Scáthach's gaze lingered a moment longer on Ma Dongwook, the Guild Master of the Fame Guild.
That rugged build, those broad shoulders, that neat little mustache—paired with the name "Ma Dongwook"—made her think, unbidden, of a hard man from her memories who'd once been dubbed "the only man in Korea."
Sung Jinwoo watched the fierce struggle on the sparring platform, surprise written on his face. "Is Hunter Baek Yoonho… getting pushed back?"
"That's because Baek Yoonho isn't going all out. If he did, Ma Dongwook wouldn't be his match." Choi Jong-In approached with a gentle smile, answering as he arrived.
"Long time no see, Miss Scáthach. Hunter Sung Jinwoo."
Choi Jong-In greeted them, and both Scáthach and Jinwoo returned the nod.
When he looked at Scáthach, gratitude and admiration lingered in his eyes.
He'd seen every change in Cha Hae-In—his guild's vice-master. Not only had her mana hypersensitivity been cured, she was improving at a frightening pace, day after day.
Unless you underwent Awakening, no amount of training produced obvious improvement. You couldn't bridge the gap between levels… That was "common sense," a truth every Hunter in the world believed.
And yet Scáthach had snapped that so-called truth in half.
The bout on the platform stayed intense—intense enough that Scáthach felt the itch to shoulder her crimson spear and jump in for a bit of exercise. She forced the restless heat in her blood down and turned her eyes toward one side of the gym.
Over there, a cluster of more than a dozen people radiated a fierce presence. Intentionally or not, they were keeping their little group separate from everyone else.
The Japanese Hunters.
At their forefront stood Goto Ryuji, the Guild Master of the Draw Sword Guild—widely considered the only Hunter in Asia who could be mentioned in the same breath as China's strongest, Liu Zhigang. Many claimed Goto had already reached National Level, lacking only the achievement of clearing an S-Rank Dungeon.
While Scáthach observed them, the Japanese below were also watching Baek Yoonho and Ma Dongwook's bout—while stealing glances up at the people on the second floor.
Goto Ryuji was almost always calm and imposing, but now his brow tightened as he studied Sung Jinwoo and Esil.
"The people upstairs with Choi Jong-In… who are they?" Goto asked his assistant, Hanekawa.
"All three are newly risen S-Rank Hunters," Hanekawa replied. Naturally, he'd gathered every scrap of information he could. "The man is Sung Jinwoo. The one in the middle is Scáthach. The other is Esil. There isn't much on any of them—only that Sung Jinwoo seems to have become an S-Rank after a Reawakening, and that Esil and Scáthach appear to be cousins—Westerners—yet they registered here in South Korea."
"Reawakening?" Someone murmured. "That's interesting."
"Two cousins, both S-Rank? That's rare. And neither registered in their own country."
"Why come to a small place like South Korea?"
"Probably because they think they'll get special treatment here. It's a small country, not many S-Ranks."
"If that's what they're banking on, their strength can't be much."
The chatter rose and fell, but Goto Ryuji didn't take any of it in.
Hearing Scáthach was S-Rank, he was mildly surprised—because he couldn't sense anything particularly powerful from her. His attention stayed fixed on Esil and Sung Jinwoo.
An assassin-type Hunter, he judged at first, watching Scáthach. A specialized concealment skill, then. The question is—how good is she in real combat?
Then his eyes slid back to Sung Jinwoo.
Sung Jinwoo… also assassin-type? But his aura is far too strong to hide…
Hanekawa blinked. "Ah—he's mage-type."
"A mage? Impossible."
"That's what the official record says."
Goto's brow furrowed. "Then what about Esil? Ever since she walked in, she's been leaking intent like a drawn blade. She's a front-liner. What's her ability?"
"I'm sorry. We weren't able to determine it."
"Is that so… A confidential special trait." Goto's gaze sharpened. "No matter. She can't keep it hidden forever. We'll make her show it in a fight."
Aside from Scáthach—whom he couldn't read—there were only four people in the gym worth paying attention to: Sung Jinwoo, Esil, Go Gunhee, and Cha Hae-In.
Attention, but not fear.
Goto Ryuji believed he had reached the peak of S-Rank. The only people he had reason to fear were the few National Level Hunters.
...
"Miss Scáthach! Hunter Sung Jinwoo! You're here too."
Cha Hae-In arrived on the second floor. She tried to hide the excitement in her heart, but the moment she saw Scáthach and Jinwoo, a bright smile broke across her face anyway.
She was dressed in black athletic wear suited for combat, a towel draped around her neck—clearly fresh from sparring.
Her mana hypersensitivity had all but vanished. She no longer felt "stunk out" by mana, but perhaps because that first impression had been so vivid, she still felt that Sung Jinwoo and Scáthach carried a "scent" that drew her in—something clean and pleasant, something that made her want to get closer.
Even so, she didn't dare cling too closely to Jinwoo. She didn't want to look like some frivolous girl.
But Scáthach was a woman—and her master besides—so Cha Hae-In usually had no restraint about hugging and sticking close.
Guys doing that would be a problem. Girls doing it was civilization.
Still, she didn't throw herself into Scáthach's arms this time. She kept a deliberate bit of distance, worried she might smell sweaty and put Scáthach off.
Among the Japanese S-Rank Hunters was a man who wore a gas mask at all times. He looked like someone with mana hypersensitivity too—far worse than Cha Hae-In's old condition. Cha Hae-In used to manage with a handkerchief; this man needed a full mask. Seeing him reminded her of herself before she'd met Scáthach and Sung Jinwoo.
If those two ever came to dislike me…
Cha Hae-In felt like she might as well die.
