To Gang Hanbyeol, the Fighting Ghost Seojeongjin was the benefactor who had rescued him from the pit of despair after losing his family and becoming an orphan at a young age, his master, and like a father to him.
For him to enroll in the Academy to make his master's name known throughout the world and dream of becoming the strongest Hunter was a naturally understandable course of events.
There was ample possibility that he would come to admire the strong, help the weak, never lose hope, overflow with passion, and have a combative personality like Yong Haerang.
'In a way, he's a character straight out of a typical shounen manga.'
That was why it wasn't strange when Gang Hanbyeol suddenly challenged me to a spar.
I, who had enrolled as the second-ranked student, was likely seen by him as an opponent against whom he could verify his skills and grow.
Moreover, I was from the Divine Sword Taoist Sect, one of the Ten Great Clans that Seojeongjin recognized as his rivals.
He was someone who would naturally take an interest in me.
And so.
"If you're done eating, let's go spar now!"
The spar between me and Gang Hanbyeol was set.
Gang Hanbyeol had worn an expectant expression throughout lunch at the thought of sparring with me.
So much so that the moment we finished eating, he started urging me to hurry up and go spar.
Including me, the people in the cafeteria who had somewhat figured him out couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Except for Yong Haerang, who had much in common with him temperament-wise.
"As expected of the Fighting Ghost's disciple, you seem to know a thing or two! A meal without sparring afterward feels empty! Post-meal sparring is a man's refinement!"
"Oh, you're right! Sparring after a meal really does feel good!"
"Gang Hanbyeol! Today you'll face Do Gyeonu, and next time, let's have a match with me too!"
"Great, that's exactly what I wanted. I was going to ask anyway, so this works out."
It was a conversation that treated sparring as if it were a post-meal dessert.
Yong Haerang and Gang Hanbyeol showed the kind of compatibility where they instantly clicked.
I decided to calm them down since they had hit it off from their very first meeting.
"Wait. Moving right after eating isn't good for your body, so let's take a walk and digest a bit first."
"Well, if we want to spar in peak condition, that's better. Got it!"
"Not a wrong point."
The two followed along obediently.
Each of us took a drink in hand and decided to walk around nearby for a while to aid digestion.
Me, Yeon Haneul, Go Eunbi, Lisa, Min Arin, Yong Haerang, Bak Sagun, Gang Hanbyeol, and the triplets.
With as many as eleven people, the conversation never died out along the way.
"But what brings you here? I thought you'd skip out like yesterday saying you were going to study."
Without mingling with the others.
Min Arin was walking beside me.
I spoke while glancing sidelong at the red hair swaying below my shoulder.
She let out a humph and flicked her hair back over her shoulder.
"Could you not talk like I'm always making excuses to skip out? I really went to study yesterday."
She retorted as if telling me not to jump to conclusions.
But given Min Arin's personality and her attitude of not trying to get closer to us than necessary, my assumption was likely correct.
As for why such a girl was spending time with us—time that was nothing but unproductive to her.
"It's because of Hanbyeol, right?"
"..."
Considering the clan that Min Arin had as an enemy, it was impossible not to think so.
It wasn't hard to infer.
The way she flinched for a moment told me I was right.
I shrugged my shoulders lightly.
"Your clan must have mentioned something about Hanbyeol too. That's why you're watching him while you have the chance."
"And you're any different?"
"You're right, me too."
Since the entrance exam ended.
No, since the evaluation meeting five years ago.
Every time I attended a clan gathering, I heard Gang Hanbyeol's name from my grandfather.
Each time, Grandfather would say:
"Gyeonu, if you meet that guy's disciple, you flatten his nose for me."
"Haha... Yes, Patriarch."
"The Divine Sword Taoist Sect never loses. So I believe in you, Gyeonu."
Just as Seojeongjin did, my grandfather also recognized him as a rival.
Consequently, the competitive spirit toward each other naturally crossed generations, continuing into our generation.
The situation with the other Ten Great Clans would be no different from ours.
Just as I had received my grandfather's request, the direct descendants of the Ten Great Clans like Min Arin had clearly received such requests too.
