Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Baek Jeong-woon smiled for the first time since the spar began and threw himself forward.

Seo Hyun-woo had no room for hesitation; he simply replicated Baek Jeong-woon's technique on the spot.

SWOOSH, SCREECH...

The forms of both men vanished completely for a brief instant.

Then two gray arcs were drawn, colliding against each other.

Not even the sight of swords being swung could be caught.

Only two gray arcs stretching endlessly onward, producing faint sounds of impact.

'......There's no room for doubt. It feels as though I'm fighting myself.'

Baek Jeong-woon paused his attack briefly and looked at Seo Hyun-woo.

Seo Hyun-woo was breathing hard, his eyes locked unwaveringly on Baek Jeong-woon.

The fact that he had exchanged that many sword strikes and only lost control of his breathing felt surprisingly refreshing.

'He can copy the ability, but he can't replicate years of experience and combat instincts. He understands the technique in his head, but his body hasn't internalized it, so that's where the gap shows.'

Baek Jeong-woon extended his right arm behind his shoulder and brought it down in one stroke.

A gray trajectory was traced, forming the shape of a sword aura.

However, this sword aura was considerably smaller than the one he had produced earlier.

'Let's try a battle of speed this time.'

Baek Jeong-woon raised his speed further and swung his sword in rapid succession.

Gray trajectories were drawn one after another, producing more sword auras.

Simultaneously, the sword auras shot forward, swooping down on Seo Hyun-woo.

SCRAPE, BZZZT, WHOOSH—!

Seo Hyun-woo gritted his teeth and produced sword auras in an instant, just like Baek Jeong-woon.

The sword auras fired off rapidly, neutralizing every last one of Baek Jeong-woon's.

Baek Jeong-woon's eyes flashed as he stepped forward swiftly.

'I didn't think there'd be another one like Jin-seob. No matter what I do, he's keeping up somehow.'

Baek Jeong-woon blazed with fighting spirit and began gradually releasing even more mana.

Hadn't it been just like this when he first clashed with Yoo Jin-seob, the one called the strongest in history -- his blood running hot, his heart pounding as if it might burst?

The difference between then and now was that this time, he had considerably more room to breathe.

WHIRR, GRIIIND...

This time, a straight line suffused with a deep gray extended forward in a true line.

If curves were a display of finesse, straight lines were an emphasis on power and speed.

In other words, he was clearly committing his mana to the blade this time to maximize its destructive force.

WHIIIRR—! CLANG—!

But Seo Hyun-woo didn't stand idle, either.

He threw his entire body into it just the same, tracing a long, deep gray line.

The two gray lines collided immediately, and at last, one side began to be pushed back.

'I must have put more force into it than I meant to. Am I getting too excited for my age?'

***

"Haah......... Haah......."

Seo Hyun-woo was struggling to catch his breath, his eyes fixed on Baek Jeong-woon.

Every muscle in his body screamed with agonizing pain, as if forcibly wrung out.

On top of that, he had spent his mana without reserve, leaving him lightheaded in flashes.

'I expected this to some degree, but he's incredibly strong. No, incredibly doesn't do it justice. Are the other Setinos Hunters on this level too?'

Seo Hyun-woo recalled the seven Setinos Hunters and was gripped by a strange sensation.

For the first time since arriving in this world, the thought struck him that he might not be able to win.

If Baek Jeong-woon was this strong, then just how powerful was the strongest Hunter in history?

'Kang Jin-ha will eventually surpass the Setinos Hunters. Then can I surpass them too? Is that truly possible?'

Seo Hyun-woo harbored doubts yet couldn't help but let out a wry laugh.

The original Seo Hyun-woo would eventually end up recording a draw against Kang Jin-ha in a Rank Battle.

Of course, Kang Jin-ha would still be in the process of growing, and the original Seo Hyun-woo would have grown arrogant and careless before suffering that result.

'But I'm different. I train every single day and constantly search for ways to grow. I can become like Kang Jin-ha. No, I might even become stronger than Kang Jin-ha.'

Filled with an inexplicable conviction, Seo Hyun-woo began releasing every last bit of mana he had left.

Even if he lost to Baek Jeong-woon now, the outcome would not be the same in the future.

His talent exceeded Kang Jin-ha's, and with continued effort, he would achieve even greater growth.

"Student Council President, let me apologize in advance. I briefly misjudged you. Now that I've crossed blades with you, I finally understand."

Baek Jeong-woon murmured in a low voice, his blade suffused with a deep gray hue.

The moment Seo Hyun-woo saw that gray hue, he understood immediately.

This attack could not be neutralized head-on, nor could he even hope to withstand it.

"......The Barrier System may not hold."

"That depends on what you do."

Baek Jeong-woon stood perfectly still, not moving an inch.

He was watching to see what choice Seo Hyun-woo would make.

Seo Hyun-woo thought it over and struggled to quickly find the answer Baek Jeong-woon wanted.

'What does he want? Even if I copy that technique, I can't replicate his mana volume or his experience. The reason he wanted to spar with me in the first place was...'

A sudden realization struck Seo Hyun-woo, and he glanced toward the window of the sparring room.

No matter how many times he reconsidered, the answer didn't change.

There was no other reason for Baek Jeong-woon to take an interest in him.

'This has to be it. He wants to see if I'm the same kind of person as the original Seo Hyun-woo.'

Once the conclusion was reached, Seo Hyun-woo moved slowly and then came to a stop.

He copied Baek Seo-yeon's ability and produced golden wings and a crown.

