Clang! Clang! Crackle!
The spar between Jin Yuha and Baek Seol-hee continued for another hour.
The floor of the sparring arena was deeply scarred, as if clawed by a beast, from the relentless sword techniques. Despite the relentless assault, Jin Yuha maintained his focus, skillfully wielding his sword.
Grind.
Jin Yuha clenched his teeth, his lips stained red from biting down too hard. He was determined to land at least one sword strike, gritting his teeth and swinging his sword desperately. His expression was one of sheer determination.
Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.
Despite his efforts, the difference in skill level was evident, and Jin Yuha’s body gradually bore red wounds.
"That’s enough."
Finally, Baek Seol-hee signaled the end of the spar.
"Y-yes, ma’am. You... won..."
Jin Yuha, his mind still on the swordfight, stopped his sword in front of Baek Seol-hee’s face and bowed his head, exhausted.
As the fierce spar concluded,
Whoosh.
Shin Se-hee, who had been watching with a serious expression, quickly reactivated the life support system. The wounds on Jin Yuha’s body began to heal, and the torn clothes nded themselves.
"Hmm..."
Jin Yuha closed his eyes, savoring the sensation of his body healing.
The Utopia party mbers now understood why, after every lesson with Baek Seol-hee, Jin Yuha would return to his room without so much as a glance at them.
While the life support system had healed all the wounds on his body, the traces of the intense battle remained. His clothes were tattered and stained red with his blood, as if they had been dyed.
"..."
As they all stood there, speechless, staring at Jin Yuha, Baek Seol-hee spoke up.
"You all have other classes to attend, so we’ll end today’s training here."
Then, suddenly, she swung her sword.
Swoosh!
A burst of sword energy radiated from the sword, creating a 3-ter-wide circular mark around her.
"To be honest, you’re all pathetic, but I’ll give you a chance because of my disciple. From now on, for a week, I’ll be standing here. Anyti, any day, co to and take the test. Only those who pass will be recognized as my disciple’s colleagues."
Baek Seol-hee’s cold gaze pierced through the Utopia party mbers.
"I’ll be watching to see if you truly have the qualifications to cross the line between life and death."
Thus began the first day of Baek Seol-hee’s test.
Although Baek Seol-hee had suggested they attend their other classes, no one dared to leave right away. Only Jin Yuha, exhausted from the spar, left with Shin Se-hee’s support.
The first to take Baek Seol-hee’s test was Kang Do-hee.
"So, as long as I step inside the line you drew, by any ans necessary, I pass?"
She tied her red ponytail into a tight knot, muttering to herself.
The life support system was deactivated again, creating the sa conditions as Jin Yuha’s spar.
’I thought it was just empty talk to discipline us...’
When the instructor first told her she wasn’t qualified, she inwardly scoffed.
She took pride in her self-made strength and believed that no one had trained harder than her.
But the mont she witnessed the spar between Jin Yuha and the instructor, that shallow thought shattered.
At the sa ti, she keenly understood the reason behind Jin Yuha’s incomprehensible growth rate.
’No wonder he got stronger so quickly. He’s been pushing himself to the brink of life and death in his training.’
She had always pushed herself to the limit, but Jin Yuha went beyond that, risking his life in every training session. It was only natural that there would be a difference in their skills.
’...You bastard. You’ve been doing this kind of insane training without . That’s what it is, isn’t it?’
To be honest, the strongest emotion she felt while watching the spar wasn’t fear, shock, or embarrassnt, but ’jealousy’.
If she had trained this way from the beginning, if the instructor had chosen her instead of Jin Yuha, or if she had paid more attention to Jin Yuha’s growth and questioned it...
She could have beco even stronger than she was now.
But it was too late to regret the past. What’s done is done.
’Okay, I’ll prove it. I’ll prove that I’m qualified.’
Crunch.
With the other party mbers watching, Kang Do-hee stepped forward. Baek Seol-hee nodded as if she had expected this.
"As expected, you’re the first to step up."
"Did you say I’m not qualified?"
"Yes, you’re not."
Kang Do-hee gritted her teeth.
"No need for words!"
Whoosh!
As she channeled her mana, a red aura rose like a nimbus around her body.
Boom!
With a sonic boom, Kang Do-hee beca a red fla, rushing towards Baek Seol-hee.
