NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 11 - Why Are You Above That (1)
It seems I was sent from the
I was immediately led by the hand of a woman I’d never seen before towards an interview room.
Though I’d never seen her, I had a feeling I knew who she was.
Long red hair. And a long scar on her left cheek.
“Are you the Sword Empress?”
One of South Korea’s 4 superhumans.
Sword Empress Yoo Seol-ah.
“I’m a bit pleased that Student Lee Dojin knows me.”
It would be strange not to know you if one has stepped into the hunter world. And I’m not a student yet, am I?
“Is there a problem with my exam?”
At my words, Yoo Seol-ah smiled gently.
“No. There’s no problem at all with the evaluation exam just now. At this rate, well. Student Lee Dojin will be the top entrant. At least in the combat division.”
“Well, I don’t like going up to make pledges or anything.”
Yoo Seol-ah burst into laughter at something funny about my words.
“I thought you liked getting attention by carrying around a wooden sword. But I guess that’s not the case.”
Attention.
It’s not bad. But I didn’t particularly want to receive it on the platform on the first day of admission.
I’ll get attention anyway. Because I have no intention of hiding my strength.
“There won’t be a chance to go up on the platform as the top entrant. It’s already a discontinued culture since the combat division, non-combat division, and even magic within the combat division have separate exams.”
Yoo Seol-ah’s eyes suddenly became sharp as she continued speaking.
“Speaking of wooden swords, why do you use a wooden sword?”
I can only use wooden swords.
“It’s comfortable for me.”
“…A wooden sword is comfortable, you say. Student Lee Dojin, you really are an unusual swordsman.”
I couldn’t deny being unusual.
Now wooden swords were really comfortable too.
Though Yoo Seol-ah would be thinking something completely different.
“Do you perhaps have a master?”
Such a question must have come from my strength.
“I do.”
Swoosh!
Yoo Seol-ah suddenly brought her face close.
Right up to my nose.
Eyes with a red tinge stared at me.
“Could I perhaps hear their name?”
I wanted to say Sword Emperor Dan Cheonwoo.
But I couldn’t.
The position of one of the 4 superhumans would be able to handle an enormous amount of information, even beyond my expectations.
Mentioning a being that doesn’t exist in this world could unnecessarily lead to a troublesome situation.
There was already one person in this world who held the title of ‘Sword Emperor’.
“No, they’re someone who avoids appearing in the world.”
Yoo Seol-ah didn’t withdraw her face even at my answer.
“What’s the name of the sword technique?”
“Reverse Heaven Sword.”
“Reverse… Heaven.”
Yoo Seol-ah repeated my words, then started to emit a red current throughout her body.
The fighting spirit possessed by those with divine techniques.
An oppressive aura flowing from the body.
I was able to counter it because Master had shown it to me many times, saying I needed to experience it often to be able to endure it.
I emitted a colorless aura.
Our auras growled as if trying to devour each other.
Yoo Seol-ah was still smiling.
“Did your master also teach you to display this pressure, Student Lee Dojin?”
Yoo Seol-ah’s hand wasn’t on her sword hilt yet.
I slightly readjusted my grip on the wooden sword.
Master had also taught me when to use this ‘aura’.
There were two occasions.
One was to gain the upper hand by intimidating the opponent.
And the other was.
“Are you saying you want to fight me now?”
To express the desire to fight when you want to fight the other person.
“Pfft…! Hee! Hahahahaha!”
Yoo Seol-ah burst into loud laughter.
Even showing an inexplicable blush.
“It’s been a while. I really want to do that sincerely after such a long time, but. Not today.”
Yoo Seol-ah suddenly dissipated her aura.
“I just wanted to tell you this. That you might think there’s nothing to learn at this Iroaz Academy. Please don’t drop out.”
I had no intention of dropping out.
At least not yet.
Because there are a few things I want to gain.
Yoo Seol-ah stared at me intently.
“Student Lee Dojin’s swordsmanship. Just considering that, you could be considered S-rank right now. You’d be an excellent hunter if you went to the front lines right now.”
As she brought up a fact I had never thought about myself, I couldn’t quite gauge it.
“You didn’t use a single form of the Reverse Heaven Sword in the Colosseum, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Hehehe, I thought so, but. You really didn’t use even one.”
The image I had of Sword Empress Yoo Seol-ah was crumbling more and more.
“But your internal energy is still lacking, right?”
Indeed, my internal energy is still lacking. 2-star Reverse Heaven Divine Technique.
From the third year, there would be more students with 3-star mana power.
But with the Reverse Heaven Sword, I could overturn that level of mana difference.
If what I showed in that exam venue was barely S-rank, if that’s true.
Even fourth-year students. Would there be anyone who could block my sword now?
Yoo Seol-ah brought her face close again.
“I’ll get you spirit medicine.”
“Pardon?”
