novelraw Chapter 12 : Chapter 12
Chapter 12 : Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Special Training (3)
Following Hojin's nomination, I went up to the arena and stood before him.
He was in a pristine state, hard to believe he had just fought a fierce battle.
That appearance itself exuded an intimidating presence.
It couldn't be helped.
The time had come to put the plan I had only been thinking about into reality.
‘Since it's come to this, I have to gain something.’
In the overwhelming tension that made it hard to even breathe, ironically, a strange excitement stirred within me.
‘High risk, high return. If I play this right, it’s a chance to obtain the instructor's skill.’
The thought of getting beaten made my stomach churn, but the fact that I could obtain a skill that could become a source of strength was thrilling news.
It was a good opportunity for my future survival, and perhaps for goals beyond that.
However, the problem was that Hojin rarely used special techniques in a spar against a freshman.
Still, thanks to having somewhat anticipated this, I had already drawn up a blueprint of my own.
All that was left was execution.
My heart began to beat faster.
With tension, or perhaps with a certain anticipation.
“Is that your weapon?”
Hojin asked, gesturing with his chin towards the sword at my waist.
“Yes.”
“Good. I expect you to do your best.”
Hojin took his stance.
A solidly constructed stance.
No matter how I looked, there were no openings.
So the strategy I would choose was simple.
‘Don't attack first.’
You only attack when there's an opening.
Attacking an opponent who shows no openings is no different from swinging a sword at a castle wall.
Furthermore, even the brief openings that appeared seemed like nothing but traps.
Was it my imagination that Hojin's firm lips seemed to curve into a strange smile?
Before long, Hojin narrowed his brow and lowered his stance.
“You have a good eye. Let's see how you do with the other side.”
As soon as his words ended, Hojin’s form blurred and rushed towards me.
A fist that reached right in front of my nose in an instant rushed at me.
It was a blow that would have struck my abdomen and made me collapse.
It certainly should have.
However.
“…….”
That did not happen.
My body gently wrapped around Hojin's fist and dodged it, like water flowing around a rock.
A tingling sensation brushed past my momentarily twisted waist.
[Evasion Instinct]
-Maximum evasion rate is activated only for attacks captured by the senses.
Hojin’s brow twitched.
As if silently assessing what had just happened.
That question was brief.
He took his stance again for the next attack.
I watched Hojin’s movements.
The minute tremors of his muscles, the change in his gaze, the rhythm of his breathing.
Everything was a hint given to me.
And again, I began to see the path.
***
Hojin had been watching Ryu Jinwoo since the day of the entrance exam.
The reason was a certain rumor surrounding Ryu Jinwoo.
‘Baekseok’s disciple has enrolled at Zero.’
It was a story that was cautiously passed among the instructors.
That's why he had expectations. If he was Baekseok’s successor, there must be something special about him.
However, the guy he faced on the arena was far below his expectations.
The awkward stance and the posture full of openings gave him a considerable sense of disappointment.
A pathetic appearance, to the point of making him wonder if this was truly Baekseok’s disciple.
But.
‘……Can he see it?’
When the battle actually began, Hojin couldn't land a single significant blow on him, who was supposedly full of openings.
‘Interesting.’
Hojin’s eyes glinted.
His attacks had missed several times already.
Since the guy's gaze was entirely focused on the right, it was a definite hit.
Hwi-ik-!
Like a mollusk, his smoothly bent torso dodged the attack.
It was the result of his side hollowing in by exactly the size of a fist.
‘He’s reacting right before the attack connects.’
Could it be that even the openings were intentional?
As that thought occurred to him, Hojin felt a strange sensation.
This was a test.
A test where, as an instructor, he was evaluating the skills of the cadets.
But at this moment, Hojin felt as if that relationship had been reversed.
As if he had become the cadet…….
‘Nonsense.’
Hojin shook his head slightly and stared at Ryu Jinwoo.
“You seem to be confident in your evasion, but what about this.”
Hojin lowered his center of gravity and naturally pressed his feet to the floor.
A moment later, a faint blue magic power that had spread from his feet began to slowly envelop his body.
Next, he took a deep breath and calmed his presence, following the flow of his magic power.
The moment a subtle yet vicious intent began to rise.
Seureuk-.
The flow of magic power that had started from the soles of his feet spread throughout his legs, and he momentarily vanished.
Before long, he reappeared behind Ryu Jinwoo.
Hojin silently thrust his sharply formed hand chop towards the boy’s side.
It was a quiet and stealthy attack that could deceive even the wind.
