chapter 4
4. Cutting
The day I meet Choi Cheol-hyun is on Wednesday.
There is still one day left.
Sitting upright, I practiced the superion mana practice method that I learned in And is the most used method by hunters, holding a branch.
I heard that since the Superion mana seniority method was based on the principle, there would be no problem in learning other seniority methods even if you learn it later.
Doing the Superion Mana Practice. Repeatedly swinging the wooden sword.
Just like that, the day flew by.
Finally, it is the day to meet the national treasure craftsman, Choi Cheol-hyeon.
7 O’clock in the morning.
I took a bus and arrived at Yangcheon Station.
In my right hand was a wooden sword.
37 Years since the era of monsters and hunters, it was allowed to carry weapons on trains as long as you had a hunter license.
In the case of huge or sharp weapons, it was recommended to put them in subspace pockets before boarding them.
Since wooden swords were not even subject to weapon regulation, no one seemed to care much about my wooden sword.
***
‘Are you carrying a wooden sword?’
Train to Paju.
Kim So-hee, the raid leader of Team 3 of the , Who was inside the train, glanced at the man wearing a white hoodie.
In his right hand was a wooden sword.
‘Are you a crazy concept bug or an Athena cadet? Isn’t it, isn’t it very likely that Athena students will be on the train at this time on weekdays?’
Kim So-hee, who was unexpected when she dropped out of Athena, soon drew attention from Lee Do-jin.
And filled her head with her thoughts about the awakened high school .
‘I want to preoccupy talented people before entering Iroas Academy.’
That shouldn’t be the case.
Because Athena’s students were still minors.
According to the Hunter Act, beings who have not reached adulthood cannot make any contracts or financial transactions with the Hunter Guild.
No matter how much monsters appear and the world becomes a bloody mess. We must not allow young people who have not yet reached adulthood to enter the battlefield.
That was the position of the Awakened Authority, which was responsible for the security of the hunters and the students of Athens and Iroas.
It wasn’t until 7 years after the gate appeared that the world gradually stabilized. The majority of countries adhered to the above rules.
‘I have no choice but to contact you right after graduation. He said that there are not as many talents as expected in the current senior class jockeys. In the second year, Jin Hyun-woo was said to be the most promising.’
Recently, Kim So-hee has been more interested in her scouting activities than fighting on the front lines.
Because she clearly knew the limits of her talent.
No matter how hard you try, you are a B-class hunter.
It’s an excellent hunter, but it ends there. She’s just one of many excellent hunters.
So she was frantic about discovering her talents and taking them to the Karma Guild.
‘Lee Do-jin… By the time she was a freshman, she said she was definitely the best prospect in that student. She said that she has no sensitivity. It’s a pity.’
But she felt nothing but pity.
Because even before the world of hunters, the case of a talented youth slipping away in an instant was commonplace.
This world is never equal.
-This is Paju Station. To get off, please use the door on the left.
At some point, the train arrived at Paju Station.
Lee Do-jin, a man in a white hoodie holding a wooden sword, prepared to get off.
Tadak-
Kim So-hee and Lee Do-jin happened to get off the train one after another.
Pajijijik!
Lee Do-jin and Kim So-hee stopped at the same time.
This is because the space at the front began to distort.
It was a phenomenon right before the occurrence of ‘Gate’.
The air is torn.
Damn it!
A large gap opened in the space. And three goblins came out of it.
Kill aaak!
Kaaak!
The goblins let out sharp cries and quickly scanned the surroundings.
Only one idea popped into their heads.
Tear apart the humans in front.
That was only one thought.
Kill aaak!
Chop!
Kim So-hee hurriedly opened her child’s pocket and flipped it over. And she picked up a weapon, a spear.
The moment I was about to move, I saw Lee Do-jin in front of me.
My eyes widened spontaneously.
A colorless flame flickering across a wooden sword.
‘A sword on a wooden sword… energy?’
It was an obvious swordsman.
A transparent sword was rising from the wooden sword Lee Do-jin was holding in his right hand.
Lee Do-jin ran towards the goblins without hesitation.
‘Slice.’
This is an act done countless times. There was no hesitation.
Kwaduk!
Put your right foot forward and keep your balance.
Wield it.
It was the stance of the sword swordsman.
The wooden sword drew a semicircle.
Write—————Wow!
A colorless sword ripped through the air.
The goblin’s head floated into the air.
‘…… !!’
Kim So-hee felt goosebumps all over her body.
