Chapter 195  

“Master, can I ask to use the teleportation portal we used to come here to get to Hannam-dong?" Yu-Seong asked.

"There's no reason to say no, but it might be difficult to get to the exact location. I can only teleport to places I've been to."

That was good enough.

"Well, here's the address..."

Upon Yu-Seong's urgent request, Ok-Rye checked the location and tilted her head in confusion. She said, "Seoul has changed a lot. There are many buildings unfamiliar to me, since I haven’t been there. It might be dangerous, so we might have to go somewhere a little further away..."

"Please do!"

In fact, as long as it was in Hannam-dong, it didn't matter where they went. It would still be faster than flying on a plane from the United States.

Smiling at Yu-Seong's urgent look, Ok-Rye tore the air with one hand and created a portal. Just before Yu-Seong jumped into it, Ok-Rye called him, “Yu-Seong.”

“Yes?”

"I'll say it again, but I can't stand it if I hear that my disciple got beaten up or lost to someone," said Ok-Rye as she raised her fist and smiled.

"..."

"In case you lose, be prepared for a grueling three-year training and not two weeks like this time," Ok-Rye warned.

He hadn’t even felt the aftermath of the training yet, so why was he terrified already?

With his body already trembling, Yu-Seong nodded and said, "I will definitely win, master. See you later!"

After Yu-Seong jumped into the portal and disappeared, Ok-Rye momentarily looked at the final spot he had stood at. Then, she slowly looked up at the sky. "Baek Yu-Ri, your son has grown up welli. He’s strong and confident. You might be able to feel at ease even there."

Ok-Rye recalled her friend, her cute little younger friend, who had been her disciple before Yu-Seong. Thinking about the woman named Baek Yu-Ri from a distant past, Ok-Rye smiled bitterly.

She had been so happy when Baek Yu-Ri had sent a photo of her newborn baby, Yu-Seong. She had been so happy to have a truly cute nephew. But now, Baek Yu-Ri, the mother and someone who should have watched the child grow up, was no longer in this world.

"It would have been nice if you could have seen him like this with me..."

It was regrettable and sorrowful. Although Ok-Rye had experienced frequent separations and deaths over many years, it was not easy to adapt to the fact that someone had left her side.

At the time of the accident, if it hadn't been for the promise of fate that transcendent beings were bound by, she would have immediately gone to the Comet Group and turned the whole house upside down to find the culprit.

That explained a wish she made very desperately.

‘May the shadow of death cast upon that child be banished by my teaching…’

Despite this, what if unavoidable death were to strike Yu-Seong again this time? A deep anger swirled in Ok-Rye's eyes, which had been calm and serene a moment ago.

‘Then, even if I fall into a more severe curse of fate… I won’t bear it anymore.’?

She sincerely hoped that such a day would never come.

***

Do-Jin, who had arrived almost an hour early at the hunter training center in Hannam-dong where he had promised to meet Yu-Seong, looked at his watch with his arms folded. He commented, “12:18.”

Ah-Rin flinched at Do-Jin’s sharp tone as she stood next to him. Yu-Ri and Do-Yoon, who were sitting across from them, couldn't bring themselves to meet his gaze.

"Hey, he's late. And you said you couldn't get in touch with him, right?" Do-Jin asked.

Yu-Ri briefly made eye contact with Do-Jin before slowly nodding in agreement. "Yes."

It was a situation that worried her quite a lot as well.

‘He promised he would come back safely…’

Even though the scheduled sparring time had come, Yu-Seong was still not here. Yu-Ri tried not to show it outwardly, but she was indeed very worried.

‘Do-Yoon oppa seems like he might run out right away if Yu-Seong oppa still doesn’t show up…’

Just as Yu-Ri was looking at Do-Yoon's stiff expression…

“I’m worried.”

“Yes, right…. What?” Yu-Ri who initially replied carelessly turned to Do-Jin in surprise.

"Choi Yu-Seong is often late for appointments, but this is the first time he's been this late."

Despite the angry look and the scowl on his face, was he genuinely concerned? Yu-Ri’s expression shifted to one of puzzlement as she watched Do-Jin.

"It's 12:30. I can’t stand it anymore. I’ll go out to find him," said Do-Yoon urgently from his seat next to Yu-Ri.

It had been over 30 minutes now and they hadn't heard back from Yu-Seong. Do-Yoon couldn't take it anymore, since they hadn't been able to confirm his location or contact him for the past two weeks.

Just when Do-Yoon was about to go outside, the door of the training center, which had been closed, opened wide.

Bang-!?

With a slightly loud noise, Yu-Seong opened the iron door where the mana barrier was activated. He had a tired expression on his face. Out of breath, he said, "Huk, huk. Sorry for being late, everyone!"

His disheveled appearance, with torn clothes and an overall unkempt look, seemed to indicate that he had rushed there in a hurry.

Do-Jin frowned and snorted at Yu-Seong's appearance. "You look like a mess. Go take a shower and change your clothes before we start. I'll wait a little longer."

"No."

Yu-Seong desired to clean himself up, but he didn't have the luxury to do so. He now had about 40 minutes left. If he missed the time limit, a tremendous aftereffect from the past two weeks of training would come, making the spar impossible.

"I'm sorry I’m so late, but let's start right away. Oh, if you're not feeling good about fighting with me in this state, I can go and shower quickly."