***
Amidst the ceaseless onslaught of attacks, an extreme fatigue gradually accumulated.
To the point where my muscles ached and my heart felt dizzy.
And it was then.
In an instant, Hojin’s figure disappeared from my sight.
Like a mirage scattering.
‘……Here it comes!’
The moment his form blurred, my insides let out a strange cheer.
Swi-shik-! Jjeok-!
And right after that, a strong impact was transmitted to my side at a speed I couldn't even perceive.
At a completely unexpected timing.
“Heok-!”
My breath stopped for a moment at the pain, as if my side had exploded.
With a dizziness that felt like the world was turning upside down, my knees buckled, and I collapsed onto one knee.
“Well, I guess you can't dodge this one. A shame.”
That voice definitely came from behind.
Before I knew it, Hojin had returned to his original spot with a plain expression.
‘Damn it, I have to see it to dodge it.’
I clutched my side and collapsed.
It was a pattern I ‘knew’ because I had seen it countless times in the game.
Hojin’s technique, [Shadow Chase].
The description for that technique definitely said something like that.
A technique that freely moves through the blind spots that exist in human vision.
A blind spot, meaning it cannot be detected.
As a result, my [Evasion Instinct] did not activate.
There's only one timing when Hojin uses this technique in the freshman test.
If you dodge all of his initial barrage of attacks without allowing a single hit, he uses the technique called ‘Shadow Chase.’
And if you endure even longer, he uses one more technique.
‘I don't know if I can make it that far.’
Even though it was just a single blow, an excruciating pain rose from my abdomen, tightening my breath.
On one hand, along with the suffocating pain, I felt a strange surge of power.
Could it be because my body was tense?
Just as I was curled up with that question.
U-geok- U-geu-geuk-
The Mimic floating next to me began to chew on something ravenously.
[Delicious! So deliciooooous!]
A joyful shout rang out.
Ddiring-!
[Tactical Manual]
-You have learned the martial art ‘Shadow Chase.’
-Would you like to learn the corresponding skill? (Y / N)
[Required SP: 70,000SP]
[Owned SP: 230,400SP]
Finally, the long-awaited message was delivered.
Learn it? It’s asking the obvious.
“It's over. Look at him collapse after getting hit once, after acting like a rat.”
“Ugh- that hurts me just looking at it. Isn’t it a bit pitiful?”
I clutched my side and glanced towards where those voices came from.
Unlike the word ‘pitiful,’ I saw the two of them snickering.
I decided to remember their faces for now.
I lowered my head again, enduring the slowly receding pain, and accepted the system’s offer.
[‘Shadow Chase’ has been acquired.]
At the same time, I found myself standing alone in that familiar, empty darkness.
The space I had been to when I acquired Hundred Night Yaksha.
As expected, Instructor Hojin was…… not in front of me.
‘What kind of mechanism does this space operate on?’
I couldn't ask anyone, and in the first place, it was a presentation that didn't exist in the original game.
No matter where I looked, up or, just in case, down, it was an empty space with nothing.
And only then did I realize that I couldn't even see my own body.
‘What is this now?’
Unlike the phenomenon I had experienced before, I couldn't see my feet, my hands, or even what was right in front of my nose.
And a sudden fear crept in, that the movements I had made might have just been my imagination.
Gradually, my sense of space disappeared, and even my own position began to lose its sense of distance.
A suffocating pressure.
Only then did I realize. This time, it would end with me being crushed by this unknown fear.
It was then.
Two streaks of dark red lines appeared grandly in the endlessly dark and deep space.
As they opened, a swirling dark vortex that appeared stared at me.
Like the giant eye of something.
Furthermore, I realized that I had already been swallowed by the darkness.
Soon after, I, the target of that eye's gaze, began to be peeled away, broken, and scattered, one layer at a time.
A terrible pain corresponding to that washed over me in stages.
Though it couldn't be heard, I thought I had let out a terrible scream.
At the same time, I felt a sense of relief, that I had not been non-existent.
The world went dark at once and then brightened a moment later.
“…….”
In front of my eyes was the floor of the sparring arena I had just seen.
“Heok-.”
Something complex and immense rose up from within me and then faded away, hazy like a dream.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
‘Should I just end it here?’
I had obtained one of the techniques I was aiming for.
In that case, I had met the minimum objective I had set for myself.
I could be satisfied and stop here.
The faint memory of what had just happened made my throat feel tight, as if being choked.
The opportunity to see the technique of such a strong person up close is very rare, but if I continue on, another chance might come.
But a thirst different from the suffocation rose up, a feeling that was slowly tickling my throat.
