Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Seo Hyun-woo was well aware of how powerful a Hunter Baek Jeong-woon was.

Though he was approaching forty, his swordsmanship and the sheer volume of his mana were at a level no one could touch.

Moreover, since enhancement-type Awakened aged more slowly than ordinary people, his physical age could probably be placed somewhere between the mid-twenties and mid-thirties.

'In a sense, it has to be called remarkable. Reaching a level equal to Setinos Hunters with enhancement-type ability alone is by no means easy.'

Of course, there were some enhancement-type Awakened among the Setinos Hunters.

But by general standards, the enhancement type had no standout advantages compared to other abilities.

It simply reinforced one's body or equipment, and physical healing and mana transfer were not commonly found enhancement-type abilities.

That was precisely why enhancement-type Awakened like Baek Jeong-woon received even higher praise and were looked up to by many Hunters.

'If Baek Jeong-woon set his mind to it, he could become a Setinos Hunter at any time. Even the Gold Sword Saint and the Blue Spear Saint bow their heads and call him their senior.'

The Gold Sword Saint. The Blue Spear Saint.

Both were Setinos Hunters, enhancement-type Awakened who wielded the sword and spear as their primary weapons, respectively.

They even showed the utmost respect to Baek Jeong-woon, treating him as a senior and a master of his craft.

In other words, Baek Jeong-woon's mere existence was enough to exert at least some influence over three Setinos Hunters.

'If I fight Baek Jeong-woon, I'll obviously lose. No matter how good Ability Copy is, it can't completely close that gap. Baek Jeong-woon probably knows this too.'

Seo Hyun-woo deliberated, but his decision had already been made.

He had absolutely no intention of letting this opportunity to build a connection with Baek Jeong-woon slip away.

He was merely curious as to why Baek Jeong-woon wanted to spar with him.

"I see. Then may I take it that you're willing to spar with me?"

"......You're willing to spar with me?"

"I have no objections, but there's a matter of regulations. Unless the chairman grants permission, sparring with outsiders isn't allowed."

"I can take care of that much. Are you up for it?"

"It would be an honor."

The moment Baek Jeong-woon received a definitive answer, he nodded and rose from his seat.

Seo Hyun-woo felt a measure of tension as he stood up after him.

Seeing this, Baek Seo-yeon was considerably flustered but couldn't bring herself to stop them.

'What are they doing? What on earth is my uncle thinking, saying something like that? And why did the President agree to it?'

***

Inside Miterich's indoor sparring room.

Baek Jeong-woon had secured permission for the spar from Han Yu-jeong with a single phone call.

Not content with that, Han Yu-jeong had even appeared at the indoor training grounds alongside Park Do-woon to observe the match.

Baek Seo-yeon felt a strange anxiety as she gazed at Seo Hyun-woo through the glass.

'To beat Baek Jeong-woon, it'd be best to copy Baek Seo-yeon's or Han Yu-jeong's ability. But even then, it would only slightly raise my chances of winning. And this spar isn't about determining a winner or loser anyway.'

Seo Hyun-woo had considered all of these points and had already copied an ability in advance.

Baek Jeong-woon, too, had surely not been brought up wanting to test his skills just to simply defeat him.

There was no way he had engineered this situation without a particular reason.

'This is an unexpected turn. Originally, he was only supposed to give a lecture at Miterich and become aware of Kang Jin-ha's existence.........'

Of course, Seo Hyun-woo had no intention of meekly following the existing story.

If there was an advantage to be gained, he would seize it, and he intended to avoid anything that would result in a loss.

Right now, he simply had a few questions because unexpected reactions and circumstances had unfolded.

'What does he want to confirm about me? Checking my skills is just a pretext. There's definitely something else.'

Seo Hyun-woo ran through every piece of information he possessed, trying to determine Baek Jeong-woon's objective.

At present, Baek Jeong-woon shouldn't have any specific concrete goal.

If he had to look, the only connections he could find were to the strongest Hunter in history, his former comrade, and his niece, Baek Seo-yeon.

'As I thought, it has to be about Baek Seo-yeon. Did Baek Seo-yeon say something bad about me?'

Because Baek Jeong-woon cherished Baek Seo-yeon deeply, he couldn't help but take interest in anything related to her.

If Baek Seo-yeon harbored hostile feelings toward Seo Hyun-woo, then naturally Baek Jeong-woon would react the same way.

'......No. That can't be right. Unlike the original Seo Hyun-woo, I gave her a birthday present and helped during the attack incident. She shouldn't dislike me that much.'

[Your opponent has accepted the Battle request.]

[Barrier System deploying.]

Seo Hyun-woo assumed a combat stance the instant he heard the Battle Watch's signal.

Baek Jeong-woon, clad in a battle suit, drew a sword from its scabbard.

The blade was probably duller than the sword he normally used, but it wouldn't pose any problem in demonstrating his abilities.

"......You copied my ability, I see. That wouldn't have been the best choice."

"I didn't want to resort to tricks. If I'm to receive your teachings, isn't this ability the most fitting?"

Seo Hyun-woo gripped the hilt and drew his sword in one motion.

To earn Baek Jeong-woon's recognition, he had to show a fair and upright side of himself.

It was a fight he couldn't win regardless, and it was merely a spar at best.

Besides, copying Baek Jeong-woon's ability meant his techniques came along with it, so he should at least be able to put up a decent show of endurance.

"Would you say the same in a real fight?"

