69
The first half of the auction had ended, and as Shin Hye-ji slipped out of the auction hall, her eyes were sparkling so brightly that anyone could see she was in a good mood.
"I suppose that won't do after all."
"……?"
Baek Woo-jin, who had been heading to the basement where the simulation room was located with Shin Hye-ji, blinked and stopped walking as a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder from behind.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll get you something from the second half of the auction tomorrow."
"If you're giving it to me without any strings attached, I'll gratefully accept."
"Yeah! You're so refreshingly honest!"
Shin Hye-ri laughed cheerfully and smacked Baek Woo-jin's back! But since she was a mage by nature, the impact wasn't as strong as the sound. Of course, that was only by the standards of an Awakened.
Even if she was a mage, if she, a B-rank Hunter, were to swing her fist in earnest, she would have the power to easily crush an ordinary person's skull like mashing tofu.
"Then good luck with the exchange meeting today~"
"Aren't you attending?"
"Obviously not~"
Shin Hye-ji clasped her arm more tightly around her fiancé, Jo Su-hwan, and slightly curled the corners of her lips.
"The only reason I was there was because I was worried about that socially inept baggage and acted as her guardian. But ta-da~?"
Shin Hye-ji's index finger lightly tapped Baek Woo-jin's chest.
"We have a reliable new guardian right here~? Then there's no reason for me to tag along~"
"Please make it an expensive one tomorrow."
"I was planning on that anyway, but..."
Shin Hye-ri wore a subtle smile and whispered as she passed by Baek Woo-jin with Jo Su-hwan.
"It'll depend on how much talent you have."
When Baek Woo-jin turned around, Shin Hye-ri sent a playful wink and left with Jo Su-hwan.
"I'm sorry. She's not usually that weird."
"Yes, well."
Baek Woo-jin wondered if she was completely unaware that she was just as bad, but not wanting to make things worse by bringing it up, he replied casually and got on the elevator with Shin Hye-ji.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened, and the majority of the people who had ridden with them got off.
Thus, the place Baek Woo-jin and Shin Hye-ji headed to was not the basement, but her room. It was to grab the weapon they would use there.
"Could you lend me a sword?"
"Of course."
Shin Hye-ji pulled out a sword housed in a pure white scabbard.
"It's called Baekya. I'll be using it, but if your turn comes first, you can use it first."
"Thank you."
Since there was no further conversation to be had, the two soon left the room and headed down to the basement where the simulation room was located.
There were already quite a few people gathered there, and among them, the one who definitely stood out was, as expected, Hong Yeon-ha.
Even among the colorful individuals, Hong Yeon-ha's red hair particularly pulled at one's gaze. Of course, Arthur Taylor, who was buzzing around her like a pesky fly, was a bonus.
"……."
"……."
Perhaps she had felt his gaze.
Her red eyes and his black eyes reflected each other's faces.
Then, Hong Yeon-ha, who had been frowning from the start, strode over to close the distance, and Arthur Taylor, who had been clinging to her side and chattering away like a barnacle, followed along.
"Good evening."
Whether he was oblivious or acting that way on purpose, Arthur Taylor greeted Baek Woo-jin and Shin Hye-ji, who was holding his hand, first.
"You."
After glaring at Baek Woo-jin for a moment, Hong Yeon-ha looked back at Arthur Taylor, who had followed her, and poked Baek Woo-jin's chest precisely with her long, slender index finger.
"If you want my attention, produce better results than this guy for both today and tomorrow. Until then, don't talk to me."
Hong Yeon-ha snorted at Baek Woo-jin and returned to her original spot.
"Hmm."
This time, Arthur Taylor, who didn't chase after her and remained in place, scratched his head and then smiled.
"I'm sorry, but it seems that's how it is. It looks like you'll have to serve as a stepping stone for my happiness."
Not feeling it was worth responding to, Baek Woo-jin simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Haha."
However he interpreted that, Arthur Taylor chuckled lightly, turned around, and went back to Hong Yeon-ha's vicinity. Of course, perhaps having taken the earlier warning to heart, he didn't chatter and initiate conversation like before.
"You really are oblivious, aren't you?"
"……."
"……?"
When Baek Woo-jin stared at her, Shin Hye-ji blinked and tilted her head in confusion.
"Why?"
"It's nothing. Let's go register."
The two approached the staff receiving applications in front of the simulation room and registered.
