episode_0059

Step by step.

Quiet footsteps are etched on the snow-covered field that has yet to fully melt.

The owner of the footsteps is none other than the beauty with purple hair, Moon Bora, who would elicit sighs of admiration from anyone who saw her.

“…”

Stepping out of the exam room, she quietly sent a text message on her phone.

The recipient was Yuseha.

She made up an excuse about having urgent business to attend to and hurriedly left.

“…Sigh.”

Of course, she was meticulous about her schedule.

On a day as important as the entrance exam for the Gonis Hunter Academy, there should have been no other distractions.

So why did she come here?

“…I have no face to see him.”

She simply couldn’t bring herself to face Yuseha.

She knew.

Avoiding the situation like this was not the right thing to do.

Even a three-year-old child knows that if they make a mistake, they should apologize.

But as one grows older, they come to realize that not everything in the world can be resolved with an apology.

“How nice it would be if it could be…”

Moon Bora’s heart ached.

She felt pathetic.

She had foolishly indulged in her own fantasies and misunderstood Yuseha.

Lacking the courage to say, “Please take the test,” she had taken the long and winding road to avoid him, only to confirm with her own eyes that he was not Yuseha.

“Nevertheless, I should apologize.”

But for now, she lacked the courage.

Her face was not thick enough to smile and say, “Congratulations,” to him as he approached nonchalantly.

Despite this, envy crept up within her.

“…[Pasa’s Sword].”

The white flame hidden within Yuseha.

The power to vanquish evil and purify darkness.

It was the power that Moon Bora had longed for in her childhood.

The reason why she was the only one who accurately saw through the situation, while everyone else mistook it for Ora Sword, was because she had researched information about Pasa’s Sword for a long time.

How to obtain it.

What the hidden flame within her was.

She had traveled far and wide, asking questions, seeking advice, and even undergoing training.

“…It was all in vain.”

She had not been able to manifest it in the slightest.

This was quite shocking to Moon Bora.

She had thought of herself as talented in her own way.

Her innate talent being a 4★ Quick Temper was evidence of that.

And the fact that she had naturally possessed the Epic-grade skill [Frozen Earth] from the beginning was her conviction.

But no matter how hard she tried, she could not grasp Pasa’s Sword.

“…It was to be expected.”

When she thought about it, it was only natural.

Yes, it was very natural.

To someone who harbored a despicable suspicion of others…

The noble white flame would not deign to smile upon them.

Meanwhile, at the moment when Moon Bora was tormented by self-doubt.

Yuseha and Mahana.

The two of them were holding hands and rolling around on the ground.

“Meow, meow…”

“Meow. Calm down!”

“Meow~ Meow~”

“No, you’re definitely going to pass, right?”

“Meow, meow~”

“Come on, what’s wrong! If I kick you out, who else am I going to pair up with?”

I calmed down the panicking Mahana, who could only meow to the point of being in a panic.

After spending so much time together, I had reached a point where I could understand what she wanted to say just by her meowing.

Mahana’s two tails were spinning like propellers.

The repeated folding and unfolding of her cat ears…

She seemed quite nervous.

“Hehe, it’s okay, really!”

“Meow~”

“Meow, Mahana?!”

Currently, Mahana and I had finished the treatment and were anxiously awaiting the announcement of the results.

“Indeed, it’s the Academy.”

The level of the waiting medical staff was astounding.

With natural healing, I would have been in the hospital for at least a month.

Oh, and the therapist was also amazed.

Mana, stamina, and even vitality were poured into the situation. If I had pushed a little more, I might have really collapsed from exhaustion.

“Ugh.”

Even thinking about it gives me chills.

At that time, if Pang Jina hadn’t intervened…

It’s terrifying to even think about it.

“But still.”

The reward for persisting with determination was immense.

“My swordsmanship, agility, combat skills, and endurance all increased by 1 level.”

The increase in stats due to leveling up was significant.

Later on, I found out that [Unprecedented Intuition] had also leveled up.

“Your intuition sharpens even further in life-threatening situations.”

“The intuition of a tyrant sharpens even more within your body.”

“The level of ‘Unprecedented Intuition’ has increased.”

“Speed and endurance increase by 2 and 1 respectively as a level reward.”

Maybe it’s because it’s of epic grade.

Leveling up was incredibly difficult, but the rewards were equally substantial.

“High-grade skills are great for this reason.”

It wasn’t just a privilege for so-called natural-born hunters to awaken [high-grade skills] from the start. Although the difference may not be significant at first, as levels increase, the gap becomes more pronounced.

Of course, it didn’t end with just this.

“‘Heaven’s Eye’ defies the laws of heaven. Target: Turtle Knight.”

“Acquire ‘Double Thrust.’ A level 2 uncommon skill. Acquired by dropping to level 1.”

“No acquisition reward.”

The majesty of legendary skills is truly unmatched.

I unintentionally acquired another skill.

Originally, it should have been ‘Triple Thrust,’ but maybe I learned it through a shortcut.

A skill one grade lower was registered.

“It’s a shame there’s no acquisition reward.”