Behind Seo Hyun-woo was the glass window that allowed a view into the sparring room from outside.

Upon seeing this, Baek Jeong-woon seemed to hesitate briefly before falling deep into thought.

'Look at this kid. Figured my ability wasn't going to cut it, so he copied Seo-yeon's instead. But that action means....'

Baek Jeong-woon looked back and forth between Seo Hyun-woo and the glass window, then suddenly realized something.

He wiped the deep gray hue from his blade entirely and sheathed his sword.

It wasn't the answer he had been looking for, but wasn't it a more splendid answer than any other?

"Hahaha! So that's what it was? I hadn't noticed. I owe you another apology."

At Baek Jeong-woon's reaction, Seo Hyun-woo exhaled a sigh of relief and deactivated his ability.

Beyond the glass, Han Yu-jeong wore a serious expression and was preparing to enter the sparring room.

Baek Seo-yeon simply stared blankly at Baek Jeong-woon, her face twisted with emotion.

'Why is he acting like that? Don't tell me he's still hung up on what I said about the President?'

***

Inside Miterich's chairman's office.

The chairman's office was filled with nothing but cold silence.

Han Yu-jeong was glaring at Baek Jeong-woon fiercely, an expression of disbelief on her face.

In contrast, Baek Jeong-woon merely sipped his tea with perfect composure, as though nothing had happened.

"No matter how much you dislike the Student Council President, there was no need to go that far. Did you really think the Barrier System could withstand that?"

"As you well know, I had no intention of attacking. I just needed to check something, so I merely made a show of putting in force."

Baek Jeong-woon answered calmly and set down his teacup.

He knew as well as anyone that the Barrier System was not perfect.

If an attack exceeding its limit was delivered, the barrier would naturally give way.

That was precisely why he had carefully controlled his strength while observing Seo Hyun-woo.

"Hah... Is that really what you're going with? I don't care if the sparring room gets destroyed, but what were you going to do if someone got hurt?"

"You mean the Student Council President? Even if he'd been hit by that attack, he probably wouldn't have died. And you'd handle things on your end."

"Are you looking for a fight with me? If you put me in a difficult position, what are you going to say then?"

Han Yu-jeong was about to raise her voice but barely held back.

She had arranged this opportunity out of gratitude for his lecture at Miterich, yet he had nearly injured Seo Hyun-woo.

No matter how he was an old comrade and a familiar senior, she could not let this one slide.

"You're overreacting. There's no way I'd put you in a difficult position."

"How many times do I have to tell you things are different now? This is Miterich, and it operates based on regulations I created. I don't care about money being wasted, but no one is allowed to get hurt. And right now, you created that risk!"

Han Yu-jeong's eyes were steeped in fury and hostility.

On top of that, a dark current was beginning to creep along both her shoulders.

Seeing this, Baek Jeong-woon appeared to deliberate briefly before speaking.

"You look more dangerous than me right now. Are you planning to blow this entire building away?"

"You know my personality, right? I may have lost to Yoo Jin-seob, but I have absolutely no intention of losing to anyone else."

"......I'm well aware."

Baek Jeong-woon answered with complete composure, his complexion unchanged.

Han Yu-jeong had once been his comrade on the same subjugation team and the youngest-ever Setinos Hunter.

She always maintained her composure, yet once a fight began, her personality demanded she see it through to the end.

Even Yoo Jin-seob, supposedly the strongest in history, had been unable to do anything about Han Yu-jeong's temperament.

"I'll believe you when you say you had no intention of attacking. But only this once. If something like this happens again at Miterich, I will not stand by."

"People really do change. I'll apologize. I swear I had no intention of hurting the Student Council President. And I certainly had no intention of causing trouble for a dear friend."

Baek Jeong-woon bowed deeply, conveying his apology.

The Han Yu-jeong he knew seemed to have changed a little.

The woman who had thought of nothing but slaying magical beasts and defeating Yoo Jin-seob was now looking only at Miterich and its students.

"......So what did you confirm? That was practically a real fight, not a spar. Do you really dislike the Student Council President that much?"

Han Yu-jeong withdrew the dark current and leaned back against the sofa.

If it had been anyone other than Baek Jeong-woon, she would not have let it end this easily.

It was precisely because she trusted Baek Jeong-woon that she let it go.

"I wanted to see how he'd react when pushed to his limit. No matter how much the Student Council President copies my ability, he can't copy my mana volume or combat experience."

"He did look like he was struggling. He held out that long because he's the Student Council President."

"I know. While fighting him, Jin-seob's face came to mind. He's a very interesting fellow."

Han Yu-jeong knew what those words meant.

There was only one reason Baek Jeong-woon would utter Yoo Jin-seob's name himself.

It had to mean Seo Hyun-woo was an opponent he wanted to fight again, someone who caught his eye whether he liked it or not.

"So you're saying you liked him?"

"It's a bit ambiguous, but not bad. I worried for nothing."

"If anyone heard, they'd think the Student Council President was devouring the Vice Student Council President."

At those words, Baek Jeong-woon let out a wry laugh and recalled the spar once more.

The moment Seo Hyun-woo judged the situation dangerous, he had instantly shown an instinctive reaction.

That reaction was more than enough to satisfy Baek Jeong-woon, and there was no need to verify anything further.

'That kid deliberately stood in front of Seo-yeon. He copied Seo-yeon's ability to withstand my attack. No matter what happens, he's the type who'll look after Seo-yeon first. I thought he was just some difficult bastard, but it turns out he's been too busy pining after her to notice anything else.'