Chapter 9 – I Hate Swimmers

Se-min connected to the Transcendent Network.

Lately, his elder brother Dokgo Cheonma and elder sister Iana were not to be seen. They seemed busy in their respective worlds.

He clicked around on a few posts with his mouse cursor and then turned off the browser.

Beyond the black solid-colored background, his own face was reflected back.

It was different from before.

He was not the past himself who had shut himself in a small room, dying every day because he was afraid of the sunlight outside. Nor was he a half-wit who had no hope of advancing further because his aura was stuck at 103.

However, that face was so wretched that he couldn’t bear to look at it.

Feeling suffocated, Se-min threw on a training suit and went outside.

He ran along the riverside road.

Even so, he was not satisfied, so he headed toward the Self-Strengthening Gym.

He loaded heavier weights than usual and squeezed his muscles.

He covered his confused mind with the pain of his muscles tearing apart.

He had run all this way to become a Raider, but what he had thought of was merely a glamorous life and a cool lifestyle.

He wanted to show Ahn Seong-jun, and furthermore, the world that had mocked him when he was holed up in his room, what kind of man Lee Se-min was.

However, becoming a Raider was not the meaning he had imagined.

It was a matter of fighting on the border of life and death.

It was a profession where one clashed flesh and swung weapons against demons from another world who tore off and shredded people’s limbs without a second thought.

Even in front of a Zorg, which was evaluated as having the lowest level of combat power, he had been paralyzed by fear.

Feeling like a rat facing its natural enemy.

He had just watched a person die.

He had mocked Kim Seon-ha and her colleagues for wearing weapons, but if they hadn’t carried their equipment, the casualties would have been much higher.

They saved everyone.

Se-min clenched his teeth.

“I need to close the gym, though.”

Kim Deok-bae, who had approached from behind at some point, assisted his squats.

“Director.”

“Come on, let’s do more. Take a deep breath.”

With Kim Deok-bae’s assistance, Se-min managed a weight beyond his limit.

As Se-min sat on the floor, panting, Kim Deok-bae gestured to him.

“Se-min.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s have a drink.”

Kim Deok-bae was a person who did not drink or smoke. Se-min stared at Kim Deok-bae blankly, then nodded soon.

***

He was already the only one left in the gym. It was dawn, past operating hours.

They sat at a street stall located on the riverside.

“It is unfortunate about young In-jae.”

“Did you know?”

“I have eyes and ears too.”

Kim Deok-bae smiled and poured a glass of soju.

A plate of sliced raw calamari was placed between them.

“Director.”

Around the time they emptied their soju glasses in silence and were about to order a new bottle, Se-min opened his mouth.

“You know I am an aura-aptitude holder, right?”

“I know well.”

“I have lived thinking it was only natural for me to become a Raider. But today, when I faced the gate and the monsters for the first time, my feet wouldn’t move because I was shaking. A person was being bitten to pieces right in front of me, and I just stood there.”

“Yes.”

“But that kid In-jae was different from me; he went out and fought.”

As Se-min poured a drink into his own glass, Kim Deok-bae snatched the bottle and tilted it.

“Perhaps it was my job to do, but because I hesitated, that kid has now lost an arm and also lost his aura.”

Due to his injuries, Park In-jae had lost his danqian, the vessel of aura.

Aura was no longer detected from him.

“I feel so dirty. I wonder if it’s okay for a guy like me to become a Raider.”

“That can happen.”

Kim Deok-bae wore a faint smile.

It was the first time Se-min had seen him, whose facial lines were always firm, make such a wistful expression.

“Se-min. What do you think I did before opening the gym?”

“Well.”

“I was a boxer.”

Somehow, Kim Deok-bae and boxing did not connect. His body was muscular and bulky. It was difficult to imagine him as a boxer moving quickly with a lean, weight-reduced body.

“Why are your eyes like that? I’ve bulked up now, but in the past, I was slim.”

“You must have had quite a fist.”

“A fist… It was no joke. That’s why it was a problem.”

Kim Deok-bae poured alcohol into his own glass. This time, Se-min held the bottle and poured it for him.

“There was a guy who was like a rival…”

Kim Deok-bae raised his drink. Se-min clinked his glass.

“He died after a match with me.”

“Pardon?”

“He was knocked out by a KO, but he woke up and stood up fine, and then later, I got a call. They said he died of a brain hemorrhage.”

“Ah…”

“That’s how it was.”

“And boxing after that…”

“I quit. When I put on gloves and entered the ring, I just couldn’t hit the opponent. I look like this, but I have a weak heart. I’m a person with a rough face but a tender heart. Hehehe.”

“But you are a handsome guy.”

“I know. I just said it without much energy.”

Se-min laughed. Kim Deok-bae also smiled quietly, casting a shadow over his distinctive brow ridge.

“Right now, I’m just a gym director, but if I had continued boxing, I would have become something like a world champion.”

“Aren’t you exaggerating?”

