Chapter 98

Episode 98. The War of the Stars (4)

"Go easy on me, Hyeong-nim. We have to enter a Rift next week."

"Yeah, let's not hurt each other."

The battles between the 1st class Hunters were surprisingly dull.

'They're hardly using half of their power.'

It was wrong to expect people who knew each other's schedules and circumstances to exchange blows in earnest.

They showed their abilities in moderation, and as soon as their Association-issued hunting suits were scratched, they declared defeat. 1st class Hunters didn't care about the Association's rankings anyway.

Even if they won the event, they only received a small sum. The Internet raved about the rankings, but the actual people they met, scouts and people working in the Hunting industry, didn't care about the rankings at all.

What mattered most to a Hunter was results. Some were visibly bored, and others surrendered before they even started.

For 1st class Hunters -The War of the Stars- was an event where they wasted 2 hours and earned some pocket money. It was nothing more or less.

"Hah... Wow!"

Of course, it was different for spectators watching the event who bought the high-priced tickets sold by the Association. They were enthusiastic even when the 1st class Hunters fought half-heartedly and only revealed part of their abilities.

After all, this event was incomparable to animations and Hollywood blockbusters. Even in a world full of Awakened people, it was hard for ordinary people to witness powerful abilities and battle scenes.

Civilians mostly encountered dispatch Hunters and mercenaries, who didn't possess fancy abilities. They fought desperately with a single sword or used practical magic to protect people.

But 1st class Hunters were on a different level. Even a single punch by a 1st class Hunter was different. The spectators would probably find it hard to believe that they were the same human beings.

...Because I used to feel that way, too.

"Oh, didn't you say you'd go easy?"

"I did. What, I should just let you hit me and lose?"

"Ha... damn. I was respecting your seniority, but now you're really pissing me off."

And sometimes, a small mistake leading to hot emotions could result in a real show. The audience shouted at the sight of house-sized fireballs exploding everywhere and dozens of swords flying in the sky.

As top Hunters, there were bound to be a few with high egos.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"You are very engaged in the match. You must be interested."

"......?"

"Oh, have we never met before? I've seen a lot of your pictures."

It was Seong Yoo-hyun. He was offering his hand with a nice smile.

"I'm Seong Yoo-hyun. You know me, don't you?"

"Well, yes. I've seen a lot of your pictures, too."

I shook his hand.

"I was always interested in you, and I've met you at last! Haha."

But he didn't let go of my hand. This jerk. He's playing childish games.

"Let's fight hard. I mean... you aren't going to give up like a wimp or mess around like those guys, are you? I know it won't suit you."

He said in a low voice that didn't match his smiling face.

"Hey! Seong Yoo-hyun, did you just say mess around? Are you crazy? Right in front of everyone......."

One of the Hunters must have heard him. He stood up and yelled. Seong Yoo-hyun, still smiling, turned his head to look at him.

"So what? You were such a wimp. Or was that all you got?"

"What? You crazy son of a......."

"Kim Min-jae, president of the Association, is missing. It was decided at the meeting that we would do this properly, but look at you. Do you really want to take money from the Association and use it for food, clothes, and a bed after doing such a clumsy job? Just leave quietly. Before I get angry."

The Hunter flinched at Seong Yoo-hyun's voice. There was a gap between first-class Hunters. While he was certainly a skillful Hunter, he didn't seem strong enough to confront Seong Yoo-hyun openly.

Seong Yoo-hyun stood out even among the 1st class Hunters, earning the nickname 'Hunter above the sky'. He had fought on the front lines for several years, and his senses were honed to the limit.

"Huh? I told you to leave, not stare at me like a piece of X."

Or maybe he was just backing off because nobody wants to touch a crazy dog.......

The Hunter looked disgusted as he turned away after watching Seong Yoo-hyun act like an unhinged person. Seong Yoo-hyun smiled widely again as soon as the Hunter returned to his seat.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I've been holding your hand. I was just angry."

"......."

"Well, let's have a good fight, okay?"

Seong Yoo-hyun let go of my hand that he had been holding tightly. Then he straightened his clothes and turned around to go back to his seat.

[He's nuts. But why did you stay still? It's not like you to stay quiet.]

"I'll just show him my skills. What's the need?"

[Hahaha, that's right.]

"And."

I sat down and looked at my hand.

"That guy, he's really strong."

The skin on my hand where his fingers had gripped was torn, and I could see the muscle fibers. I scratched my head, looking at my messed up hand. My body wasn't human, so I would recover in a few minutes. But somehow, I felt debased.

"Well, he'll be crawling on the floor in a minute anyway."

* * *

"It's Hunter Jeong Si-woo and Hunter Seong Yoo-hyun's turn."

I did not have to wait for long. Most 1st class Hunters hated wasting time, so the battle results were swiftly decided.

"Okay."

I slowly stood up. As I stood, a few people stared.

'Is that Jeong Si-woo? That famous rookie?' they seemed to say. Some of them looked even stronger than me.

The reason for all the attention was fame. A Hunter who had never failed, a man who became a 1st class Hunter only two years after his debut. It was no surprise that they were curious.

"He'll lose to Seong Yoo-hyun, though, right?"

"Of course. No matter how great a Hunter he is... Seong Yoo-hyun isn't someone a newcomer can beat. What's more, it's a one-on-one battle in a tiny stadium."

The Hunters predicted the outcome of the battle between me and Seong Yoo-hyun based on their insight. Everyone was anticipating my defeat. It was a fair prediction.

Seong Yoo-hyun wasn't an easy opponent for any of the 1st class Hunters, and his career up till now was no match for a rookie.

"I hope we have a good match."

