episode_0020

Take a slow aim at the target.

I naturally straighten my posture and firmly grab the gun I received from Yoo Soo-ho.

Just before I pulled the trigger, I remembered the things I had done. For some reason, memories of the murder I had committed flashed through my mind.

It seemed as if a lump of blood was vividly visible before my eyes. Soon, I could feel myself becoming detached from reality.

But I didn’t close my eyes.

I hesitated for a moment, but I pulled the trigger properly.

bang!

The bullet flew so fast that I couldn’t see it, and it hit the target perfectly. I looked at the target I had shot quietly and thought for a moment.

‘It’s powerful.’

It was something I could definitely feel.

I was satisfied enough because it was definitely stronger than what I had used before. Of course, there are stronger and more powerful ones, but I definitely wouldn’t be able to use them properly. If I get greedy in such a strange area, the situation could end up with a bad reaction.

So, this weapon, which has sufficient power despite being in the form of a pistol, is the most effective for me in many ways.

I think Yoo Soo-ho knew that too, which is why he gave it to me.

I fired a few more shots to get the feel of it.

The more I shoot, the more my arm starts shaking and it starts to hurt a little. It gets harder and harder to hold on.

‘The power is strong, but the recoil is quite severe.’

I think I need to build up my strength. There would be nothing more frustrating than not being able to use it properly because I have no strength.

I kept shooting like that until I ran out of bullets and was finally able to stop.

“Isn’t it pretty good?”

Of course, there may be better ones, but I was satisfied with this one because it was a hassle. It was a weapon that I could say suited me perfectly. I didn’t use guns often, but it was certain.

When I say this, Yoo Soo-ho makes a slightly bewildered expression.

“Where did you learn such sniping skills?”

He seems surprised by my total skill.

I don’t think there was anything special about it. It wasn’t like I was sniping a moving opponent.

“I never learned it anywhere.”

“But you shot something that far away? The recoil must have been really bad.”

“What.”

It was true that the recoil was severe. In fact, if I hadn’t had the ‘Marksman’ skill, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to handle it properly.

“Is it really necessary to train this?”

The distance between me and the target is end to end.

It was so far away that it could literally be seen from this space. That’s why Yoo Soo-ho seemed quite surprised.

This is somehow satisfying.

“But isn’t the actual situation different?”

“That’s true.”

After saying that, Yoo Soo-ho laughs.

“That was quite an amazing skill. Indeed, it seems like there’s a reason to choose a gun.”

But in reality, it’s not that I’m good enough to choose guns, but I just chose to get to this level of skill.

“Lee Ji-hye, what about you?”

Lee Ji-hye looked at me quietly for a while before she quickly approached me. I wondered if she had come too close, but she only took the gun I was holding away for a moment.

‘What, what is it?’

Was there a problem?

Before I could finish my thoughts, Lee Ji-hye suddenly shot at the target I had aimed for.

Bang! Bang!

After firing a few shots, he must have gotten the hang of it, as he hit the target perfectly, just like I did. It felt as if he was saying that what I did was nothing.

“That’s foul play.”

I didn’t really think much of it, but Yoo Soo-ho, who was next to me, spoke. Lee Ji-hye turned her head at those words and glared at Yoo Soo-ho, as if she had made eye contact with him. Yoo Soo-ho didn’t care about that and smiled faintly.

“Isn’t that right? I used mana, you know.”

Certainly, if you use mana as he said, it wouldn’t be difficult to change the bullet’s trajectory. Especially for Lee Ji-hye, who was an S-rank, it was an action that was entirely possible.

“First of all, you didn’t get it right the first time. Isn’t that where the difference started?”

“Ugh.”

Lee Ji-hye’s expression looked dark as she lowered her head. To be honest, it had nothing to do with me, but I ended up speaking reflexively.

“Well, I’m fine. So, there’s no need to be so depressed.”

“Are you calling that comforting?”

Lee Ji-hye spoke to me as if she was speechless.

