Eyeing the Armored Tree that had shaken its roots vigorously and closed the distance right in front of him, Jin-Woo gripped the "Wrath of Kamish" daggers in a reverse hold.
'First, a light tap.'
The dagger in his right hand traced an arc upward. Swish—! With a sharp whistle of air, something clattered to the floor.
"...Hm?"
The Armored Tree looked down. One of its thick branches—the one it had been using like an arm—had been cleanly severed and was rolling across the ground. Spotting the cut surface still oozing sap, the Armored Tree made a wretched face and let out a scream-like roar.
"Graaaah!"
But one creature's pain can become another's enjoyment. Having lopped off the Armored Tree's arm, thick as a building pillar, in a single strike, Jin-Woo gazed at the dagger with an amazed look.
'Wow.'
He had merely swung it lightly. Against the Armored Tree—a creature that hadn't sustained a scratch even when stabbed repeatedly with the Demon King's dagger—this was no ordinary Armored Tree either; it was a boss-class specimen. Its arm had been cut clean through, like slicing tofu. Was this what they called a satisfying heft? A sharp vibration traveled through the blade—something he hadn't felt in a long time—and his heart raced.
[My King!]
Beru, who had been quietly watching from behind, hurriedly spoke up.
'I know.'
Jin-Woo replied coolly as he raised his head. The Armored Tree's expression had shifted from pitiful to hostile, its eyes bulging as it raised its left branch—no, its left arm—replacing the severed right one. It looked like it intended to bring it crashing down to crush him, but the opponent was far too unfavorable for that to work. Before the Armored Tree's left branch could fall, Jin-Woo moved the "Wrath of Kamish" one more time. Slash!
"Graaagh!"
Having lost both arms in an instant, the Armored Tree howled at the sky.
'Good.'
Jin-Woo nodded. He had verified the power of the two daggers swung lightly. Now it was time to test their full strength, not just a fraction of it.
'They said the mana reaction is excellent because they're made from a dragon's bones, right?'
Jin-Woo's right hand, gripping the dagger's hilt, tensed up. More. Even harder. His eyes sharpened. As he gathered every last bit of mana throughout his body into his right hand, the black aura blazing along the blade grew fiercer and eventually ran wild. In Beru's eyes, the aura looked as though it was distorting the space itself. Impossible! Beru found himself stepping back a whole pace without even realizing it—a mana so terrifying it compelled him to retreat even though he knew the killing intent wasn't directed at him. Beru looked down at his own trembling hands.
'My Lord...'
In that moment—the first time Beru ever felt something other than loyalty toward anyone, a flicker of pity for the tree-shaped monster—the unsuspecting Armored Tree let out a roar of fury.
"Graaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!"
Its bloodshot eyes were, naturally, fixed on Jin-Woo's face. The Armored Tree's gaping maw yawned open as wide as a building entrance. As the creature waddled forward, leaping with its massive body to swallow Jin-Woo whole, Jin-Woo unleashed the mana he had concentrated at the tip of the right dagger all at once.
'Go!'
With everything he had, just as he had told Beru. Toes, legs, hips, shoulders, and wrist—he put his entire body into it, swinging at full power. And the result was.
'Huh?'
Even Jin-Woo himself, the one swinging the dagger, could immediately tell something had gone wrong.
'Huh!'
Gagagagaga! The black aura that erupted from the tip of the dagger in multiple streams swept away everything ahead of him like a savage beast raking its claws—a massive, ferocious wave. With the superhuman perception that could split a single second into tens or hundreds of units, Jin-Woo's dynamic vision captured the exact moment the aura tore through the Armored Tree.
'Good grief!'
And the force still hadn't stopped. It gouged terrifying scars along the gymnasium floor and walls, following the path of the dagger.
"Hah..."