Her circumstances were easy enough to understand.
Though Yong Haerang was someone who lived following his heart, he had probably received some word from the Patriarch of the Righteous Hero Yong Family.
'It was in the game too.'
Just as I was thinking that.
Suddenly, a stinging gaze was felt from the opposite side.
"..."
"...What's wrong?"
With a face that looked somewhat sulky.
Yeon Haneul was staring intently at me.
Her gaze was burdensome, so I asked cautiously.
She opened her mouth, narrowing her red eyes.
"No, it's nothing."
"..."
"You two go ahead and talk. Don't mind someone like me."
Judging as someone who had majored in Yeon Haneul Psychology for five years.
It seemed she had gotten sulky because I was excluding her and talking alone with Min Arin.
"We were only talking about clan stuff, right? Sorry, we're done now."
"Tch."
To soothe the sulky Yeon Haneul.
I changed the subject to something she would like.
Before long, her face softened, and her rabbit ears bounced up and down.
"Hmm..."
Min Arin chimed in occasionally too.
* * *
The Training Hall was one of the facilities that guaranteed students' autonomous training and provided various conveniences related to training.
We went to the Training Hall to find a suitable place to spar.
"Will it be okay without a reservation? Won't there be no spots?"
"Right. I heard the reservation competition is fierce, so it's hard to use it on the same day... I wonder if it will be okay...."
As they said, the Training Hall facilities were so popular that it was difficult to use them without a prior reservation.
But that only applied to normal reservations.
Using coins changed the story.
"If there are no spots, we can just use coins. I've been saving them for moments like this."
The Training Hall facilities were divided into those usable through general reservation and those usable by spending coins.
In the former case, the reservation competition was fierce; in the latter, it was not.
There was enough vacancy to reserve even on the same day.
I was prepared to use coins if there were no available facilities.
I had plenty of coins anyway.
"Ah! It looks like there are spots?"
"Maybe because it's early in the semester with no afternoon classes, and it's still daytime. We're lucky."
Fortunately, there were several vacant rooms without needing to use coins.
From behind Go Eunbi and Bak Sagun, I looked at the facility usage status board.
"Eunbi, reserve one for us."
"Got it, I'll pick the best one for you. Just trust me."
The reservation was settled with a few button presses.
I pulled out the card from the machine and headed to the sparring ring with the others.
The sparring ring was relatively spacious.
There was enough space to move around without hindrance.
"Wow, there are places like this too... Training will feel rewarding."
"Make sure to use it often from now on. And don't forget to make reservations, of course."
"Yeah. Gyeonu, so hurry up and..."
"Let's warm up first. And I'd like someone to referee..."
"I'll do it."
"Good, Sagun, you referee."
"Leave the wound treatment to me. But don't fight too hard. A spar should be like a spar. You both understand, right?"
"We know. Please take care of it."
In the game, Gang Hanbyeol learned about the Training Hall a bit later.
Because of that, he marveled at the facility he was using for the first time.
It was my first time today too, though.
Anyway, I warmed up lightly before the spar.
'Good. I wanted to check Gang Hanbyeol's skills anyway.'
In the game, the player controlled Gang Hanbyeol.
Other party members had an auto-combat feature, but he did not.
From beginning to end, his combat depended solely on the player.
If the player was skilled, he was skilled; conversely, if the player was terrible, so was he.
In other words, Gang Hanbyeol's combat style directly mirrored the player's combat style.
Therefore, I needed to check what kind of skill Gang Hanbyeol had in this world without a player.
'Still, his base stats are solid, so I can look forward to it moderately.'
Even without checking his status window.
I naturally remembered Gang Hanbyeol's starting stats.
I watched him warming up ahead.
When our eyes met, he smiled with his eyes as if acknowledging me.
I responded with a bow.
"Do you like him that much?"
"Hanbyeol?"
"Yeah. You feel much softer toward him than the others."
At that moment, Yeon Haneul approached me.
With her hands behind her back, she stood beside me, taking in Gang Hanbyeol.
She seemed curious about the reason for my interest in Gang Hanbyeol.
'It's quite a fresh feeling indeed.'
