When the ground beneath her gave way and she was pulled into the shadows, Jin-Woo simultaneously saw Cha Hae-In falling.
'As expected…'
His guess was right. He'd wondered whether something like this might happen every time he used the 'Shadow Exchange' skill, and he'd been correct. The true nature of the 'Shadow Exchange' skill was a Gate. Hunter Cha Hae-In had just proven it by passing through the shadow together with him.
'The entrance is generated on the ground, and the exit is at the designated coordinates.'
Of course, the coordinates were based on the shadow soldier's position. Even though it came with the constraint of three hours, the fact that he could create a Gate with a skill was something else entirely. Jin-Woo swallowed without realizing it. The surprise didn't last long. The darkness that had engulfed his vision in an instant quickly returned to normal. Before he knew it, the two of them were inside the Hunter's Association gymnasium. When he had visited here before, he'd planted a shadow in advance just in case he needed to make an urgent trip to the Association. Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting! The automatic lighting system, having detected the two of them, switched on one by one, quickly illuminating the gymnasium's interior. Feeling the glare, Cha Hae-In opened her eyes, which she had been keeping shut.
"How…!"
Her eyes went wide as she couldn't hide her shock. A familiar space. It didn't feel as if even a single second had passed, but when she opened her eyes, the scenery around her had completely changed.
'How is this even possible?'
She had never once heard that a skill like this existed. As her surprised gaze swept the surroundings, it eventually settled on Jin-Woo.
"You…"
Her eyes were full of questions she wanted to ask, but she couldn't bring herself to part her lips. The first reason was that she couldn't figure out how to even begin asking, and the second was that they were standing too close for conversation.
"It's safe now."
Jin-Woo gently grasped her wrist and loosened the arms wrapped around his waist.
"You don't have to hold on anymore."
Nod, nod. Cha Hae-In rubbed the wrist Jin-Woo had been holding and moved her head silently in acknowledgment.
"Let's begin."
Jin-Woo stepped out of the corner where the High Orc shadow soldier had been hiding and walked to the center of the gymnasium.
"Okay."
Cha Hae-In also walked toward where Jin-Woo was standing before realizing she had left her sword in the car. Even if it was considered essential equipment for her profession, one couldn't very well bring a sword when visiting someone's office, could she? Cha Hae-In spoke.
"I left my weapon in the car." "Oh, that pickaxe?" "Excuse me?" "The one you were carrying back in that Dungeon where the High Orcs showed up."
A memory she wanted to forget flooded back, and Cha Hae-In's face flushed red.
"No, my weapon is—"
Watching Jin-Woo snickering, she finally realized he was teasing her.
"…"
Cha Hae-In's face was red as Jin-Woo waved his hand dismissively.
"Just kidding, just kidding."
He'd had enough of the joking.
'But seriously, what do I do?'
The soldier he was about to summon this time wasn't someone Cha Hae-In could handle with her bare hands, no matter who she was. Naturally, he wanted his soldier to win, but he didn't want her to get hurt.
"It'll be fine."
Cha Hae-In's gaze turned toward the storage area inside the gymnasium.
"There should be weapons we can borrow in the storage room." 'Oh-ho.'
Learning something new, Jin-Woo's eyes lit up. Cha Hae-In walked to the storage room and swiped her Hunter License vertically against the lock on the side of the door. Then—
*Beep.*
The storage room's automatic door slid open. Inside, rows of usable backup weapons stood lined up. Observing from a distance, Jin-Woo was secretly impressed by the Hunter's Association's preparedness.
'So they had a facility like this inside the Association.'
He'd wondered where all those taxes paid by Hunters went, and it turned out there was a place where they were being put to use. Cha Hae-In looked around inside and came out with a sword that was closest in length to the one she was used to using.
"I'm ready." "Will that be enough? It's not your usual sword, so it probably won't feel right in your hand."
Cha Hae-In shook her head.
"It doesn't matter what weapon it is. Monsters don't carefully pick and choose a Hunter's weapon before fighting them."
A fair point. Jin-Woo, thinking the same way, didn't raise any objection. She was a woman who had a no-nonsense quality he liked.
'Time to call a soldier, then.'
Jin-Woo turned to face Cha Hae-In. As if to prove her words of readiness were no empty boast, a sharp aura was emanating from her. If he summoned a mediocre soldier against a woman like that, it would be torn apart by her sword in no time. And so. Jin-Woo pulled out the best card he had.
'Come forth.'
A black shadow split away from Jin-Woo's own shadow, stopped a few paces to the side, and from it, a black knight slowly rose. Pitch-black armor and helmet. From the tip of the helmet, a red plume hung down to waist level. The shadow soldier with the finest swordsmanship in the Shadow Army—'Igrit.'
