The moment Yeomyeong took a step forward, he drew in a deep breath.

He tightened his grip on his sword, his breathing stopped, and mana flowed through the spaces between his blood and muscles.

Snap!

The monster only moved after confirming Yeomyeong’s motion. It crouched low like a beast, then kicked off the ground with its hind legs and leaped.

Yeomyeong’s sword traced an arc toward the creature. All four of the monster’s front legs, sixteen claws, descended simultaneously, targeting Yeomyeong’s head.

In the next moment, the monster’s forelegs and Yeomyeong’s sword brushed past each other.

“Graaah!”

But it was only the wolf monster that bled. One of its right forelegs dropped off, spraying blood.

Its severed arm writhed on the ground, its breath turned rough.

The monster’s eyes became bloodshot. As if leaving everything to instinct, it bared its teeth and lunged at Yeomyeong again.

The iron chain around its neck clattered, blood splattering in midair at that very moment.

Yeomyeong exhaled.

Hoo—

He didn’t raise his Pyang-gyeol. The enemy wasn’t worth that level of effort.

Instead, he focused all his remaining mana on his senses, imprinting the creature’s movements in his mind.

The movement of muscles entirely unlike a human’s, the nausea-inducing distortion of mana.

There was much to learn from the monster’s movements. Insights that wouldn’t come from a regular human flashed through his mind.

‘It forces mana into its regenerative ability, squeezing its heart and blood vessels… Not bad.’

The moment his thoughts ended, Yeomyeong swung his sword. The monster, which had come close to his face, clashed with his blade.

Shlick—!

This time, its left arm was severed, launching into the air. The creature couldn’t even scream as it spasmodically swung its remaining limbs.

‘Nothing more to learn.’

The offensive turned. Gripping his sword with both hands, Yeomyeong plunged into the wolf monster.

Once, he severed its remaining limb. Twice, he slashed across its chest, and on the third, he sliced through its throat.

“Graoooaah!!”

Yet, it didn’t die. Without caring about its fading life, it lunged at Yeomyeong’s neck, maw agape.

Its hideous jaws aimed at Yeomyeong, but his sword was just a little faster.

Thunk!

The long blade pierced through the roof of its mouth.

Yeomyeong didn’t even need to exert force. The momentum delivered the sword’s tip straight to the creature’s brain.

“Grrrk, grk…”

The monster, with its brain pierced, trembled for a few seconds. As Yeomyeong withdrew his sword from its mouth, the creature’s body went limp.

Retrieving his sword, Yeomyeong turned to look at Man Seok-cheol. His scarred face was filled with astonishment.

“I see now why you were so confident… Impressive.”

“Does this mean I’ve passed the test?”

Yeomyeong asked nonchalantly, causing a smirk to form on Man Seok-cheol’s lips. He looked at Yeomyeong as if marveling at how this kind of guy even existed.

“You’ve more than passed. No need for further tests.”

The shock of having killed the test monster had already vanished. They could always get another creature if needed.

In contrast, talents worth keeping around were not easy to come by unless heaven willed it.

“Cheon Yeomyeong, congratulations. From now on, you’re a member of the Seonjook Mercenary Corps, Team 3.”

Man Seok-cheol approached Yeomyeong and patted him on the shoulder. It was moments like these that made him feel the reward of overseeing the test.

But his mood was ruined by a casual voice from the entrance.

“Seok-cheol, seems like your talent for judging people has dulled?”

Man Seok-cheol’s eyebrows lifted sharply at the voice. Without even turning around, he replied.

“…Kim Man-su, what brings you here?”

Deputy Commander? Hearing this unexpected title, Yeomyeong turned his gaze to the entrance, where a burly, muscular man stood with his arms crossed.

“Oh, right, I’m not a deputy commander anymore, just an instructor.”

“If you’re here to talk nonsense, you should leave.”

“No, not at all. Seok-cheol, I wanted to talk about that rookie there.”

Only then did Man Seok-cheol turn around. The scar stretching across his twisted face lengthened.

“What do you want to discuss?”

“Let’s assign him to Team 2, not Team 3.”

“…Cheon Yeomyeong was set to join Team 3.”

“Come on, man. Team 3 means heading straight to Manchuria. Do you really want to send such a talented guy to a place crawling with monsters and refugees?”

“The mercenary corps needs to fulfill its government quota. You know that, right?”

At Man Seok-cheol’s pointed remark, Kim Man-su squinted. He glanced between Yeomyeong and the monster’s corpse before letting out a deep sigh.

“Then send someone else. You saw it too. This rookie’s potential. Give him a few years in Team 2, and he’ll surpass even superhuman levels.”

“…”

“We only have nine superhumans in the corps, even with the commander and me. But with one more, we’d reach double digits. Imagine, we could cross dimensions ourselves.”

Man Seok-cheol stayed silent. He had no rebuttal. Given Yeomyeong’s potential and the rarity of superhumans, the deputy commander’s words were right.

As his thoughts deepened, Yeomyeong subtly raised his hand.

“Uh… does my opinion matter?”

Both men’s gazes fell on him. Despite the bold question, Kim Man-su laughed and answered.

“Of course, the rookie’s opinion matters. But what’s there to think about?”

He strode over, placing a hand on Yeomyeong’s shoulder.

“I promise, as your instructor, I’ll support you with martial arts and potions if you join Team 2. You’ll reach superhuman levels within three years.”

Looking at Kim Man-su’s confident face, Yeomyeong smirked inwardly.

‘He hasn’t figured out I’m already a superhuman.’

He could understand why Man Seok-cheol hadn’t noticed; Yeomyeong hadn’t revealed his mana during the fight.

But this deputy commander... was disappointing. Unlike Man Seok-cheol, he was a superhuman, yet couldn’t sense another superhuman.

