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Tightening his grip on the knife, he held his breath, and diffused his mana through the spaces between his blood and muscles.

Step! Step!

Only after confirming Yeomyeong’s action did the monster make its move. It crouched like a savage beast, then with a powerful push from its hind legs, it leaped into the air.

Yeomyeong’s knife drew a line toward the monster, and the monster’s four front legs and sixteen claws targeted Yeomyeong’s head simultaneously.

The next moment, the wolf monster’s forelegs and Yeomyeong’s sword brushed past each other.

"Kyaaaak!"

However, only the wolf monster saw blood. One of its right forelegs was cleanly severed, splattering blood.

The severed leg flailed on the ground, accompanied by the monster’s ragged breathing.

As the monster’s eyes turned red with rage, it bared its teeth and charged at Yeomyeong once more, seemingly relying solely on instinct.

The chain around its neck clanged as it was dragged along, and blood spattered in the air.

At that moment, Yeomyeong exhaled.

Hoo—

He didn’t need to use the Surging Wave technique because his opponent wasn’t worth that level of effort.

Instead, he focused all his remaining mana on trying to sense the monster’s form and stored it in his mind.

Muscle movements that were completely different from those of humans, with an unsettling eeriness and the nauseating presence of twisted mana.

There were many things for him to learn from the monster’s movements as insights that couldn’t be gained from ordinary humans permeated his mind.

It relies on its Regeneration ability and forces mana into the heart and blood vessels… not bad.

The moment the thought came to an end, Yeomyeong swung the knife. The monster’s foreleg, which had already come close, collided with the knife.

Chwaak—!

This time, he severed its left legs, and they flew into the air. The monster couldn’t even scream as it flailed its remaining limbs sporadically.

Nothing more to learn from it.

Yeomyeong then shifted to the offensive. He gripped the knife with both hands and dove at the wolf monster.

First, he cut off its remaining legs. Next, he made a deep, long slash across its chest before he severed its throat on his third strike.

“Kyaoo!”

However, it still didn’t die. Ignoring its fading life, it made one final lunge at Yeomyeong with its jaws wide open.

Its gaping mouth and grotesque teeth were aimed at Yeomyeong. However, Yeomyeong’s blade was a bit quicker.

Pook!

The long knife pierced through the roof of the monster’s mouth.

Yeomyeong didn’t even need to exert any additional force. The law of inertia pushed the blade’s tip straight to the monster’s brain.

“Kya, kyak, kek…”

With its brain pierced, the monster spasmed for a few seconds before immediately slumping to the ground as Yeomyeong withdrew his knife.

Yeomyeong, who had retrieved the knife, turned to look at Man Seokcheol, whose scarred face was filled with bewilderment.

“Looks like you have a reason for your confidence... Impressive.”

“Did I pass the test?”

Seeing Yeomyeong ask him so nonchalantly, Man Seokcheol’s lips curled up. He looked at Yeomyeong with a gaze that seemed to say, ‘What kind of guy is this bastard?’

“You didn\'t just pass, you aced it. There’s no need for any other tests.”

The shock of seeing the monster used for testing applicants being killed had already faded. Either way, it didn’t really matter; they could just capture another one.

On the contrary, they managed to recruit a useful talent that was not found unless heaven bestowed it.

“Congrats, new member Cheon Yeomyeong. You’re a part of Team 3 of the Sonjuk Mercenary Group from now on.”

Man Seokcheol approached Yeomyeong and patted him on the shoulder. Moments like these were what made supervising tests worthwhile.

However, the next moment, an easygoing voice from the entrance soured his mood.

“Seokcheol, it seems like your ability to evaluate people has really deteriorated, huh?”

Hearing the voice, Man Seokcheol\'s eyebrows furrowed deeply. He replied without even turning around.

“… What brings you here, Vice Captain Kim Mansoo?”

Vice Captain? Surprised by the unexpected title, Yeomyeong turned around, and at the entrance was a burly, muscular middle-aged man with his arms crossed.

“Oh, that’s because I’m no longer a Vice Captain right now but an instructor.”

“If you\'re just here to talk nonsense, then please leave.”

“No, it’s not that. Seokcheol, let’s talk about that new recruit.”

Only then did Man Seokcheol turn his head. On his contorted face, the long scar curved horizontally.

“What about him?”

“Let’s send that guy to Team 2 instead of Team 3.”

“...Member Cheon Yeomyeong has already been assigned to Team 3.”

“No, I mean… You punk! Team 3 means immediate deployment to Manchuria. Do you really want to send such a talented guy to a place swarming with monsters and refugees?”

“Our mercenary group needs to send as many members as possible to Manchuria to meet the government quota. You understand that, right?”