“If you don’t believe me, search for Kim Deok-bae and Rigochenko Alvarez. How can I explain this myself? Hahaha. I can’t paint my own face gold. I’m a straightforward person.”

“Hehehe.”

“The calamari at this place is good. Let’s eat.”

The two downed their soju glasses side-by-side and ate the calamari.

Kim Deok-bae spoke with a grin.

“So, do you know the reason why I am telling you this story?”

“Hmm… Aren’t you saying that today’s event was unavoidable?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“There’s no meaning.”

“Pardon?”

“I just said it.”

Kim Deok-bae burst into hearty laughter.

“Are you and I the same? We are completely different. Different, indeed.”

“But then why…”

“I told you. I just said it.”

Kim Deok-bae poured alcohol again. Before they knew it, the fourth bottle of soju was sitting on the table.

“Still, you feel a bit better now, right?”

“Yes.”

“That is what a human is. An unrelated story, I just told you my old story. So your heart feels a bit better. Right?”

“It really does.”

“Humans, you see, are very imperfect. I, who struck the final blow despite seeing the opponent collapse, that bastard Chenko who kept holding on knowing he couldn’t make it, and the corner that didn’t throw in the towel until the end.”

“…”

“That is human. They always make mistakes. Still, they regret and move forward while crying.”

Even as the drunkenness rose, Se-min took his words to heart.

“If the current me and the past me fought now, who would win?”

“Of course, the past director would win.”

“Is that… No, Se-min. What is my weight now? The past me was skinny like a corpse from cutting weight. The level is different. If you get hit by my fist now, you’re gone.”

“But since you’ve rested for a long time…”

“I’m still the same. Huh? Throwing one-twos, stepping and weaving, huh?”

The director threw fists in the air alone, then smirked.

“I’m also getting older now, so I might lose in punching. Still, the current me is a stronger human.”

A stronger human.

Se-min stared at the wrinkles on the director’s face. It felt as if the stories he couldn’t bring himself to tell were engraved in them.

Just like the regret of the final blow he accidentally threw at the collapsing opponent, there must have been countless pains and sufferings that eventually forced him to lay down his gloves.

However, he was still alive and had become a stronger human.

“If you have regrets, you just need to correct them. That is enough. I don’t treat those who don’t look back and reflect as humans. If you do just that, you are a person.”

Out of habit, Se-min poured alcohol into Kim Deok-bae’s glass.

The two locked eyes once and drank again.

“Se-min.”

“Yes.”

“Become a great Raider.”

“Yes.”

***

Se-min did not connect to the Transcendent Network for a while.

In any case, there was only one thing he had to do.

Quest

Pass the Raider qualification exam to become an official Raider.

Quest Reward: 100P

To become a Raider.

Se-min changed the direction of his training from that day on.

He stopped the routine of practicing aura and Form-Intention Fist alone. Instead, he took up weapons and faced virtual enemies.

“Teacher. Please.”

“Sure.”

He returned to Taeseong Academy, where he used to go, and used the VR training room.

If he passed, Taeseong Academy would advertise his name in a big way as a trainee they had raised.

It was not completely wrong. An interview upon passing was also scheduled.

However, if he was disqualified, he had to pay the usage fee.

“The enemy?”

“Zorg.”

“Starting.”

Zorg.

A monster the size of a wolf with knife-like teeth and claws.

Harmful magic beast System No. 92.

“Phew.”

In Se-min’s hand was a real sword that he hadn’t held in a long time.

Double-handed sword, Claymore.

That was his weapon.

He gripped the weapon. Beyond the VR goggles he wore, the appearance of Zorg began to be implemented.

It was different.

It was completely different from the actual Zorg he had seen.

There was neither the dense murderous intent it emitted nor the terrible stench that magic beasts exuded. The panic-like fear created by creatures of another world was not felt either. It was just a shell-like illusion.

Se-min lifted the claymore.

The aura of Tai Chi Wisdom dwelling in his body spread to his entire body following his will. A faint haze of aura rose from his body.

Zorg’s movements were very similar to what he knew.

The beast kicked the ground and flew.

Clang!

The audio equipment plugged into his ears produced a tearing sound. At the same time, the weapon connected to the system vibrated.

As expected, it was equipment that was worth the expensive price.

He swung the sword to shake off the beast. The claws flew aiming at his body. He pulled his body back.

Zorg’s offensive continued. It was an unrefined wild movement.

Se-min drove his sword into the gap.

There was no sensation, but it had an effect. Zorg’s body blinked red. It was a signal that the attack had connected.

The beast’s movements slowed. When Se-min approached, it backed away. Zorg began to show a defensive posture.

It was weak.

Zorg was weaker than him.

However, on that day, he had been paralyzed by fear and couldn’t move.

The price was tragic.

Something surged from his chest.

Se-min stepped forward and slashed the claymore. His sword cut Zorg and struck the floor.

Clang!

“Lee Se-min!”

