Chapter 4: A Dark Sky

Yoo Eun-ha. The younger sister of Yoo Jin-seok, South Korea’s S-rank Hunter known as the Divine Sword.

Compared to her exceptional brother, Eun-ha had been weak, closing herself off from the world and confining herself at home.

Realizing this couldn’t continue, I wrote a recommendation letter for the academy at Jin-seok’s request, hoping to at least help her become a D-rank Hunter.

To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations.

It was a favor for a friend I cared about, and she was my friend’s sister after all. I thought I could at least do that much. But who could have predicted it would turn out like this?

On the surface, she gave off the impression of a prickly cat. But I assumed she was all bark and no bite.

Up until now, whenever Eun-ha confronted Jin-seok as an armchair warrior, that’s exactly how it seemed.

“My name is Yoo Eun-ha. My hobby is reading, and my innate ability is Acceleration. I don’t have any particular likes or dislikes.”

When we met as master and disciple after a long time, I sensed a drastic change.

Her once black hair was now white, and she had multiple piercings in her ears.

The smell wafting from her mouth was unmistakably cigarette smoke.

She appeared to be nothing more than a typical delinquent, but her face, which used to always be whining or irritated, was now an expressionless, cold mask.

To be honest, even that white hair doesn’t seem like an awakening. It looked more like she dyed it for attention.

She claimed her ability was Acceleration. Is it the same as Jin-seok’s? Or could it be a lie?

We agreed we’d find out during the ability test anyway.

And when the time came for the ability test, I had to completely revise my evaluation of Yoo Eun-ha.

During the ability test, which followed the same format as when I, Yoo Jin-seok, and our classmates at the time beat up wooden dolls, I witnessed her true potential.

Her Mana Manipulation surpassed my own. Up to this point, I thought, “Well, she is Jin-seok’s sister after all.” But that’s when things took an unexpected turn.

She moved with an expressionless face, as if only she and the wooden doll existed in the world, her gaze fixed solely on the target.

But I couldn’t even see her movements.

A speed invisible even to my A-rank Hunter eyes. That velocity, leaving only afterimages, was reminiscent of the Acceleration Jin-seok uses.

A black shadow darting in front of the wooden doll. The doll breaking and regenerating countless times as only its weak points were struck with precision.

A scene that would appear possessed by a ghost to any onlooker.

“Kim Ji-hye.”

At that moment, Lim Yujin, the overall supervisor of the ability test simulation room and an A-rank Hunter herself, approached with a chart.

“Oh, Yujin. How are this year’s recruits?”

“Reina, who uses Spirit Arrows, destroyed 1,459 wooden dolls. Choi Si-woo of the Divine Sword destroyed 1,124. After that, Park Ji-soo got 1,114, and Han Soo-ji managed 1,057.”

I hadn’t seen anyone else’s results besides Eun-ha’s, but there seemed to be quite a few promising candidates.

Well, it was nothing compared to Eun-ha.

She had already surpassed 7,000.

“Choi Si-woo and Reina are indeed beyond expectations, and Park Ji-soo and Han Soo-ji are impressive too.”

“If we just look at the damage meter, Choi Si-woo would win by a landslide, even though we’re counting by number of dolls destroyed.”

“But what about Yoo Eun-ha?”

At Lim Yujin’s question, Kim Ji-hye gestured towards the electronic scoreboard.

“Her kill count is still rising.”

In fact, Eun-ha’s damage output would probably be higher too.

Of course it would be. She’s only targeting the cores of the wooden dolls. With larger monsters where it’s difficult to aim for the core, the results might differ.

“What the hell? Is that really Yoo Eun-ha?”

8560—8590—8600­­

In an instant, it reached 8,600.

Wondering if her mana reserves were still intact after all that, I checked Eun-ha’s mana levels with a magic power meter.

“Is she destroying them in one hit faster than she’s consuming mana?”

Not only that. Her Mana Circuits are expanding like some kind of nuclear chain reaction.

Is this even possible under normal circumstances?

It doesn’t seem like she’s using performance enhancers either. Because this has already surpassed the realm of doping. Besides, no matter how reckless she might be, if Eun-ha had money for such drugs, she wouldn’t have come to the academy.

“Could it be innate talent?”

At this level, she could be deployed to the field immediately after just a bit of practice hunting monsters.

No, if today’s ability test results get out, there will be a frenzy of people trying to scout her, especially since she’s originally the Divine Sword’s sister.