Jin-Woo was at a loss for words. Thud. Clatter. Chunks of stone began dropping one by one from the gymnasium wall, which now had long claw-like holes punched through it, and before long the entire wall gave way and collapsed. Rumble—boom! The gymnasium walls, reinforced with mana for the Hunters' unrestricted training, had been destroyed by a single attack. Staring at the mountain-like pile of rubble that had once been a wall, Jin-Woo was stunned.
"So this is what it meant that the weapon could become far stronger depending on the wielder?"
A magic weapon crafted from a dragon's corpse. This was the real deal.
"My King!"
Overwhelmed by the power of his monarch, Beru rushed forward and dropped to one knee before Jin-Woo.
"This humble servant is truly moved beyond words by my Lord's mighty and mighty power!"
"..."
He really needed to block the historical drama channel for a while. His mother, who loved those shows, would be sad to hear—but he could understand why Beru was so overjoyed. Even Jin-Woo's own heart was pounding with this power beyond imagination. The marks left by the "Wrath of Kamish"—would a dragon the size that could blot out the sky leave anything less if it raked with full force? Jin-Woo clicked his tongue as he surveyed the shredded remains of the Armored Tree, the devastated wall, and the deep gouges in the floor.
'I should have named these daggers "Dragon's Claw" instead of "Wrath of Kamish," shouldn't I?'
Of course, this level of power was only possible because he himself was the wielder. Just then. A cheerful chime sounded.
[Would you like to change the item name of 'Wrath of Kamish' to 'Dragon's Claw'?]
Startled by the System's unexpected response, Jin-Woo flinched.
'You could actually change it?'
He hurriedly withdrew the command. After the message disappeared, he confirmed the name had stayed the same and let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew..."
That was close. If the crafter found out the name of the artifact they'd made had been changed from "Wrath of Kamish" to "Dragon's Claw," they wouldn't be able to rest in peace. Just hearing it made his skin crawl. The System, which remained just as unhelpful as ever, drew a small smirk from Jin-Woo. In any case. The power of the new weapons was satisfying. Both sharpness and destructive force were in a completely different class from the previous daggers. Grinning with satisfaction, Jin-Woo alternated his gaze between the "Wrath of Kamish" daggers, then returned both to his inventory.
'Right. The test is over, so...'
He ought to start cleaning up. Intoxicated by the weapons' power, Jin-Woo was only now beginning to take in the reality before him. He looked at the collapsed gymnasium wall and felt his own spirit crumble along with it. He'd only borrowed the place temporarily, and he'd reduced it to this. ...What was he going to do about this? After mulling it over, Jin-Woo made a phone call to Association President Woo Jin-Cheol.
"Mr. President. Please don't get excited—just listen calmly. I've got about three hundred ants here that are really, really good at demolition work..."
* * *
Three days since the Gates had disappeared. Having spent so much time on raids recently, Jin-Woo found himself with nothing to do. Above him as he lay in bed, a "Wrath of Kamish" dagger spun round and round. Like a bored student twirling a pen, Jin-Woo was using the "Ruler's Authority" skill to ease his boredom. Of course, wherever he went, a meddler was never far behind. When his younger sister, heading to the bathroom, suddenly changed course and flung open his door, Jin-Woo instantly recalled the dagger back to storage and played innocent.
"Hyung-nim, were you spinning a knife again?"
Technically, it was practice with the "Ruler's Authority" skill, but in his perpetually worried sister's eyes, it looked like nothing but a dangerous game.
"No."
Having disposed of all evidence perfectly, Jin-Woo denied everything with a straight face, and Jin-Ah's eyes narrowed to slits. Suspicious, but unable to say anything—when an S-rank Hunter who happened to be her brother decided to hide the evidence, what could an ordinary person do? After staring at Jin-Woo with deep suspicion for a while, Jin-Ah sighed.
"Hyung-nim." "Hm?" "If you're that bored, why don't you go out for a bit? It's been a while since you had some downtime like this."
His sister dishing out the kind of nagging their mother would be expected to do. Jin-Woo smiled faintly and closed his eyes as if to go to sleep.