He came to his senses at Hwang Jeong-hun’s voice echoing in his ears.

“You must not be paralyzed by fear, but you must not let anger take over your body either. Calm down.”

“Yes.”

The head must always maintain composure. It was Hwang Jeong-hun’s teaching.

Se-min regulated his breathing. He calmed his boiling heart.

Zorg had now disappeared.

“Will you do more?”

“With another one.”

“Which?”

“Sincus.”

Hwang Jeong-hun was silent for a moment.

He also knew.

Sincus was too much for Se-min.

Harmful magic beast System No. 22.

A powerful entity for which solo raiding was not permitted to those of Gold Mark or lower. A magic beast that active Raiders had faced as a group during the missing gate incident.

However, Se-min wanted to try it.

Hwang Jeong-hun replied.

“Understood. Starting.”

“Thank you.”

Soon Sincus’s huge body appeared, filling the training room. Seeing that figure again, Se-min’s memory of that day was revived.

A gate appeared over the city, and the beast appeared, crushing people with those pillar-like front paws.

Se-min could not forget the scattered flesh and the blood spreading red below.

The pupils of the reptile captured Se-min.

The sophisticated VR was implementing even Se-min’s reflection in Sincus’s pupils.

Se-min leaped in first.

It was a novice move.

When dealing with Sincus, it was standard to induce the movement first and then attack the gap. That was the way to face a huge magic beast with a small and weak human body.

However, Se-min couldn’t stand still and stepped forward first.

He slashed Sincus’s leg, but the blow was minor. Conversely, Sincus’s huge tail flew toward him.

He lowered his head and rolled on the floor.

Dust rose from the screen.

Whether dust really rose, his mouth was dry. He spat on the floor. Hwang Jeong-hun said something, but Se-min focused on Sincus in front of him.

Sincus’s attack continued.

Se-min deflected it.

It was the subtlety of Form-Intention Fist.

Unifying form and intention into one.

Se-min’s aura changed its momentum according to his mindset. Then his body followed the aura.

Will produces results.

Then what? Could he think of a will that could sink that huge body looking down on him at once?

With his current self, it was not easily associated.

They exchanged a tedious confrontation.

When Sincus attacked, Se-min avoided it nimbly and drove his weapon into the gap. It was a response method according to the given manual, just like playing a game.

In fact, in the missing gate incident, the Raiders hunted Sincus in this manner.

However, he alone could not accumulate effective blows. Se-min’s busy moving body grew tired.

Se-min lowered the tip of the claymore and caught his breath.

Sincus’s huge eyes captured Se-min, baring its teeth and roaring. The creepy screech flowing from the headset shook his eardrums.

The scene of that day was replayed in Se-min’s head.

The scene of the desolate training room is erased.

Skyscrapers rise.

The busy street unfolds, and asphalt and sidewalks are laid. He added the scene of the busy street and the faces of the dying people. As what he saw was replayed, his breathing gradually quickened.

Sincus was there.

Se-min loaded aura.

“Keeeyaaaah!”

With a strange metallic sound, Sincus began to charge straight ahead. The huge body drew closer. Se-min prepared to deflect the attack by looking left and right.

However, he did not move.

The Tai Chi Wisdom sitting in his danqian held the center and was firmly rooted.

Se-min contemplated the immovable aura and smiled faintly.

Form-Intention Fist aims for the unification of form and intention.

Even if his head thought of avoiding it, the aura filling his body was synchronizing with the will sitting deep in his inner self.

Se-min did not avoid it and set his supporting foot.

And he collided head-on.

***

The second exam is held at the testing ground of the Raider Bureau.

It is a place called the Colosseum.

As soon as Se-min entered the building, he received a protector to which magic stone technology was applied. His name was written on it.

“Weapons can be chosen from sword, spear, and knuckles.”

“I’ll go with the sword.”

The weapons had to be the ones provided, and he had to choose one of the three.

Se-min received the sword. He called it a sword, but a club was attached instead of a blade. The rest of the weapons were also practice equipment made of materials that couldn’t inflict fatal injuries.

“You can wait in the auditorium.”

Other examinees were already sitting in their seats, waiting for the exam.

There seemed to be several hundred people.

In the practical, a personal battle and a team battle are held, and then the final in-depth process is taken. Among them, the personal battle is the most intense.

Perhaps because of that, people’s expressions were desolate.

Everyone around was a potential enemy.

Soon the entry of the examinees ended, and a man stood on the platform.

“It’s Bulgasari.”

“Bulgasari Lee Yoon-hoo?”

From the practical, not only the Raider Bureau but also private companies dispatched personnel to evaluate the candidates’ qualifications.

The general supervisor of this exam was the Raider Lee Yoon-hoo, who had the nickname Bulgasari. As a Platinum Mark holder, he was a veteran who survived and returned from numerous battles.