“If her skills are at that level, why didn’t she just hide them instead of showing off like this?”

“Maybe it was a ‘hidden power’ concept? Or since Jin-seok forced her into the academy, maybe it’s a ‘whatever happens, happens’ attitude.”

“This is going to be a headache.”

She had already destroyed 9,999 dolls.

Except for the students who left early out of boredom, only the rookies who were the focus of expectations this time, like Choi Si-woo and Reina, and some other students remained, watching Eun-ha’s test area with their mouths agape.

Why don’t those siblings know how to do things in moderation?

Yoo Jin-seok also didn’t know the meaning of restraint and went around clearing every dungeon he could find. He even single-handedly took care of everything in the Pyongyang decisive battle.

Eun-ha probably destroyed many more wooden dolls than that. The counter just doesn’t go above 9,999.

“But how long is she going to keep destroying them?”

“Huh? Oh, now that you mention it.”

She doesn’t know when to stop. She should halt at an appropriate point.

Maybe she’s venting her frustration about being forced into the academy.

She did say she hated her brother enough to want to kill him.

Perhaps those wooden dolls are substitutes for Yoo Jin-seok.

“Cadet Yoo Eun-ha! That’s enough!”

I halted Eun-ha’s movements.

“Ah, yes.”

“You had this kind of talent all along, and you’re even surpassing your brother. Look at the scoreboard.”

Eun-ha glanced at the numbers on the electronic board and smirked.

Then she twirled her knife and spoke.

“Only 9,999 times?”

She definitely harbors a desire to surpass Yoo Jin-seok. We might need to keep an eye on this.

“That’s because 9999 is the maximum it can display.”

“Is that so? That’s disappointing.”

How should I put it? It seems like we might need to monitor Eun-ha more closely than the Divine Sword user.

Eun-ha stared intently at the electronic board for a while, then blinked rapidly a few times.

Are her eyes strained? Her actions are oddly endearing.

“Instructor. So we’re done for today, right?”

“Oh, y-yes.”

Eun-ha fidgeted restlessly, then left without acknowledging her friends calling out to her.

* * *

“Ah, my body is melting. Melting.”

I complained of pain like an old person with aching bones as I lay down.

I can’t take it anymore. My whole body is in unbearable agony. It feels like insects are crawling all over me.

The sky is still dark.

I fumbled around and lit a cigarette from the table, putting it in my mouth.

Now my body is starting to loosen up a bit.

Outscoring the protagonist in yesterday’s ability test was completely unexpected.

The combination of [Acceleration] and [Parallel Circuit] is brutal.

It feels like I could die even if I only use it once a day.

What kind of premature ejaculation-like combination is this? Ah, I don’t even have male anatomy so I can’t be premature, is this some twisted way to experience it?

“Ah, I don’t want to go to the academy.”

Why should I go? I’ve learned that working is losing. Moreover, isn’t attending the academy also a form of work?

I don’t want to go. I absolutely don’t want to go. Should I skip today?

It’s still dark but it’s 7 o’clock. I need to get up and get ready.

My vision brightens again with each puff of the cigarette.

“It would be ideal not to go in the first place.”

Choi Si-woo with the Divine Sword is the protagonist. I am definitely not the main character.

If I unnecessarily outperform the protagonist, that’s the moment I become the focus of attention.

But I can’t skip the academy either. There’s not much money left in my bank account. I need to graduate quickly and become a Hunter at the very least.

Why is fate so cruel?

Still, I have to go.

In any world, academic credentials are important.

Later, if I keep skipping the academy and then try to get a job as a Hunter in some guild after graduating…

“Wow, do you even know how to hold a sword?”

“So you were just playing around. If you were a man, we could at least use you as a porter. Sigh.”

I have a sinking feeling they would despise me in this era’s style.

But, I already have the memory of a man who worked like a slave until his bones broke.

Moreover, this body is extremely weak. It’s amazing that it can withstand [Acceleration] and [Parallel Circuit].

“Sniff sniff.”

I smell my body as a sour odor hits me, and the stench of sweat stings my nose.

There’s something some guys misunderstand.

Women also smell of sweat.

Some guys might call it an industry reward. But I don’t like it.

I wash up roughly and drink sugar water for breakfast.

It’s absolutely not because I’m poor. When I was kicked out of the house, Yoo Jin-seok, famous as the protagonist of the previous work, gave me money.

Now it’s the sequel, so that guy currently has a bright future ahead and lots of money.