Upon hearing how firm Man Seokcheol was with his stance, Kim Mansoo narrowed his eyes. He glanced back and forth between Yeomyeong and the monster’s corpse, then sighed deeply.

“Then we can just send someone else. You saw it, too, right? That new recruit’s potential. It’ll just take him a few years in Team 2 to become a Superhuman.”

“...”

“Right now, counting the Captain and me, our mercenary group only has nine Superhumans. If we add one more, we’ll reach double digits. Then, we’ll be able to cross the dimensional portal ourselves.”

Man Seokcheol remained silent because he couldn’t think of a rebuttal.

Considering the potential Yeomyeong had just displayed and the rarity of Superhumans as a whole, the Vice Captain’s words were absolutely correct.

However, as his concerns deepened, Yeomyeong raised his hand.

“Um… does my opinion not matter?”

Both men’s gazes turned to Yeomyeong simultaneously. It was a bold question, but Kim Mansoo chuckled and addressed Yeomyeong’s inquiry.

“Of course, our new recruit’s opinion is also important. But, what’s there to think about?”

He strode over to the two men and soon placed his hand on Yeomyeong’s shoulder.

“I promise, on my authority as the Vice Captain, if you join Team 2, I’ll support you with martial arts training and elixirs. I guarantee that you’ll become a Superhuman within the next three years.”

Seeing Kim Mansoo’s confident face, Yeomyeong smiled wryly.

He hasn’t even realized that I’m already a Superhuman.

It was understandable that Man Seokcheol hadn’t noticed it because he didn’t reveal his mana during the fight with the monster.

But this man who was called Vice Captain... was disappointing.

Unlike Man Seokcheol, this man was supposed to be a Superhuman. Yet, being a Superhuman himself, he still couldn’t tell if someone was a Superhuman or not after making direct contact with them.

Even someone who has become a Vice Captain of a veteran mercenary group is just at this level...

Yeomyeong subtly stepped back, freeing himself from Kim Mansoo’s grip.

“Um… Vice Captain?”

“No need to call me Vice Captain so formally. Just call me Kim Mansoo or Mansoo-hyung.”

He was someone who had no boundaries. However, since you couldn’t spit on a smiling face, Yeomyeong tried to maintain a look of regret.

“Vice Captain, I appreciate the offer, but... I’m sorry.”

“... What? Sorry?”

Kim Mansoo’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. He even tilted his head, as if he heard something wrong.

“Are you refusing my offer?”

“Yes, I want to go to Manchuria.”

Yeomyeong bowed his head and made his refusal clear.

It was inevitable. His plan was to gain practical experience while in the mercenary group, not to receive training from some Superhuman.

“You punk! Do you even know what kind of place Manchuria is—”

“Vice Captain, it seems like the new recruit has already made up his mind.”

But before Kim Mansoo could say anything more, Man Seokcheol intervened.

“Vice Captain, don’t forget that you’re currently a mere instructor under disciplinary action. Continuing this further will be considered as overstepping your authority.”

“Huh? Seokcheol, you little—”

“If I report today’s events to the Captain, the next disciplinary action might have you cleaning the restrooms instead of being an instructor. Is that what you really want?”

“...”

“New member Cheon Yeomyeong, you will be assigned to Team 3 as per your wishes and deployed to Manchuria. I will personally assist you with the registration. Now, let’s go.”

Man Seokcheol quickly wrapped up the situation and led Yeomyeong out of the basement.

Watching the two people leave with a bewildered look on his face, Kim Mansoo only came to his senses after they had disappeared from his sight.

“Wow, holy sh— that newcomer is really one crazy bastard.”

And seeing how the new recruit didn’t even turn back once as he left, he probably had no regrets.

Kim Mansoo let out a wry laugh in disbelief.

If someone had offered him martial arts training and elixirs at that age, he would have even been willing to kiss their ass. Were talented individuals different?

He pondered whether he should give up or not, before shifting his gaze to the wolf monster Yeomyeong had defeated.

Severed front legs and a clean strike that pierced through the brain.

The corpse was dealt with so cleanly, that it would have been possible that a 10-year veteran mercenary had handled it.

“Sssp, it’s really a pity... Should I just follow him to Manchuria?”

Muttering something that would surely anger the Captain and make his blood pressure shoot through the roof, Kim Mansoo left the basement to chase after the two.

Seti slowly raised herself as she woke up and sat on the edge of the bed. Through her drowsy mind, she could feel the warm sunlight brushed against her cheek.

It felt like it was just yesterday that she had been hopping from one cheap motel to another to avoid the Korean government\'s scrutiny, so the dormitory bed now felt as fluffy as cotton candy.