“In five minutes, we will move to the testing ground for the personal combat power evaluation. Sensors are attached to your protectors. The sensors will record all of your movements. If you receive a blow close to a fatal injury during the match, you will be automatically processed as dead, and the protector will also play a role in controlling you so that you cannot move further.”

His voice was a thick bass.

A sense of intimidation filled the auditorium.

“I believe you all know well about the personal combat power evaluation. It is a battle royale. Points are given to those who survive until the end or kill a lot of people.”

The detailed grading criteria were not known. While some scored high just by surviving, points were also given to those who subdued many even if they died early.

What was given to them was only pass/fail and rank.

Along with the guidance, a paper was given to each. It was a pledge that they would be responsible for whatever happened during the exam. It was a document that Raider trainees would have seen several times.

Combat is accompanied by injury and danger.

One could die.

Se-min signed his name.

Soon, the examinees were guided to the place where the battle royale would take place.

It was a forest.

It was a place that implemented a forest as it was inside the Colosseum. It was large enough for several hundred people to play hide-and-seek, and the sky was blocked by a dome.

Lee Yoon-hoo’s voice continued from the speakers installed everywhere.

[Starting in five minutes. During that time, attacking each other or talking is strictly prohibited. Stand by in your own way for five minutes.]

Five minutes of time.

It was to choose a location.

The examinees looked at each other, then scattered into the forest to find their own starting points.

However, Se-min stood at the starting point and did not move.

He watched the backs of the departing applicants.

It was not for any particular reason.

Just.

He wanted to stay still.

Since encountering the gate, his mind had always been downcast. His subconscious kept calculating something.

Whether it was about the magic beast or the qualification exam, he could not know himself.

Se-min closed his eyes and stood with crossed arms, waiting for the signal.

[Starting.]

Without any precursor, the battle royale began.

From now on, it was a fight to kill or be killed.

“Hey.”

He thought everyone had left, but a unfamiliar voice called Se-min.

Looking back, a shady-looking guy was staring at Se-min with a smirk.

“Why are you here?”

Everyone headed toward the forest to preempt advantageous locations.

Only he and Se-min were standing at the starting point.

Se-min lifted his sword instead of answering.

“Hey, how about we hold back against each other for now?”

He held out his palm. Se-min gestured with his chin to tell him to talk more.

He continued speaking with that unpleasant smile.

“If we stood here waiting with the same thought, we are guys who are too good to drop out right away. Let’s meet again later and have fun then, and for now, let’s scatter and enjoy.”

He raised his spear and stuck out his tongue.

“The hunt, I mean.”

Se-min dropped the tip of his sword.

The man giggled.

“You’re a friend who understands. Your name is…”

At that moment, Se-min’s figure vanished.

Clang!

The spear and sword clashed. The man retreated with a smirk.

“Fast.”

Se-min continued his attack without a word.

The man swung his spear to deflect the attack and spoke again.

“Is that how it is? From the very start? Without even taking time to get to know each other?”

Se-min did not open his mouth.

All of their actions and conversations are recorded. Se-min knew that mixing words with someone in the personal battle would only do harm, not good.

Besides, he had no desire to talk to anyone.

The weapons of the two collided.

The man counterattacked at the lower axis, utilizing the subtlety of the staff.

Se-min did not retreat, but rather stepped inward, converging the distance to zero.

“Gah!”

Se-min’s fist drove into his solar plexus.

[No. 222, combat unable.]

Immediately, the broadcast rang out.

At the same time, the opponent shuddered. The magic stone of the protector was restricting his body. He was unable to move further until the battle royale ended.

[No. 13, first subdual additional points acquired.]

No. 13 was Se-min’s number.

He was the first to subdue an enemy.

This man was No. 222.

That meant there were still many opponents.

Se-min slung the staff the man dropped over his shoulder.

“Ugh…”

The man lay on the ground, groaning. He tried to say something, but the protector seemed to suppress it.

Se-min walked toward the forest without giving him a glance.

***

Although the Raider exam is conducted privately, some companies associated with the Raider Bureau were given qualification to watch.

Gigantic companies called the Big Three and mid-sized companies whose names anyone would know were watching the candidates’ fight in the monitoring room.

“First blood has already appeared.”

“This batch is hot. Actually, the first subdual doesn’t mean much.”

Each company had candidates they sponsored. They selected those who showed talent among the aura-aptitude holders and pre-affiliated them to the company.

Therefore, the battle royale where candidates directly collided was also a pride battle between companies.

“I heard a tremendous new face came out of the Iron Horse Company this time?”

“They say the aura level exceeded 30,000. I’m envious.”

Kim Seon-ha smiled awkwardly.

“No.”

Outstanding people gathered from other companies, but the Iron Horse Company dispatched her.

If it weren’t for the president’s request, she wouldn’t be in this seat.

“Was it Bang Yu-bi? That young lady. Oh, she’s fighting now.”

“As expected of Iron Horse Company. Every single one is an elite.”

Kim Seon-ha did not hear their praise as praise at all.