"What's the point of feeling uneasy while we're going to splatter blood on each other anyway?" Do-Jin chuckled and slowly scanned Yu-Seong from head to toe. He asked, "But are you sure to fight like…?"

"I can do it. Don't worry, I can easily beat you."

"Beat me?" Do-Jin's eyebrows twitched, but his eyes and mouth formed quite a bright smile. He added, "It seems like you're telling a funny joke.”

“It’s not a joke,” replied Yu-Seong.

Although he felt a twinge of guilt at seeing the smile on Do-Jin's face when the man was really angry, Yu-Seong tried to remain as calm as possible. The more excited he got, the better. If they were going to fight anyway, it was better for him to be emotionally charged.

“Then, let's start right away,” said Do-Jin as he went toward the center of the wide training center.

While they were talking, Yu-Seong managed to catch his breath. Then, he approached Yu-Ri and Do-Yoon, greeting them with a gentle gaze. “Sorry for making you worry.”

“It's okay. You came back safe and sound.”

“Are you really okay to start right away?”

“Yes,” Yu-Seong calmly replied to Do-Yoon's question and moved forward slowly.

He wasn’t just concerned about the time limit.

'I can really win.'?

The truth was, Yu-Seong didn't really know what kind of training Ok-Rye had put him through. After the initial stages, he had no memory of the unconscious sparring. However, he knew instinctively that it was incredibly harsh training.

Just the thought of doing the training again made him break out in cold sweat and brought up feelings of terror in his mind. However, the effect of it was clear.

'I have no idea what she did, but...'?

Overall, Yu-Seong's skills that had previously reached B-rank had all received an additional rating of B(++) now.

'It's not just one +, but two.'?

In fact, at this point, it was safe to say that he had reached the limit of B-rank. It was not just the visible numbers alone. ‘My body feels really light.’

The basis for his confidence of winning was sufficient.

Despite it being a sparring session, Do-Jin was holding a real sword. He said casually, "If you're scared now, I can change my choice of weapon.”

"No, if it's not a real sword, we wouldn’t be able to show our true skills, right?"

After all, the weapon they were accustomed to was the best one for showing their skill. And now, the two of them had to clearly confirm each other's skill.

‘Now is the chance.’

Perhaps, after having trained under Park Ok-Rye alone, now would be the only time where Yu-Seong was stronger than Do-Jin.

Just as Do-Jin was competitive, Yu-Seong also wanted to compete and win again Do-Jin. No, in fact, his desire was even stronger than Do-Jin’s.

‘Kim Do-Jin, the protagonist of the original novel.’

Yu-Seong had never properly fought Do-Jin before. However, whenever they exchanged blows, Yu-Seong felt an insurmountable wall. But how about now?

With a small grin on his face, Yu-Seong raised his spear and assumed the proper stance. Standing in front of Do-Jin, the movements of the spear in Yu-Seong’s mind were different from usual.

‘Cu Chulainn.’

Cu Chulainn's Secret Spear skills were finally showing their full range of techniques now.

Do-Jin's eyes narrowed instinctively at Yu-Seong's different demeanor from usual. Then, he returned Yu-Seong’s smile with one of his own. He commented, "I don't know what you've been doing for the past two weeks, but…you've changed a bit."

If Yu-Seong's spear skills had just started to bloom, then Do-Jin's sword skills had already been in full bloom for a long time. Above all, Do-Jin was also looking forward to one thing.

‘I can finally see it this time, his true limits.’

Do-Jin never thought of Yu-Seong as weak. He also didn't think that Yu-Seong’s current appearance was due to just two weeks of intense training.

"Come on, Choi Yu-Seong."

‘Show me everything you're hiding.’

Just as Do-Jin murmured inwardly, Yu-Seong disappeared from his sight.

Bang-!

Immediately after, Yu-Seong’s blue mana-enveloped spear and Do-Jin's sword collided in midair. That was just the beginning of their spar.

The three people who came as observers—the Jin siblings and Ah-Rin—could hardly believe the quick strikes that followed one after another.

Kagagakang-!?

The two metal armors clashed six times in just one breath, and flames burst into the air. The exchange of attacks continued for several breaths. The tip of the spear and the end of the sword never touched the other person’s body. Even the mana canceled out before it could cause any harm to each other.

Yu-Ri, feeling the sweat in her clenched fist, turned her gaze to the side. There, Do-Yoon, who was also clenching his fist with a similar expression, looked pleased with the glint in his eyes. Clearly, he was enjoying it.

"If it's at that level..."

"If I were in the middle of that, I'd have to fight with all my might."

Finally, Yu-Seong stood on the same level as Do-Yoon, who was considered a skillful fighter ranking in the top of the A-rank. In fact, Yu-Ri's thoughts were not much different.

‘I’m sure he hasn't used his full power yet, but…’

The displayed ability of Do-Jin, who was called the genius of the era, was expected. However, the growth achieved by Yu-Seong was truly astonishing. The two siblings who had been with Yu-Seong for a long time could not suppress their admiration at Yu-Seong’s incredible growth.

"Oh...my goodness!"

"Young master..."

While they couldn't hide their joy, at that moment, Yu-Seong's spear grazed Do-Jin's shoulder and blood splattered into the air.