39 – Hope
He was able to bring Yeonhwa with him.
Standing still, Jihoon was in a state of confusion with the countless thoughts flooding his mind.
Among the numerous contemplations, he felt two emotions at the moment.
One was regret, and the other was hope.
If he had known a little earlier, he could have used the skill with Yeonhwa by his side, and perhaps the side effect could have been triggered at that time…
Could he have been with her right now?
The feeling of regret quickly faded away.
The past was already over, and regrets couldn’t change anything.
Hope.
If he could unravel the secret of the skill.
If I could freely control side effects.
Then, not only could I return to Yeonhwa, but I might also be able to bring her into the modern world, couldn’t I?
Not the world of martial arts, but the everyday life with Yeonhwa in the modern world…
A fantasy that I had never even dreamed of, it was excessively sweet.
But now, that fantasy could not simply remain a fantasy.
A small apartment where I live with Yeonhwa.
On weekends, we can go to the movies or an amusement park together.
I can ask her if she likes pasta or army stew.
We can travel the world together on an airplane, and…
I can dress her in a wedding dress.
It’s a very small possibility, but…
Jihun felt an immense hope from that tiny probability.
***
There were no martial arts gates in the martial world.
No matter how much I shouted at the status window, nothing appeared.
However, I could still feel the magic power I could originally use.
Therefore, in the early days of my arrival in the martial world, I frequently used high-speed movement skills.
The reason was that there were too many bad people in the martial world who were after my life for no apparent reason.
Running away from them, high-speed movement skill was the best means.
Just like the time when I passed the academy with just one skill, the reason why Jihun’s life was attached to him in the early days of the martial world was also only one high-speed movement skill.
After that, Jihun naturally learned martial arts to survive.
He could reach a fairly high level with repeated practice.
But strangely, his magic power did not increase.
From the moment he first arrived in the martial world until now, Jihun’s hunter ability did not grow at all.
Why didn’t his hunter ability develop at all, even though he had reached such a high level as a martial artist?
Jihun harbored doubts several times, but at that time, something much more important than that appeared to him.
Yeonhwa.
The best companion Jihun met in the martial world.
The warmth that Jihun felt for the first time since his parents passed away.
As he got closer to Yeonhwa, Jihun gradually reduced the frequency of using high-speed movement skills.
As the martial arts grew stronger with each passing day, the danger of facing the Ma-gyo scoundrels decreased, but what if I were to activate the side effect again while using the high-speed movement skill? What if I were to go back to the original world and leave Yeonhwa behind? Jihoon never used the high-speed movement skill in moments of life-threatening danger. It was the day he finally found the leader of Ma-gyo, the day he planned to put an end to the tiresome war. Right at the moment when swords and arrows were about to reach his throat, Jihoon had no choice but to use the skill without feeling anxious. It was because death was right in front of him. There was one thing scarier than dying – the fact that if he died, he wouldn’t see Yeonhwa again. He used the high-speed movement skill to avoid that. But ironically, Jihoon was now unable to see Yeonhwa again in exchange for saving his own life.
“What… what is this magic?”
“Yeah… it’s magic… and he’s using a skill?”
“I’ve never seen that before… we didn’t see him use magic in the first or second test.”
“But what kind of skill is that?”
“It looked like a movement skill… but it doesn’t seem to be at such a high level, right? The movement distance is short…”
When Jihoon raised his magic for the first time and used the skill, there was a slight commotion in the audience. It was an unusual movement for a Hunter. The question that had been following Jihoon all along. Is that really a Hunter? Yes, Jihoon could also harness magic and use skills. Otherwise, how could he have been admitted to the academy? But the other students who were confirming this obvious fact were feeling a sense of unease somewhere.
“If he can use magic, just how strong is he… and we don’t know what else he might be hiding.”
The murmurs in the audience watching Jihoon standing still showed no sign of stopping.
“Ji… Jihoon, snap out of it.”
Hansu-young, who was standing beside him, grabbed Jihoon’s arm and shook him, pulling him out of his reverie.
“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden, Jihoon? The match isn’t over yet.”
Jihoon turned to her, responding to Sooyoung’s voice.
“Ah…”
A single tear fell from his eyes.
“Ji… Jihoon, what’s wrong? What’s going on?”
Sooyoung, who suddenly felt Jihoon’s emotional turmoil, was deeply concerned.