That they were being so leisurely was because they had something to rely on. In other words, it meant they had pushed in applicants whose 30,000 aura wouldn’t make them anxious.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the man sitting in the front row tilted his head.

Everyone’s eyes gathered.

It was because he was Ryu Gwang, the team leader of Hosan Company, which was famous as one of the Big Three.

“Did you say the one who dropped out just now was No. 222?”

“Yes. Team Leader Ryu, is there any problem?”

“There is no problem.”

Ryu Gwang scratched his head and looked around to find the corresponding monitor.

A Raider Bureau staff member quickly put the figure of candidate No. 222 on the main screen.

The figure of the man lying at the starting point, unable to move and catching his breath, appeared.

“Why did that guy…”

He was one of the applicants sponsored by Hosan Company.

He was a psycho, but his skills were real.

“Who already caught that guy…”

It was the moment Ryu Gwang was looking for the protagonist of the first kill.

No. 185, combat unable.

No. 89, combat unable.

No. 111, combat unable.

No. 234, combat unable.

No. 42, combat unable.

Messages began to pop up all at once. The monitors spun busily. Fights broke out here and there.

As the first subdual was announced, the battle royale caught fire.

An exam where such a melee broke out was rare. Rather, there were many cases where applicants saved their bodies and were restricted by delay penalties.

The officials chattered.

“This exam is hot.”

“It’s dizzying, dizzying.”

“If you let your guard down in a melee, that could happen, right? Team Leader Ryu, let’s brighten our faces.”

Kim Seon-ha searched for Bang Yu-bi on the monitors.

Although she was intimidated by being squeezed between high-ranking and high-mark Raiders, she did not doubt that the Iron Horse Company’s rising star Bang Yu-bi would subdue other applicants. 30,000 aura is by no means a small figure. The weight class was different.

From what she heard, the applicant who recorded the second highest aura level was also below 20,000.

“Seon-ha. That young lady is the Iron Horse Company’s rising star, right?”

Park San-hae, who was the vice president of Gwanghae, made conversation. He was the brother of the president, Park Gwang-hae.

“Oh, yes. She was there.”

Kim Seon-ha’s voice rose.

Bang Yu-bi was just subduing another candidate.

With this, she rose to three kills.

“Fast, calm. A talent.”

As the fight gradually intensified, the monitoring room became noisy. Kim Seon-ha raised her voice to Park San-hae.

“Didn’t Gwanghae also have one applicant?”

“Already dropped out.”

“Pardon?”

“I saw it briefly earlier, and there’s a guy who is no joke mixed in. He was caught completely. He doesn’t seem to be affiliated anywhere.”

“Indeed, unaffiliated dark horses are scary.”

It was a word spoken for form’s sake.

The days when Raider was packaged as a noble job saving human lives had passed.

Everything was translated into performance and revenue. As companies and clans repeated appearing and disappearing, a solid pyramid was constructed in the Raid society.

The Big Three and mid-sized companies. The small companies swarming below them.

Everyone wanted a high-ranking enterprise, and if talent was seen, recruiters negotiated. Aura-aptitude holders who had even a slightly outstanding aspect had no choice but to be affiliated somewhere.

Everything is thoroughly managed by corporations.

It was not an era when dragons rose from private training centers.

“304 participants in the second exam. Currently, about 50 have been processed as dead.”

At the Bureau staff member’s voice, everyone shook their heads.

“It’s been a long time since a round caught fire this fast.”

“It has to be like this to be worth watching. Hey, put up a fun place!”

It was the one holding the title of president among those watching. It was a very commanding tone, but the Bureau staff member nodded and immediately enlarged several windows.

Several fights were caught on the front screen.

They were all prospects who gathered expectations even before the exam.

“Who is that foreigner?”

“He’s an American who will naturalize through the Raider track.”

“Ah, is he that Renegades friend? Why does an American come to Korea?”

“He’s a girl group maniac, they say.”

“A funny friend.”

The Renegades official smiled fiercely.

“Hehehe, his skills won’t be funny.”

True to the prospects, they were each overwhelming their opponents.

Then, two of the screens gradually overlapped.

They had encountered each other.

It was John McKellan from America, and Yoon Mu-jin belonging to the Limitless Association, which constituted the Big Three.

Having raised their kill scores, they stared at each other.

[Hey, dude. How are you today?]

[What is he saying, that yankee bastard.]

[I know how to speak Korean. You just cursed, right? Am I right?]

[Of course, you son of a bitch.]

[Motherfucker!]

The two men clashed.

Yoon Mu-jin used a staff, and John McKellan used knuckles.

Yoon Mu-jin overwhelmed John McKellan with technique, but at the aggressiveness of John McKellan who came in while taking hits, Yoon Mu-jin eventually allowed a blow. Yoon Mu-jin collapsed while dancing like a butterfly.

[Are you good? Are you good with my hammer?]

“That’s it!”

The Renegades official clapped. On the other hand, the Limitless Association official wore a bitter smile.

