Chapter 7

“What is this place...?” Ye-Ji asked curiously.

It was an empty office located in a corner of the sixth floor of City Hall. However, with not a single piece of office supplies, it could hardly be called an office. Instead, various weapons and ragged, lower-grade suits were displayed in one corner.

“This used to be the old office of the Fissure Management Division, but it has now been converted into a training room. This is actually my first time here, too. It has been rebuilt with special materials provided by the Hunter’s Bureau, so the walls won’t crack under most impacts. It’s perfect for training,” Do-Jun explained.

As he placed the file with Ye-Ji’s profile on the corner desk and hung his suit jacket on the coat hanger, Ye-Ji’s face reddened slightly, and she turned away.

“You’re the Hunter assigned to me, yet I knew nothing about you. I plan to get to know you better from now on.”

“W-what do you mean!” Ye-Ji exclaimed in a panic.

She was so flustered she bit her tongue.

Before she could even feel the sting, Do-Jun responded, “Please tell me your level, stats, and any skills you possess. I want to know your capabilities so that we can efficiently handle any future Fissure explorations. I will also assist you in achieving a good score in the Hunter rank evaluation next week.”

“Oh, that’s what you meant.” Ye-Ji sighed deeply, feeling inexplicably drained.

“I am currently Level 4, and my stats are Strength 6, Agility 11, Stamina 8, and Mana 0. I have a skill called Scholar’s Swordsmanship.”

“Thank you. I just have one question, though. Why is your mana at zero compared to your other stats? As far as I know, unlike Strength, Agility, and Stamina, which increase when you level up by hunting monsters, mana increases through physical enhancement using mana stones, isn’t that right? Have you never undergone physical enhancement?”

When mana stones obtained from hunting monsters were brought to the Hunter’s Bureau, they performed enhancements for the Hunters.

It was a free service provided by the Bureau, but since physical enhancement placed a significant burden on the body, it was limited to once a month.

The amount of mana absorbed by a Hunter from the same mana stone varied greatly depending on the Hunter’s level and individual capabilities. Some Hunters couldn’t get their mana over a hundred despite how much money they spent, while others could surpass a hundred with just a single enhancement.

Hunters, treating themselves like characters in video games, would call those in the latter category “blessed characters” and those in the former “cursed.”

“I’ve actually tried the physical enhancement,” Ye-Ji said.

“Then why is your mana at zero?”

“One of my skills is called Scholar’s Swordsmanship. Its description says that I can’t have mana until I reach stage 3 of the skill. Being skeptical, I tried physical enhancement anyway... but it turned out to be useless. How could someone be this cursed?”

Do-Jun stroked his chin, lost in thought.

If she couldn’t have mana because Scholar’s Swordsmanship wasn’t at the third stage, wouldn’t it just be a matter of upgrading the skill to that stage?

Ye-Ji continued her explanation, “But I can’t even reach the second stage, never mind the third....”

“Can you show me this Scholar’s Swordsmanship?” Do-Jun asked.

“It’s written in text. I’ll write it down for you.”

After a while, Ye-Ji handed a half-filled sheet of paper to Do-Jun, who read it slowly.

There are three elements called the Tri-Elements. The universe, which is the source of all things, contains the three origins: Heaven, Earth, and Human. Ultimately, everything in the universe starts and ends with these three origins, and swordsmanship is no exception. Therefore, the foundation of swordsmanship, as well as everything else in the world....

“I tried my best to summarize it,” Ye-Ji said as she handed him another notebook.

It was the same notebook she had been doodling in while Do-Jun worked, filled with drawings of a person performing sword techniques.

Tri-Element Swordsmanship, huh?

Do-Jun thought.

Tri-Element Swordsmanship was so common in the Central Plains that even third-rate scoundrels knew it. Perhaps due to its commonness, it was regarded as a third-rate martial art and had no demand.

Later, a top master from the Martial Arts Alliance named Un Ja-Sam created a basic swordsmanship called Six Harmony Sword and spread its illustrated guide, causing Tri-Element Swordsmanship to fade into history.

Scholar’s Swordsmanship... wait, hold on a second

. Do-Jun had a sudden revelation.

Tri-Element Swordsmanship.

And Scholar’s Swordsmanship.

Do-Jun recalled a name: Sword Saint Jin So-Un—the royal scholar, who burst onto the scene with a flashy bang, defeated the Chief of the Martial Arts Alliance in a duel, and then disappeared into thin air.

At that time, the Chief of the Martial Arts Alliance was the best in the world. The royal scholar, a genius among geniuses, had reinterpreted the looked-down-upon Tri-Element Swordsmanship and conquered the world with it. He called that swordsmanship Scholar's Swordsmanship, and there were even legends that he left advice about the sword to the Chief of the Martial Arts Alliance before departing from the world.

The storytellers might have exaggerated some parts of this fabled event, but the core story was no lie.

“Mr. Administrator...?” Ye-Ji waved her hand in front of Do-Jun’s eyes as he suddenly fell silent.

At that moment, Do-Jun’s eyes snapped open.

He grabbed Ye-Ji’s wrist and pulled her close enough for them to feel each other’s breath.

“Ye-Ji.”

Thump, thump, thump.

Ye-Ji closed her eyes tightly.

Do-Jun whispered in her ear in a sweet voice, “There’s no character more blessed than you.”

“Sorry...?”

***

A few days later, Do-Jun turned off his computer as soon as the clock hit 6:00 PM.