Yeon Haneul, the Calamity Witch who was supposed to become a mid-boss.
But having become my childhood friend, she would now become one of Gang Hanbyeol's party members, like me, Go Eunbi, Lisa, Yong Haerang, and the others—not a villain.
Glancing at her standing beside me and looking at Gang Hanbyeol ahead, it truly hit me anew.
I gave her advice.
"He's strong, tough, and a good kid. So make sure to get along with him."
"If you say so, it must be true. But hey."
"What?"
"Are you interested in guys by any chance?"
"...What?"
"I mean, even now... The way you've been looking at him since earlier is unusual. You don't like men or anything, right?"
"Hah...."
What was she suddenly talking about.
I turned my gaze from Gang Hanbyeol and furrowed my brows.
Yeon Haneul was waiting for an answer.
I didn't know what misunderstanding she had, but a sigh escaped me.
I decided to clarify.
"I like women. I like him as a friend, that's all. Yeon Haneul, we've known each other for five years, and you didn't know I like women?"
"No, of course I know you like women."
"Then why are you asking?"
"I wanted to be sure."
"..."
"Hmm, I see. So Gyeonu likes women."
"Why are you asking the obvious and smiling?"
"No, just... because I'm happy."
"..."
"I like men too, a lot."
"...I know that too."
"You like women a lot too, right?"
"Yeah, I make it obvious."
"Pervert, you're a pervert."
"Then you're a pervert too."
"Tch. I'm more of one than you—"
"What do you mean? You're probably more of one than me."
...I couldn't tell what she found so enjoyable.
Yeon Haneul giggled while looking at me.
I felt awkward for no reason and avoided her gaze.
"Anyway, I'm going to spar, so stay in the corner with the others. Don't get caught up in anything by bad luck."
"Yeah, I will. Good luck."
"Yeah, cheer for me to win."
Gang Hanbyeol, finished with his warm-up, was waiting for me.
Leaving Yeon Haneul's cheers behind, I stepped toward him.
"There are no fixed rules. Just display your skills freely, but please refrain from actions that would trouble your conscience. Lethal force... I think you know without me saying. The spar will begin when the alarm sounds."
Bak Sagun, acting as referee, explained.
Gang Hanbyeol and I nodded, gripped our swords, and took our stances.
Gang Hanbyeol's sword scattered light as it caught the ceiling lights, and my sword too scattered a deep blue light.
"Your sword is really cool. I can tell at a glance it's no ordinary blade."
"It's called the Ultramarine Sword. It's a blade considered a treasure of my clan. Right now, I've more or less borrowed it on semi-permanent loan."
"As expected, it's no ordinary sword. Hmm, I'm envious...."
"Sorry, but I have no intention of handing this over even as a wager. It's precious to me."
"That's a shame, but it can't be helped. I can't steal a friend's belongings."
Gang Hanbyeol's master, the Fighting Ghost Seojeongjin.
He had a peculiarity unknown to the world, known only to those in the know.
It was weapon plunder.
Proficient in all kinds of weapons, he would seize the weapons of opponents he defeated in duels, whether because he liked them or as mementos.
Regardless of whether they were Hunters or Villains.
'That's why among those in the know, he's apparently called not the Fighting Ghost, but the Plunder King.'
The Plunder King, Seojeongjin.
People who had their weapons taken by him were said to tremble at just his name.
That was why he had many enemies around him.
'If I had mine stolen, I'd tremble too...'
Gang Hanbyeol, who had learned and grown up under that Plunder King, couldn't be entirely innocent.
As if proving himself the disciple of the Plunder King, he couldn't control his obsession with weapons.
His coveting of the Ultramarine Sword was proof.
He was a weapon fanatic and also a potential Plunder King.
'If he's better than Seojeongjin in any way, it's that he knows restraint.'
Just as he reined in his greed for the Ultramarine Sword.
Gang Hanbyeol absolutely never coveted the weapons of comrades.
His peculiarity was limited to those who provoked him or to Villains.
He knew where to draw the line.
Soon.
Beep!
The signal announcing the start of the spar rang out.
I had become the childhood friend of the mid-boss.