Since the distance wasn’t that far to begin with, it only took a mont to reach the line drawn on the floor.
Shiver.
"..."
At that mont, Kang Do-hee’s eyes widened.
A dark gray sword was flying towards her from the corner of her eye, aid straight at her neck.
What would happen if she continued forward?
’...I’ll die!’
Screeeech!
Her hand hastily touched the floor, creating white smoke from the friction, and her body ca to an abrupt halt, like an ergency stop. Kang Do-hee was in a prone position, her hand just barely stopping at the line.
She looked up at Baek Seol-hee with trembling eyes.
Baek Seol-hee looked down at her indifferently and spoke.
"Now you understand why you’re not qualified."
The shocking failure of Kang Do-hee. After that, Lee Yoo-ri, Sophia, and Lim Ga-eul took turns challenging the test. But all the mbers of Utopia failed to cross the line drawn on the floor.
Now, it was the last person’s turn—Ichika’s turn had co.
"You’ve already been acknowledged by , so there’s no need for you to take the test." Baek Seol-hee said, resting her sword on her shoulder. "I want to. It’s only fair." "Hmm, is that so? Fine, let’s do it."
Unlike the other party mbers who charged in with great force, Ichika walked lightly, as if she were out for a stroll.
And when she reached the line,
Baek Seol-hee’s swift sword fiercely slashed towards her. Even then, Ichika’s expression didn’t change.
Swish—!
Just as the sword was about to cut her neck, shadows suddenly sprang up from under her feet.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
The black shadows dispersed like bursting balloons as soon as they appeared. Although Ichika frowned slightly from the ntal shock of the simultaneous desummoning of the ghosts,
Step.
She didn’t stop and stepped forward. Her foot firmly stepped inside the line.
Drip.
Baek Seol-hee’s sword slightly cut into Ichika’s neck, and bright red blood trickled down.
"Cadet Ichika, you pass."
Baek Seol-hee retracted her sword and declared her pass.
"Yay."
Ichika raised both hands, though her face showed no joy. The party mbers looked at her with indescribable expressions.
.
.
.
In the end, the only ones who passed on the first day were Ichika and Kang Do-hee.
Kang Do-hee, seeing Ichika pass first, kept challenging continuously as if on fire. Finally, just before midnight, she passed with her arms barely holding on.
"...You pass. But rember, you are only at the starting line." Kang Do-hee nodded silently, unlike her usual self.
On the second and third days, no one passed.
On the fourth day,
Sophia passed. Pa-pa-pa-pa-pat!!!
She used her healing arrows to shoot aimlessly until her magic was exhausted, and then endured the arrows falling like rain from above.
"You used a trick, but... Hmm. I can’t not pass you. You pass."
And on the sixth day, another surprising pass ca from Lim Ga-eul.
─ Hahaha, I’m not afraid of death at all! The only thing that can keep up with my speed is the darkness within . Now, let’s play! Super acceleration!!!
It was truly an absurd thod.
Lim Ga-eul brought an enormous amount of magic stones. She recalled the mory of using the black magic stone and deceived herself! She summoned the persona from that day, hiding her fear with bravado.
─ Kyaaah! It hurts! It hurts!! I’m dying!! Help, junior!
Of course, even with her acceleration, she couldn’t avoid the accident of having her waist cut. However, she was quickly revived by the life support system Shin Se-hee activated.
"I did tell you to use any ans necessary, but... This was unexpected."
Baek Seol-hee showed a rare look of surprise.
However, since she had promised to pass anyone who got inside the line by any ans, she had no choice but to declare her pass.
And on the much-anticipated seventh day,
all the Utopia party mbers passed, except for one person who had not yet succeeded.
That was none other than Lee Yoo-ri.
’...Why.’
Yoo-ri Lee glared at Baek Seol-hee, gripping her shield tightly.
She had tried dozens, no, hundreds of tis, skipping all classes to challenge alone. Yet, she kept facing failure. Yoo-ri knelt just before the line.
’...Why!!!’
Her ntal strength was strong. Even though Baek Seol-hee’s killing intent was terrifying, it wasn’t sothing she couldn’t endure.
Despite that, Yoo-ri couldn’t take that final step forward.
"As expected, you have the least talent."
Baek Seol-hee’s cold voice pierced her heart like a sharp dagger.
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
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