John McKellan quickly took the mount position and raised both fists as if showing off. Fear was tinged in the eyes of Yoon Mu-jin, who couldn’t control his body yet.

[Finish.]

It was the moment John McKellan grinned and was about to strike down both fists.

Smack!

John McKellan’s head shook.

And he fainted.

***

No. 156, combat unable.

Before anyone knew it, a man was standing behind John McKellan.

He also smacked Yoon Mu-jin who was lying down.

No. 66, combat unable.

Although he had just cleaned out two prominent applicants at once, his eyes showed no emotional disturbance.

Everyone paid attention to that man.

There was no talk of attacking from behind or taking kills by chance. They are Raiders. They knew that in a fight where life was at stake, everything was skill.

“Fast.”

“I didn’t even see it properly just now.”

“Where did he jump in from?”

“Where is he affiliated?”

A commotion arose in the monitoring room.

“That.”

Kim Seon-ha gaped.

It was a face she knew.

“That friend! That friend is the one who caught our kid earlier. Seon-ha, do you know him?”

Gwanghae’s Park San-hae asked. Kim Seon-ha couldn’t answer.

She knew him well.

They had even exchanged words a few times.

A trivial man who seemed like only a third-rate aura-aptitude holder.

It was Lee Se-min.

***

Se-min engaged in other thoughts even while defeating the two men simultaneously.

It had been continuing from the moment he first encountered the gate, from the moment he felt fear at the murderous intent emitted by the magic beast and had no choice but to watch the boy he knew well have his arm eaten away.

He had thought that the work of past hunters who hunted beasts and sold byproducts had now become the exclusive property of a few blessed aura-aptitude holders. He thought it wasn’t much different except that the target had changed to magic beasts.

It wasn’t.

The price they received was the price of their lives.

Beasts that couldn’t resist guns and otherworld magic beasts were completely different.

He could feel it from the moment he faced them.

Magic beasts are the natural enemies of humans.

Humans are the prey, and they are the predators.

He saw it just before the gate closed on that day.

A high-ranking species of the harmful magic beast, the existence that created the classification of disaster magic beast.

The great disaster that had killed the most Raiders as a single entity.

Orc.

It was standing.

Things that humanity could not handle at all were lurking beyond the gate.

But what?

He connected to the Transcendent Network and met two transcendents. Their power overwhelmed even the Orc. Dokgo Cheonma’s fearful power was still vivid in his memory.

Aura.

That was the power given to humans.

Raider.

They were humans who could use aura.

As the gate opened, the tool called aura was given to humanity.

What is the reason why such power is dwelling in them?

Where did it come from?

“Hey, you there.”

A participant stood in front of Se-min, swaggering.

“You’ve killed quite a lot.”

Each kill score is displayed on the protector. If one caught someone who had raised a high kill score, additional points were given.

The opponent’s kill score was higher than Se-min’s.

“I am Oh Shin-hoo of CCC.”

“Lee Se-min.”

“A name I’m hearing for the first time.”

Se-min looked at him.

Self-confident, leisurely. They were the eyes of a person who did not doubt his own power. Se-min liked such people.

But now he couldn’t know.

Has that person ever seen magic beasts? Did he feel the same thing as himself? Or is he okay even after seeing them?

What is the power that makes Raiders overcome the neurotic fear engraved in human instinct?

“Let’s do this.”

And what is the reason why they make humans fight each other to select Raiders who hunt magic beasts?

Se-min lifted his sword.

It was a club to prevent injury, but a blade was standing in his mind.

Se-min’s kill score was 9.

He thought of this fight as a real battle. He had killed nine people today.

And one stood before him again.

“Yaah!”

Oh Shin-hoo thrust his spear toward Se-min.

Inside Se-min, the aura of Tai Chi Wisdom danced.

In his deeply sunken interior, Tai Chi Wisdom was surging with more depth than ever before.

As he took a step with a stamp, Tai Chi Wisdom curved with a deeper contour. The aura that fell boundlessly leaped up again, causing a small explosion in his interior.

Clang!

The spear and sword collided.

An explosive sound arose.

Oh Shin-hoo was pushed back. Se-min’s Tai Chi Wisdom did not stop and continued the ripple.

What falls boundlessly leaps up. When it reaches the peak, it bends its body toward the trough. When spring passes, summer and autumn follow, and at the end of winter, spring comes again.

Wave.

It kept pressing toward Oh Shin-hoo.

“Ugh!”

Oh Shin-hoo desperately pounced on Se-min.

He tried not to admit that he was being pushed back by Se-min’s aura. Rather than deflecting it, he stood against it with greater force.

And Se-min did not resist that reverse flow.

“Huh?”

Oh Shin-hoo’s powerful attack struck the air as it was.

He thought he had stood against Se-min.

However, before he knew it, he was projecting force in the same direction as Se-min. As the two overlapped, it amplified further.

The force that lost its target disrupted his balance.

