Another League’s ‘testing corner’ marketing ended successfully. In this event, they disclosed Sunyoung Swordsmanship’s basic movement such as slashing, stabbing, and parrying as well as a few other 1-circle magic.
Because it wasn’t a face-to-face lesson but an online class, many people would be unable to imitate it even if they saw the video. However, for some people who work hard enough and at the same time smart enough, they would be able to implement it to some extent.
The question is, would they be satisfied with just a few moves and few 1-circle magic? Of course not.
In order to learn the full version of magic and mugong they had no choice but to join Another League. Even those who were talented enough to learn it through the video will eventually meet a dead end and join Another League.
Moreover, the majority of superhumans on Earth were actually filled with people with body strengthening-type abilities. So, when a beautiful woman such as Celeste was introduced as the instructor for body strengthening-type groups, the response couldn’t be more explosive.
“That’s why you need to work hard.”
“Heeeuk… understood!”
Currently, I was sitting cross-legged on top of Celeste. She was in the middle of doing a ‘hand stand push-up’ with only one finger on each hand, with a 100kg sheet of iron on both of her legs.
No matter how strong a C-rank superhuman was, doing a handstand push-up with only one finger in an imperfect posture would be quite laborious. I only ordered her to do this kind of exercise to teach her how to explosively move her qi and ether beyond the limit of C-rank superhuman.
It was something that could be done rather easily if one was handling mana. However, I honestly don’t know if it was possible with qi and ether. That’s why I’m currently experimenting with Celeste. I am really glad that she came.
“I’m… I’m…. Dying…!!”
“OHO! Don’t give up! One more!”
“I’m… really… Dyin-keuuuk!”
In one fluid movement, Celeste bent forward and snatched the iron plate in the air before landing on the floor. Looking at her complexion it seems like she’s not injured, she was just tired.
“It seems like ether and essence is completely different.”
“Sorry???”
“No, no. Next experiment…No, let’s move on to training.”
I put my hand on her abdomen, and pulled up my mana and activated my newly acquired skill.
[Holy Conversion(F)]
It was a skill that converts mana into holy power that could heal wounds and fatigue. Because it was only F rank, the conversion rate was around 1/50. It wasn’t a skill that could be used often. But when I squeezed out all of my mana, Celeste’s complexion improved to some extent.
Unlike talent, skill could be upgraded by using it repetitively. I was able to find out about this fact thanks to Yekaterina, who constantly entered the Library of the White Witch and raised the rank.
However, it was almost impossible for me to raise the skill rank through effort alone because of my abysmal talent just like what the system had explained. My talent was preventing me from doing anything related to effort. Well, it doesn’t matter now. It would be better than not doing it at all, though.
━
<Yoo Seodam>
[Level: 152]
*Stats
[Strength 150] [Strength 165] [Agility 151]
[Energy 1] [Mana 252]
*Talent
[Swordsmanship S] [Hunting D+] [Shooting C]
[Cooking D-] [Intuition A] [Quick-witted A]
[Insight B] [Vital SS+] [Others…]
*Skill
[Protagonist Hunter Lv. 4]
[White Swordsmanship (S)] [Sixth Sense (B)]
[Inventory (S)] [Dharma Heavenly Wind God Technique (SS+)]
[Concentration (SS)] [Holy Conversion (F)]
[Ara-Sunyoung Mana Circling Technique (SS+)]
[Library of the White Witch(C)]
━
Even though my energy stats were still 1, I had become a S rank hunter. You could say that I became a F rank with ridiculous strength…. However, Yekaterina, who recently visited the Hunter Association, had told me that the association had their own way to test the power of Murim and Magicians who use ‘essence’ energy. I may be able to get my S rank license sooner or later.
There were quite a lot of differences between the S rank and the A rank.
First of all, when one becomes S rank, they could grasp the movements around them with the slightest disturbance in the air. It could also happen if one had [Sixth Sense] skill, but because I already had the skill, it seems like it automatically became a B rank.
In addition to that, one could move their body more freely. Even if 2 people had the same stats, an A rank could only use 70 to 80% of their stats, while the S rank could display 100% of their power.
[Concentration] skill had also become SS rank. Thanks to that, I was able to clearly grasp the flow of mana flowing around me. Also, I was able to partially summon ‘Library of the White Witch’ in front of me.
Not long ago, when I was experimenting with the partial summon of ‘Library of the White Witch’ I met Yekaterina who was fast asleep inside the library.
It seems like she was overworking her body quite a lot even though she was happy because she could do anything she wants.
In many ways, I feel complicated. Because Yekaterina, who was brought here to serve as my substitute when I wasn’t around, was surrounded by hundreds of times more work than me. So, when I, the guild master, had recently been in a position where I received my salary from Yekaterina, I had nothing to say.
I was only someone who gave direction for the guild, while Yekaterina was the one who executed it and raised Another League.
“Are you okay now?”
“…I am dying.”
“By the way, you speak Korean now?”
“Study….”
She was still stuttering, and could only speak short sentences. But it’s still nice since I didn’t have to bother using Italian now. She started to run away from me with a weird noise. She looks like a cute younger sister while doing it. I watched quietly before telling her.