Scáthach looked her over and nodded. "Good. Even when I'm not around, you haven't neglected your training. That kind of drive deserves praise. Keep going—keep pushing."
"Ah… thank you. I will." Cha Hae-In nodded, a little stiff with formality.
Just then, a stir rose on the first floor.
During the South Korean S-Ranks' sparring, some of the Japanese Hunters had muttered that it wasn't worth watching—that the South Korean Hunters looked mediocre. The Guild Master of the Knights Guild, Park Jongsoo, happened to understand Japanese and caught the remark.
Park Jongsoo was the Guild Master of one of South Korea's five major guilds, but he himself was only A-Rank. The Japanese Hunters he'd clashed with were beneath even South Korea's S-Ranks' notice—let alone an A-Rank like him.
The argument escalated fast.
At that moment, Goto Ryuji—who had stayed silent until now—stepped forward and offered a suggestion.
"To build trust between us… let our S-Rank Hunters have a friendly match."
It was a natural proposal. It would vent both sides' anger and give the two teams—soon to be partners—a clearer sense of each other. South Korea had no reason to refuse.
"Fine." Go Gunhee came down to the first floor and accepted without hesitation, adding, "However, exclude mage-type Hunters and non-combat types. Those matches are too hard to judge fairly."
Hanekawa translated. After a moment's thought, Goto Ryuji agreed.
South Korea put forward four S-Rank Hunters: Cha Hae-In, Baek Yoonho, Ma Dongwook, and Lim Tae-Gyu.
Then Scáthach spoke.
"May Esil join as well?" she asked, smiling. "With so many S-Ranks gathered, I think this fight could give her something to take home."
No one objected. They already knew Esil—valuable S-Rank power—would be participating in the Jeju operation.
"Esil, up you go." Scáthach slanted a glance at her, a faintly teasing smile in her eyes. "Try to put on a good show."
Esil didn't answer. She stepped onto the platform in silence and took her place with the other South Korean Hunters.
Even Goto Ryuji—and many Hunters who didn't know Scáthach and Esil well—felt a flicker of surprise.
Everyone could sense it: Esil was anything but simple. And from the moment she'd appeared, she'd been quiet—carrying that unshakable strong aura.
So it was jarring to see someone that formidable obey Scáthach so readily.
Was it just the authority of an older cousin?
Surely it wasn't that Scáthach was even stronger than Esil… right?
"…Esil—she's really okay?" Sung Jinwoo asked, his expression strange. He'd known Esil longer than Scáthach had. To him, what Esil had become was deeply, deeply off.
"There's no problem. What problem could there be?" Scáthach smiled. Then her eyes narrowed slightly. "Or do you absolutely need to know what happened to her… even if it costs you your life? Do you have that kind of resolve?"
Scáthach was smiling, but a chill crawled up Sung Jinwoo's spine for no reason he could name.
He swallowed every question.
South Korea had five, counting Esil—so Japan naturally sent five as well: Tanaka Kenzō, Hoshino Minoru, Kumamoto Atsushi, Kanae Tawata, and Ippei Izawa.
Five versus five. But since this was sparring, not a death match, the rules were simple: if your wrist was caught, your back was touched, or you were knocked down, you were eliminated.
Goto Ryuji was still curious why Esil listened to Scáthach so completely, but with Cha Hae-In and Esil—two people he actually cared to evaluate—now on the platform, he set his doubts aside and focused, trying to read their strength through the fight.
It was a five-on-five free-for-all, but the moment it began, everyone quickly chose targets.
Ma Dongwook, whose ability was gigantification, met Tanaka Kenzō head-on. Both were power-type Hunters.
Hoshino Minoru went after Lim Tae-Gyu.
Baek Yoonho faced Kumamoto Atsushi. Baek Yoonho's ability was beast transformation, but if he fully released it, he would lose his reason and his blows would have no restraint—unsuitable here. Yet for some reason, his opponent kept avoiding direct engagement. Every time an opening appeared, Kumamoto hesitated and let it slip, and the two ended up locked in a stubborn stalemate.
That stalemate didn't last.
A figure flickered behind Kumamoto Atsushi like a ghost.
Kumamoto sensed someone close and twisted, slashing back with a clawed hand—only to catch empty air.
Cha Hae-In appeared behind him again and lightly placed her palm against his back. Very light and elegant.
Kumamoto froze, stunned that he'd been eliminated so cleanly.
Baek Yoonho was just as shocked. Realizing something, he snapped his gaze toward Cha Hae-In's original opponent, Kanae Tawata—only to see her sitting at the edge of the platform, face full of frustration.
Cha Hae-In… had already eliminated a Japanese S-Rank?
And she still had room to help him?
Baek Yoonho and the others hadn't seen it because they were focused on their own opponents—but Esil's side had ended even earlier.
Cha Hae-In, still composed—and everyone watching—had seen it.
When the match began, Esil didn't rush her opponent like the others. She stayed where she was, expressionless, almost as if she'd drifted off.
Izawa Hei didn't care. He cut in from Esil's flank.
He was an instant from touching her—and in the next heartbeat, his throat was in Esil's hand.
She drove him into the ground.
Even after he was declared eliminated, Ippei Izawa still hadn't recovered. He looked utterly lost, like he'd been hit by something he couldn't even process—unable to tell what Esil had done.
Goto Ryuji stared at Esil—at the way she'd erased Ippei Izawa in a single instant.
His expression grew heavier.
And within that heaviness, a faint spark of eagerness began to stir.
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T/N: ohughhh so many names so many peop
the ONLY MAN IN KOREA!!!