'Cha Hae-In said she wanted the strongest, but…'
Still, summoning Beru felt like going too far. Beru, before becoming a shadow soldier, had driven every member of the Korean team into unspeakable terror. Cha Hae-In herself had nearly died after being attacked by him. Considering the psychological shock she would receive upon facing Beru, he couldn't recklessly summon the king of the ants. Iron would probably burn the gymnasium down, so he was out. That left Jin-Woo with Igrit.
'You're the one, as always.'
Seeing Igrit's imposing shoulders, he was certain he hadn't made the wrong choice. But then—
"Sung Jin-Woo."
Jin-Woo turned to Cha Hae-In.
"What are the conditions for victory and defeat?"
Hearing her voice—so cold it could freeze the heart of whoever listened—his certainty began to waver. Jin-Woo thought for a moment and said.
"Until my summon is destroyed or Hunter Cha Hae-In surrenders."
Nod. Cha Hae-In moved her head. Then she drew the sword she'd taken from the storage room. She was only holding a common mana blade you could find anywhere, yet her presence was overwhelming.
'She's definitely strong.'
Jin-Woo could feel it. Cha Hae-In, having resolved to fight in earnest, carried the bearing of a woman ranked among the very top of the S-rank Hunters. Igrit also drew his swords. With a longsword in each of his two hands, Igrit stood ready. A premonition flickered through Jin-Woo's mind that Igrit might actually fall to her like this. But just then—
'Wait… She said the weapon doesn't matter, right?'
Remembering what Cha Hae-In had just said, Jin-Woo smiled and made a request.
"Would you mind turning around for a moment?" "…?"
Though she tilted her head in puzzlement, Cha Hae-In obediently turned as Jin-Woo asked. Seizing the opportunity, Jin-Woo retrieved the 'Demon King's Longsword' from the storage room and placed it in Igrit's hand.
'Use this.'
Her words that it didn't matter what weapon she was using could be interpreted in reverse—it didn't matter what weapon her opponent used, either. Igrit, having received a sword directly from his liege, was so moved he tried to drop to one knee, but Jin-Woo quickly stopped him.
'I told you, there's no need for all that formal stuff every single time.'
If only Iron had even half of Igrit's qualities. Regardless. Once preparations were complete, Jin-Woo turned Cha Hae-In back around.
"All set."
Cha Hae-In turned to find Igrit holding a sword crackling with blue lightning—a weapon she hadn't seen a moment ago.
"…" "May we begin?"
Jin-Woo feigned innocence and announced the start of the test.
"…Yes."
Cha Hae-In also gave her consent.
"Begin."
At Jin-Woo's signal, Igrit swung the 'Demon King's Longsword' and, through its passive effect, struck first. Flash! A streak of light shot straight at Cha Hae-In. She flinched for just an instant, then bent her upper body back with the flexibility of a sleek cat, dodging the bolt. Crackle! The gymnasium wall struck by the lightning scorched black. Tsk. Her stinging gaze turned toward Jin-Woo as she straightened her body, but Jin-Woo looked away, staring off into the distance.
'…'
Without a word, Cha Hae-In gripped her sword with both hands. Right then. Igrit, who had received orders to take her down, charged at terrifying speed. But without so much as blinking, she launched herself toward Igrit.
***
Top floor of the main building—the Association Chairman's office. Sitting here, one could look down not only over the Association's buildings but also the surrounding landscape.
'Hm?'
Chairman Go Geon-Hui, who had been reading reports that had come across his desk, let his gaze drift toward the window. Lights had just come on in a gymnasium where no one should have been. Go Geon-Hui tilted his head, picked up the phone, and called his aide.
"Yes, Chairman."
The aide's prompt reply came.
"Did anyone reserve the gymnasium for today?" "Checking now—there are no reservations." "Is that so?"
Pausing with his hand over the receiver, Go Geon-Hui gazed at the gymnasium and gathered his thoughts before speaking quietly.
"Could you connect the gymnasium's CCTV feed to my office?" "Understood, Chairman."
Soon the feed was connected, and across the large TV that occupied an entire wall of the Chairman's office, the image appeared: Hunter Sung Jin-Woo and Hunter Cha Hae-In holding each other.
"Ahem."
Startled, Go Geon-Hui let out a cough. No matter how many times he looked again, it was indeed Hunter Sung Jin-Woo and Hunter Cha Hae-In. Go Geon-Hui tilted his head.
'So the two of them are involved like that?'
Come to think of it, the first person Hunter Cha Hae-In had looked for after waking up in the helicopter had been none other than Hunter Sung Jin-Woo.
'I must have been oblivious.'
Go Geon-Hui gazed at the two on the screen with a warm smile. Both of them were Hunters who hated being seen by people, so much so that the moment they reached S-rank, they filed information-protection requests. The same applied to Cha Hae-In's side, but Hunter Sung Jin-Woo had already become someone everyone knew. For two people like that to meet and spend time together, the only place would be somewhere like the Association gymnasium after hours. A gymnasium date—how uncharacteristic of today's young people. What a wholesome way to spend time together. Go Geon-Hui shook his head with a warm smile still on his lips.
