novelraw Chapter 111 : Chapter 111
Chapter 111 : Chapter 111
Chapter 111 - The President's Daughter (2)
“Commander. It's about Yoon Joo-hee. She says she'll keep waiting until your training is finished.”
“Okay.”
I answered curtly and resumed my workout.
Physical training was only a small part of my daily routine, but it was also the most important.
This wretched body of mine was prone to breaking down the moment I let my guard down.
“Hoo.”
By gradually increasing the weight every day, I had finally reached my target limit.
I thought that increasing it any further would be inefficient considering my physical condition, and that it would be sufficient to just maintain my current state from now on.
However, Choi Ho-joong, who was watching me from the side, had a somewhat troubled expression.
It was obvious he had something he wanted to say.
“What? Is there a problem?”
“N-no, it's about Yoon Joo-hee. Will it be alright? It's not like she came without notice, but I'm worried we're making her wait too long……”
“What, was that it? It’s not like I had a prior appointment with some girl named Yoon Joo-hee.”
“That's true, but she is the President's daughter……”
It seemed her background was weighing on him.
“So what if she’s the president's daughter? Is she someone I have to meet by breaking my usual routine?”
“That’s not necessarily the case, but……”
“Seeing as she's willing to wait, I guess it must be worth her while.”
The one in a bind was Yoon Joo-hee, not me.
Not only was it not a recruitment period for new members, but she was in a position where she was unilaterally pleading for a test, so there was even less reason to accommodate her.
Still, the reason I was willing to meet her if she waited was purely out of curiosity about her family.
“Jeongjin Sword Family, was it?”
“Yes. That's right.”
Though not on the level of the 10 great sword families, I had heard they were once a highly respected sword family.
But that was all in the past. They had now completely taken down their sign, and I heard it had already been nine years since then.
It was because most of their warriors were annihilated in an Abyss quest they had challenged, staking the fate of their sword family.
The current president, Yoon Tae-seok, was a direct descendant of the Jeongjin Sword Family who had not died in the disaster of that time, and the reason was simple.
He was the only one in the family who was not a warrior.
In the end, the only thing he had done for the Jeongjin Sword Family was to decide on the family’s end in its final moments.
“But are you going to keep watching me train?”
“No, sir. I’ll leave.”
“Don't leave. Ho-joong, you should get some exercise for a change too.”
“Pardon? But I exercise every day.”
Toss.
I threw a Stupeo to the man.
“I mean a proper workout.”
“Pardon?”
“Stop playing dumb and just put it on.”
“……I don't know what I did to deserve this when I just came to deliver a message.”
“Deserve this? I'm just telling you to have a light warm-up before you go.”
“Is it really going to be light?”
“Yeah. 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats. Easy, right?”
He just blinked his eyes without answering.
He hadn't heard the most important part yet.
“From today, Stupeo is on level 3.”
“Co-Commander!”
Ho-joong wore a look of despair.
“When you're done, call Shin Ah-yeon over too. You wouldn't like it if you're the only one suffering, right?”
“Understood.”
A reply mixed with grumbling.
This guy didn't know how good he had it.
For me, even a Stupeo set to level 5 was nothing more than an accessory.
“Heo-eop!”
“Kuaaaack!”
And for a while, Ho-joong's groans did not cease in the physical training room.
***
My private training ground.
Yoon Joo-hee was waiting for me there, swinging her sword.
Whether it was because she had grown restless while waiting in the reception room, or because she was subtly trying to show off to me, whom she was about to meet, her swordsmanship was filled with power.
“Haap!”
That battle cry was a bit off-putting, but her swordsmanship itself wasn't bad.
Her movements were not large, and every form felt restrained. Its characteristic was its lack of flashiness, executed simply yet with discipline.
The Jeongjin Sword Family, which had taken down its sign nine years ago and had now completely disappeared from the world. Thanks to her, the lineage of the Jeongjin Sword Style was still being carried on.
Though it felt like the climax was missing, as if she hadn't yet learned the latter half of the sword style.
“Haap!”
Except for that battle cry, her swordsmanship passed.
Of course, this evaluation came with several considerations.
It had been almost 10 years since the Jeongjin Sword Family came to an end. It was taking into account the fact that she likely hadn't received swordsmanship instruction during those long years when she should have been growing, and that she would have had no practical combat experience.
Step, step.
As I approached with audible footsteps, Yoon Joo-hee sensed my presence and briefly paused her movements.
Then, she resumed her swordsmanship as if she hadn't heard me.
Her breathing became rapidly unstable, indicating she was nervous.
“Haap!”
The battle cry was already not to my liking, but now her voice was even trembling slightly.
If I watched any longer, her image would only get worse.
In the end, I decided to stop her.
“Ms. Yoon Joo-hee?”
When I called her name, she stopped her movement in an awkward posture.
Then she swept back her sweat-drenched hair and looked at me with a blank expression.
Her eyes suddenly narrowed. She then put on a slightly surprised expression as if she had just recognized me.
It seemed she wanted to appeal that she had been completely absorbed in her swordsmanship, but it was a very useless act.
No matter how safe the situation was during training, one should always keep their eyes and ears open.
“A pleasure to meet you! Commander Seo Ji-han!”
A nod of her head followed.
I also bowed my head lightly and greeted her.
“I was unintentionally rude. I heard you waited for a long time.”
“Not at all. I was so absorbed in my sword training that I didn't even notice the time passing.”
Impossible.
If she had continued her sword training in that manner, she would have collapsed from exhaustion before long.