‘So this is the level of a mid-level mercenary corps' deputy commander….’

Yeomyeong slipped out from under Kim Man-su’s hand.

“Um, Deputy Commander?”

“No need to be formal. Just call me Man-su, or even Man-su hyung.”

He was hard to read. But, not wanting to offend, Yeomyeong feigned disappointment.

“Deputy Commander, I appreciate the offer, but… I’m sorry.”

“…Sorry?”

Kim Man-su’s eyebrow quirked. As if mishearing, he tilted his head in confusion.

“You’re turning down my offer?”

“Yes, I want to go to Manchuria.”

Yeomyeong bowed his head firmly in refusal.

It was inevitable. His plan was to gain experience, not be taught by some mediocre superhuman.

“Do you even know what Manchuria is…?”

“Deputy Commander. The rookie has already made up his mind.”

Before Kim Man-su could say more, Man Seok-cheol intervened.

“Remember, you’re currently an instructor under disciplinary action. Anything more would be overstepping.”

“What? Seok-cheol, you…!”

“If I tell the commander about this, your next duty might involve cleaning toilets. Do you want that?”

“…”

“Cheon Yeomyeong, you’re now officially part of Team 3, heading to Manchuria. I’ll help you with the registration. Let’s go.”

Man Seok-cheol swiftly settled the situation, leading Yeomyeong outside. Kim Man-su, watching them go with an incredulous expression, finally regained his composure.

“Damn, that guy’s nuts.”

Yeomyeong didn’t look back even once.

Kim Man-su scoffed, amazed.

Back at that age, he would’ve done anything for martial arts and potions. Talented kids were just different.

He considered whether he should just follow them to Manchuria. With that thought, he left the underground area.

 

Seti opened her eyes while lying on the bed. Sunlight brushed her cheek, and she slowly sat up.

Just yesterday, she was sneaking through cheap motels to avoid the Korean government. Now, this dorm bed felt like cotton candy.

‘Did I wake up too early…?’

Stretching, she checked the clock. 7:30 a.m. She still had over an hour before the entrance ceremony.

After a quick wash, she prepared for breakfast and got her uniform ready.

Her luggage was light: three packets of instant noodles, a burner phone for contacting Yeomyeong, and...

A sword wrapped in white cloth.

She gently picked up the sword, the one Yeomyeong had handed to her personally.

She unwrapped it slightly, revealing a sun emblem on the hilt, proof that it wasn’t from Earth.

Recalling the moment Yeomyeong gave it to her, his eyes were cold.

-This sword… it’s from beyond the dimensional gate? Why give this to me?

-Seti, when you get to the academy, find out if anyone there wields a sword identical to this one.

-May I ask why?

-The person who holds a grudge against my family may be at the academy. The only clue I have is that they wield a sword just like this one.

As he said this, Yeomyeong’s eyes were cold and calm.

That was all Seti needed. She accepted the sword and promised to search for her enemy at the academy.

The problem was that finding a student with the exact same sword at the academy wouldn’t be easy.

There were too many people who wielded swords, and, more importantly, it wasn’t common for students to openly display their signature weapons.

‘First, I need to get through the entrance ceremony, and then I can start looking, one year at a time…’

She was making plans when the dormitory door opened, and a visitor entered.

It was a girl with bright, golden hair that shone like molten gold.

Seti recognized her face immediately, as would everyone else at the academy.

After all, she was the student brought to the academy by the Holy Sword itself.

The girl struggled into the room with a large suitcase, clearly assigned to this very dorm.

‘Of all people…’

Seti let out a sigh internally. So much for keeping a low profile in her school life.

Being a roommate with a famous student from the start was already a snag in her plans.

But in the next moment, Seti put on a polite smile.

They would be roommates for at least a year, possibly three. No need to ruin the first impression.

After tucking the sword back into her bag, she stood and approached the golden-haired girl.

“Hello? I’m Seti Hong, your roommate.”

“H-Hello, um… nice to meet you.”

The girl’s fair cheeks flushed as she struggled with her heavy luggage.

“You look like you could use some help. May I give you a hand?”

“Oh, yes, please?”

As soon as the girl agreed, Seti picked up her suitcase. Though hefty, it was nothing an enhanced human couldn’t handle.

She easily moved the suitcase next to the bed and gave the girl a friendly smile.

“Is there anything else you need help with?”

“No, this is it. Thank you very much for your help.”

The introduction ended there. The girl shyly began to organize her belongings, while Seti saw no reason to extend the conversation.

After about ten minutes, the girl finally spoke up.

“Um, Seti… are you from Korea?”

“Yes, I’m from Korea.”

The girl muttered to herself for a moment, then continued with an awkward smile.

“W-We’re from the same place then. I’m Korean too.”

“…You’re Korean?”

“Yes, well, I was born in Korea, but I moved to Australia as a baby, so I’m practically Australian.”

That’s a lie. Seti instantly recognized it. Not because of her sharp senses, but because the lie was just so obvious.

Shaky eyes, a trembling voice.

‘…Has she never told a lie before?’

Seti chose not to point it out.

She didn’t know why the girl was pretending to be Korean, but as long as it didn’t harm her, it didn’t matter.

But when the girl introduced herself, Seti narrowed her eyes unconsciously.

“Oh, Seti, I didn’t introduce myself yet. My name is… Miry. So Miry.”

“…Your surname is So?”

“Yes, well, is that strange?”

Of course, it’s strange. You don’t run into someone with the surname So every day.

Seti swallowed back the words and simply shook her head.

“No, I was just curious because it’s a rare surname.”

“Yes, it is, isn’t it? My father is quite well-known for his unusual family name. Haha…”

As the girl laughed awkwardly, a sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.