"Where would I even go?" "Don't you have plans or something, hyung-nim? Friends, or something?"
Friends. The word carried a peculiar resonance, and his closed eyes opened again. A host of faces flashed through Jin-Woo's mind, but one stood out with unusual clarity. With all Hunters involuntarily shut in like this, she was no different. When he had inadvertently seen her naked through the shadow soldiers' shared vision, hadn't he sworn to treat her to a meal as penance? Ordinarily, both he and she were too busy to meet, but now things were different. She might even be just as bored as he was, spinning a sword around or something. It was a perfect opportunity to pay off a debt of conscience.
"Good idea, sis."
Jin-Woo sat up abruptly and stood. Startled, Jin-Ah took a step back.
"Wh-what?" "Excuse me."
Jin-Woo smoothly walked past his sister and headed for the bathroom. Sensing that something was off about her brother's expression, Jin-Ah called after him.
"Why? Where are you going?"
Jin-Woo flashed her a smile and said.
"A date."
* * *
"Enough."
Cha Hae-In's hand, which had been turning the wooden sword, came to a stop. Soaking in practice with her white uniform drenched in sweat, Cha Hae-In turned toward the instructor. The elderly man, wearing a worn-out uniform and missing an arm, gestured for her to sit down for a moment. Cha Hae-In nodded, knelt respectfully, and set her wooden sword aside. The old man was her master. Even as an S-rank Hunter—where few could match her physical abilities—she still needed outstanding techniques to maximize her potential. This was why she had chosen the quiet swordsmanship hall, and whenever she had time, she dropped by to hone her blade. Her master, who admired her for never taking a single day off, sat across from her.
"Lately, it seems there's been a certain hesitation in the tip of your sword, Ha-In-ya."
At her master's words, Cha Hae-In lifted her lowered head. Her face was rigid. Holding that gaze, Song Chi-Yeol continued in a quiet voice.
"I'm worried that a fear may have taken root in your heart."
Cha Hae-In did not respond. Song Chi-Yeol, who ran the swordsmanship hall yet went on monster hunts at every request from the Association, could fully understand her fear as a fellow Hunter. Gates never seen before. What unimaginably grotesque monsters might emerge from them—nobody knew. Being strong didn't mean being fearless. If anything, the strong might feel it even more acutely than those who weren't—a bone-deep terror that the weaker could never know. Song Chi-Yeol closed his eyes as if recalling something from the past, and slowly nodded.
"You must be afraid. How could you not be? I was too. The monsters you've faced, Ha-In-ya—I can't even compare them to what I've dealt with. But even I, when I lost my arm..."
Just then. Cha Hae-In's Hunter phone, tucked away in a corner so it wouldn't disturb her, rang.
"A Hunter who doesn't answer their phone—that won't do." "I'm sorry, sir."
Cha Hae-In bowed her head and rushed over to answer. But after she finished the call and came back—Song Chi-Yeol noticed, as she resumed their conversation, that her expression had begun to brighten.
'Hm...?'
She tried her best to hide it, but since she was someone who rarely showed emotion in the first place, Song Chi-Yeol picked up on the change with ease. After ending the call, Cha Hae-In approached him cautiously.
"Sir, I... have an appointment, so I'm afraid I need to leave."
Blushing cheeks. Bright, lively eyes. Seeing that, Song Chi-Yeol knew his earlier assumption had been wrong. The hesitation he had seen at the tip of her sword had not come from fear.
"Then you should go. Yes, go on."
Song Chi-Yeol nodded absently in agreement.
"Well then."
After a brief bow, Cha Hae-In walked out of the hall with light steps. Song Chi-Yeol watched her go, and only then did a quiet smile finally creep across his lips.
"So that's what it was... So that's how it was."
Heh heh. Wondering what lucky man had won the affection of such a gentle, diligent young woman, Song Chi-Yeol's face softened into a warm, contented smile as he looked upon his beloved student's beaming face.