“The fastest way for a martial artist to increase internal energy is spirit medicine.”
I had heard about this from Master too.
-If I could have gotten spirit medicine, I would have hit 3-star.
“I don’t know how your master became a martial artist, but in the hunter era, the opportunity to become a martial artist is almost always in dungeons. Divine technique manuals from dungeons. Internal energy manuals. And sword techniques.”
I had heard about it. There are a very small number of families with unique martial arts, but most of those are in China.
Martial artists in other countries are usually born from dungeons.
A few among the first generation hunters became martial artists that way.
Now they pass on that martial art to their children or disciples.
That’s what modern martial artists were.
“And spirit medicine also comes from dungeons. Its basic effect is similar to elixirs, but spirit medicine has double the effect on martial artists who handle divine techniques. When mages take it, it’s worse than common elixirs.”
“What are the chances of it appearing in a dungeon?”
Yoo Seol-ah let out another laugh.
“You’re thinking of going into a dungeon right now and destroying everything, aren’t you? The chances of spirit medicine appearing in a dungeon are extremely low. There have been times when it didn’t appear even once in 10 years.”
“Even if it’s sold in hunter markets, it must be very expensive.”
“It is expensive. The starting auction price for spirit medicine that appears relatively often is 5 billion won.”
5 billion?
5 billion isn’t just some dog’s name.
“I’ll get you the highest grade spirit medicine.”
I’d be grateful if she gives it, but.
“Why are you showing such kindness to me?”
“As an educator at the academy. I have a duty to nurture talented students.”
I don’t think it’s such a pure intention. From someone who was desperate to fight me.
Yoo Seol-ah continued.
“Student Lee Dojin still has quite a lot to learn. About dungeons too. About monsters too. About villains too. There are also trait-type villains, not just those with weapons or magic. Don’t you need to know how to deal with them?”
Trait-type is easier to think of as superpower users. When others awaken mana, a very small number of beings awaken superpowers. That’s what trait-types were.
Hearing that, it did sound convincing.
Nevertheless, I didn’t think at all that my Reverse Heaven Sword couldn’t cut those things.
All these explanations were ultimately to keep me here.
“I’ll attend the academy. I have things I want too.”
“That’s good then. I’m really glad Student Lee Dojin appeared. There are students in this academy who can be called real geniuses in each field right now. But there was no swordsman in particular.”
Yoo Seol-ah brought her face close again.
Possessiveness.
It felt like a different kind of possessiveness from what So Yueun showed me in the first year at Athena. The Sword Empress’s was a bit scarier.
“I’ll give you the spirit medicine as an admission gift. It might take a while, but. It should be within 6 months.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you remember a girl named Baek Hwayeon?”
Baek Hwayeon?
Of course I remember. Pink hair, the female swordsman I met at Mount Gamak in Paju.
“I do remember, but.”
“She’s my disciple. That child. She told me she crossed swords with you two years ago. Said it was amazing.”
To think Baek Hwayeon was the Sword Empress’s disciple.
It was quite surprising.
Saying that Athena is a place only mediocre people go to, it turns out it was the Sword Empress in front of me who said that.
Master and disciple both seemed exactly alike in being half-crazy about swords.
“Two years ago, how was that child’s sword?”
Two years ago, Baek Hwayeon’s sword?
I answered honestly.
“It was excellent. And quite frightening.”
Yoo Seol-ah suddenly covered her mouth and started laughing.
“Quite, fright- quite excellent! Pfft, pffft!”
What’s wrong with her.
It was just that it was truly excellent and frightening.
The two guys I cut down as soon as I was summoned to the Colosseum were weaker than Baek Hwayeon from two years ago.
“Student Lee Dojin, you really are perfect. With that skill and consideration too, you’ll make many girls cry.”
I have no idea what she means.
“I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time. You may go now. I’ll explain to the rest of the committee members.”
“Thank you.”
I left the interview room.
When the Sword Empress gave them a look, all the committee members who had gathered made way.
I headed first to the hotel where I had stayed.
I thought about various things as I went.
As it is.
What would have happened if I had fought Sword Empress Yoo Seol-ah?
Defeat?
Well.
In life-and-death battles between martial artists, what’s important is not the difference in internal energy.
It’s who cuts off the other’s breath first.
That’s what I learned from Master.
If I pierce the heart with Soul Pursuit and cut off the neck in one breath with Moon Slicing, I might win.
But if Soul Pursuit is blocked, and Moon Slicing is rendered ineffective too. I couldn’t predict what would happen after that.
In the end, my current shortcoming is indeed internal energy.
“4-star.”
When I reach 4-star.
And complete the 3rd form of the Reverse Heaven Sword, I was certain I wouldn’t lose to anyone.
First, 3-star.
Step by step. Do what I can do.
The weekend passed.
March 5, 2046.
The day of the Iroaz Academy entrance ceremony arrived.