“Huh, I admit that the overall skill level is worth watching.”

“Oh, that. Thank you.”

“But that’s not enough in battle. You want to be a hunter, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s take a look at your skills.”

what?

“No, yes?”

“Oh, good. Real life is different. I’m curious, so give it a try.”

No, what’s going on?

“Don’t worry. If it’s dangerous, I’ll stop you.”

Oh, is that so?

Yeah, I guess I can think of it as gaining practical experience. I decided to just accept it and look at the situation as positively as possible.

“What, do you have any complaints?”

“No. It’s good to gain practical experience too.”

“Yes, you can use as many bullets as you want.”

So, after receiving a bullet from Yoo Soo-ho, I looked at Lee Ji-hye. No matter how earnestly I tried, she was an opponent I could not defeat, but I would try.

Maybe she’ll make a mistake, and if she’s lucky she’ll win.

“Then, get up on the ring.”

I followed Lee Ji-hye, who was moving straight to a large ring nearby. What was the meaning of this?

I knew this wisdom, but at the same time I didn’t understand it.

Still, I will win somehow.

*

Many thoughts came and went to Lee Ji-hye. Among them, she kept thinking about the person named Kim Seo-jin. In particular, the reason she was going to do this duel was to get to know her opponent, so it was easy to predict what was going on in her mind.

‘I don’t know.’

I wonder why Suho keeps saying that guy is amazing.

I don’t know what was so great about him, and he didn’t seem very smart.

But it doesn’t matter. We’ll find out through this sparring anyway.

Lee Ji-hye lived through many battlefields. In order to become stronger, she trained a lot and fought even unknown opponents whom she had only heard of through rumors.

There was something in common that I gained while fighting with them. As I fought them, I felt like I got to know what kind of person they were.

Especially when the fight reaches its peak, it is not difficult to figure out what kind of person he is. I think that is the same for him. That is why I will find out right away through this.

‘Actually, I think I know even without sparring.’

Just looking at him, he’s an ordinary person with nothing special about him, just like he’s been up until now.

But if you keep thinking about what Yoo Soo-ho says, then the same judgment as now is forbidden.

When I first saw Kim Seo-jin, he was ordinary. He was flustered by my presence and moved his body as if he was nervous for anyone to see. So I actually ignored him. I thought he was a person who didn’t care much about anything.

However, when he heard that his benefactor, Yoo Soo-ho, was going to introduce him to someone, he changed his mind a little. He felt a little surprised when he heard that he was especially great.

‘That means the guardian has acknowledged it.’

Anyway, I looked at it a little more closely than when I first saw it. Even then, it didn’t look like anything special, it was just an ordinary person.

Yoo Soo-ho kept telling himself that Kim Seo-jin was amazing, but his doubts only grew.

Then, when I found out that he was an ordinary person, I felt betrayed. It felt like he was making fun of me. In particular, I was annoyed that Yoo Soo-ho kept telling me how great I was, despite being such an insignificant person.

That’s why my bad impression from the beginning got worse. And that’s not all. When I heard that I had to spend my precious time training that ordinary person, I was momentarily truly angry at Yoo Soo Ho.

Especially when he heard that the gun he had ordered to be brought to him was for that person, his thoughts stopped.

So does that mean the only reason you came here was because of that guy?

In the end, I couldn’t think positively about Kim Seo-jin. It was natural, since no matter how I looked at him, he was nothing special.

When I first heard that Kim Seo-jin was going to shoot, I thought that he wouldn’t be able to do well anyway. Then I was a little surprised by his skill level, but that was it. In the end, it wasn’t much different.

However, Yoo Soo-ho praised him again, saying that he was amazing. He even asked where he learned such skills.

‘I don’t hear that very often either.’

That’s why I was annoyed.

It felt as if my parents had been taken away by someone else.

Maybe that was why I wanted to know that person even more. I slowly looked over Kim Seo-jin’s body. Even when I looked at it again, it was nothing special.

