Chapter 1123

〈 Chapter 1123 〉 1123. Extreme Focus

“I want to test you. Would you care to spar with me?”

“…….”

An opportunity to freely spar with an S-Rank Hunter doesn’t come around easily. Especially Ha Hyeon-Shin, known by the nickname “Weird Spirit,” who has retired from the Hunter world due to old age. However, no one thinks that Ha Hyeon-Shin has grown weak.

Just looking at how he maintains the appearance of a middle-aged man in his forties despite being over eighty years old shows he’s far from ordinary.

So why did he request a spar with me? Could it really be because he wants to check my talent?

‘Why does he need to check my talent anyway?’

I’m part of the noble elite in the [Baekhwan] world. After thinking for a moment, the answer came quickly—it was right beside me.

‘It must be related to Ha Seung-Hee. Does he think I’m in a romantic relationship with her?’

Perhaps Ha Hyeon-Shin wants to evaluate not just my talent but more precisely my limits—how far I can go.

“The chance to spar with Weird Spirit isn’t something that comes easily. If anything, I should be the one asking for this duel.”

“That’s good to hear. They say you should pull out the horns while they’re hot. Shall we start now?”

“It’s an honor, but we can’t exactly fight anywhere, can we?”

“I have a training ground I usually use. Let’s do it there.”

Ha Hyeon-Shin stood up from his chair and walked outside.

As I was about to follow him, Ha Seung-Hee grabbed my sleeve.

“What is it?”

“Since you’ve agreed to spar with Grandfather, please give it your all. Don’t disappoint him.”

Her eyes looked troubled. I pondered what she meant until I realized she didn’t have much talent as a Hunter herself. Apparently, she had disappointed her grandfather before.

‘Ha Joon-Soo also doesn’t seem to have much talent as a Hunter. He’s impressive, sure, but even with that power, he’s probably only at B-Rank level or so.’

Even that level is already quite remarkable, but when considering he’s the grandson of an S-Rank Hunter like Ha Hyeon-Shin, it feels somewhat underwhelming.

“I’m starting to look forward to seeing that old man’s surprised face.”

“Please don’t call someone else’s grandfather ‘old man.’ And if you want to surprise him, you’ll have to put in a lot of effort.”

I gave her a casual shrug and left the study. A secretary-looking person approached to guide Ha Seung-Hee and me. It seemed Ha Hyeon-Shin had gone somewhere briefly.

We entered a separate building next to the mansion. Now I noticed the entire annex was a training ground. The ceiling was high, and an unusual energy emanated from the walls.

‘A barrier, huh? I don’t know what kind, but it’s definitely impressive.’

Considering the owner of this place is one of South Korea’s richest people and an S-Rank Hunter, the grandeur of this training ground seems less surprising.

Murmurs filled the air. The commotion arose because Seung-Hee and Joon-Soo, along with several managers, had entered the training ground.

“Sorry about the spectators. Do their gazes bother you?”

Ha Hyeon-Shin, wearing a martial arts uniform, asked me. Through the gaps in his clothing, his rock-solid muscles were visible.

“Their gazes mean nothing to me, but I’m not too fond of busybodies making random comments.”

“I’ll make sure they keep their mouths shut. My word on it, so don’t worry.”

“I trust you, Chairman.”

Ha Hyeon-Shin called over an older man dressed in a suit standing nearby.

“Secretary Choi.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Secretary Choi handed over a box covered with a cloth. Beneath the fabric lay a single well-maintained sword, radiating sharpness and presence.

“I heard you use a sword, so I prepared it for you.”

“This isn’t just any ordinary sword, is it…”


“Hmph.”

“Master Ha, this sword is a restored version of the one used by Kim Yu-shin. It’s one of my treasures. I shall lend it to you.”

“Ahh, Kim Yu-shin, the Sea King. I know him well.”

“…Sea King… You mean Admiral Jang Bo-go.”

“Ah, my bad. History’s not my strong suit.”

Ignoring my awkward expression, Master Ha gripped the hilt. A chilling sensation ran from my arm to my head.

‘What a fine blade.’