Of course, don’t I, as his blood relative, have the right to that money too? So Eun-ha, who doesn’t have the memories of a man, accepted it.

The reason for accepting the money he gives while always fighting is this.

For example, it’s like when you have a big fight with your parents and shut yourself in your room like a keyboard warrior, and then:

“Eat some chicken.”

“Okay.”

You don’t want to apologize for fighting, but you want to eat the chicken, so you call a temporary truce. That kind of feeling?

He’ll probably give me an appropriate allowance until I start working as a Hunter.

Should I go out to buy some side dishes today?

Before that, I should go to the academy, right?

Looking at my phone, it’s about time to leave for school if I don’t want to be late.

* * *

“As expected of the Divine Sword’s younger sister. I guess that bloodline doesn’t lie, huh?”

I arrived at the academy and was fiddling with my phone when our protagonist sat down next to me and smirked.

“What bloodline? It’s just a coincidence.”

Is it really just a coincidence to get 9999? Maybe it’s just a glitch in the system.

“A coincidence that got 9999? Even the Divine Sword couldn’t reach 1500. It’s truly unbelievable. I’ve decided. From now on, you’re my rival!”

Reina suddenly declared while poking my chest with her finger.

“I can’t lose either. Above all, from the standpoint of another woman, this is absolutely unacceptable. You are my rival.”

This isn’t some cliché novel or anything.

“I’ve decided. Divine Sword? Don’t make me laugh. I am the supreme being that no one can approach! Yoo Eun-ha! From today, you are my rival!”

The heroine Reina is quite aggressive and has a strong sense of superiority.

That’s why she initially maintains a rival relationship with the protagonist Choi Si-woo. I’m so quiet that there’s no reason for me to be anyone’s rival.

The reason I’m explaining this again is because the current development is going in a strange direction.

Why am I suddenly the rival?

I am weak. I’m practically a corpse without using [Acceleration] and [Parallel Circuit].

Even after using those, my body itches unbearably and the weather becomes dark.

Of all things, even the protagonist. Did I end up taking the position of the fated rival instead of the heroine?

“But why did you leave in such a hurry yesterday?”

“Because the weather got dark, of course?”

Why are you asking something so obvious?

“The weather was bright yesterday though?”

Liar.

“Come to think of it, they say it’s like that when there’s a Gate nearby. Well, more precisely, when there are S-rank monsters.”

“More importantly, did you see what was posted on the Hunter Gallery?”

“Gallery?”

“Yeah. Look at this. Your video was posted as a hot topic.”

Choi Si-woo suddenly manipulated his phone and showed me a post.

[Title: This year’s Hansung Academy rookie.avi]

The title was “Hansung Academy rookie”. The content was a video, and from what I could see, it was footage of me destroying wooden dolls while using [Acceleration] and [Parallel Circuit]. The rapidly rising kill count above it is quite impressive.

My appearance was mostly just a blur of afterimages.

Destroying the cores of wooden dolls using only a short sword. It’s a YouTube video, and the title already has my name on it.

The comments are diverse and numerous.

“Who is this? She’s faster than the famous Flash Gina from America.”

“It’s Yoo Eun-ha, the younger sister of Divine Sword Yoo Jin-seok. Read the video description.”

“Wow, look at those afterimages. Look at her waist movement. Noona, I’m dying.”

“Holy shit. Look at the end part. She’s so pretty. Is she a doll?”

“Lol look at the piercings in her ears. Who cares if she’s pretty? She’s probably a delinquent. Bet she’s a slut…”

“Yeah, next you’ll say she’s a perpetual E-rank Hunter, you pig woman.”

“Yeah, shut up, small dick Korean man~”

“She doesn’t even know you exist, pig woman”

The YouTube video had already become famous in just one day. Over 5 million views and a considerable number of likes.

Just looking at YouTube’s own comments, I could see various languages from countries around the world.

It’s hard to find comments in Hangul, created by King Sejong.

The view count is still rising even at this moment.

The person who uploaded this should be grateful to me. Thanks to me, they gained tens of thousands of subscribers.

“Hmm, everyone’s gaze has definitely changed.”

Looking carefully, those who saw me as just the Divine Sword’s younger sister and an incompetent female yesterday are now looking at me with envy or interest.

The girl who criticized me yesterday is just glaring at me, clenching her fists and trembling.

“Of course, with such an incredible performance.”

But…

Is that any of my business?