The two who climbed onto the ring slowly prepared their weapons.

“Huh? Aren’t you going to take out your sword?”

“There is no need to do that to ordinary people.”

“Okay, I understand.”

The two who are finally ready slowly stare at each other.

Lee Ji-hye had planned to recognize the person named Kim Seo-jin from the beginning, so she tried talking to him.

“Why do you want to be a hunter?”

The people that Lee Ji-hye hates the most are those who don’t know that they are insignificant. Such people usually think that they are excellent and don’t hesitate to do strange things. Then, the people around them also get hurt and everyone ends up in danger for no reason.

The impression I had of Kim Seo-jin so far was that he was an ordinary person who I disliked.

It was obvious that he was a commoner who wanted to become a hunter. That was why his expression remained stiff.

“I do that to survive.”

“To live?”

Kim Seo-jin’s answer was unexpected. Of course, he didn’t expect an answer when he asked the question, but choosing to live was an unexpected answer.

“Yes, that’s right. On the other hand, why did Ms. Lee Ji-hye become a hunter?”

“Should I answer?”

“I didn’t do it either. So it’s unfair.”

Is this why you answered?

Lee Ji-hye, who was lost in thought for a moment, kept her mouth shut and then spoke.

“I, because of revenge.”

Revenge against the monsters that killed his parents.

That alone is what is currently moving towards.

“Well, is that so?”

Kim Seo-jin made an expression as if he had heard something he already knew. Lee Ji-hye didn’t like that expression. She felt like she had become a common person.

“Then who starts it?”

“I will do it.”

Yoo Soo-ho, who had been watching quietly, said.

“Okay.”

Kim Seo-jin shifted his gaze from Yoo Soo-ho to Lee Ji-hye.

Lee Ji-hye thought about asking more questions, then said something.

“What do you think of me?”

Kim Seo-jin thinks for a moment after hearing that. No matter how much the other person dislikes you, it would be polite to respond in a positive way.

But Kim Seo-jin answered with one light word.

“Then, what do you think of me, Ms. Lee Ji-hye?”

“Is this a question in reverse?”

“Well, that’s right.”

Lee Ji-hye thought about how to answer and decided to speak directly.

“This is the type I hate the most.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

Kim Seo-jin answered those words without a moment’s hesitation.

“Me too.”

When Lee Ji-hye heard that, she almost burst out laughing. It was truly a funny situation, thinking the same thing as her. But that was why she liked it.

In the end, I thought the two of us could never become close.

“You hate me too, huh?”

“No, that’s not true. On the contrary, I like Lee Ji-hye. I’m a fan of her.”

What does that mean?

“What does it mean?”

“The type that Lee Ji-hye mentioned that she hates. That type is Lee Ji-hye.”

“What?”

So are you saying that you are insignificant?

“Ha, that’s funny.”

Even though it’s a duel, I’ll end it painfully. I’ll make you regret saying those words.

You’re a person who doesn’t know that you’re insignificant?

That’s funny.

I am more objective than anyone else. But where?

“Please start right away, Guardian.”

“Okay.”

With those words, Lee Ji-hye shut her mouth tightly. It was like being insulted. Especially when someone said something like that to someone who didn’t know anything about her.

“Set.”

So I’ll make it painful for you.

Of course he wouldn’t die.

“two.”

Kim Seo-jin looks at himself.

“one.”

Starting soon.

Get ready to move right away.

“Start.”

“I lost.”

what?

What is that?

Before the words could be finished, it was all over. Kim Seo-jin, he declared defeat.

*

Well, this is called a moral victory.

Since I can’t win by force anyway, I have to win this way. And now that I think about it, the Lee Ji-hye I know is the best at separating public and private life. So no matter how much nonsense I say, she definitely won’t take strange revenge.

I was sure it was a character from a novel I had been reading for years.

Anyway, aren’t you feeling uneasy too?

A victory that feels awkward isn’t really a victory.

That means you lost.