Not all skills provide stat adjustments, so it can’t be helped.

Well, it doesn’t matter much.

Whether it’s there or not.

The real main dish was something else.

“‘Heaven’s Eye’ defies the laws of heaven. Target: Pang Jina.”

“Acquire ‘Fate Swordsmanship.’ A level 25 epic skill. Acquired by dropping to level 1.”

“A murderous sword that kills enemies with strength and pleasure, an art of Pang’s family swordsmanship is embodied in your body.”

“Strength, speed, mana, and spirit increase by 1 as an acquisition reward.”

“Usage is limited due to abnormal acquisition beyond limits.”

“Wow.”

An exclamation escaped my lips involuntarily.

An epic-grade skill!

And it’s the proper [Swordsmanship] I’ve been wanting.

The acquisition rewards were excellent as befitting an epic skill.

And there’s one more amazing fact.

“…Level 25!?”

The average skill level for characters who have completed their training is usually around 20.

Even NPCs are the same.

The fact that it’s 5 levels higher than that made me realize how much of a monster Professor Pang Jina is.

It’s even a ‘skill tree’ system that can equip ‘runes.’

Just by adding one or two decent ones, you could probably take down most people.

Of course, you have to be able to handle the mana cost.

“She really went above and beyond.”

If she had shown even a little sincerity, I would have been minced meat on the spot.

—

◉Name: Fate Swordsmanship

◉Grade: Epic

◉Level: 1

◉Skill Tree

◉Special Effects

: Strength+1, Speed+1, Mana+1, Spirit+1

: Usage limited.

◉Skill Rune

: Usage limited.

◉Derived Skills

: Pang’s Legacy (Usage limited)

◉Details

: An art of Pang’s family swordsmanship, a derivative of [Pang’s Roaring Sword]. Known for its focus on aggression, even surpassing the original in its murderous nature.

Characterized by a swift and powerful attack based on strength and pleasure.

As soon as I saw it, I clapped my hands.

It may look ordinary, but as someone who has been playing Gosra for a long time, I could tell.

“…It’s almost like winning the gacha, right?”

It’s a skill I’ve never seen before, but it’s powerful enough to establish itself as the final “swordsmanship” of melee dealers.

Another thing to note is the name recorded in the derivative skill, ‘Paengarang.’

It was the true name of the ‘Counter’ that blew me away.

It seems that it was recognized and acquired by following along clumsily.

Well, it will take a long time to use this freely, but just having obtained it is important in itself.

“Wow, it’s so rewarding.”

I can guarantee that if I show that I obtained this much just as a natural reward without any paid items, the community will go crazy.

They will probably throw all kinds of accusations at me for not manipulating.

Anyway, my stats have improved a lot with this.

◉Stats

[Strength: 21] [Magic: 12]

[Speed: 20] [Mental: 13]

[Endurance: 20] [Divine: 1]

From what I know, the stats required for a C-rank Hunter are an average of 30, excluding the divine stat, of course.

It is said that even stats like mental and magic, which are not commonly the main focus of melee types, are somewhat acceptable.

“…If I just grow a little more.”

I felt like I could go take the test right away.

As I was lost in various thoughts, suddenly, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

“M-Meow! Meow! Sehaya! It’s here! It’s here!”

“Yeah!”

It must be the result announcement message.

Me and Meonyangi nodded at each other while looking at each other.

At the same time, we turned on the screen.

“…”

“…”

And we just stared at each other without saying a word.

Meonyangi’s delicate face was filled with teary eyes.

I embraced Meonyangi, who ran towards me, and spun around with him in my arms.

[Congratulations, Yuseha. Your acceptance…]

[Congratulations, Mahana. Your acceptance…]

* * *

That night.

Walking down the street, exhaling cold breath, Moonbora pulled her fur coat tighter around her body.

“…It’s quite ironic.”

A mage specializing in ‘Freezing’ is weak to cold. If Yuseha heard about this, she would have laughed in disbelief right there.

A little later.

Moonbora reluctantly looked at the screen of her phone that she hadn’t been checking.

[Congratulations, Moonbora. Your acceptance…]

It was the expected result.

She had shown excellent results in both the first and second exams for checking the admission documents, so failing was no longer an option.

However, this…

Led to a somewhat awkward situation.

“…I guess I’ll be seeing a lot of Yuseha.”

The had many mandatory subjects that all first-year students had to take.

No matter how much she tried to avoid it, she would have to face Yuseha no matter what.

This was an unreasonable situation.

And it was also the reason why Moonbora had ventured out into the cold night.

“…It must be this place.”

A few hours ago.

Feeling a sense of guilt, Moonbora called Yuseha, and the response she received was that she was out drinking.

– Are you coming over?

– Huh?

– It’s a celebration for your acceptance. Let’s drink together. Oh, you can drink, right?

– Oh, no. I’m quite confident in my drinking capacity.

– As expected.

– …Yes?

– Nothing. I’ll send you the address, come over slowly.

Enchanted by those words, Moonbora set off.

It didn’t take long for her to arrive at her destination.

This is…

“A food cart?”