CH 18.2

Of course, that was because they had faced each other dozens of times. Had it been a real battle, she would’ve run away before she could figure anything out.

“Let’s begin.”

“Oh, um, may I use a skill while we’re sparring? It’s not an offensive skill,” Seo-ah asked, just in case.

“I don’t know what type of skill that is, but it doesn’t matter as long as it’s not for attacking,” Yoon Doo-hee replied confidently.

At first, everything went as expected.

Doo-hee, who easily avoided the tenth attack, quickly regained his pace.

‘I was just flustered earlier by her rapid improvement even as an E-class hunter.’

Seo-ah’s rudimentary swordsmanship was monotonous, and it was easy to get used to the repetitive attack patterns.

“Hah!”

He lightly avoided the simple stabbing, cutting, and poking motions.

‘What does Instructor Kim Cheol-doo take me for? She’s still E-class…’

“Phew…” Seo-ah suddenly stopped.

“Are you tired? We can stop here.”

It was already getting boring, so Doo-hee would be grateful if his opponent gave up first even with only twenty minutes left.

“No, it just seemed like I was on the edge of something…”

“What?”

Park Seo-ah inhaled deeply and returned to a fighting stance. “I’ll go again.”

‘What nonsense are you talking about? There hasn’t been a single effective attack yet?’

He laughed a little when she saw Seo-ah cheer herself on, then dodged again.

‘How long are you going to repeat the same attacks?’

But this time, Seo-ah didn’t back away. She lowered her sword hand diagonally.

‘Ah.’

Doo-hee remembered that Kim Cheol-doo frequently nagged him not to neglect his lower body defenses. It seemed that an E-class, baby chick hunter saw this shortcoming too.

As soon as the wooden sword swung down from waist-level to his thigh, Yoon Doo-hee lowered his own sword almost instinctively. Park Seo-ah’s speed was too fast to dodge.

Bang!

Seo-ah’s sword flew out of her hand due to the force of the collision.

“Gah!” She was pushed to the ground.

Normally, that would have been the end of the match.

Yoon Doo-hee did not stop. He was resentful that Seo-ah, whom he looked down on, almost got him, even if just for a moment.

‘How dare you!’

He subconsciously imbued his wooden sword with energy and swung it at Seo-ah, who was still on the floor. The sword hummed with the power of a C-class hunter.

Seo-ah quickly flipped face-down and protected her head with her arms.

Bam, bam, thump!

There was no pain, only a loud noise.

When she opened her eyes, there were two feet near her nose. There was a familiar face at the end of her gaze as she lifted it.

“Mister… Yoo Ji-an?”

“Instructor Kim, did Han Seok-hyun forget to tell you to take care of her?”

Seo-ah sat up. Yoon Doo-hee was pinned to the wall, and Kim Cheol-doo was rushing to the scene.

“No, he did tell me! Sorry, sorry.”

Yoo Ji-an held out his hand without even looking at her. She glanced up at him, then accepted his assistance.

Only then did he scan her briefly for injuries.

“Are you alright, Seo-ah?” Kim Cheol-doo asked apologetically.

“Yes… But what about…?”

Yoon Doo-hee looked like he was about to pass out.

‘When did Yoo Ji-an arrive? His timing was perfect.’

“I’ll take care of him.”

“You know this is not something you can afford to take lightly, Instructor.”

Of course, Kim Cheol-doo knew that very well.

“Of course. I’ll hand this matter over to the Guild Disciplinary Committee. That fellow will only come to his senses once he gets scolded for this incident.”

Yoo Ji-an nodded subtly, then glanced meaningfully at Seo-ah before leaving.

She politely put her hands together and bowed. “Thank you for today, sir.”

“No, no, you must have had a hard time. Please rest well.”

Seo-ah turned around and went straight into the elevator, where Yoo Ji-an was waiting. She automatically pressed the button for the fifth floor.

He quirked an eyebrow, but she didn’t notice.

“…”

The silence made their ascent seem so slow.

She pretended to appreciate her surroundings by looking out the glass walls.

‘Is there anything to talk about?’

Yoo Ji-an’s uniquely sharp aura had rendered her speechless.

Gurgle~

“Ugh.”

Her stomach spoke up first.

Seo-ah’s face turned red when he looked at her.

“You haven’t eaten yet?” he asked stiffly.

‘Hey, why do you look so mad?’