To Kang Han-byul, Seong Jeong-jin was the benefactor who saved him from the depths of despair after losing his family at a young age. Seong Jeong-jin was not only his mentor but also a father figure to him.
It was natural for Kang Han-byul to dream of becoming the strongest hunter by entering the academy and spreading the name of his master, Seong Jeong-jin, to the world.
It also made sense for him to admire the strong, help the weak, maintain hope, be full of passion, and have a combative personality—traits that fit the archetype of a typical young adult manga character.
‘In a way, he’s exactly the kind of character you’d find in those stories.’
Thus, it wasn’t surprising when Kang Han-byul suddenly challenged me to a sparring match.
Having entered as the second-best student, I might have been seen by him as a worthy opponent to test his skills and improve himself.
Especially since I was from the Shin Sword Do, one of the ten families Seong Jeong-jin recognized as his rivals.
Naturally, he would be interested in someone like me.
And so…
“Once you’re done eating, let’s go spar!”
The sparring match between Kang Han-byul and me was set.
He had been wearing a look of anticipation throughout lunch, clearly eager for the fight. It was so bad that, as soon as we finished eating, he kept pestering me to get to the sparring match.
Those who knew him, including me, couldn’t help but smile wryly at his enthusiasm, except for Yong Hae-rang, who had a personality quite similar to his.
“Looks like you’ve learned something from Master Two-Devil. After a meal, sparring is the only way to feel complete! A post-meal spar is a true man’s virtue!”
“Exactly! A spar after eating always feels so good!”
“Kang Han-byul! After you’re done with Do Gyeon-woo, let’s spar too!”
“Great! I’ve been wanting to say that! Now it’s perfect!”
Their exchange was a typical conversation for a post-meal fight.
Yong Hae-rang and Kang Han-byul, like in the game, showed perfect chemistry.
From the moment I met them, I felt that they clicked, so I decided to calm them down.
“Hold on a minute. Sparring right after eating isn’t good for your body. Let’s go for a walk and let the food settle first.”
“True, for the best condition, it’s better to wait. Alright, I’ll go with that!”
“That’s not wrong.”
The two of them obediently agreed.
We each grabbed a drink and decided to take a brief walk to let the food digest.
I, Yeon-ha-neul, Go Eun-bi, Lisa, Min Ah-rin, Yong Hae-rang, Park Sa-gun, Kang Han-byul, and the triplets—11 of us in total—made sure the conversation didn’t run out of steam.
“So, what’s with you? I thought you’d skip again to study like yesterday.”
She wasn’t mingling with the others, walking next to me.
I glanced sideways at her red hair flowing beneath my shoulder.
She huffed, then quickly tossed her hair back.
“Don’t make it sound like I skipped out with excuses. I really went to study yesterday.”
She retorted, as if not wanting me to make assumptions.
However, knowing Min Ah-rin’s personality and her tendency to keep some distance from the rest of us, I was pretty sure my assumption was correct.
The question remained — why had she spent time with us, time that she considered unproductive?
“Was it because of Han-byul?”
“…”
Considering her family background, it was easy to draw this conclusion.
It wasn’t hard to figure out.
When she briefly flinched, I knew my guess was right.
I shrugged lightly.
“Your family must have said something about Han-byul. So you’re planning to take a look at him yourself.”
“Same goes for you, right?”
“Yeah, I’m the same.”
After the entrance exams.
Actually, ever since the evaluation meeting five years ago.
I had heard Kang Han-byul’s name mentioned every time I attended a family gathering.
Every time, my grandfather would say:
— “Gyeon-woo, when you meet his disciple, make sure you show him who’s boss.”
— “Haha… Yes, grandfather.”
— “The Shin Sword Do never loses. So trust in that, Gyeon-woo.”
Just like Seong Jeong-jin, my grandfather had also recognized him as a worthy rival.
This natural sense of rivalry between us would inevitably pass down from generation to generation.
I was certain that the other ten great families, just like ours, must have similar thoughts.
Just as my grandfather had asked me to keep an eye on him, direct descendants from families like Min Ah-rin’s must have been given the same request.
Her situation was easy to understand.
Though Yong Hae-rang was a person who lived according to his heart, he, too, must have received some hint from the head of the righteous Yong family.
