Into the Creations

Chapter 31: Yeongcheon Style [5]

"Noona. You said you'd support me, right? How exactly are you going to support me?"

If possible, I'd love it if you supported me with that amazing body of yours. I swallowed the rest of my words.

"Just wait a moment."

Contrary to my hopes, Jin Se-young stepped out of the training room and returned after about a minute. She was carrying a long box in both hands and approached me.

"There are five types of support. First, free membership fees. Second, a private training room. Third, personal training... that is, one-on-one guidance. I promise to teach you with all my heart. Fourth, field support. Fifth, weapon support. I'll give you the sword I'm holding. How does that sound?"

From my perspective, these are more than favourable conditions. Currently, I have no intention of joining a guild, so that's irrelevant. My goal is to become stronger, not to join a guild and work like a dog.

"Sounds good. But what's the sword you're offering me?"

My gaze shifted to the long box she was holding. The sword must be inside. Jin Se-young carefully placed the box on the floor, took out a key, and unlocked it.

Inside was a red-hued sword wrapped in high-quality cloth. The blade was single-edged with no guard, and the hilt was a luxurious black, contrasting with the red blade.

Beside the sword was a black scabbard that looked like a stick, but my eyes were only drawn to the red sword. I stared at it blankly. Although I don't have an eye for weapons, the aura it gave off told me this sword was anything but ordinary. The iron sword I currently own would be trash compared to this.

"The sword's name is Hwaryeonbido, and its type is Changpo Sword."

"Changpo Sword? But it's a sword?"

"In our Yeongcheon Style, there's no distinction between swords and knives. In Yeongcheon Style, a sword refers to any long-bladed weapon. We don't bother distinguishing between swords and knives. Also, due to the nature of the Yeongcheon Style, we prefer short swords or lightweight swords. Our combat techniques favour quick kills over prolonged battles. In that sense, the Changpo Sword is ideal."

"Ah!"

Thinking about it, the basic techniques of the Yeongcheon Style are based on one-handed sword movements. There are even moves where you grip the sword in reverse and swing it. It's definitely not a swordsmanship style that involves facing off head-on. For the free-flowing movements of Yeongcheon Style, a sword without a guard is better. The swords of the Yeongcheon Style, which emphasize speed and stealth, are better off being lightweight, and large swords would only get in the way.

"If you don't like this, I can prepare something else."

"No! No! No! Not at all! I really like it!"

"Really? That's a relief."

I casually reached out and ran my finger along the blade. I thought the red blade might be hot, but it was surprisingly cool.

"Hwaryeonbido was made by the poetic blacksmiths of Gangwon Province."

Poetic blacksmiths!

I've heard of them—a famous forge. Their craftsmanship is among the best in South Korea, renowned even overseas.

"The blade is made from black iron and the scales of a fire dragon, and the hilt is crafted from the bones of a fire dragon."

"Gasp! A fire dragon!"

It's an SS-rank monster that shook South Korea ten years ago. For reference, an SS-rank monster means its power is immeasurable. Fortunately, before it could emerge from the dungeon, the top ten guilds collaborated to hunt down the Red Dragon.

"Don't be too surprised. This is a failed product. That's why it has the name Bido, meaning 'sorrowful blade.' They originally intended to create a sword capable of wielding fire, but it failed. Except for its exceptional durability and the fact that the blade doesn't dull even without maintenance, it's just an ordinary sword."

"Even so, it's still amazing! How much would this sell for?"

"Not much. Around 300 million won? Based on performance alone, even 100 million would be overpriced, but since it's made from the scales of a fire dragon, the price went up."

"Are you really... giving this to me?"

Jin Se-young nodded without hesitation.

"Eugene. As long as you keep your end of the conditions."

I looked her straight in the eyes and spoke seriously.

"Noona. Hurry and bring the contract. I'm in a rush."

I was completely captivated by Hwaryeonbido.

***

Field Combat.

This is the biggest concern for novice hunters.

Hunters enter dungeons to hunt monsters. The problem is that dungeons, except for their entrances, are isolated spaces separate from Earth. This is why crimes frequently occur inside dungeons.

Parties hastily formed through the association avoid high-rank dungeons for this very reason, and the primary reason guilds exist is to prevent hunter crimes.

Untrustworthy comrades. Comrades who stab you in the back. Comrades who turn into robbers.

Novice hunters with no connections or backing can only join hastily formed parties through the association, making them hesitant to engage in real combat.

"...Alright."

I drew my sword and approached the ratman. My body trembled slightly from nervousness. Although I've killed people in the virtual world, this was real life.

"Squeaaaak!"

The ratman saw me, squealed, and charged. I recalled Jin Se-young's movements from ten minutes ago and used Byeokgye.

As I stepped with the unique footwork, the ratman's eyes wavered, and it looked behind me. Success. The ratman's sense of distance was blurred, and it would think I was several meters behind.

'Compared to Se-young noona, it's a bit shaky.'

But it worked.

I swung my sword as I passed the ratman, cleanly severing its neck. My physical strength is below average for a hunter, but the sharpness of the sword made up for it.

"Wow, that was nothing."

I muttered while looking at the ratman's corpse. It wasn't bravado; I meant it. My voice trembled from the excitement of successfully using Yeongcheon Style's combat technique in real combat.

"See? It's nothing, right?"

"Yeah. I think I can easily kill ratmen from now on. Noona, how far do you think I can go?"

"You should be able to hunt lower E-rank monsters. But anything higher might be tough. Your Yeongcheon Style skills are solid, but your physical abilities are lacking."

Physical abilities.

Strength. Stamina. Agility. These are lacking compared to other hunters.

I nodded, acknowledging the issue. Her words implied that if my physical abilities were sufficient, I could easily hunt E-rank monsters.

I collected the magic stone and claws from the ratman's corpse and said to her.

"Alright. Let's keep hunting. Noona, I've got the hang of it."

"Yeah. Since we're here, we might as well make it worth our while."

I immediately approached and killed the ratmen as soon as I saw them. Even without using Yeongcheon Style's combat techniques, I could kill them with just the basics.

Five hours.

That's how long it took me to kill 24 ratmen.

I killed about five ratmen per hour, but finding them took much longer than the actual combat.

"Only 24 ratmen..."

"It can't be helped. Open-type dungeons have a lot of competing hunters. The main thing to watch out for in open-type dungeons is not stealing monsters. 80% of hunter disputes in dungeons are over monster ownership."

"I've heard that too. But closed-type dungeons are a bit dangerous... huh? Why'd you stop?"

"Shh! Someone's lying in wait ahead."

We were on our way back after finishing our hunt. We were carrying a lot of valuable byproducts.

"...Bandits?"

Hunter bandits.

As the name suggests, they're scum who rob other hunters. I peeked out to look at them. There were three, leaning against a large tree and chatting.

"Probably. We could just go around them, but... that would mean someone else might get hurt. Let's take them out."

Jin Se-young stepped forward, and I followed.

I wasn't worried.

This was an F-rank dungeon, and she was a B-rank hunter. The level of scum doing robberies here was obvious without even looking.

***

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