Ye-Ji was sound asleep with her head resting on the office desk next to Do-Jun’s. Shaking her awake, he looked at Cheol-Soo and Hyuk-Soo and said, “Sorry, but I’ll be leaving early today.”

“No worries. Good work today, Do-Jun.”

As Do-Jun bowed slightly and left the office, Ye-Ji closely trailed behind him, looking like a puppy following its owner.

After the two had left the office, Cheol-Soo walked over to Hyuk-Soo and mumbled as he looked toward the door, “Don’t you think there’s something going on between those two?”

For the past few days, they had been leaving together at 6:00 PM. sharp. At first, he didn’t think much of it, but it had been almost a week already.

“Well, it seems like the girl definitely has feelings for him,” Hyuk-Soo said.

“You feel that way, too?”

“I would have to be blind not to notice.”

“But it seems like Do-Jun is clueless.”

Pfft.

“Well, at least he’s good at his job. Who cares if he’s a bit clueless about romance?”

***

Swoosh!

The wooden sword pointed toward the ceiling and then quickly slashed diagonally downward, followed by two more consecutive strikes.

From Ye-Ji’s fingertips, an intricate sword path unfolded, resembling a drawing on a canvas.

When the sequence of moves ended, Ye-Ji lay on the floor, panting heavily.

For the past few days, Do-Jun had been helping her refine her Scholar’s Swordsmanship for an hour after work.

To avoid raising suspicions by being too direct or showing her the techniques himself, he would suggest corrections with, “How about doing it this way?”

“Since tomorrow is the evaluation day, we’ll call it a night here. Go home and try to get plenty of rest,” he said.

Ye-Ji caught her breath and checked her Status Window.

“

Huff...

Status Window.”

Name: Cha Ye-Ji

Level: 4

Title: None

Strength: 6

Agility: 11

Stamina: 8

Mana: 10

Skill: Scholar’s Swordsmanship (S)

[Skill - Scholar’s Swordsmanship]

Category: Passive

Rank: S

Effect: Allows access to Scholar’s Swordsmanship.

Stage: 3

A smile spread across Ye-Ji’s lips.

Her Scholar’s Swordsmanship, which hadn’t been improving at all despite all her efforts, had risen by two stages in just a few days.

Most importantly, reaching the third stage of Scholar’s Swordsmanship allowed her to gain mana, that too, without undergoing physical enhancement. As she practiced Scholar’s Swordsmanship, she gradually started accumulating mana on her own.

“Mr. Administrator...”

“Yes?”

“I’m really glad I met you.”

“Thank you for saying that. I’ll keep it in mind when considering contract extensions.”

“

Pfft

. What does that mean?” Ye-Ji chuckled as she slowly got up.

She felt indescribable small streams of energy swirling inside her, but it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. On the contrary, it brought a sense of calm to her body.

So, this is what mana feels like,

she marveled.

Something she thought she could never have now felt so natural, as if it had always been there.

“You really are hiding your powers, aren’t you?” she asked Do-Jun.

“You can think whatever lets you rest easy.”

Do-Jun picked up the wooden sword lying on the floor and placed it back on the weapon rack.

Every time he moved, the sight of his well-defined muscles shifting underneath his dress shirt captivated Ye-Ji.

“I like you.” Her voice echoed in the empty training room.

Her face flushed.

W-what did I just say? Did I really say that out loud? N-no, there’s no way. I must have just imagined it.

Panicked, she carefully scanned Do-Jun’s expression, and only after finding no signs of emotional disturbance on his face did she breathe a sigh of relief.

If he had heard what she said, it would have shown on his face somehow.

“We’ve tidied up, so let’s head home,” Do-Jun said.

“R-right.”

As Ye-Ji followed him out the door, she felt her face heat up once again.

I guess I really do like this person

, she thought.

***

Do-Jun picked up a piece of grilled eel that was nicely browned and cut into a size perfect for a single bite with his chopsticks and brought it to his mouth.

Yoon-Hee rested her chin on her hands, smiling as she watched him eat.

“Tasty, right? It was on sale at the store, so I decided to make something with it.”

“Anything my daughter cooks is always delicious.”

“

Ugh

. Saying it so flatly makes it seem like you’re just being nice.”

Do-Jun couldn’t help but smile at Yoon-Hee’s grumbling. Seeing Do-Jun smile, Yoon-Hee felt happy but also a bit uneasy.

Their relationship was based on a contract that would last until she graduated from Hunter Academy. They weren’t even distantly related by blood; in essence, they were just strangers.

Am I just a housekeeper?

Yoon-Hee wondered to herself.

Would their relationship end just like that once she graduated and Do-Jun fully adapted to his life?

⸢Next news. A temporary Fissure has appeared once again in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province. The monster from the Fissure is presumed to be a C-rank Orc Warrior, resulting in three civilian casualties. The police quickly responded with mana guns but could not easily subdue the monster...⸥

“What a scary world,” Do-Jun muttered monotonously as he chewed his food.

At that moment, Yoon-Hee suddenly stood up and said, “I will...”

“Hmm?”

“When I graduate and become a Hunter, I will protect you, Father!”

Without even realizing it, Do-Jun nodded at Yoon-Hee’s unexpected declaration, and her face brightened more than ever.

“Promise?” she asked as she extended her pinky.

“O-okay.”

Reluctantly, he hooked his pinky with hers.

Yoon-Hee completed the pinky promise with a thumb press and then, satisfied, placed more eel on Do-Jun’s rice.

“Eat up, Father.”

Who’s protecting who?

Do-Jun thought as he sighed inwardly.