indeed…”
Even Hyun Woo-seok, who had kept his mouth shut, was at the point of saying to look forward to it, a formidable opponent.
– Go! Sweep away that monster!
– Hyun-a’s swift sword has been acknowledged even by the masters!
– Avenge my injured arm, Hyun-a!
The atmosphere swelled to the point that even the defeated, who had been busy treating their injuries, were cheering as their spirits reignited.
For me, completely unrelated to this, I viewed it as a rare opportunity and stepped forward first.
As I aimed my great sword, Hyun-a leisurely wore a smile at the corner of her mouth.
‘You’re saying my swordsmanship doesn’t scare you… is that it?’
As we locked eyes, we appeared to promise something, and we both sprang into action.
‘Not a chance!’
The woman persistently targeted Yeon-hee.
In a way, that might be a legitimate tactic rather than facing Rakan and me.
But Yeon-hee had also reached a level beyond that.
As long as Ran boosted Yeon-hee’s potential and Rakan was guarding, it wouldn’t be easy. I wouldn’t let it happen.
“Tsk…”
Ultimately, she glanced for a few more opportunities, before succumbing to the fact that it wasn’t working out and dedicated herself to fighting me.
Of course, trying not to make the same mistake that Park Chan-hee did, she didn’t forget to keep an eye on Rakan’s movements.
Clash-ting-! Clash─!
Every time Hyun-a moved, a powerful metallic sound echoed several times.
‘Getting close is challenging. Switching to combat doesn’t make sense… I want to share the sword some more.’
It was purely a personal desire.
I was learning from my master, but that was a battle against myself, and my experiences through sparring were scant.
I couldn’t help but feel thrilled to have met the perfect partner to aid my growth.