‘This was also something that happened in the game.’
Just as I thought that, I suddenly felt a sharp gaze from the opposite side.
“…”
“…What’s wrong?”
Yeon-ha-neul, with a sulking face, was staring at me intently.
Her gaze made me uncomfortable, so I cautiously asked.
She squinted her red eyes and opened her mouth.
“Nothing.”
“…”
“Just finish your conversation. Don’t worry about me.”
Having spent five years studying Yeon-ha-neul’s psychology, I could tell she was upset about being excluded from the conversation between me and Min Ah-rin.
“We talked too much about family stuff, didn’t we? Sorry, we’re done now.”
“Tch.”
Trying to calm her down, I switched the topic to something I thought she would enjoy.
Over time, her face softened, and her rabbit ears perked up with delight.
“Hmm…”
Min Ah-rin occasionally joined the conversation as well.
Training Hall
The Training Hall was one of the facilities designed to support students’ autonomous training and provide all kinds of conveniences related to it.
We headed to the Training Hall to find a suitable place for our sparring.
“Do you think there’ll be any space? We didn’t make a reservation.”
“Yeah, the competition for reservations is fierce. It’s usually not easy to get a spot without booking in advance… I wonder if we’ll be lucky today.”
Go Eun-bi and Lisa voiced their concerns.
As they said, the Training Hall’s facilities were popular, and without prior reservation, it was often hard to get a spot.
But that only applied to regular reservations.
If you had coins, things would be different.
“If there’s no space, we can just use coins. That’s why I’ve been saving them.”
The facilities at the Training Hall were divided into those available through regular reservations and those that could be used by spending coins.
For regular reservations, there was a competitive booking process, but for coin usage, it wasn’t the case.
There was still enough room even on the day itself for bookings.
I didn’t mind using coins if necessary, as I had plenty.
“Ah! Looks like there’s a spot!”
“Maybe it’s because it’s the beginning of the semester and it’s a late time of day. We’re lucky.”
Fortunately, there were a few available spots without needing to use coins.
I glanced at the reservation board behind Go Eun-bi and Park Sa-gun.
“Eun-bi, you make the reservation.”
“Got it, I’ll pick the best spot for you. Just trust me.”
The reservation was made with a few quick presses of the buttons.
I picked up the card from the machine and headed toward the sparring area with everyone.
The sparring area was relatively spacious.
There was enough room to move around without feeling crowded.
“Wow, I didn’t know a place like this existed… It’ll be worth training here.”
“Make sure to use it often. Of course, don’t forget to make reservations next time.”
“Yeah. Gyeon-woo, hurry up…”
“Let’s warm up first. Also, I’d like someone to be the referee…”
“I’ll handle that.”
“Alright, Sa-gun, you’re the referee.”
“Leave the healing to me. But don’t fight too roughly. Sparring should be sparring. Both of you understand, right?”
“We understand. Thanks, Sa-gun.”
In the game, Kang Han-byul only learned about the Training Hall after some time.
So, naturally, he was curious about using the facilities for the first time.
It was my first time here, too.
Anyway, I lightly warmed up before the sparring.
‘This works out. I’ve been wanting to test Han-byul’s skills.’
In the game, Kang Han-byul’s combat abilities were controlled by the player.
While other party members could fight on their own, he couldn’t.
His battles always depended on the player’s skills.
If the player was good, he performed excellently; if the player was bad, his skills reflected that.
In other words, Kang Han-byul’s fighting style was tied directly to the player’s style.
For me, it was important to see what his abilities were like without the influence of a player.
‘Still, his basic stats should be solid, so I can expect something decent.’
I didn’t even need to check his status screen; I remembered his initial stats well enough.
I watched Kang Han-byul, who was warming up ahead of me.
As our eyes met, he gave me a playful wink.
I nodded in return, acknowledging him.
“Do you really like him that much?”
“Him? You mean Han-byul?”
“Yeah. You seem a lot softer with him compared to everyone else.”
At that moment, Yeon-ha-neul approached me.
With her hands behind her back, she stood beside me and gazed at Kang Han-byul.
It seemed like she was curious about why I was so interested in him.
‘It’s an interesting feeling, isn’t it?’
