episode_0057

057

“….”

I Siwoon silently gazed down at the broken training sword with a calm expression in his eyes.

The training sword was split in half in a pathetic manner, lying on the ground like a mere piece of scrap metal.

It was a sturdy sword made for Hero Trainees.

But who would have thought that Lee Jinhyuk could break this training sword in two with just one strike.

“Was that just a Sword Ki Master?”

Sword Ki Master.

One of the martial arts skills of swordsmen.

Many people who lack talent often spend their whole lives training but never awaken as Sword Ki Masters. Even if they have talent, it may take a long time to reach a level where they can use it.

Only a few geniuses who have received the best nutrition from a young age, followed a strict curriculum, and received extensive support can use it at Siwoon’s age.

It was such a difficult skill.

“There are probably only a few students in my age group who can use Sword Ki Master.”

Even in Union, where countless geniuses gather, there are only a few students who can dare to use Sword Ki Master.

Siwoon wondered how many of them could actually do it.

But he never imagined that Lee Jinhyuk could use Sword Ki Master.

And not only that, Lee Jinhyuk’s Sword Ki Master was quite powerful. If Siwoon hadn’t dodged in time, it could have been dangerous.

One could say that his power was even stronger than Siwoon’s Sword Ki Master.

If Siwoon had taken a direct hit without defending, his protective armor might have been shattered into pieces.

Oh, of course, part of the reason Lee Jinhyuk’s Sword Ki Master was so strong was thanks to Siwoon.

Because he absorbed Siwoon’s magic, he was able to use an even more powerful Sword Ki Master.

But of course, Siwoon was completely unaware of this fact.

“Using a bow was just a trick after all.”

That’s the only way to think about it.

Lee Jinhyuk’s archery skills were somewhat ordinary.

Not bad, but not exceptional either. It was somewhat unrealistic for him to enter Union.

Moreover, Lee Jinhyuk was not just a master of Sword Ki Master.

It’s not easy for a genius to train in both archery and swordsmanship. Surely the sword was real and the bow was fake.

“But why was he hiding the fact that he could use Sword Ki Master?”

Question.

He had some doubts.

Siwoon couldn’t understand why Lee Jinhyuk had been hiding this fact until now.

“No, that’s not the only strange thing.”

The more he thought about it, the more mysterious Lee Jinhyuk seemed.

Not using Sword Ki Master, making Siwoon’s Sword Ki disappear for a moment, making Siwoon’s land disappear with strange abilities…

“I thought he was hiding something.”

Surely it couldn’t be this much.

An ability to scatter magic for a moment or make the land disappear with strange abilities.

Of course, there was a possibility that he used a different method, not an ability. For example, an artifact.

The types and abilities of artifacts were truly diverse.

If Lee Jinhyuk had used an artifact, it would have been enough to understand.

“An artifact…hmm.”

Siwoon, who was pondering for a moment, suddenly shook his head in his mind. No, it couldn’t be. It couldn’t be.

It was not logical to think that Lee Jinhyuk would possess such a valuable item like an artifact.

Even the SL Group, Heukyeong, and Gaon Nuri bloodlines barely had any artifacts, let alone seen them in person.

In the first place, there were very few people who possessed artifacts.

And even fewer who had artifacts that would be useful in real combat.

It is more realistic to think that Lee Jin-hyuk, an ordinary person, is hiding a unique supernatural ability rather than possessing powerful and useful artifacts that can be used in real combat.

In fact, there were quite a few aspiring heroes who were hiding supernatural abilities.

Usually, in such cases, they either possessed supernatural abilities that should not be revealed to others or the conditions for using their supernatural abilities were awkward.

“Anyway, I don’t know why Lee Jin-hyuk is hiding these things, but two things are certain.”

Lee Jin-hyuk is a secretive individual and quite a strong one.

With so many things hidden and not exposed, it was difficult to gauge his true abilities, but using the swordsmanship to the extent of breaking the sword, there was no doubt about his strength.

…It can’t be that only swordsmanship can be used.

“Sigh. My head hurts. At first, I was just worried because he was always by So-yeon’s side.”

That’s right.

To be honest, the reason why there were fights was because Lee Jin-hyuk was sticking too close to So-yeon, despite being her ex-boyfriend.

Lee Jin-hyuk’s presence by So-yeon’s side made the situation awkward in many ways for Lee Si-woon.

It was not that Lee Si-woon disliked or hated Lee Jin-hyuk, but whenever he saw them laughing and chatting together, he couldn’t help but feel subtly uncomfortable.

After all, didn’t they break up?