“Okay, next is a special lesson in swordsmanship.”
Hearing my words, Celeste raised her body with glistening eyes. Somehow, her obvious behavior made me burst into laughter.
“Do you like swords so much?”
Nod nod.
“If you like it so much, why don’t you marry a sword?”
Shake shake.
“Do you understand my words?”
Then she pondered for a while before replying in Korean.
“I also like to ride horses.”
(T/N: ‘Horse’ and ‘Words’ have the same hangul.)
“Oh, yes….”
“I’m joking.”
“So, you can joke too, huh?”
“I will marry someone who is skilled in swordsmanship.”
[E/N: another flag raised. Congrats on a new member ¬.¬)
“Is there anyone like that?”
I could only think of one person that fit in Celeste’s criteria. It was Seol Jungyeon. Whenever she wields a sword, she looks like a pink lotus flower that blooms under the sunset. Shin Hye-ji often told me that, sometimes Seol Jungyeon’s enemies fall into ecstasy because of her beautiful swordsmanship without even realizing that they were dead.
Of course, the swordsmanship Celeste means was a swordsmanship that explosively releases energy and sharply cuts through the enemies, not Murim swordsmanship which effectively strengthened people of Murim’s lack of abilities to the limit. However, whatever it was, in front of Seol Jungyeon who had already reached the peak of swordsmanship, it was all meaningless.
“I will introduce someone who uses swords well to you later…. I don’t know about marriage, but you might like her.”
“Good!”
Celeste’s eyes sparkled in expectation.
* * *
“Yes, father. I’m doing well.”
While walking through downtown Gangnam in the late evening, Celeste called her father, Salvatore Costantini.
Since she had become a top Ytubers who got 10M subscribers in just one month, she had to use a mask to cover her face because too many people know her.
-Hahaha! I never thought that Yoo Seodam, that guy, would become my daughter’s instructor.
“I am now his exclusive disciple.”
-Isn’t it means the same?
“It’s completely different!”
Actually, Celeste was very happy these days. While wielding swords and hunting monsters to strengthen herself was indeed exciting, when it came to real swordsmanship training, training under Yoo Seodam was way better.
She was happy even though Yoo Seodam always treated her as if she was a punching bag or an experimental subject.
Every time they clashed against each other, she could feel the fact that she was alive. She could feel that she was becoming stronger than before.
-Good! Anyway, I’m glad you seem to be doing well!
Unlike herself, his father, Salvatore Constantini had a fiery personality but at the same time cooler than anyone else. When he was angry, he was scarier than anyone else.
“How about you father? Are you well?”
-Of course, I am! I’m still young!
Celeste looked slightly worried. Few years ago, her father had lost his arms in a mission. The fact that a right-handed swordsman lost his right arm was the same as being completely disabled. It could be said that it was almost impossible for him to act as a hunter anymore.
Nevertheless, he continued to work as a hunter with his left arms, but because of his wounds, his health continued to deteriorate, and he had to lie in bed all the time.
Probably, her obsession to get stronger was related to this.
Like a madman, she kept swinging her sword. There was no other way apart from constant training to sharpen her body strengthening ability. She had no time for anything else other than swinging her sword. It was because she couldn’t feel that she was becoming stronger. At least, before she met Yoo Seodam for the first time.
-By the way, from what I see in the video, I think you’ve become quite relaxed now. To think my daughter could make a joke….
“……”
Salvatore was sincerely thrilled. Ever since Celeste was a child, she had always been a mature kid. But recently she had started acting like her age. Sometimes she would take selfies and post them on her social media although she was expressionless like always. And sometimes she would also crack jokes that seem to resemble someone Salvatore knew.
-Now, stop doing what you used to do just focus on your own life.
“Yes. I will, father.”
With those words, the phone call ended and Celeste quietly turned her head towards the big television on one side of the street. However, her mind wasn’t focused on it at all.
‘…..’
She recalled the day when her father told her the story. He was still smiling brightly as he touched the wound on what was left of his right arm. He said that he confronted a warrior of Murim and survived. He said that his lost right arm was nothing but a wound of glory.
Afterwards, he told Celeste not to worry, because the ‘Supreme One’, who imposed a ban on the people of Murim came in between the fight and cut off the Murim warrior’s neck.
But Celeste knew that her father’s words were false. Because in the first place there was no sign that the Supreme One had arrived, there was also no trace of the battle, and that man’s body had never been found.
She knew that his father was trying to prevent her from taking revenge for him. However, the flame of vengeance in her heart couldn’t be extinguished. Her goal was to find him and cut his right arm, just like what he did to her father.
She knew it wouldn’t be easy because he was a man who defeated her father. It was a goal that couldn’t be achieved in a short period of time, so she was making an effort in order to achieve it even a moment faster.
-The Chinese claims that martial arts are theirs. In this regard, the leader of the Murim League, Seol Jungyeon, directly said…
On TV, a video of Seol Jungyeon, the leader of the Murim League as well as the strongest swordsman in the world, was broadcasted. Celeste looked at her for a long time.