Originally, Yeon-ha-neul, the Witch of Calamity, was supposed to be a mid-level boss.
But now, as my childhood friend, she would eventually become one of Kang Han-byul’s party members—just like me, Go Eun-bi, Lisa, Yong Hae-rang, and the others.
Not as a villain anymore, but an ally.
I glanced at her standing next to me, then looked at Kang Han-byul in front of me, realizing how much had changed.
I decided to give her some advice.
“He’s strong, capable, and a good guy. So, make sure you get along with him.”
“If you’re saying that, I guess it’s true. But, hey…”
“What’s up?”
“Are you into men or something?”
“…What?”
“I mean, it’s not just now… but the way you’ve been looking at him since earlier doesn’t seem normal. Are you into guys, or is it just him?”
“Ha….”
What is she even talking about?
I turned my gaze away from Kang Han-byul and frowned.
Yeon-ha-neul was waiting for my response.
I wasn’t sure what misunderstanding she had, but I couldn’t help but sigh.
I decided to clear things up.
“I like girls, alright? I like him as a friend, not anything else. You’ve known me for five years, and you didn’t realize that I like girls?”
“Well, of course, I knew you liked girls.”
“Then why are you asking me?”
“I just wanted to be sure.”
“….”
“Ah, I see. Gyeon-woo, you like girls, huh?”
“Why are you asking such an obvious question and then laughing about it?”
“No reason… I just find it funny.”
“….”
“I like men, by the way. A lot.”
“…I know.”
“You like women a lot, too, right?”
“Yeah, I make it pretty obvious.”
“Pervert.”
“Then you’re a pervert too.”
“Tch. You are worse than I am.”
“No way. You’re worse than me.”
…What is so funny about all this?
Yeon-ha-neul kept snickering at me.
I felt a little embarrassed and tried to avoid her gaze.
“Anyway, I’m going to go spar. Stay with the others and try not to get caught up in anything.”
“Alright, I’ll do that. Good luck.”
“Yeah, cheer for me to win.”
Having finished his warm-up, Kang Han-byul was waiting for me.
I walked toward him, leaving behind Yeon-ha-neul’s teasing words.
“The rules are simple. We’re just going to fight freely and show our skills, but I hope neither of us does anything that would make us feel guilty. And as for killing blows… well, I think you know better than I do. We’ll start when the alarm goes off.”
Park Sa-gun, who was acting as the referee, explained.
Kang Han-byul and I nodded, gripped our swords, and took our stances.
His sword gleamed under the ceiling lights, and mine shimmered in a deep blue hue.
“Your sword is really impressive. I can tell just by looking that it’s not an ordinary blade.”
“It’s called the Blue Sword. It’s considered a family treasure. Right now, I’ve borrowed it semi-permanently.”
“I see. No wonder it’s not just any sword. Hmm, I’m tempted.”
“Sorry, but I’m not letting go of this sword for anything, even as a bet. It’s too precious to me.”
“Too bad. I guess I can’t steal it from my friend.”
Kang Han-byul’s master, Two-Devil Seong Jeong-jin.
He had a little-known, peculiar habit that only a few people were aware of.
Weapon plundering.
He could wield all kinds of weapons, and whether out of affection or as a memento, he would often steal the weapons of the opponents he defeated in duels.
This wasn’t limited to just hunters or villains.
‘That’s why people who know him call him the “Plunder King” instead of Two-Devil.’
The Plunder King, Seong Jeong-jin.
Those who had lost their weapons to him trembled at the very mention of his name.
It was no wonder that he had so many enemies around him.
‘If I were to lose a weapon to him, I’d be shaking in my boots too…’
Kang Han-byul, who had grown up under the tutelage of the Plunder King, couldn’t possibly be completely innocent.
Just like his master, he couldn’t resist a good weapon.
His desire for the Blue Sword was evidence of that.
He was a weapon fanatic, a potential Plunder King in the making.
‘The only difference from Seong Jeong-jin is that Han-byul knows restraint.’
Just as he had given up on the Blue Sword, Kang Han-byul never coveted the weapons of his friends.
His obsession with weapons was only triggered by those who threatened him or the villains.
He knew how to keep boundaries.
At last.
Beeep!
The signal to start the sparring went off.
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