episode_0036

Sejun Han is majoring in business administration.

To be precise, the minor is management. Needless to say, my main major is hunter studies, and this applies to all undergraduate students at Ellada.

To be honest, I don’t know if minors are necessary for fighting monsters, but it is said that Northmund wanted it that way.

“A hunter must have not only military power but also intelligence to match.”

It is said that he pushed for it. I’m not sure, but there are a lot of posts on the internet speculating that this might be the Grandis Magic Tower style.

what… Regardless of being a hunter or a high ability student, there was nothing wrong with being a person with both civil and military skills, so there were few voices of dissatisfaction.

Although it was an estranged hope as he had already set foot on the path to becoming a hunter, Han Se-jun’s goal in the past was to run a business under his own name, so he happily accepted a major in business administration.

Because liberal arts majors tend to be those in the commerce field, many people take business administration classes like him.

However, as a human being, even if you don’t know your major, it’s easy to neglect your minor.

A lot of people skipped the show, showed up but ran away, or more than half of them just slept.

Han Sejun was actually no different.

I didn’t skip classes, but perhaps because I lived in isolation from my studies for three years in high school, the content was difficult and I just felt sleepy, so I was already getting a good night’s sleep.

After the lecture ended, he woke up and wiped the drool he had spilled, and when he saw that the professor looked really worried about his job, he hurried out of the lecture room and ran away.

Because my conscience was pricked.

As promised in the morning, he headed to the classroom at the end of the third floor, opened the door, and saw two people inside.

It was Jang Ah-hyeon and Tania.

“Are you here?”

“Yes, hello. Looks like two people haven’t arrived yet.”

“Muriel says she can’t come because she has errands to attend to. Mr. Nakajima is coming now.”

“Isn’t this a strategy meeting to prepare for the midterm exams? Can I get away like that?”

He said as he pulled out a chair and sat down.

“She is surprisingly talented though. Maybe we can maintain top grades.”

“Really? If that’s you, then you’re right.”

Suddenly, something came into Han Sejun’s head. It was a question that had been tickling his mind since the beginning of the semester.

“There’s one thing I’m curious about: Ellada’s grades. Is it really necessary to risk your life like that? Anyway, if you graduate from Elada, don’t you have to work as a GDO soldier for the next 7 years? If my grades are high, will I be able to get into the TO I want first?”

To be precise, if you are evaluated as having a certain level of combat ability as a person with special abilities, you must grab a weapon and go to work if an emergency arises even while attending Ellada.

If you consider the Elada period, it is a long service period of 10 years in total. Kind of sad.

“It’s just as you said. If your grades are good, you can be assigned to GDO’s most important facility.”

Jang A-hyeon said while sipping the iced Americano in her hand.

“You know where the most important facilities are, right?”

“… Is this Elada?”

“That’s right.”

Jang Ah-hyun smiled broadly. My impression from meeting her over the past few days is that she seems to be in quite a good mood when the conversation goes the way she wants.

On the other hand, if you do not meet your standards, you will be filled with contempt.

“If your grades are not good, you will end up on the front line against monsters. Considering the current combat situation, the likelihood of surviving for more than 5 years is quite low.”

“You’re saying you’re desperate to survive… .”

“On the other hand, if your grades are good, you could become a teacher at Elada. They will probably hire a huge number of teachers. Because there is a huge manpower shortage in Ellada right now.”

“I see… . So are you aiming for that?”

“That’s not true.”

She clenched her fists. Flowing around her body was a determined determination. It seemed like a manifestation of the will to achieve something in the future.

” That’s right. You are the successor to Taesung Group. Because that will definitely have to be followed… .”

“That’s not it either.”

Her eyes stare intently at Han Se-jun. Although his face was expressionless, Han Sejun couldn’t help but feel familiar with it. It’s nice to see someone with a strong will.

“I don’t care about the group’s work. I will be assigned to this Elada.”

“Huh? Wouldn’t it be better to become a teacher? Even if you are not a professor, the school says─”

“Just because you were assigned to Elada doesn’t mean you think you’ll be the only security guard at the academy, right? If there is an emergency, we go out at any time and help the dean internally or externally or fight alongside him. That’s what I hope for.”

I see Han Sejun swallowed those words in his mind and looked blankly at his toes.

Did he think this place was just a comfortable place? Once again, I felt that this place was no different from a barracks.

Different people come here with different intentions, but in the end, the ultimate goal is one. Defeating the monsters and surviving until the end.

“Sorry. It’s late.”

The door opens with a clang, and Nakajima bows deeply and approaches here at a slow pace.

“The same goes for factions. I told you before that each faction leader receives support from somewhere, right?

In other words, receiving support from sponsors is proof that you will not be unnecessarily sent to a dangerous place. If you make a connection with that person, you will be able to avoid deployment to a dangerous area through his or her influence even after graduation.”

“Joining a faction is like insurance.”

“Yes. Therefore, the head of a faction has an obligation to maintain top-tier grades. You can’t be abandoned by your sponsor, right?”