Still, it pales compared to my Huallen Sword. If asked why, I’d find it hard to answer. Maybe my hands are just accustomed to the Huallen.

‘Should I draw the Huallen now? …Too many eyes. Better keep it hidden.’

I swung the blade in mid-air. Not bad. As mana flowed, a blue sword qi formed on the blade. Adding a bit of my Celestial Spring technique made electric currents dance atop the sword qi.

“Celestial Spring School’s sword qi, huh. I knew you were from the Celestial Spring, but seeing it in action is quite impressive.”

“You know of the Celestial Spring?”

“I had some connection with a former grandmaster.”

Master Ha shook his head after reminiscing.

“Boring memories aren’t worth sharing. Do you need more preparation time?”

“This is fine. Aren’t you going to use a weapon, Chairman?”

“My body *is* my weapon.”

I looked at his white martial arts uniform. Nothing special about it. Just a plain uniform. No accessories either. In short, Master Ha was completely unarmed.

Though I know he’s S Rank, this makes me feel rather insulted.

“Before we begin, let me confirm something. What happens if I severely injure you, Chairman? What if an accident leads to your death…?”

Hostility erupts from all sides. The hostility from subsidiary presidents is nothing. The real pressure comes from Master Ha himself. Several times stronger than what I felt in his study, this oppressive aura crushes me.

The rigid-faced Master Ha suddenly smirked, and the oppressive aura vanished.

“You’re quite arrogant, aren’t you?”

“…Did I offend you? My apologies.”

“No need to apologize. It’s been ten years since someone spoke so boldly to me. Quite stimulating.”

Master Ha stepped back to create distance. His gaze sharpened. A contained momentum flowed out through his eyes.

“Kill me if you can. Even if I die in this duel, I won’t hold you responsible.”

“…”

“I despise men who only talk.”

As I tightened my grip on the hilt, I felt a chill down my spine.

‘This is an S Rank duel or whatever. Being tested like this pisses me off big time.’

I boost my spirit along with mana.

‘Who cares about consequences? I’ll kill you when the chance comes, old man.’

Sensing my killing intent, Master Ha chuckled amusedly. But the smile disappeared instantly.

“Let’s begin.”

The moment he finished speaking, I used acceleration and instant movement to close the gap. Master Ha’s reaction was merely moving his eyeballs. I gritted my teeth, realizing my top speed means nothing to him.

Above Master Ha, the figure of an eagle-headed bear appeared then disappeared. That’s the A Rank monster Grizzly Eagle.

Celestial Spring Style (影天流) Thunder Light (雷光).

My lightning-fast blade was caught in his hand. I never expected it to be blocked so easily. A slight sense of disappointment washed over me.

“Is that your ability, Monster Stealing (怪奪)?”

An ability to steal monster traits. Master Ha’s power is well-known.

“That’s right. Right now, I’ve gained the physical abilities of the Grizzly Eagle. Its strength and reaction speed are even greater than you imagine.”

Crackle.

The electricity responds to my will.

‘I’ll seal his mana with Lightning Seal and slice through. No matter how S Rank he is, without mana… Gahk!’

Sensing the move, Master Ha threw my sword upward. My body soared and collided with the ceiling before falling back down. Master Ha was charging an uppercut while waiting for my descent.

Celestial Spring Style (影天流) Ultimate Technique Explosive Thunder (爆震雷).

A bolt of sizzling lightning struck him. The moment it touched his body, it exploded.

It didn’t deal any damage. He stepped back just before the lightning fell, evading the attack. His white uniform remained unscathed.

Landing on the ground, I sighed.

‘I knew he’d be strong…’


I kinda expected it… but to this extent?”

I thought about Han Ayoung and compared her to him. If newly S-Rank Han Ayoung fought against Ha Hyeonshin…

“Nine times out of ten, Ha Hyeonshin would win. Just like there’s a gap between ranks in A-Rank, the same goes for S-Rank.”

Before the sparring match, I vaguely thought I might have a 1% chance of winning. But after going up against him directly, I realized I don’t even have a 0.1% chance.

“That doesn’t mean I can give up though.”