Although he knew they had been childhood friends for over ten years, seeing the ex-couple getting along as if nothing had happened made Lee Si-woon feel uneasy.

Even though Lee Jin-hyuk and Jin So-yeon had agreed to remain friends and not see each other as romantic interests, their actions seemed to have many subtle nuances.

If you looked at the two of them from a distance, it was sometimes confusing whether they were just friends or something more.

Moreover, the look that Jin So-yeon occasionally showed Lee Jin-hyuk was not just a friendly gaze.

Whenever Lee Jin-hyuk was with another woman, Jin So-yeon would glance at him with a hint of concern or disapproval.

While Lee Jin-hyuk seemed to be trying to keep his distance from Jin So-yeon, she, on the contrary, seemed to be trying to get closer to him.

If you observed them from a distance.

Really.

What should I say.

“Ah. I see.”

Suddenly, Lee Si-woon inwardly smirked.

“Jealousy, is it jealousy…?”

It was a bit embarrassing to directly confront the tumultuous emotions that were writhing in his mind. It was like exposing his raw, unfiltered self.

Perhaps his sudden outburst about whether Lee Jin-hyuk was suitable to be by So-yeon’s side was also a childish action born out of jealousy.

No, it must have been.

However, Lee Jin-hyuk confidently disarmed Lee Si-woon’s sword as if to prove his strength and position.

“Although his swordsmanship looked clumsy and awkward, if that was also a trick to lure me into complacency…”

Really, Lee Jin-hyuk.

Lee Si-woon unconsciously gripped the broken sword handle tightly.

It wasn’t the jealousy and envy as before, but rather the competitive spirit as a swordsman that was stimulating Lee Si-woon’s heart.

Unable to know Lee Jin-hyuk’s true abilities, his curiosity and competitive spirit seemed to be boiling even more.

He was a person who deliberately entered Union Academy almost at the bottom and hid many things, including deceiving his true abilities.

The unknown supernatural ability also made him nervous.

“If he continues to fight without giving up, what will happen next?”

The sword was already broken.

It was impossible to know what the other person was hiding.

Embarking on another battle is akin to a suicidal act in a sense.

However, the grip on the sword handle grows stronger with each passing moment, despite this fact.

The feeling of wanting to test the opponent’s skills a bit more and engage in a sword fight is something that Baek Yurin or Kang Daehan rarely experienced, except when facing them.

But the current Lee Siwoon…

“It seems like you’re hiding more than I thought, Lee Jinhyuk.”

“…”

“You still have no intention of telling me properly, huh? Well, whatever. It doesn’t matter.”

“…”

What are you thinking about right now, Lee Jinhyuk? Lee Siwoon, who had been staring at him expressionlessly, pursed his lips slowly.

“Lee Jinhyuk, I…”

And then.

“Hehe, cute little kids. Ready to face off against each other?”

A voice of an unknown man echoed from a distance, piercing into the ears of Lee Siwoon and Lee Jinhyuk.

Lee Siwoon furrowed his eyebrows slightly.

He didn’t notice someone approaching because he was focused on Lee Jinhyuk.

But who is that man?

He’s an adult.

He might have thought he was a test proctor or a security guard, but based on his words, actions, and attire, he definitely didn’t seem like someone from the academy.

Wearing worn-out and tattered clothes, with a half-burned distorted rabbit mask hanging askew.

And his behavior, laughing like a thug, gave off the vibe of a delinquent or a ruffian.

“Who are you?”

This forest is currently under the supervision of the academy.

Numerous security guards and instructors are deployed to prevent the media and potential outsiders from entering.

Moreover, there’s a barrier set up, so ordinary people can never enter.

In other words, that man is not just a lost civilian.

“Me? Huh. Well…”

The man in his early to mid-thirties shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

“Just a troublemaker, a troublemaker.”

Step by step.

A few more figures could be sensed beyond the bushes.

Eventually, two people walked out from the bushes.

These people were also adults. It was evident from their attire and atmosphere that they were not ordinary individuals.

“He’s been on the news a few times.”

With a displeased chuckle, he adjusted his burnt rabbit mask.

Lee Siwoon furrowed his brows. The distorted rabbit mask. He had a memory of seeing it somewhere before.

Where did he see it?

Certainly, it was a memory from watching television in the past…

“Lee Siwoon! That guy is Kim Hwaseung, the Pyromaniac! The Flame Rabbit of Hajeongsan!”

“!”

“Hah! I remember you, little kid!”

With Lee Jinhyuk’s shout, Kim Hwaseung created a smoldering fireball and hurled it towards Lee Siwoon and Lee Jinhyuk.