Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Chapter 173 : Dark Horse (1)

Dark Horse (1)

"Certainly, Felix Jürgen is an outstanding expert."

Especially since he had put up a good fight against Ryan Knox, who had overwhelmed the S-rank hunter Jung Yoo-shin, it was generally thought that he was objectively above Baek Hojun.

In the first place, Felix was a hunter in his fifties who had already been at S-rank for more than ten years.

He had more than ten years of experience over Baek Hojun.

"That's about right, then."

"Pardon?"

"Because then we'll be able to gauge Ryan Knox's skill."

At my words, Gong Je-hun blinked his eyes.

"First of all, since Felix specializes in the spear, he can be quite difficult for hunters who use swords to face. He's adept at controlling distance and experienced enough to never let his guard down."

Regardless of Gong Je-hun's reaction, I continued.

Baek Hojun quietly listened to my words and nodded.

He must have seen Felix's fights plenty of times.

"But since there are few hunters who use spears, hunter Baek Hojun-nim might find it a little unfamiliar."

Saying so, I picked up a long stick that was lying near the training ground.

It was just the right length to use as a spear substitute.

"I've watched Felix's spear technique enough, so I can imitate it to some extent."

"Pardon?"

"Hunter Baek Hojun-nim, please pick up the practice sword next to you as well."

"Ah, no, no, no."

As I picked up the stick and loosened up, Gong Je-hun hurried over and tugged at my collar.

"What are you talking about right now? Are you really planning to spar with Hunter Baek Hojun-nim? How could an ordinary person without magic power contend with a hunter?"

In response to Gong Je-hun's words, I actually felt puzzled.

'Didn't the story about me fighting in Taean get passed along?'

It seemed the association head in Taean hadn't properly relayed the message.

Come to think of it, I hadn't given a detailed explanation about No Name either.

'Well, does it matter?'

I wondered whether I should tell him now, but shook my head.

He probably wouldn't really believe me anyway, and I had no intention of sparring with magic power right now either.

"I'm planning to spar without magic power. It's a tremendous strength, yes, but it can sometimes cloud one's vision."

The more magic power you have, the more your physical abilities are enhanced.

A prime example was Yeon-ji.

Of course, Yeon-ji was half-demon, and her body, in particular, was sturdy and powerful.

With overwhelming magic power and demonic energy added in, considering just pure physical ability, she could even outclass some S-rank hunters.

However, fights between S-rank hunters are not decided based only on that.

"Sometimes you can see things more clearly when you don't use magic power."

With that, I slowly took up a stance.

Spreading my feet wide, I held the stick tilted in both hands, pointed towards Baek Hojun.

It was the foundation of the spear technique I had been analyzing for the past few days: Felix's style.

***

Germany vs Korea.

There was no one who would bet on the latter's victory.

Simply counting S-rank hunters, Korea had more.

Germany had three, and Korea had five.

But since only three S-rank hunters could participate per national team, the numbers didn't mean much.

"I put it all on Korea."

A young man, looking at the stadium in the midst of busy preparations, spoke to his friend.

"What?! Korea? Are you crazy?"

Naturally, his friend cried out, looking utterly flabbergasted.

Odyssey was both a world festival and the modern Coliseum.

Of course, with that, vast sums were wagered and gambling flourished.

"... What are the odds?"

"17 to 1."

"That's tempting."

At the "17 to 1," his friend had to admit it.

"So how much did you bet?"

"Three thousand dollars."

"What?!"

When he heard 'three thousand dollars', the friend was astounded.

It was basically half the money he'd managed to save up over the past several months, all thrown into this one match.

"Why on earth would you do that...?"

"Haaa."

The young man didn't bother to explain. He knew his friend wouldn't understand anyway.

'There's someone on the Korean team who took Alencia, a mere internet streamer, and made her into an S-rank awakener.'

If you asked any American if they knew any of the Korean representatives, they'd probably all pick Park Jung-woo.

That was because the story of Alencia's rise to S-rank had aired multiple times and had been consistently mentioned in the US.

Most called it a coincidence, but some, looking at how Jung-woo had taught Alencia, guessed that there was something more to him.

But this didn't influence the odds of the bet.

If it had, there wouldn't be a despair-inducing gap like 17 to 1.

'Please!'

But the young man believed in Jung-woo.

He believed he wasn't just someone who got lucky in finding Alencia and focused on the upcoming match.

The third match of Odyssey, which had officially begun after the draw.

Korea vs Germany.

While most predicted victory for Germany, the representatives of both countries appeared in the stadium.

Following the referee's directions, the Korean and German teams stepped onto the stage, exchanging glances and shaking hands.

"The ones participating for Korea in today's match are Baek Hojun, Shin Yu-baek, and Hong Ji-hak."

"They're all veteran hunters. That's a good choice. Germany's team is experienced, so it looks like Korea chose to field their most experienced as well."

The commentators for HSN, which was broadcasting the Odyssey in Korea, were the popular anchor Hong Byung-woo and S-rank Hunter Hwang Sung-yeon—who also held an Odyssey referee certificate.

Both had outstanding expertise and wit, so most viewers were watching the event via HSN's coverage.

"Manager Park Jung-woo—ah, coach now! As you know, coach Park Jung-woo has a great eye for reading things. It's a flawless lineup."

