Stomp.

Stomp.

“So, Little Fool. Are you ready to get beaten up?”
“Today is Boknal(Korean festive day where you eat dog meat), the one getting beaten up will be you, Doggy.”
“Tsk. Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and talk big now. Then you’ll be groveling and apologizing later.”

Kang Do-hee swaggered into the sparring arena, tilting her neck and acting nonchalant, but there was no way she was as relaxed as she seemed.

“……”

I heightened my tension and tilted my sword scabbard at my waist. Then, I slightly bent my upper body as if to grasp the handle and draw my sword in one fluid motion.

The stance of drawing the sword.

It wasn’t a skill, just an imitation of the motions of a skill.

But unlike when I had forced myself to mimic Instructor Baek Seol-hee’s swordsmanship, this felt natural and effortless.

‘I can’t play around in front of this girl.’

There was no room for distractions like there were during my previous spar with Lee Min-young. If I let my guard down for a moment, I would be the one lying flat on the ground.

Hwaruruk─

A fiery red mana undulated around her body, as if she were enveloped in flames.

Indeed, she was a top-tier damage dealer.

The amount of mana she possessed was on a whole different level from that of a regular student.

Gulping.

My pupils naturally dilated, and my throat constricted.

‘It’s really on a different level from when she had the mana-restricting shackles on…’

Swiip.

Hoo─

I stared at her with narrowed eyes, then took a low breath.

‘Come on, step in…’

And like a hunter waiting for prey to fall into a trap, I waited for her to enter the range of my sword.

‘Just one more step…’

Right in front of me, just out of reach of my sword.

Stomp.

She suddenly stopped there.

Pah─!!

In an instant, her figure disappeared from my sight, and a faint sound of whooshing air rang out.

‘Chet, she’s damn fast!’

Shaaak─!

I gritted my teeth and immediately drew my sword without hesitation. Then, I thrust my sword to the left.

Kwang!!

The sword and her bare fist collided, but I felt a sense of futility, as if I had swung my sword at a massive boulder.

.

.

.

Kwon Kak Soo (Fist and Kick Technique).

Kang Do-hee’s main weapon was her own fists and feet. Unlike other hunters, she didn’t really use any other weapons.

She had tried wearing anklets or knuckles before, but they all broke or shattered after a few uses, unable to withstand her strength.

She preferred the raw sensation of smashing monsters with her own body.

The power she drew from the soles of her feet, planted firmly on the training ground, naturally flowed through her lower body, waist, and shoulders, leading to her striking point.

Kwaang─!!

A sound unimaginable for a clash between a sword and a fist reverberated.

Jin Yuha gritted his teeth and blocked her attack.

Kreeeek─!

A brief stalemate ensued.

Suddenly, Kang Do-hee lowered her body and unleashed a powerful kick from below, aiming for Jin Yuha’s chin.

Pah─!

The powerful kick sent a burst of air forward. Jin Yuha inhaled sharply and barely dodged the attack by pulling his chin back.

She then spun her body and unleashed a series of rapid kicks at Jin Yuha, too fast for the eye to see.

Taang─!
Taang─!
Taang─!

Once. Twice. Thrice.

His sword moved swiftly to block the kicks, but with each block, his body was pushed back.

Taht!

Kang Do-hee leaped into the air, propelling herself forward.

Whoosh─!

This time, her fists split into multiple strikes, raining down on Jin Yuha like a downpour.

He seemed to be trying to evade the attacks with the same graceful movements he had shown in the group sparring finals, but with each impact, his sword barrier shattered.

It was clear that Jin Yuha was at a disadvantage, but Kang Do-hee couldn’t help but admire him.

‘Huh, Little Fool is keeping up with my speed?’

She had aimed for his openings, but he somehow managed to move his sword to block or dodge each strike.

Jin Yuha’s physical abilities, mana, and other attributes were undoubtedly inferior to hers. Yet, how was he able to keep up in this fight?

As Kang Do-hee pondered this, a smile slowly spread across her face.

“I see. You can see me, can’t you?”

Jin Yuha had a wide field of vision. While facing an opponent in front of him, he could also give timely instructions to party members behind him and even designate their movements.

‘And he demanded quite detailed things from me.’

During the basic training, Jin Yuha gave particularly detailed instructions to her.