Did I wake up too early…

After stretching a bit, she checked the time. 7:30 AM. There was still over an hour until the entrance ceremony.

She considered sleeping in a bit more but shook her head.

Beyond that sea, in Korea, Dung Beet—no, Yeomyeong-ssi must still be struggling. So how could she dare to indulge in sleep here?

She got out of bed and prepared her breakfast. After a quick wash and preparing her school uniform for the entrance ceremony, she finally checked the luggage she hadn\'t unpacked.

The luggage was very light and minimal— Three packets of instant noodles, a burner phone to contact Yeomyeong-ssi personally, and...

A single sword wrapped in a pure white cloth.

She lifted the sword carefully. It was the sword that Yeomyeong himself had handed to her.

As she unwrapped the cloth, the sun insignia engraved on the hilt was revealed.

The insignia belonged to a now-extinct empire beyond the dimensional portal, proof that it was not an object from Earth.

Seti traced the insignia with her fingers, recalling the moment Yeomyeong had given her the sword.

- Isn’t this… a sword from beyond the dimensional gate? Why are you giving it to me?

- Seti, when you get to the academy, please find out if there is someone there with a sword exactly like this.

- May I know why?

- The enemy of my family might be at the academy. The only clue I have is that he wields a sword exactly like this.

As he said that and handed over the sword, Yeomyeong\'s eyes were cold and calm.

For Seti, that gaze alone was enough. She willingly accepted the sword and promised to look for his enemy at the academy.

The only problem was that finding a student with the exact same sword at the academy would be no easy task.

There were too many people using swords, and above all, it would be rare for someone to openly display their signature weapon rather than a standard student-issued one.

First, I’ll have to get through the entrance ceremony, then slowly search through the gra—

Just as she was making her plan, the door to her dormitory opened, and a guest stepped in.

It was a girl with shimmering blonde hair, as if gold had been melted and used to dye it.

Seti recognized her as well. No, everyone at the academy would know her face.

Because she was none other than the student who the Holy Sword had personally brought to the academy.

She was struggling to carry a large suitcase into the room, making it clear that she had been assigned to this dorm room.

Of all people, she is my roommate…

Seti, who had been planning to lead a discreet school life, sighed inwardly.

Now that she would be sharing a room with a famous person… Her initial plans were already falling apart.

However, the next moment, she put on a business-like smile.

After all, she’d be living with this roommate for a year or perhaps three. There was no need to spoil their first impression.

She put the sword back into her suitcase and walked towards the blonde girl.

“Hello! I’m Hong Seti, your new roommate.”

“Hek, heh, uh… H-hello.”

There was a flush on the blonde girl’s pale face, likely because she was struggling with the heavy suitcase.

“You seem to be struggling. May I help you?”

“Oh, w-would you? That would be great.”

As soon as the girl agreed, Seti lifted her suitcase. Though it was quite heavy, it was no problem for a Superhuman like her.

Seti easily moved the suitcase to the side of the bed and smiled at the girl.

“Is there anything else you need to move? I can help.”

“No, no. It’s just this one. Thank you for your help.”

That concluded their introduction. Seeing the girl begin to organize her things awkwardly, Seti saw no need to extend the conversation further.

About ten minutes later, the blonde girl, who had finished unpacking, spoke to Seti.

“Um, if your surname is Hong... are you Korean?”

“Yes, I’m from Korea.”

Ah, indeed, as I thought. The girl muttered to herself for a moment, then continued with an awkward smile.

“T-then we’re from the same place. I’m Korean, too.”

“...You’re Korean?”

“Well, I was born in Korea, but I moved to Australia when I was a baby, so I’m practically Australian now.”

That was a lie. Seti immediately saw through the girl’s lie. It wasn’t due to her keen observation but rather because of the girl’s poor lying skills—The awkwardly shifting eyes and the trembling voice.

...Has she never told a lie in her life?

But Seti chose not to point that out.

It didn’t matter much why the girl was pretending to be Korean, as long as it didn’t cause any harm to her.

However, when the girl introduced her name, Seti narrowed her eyes involuntarily.

“Oh, Seti-ssi. I didn’t introduce myself. My name is... Miri. Soe¹ Miri.”

“...Could it be that your surname is Soe?”

“Yes, um, is that... strange?”

Of course, it was strange. Wouldn\'t anyone find it odd to meet two people with the surname Soe—not Kim²—in less than a week?

Seti barely managed to suppress the words rising in her throat, and shook her head.

“No, it’s just a unique surname, so I was curious.”

“R-right? It’s a unique surname, isn’t it? My father is somewhat famous for having a unique surname. Haha, ha...”

Amidst the awkward laughter, Soe Miri broke out in a cold /genesisforsaken