For the next week, I threw myself completely into training.
They say when you’re exhausted, you stop thinking, and that was exactly how it felt.
Thankfully, I had the stats forcibly set by the system, or I would have fainted several tis by now.
This was my first ti doing such intense physical activity since being reborn as Jeong Da-on, and when I got ho, I just took a shower and went straight to bed.
Because of that, Leo, who was getting bored, followed Jeong Da-jeong around with a sulky expression every morning. It couldn't be helped.
But there was so reward for my focus. Despite being a last-minute cram, I could see the results of my training each day.
“You know, people who are smart pick up physical skills quickly.”
“That sounds like a provocation.”
“Kind of? Ah, you should jab a little faster and shorter there.”
Yoo Han-ul gave advice as I swung my sword.
“Anyway, the goal is to create distance. Don’t go any deeper.”
Of course, I admit that it was easier with Yoo Han-ul’s help, coming every two days.
No matter how realistic the VR program is, there’s a clear difference between swinging a sword with advice from him and doing it by yourself.
‘If he’s willing to help, I might as well make the most of it.’
If it’s sothing I have to learn before going into a dungeon, it’s most efficient to learn from the best teacher available.
And, thanks to absorbing Yoo Han-ul's teachings, I was quickly getting used to swinging the rapier.
Why, out of all weapons, the rapier, you ask?
Well, if I were an ordinary swordsman, I’d naturally be better off with a longsword, sothing more universally used. But given my physical traits and tendencies, Yoo Han-ul had recomnded the rapier.
It was clear he didn’t expect to put much effort into increasing my physical strength.
As long as I could buy enough ti to cast magic, that was enough for , so I wasn’t unhappy with the choice.
“Alright, watch . When you jab, don’t hesitate... Got it?”
It sounds so easy, but I feel like I should add that to my list of things to rember.
Even though Yoo Han-ul primarily uses a bastard sword, he seed well-versed in rapier techniques too.
I took a mont to steady my breath and adjusted my stance, following Yoo Han-ul’s lead.
Doing this reminded of when I practiced court fencing in my past life.
Although I have mories of it, since I’ve been so disconnected from physical exercise after being reborn as Jeong Da-on, it felt like I was learning from scratch.
“Like this?”
Swish!
The rapier hit the target spot on.
It was a bit shaky and slower compared to Yoo Han-ul’s movents, but that was to be expected.
After all, I probably wouldn’t need to move faster than this in a C-rank dungeon.
Yoo Han-ul nodded in satisfaction.
“Yep, that’s it. Accurate.”
“Alright, that’s enough for now.”
I said, then sat down on the floor.
Just a few days ago, I wouldn’t have collapsed in front of Yoo Han-ul due to pride, even after training, but after a few days of physical training, I quickly realized that it was too much of a luxury to hold onto.
The VR program allowed to stop and take a break when I needed to, but there was no such pause with Yoo Han-ul.
He laughed as he watched lie on the floor, then asked,
“Da-on, have you used a rapier before?”
“You just showed how.”
“If you’re going to follow after only that, maybe you should be a swordsman, not a mage.”
“Don’t say such terrible things.”
“Done resting?”
“No, not at all... Hey!”
Swish!
Suddenly, Yoo Han-ul brought down a blunt practice sword toward , lying on the floor.
I barely managed to roll out of the way.
Even though it didn’t seem like he put much force into the practice sword, the floor underneath was dented.
It wasn’t even wood; it was concrete.
Yoo Han-ul smiled, seemingly satisfied as he saw avoid the surprise attack.
“The best thing about you is your excellent ability to sense killing intent. Honestly, that’s the most important ability in real combat.”
Well, sure.
Maybe it’s because I spent my past life constantly hunted by enemies.
Being the ‘Destroyer of Worlds’ ant there was nothing but enemies in the world.
So, if I didn’t beco sensitive to the killing intent aid at , it would have been difficult to survive for long.
Of course, I ultimately didn’t survive, but still...
“Should we call it a day for today?”
“Yeah... Ah, this...!”
Wham!
Just as I said that, Yoo Han-ul brought the practice sword down again, and I narrowly avoided getting hit.
The practice sword missed by a hair’s breadth, and I shuddered at how close it ca.
Isn’t he crazy?
He must have wanted to see how I would react if I let my guard down.
After I managed to roll away and dodge it again, Yoo Han-ul grinned.
“Wow, you’re really good.”
Is that supposed to be a complint?
‘Really, I just want to hit him once...’
I had expected him to be ruthless with his training since he had reached the peak of swordsmanship, but this was really brutal.
During this week of training, I did manage to learn how to use my body more efficiently, but at the sa ti, my frustration and anger toward the hero steadily grew.
-The system requests assistance from the user, Jeong Da-on, for the ‘SAVE THE WORLD’ quest.
The system had been showing this ssage all week.
It seed like the system thought I might start feeling so camaraderie with the hero after spending a week together and would help him.
‘Soday, I’ll get my revenge. Seriously.’
It was completely counterproductive.
I’ll use him as cannon fodder in front of monsters, that bastard.
“Sorry, sorry. Let’s really stop now. I’ll help you up.”
“Forget it.”
Despite wanting to curse him out, I restrained myself, rejecting Yoo Han-ul’s hand and standing up on my own.
However, I did accept the towel he offered to wipe off my sweat.
“Don’t you do any magic training? Have you thought about learning magic?”
“I get what you’re trying to say, but I’m not cut out for magic. Moving magic according to pre-calculated formulas—when I listen to it, I have no idea what they’re talking about.”