In that case, Jang Ah-hyun is truly a safe Dong-A-Jul. Han Sejun thought that way.

Since she is the successor to the group, she will not be abandoned by them as long as she does not make too big a mistake. Perhaps she is also hinting at this advantage to herself.

Nakajima, who appeared late, was looking at Han Se-jun and Jang A-hyeon alternately with a puzzled expression, as if he couldn’t understand the flow of the story.

Her appearance looked like a surprised rabbit, and Han Se-jun suddenly thought that she was cute.

Of course, when our eyes met, I quickly looked away from her. I felt a little hurt.

“In that sense, Li Jiyuan was greatly insulted.”

“Why?”

“The first awakened person, the hero of the Chinese nation, has received an official declaration that his skills are equal to yours. Maybe he was expecting Gideon Gray or Jimmy Ramirez.”

In other words, the mere fact that Sejun Han was assigned an opponent was a huge blow to Li Jiyuan’s image.

This means that the head of one faction was evaluated as being equal in skill to a student, not to the head of another faction.

It looks good. Han Sejun felt a smile come to his lips.

“In that case, you must defeat Lee in the midterm exam.”

A voice was heard from somewhere. It was a low-pitched, boyish female voice.

Hearing the voice for the first time, he was taken aback and looked around for a moment before spotting two eyes.

“Grayson? Was it just you?”

“Yes. You can call me Tania. Can I call you Sejun too?”

“Ah… Of course.”

She smiled slightly. Sejun laughed along with her at her smile, which looked a little boyish and healthy.

“That’s why.”

She paused for a moment. Han Sejun waited for her next words with some anticipation.

Tania Grayson. It was the first time I heard her voice today. He was so quiet that even though we were close to each other, I couldn’t remember ever saying a single word to him.

I almost thought that the voice was strange or that there was some trauma to my voice, but I guess that wasn’t the case.

It’s a low but pretty voice, so why hasn’t it spoken before? And why is that quiet young lady opening her mouth and speaking only now?

And the words that came out of her mouth were,

“Let’s spar with me, Sejun. Right now.”

“… What?”

Sejun wasn’t the only one who let out words of confusion. Jang A-hyeon also let out an exclamation of surprise, and Nakajima also gave a characteristic eh? showed a reaction.

But the person who said those words just looked at him so calmly.

“I asked Muriel Müller, my original opponent, but she refused, making excuses. So I ask you ”

“No… Then the reason Muriel didn’t come today.”

“It doesn’t matter. Because I wanted to fight with you once. Then let’s go.”

“Sleep… Wait a minute!”

At that moment, her fist grazed his chin without question. If he hadn’t reflexively tilted his head back, his jaw might have been broken.

Cold sweat ran down his back.

‘… ‘Is this real?’

Immediately, her other fist came swinging at her.

Coming this far, what she said was actually a surprise. It was a joke. The chances of it ending in the same way seemed infinitely slim.

“Now… wait for a sec! This is the classroom!”

“It doesn’t matter. Because it’s an empty classroom.”

That’s not what I meant… . These days, it seemed like all my illusions about women were being shattered.

Tania Grayson was always quiet. Contrary to Sejun’s expectations, she seemed to be the type of person who was quite self-righteous and didn’t care much about how her words sounded to others.

‘I expected this type of person to be quiet but shy when he opens his mouth!’

I used my arms to block the attack she was making. A dull, heavy pain seeped into my arm.

She was even using mana. I really mean it.

I couldn’t believe the strength that came from her slender wrists. I thought he was healthy, but he didn’t look like he was going to use that much effort.

But with this much power… . Mana users are amazing.

Han Sejun prepared a counterattack. While she was punching again, he prepared a counter.

There is something his father always said when he was drunk. Don’t avoid a fight that comes at you. It’s actually an insult to the person who attacks.

I’m saying this while I’m drunk, so I don’t really want to follow him, but now I feel like I have to follow my father’s path.

─Kang!

I heard the sound of hitting a metal wall and felt a sharp pain at the tip of my fist.

When he looked at the source of the sound, he saw a pale green barrier separating him and her.

‘Lee Neung!’

Come to think of it, her special ability is a barrier. Tania Grayson of Barrier. This was what Jang Ah-hyun said when introducing the members.

As soon as he saw her supernatural ability manifest, he quickly threw a low kick and aimed for her shin.

─Puck

This time, his feet were blocked by her barrier, making a distinctive sound.

But he caught that subtle change.

‘The sound has changed. It seems that as the number of areas protected by a barrier increases, the strength of the barrier decreases.’

The first time he threw his fist, it bounced off with a metallic sound, but this time, he felt like his toe had slightly dug into her barrier.

As if she had guessed that her weakness had been revealed, Tania swung her fist again with a slightly stiff expression.

As I block her incoming fist with my left hand, the heavy pain comes back to me.

But before he could even feel the pain, he grabbed her wrist with his left hand, which blocked the fist, and quickly pulled it towards her.