A weak force is sufficient to collapse an enemy whose center is not established.

The ancient number one demon Dokgo Cheonma delivered this at the end of Form-Intention Fist.

‘Fight is eventually a process of subordinating the enemy’s universe to one’s own universe. Therefore, martial arts is the path of self-completion, and if one is complete, the enemy will surrender on their own.’

Se-min could now vaguely understand those words.

Tai Chi Wisdom was boundlessly full in his body now. His interval was forming a small world.

He subordinated the enemy’s interval to his own interval. Then the enemy began to collapse on his own.

Se-min’s sword struck Oh Shin-hoo’s head.

“Gah!”

He collapsed on the floor. He raised his body again, but doubt about himself had already appeared in his eyes.

With such eyes, one does one of the two.

Surrendering, or throwing oneself like a moth into a flame out of anger at one’s own emotion.

Oh Shin-hoo was the latter.

He staked everything and thrust toward Se-min.

His shout echoed loudly through the Colosseum.

The materialized aura formed a blade at the tip of the spear.

It was a blow that premised killing intent.

The grit of not losing even if he displayed a killing move in the exam.

Se-min breathed.

Tai Chi Wisdom formed an air current.

His force and body rotated smoothly, deflecting Oh Shin-hoo’s attack.

A man threw a killing move with everything he had.

“Dieeeee!”

And nothing happened.

Oh Shin-hoo recognized that his spear was cutting the air, and lamented again at Lee Se-min’s presence felt from behind.

“You really fight like a dog.”

Not colliding at the timing to collide, disrupting the enemy’s gap, then hitting and retreating leisurely with his own rhythm.

From the perspective of the one suffering, it was a frustrating way of fighting.

Thud!

With the sound of impact, Oh Shin-hoo’s consciousness cut off.

[No. 2, combat unable.]

The speaker announced Oh Shin-hoo’s death processing.

Se-min Regulated his breathing and looked to the side.

The interior of the Colosseum was a dense forest. Trees were lush, and ruins and low hills continued beyond the rocks.

Hiding oneself and finding the enemy to ambush is the core of this exam.

However, sounds of fighting were heard from everywhere. Right now, this inside was literally a Colosseum, a battle royale of killing and being killed. No one tried to hide or ambush.

Se-min walked toward the noise.

What he possessed was the divine art Tai Chi Wisdom, Form-Intention Fist which was the basis of fists and kicks, and the basic weapon techniques he learned and accumulated in the training facility.

However, with just that, he was confident that he was the best hunter here.

There was still a lot of time.

There were Dokgo Cheonma’s martial arts, absolute martial arts and bizarre techniques left by transcendents of each dimension scattered on the tip board.

He would become a Raider.

He would stand against magic beasts.

If there were regrets, they could be corrected. That was enough.

‘I don’t treat those who don’t look back and reflect as humans. If you do just that, you are a person.’

Chewing on gym director Kim Deok-bae’s words, Se-min walked toward the center of the rainforest.

A melee was taking place.

***

Bang Yu-bi was enjoying it.

To a person who has qualification, pressure is rather a pleasure.

Bang Yu-bi pulverized everyone she crossed swords with. Her sword moved brilliantly.

“Such nonsense…!”

It made sense.

Bang Yu-bi’s sword stabbed another examinee. A red light blinked on his protector, processing the wearer as dead. Soon, with a short spasm, his body stiffened.

Bang Yu-bi grinned.

She was a successor of ancient sword techniques.

As gates appeared and aura was given to humanity, ancient martial arts came out to the world again.

Although they were treated as having no practicality, pushed back by modern combat sports, they actually handled the usage of force called qi and inner strength.

Receiving the support of the Iron Horse Company, Bang Yu-bi learned the ancient Chinese martial art, the Subduing Demon Sword.

There was no one who could withstand her sword moving based on the output of her natural aura. Meeting a man belonging to the Limitless Association, she fought a comparable fight for a while and declared a truce, but she was confident that she would have won if they fought long.

Who would be next?

She reached a clearing. Many applicants were engaged in a melee.

It was not a battlefield of those who hid in the forest looking for the enemy’s gaps, but of those who wanted to face the opponent properly.

Suddenly, she turned back in surprise.

“You?”

She felt a chilling sensation from the opponent, but she couldn’t know exactly what it was.

It was a face she had seen before.

A person who had a bad connection with her role model Kim Seon-ha.

A pathetic man who was paralyzed by fear when the missing gate opened, doing nothing and just blankly watching his companions get beaten.

Was his name Lee Se-min or whatever?

“Seeing you here.”

Bang Yu-bi spoke.

Aura tingled in her body. When she met him before, she expressed hostility to him half as a joke, but in fact, he was not in her mind.

She was looking up.

“I heard you made a bet with my sister?”

The opponent was silent.

Only then did the kill score recorded on his body enter her eyes.

It was a double-digit number.