Above Ha Hyeonshin’s body floated a white wolf-shaped spirit. Golden eyes and a horn on its forehead – the S-Rank monster, Lykros. And Lykros’ attribute is lightning.

“…Damn old man.”

Lightning shot out from Ha Hyeonshin. This wasn’t ordinary lightning. It was mana-infused lightning. Lightning I couldn’t afford to ignore.

“I’ll deflect it.”

I swung my sword at the lightning. The lightning clung to my blade, trying to electrocute me.

“The way he used lightning was too simple. This probably isn’t something Ha Hyeonshin usually uses. He must be using lightning on purpose just to toy with me.”

The willpower within the lightning was weak. At this level, I could steal it. Ignoring the pain from the electric shock, I swung my sword again. The reflected lightning shot toward Ha Hyeonshin.

“Oh ho.”

Ha Hyeonshin let out an exclamation of admiration and extended his hand. He had no intention of dodging. He planned to reflect my lightning back. I anticipated his arrogance. After all, he has the right to be arrogant.

And then the lightning exploded.

KABOOM!

Yeoncheon Ryu ultimate technique: Explosive Thunder Shock.

“I mixed in the secrets of Explosive Thunder Shock while reflecting the lightning. Unlike other ultimate techniques, it synergizes especially well with Explosive Thunder Shock. It’s probably due to the influence of the lightning attribute.”

“Hmph. That was one hell of a hit.”

After the short explosion ended, Ha Hyeonshin lightly coughed. His white robes were singed, but his skin didn’t have a single scratch.

“…This is somewhat shocking.”

I quickly regained my composure. There’s still a chance. Ha Hyeonshin’s goal is to evaluate my talent. So the sparring match will last at least three minutes.

I kicked off the ground and charged at Ha Hyeonshin.

•••

Three minutes passed.

“You do have some potential.”

Ha Hyeonshin said. It wasn’t praise. His eyes only held boredom and disappointment. I hadn’t met Ha Hyeonshin’s standards.

Panting heavily, I created distance between us. Compared to me, drenched in sweat, Ha Hyeonshin’s breathing remained calm.

“It’s about time to end this and have dinner.”

Ha Hyeonshin tightly clenched his fists, put strength into his legs, and stamped the ground. The shockwave turned into wind that swept across the training grounds.

If I were my usual self, I would’ve given up here. No matter how Ha Hyeonshin evaluated me, I wouldn’t care because it wouldn’t benefit me anyway.

“But…”

Hasinghee, who was safely watching from afar, silently observed me.

“I promised Hasinghee that I’d make this old man’s face twist in surprise.”

Gripping the hilt of my sword with both hands, I summoned mana. I squeezed every bit of mana from every corner of my body. Side effects? When have I ever cared about those? Worst case scenario, I’ll use full recovery.

Next, I heightened my concentration. Instead of focusing on Ha Hyeonshin, I stared at the sword in my hands. Ha Hyeonshin realized this would be my final strike and waited.

“Heaven’s Heart.”

[Activating Heaven’s Heart. Will last for one minute.]

My resolve refined the mana, the mana transformed into sword energy, and the sword energy became lightning that seeped into the blade.

The heightened focus from battle pushed me beyond my limits, leading me to a realm I couldn’t yet understand.

Am I the sword?

Am I the lightning?

I don’t know.

But the existence I need to cut down is crystal clear.

Yeoncheon Ryu ultimate technique: Heaven’s Light.

Becoming a single beam of light, I dashed toward Ha Hyeonshin. I saw the shock on his face. A crimson rock monster spirit flickered above his body. For the first time, Ha Hyeonshin raised both hands to create a guard.

I slashed through him and passed by.

Straining my trembling legs, I stopped myself from collapsing. I didn’t want to fall flat on my face ungracefully.

Behind me, the sound of liquid dripping reached my ears. It was Ha Hyeonshin’s blood.

Recalling the sensation of the fatal blow lingering on my fingertips, I turned around. Ha Hyeonshin, whose arms were slashed, looked at me in surprise. It wasn’t a fatal wound.

“Amazing. I never thought you’d pierce through the defense of the Red Rock Turtle…”