At first, she hadn’t been happy about what seemed like a denial of her accumulated abilities, but when she followed his instructions, she found that she could move her body much more efficiently than before.

And since then, she had diligently worked to make his teachings a habit.

‘So, the one who knows my movements the best right now is this Little Fool.’

Jin Yuha hadn’t caught up to her speed. He was simply using his uncanny judgment to predict her movements and respond a beat faster. That’s how he was keeping up with her despite his inferior physical abilities. How annoying to have a man who knows her movements better than she does.

‘Hah.’

The corners of Kang Do-hee’s mouth curled up in amusement.

‘Yeah, come on! If You’re the leader of my party, you should be able to do this much…’

Before she knew it, she had forgotten her original purpose and was fully immersed in the spar with Jin Yuha.

Kwaang─!

Kang Do-hee spun her body and struck Jin Yuha with the back of her heel. He blocked the blow by gripping the sword with his hand.

The clash of formidable mana sent her red hair flying.

‘This is fun.’

When was the last time she had moved her body like this?

She had thought that if this spar could bring out his fighting spirit, it would be enough, but as she sparred with him, her own fighting spirit was being stimulated.

To be honest, she had no equal among her peers. So, it was unexpected that Jin Yuha could hold his ground this much.

The difference between them was clear.

Yet, there were three reasons why Kang Do-hee had followed Jin Yuha’s orders without rebelling.

First, she had caught a glimpse of Guild Master Parandis, Choi Hye-seo, in him. Second, his leadership skills were exceptional. And lastly, she preferred to use her own body to its fullest potential rather than being in a position to give orders to others.

So, she hadn’t expected much from Jin Yuha in terms of combat strength.

His leadership skills were beyond the norm, so his current level of power was sufficient.

But she was wrong.

‘Yeah, if someone’s going to command me, they should at least be able to match me…’

Just like now.

However, the physical ability gap seemed to be catching up to them.

Kwaang─!

Kang Do-hee threw a powerful punch, which Jin Yuha blocked with his sword, but his feet scraped against the training ground as he was pushed back.

Chijijik─

“Keuk!”

He clenched his teeth and spat out a groan.

As the attacks became more powerful, he started blocking with his sword more frequently, rather than twisting his body to dodge them.

‘……This is it.’

She was satisfied with what she had seen.

She had seen the possibility of Jin Yuha rising to her level.

‘Excellent. Little Fool.’

Before she knew it, Kang Do-hee had forgotten her original purpose and was truly acknowledging him as an equal opponent.

She couldn’t wait to see how enjoyable their future party activities together would be.

‘But, it’s time to end this.’

This was enough for today.

As long as he was taking this class, there would be many more opportunities to spar and compete with him in the future.

Each time, she would be on guard against him catching up, and they would grow together as rivals.

Hwaruruk─

A more intense red aura than before enveloped Kang Do-hee’s fist.

And as she threw her tightly clenched fist toward his face, his expression suddenly changed as if he had been waiting for this moment.

‘……!?’

She tensed, expecting something he had prepared, but he simply took the same defensive stance as before, holding his sword to block her fist.

Tin─

Something unexpected happened at the moment their sword and fist collided.

‘Tin……?’

Suddenly, Jin Yuha let go of his sword.

The sword flew backward without resistance, and Kang Do-hee’s gaze involuntarily followed it.

For a moment, she was taken aback by the fact that he had let go of his sword.

In that moment, she lost track of Jin Yuha’s movements.

Grab─

Suddenly, she felt an unfamiliar sensation at her waist, and a man’s arm wrapped around her waist.

Grip.

Jin Yuha had pulled her into a tight embrace from behind.

‘What the…!?’

It was the first time she had experienced such intimate physical contact with a man.

Her usual poker face cracked, and her face showed her surprise more than ever before.

“Little Fool! What the hell are you─!”

She turned her head and shouted in a shrill voice.

Then, Jin Yuha whispered into her ear.

“Kang Do-hee.”
“……Huh?”

‘What the hell is this Little Fool doing during a spar…!’

“You still can’t grapple, can you?”
“What…?”

Jin Yuha lifted her body.

In her confusion, Kang Do-hee’s body was lifted into the air.

He then bent his waist backward and slammed her down onto the ground.

Kwaaaang─!
‘It’s a German Suplex, you bitch!’

And the faces of the students watching this unfolded with shock.