Chapter : 07
S-Class Martial Arts Master (2)
After meeting Kang Taesan, Seoyul explained the situation—that they needed to return to the Surveillance Department of the Management Bureau.
But already in a foul mood, Kang Taesan simply crossed his arms and remained seated in front of the baduk board.
Seoyul smirked and handed a 10,000-won bill to the old man sitting across from him.
“Sir, I interfered with your match, so how about continuing it another time?”
“Haha, that sounds good.”
“Hm. Can’t be helped.”
With the game ending in neither victory nor defeat, Kang Taesan also accepted it and let out a small grunt.
The two then began walking toward the Bureau, chatting along the way.
“Are you part of the Surveillance Department too?”
“No, I’m in the Rescue Department.”
“You’ve got a sharp eye and decent movement.”
“My role in the Rescue Department is as a scout.”
“Hm! Seems like a waste to use you only as a scout.”
“Yeah, having too many talents is a problem.”
“Your mouth’s the real problem.”
“……”
Seoyul regretted being cheeky and ended up emotionally wounded instead.
Before long, they arrived at the Bureau.
A woman who had been pacing nearby ran toward them.
She wore archer gear and had her hair in a ponytail.
It was Seoyul’s friend, Lee Jeong-hye.
“Haah, haah! Found you! Master! Where did you go?! We’ve been waiting forever!”
“Hahaha, long time no see.”
“You were hiding him, weren’t you, you jerk?!”
“I found him and you still complain?”
Seoyul flicked her forehead.
“Ow! But seriously, how did you find him so fast when our entire department couldn’t?”
“I’m just that capable. Anyway, I’m heading out. Sir, I’ll take my leave.”
He turned to go, thinking about relaxing at home and researching his skills—
But then Kang Taesan spoke.
“There’s a training session about to begin. Stay and watch. You’ve got nothing better to do anyway.”
“…Me too?”
Caught off guard, Seoyul stopped.
This was a rare chance to witness the power of one of Korea’s top five S-rank hunters.
Even just observing would be valuable.
“Alright then. I’ll stay. Please take care of me, sir!”
“Hey? Didn’t you say you were on vacation today?”
“Come on—even on vacation, you don’t miss a lesson from the strongest hunter in the country.”
“Ahem! You’ve got a talent for flattering people.”
Pleased, Kang Taesan cleared his throat.
“Fine. Joint training happens often anyway. I’ll inform your department head.”
A short while later—
At the Bureau training ground, Kang Taesan stood wearing a martial arts uniform, holding a sword.
A massive system-generated screen floated in the air.
On it, Kang Taesan was shown slaughtering lycanthropes with erratic, unpredictable sword movements.
“Gulp.”
Even though they had seen it multiple times, every trainee swallowed nervously.
Hunters in this era level up through the system.
With enough effort, anyone might think they could reach that level.
But that was naïve.
Every awakened individual had a limit.
A C-rank could reach the peak of C-rank—but never become B-rank.
Out of roughly 10,000 awakened in Korea, only five were S-rank.
And most Bureau hunters were those who had already hit their growth ceiling.
“You will come to understand that reality deeply.”
As he spoke, Kang Taesan infused his sword with mana.
A heavy, chilling aura enveloped the blade.
The force was so strong that nearby water bottles trembled.
“But even so, if you think level is everything… I’m not so sure. The system cannot fully express the finesse of martial arts. For example—if you don’t understand this sword’s nature, what happens? You there—answer me. What’s your name?”
A man in the front row stood up.
Seoyul half-lidded his eyes, observing him.
About 180 cm tall, dressed like a warrior.
“I’ve seen him before.”
“He’s Ahn Siwoo, the ace of Surveillance. A promising talent. A B-rank!”
“Ah, now I remember.”
Seoyul recalled seeing him receive an award from the Bureau Director.
“Yes! I’m Ahn Siwoo of the Surveillance Department. The sword’s nature lies in speed and prediction. If you fail to understand this, you miss opportunities and expose openings—”
Shake, shake.