Yeah. I'm sure Seong Yoo-hyun thinks so too. That there's no way he's going to lose to a kid. That's why he threatened me so blatantly. He must have decided to destroy the goddamn Hunter who killed his precious Association President.

"Yes, I'll try my best. I hope I don't just helplessly lose to you."

We exchanged a few words in the middle of the stadium.

Countless people in the stands are holding their breath and watching us. Hunters in the waiting room were probably also watching through the big TV screen.

"You both know the rules of the match, right? If you exhaust the durability of your hunting suit, you lose. If you keep attacking after the suit is destroyed, you'll be disqualified."

A staff member from the Association stood between us and explained the rules. I had heard them before—provisions to keep valuable 1st class Hunters from getting injured. But the look on the staff's face was somewhat odd.

"So you have to make sure to check the durability so that your opponent doesn't get hurt. Do you understand?"

He might as well just say, 'Mr. Seong Yoo-hyun, please kill this bastard who sent our great president to hell!'

I was itching to fight. It was very amusing to see these guys treat me like a kid. They thought their president was so great, but why did they think that I, the man who killed him, was weak? I couldn't help but laugh, thinking of how one-dimensional these guys were.

"Then... start!"

The staff stepped back, raising his hand above his head. It was the signal that the match had begun.

Twoong-!

Along with the signal, a deafening noise exploded. It was the inconceivable sound of a foot kicking the ground. Seong Yoo-hyun, who had been smiling slyly, shot towards me like a bullet. Ferocious red mana was writhing around his body.

If I allowed the first blow, I'd be crushed, hunting suit or no suit.

'He's bent on it.'

Seong Yoo-hyun was a 'close combat' Hunter who specialized in 'hand-to-hand fighting'. A Hunter who can break the harder-than-steel shells of monsters with their bare hands and smash their flesh. He was called the best 'close combat' Hunter after Kim Young-hwan due to his physique alone. If I fought him directly, there was no chance I could win.

Well, then it's simple.

I won't fight him directly.

I turned. Instead of avoiding Seong Yoo-hyun's charge, I dug into his side.

"No... chance!"

His reaction was swift and lived up to his name. As soon as I moved sideways, he released his mana and changed direction. His rough hand stretched out towards my chest. And... ...

Whaaack.

"Aargh!"

Seong Yoo-hyun's stretched-out hand stopped mid-air. There was a shout of exclamation from the stands. It wasn't some kind of magic or skill. At the precise timing, I landed a kick onto his lower abdomen from his blind spot.

The unexpected attack pushed him away, and his hand couldn't reach me by a small distance.

A very small distance.

Seong Yoo-hyun probably thought so.

He probably thought that the kid threw a lucky punch and avoided his attack, and that there was no way I could block the next one.

"Hmm!... Good... timing!"

Which was probably why he didn't step back to gather more information or put up his guard, and instead rushed in recklessly. He didn't know how vital information was in a battle. He only trusted his body that he had trained so far.

'I guess you're no different from an animal.'

Shouldn't a human fight like a human being?

Slam. Crack!

Seong Yoo-hyun lost his momentum after the counters I put up after that. It was a peculiar sight. I lacked in strength, speed, and mana composition, but he was the one losing. Seong Yoo-hyun started to look more and more strange.

"...What?"

It looked like he had only now noticed that the situation was heading in a strange direction. What an idiot. The only enemy I couldn't deal with was "an enemy I had no information on."

I looked at Seong Yoo-hyun's database over and over in the past and analyzed it again and again. I was no different from a player hunting a Monster while knowing its attack pattern. It was very easy, at least for me.

"So... you were hiding your power. Yeah, that's why the president was killed. By... by a punk like you."

Seong Yoo-hyun muttered under his breath. At the same time, new notification windows popped up in my 'Information Access'.

[Target, Seong Yoo-hyun's mana is raging.]

[Target, Seong Yoo-hyun is using his skill.]

[Skill: Blue Blood]

[→ Uses up stamina in a short period of time. Increases physical ability in proportion.]

[Skills: Devouring Nature]

[→ Steals all stamina and mana from the atmosphere and lifeforms apart from oneself. Increases physical ability in proportion and strengthens characteristics and skills.]

[Target, 'Seong Yoo-hyun' uses his characteristic.]

[Characteristic: Human Tank]

.

.

.

"So!"

His loud voice rang through my head. His energy was different from before. All of the Characteristics and skills that symbolized Sung Yoo-hyun appeared in front of me.

His nickname, -Human Tank-, had only just started its engines.

"Hmm."

Well, it wasn't that I didn't prepare for this. Those Characteristics and skills had made Seong Yoo-hyun a Hunter who specialized in one-on-one combat in a limited space.

He absorbs the surrounding mana and stamina, becomes endlessly stronger, and the more he fights, the more his physical ability increases. He was the perfect fighter.

[Do you want to activate the rewards of the 'Akashic Records' now?]

Yeah. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have been able to win.

"Activate."

Unless the Akashic Records gave me a present.

[Reward is being granted.]

[Please wait a moment.]

Twoooong-!

The floor of the stadium cracked, and Seong Yoo-hyun jumped back into the air.

[Skill granted.]

[Skill is associated with the 'Akashic Records'.]

[The skill is integrated into the Akashic Records.]

[The Akashic Records have been enhanced.]

[Skill is associated with 'Linking.']

[The skill is integrated into Linking.]

[Linking has been enhanced.]

I slowly lifted my head, glaring at Seong Yoo-hyun's free-falling attack.

At the same time.

[Skill activated.]

A cheerful voice rang in my head.

[Skill, 'Preview' activated.]

[One of the stories of 'Gyeok' that cannot be opened yet.]

[A very small part of the great story is summoned into the soul.]

[Cooldown: 72 hours: 00 minutes: 00 seconds.]