Color rose in Bang Yu-bi’s eyes. It was an outstanding result compared to the helpless appearance she saw back then.

He might be ‘that category’ of people.

Those who have good skills but are consumed by the fear that magic beasts emit.

Magic beasts basically exert a mental pressure that humans cannot resist. If exposed to the delusional fear magic beasts emitted for a long time, one would even go mad.

There were people who were exceptionally vulnerable to such pressure, like Se-min.

Such people freeze and cannot do anything, like Se-min. They become unable to move even to the lower-class magic beast, Zorg.

Bang Yu-bi walked toward Se-min with a smile.

“Shall we start?”

The opponent lifted his weapon without a word.

His playful impression was reduced. The figure bickering with Kim Seon-ha and the current calm figure did not connect.

Bang Yu-bi attacked first. She checked his reaction with a light sword path.

The opponent was not very fast.

However, it was a perfect response.

Clearly she thought it was a beat late, but rather the sword paths tangled and a sword strike flew toward her.

She retreated.

It was a neat attack where offense and defense were connected as one.

Bang Yu-bi nodded and leaped high. Flying into the air, she added aura to the force of gravity and struck down the opponent.

Originally, physical superiority belonged to men, but as the era of aura opened, the situation changed rapidly. With the output of aura, women could also overwhelm men.

Therefore, Bang Yu-bi was a heavyweight.

Se-min staggered at the heavy impact.

Bang Yu-bi struck down once more, continuing the recoil. Se-min gripped the sword again as if his hands were stinging. Bang Yu-bi kicked his abdomen while giving a trick to the upper level.

Se-min was pushed back.

“Hmm…”

Bang Yu-bi caressed her chin.

Even while being kicked by her, Se-min swung his weapon aiming at her chin. She almost had her head shaken by being hit in the chin.

He was quite something.

Perhaps in skill excluding aura, he was superior to her.

When that thought arose, Bang Yu-bi wanted to crush the opponent mercilessly.

Aura arose in her body.

The opponent is of ‘that category’.

Then it would be good to match him.

“Phew…”

Bang Yu-bi raised force.

The hair on her entire body stood on end. Aura flared in her danqian and began to exude a different energy than before. It transferred to her entire body, enlarging her presence.

The ‘subduing’ in the Subduing Demon Sword uses the character meaning ‘to bend/subdue’ but also contains the meaning of ‘to turn and hide’.

To subdue the demon, the Subduing Demon Sword harbors the demon inside. This is the principle of using a demon to control a demon.

Therefore, the murderous intent of the Subduing Demon Sword is abnormally strong.

That force resembled something.

“Ha…”

Bang Yu-bi let out a low sigh. It was an energy she also couldn’t get used to. Emitting it with her entire body, she raised her weapon toward Se-min.

The entire clearing grew quiet.

Everyone’s eyes gathered at the energy she emitted.

Bang Yu-bi smiled.

Se-min’s body was frozen.

***

Se-min met Bang Yu-bi and crossed swords.

Now, he didn’t care about the bet with Kim Seon-ha. So he faced her like the others.

As expected, she was the prospect Kim Seon-ha could be confident of.

The power her aura exuded was powerful, and her sword was swift.

However, Se-min didn’t feel like he would lose.

She was strong but somehow loose. Spending time as a half-wit who had no aura, he had learned how to see the loopholes of enemies stronger than him.

It was while they were exchanging blows like that.

Bang Yu-bi’s momentum changed.

An ominous energy began to boil in her body. It was different from ordinary aura.

And it eventually turned into that feeling he knew.

Magic beast.

The energy Bang Yu-bi emitted was of a magic beast.

Se-min’s heartbeat quickened.

The Bang Yu-bi in front of his eyes was now a magic beast in human shape. Every time her sword shook, the teeth of a carnivore flickered over it.

Se-min clenched his fists without realizing.

There was the smell of a magic beast.

As the memory of that time rewound, the helplessness he felt then also revived. Without being able to budge a finger, he had to watch an innocent person, and Park In-jae, get beaten.

It was a painful memory.

Since then, Se-min had been waiting for this time.

He wanted to see the magic beast again.

Bang Yu-bi’s presence was huge. The aura reaching 30,000 caused a pressure greater than physical volume.

Murderous intent and demonic energy erupted from her.

Se-min clenched his teeth and took a step forward.

The step he thought wouldn’t move was moved.

He saw Bang Yu-bi’s triumphant face approaching him.

Se-min nodded.

She recognized Se-min correctly. She noticed that he had been frightened by the magic beast that day and couldn’t do anything. It was certain she realized how to face him.

So she had opened her fearful energy.

Se-min took another step forward.

There is something she didn’t know.

He is a person who looks back and regrets.

And he corrects what he regrets.

“You’re different from before, huh?”

Bang Yu-bi was still smiling.

Se-min saw his body shaking. The memory of that time was still shaking him.

Se-min smiled.

It was the first smile he wore since entering the testing ground.