To quench this thirst, I couldn't stop here.
“An interesting spar. I acknowledge your sharp intuition and judgment. However, your durability is still severely lacking. You need more training.”
Hojin approached, murmuring his assessment in a low voice.
A relaxed attitude was evident, as if the entire test was already over.
It was only natural.
I had been hit unexpectedly and couldn't even breathe properly.
My vision was dizzy.
If I closed my eyes now, I would definitely pass out.
And that’s why it was meaningful.
Being helpless.
Not being a threat at all.
Because that’s how you create an opening in a predator.
“No matter how nimble you are, you can't dodge forever. Someone will aim for your blind spot……”
The moment Hojin reached right in front of my nose.
[Shadow Chase]
The positions of the predator and the prey are reversed.
[‘Settlement’ according to skill use will now proceed.]
As the ‘settlement’ began, I felt a boiling heat from my feet and legs.
An excruciating pain arose, but I welcomed it.
Before I knew it, Hojin’s back was in my sight.
As if I had teleported.
There was no hesitation.
My sword rushed at Hojin.
Shi-i-ik-!
Drawing a sharp, straight line.
And.
Hwoong-!
The sword cut through the air, failing to achieve its goal.
Hojin had ducked his torso and smoothly turned his waist to dodge my sword.
Damn it, what kind of monster is this? It’s absurd.
Teo-eop-!
Before long, a pressure as if being choked crushed down on me.
“Keub-.”
At the same time, I began to feel the strength that had filled my entire body until just now draining away.
“Don’t push yourself. You won't feel any strength now. I'm holding a nerve, so just listen.”
Hojin stared at me with intense eyes.
“You’ve pulled off something interesting.”
There was curiosity in his eyes.
It might have been a natural reaction, as a guy on the verge of death had just mimicked his technique.
“I'm curious how you did it, but I’ll find out eventually.”
Hojin said lightly, scanning my body.
“Well, it was excellent. Aiming for an opening with a hidden trump card. A good tactic.”
Kku-guk-
As he said that, Hojin’s hand tightened.
I was on the verge of suffocating.
This guy seems a little angry too.
“But, do you know when a person is most careless? It’s the very moment they think they’ve struck their opponent's weak point. Don't lose your focus until the very end. If this were a real battle, you would have lost your life just now.”
Hojin murmured coldly.
In my increasingly hazy mind, his voice echoed like a memory.
However.
“It’s not…… over yet.”
“That’s not something to say when you’re in tatters. Still, it was interesting. You showed a good performance despite being a Non-Awakened.”
Hojin paid no mind to my words and continued his assessment.
From Hojin’s perspective, it was natural to think it was over.
Me, without magic power, with a pressure point on my neck being held.
What could I do from here?
But there was one thing he had overlooked.
“You said the moment of carelessness is the most dangerous, didn't you?”
In an instant, strength began to fill my body.
It wasn't mine.
It was just that an unknown power surged the moment the skill was activated.
Some kind of power, I don't know if it was magic or what.
Teo-eop-!
Using the momentarily surging power.
I kicked Hojin in the chest and broke free from his grip on my neck.
I caught a glimpse of a large crack in Hojin’s previously indifferent expression.
“It’s as you said, instructor. Carelessness is poison.”
[Hundred Night Yaksha]
The moment I was in the air, the hand holding the sword drew a familiar trajectory.
Countless sword energies embroidering the vast empty space.
The trajectory the sword drew was beautiful, like the brush tip of a master calligrapher who had honed his craft for a long time, creating an orchid.
And it was then.
A cool energy emanated from Hojin’s entire body.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze for an instant.
Hojin’s hands moved swiftly.
His hand blades, tinged with a clear blue light, cut through the air, drawing a silent melody.
A harmony created by smooth hand movements.
And finally, the movement that stabbed fiercely like a dagger.
That series of flows was engraved in my eyes.
Kwa-gwang-!
The moment the sword and hand blades met, the entire arena vibrated violently.
Cracks spread like a spiderweb on the floor, and the violently swirling air created a dust fog that covered the surroundings.
Chwa-ra-ra-rak-!
And in that moment of passion, the [Tactical Manual] appeared once again.
[Kkihihihi! Chureup-chureup!]
With a strange interjection, it ravenously chewed on something with its jagged teeth.
Ddiring-!
[Tactical Manual]
-You have learned the swordsmanship ‘Silver Wolf: Vicious Fang.’
-Would you like to learn the corresponding skill?
[Required SP: 100,000]
[Owned SP: 160,400]