'Youth is a wonderful thing.'
Go Geon-Hui picked up the phone he had just put down.
"I'm sorry, but could you turn off all the CCTV in the gymnasium?" "Excuse me? But…" "Record it as a maintenance check for today." "Understood, Chairman."
The moment Go Geon-Hui hung up, the large screen in the Chairman's office that had been linked to the CCTV went dark as well. Glancing briefly toward the gymnasium, he chuckled softly and resumed reviewing the documents that had been interrupted. But just then—
*Thrumm.*
The surface of the water in his cup rippled as a faint vibration reached him from the direction of the gymnasium.
"Heh heh."
Without even turning to look at the gymnasium, Go Geon-Hui kept the warm smile at the corner of his mouth.
'I told you, youth is a wonderful thing.'
***
'Damn it…'
Jin-Woo clutched his side. It seemed he had been underestimating Cha Hae-In's abilities all along. He had powered up the 'Demon King's Longsword,' but Igrit couldn't keep up with her. The moment Igrit's left arm was severed, Jin-Woo halted the match.
"Stop!"
Even though regeneration was possible, he absolutely loathed watching his soldiers get destroyed.
"Hah—"
Cha Hae-In let out a long breath to steady her labored breathing. She clearly hadn't had an easy time either, as her body was drenched in sweat. Long, white fingers wiped the beads of forehead away. Wearing a regretful expression, Jin-Woo graciously conceded defeat and recalled Igrit.
"You win."
Whoosh. Igrit returned to the shadows. But Cha Hae-In still hadn't released the sword from her hand as she spoke.
"No, please make this one void." "…?"
Void, out of nowhere? What was this about now? Cha Hae-In continued.
"You said you'd summon your strongest summon, didn't you?"
Closing the distance toward Jin-Woo, Cha Hae-In stopped one step away.
"Is that black knight who just came out really your strongest summon?"
This wasn't a question. It was a tone that said she already knew and was merely seeking confirmation from the other party. Jin-Woo shook his head. Cha Hae-In, as if she'd been waiting for exactly that, answered immediately.
"Then please summon your strongest summon. That was the deal from the start." "You could get hurt." "It's fine. I've really been wanting to fight that one again."
Jin-Woo's eyes widened.
"You knew?"
Nod, nod.
"I watched the videos."
Cha Hae-In had replayed Jin-Woo's raid footage numerous times. The colossal monster that appeared in those videos—the monster breathing fireballs from its mouth—she had actually seen once before.
"That summon—it was the High Orc Shaman from that A-rank Dungeon boss, wasn't it?"
If that was the case, then the monster ant he had defeated this time must have also become his soldier. Cha Hae-In's guess was right. From the very beginning, she had been thinking of the monster ant and approaching the test with that in mind.
'I don't want to win halfheartedly.'
She wanted to beat a summon that used the monster ant's power and prove her worth to Jin-Woo. After a brief struggle, Jin-Woo nodded.
'Beru.'
Then, from behind Jin-Woo, a shadow soldier wreathed entirely in black steam appeared. Upon seeing Beru materialize before her eyes, Cha Hae-In instinctively jumped back. Whether in the past or now, his aura was nothing short of monstrous. Seeing the color drain from her face, Jin-Woo asked with genuine concern.
"Are you really going to be okay?"
Though weaker than when he was alive, Beru had been born as a killing machine designed for Hunters. Cha Hae-In pressed her lips into a firm line and silently nodded. Beru bowed his head to Jin-Woo and spoke.
'My King. How shall I handle this one?'
Cha Hae-In couldn't hear Beru's voice and showed no reaction. Jin-Woo spoke inwardly as well.
'Don't let her get hurt, but take her down.' 'As you command.'
The shadow soldier who had once been king of the ants turned to face the female warrior, who was tensed to the limit. Gulp. Cha Hae-In swallowed hard. The mana emanating from her opponent was so fearsome that it sent chills down her spine.
'So Sung Jin-Woo fought against something like this?'
The woman who hadn't flinched an eye against Igrit was now unsettled. Beru, fully prepared to follow his liege's command, finally let out a piercing shriek. Kyaahh— Blade-like claws began to emerge from his fingertips, but behind him, Jin-Woo glared daggers at Beru.
'Hey, put the claws away.'
The ever-confident Beru immediately retracted his claws. Jin-Woo reminded him of his order one more time.
'If that woman gets hurt, you won't get off easy either.' 'I shall follow your instructions to the letter.'
Having received Beru's assurance, Jin-Woo finally announced the start of the match.
"…Begin."