Well, controlling mana and making precise movents wasn’t sothing a rough swordsman like him could do.
Thinking about that made feel a little better, but seeing Yoo Han-ul smile knowingly made feel bad again, as though he had planned it.
‘This guy...’
Noticing my sharp gaze, Yoo Han-ul waved his hand.
“I’m not just saying it for fun. Han Jae-young Hunter tried to teach a few tis, but he gave up.”
“Han Jae-young?”
“Yeah, he said it would be useful to learn simple sight magic or water purification magic. Though it seed like he just wanted to conserve his own mana.”
Even a swordsman, no matter how skilled, would be more efficient if they learned a few basic spells that could assist a mage.
There’s a limit to how much mana one can use, and no mage would want to waste mana on minor spells.
“Well, does this an the training is over for today? Aren’t you going into a dungeon tomorrow?”
“Yep.”
It had been the longest week of my life.
On the large computer monitor, the words “Completed VR Magic Program” appeared in big letters.
I had t the minimum requirents Han Jae-young had set.
Honestly, the program felt easy compared to my personal lessons with Yoo Han-ul, and by the end, it seed simple enough.
“Have a good trip. I’m not sure what you’ll learn from Han Jae-young Hunter, though.”
“So, you’re not going to give a hint?”
“Hahaha.”
The hint I was asking for was about what kind of mage Han Jae-young was, but Yoo Han-ul refused to answer.
Even among mages, the kind of magic they specialize in can completely change what kind of person they are.
Magic difficulty is divided into different circles, and within those circles, there are major categories of physical and non-physical magic.
Elental and healing magic fall under physical, while ntal magic like ‘Self-Exploration’ or Mi-yeon’s ‘Animal Affinity’ fall under non-physical.
Of course, there are many sub-categories that are difficult to count.
For , being a genius, I’m skilled in all magic types, but most mages specialize as they increase in rank.
“If he’s frequently involved in dungeon expeditions, he’s probably focusing on physical magic, right? He’ll be using attack magic most often.”
Given that he seed more focused on reducing the complexity of spells and speeding up the casting ti, it seed like a group of combat mages focused on attack magic.
Yoo Han-ul gave a vague smile, as if my guess was right.
“You’ll find out when you see him in person. I can’t really say anything more. Revealing another hunter’s battle capabilities is a sensitive issue.”
S-rank hunter capabilities are national-level assets, so they’re not widely known.
Although hunters generally only deal with monsters...
‘Just like Iarin said, there’s a possibility that we’ll be facing human opponents in combat.’
Even Han Jae-young had considered that other countries’ guilds or governnts might be targeting .
A hunter strong enough to be rated S-rank could beco a national weapon.
So, it makes sense that battle capabilities are kept confidential.
Of course, Yoo Han-ul, who had personally fought an S-rank monster with a sword in front of hundreds of caras, was an exception.
Still, I didn’t give up and asked.
“So, is it really necessary to keep it secret? I’ll find out soon enough.”
“I’m not going to answer. Sorry, Da-on.”
...It doesn’t matter.
I’m not going to participate in that ‘Save the World’ quest, even if I die.
-The system analyzes the user, Jeong Da-on’s response as ‘immature.’
What’s immature about it?
After a quick shower in the guild's attached facilities, I visited the office where Han Jae-young was.
“What’s this, why are you both here together?”
“To be precise, he followed .”
Yoo Han-ul casually spoke, though he probably could’ve gone back.
“I’m here because I couldn’t just leave without greeting Han Jae-young Hunter.”
“That’s very considerate. What, do you want to give a warning before the dungeon expedition tomorrow?”
With that, Han Jae-young gave a playful smile, clearly aware of Yoo Han-ul’s intentions.
“Yes, yes. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of our new S-rank mage. You can leave now. Shoo~”
“Who’s taking care of whom? You’re being rude.”
“It’s just a figure of speech, Jeong Da-on Hunter. Oh, and congratulations on completing the VR program. You finished in record ti.”
As it turns out, the VR program Han Jae-young had asked to complete in one week was actually a three-week curriculum.
It required defeating five B-rank monsters in a row with an evasion rate of over 60% to pass, aning three weeks wouldn’t even be enough.
Forcing to complete it in a week was essentially giving an impossible quest.
“Are you planning to go into the dungeon without ?”
“Ha, of course not. I knew I could do it, but I didn’t expect Yoo Han-ul Hunter to help.”
Han Jae-young rested his chin and alternately looked at Yoo Han-ul and .
His gaze felt uncomfortable, as if I could tell what he was thinking.
“You’re making such a big deal out of a C-rank dungeon. Why is that?”
“Well, the fact that Han Jae-young Hunter is going on the C-rank expedition is already noteworthy.”
“I haven’t told anyone, except Yoo Han-ul Hunter, that I’ll be joining the expedition.”
“Well, I see.”
Yoo Han-ul then added briefly.
“I went to the Central Administrative Office today.”
“Right, right. You t the investigators and the victims. You told on the phone earlier.”
“A hunter from the administrative office who knew asked in passing. Why was Han Jae-young Hunter going to a low-level dungeon?”
At those words, Han Jae-young, who had been playfully responding, montarily widened his eyes before narrowing them.
“HP Guild or not, ‘Han Jae-young Hunter’?”
“Yeah, that’s what he said.”
“You haven’t even submitted the expedition roster to the governnt, and they heard about it? Who was it?”
“It’s probably not important who it was. What matters is sothing else.”
After saying that, Yoo Han-ul stood up.
“I don’t know what you two are up to, but the Central Administrative Office is watching. Keep that in mind.”
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