"Yes, those three hunters are definitely the core of the Korean team this year. Mage Hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim is part of the team as well, but since she has to leave in the middle due to scheduling, I assume they'll mostly rely on those three to handle Odyssey."

There was no need to mention Baek Hojun, the Sword Saint, and both Shin Yu-baek and Hong Ji-hak of Grand Nova were pillars of Korea's hunter world.

While Lee Soo-ah and Ah-yeon had talent, their youth made people undervalue them relatively.

"What's your take, commentator Hwang Sung-yeon? Do you think the Korean team has a fighting chance against Germany?"

"Germany is a strong opponent. Not many countries could expect to beat them. But if you look at it, aside from their team leader Felix Jürgen Hunter, they're manageable."

"So, if Korea targets the two hunters besides Felix and defeats them, they can win?"

"Yes, that's right. Of course, those two aren't easy prey either, so I'd give it roughly a fifty-fifty chance."

Frankly, that was being generous.

Still, with how much Baek Hojun had improved lately, and with the Sword King Shin Yu-baek's skill, they believed Korea could win if it wasn't Felix.

"I feel bad, but Hunter Hong Ji-hak will probably have to face Felix."

"Ah, so he's the bomb squad."

"Hey, put it that way and what does that make me?"

Of course, they didn't know.

That, for this Germany match, Shin Yu-baek and Hong Ji-hak were, in Jung-woo's mind, just filling up the numbers as extras.

"You're confident, right?"

At that, Baek Hojun gave a bitter laugh.

"After all the help you gave me, how could I not be?"

"I merely acted as a training partner. How you use that is up to you, hunter Baek Hojun-nim."

To those words, Baek Hojun shook his head.

"A mere training partner," he thought.

It was far from something that simple.

Even if it were, to have an S-rank like himself sparring as a training partner was already something unthinkable. He must have noticed how people's attitudes toward him had changed.

'Looks like you're not trying to hide anymore.'

Had something changed in his mindset?

Or perhaps there was no longer a reason to hide.

Baek Hojun didn't know.

But ever since "No Name" was declared for Odyssey, Hojun realized Jung-woo was showing his true self to the world.

"Now, I can finally use it for real."

"Pardon?"

"The sword Manager Park made for me."

A magic sword made from a tainted dragon bone.

An ordinary person wouldn't have managed to wield it properly, but Hojun was different.

He had perfectly made it his own.

"Looks like we've already outmaneuvered them."

As soon as he stepped onto the stage, Felix approached as if waiting for this exact moment.

As Jung-woo expected, Felix was the spearhead of the German team.

"If the most skilled among you loses, you don't stand a chance, do you?"

Felix intuited that Hojun was the best of the Korean hunters today.

Even Shin Yu-baek, known as the Sword King, and Hong Ji-hak were formidable, but Hojun was above them.

"It would've been tough even for me if I'd had to fight the other two first."

Since, under the rules, the winning hunter kept on fighting, the German manager, ben Müller, had put Felix first—to finish the match outright by leading with their best.

To Felix's words, Hojun let out a quiet laugh.

"You're saying exactly what I had in mind."

"... What?"

"Ah, well. Maybe I'd put it a little differently."

Baek Hojun slowly swept his hand upward, pushing his hair—fallen over his forehead—back.

Pushing his hair back to keep it out of his field of vision, his sharp, frosty gaze fixed on Felix.

"If it were me, it wouldn't be that hard to handle both of them as well."

At Hojun's arrogant tone, Felix's eyes narrowed.

It was unlike the polite manner he had shown until now.

Hojun exhaled slowly.

And then, he drew his sword.

"If you hadn't become a swordsman, you'd have made a good actor."

Those were words his master had said as Hojun wielded his sword.

"You suppress your true self, pretending to be the genius everyone wants, always acting sincere and polite."

"That's because it's right."

As a genius and disciple of his master, Hojun always felt he had to live as a genius.

But he was never to be arrogant.

People don't like arrogance.

People are drawn to those who are sincere and polite.

He always tried to live as the ideal that everyone expected of Baek Hojun.

"But you're human—you can't live like that all the time."

"I can."

"No, you can't. If you could, you'd be no more than a machine—not a human being."

At his master's rare, stern rebuke, Hojun fell silent.

So what should he do? He asked with his eyes.

"So, let your true nature show when you hold your sword."

"When I hold my sword...?"

"It's good to guard against arrogance. However, your arrogance stems from your efforts."

Never deny your own efforts.

Arrogance creates carelessness, but it might also give you the eyes to see past your opponent.

"Never forget who you really are."

Those words sounded as if his master were speaking to himself.

So Hojun knew, when he held his sword, he had to become more arrogant than anyone.

Because that arrogance was built atop thousands of broken swords.

"You bastard..."

Felix tried to say something to Hojun, but the referee's signal was faster.

At the signal for the match to begin, the crowd erupted in cheers.

At the same time, Felix, wielding his spear, instantly closed the distance from dozens of meters away, lashing out like lightning at Baek Hojun's chest.

'It's the same.'

Observing it calmly, Baek Hojun's eyes moved.

The movement of Felix's muscles, the spear's trajectory—all of it matched what Jung-woo had shown him.

The only difference was that magic power was being added to those movements.

That was why Hojun could respond so calmly.

He could afford to be arrogant.

Everything was exactly as Jung-woo had predicted.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】