Kang Taesan shook his head and turned toward Seoyul.
Startled, Seoyul pointed at himself.
“Me?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Assistant Manager Lee Jeong-hye from Surveillance will answer!”
“When did I say that, you bastard?!”
“……”
All eyes turned to them.
Flustered, Jeong-hye cleared her throat.
“Master… did you call me?”
“No. The annoying brat next to you.”
With no escape, Seoyul stood reluctantly.
“I’m Seoyul from the Rescue Department. My thought is simple—if you swing it at something like a wall, it’ll snap cleanly. And if you keep using it nonstop, it’ll dull quickly.”
“Anyone could say that.”
“Ahn Siwoo’s answer sounds more correct.”
“Wait, why is someone from Rescue even here?”
Despite the murmurs, Seoyul didn’t care.
“If you’ve got something to say, say it directly. Instead of gossiping during such a valuable lesson, try taking it seriously.”
“……”
Everyone fell silent.
“That fighting spirit of his hasn’t changed.”
Even Jeong-hye rubbed her forehead in resignation.
“Quiet.”
With a single word from Kang Taesan, the room settled.
Smiling, he continued.
“Are you certain of your answer?”
“Absolutely correct.”
Even if he didn’t know—Seoyul pushed forward.
“…Correct.”
At that, Ahn Siwoo shot to his feet.
“T-That can’t be the only correct answer, Master!”
“It captured the essence of my question.”
Jeong-hye whispered:
“Did you actually know that?”
“No.”
“……”
Everyone heard that.
The room filled with disbelief.
“I can’t accept this!”
Ahn Siwoo openly challenged his master.
But Kang Taesan only smiled.
“Then prove it here.”
“Gladly!”
“I’m fine though—”
THUD!
Before Seoyul could refuse, Jeong-hye punched his stomach.
“You idiot! Stop ruining things! Just nod!”
“…Yes.”
Kang Taesan continued, amused.
“I’ll design the test. Whoever proves their answer and passes… I will take one of you as my disciple.”
“??!!”
Everyone was shocked.
A disciple of an S-rank hunter.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
‘He’s the Weapon Master—he could teach spear techniques too.’
‘My rise is right in front of me.’
Different dreams, same ambition.
Both smiled.
Even past working hours, no one left.
While Kang Taesan prepared the test, Seoyul and Ahn Siwoo stood side by side.
“Know your place. Rescue trash. You’re Jeong-hye’s classmate, right?”
“Who’s that?”
“…?”
“Hey! Are you seriously pretending I don’t exist?!”
Jeong-hye exploded.
“You’re insane.”
“You kind of have to be to survive in Rescue. That’s why they call me ‘secretly crazy.’”
“Want to die?”
“I’ll ignore that.”
“…Ha.”
Ahn Siwoo sighed.
At that moment—
Kang Taesan returned.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No problem.”
“So what’s the test?”
Seoyul asked.
Kang Taesan grinned.
“Look behind you.”
Two massive boulders were dropped onto the training ground.
“…Why rocks?”
Kang Taesan pointed proudly.
“They are your test. I even paid for them myself—be honored.”
“This is the test?”
Ahn Siwoo tapped one, then froze.
“W-Wait… is this Ether Stone?”
Ether Stone—
A rare material found in ancient ruins or high-mana zones.
It grants golems immense magic resistance and can absorb or emit mana.
Extremely hard—far beyond normal materials.
Only awakened individuals could break it.
“I will now pass on my martial skill. If you fail… so be it.”
‘How does that even work?’
As Seoyul wondered—
A faint aura rose from Kang Taesan’s body.
An overwhelming sensation struck his senses.
Countless fragments of knowledge flashed through his mind.
Just one second.
[Hidden Class: Weapon Master detected.]
[Skill acquired: Clear Mind (Myeonggyeong Jisu).]
[Skill acquired: Dragon King Spear Technique.]
‘That fast?!’
Almost no one had ever learned skills this way.
But—
Ahn Siwoo, standing beside him—
was already smiling confidently.