"No. In a real fight, I would have copied the chairman's or the Vice President's ability without question."

"You'd be better off fighting as if it were real. I have no intention of going easy on you just because this is a spar."

"Even if I lose, if I can learn something from it, that's enough for me."

"......Your mindset is admirable, but I can see you're trying to coast through this."

The moment his words ended, Baek Jeong-woon stepped forward.

Seo Hyun-woo read the movement just barely in time and brought his sword crashing down.

Baek Jeong-woon's blade deflected Seo Hyun-woo's sword and readied the next strike.

"I hope that wasn't all."

GRIND—! SWOOSH—!

A gray current was surging from Baek Jeong-woon's blade.

Seo Hyun-woo instinctively sensed the threat and tried to shift his stance.

But Baek Jeong-woon's sword was already slicing down toward Seo Hyun-woo's upper body.

'He's coming this hard right from the start? What the hell is he thinking?'

***

'If you're going to do that, why even spar?'

Han Yu-jeong shook her head as she watched the spar between Baek Jeong-woon and Seo Hyun-woo.

A spar, by definition, was supposed to be conducted at a reasonable level with both parties' skill in mind.

Yet Baek Jeong-woon was swinging his sword with full sincerity from the very start.

'Does he dislike the Student Council President that much? He doesn't look bad to me.'

Han Yu-jeong was not one to intervene in the Administrative Office's or Student Council's affairs unless necessary.

Because Miterich's training and evaluation were based on near-real combat and a corresponding scoring system, she believed it was best for the students to handle things among themselves.

Unfounded rumors and problems would naturally arise in that process, and it was the Administrative Office's and Student Council's responsibility to manage those as well.

'The Vice Student Council President is reasonably strong in her own right, so why is he so desperate to step in? I appreciate the lecture, but this is a bit much.'

Han Yu-jeong glanced at Baek Seo-yeon beside her, observing her reaction.

As always, Baek Seo-yeon wore a cold expression, but her pupils seemed to waver slightly.

Baek Seo-yeon probably hadn't anticipated things would turn out this way.

'At least the Student Council President has some sense. If he'd copied my or the Vice Student Council President's ability, Jeong-woon wouldn't have been too pleased.'

Baek Jeong-woon was the taciturn type, and there was more than a hint of rigid stubbornness about him.

Those qualities made him dependable as a comrade, but there were plenty of times when he was frustrating and hard to understand.

It had gotten so bad that Yoo Jin-seob had once said to Baek Jeong-woon that if he didn't fix that personality, he'd never get a girlfriend for the rest of his life.

'Hmm......... I've been hearing rumors that the Student Council President and Vice Student Council President are dating. If Jeong-woon finds out about that, he might fly into an even bigger rage.'

It wasn't as though Miterich prohibited relationships between students.

However, if excessive displays of affection occurred, or if moral boundaries were crossed, disciplinary action was immediately imposed.

On top of that, the former Special Department Head's recent incident had caused those regulations to become even stricter.

'But it's just an unverified rumor. You can't say two people are dating just because they're often seen together. The two of them are both so exceptional that baseless rumors are bound to circulate.'

Since becoming Student Council President, Seo Hyun-woo had never once relinquished his seat.

Likewise, Baek Seo-yeon had only ever lost to Seo Hyun-woo in Rank Battles and had never been defeated by another student.

With those two also possessing good looks, it was only natural that people kept talking.

'Could the Student Council President really have potential after all? Even with conditions attached, it's true he can use abilities of every type. If he really is the successor Yoo Jin-seob has been looking for.........'

GRIIIND—! SWOOSH—!

A tremendous noise leaked from beyond the sparring room, seizing Han Yu-jeong's attention.

Baek Jeong-woon's gray sword aura could advance no further, its force steadily weakening.

Seo Hyun-woo had replicated Baek Jeong-woon's technique and completely neutralized his attack.

'......He's genuinely impressive, I'll give him that. Even at a glance, the replication looks fairly accurate. On top of that, his mana reserves are considerable, so using the techniques doesn't weigh on him much. He's truly too talented to be left as nothing more than Miterich's Student Council President.'

***

'How interesting. They said he copies techniques too, and he's done a pretty convincing job of it.'

Baek Jeong-woon stepped back immediately and watched the gray sword aura dissipate.

Seo Hyun-woo was gripping the hilt with both hands, producing an identical gray sword aura.

The two gray sword auras seemed to cling together before gradually fading away.

"Haah......."

Seo Hyun-woo slowly exhaled and fixed his gaze on Baek Jeong-woon.

They had only exchanged one attack apiece so far.

But the intensity had been considerable right from the start, and he couldn't begin to predict how much more violent it would become.

"Indeed, you deserve to be called the strongest in school. The rumors of your exceptional skill were no lie."

"That said, it's nothing more than petty tricks. At best, it's a method that only works against opponents of a similar caliber."

"You don't need to be polite. You perfectly replicated my technique. If you possess a greater volume of mana than I do, then I'd have no choice but to lose."

Baek Jeong-woon angled his waist slightly and pointed the tip of his blade downward.

Seo Hyun-woo sensed that another sword strike was coming and assumed the exact same posture.

In terms of combat instincts honed through years of experience, he was naturally outclassed by Baek Jeong-woon, which was why he intended to counter with the exact same technique.

'......It's been a while since my blood has boiled like this. Now I understand why Seo-yeon can't beat that bastard. In that case, let's see how far he can follow.'