‘That she can use her wooden sword as a medium to produce such sharp sword skills?’
How uniform is the inspection?
And to pull out such a sword skill in such a short amount of time meant that it was a routine thing to do.
Lee Do-jin did not stop her movement.
Because there are still two goblins left.
Shukage!
The wooden sword cut through the goblin from the left shoulder to the right shoulder. The goblin’s upper body, which had been cut diagonally, slanted slowly.
Dark red blood splattered on the floor.
Awesome!
And the last remaining goblin took her down the center of the head.
The goblin’s head was completely crushed and sprawled across the floor.
‘It’s neat.’
Kim So-hee swallowed her saliva.
‘With her wooden sword, pull out a sharp blade that can cut the goblins. If it’s a simple movement like this.’
Kim So-hee was sure that she would be on the same level as her or even better.
‘Because I can’t just use a wooden sword.’
There is no crazy hunter who deliberately sticks to a wooden sword.
If you can demonstrate that much physicality with a wooden sword, you will be stronger with your original weapon.
“Hello.”
Kim So-hee lowered her head toward Lee Do-jin, who had put all her magic stones in her pocket.
“Do you have any guilds?”
Kim So-hee naturally thought that the man in front of her was an active hunter with a formal hunter license.
Lee Do-jin, thinking for a moment what the intention of this question was, decided to blur it out.
“No, I am not in a guild yet.”
“I am this kind of person.”
Then he held out his business card.
Lee Do-jin received a business card.
Karma Guild 1 attack team leader Kim So-hee.
‘Karma Guild.’
It did not belong to the top 5 guilds, but as a mid-tier guild, it was a guild that most people who were interested in the hunter world would know.
“If you are interested in a guild, please consider our guild as well. If you come, I will take responsibility and make a favorable contract.”
Kim So-hee tried to look closely at Lee Do-jin’s face.
It was to guess how old he was. However, it was difficult to guess his age because he was wearing a white hoodie.
I didn’t look that old just by listening to his voice.
“I am just gaining experience. If I become interested in the guild later, I will be the first to go.”
Kim So-hee nodded her head at Lee Do-jin’s words.
She refused out of the utmost consideration for herself. If you go any further, you will feel unlikable.
‘Actually, I want to stick around more.’
-Come ASAP. It is urgent.
Unfortunately, the guild master was waiting for him. Kim So-hee lowered her head and added one last word.
“Yes, I hope to see you next time. Definitely.”
Lee Do-jin left behind Kim So-hee, who was getting farther away, and looked around her.
I stared at the corpses of the dead goblins.
It was my first real performance. It was the first life.
Lee Do-jin stared at his arm.
His arms were shaking.
Nervous? No. There was no tension at all.
Pleasure.
It was a clear pleasure. Achievement.
The corner of his mouth went up.
“I can cut it.”
Even with a wooden sword.
Can slash monsters.
It was the moment I was sure of that.
**
Kill three goblins.
I immediately moved to the address that the elderly Choi Cheol-hyun sent me via text message.
“It’s amazing.”
Who would think of this building as a blacksmith’s workshop?
It was a state-of-the-art building that exuded a sense of trust even for a medium-sized company.
Giying-
After passing through the automatic door, a large man in a suit appeared next to him.
“What is your name?”
“I am Lee Do-jin.”
“Welcome. You are waiting.”
Her man, who may be a security guard or bodyguard, went up the elevator with me.
And then I opened the door to what looked like the office of the chairman of a large corporation.
“Please enter.”
As soon as I entered, the guards closed the door from the outside. In front of him, a gray-haired middle-aged man with a one-sided expression was sitting on a chair.
“Come here. The last time I saw him was at Hyukwoo’s funeral, so it’s been 4 years.”
“Yes, old man.”
The elder’s eyebrows were wrinkled.
“The elderly. Because there is only a 7 year age difference between you and Hyukwoo? Just… Call me teacher.”
“Yes, sir.”
Choi Cheol-Hyun gave a chin gesture.
“What are you doing right now, what situation are you in? I’m not interested in anything like that. Just tell me what you want Whether it’s money or whatever, I’ll listen to just one thing.”
I don’t care what kind of situation I’m in.
I’ll listen to anything.
As expected of a national treasure level craftsman, he’s a big man.
I think you know I want money, but it wasn’t money.
“Is there a tree that can withstand the sword?”
“… What?”
Cheolhyun Choi opened his eyes wide as if this was an unexpected question.