She looked surprised as she was pulled towards him. Soon, her knee was aimed at his abdomen.

“Wook!”

“Aaaah!”

Han Se-jun almost spit out the entire lunch he ate that day because her magical knee was stuck in his stomach.

But he still didn’t let go of her wrist.

Nakajima covered her mouth with his hand and looked surprised. His eyes were trembling as if it was his first time seeing a real fight between people.

*

‘Is this all that works?’

Tania had doubtful thoughts in her mind.

Sejun Han. He was a person whom his leader, Jang Ah-hyeon, held in quite high regard.

However, his combat sense was not as good as expected, and all attacks were allowed.

The tactic of trying to throw a new counter by pulling one’s arm out of balance was worth it, but unfortunately it didn’t work.

‘Because it’s the opposite of me.’

His counter was blocked by the barrier and her knee hit his stomach.

“Wook!”

He twitched slightly, screaming in pain.

‘Is it at this level? .’

It’s a little disappointing.

Sejun Han didn’t have particularly wide shoulders, and he didn’t look like he had great strength like Gideon.

He seemed to have a slightly timid personality, but it wasn’t a bad thing to see his unwavering eyes and passion when he was concentrating on something.

However, I feel like it is nowhere near my level.

I shook my head slightly, intending to end the sparring, and looked at the leader.

I want to end this sparring. Therefore, it was a look that conveyed the meaning of asking them to intervene and declare the end of the sparring.

But her gaze was cold. Why? There’s no reason to fight him anymore anyway… .

“Damn. Okay, I’ll do it right.”

At the sound of a voice ringing behind me, I quickly turned around and looked at the owner of the voice.

“This is what I wanted. Right?”

“ugh.”

At sunset, the classroom filled with the orange glow of the sunset was brightly colored.

I heard something burning. There was a crackling sound of burning firewood and a fire burning fiercely as if oil had been poured on it.

It looked like flames had engulfed a man, but strangely, the flames did not feel any heat.

Only the sound of the fire rumbling penetrated the classroom, and then it circled around inside and was engulfed by the flames again.

“Ugh!”

She let out a moan without realizing it.

The sound rang out, and the barrier hit by his fist cracked like a spider web.

Immediately once again, his power hit the barrier, and with a crashing sound, her barrier shattered like glass breaking.

She looked at him blankly at that absurd sight. He was staggering slightly, as if an enormous amount of magical power was being consumed by the seemingly runaway display of supernormal abilities.

But even so, I felt a force that was pressing heavily on this space, heavier than any other being.

She gritted her teeth.

Her shoe flew like a bullet and lodged in his stomach. Her body, which had been slightly swayed by her direct assault with her full weight on it, was pushed back significantly.

“… Still standing.”

He was still standing tall.

She felt defeated.

I had the illusion that I was standing at the bottom of a huge waterfall and looking out over the sky where the water was falling.

A fist flew at her. Yeomgu’s fist, filled with blazing flames, fell on her.

“Ugh… ”

Without realizing it, I raised my arms and unconsciously covered my face. If he has that much power, he will soon be… .

“… .”

“… .”

Contrary to her expectations, she slowly opened her eyes, feeling uninterrupted consciousness.

Before her eyes, Han Sejun was sitting down with a very tired expression. With his eyes fixed on her, a small smile appeared on his lips.

“I won, right? I hope you acknowledge it.”

“Ugh… Ugh.”

I had no choice but to nod my head in the affirmative. It was a complete defeat for which he could not even make an excuse.

“No, Han Sejun, you lost.”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Jang Ah-hyeon spoke coldly to Han Se-jun. At that merciless evaluation, Han Sejun’s eyes were unable to focus and were shaken violently.

“What do you mean… .”

“What. You are the winner of the match itself. But you lost in the evaluation.”

“… Ah!”

widely! With a sound, she put down the cup of iced Americano she was drinking on the stool.

She sighed slightly and continued.

“You know. This is not a duel. It’s not a matter of life or death. This is sparring in preparation for battle with monsters. But you… .”

“… .”

Sejun swallowed his words as there was nothing to disagree with. She’s right. Instead of dodging, he just attacked with his bare body, so the instructors’ evaluation scores would have been the lowest.

Come to think of it, Tania also said she would like to spar with me. Not a confrontation.

It was a complete misjudgment.

“I wish I knew. Still, I’m glad I learned something today. If I had behaved the same way during the evaluation, I would have been in big trouble.”

After leaving those words, Jang Ah-hyeon left the lecture room as if she had nothing more to say. Nakajima, who was looking at the three people pitifully, not knowing what to do, goes with her! He followed behind.

Tania, who was staring at Han Sejun with a red face, also said hello and left the classroom.

“… Didn’t I call you because I had something to say today?”

Didn’t you call me in the morning to say there was a strategy meeting? So what was it in the end?

“Why did I come here today… .”

In the classroom where he was alone, Han Sejun scratched his head and muttered.