That’s when it happened.
“Hey! Kang Jihoon! What are you doing!?”
A voice echoed from a corner of the audience.
Han Sojeong, who had come to support the finals, shouted with enthusiasm.
“Huh…”
Watching her shout with tears streaming down her face, Jihoon let out a bitter laugh and regained his composure.
“Oh, wait… I just had a happy thought.”
“Hmm?”
Sooyoung looked puzzled by Jihoon’s cryptic words.
“Let’s finish this quickly and leave. I’ve gained a lot from this test.”
With these words, Jihoon summoned his magical power once again.
“Kyaa!”
Without a word, Jihoon held Sojeong again and used his high-speed movement skill to create a wormhole.
Zzzing
Jihoon felt that Bacal’s behavior was different from when he fought with her, despite her being held again without saying anything.
“It seems like we can move together after all. But why is Bacal acting like this?”
Worried that it might only be possible once, Jihoon held Sooyoung again and confirmed it by using his skill.
Thanks to his high-speed movement skill, Jihoon and Sooyoung distanced themselves from the other Seungjoon team members once again.
A magic circle appeared over his head, and magical power poured out once more.
This time, Jihoon flew into the air and absorbed the magical power.
Whoosh
Boom
Boom
With his arms and legs wrapped around the three small remaining magical power orbs, Jihoon hurtled toward his opponent, wounded but determined.
Without saying a word, I can feel the healing skill that Su-young is sending from behind.
Gently covering Ji-hoon’s small wounds, they are neatly healed.
Crash!
The tanking skill that Ji-hoon unleashed with his overwhelming power destroys the tanking skills that the two tanks were using, causing them both to fall back.
Seung-jun, who has followed him all the way, holds a magic whip in front of him.
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He came over to protect the healer and the mage when the two tanks fell.
When the healer uses her remaining magic power to cast a skill on the fallen tanks, they struggle but manage to stand up.
All six members of Seung-jun’s team gather in one place, forming a 6:1 confrontation with Ji-hoon.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve learned something important.”
“…?”
Seung-jun and his teammates have no idea what Ji-hoon is saying.
“For now, both of the tanks should spread out and protect the healer, and the two mages should turn in the opposite direction when I run and attack the female healer behind!”
Seung-jun’s orders are met with the team members raising their magic power.
In the front, the two tanks unleash their tanking skills again, while Seung-jun heads towards Ji-hoon, swinging his whip.
This time, it seems to be a different skill, as Seung-jun’s whip splits into dozens of strands, forming a net-like shape as it attacks Ji-hoon.
“Ji-hoon!”
Feeling the danger in the changing momentum, Su-young urgently calls out to Ji-hoon.
The tightly woven net of magic power.
Even in the face of this intense force, Ji-hoon’s calm expression remains unchanged.
Zzzzzing!
Responding to the high amount of magic power, Baek-wol continuously roars as if wanting to devour him.
Whoosh!
As Ji-hoon leisurely jumps up and traces an X in the air, a large hole appears in the tightly woven net.
Thud!
Startled by the net being pierced, Seung-jun, who was stepping back, is struck by Baek-wol’s sword and immediately falls.
Boom!
Ji-hoon, who has gathered his magic power, suddenly appears among the tanks, healer, and mages of Seung-jun’s team, as if using a teleportation skill.
“What…”
The tank in front falls before even turning around.
Thud.
Thump
Thump
Thump
They hit their heads on the sharp edge of the sword and fell down one by one.
“…”
“…”
A silence falls over the audience.
On the big screen, a message announcing Jihoon’s victory is displayed.
The final match ends so anticlimactically.
Swimming, who had been preparing to send Healing’s Skill, now fully believes in the feeling she had doubted all along.
The fact that all the wounds Jihoon had suffered were intentionally inflicted for her sake…
“Thank you… Jihoon-ah.”
Jihoon looks at Swimming and gives her a sweet smile.
“You’ve worked hard. Let’s go now.”
From the moment the two of them leave the stadium through the exit, the building where hundreds of people have gathered remains silent throughout.
“Kang Jihoon, Sangdo.”
Jihoon, who was walking with Swimming, turns around at the voice calling his name.
Director Song Yoo Kyung.
She who had been watching Jihoon closely until the end of the quarterly evaluation, now approaches him.
