Chapter 144: Sword Practice (1)

Mock Battle.

This was training I’d gone through countless times during the 8-year hunter training program, from middle school through high school and even after graduation.

The way mock battles were conducted was simple.

Both students would engage in battle wielding ‘training’ weapons prepared by the school.

As for weapons, they had every type, so the choice was up to the individual. Swords alone ranged from daggers to kukris, arming swords, broadswords, katanas, sabers, bastard swords, and even the greatswords I used – the variety was truly immense. That was just for swords; naturally, if you included all sorts of melee weapons like spears, shields, and axes, it was practically its own armory. It seemed designed to prevent anyone from making excuses about not being familiar with their weapons, at the very least. It was a natural facility for a specialized hunter training school that charged hefty tuition.

For reference, the difference between training weapons and real ones was the absence of lethality. You couldn’t kill or cut anyone with training weapons. To be precise, not any living creature at all. This was because the weapon parts, excluding the handle, were made from a special material. A special material made by mixing the bodily fluids of White Slimes and the cores of Ghosts. While it took the form of a weapon using the White Slime’s mimicry ability, it would pass right through a person’s body upon contact, causing no damage, making it a truly perfect invention for mock battles. Furthermore, the same material repelled itself, making it effective for parrying sword strikes.

Of course, both Ghost cores and White Slime fluids were rare materials, so it was only natural that these training weapons were inherently expensive. Especially the greatswords used by myself and Eunyoung Noona, since the blade section took up a large proportion, required more material. Just preparing training tools of this caliber must have cost a considerable amount of money.

Eunyoung Noona picked up the remaining greatsword and asked.

“Aren’t training greatswords expensive?”

“They are. I had one because it was mine… Ahjumma’s, but I spent quite a bit making one for you, Taekyung.”

“You could have told me you’d buy one… Wait, you made it?”

“It’s natural for someone who’s climbed to S-rank Hunter to know a weapon smith or two. And since I procured the materials myself, it wasn’t outrageously expensive.”

“What?”

The question was meant as a thank you for her consideration, but the answer was a surprising revelation that she had personally gathered the materials just days ago.

“You said you gathered them yourself… did you perhaps return to active duty?”

“It turned out that way. It’s not my style to just stay cooped up when my strength returned. Of course, it’s not an official return yet; I just went into a dungeon for rehabilitation, trying things out when no one was around.”

Seeing as she returned to action so soon after regaining her strength from having sex with me, she was certainly a person of decisive action.

“If an S-rank Hunter returns to active duty, it’ll attract a lot of unnecessary attention. It’s bothersome to be the center of attention everywhere at my age.”

“That’s true.”

“This is when being friends with a company CEO really comes in handy. So, I plan to operate like this for a while. I haven’t fully regained my combat sense yet~.”

Did that mean she went out to hunt materials from B-rank White Slimes and A-rank Ghosts even without her combat sense fully back? It made me strongly realize that Eunyoung Noona wasn’t nicknamed ‘Berserker’ in her prime for nothing.

“I asked them to make the size similar to the greatsword you use, Taekyung. How is it?”

“It’s pretty much the same as the weapons I’ve used until now. The weight too.”

“Used until now? Did you happen to get a new weapon while I wasn’t looking?”

“Yes. Something of that nature happened.”

“You’re not going to make excuses later, like saying you couldn’t swing it properly because its shape was different from the weapon you usually use, are you?”

I calmly replied to Eunyoung Noona’s unnecessary worry.

“There’s no way. This is more than enough.”

“Are you sure?”

“Also, my goal of becoming the world’s greatest hunter is still valid. If that’s the case, I must reach a level where I can fight with any weapon, not just greatswords, but even daggers or axes.”

“Your audacity in saying you’d take responsibility for the rest of a 40-year-old ahjumma’s life remains unchanged.”

“I’ll assume you took both statements seriously.”

“…Ahem.”

Eunyoung Noona, blushing slightly at my response, continued speaking while standing in the training arena.

“Since you asked me to teach you greatsword techniques, Taekyung, I intend to focus on that. I only reached S-rank with sheer sword skill, so I can’t teach you other areas.”

“I thought the same.”

“So, to ensure you can focus solely on sword training, let’s set a few rules for this mock battle.”

Rule one. Eunyoung Noona extended her index finger as she spoke.

“One. Today, son, you will compete using only swordsmanship.”