Of course, I had no intention of pointing that out.
“It was brief, but I enjoyed watching your swordsmanship.”
“I’m embarrassed! If I had known you were watching, I would have put a little more strength into it.”
Her clumsy acting was a demerit, but what I liked was that her manners were impeccable.
The subtle dignity that permeated her body was also something that couldn't have come about unless it was formed from a young age.
“Then let's get straight to the point. You wish to join the Chamryongdan?”
“That's right, Commander.”
“There was no recruitment announcement, so may I ask why the Chamryongdan, of all places?”
“Because I heard the rumors about you, Commander Seo Ji-han.”
An unhesitating answer, as if prepared.
“That's unexpected. I'm aware that public opinion of me is quite divided.”
Since what I had recently accomplished was not small, there were those who praised me as the best rookie on the rise, but I had also heard that there were just as many opinions dismissing it as an exaggerated rumor.
In fact, most of the anecdotes about me lacked plausibility and realism.
“A trustworthy person recommended you to me.”
“Who might that be?”
“Min Ha-rin.”
Min Ha-rin?
This world really was small.
They say everyone is connected by just one or two degrees of separation.
“What did Min Ha-rin say about me?”
“One of the two geniuses existing in the world. She summed it up simply like that.”
A smirk escaped my lips at those words.
It was an undeniable fact, and the other one would be my disguised identity, Johan.
“Anyway, I apologize for visiting the Haewon Sword Family so abruptly when there was no recruitment announcement.”
“Yes. Since you came so abruptly, you'll just have to show me an even better side of yourself, Ms. Yoon Joo-hee.”
“Pardon?”
For a moment, Yoon Joo-hee's gaze wavered.
“It wouldn’t be a fitting story to come here like this without even that much confidence. Do you agree?”
A moment of silence, then a slightly delayed answer followed.
“……Yes.”
“And let me ask one more thing. This is out of personal curiosity, so you don't have to answer.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“The Jeongjin Sword Family, which was Ms. Yoon Joo-hee's family. I heard it was quite a prestigious family, so will it be okay for you to join our Haewon Sword Family? Even if you've taken down the sign, I imagine the pride must be considerable.”
At my question, Yoon Joo-hee nodded and her expression grew more serious.
Then, she swallowed dryly.
After a brief pause, she opened her mouth again.
“I thought you might ask me that.”
“The story of the Jeongjin Sword Family suddenly closing its doors is too famous.”
In fact, this was the part I was most curious about.
What on earth had happened in the Abyss to cause such a tragedy.
Moreover, it was an unprecedented event for a sword family of the Jeongjin Sword Family's caliber to lose all its strength at once, which made me even more curious.
“I will be honest. This might be a rude story for you, Commander.”
“It sounds like something quite serious is about to come out.”
Yoon Joo-hee did not deny it.
“Actually, I have a plan to rebuild the Jeongjin Sword Family.”
For a moment, an incredulous laugh escaped.
To say something like this while at an interview.
Of course, the content itself was not that surprising.
Rebuilding a fallen prestigious family. Anyone would surely have such thoughts.
However, if she had such intentions, she should have hidden them. Revealing them in this place seemed somewhat novel.
Was she intent on passing or not?
“Continue.”
“Actually, I was planning to tell you this even if you hadn't mentioned it first, Commander. Joining while shamelessly hiding my inner thoughts would be too faithless.”
“Thanks to that, the possibility of you joining has also dropped significantly.”
“I am aware. However, I promise that as long as I am under your command, I will never harbor other thoughts.”
“To summarize, what Ms. Yoon Joo-hee is planning is to learn and gain experience in the Chamryongdan. And based on that, you will one day leave this place and rebuild your own sword family. Is that it?”
“That's right.”
“You’re so honest it's a problem. I'm not even sure I'd pick someone who pledged to bury their bones in the Chamryongdan. Anyway, now is the time for proof. Whether or not Ms. Yoon Joo-hee is an attractive enough person for me to overcome all of this.”
I didn't say it to Yoon Joo-hee, but I liked the story.
She was a fresh character, too.
The problem was whether her swordsmanship could captivate me.
My sword unit wasn't so lenient as to let someone pass with just one novel story.
“Let's start right away.”
“Yes.”
I drew the Holy Sword Bastian.
Usually, I would concede a few moves to test the waters, but today I planned to do things a little differently.
Whoosh.
I immediately extended my sword and thrust towards her wrist.
I intended to judge not what she could show me, but how much potential she possessed.
Chaaeng!
Yoon Joo-hee hastily twisted her body and extended her sword, and the two blades produced a harsh clang.
I didn't stop there.
The tip of Bastian's sword curved like a snake, this time aiming for her side.
Chaaeng!
Yoon Joo-hee's sword trembled even more than before.
Her tightly clenched lips also trembled.
Next, my sword aimed for her shoulder, and then I attacked her waist.
With swords barely clashing continuously, the sound of metal rang out in the training ground.
The sound of her breathing was never heard.
She wouldn't have had even a moment's leisure to take a breath under my onslaught of attacks.
But this situation could not continue.
Kwaaaang!
Her sword was sent flying by a diagonal slash that came up from the ground.
Yoon Joo-hee looked at me with a face of utter devastation.
The test had ended as soon as it began.
She must know it too.
That I hadn't even used my full strength.
I calmly conveyed my thoughts to her.
“Should I call you a feast of openings? There were just too many places to attack.”
Yoon Joo-hee just hung her head low and let out a dejected sigh.