“You mean I shouldn’t use any other awakened abilities or buff skills?”

“Yes. While being able to handle various attacks would be a great help in real combat, it only hinders the growth of swordsmanship itself. So, for now, focus only on sparring with swordsmanship. To become the world’s greatest hunter, you must at least be able to defeat me with a sword, mustn’t you?”

“…That’s correct.”

I couldn’t help but nod, acknowledging the irrefutable logic.

“Two. Any part of me that is covered by armor is considered an invalid hit. Consider only the other areas as within the attack range.”

“Does that apply when I’m attacked too?”

“Of course not. This is strictly an advantage given to someone properly outfitted in hunter gear. Wouldn’t it be strange to claim you were sliced through the armor itself with no effect, while wearing plates like these? If you think it’s unfair, then suit up yourself. Hye-eun probably has some old armor she used before; if the size is adjusted, you could wear it too, Taekyung.”

So this was the reason she wore hunter gear even for a mock battle. Certainly, wearing armor would make a significant difference in the speed of sword swings and footwork. At first glance, it sounded like she was saying hits to armored areas were invalid to compensate for the disadvantage caused by the armor, but I thought the opposite was true. In a typical sword-vs-sword duel, the easiest parts to strike are naturally the extremities. They are much more exposed than the torso or head and not easy to defend. That’s why, when mock battles proceed without any armor, these are the areas where most victories by decision occur. About once in ten times, a beginner could luckily score a victory by slicing an expert’s arm or leg.

In fact, I benefited greatly from this during my student days. It was the only means of victory for me, an unawakened individual, against regular students. Capitalizing on the openings shown by students who let their guard down against an unawakened opponent, like a stroke of luck, to gain a victory by decision. Using this method, I could occasionally secure victories in mock battles even during my school days before awakening. Of course, that was only up until middle school. It became virtually impossible once I entered high school and started sparring with students who already had practical combat experience.

In any case, Eunyoung Noona’s rule about not being able to strike arms and legs sounded like it was intended to prevent winning through such lucky accidents. Well, perhaps I was reading too much into it.

“I don’t need armor.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes.”

Wearing ill-fitting armor just to gain an advantage in scoring would only be a hindrance. Besides, I needed Eunyoung Noona to verify my combat style, the one I’d used until now, at least once. So, for the first mock battle, it was best to show her how I fought most effectively.

Eunyoung Noona, showing a satisfied expression at my answer, extended her third finger.

“Lastly. Today’s mock battle will proceed without a set number of rounds.”

“What?”

As I reflexively asked what it meant to proceed without a set number of rounds, Eunyoung Noona elaborated on her statement.

“I’ll end the match when you, Taekyung, score 3 points against me. Conversely, if you don’t score 3 points, you’re not leaving this training ground today. When Hye-eun first trained, I ended it when she scored 1 point, but she was only in her third year of middle school then. You, Taekyung, should be able to score at least 3 points against me now, right?”

“…3 points?”

“Why, does it seem too few?”

Seeing Eunyoung Noona speak so confidently, I shook my head side to side. I had seen her exploits in the media since I was young, and I even witnessed her fighting firsthand when I was ten years old. It was obvious that scoring 3 points against her, having regained her past strength through sex with me, wouldn’t be easy. However, conversely, I had gained more practical combat experience recently than Eunyoung Noona, so I thought it was possible to score points against her if I exploited that. Besides, Hye-eun, in her third year of middle school, had managed to score 1 point against Eunyoung Noona. Unless I showed at least the same level of determination as her, there was no way I could achieve my wish of becoming the world’s greatest hunter.

“Alright then. Now that the rules are all explained…”

Eunyoung Noona took her stance at the starting line on one side of the training arena.

“You’ll start first, son. After that, we’ll alternate taking the first strike. Understood?”

“Yes.”

It was only three rounds. This mock battle began with the thought that I just needed to win three rounds somehow. After the moment my foot leaped into the air to attempt the first strike.

Three eons passed in the underground training facility.

“Haa, ha, ha, haa, haa…”

“Good work, son. You finished faster than I expected, though.”

“Y-you too… Ah…”

Seeing Eunyoung Noona tidying up the training ground without looking tired at all, I was too dumbfounded to even laugh.

Total record: 68 losses, 2 wins, 1 draw. I couldn’t fathom what she meant by not having her combat sense fully back, no matter how hard my pathetic brain tried.