"I'm up first."
"I see."
The order was determined randomly by a machine, and if there were no more applicants, Baek Woo-jin's turn would be confirmed as the very last.
"What will you be facing, Woo-jin?"
"I'm still thinking."
"I'm planning to face five orcs."
Orcs were the guys he had faced in the Tower.
'Are they... difficult?'
Although he had used the terrain to his advantage, even without that, he was confident he could easily butcher three orcs. Even if that number increased by two to five.
Baek Woo-jin glanced sideways at Shin Hye-ji, who was fidgeting with her sword.
Considering her talent and competitive spirit, she was definitely not the type to volunteer for an easy level.
'Well, what does that matter?'
Whatever someone else chose wouldn't immediately affect his current skills anyway.
"We will now begin."
As the staff member keeping watch spoke up, the people who had been pairing up to chat one by one tapered off their conversations.
"I won't call out names, so please step forward when it's your turn."
With that, a blonde young man, commonly seen among Westerners, stepped forward and entered the simulation room. What he summoned was a Bloody Wolf, a D-rank monster he had killed countless times before.
"Heup!"
When the Bloody Wolf charged, the young man boldly offered his right arm, which was possible because he possessed the Hardening skill.
'I want that.'
The Hardening skill, which hardens the skin, might seem more suitable for a tank at first glance, but that was a misconception.
A tank is the wall of the team that stands on the front lines holding a shield to protect the party members. And the reason tanks hold large shields is not simply to protect their own bodies. The larger the shield, the wider the area they can cover behind them, and naturally, the mages or ranged team members in the rear become safe from the monsters' line of sight.
In other words, tanks holding large shields could largely be seen as a result of preventing aggro from jumping to the dealers in the back.
To put it differently, a tank can no longer fulfill its role the moment it loses its shield. Therefore, even if a tank possessed the Hardening skill, the moment they had to use it meant the situation had already reached the worst.
Conversely, if a melee dealer possessed the Hardening skill, they could employ various strategies, just like what was happening right now.
"What do you think?"
Shin Hye-ji, who had been quietly watching from beside him, whispered.
"Everyone is quite skilled."
This was sincere.
More than ten turns had passed in a flash, and although the opponents did not exceed D-rank, he was able to observe others' skills in such detail, and various strategies he hadn't thought of himself appeared, so he gained a lot in many ways.
"I'll be back."
"Good luck."
Shin Hye-ji entered the simulation room, and not long after, five orcs were generated.
'Is it Baekya?'
The sword that revealed itself from the pure white scabbard contained a pure white light, just like the scabbard.
Flash!
Shin Hye-ji, who seemed to catch her breath for a moment, threw herself at the group of orcs all at once. And the moment she swung her sword, the majority of the men watching her let out a short gasp.
Leaning her upper body back at the same speed she was running to avoid the club flying towards her, she slid on the ground with her knee, then slipped right between the legs of the orc standing in the center and slashed its crotch with her sword.
Perhaps the orc whose crotch was slashed was male, as it turned into particles and vanished on the spot.
Using the momentum of her slide, Shin Hye-ji bounced up and kicked off the wall, leaping into the air and swinging her sword.
Following the pure white trajectory, the orc's head fell and disappeared into particles.
'As expected...'
Having instantly disposed of two orcs, Shin Hye-ji, despite having more than enough skill to finish them off, didn't immediately kill the remaining orcs but sliced off their arms and legs one by one.
When the pure white trajectory and fluid movements combined, the act, which should have looked cruel, created the illusion of a beautiful dancer performing a dance.
The moment that beautiful yet cruel dance ended, the three orcs turned into particles and vanished almost simultaneously.
Clap clap clap!!
Receiving louder applause and cheers than anyone who had challenged before, Shin Hye-ji came out and approached them.
"How was it?"
"You were amazing."
"Hmm."
It was a compliment filled with sincerity, but Shin Hye-ji frowned slightly as if that wasn't the answer she wanted, then handed over Baekya.
"I'll use it well and return it."
"Yes."
After Shin Hye-ji, five more people showcased their skills, and finally, it was the turn of a familiar face.
"Let's say his skills are at least real."
Arthur Taylor, who had entered the room, drew a single-handed sword with a crude appearance.
Summoned in front of Arthur Taylor was a giant dog with two heads.
Evil Dog, or more famously known in Korea as the Two-Headed Hound, it was one of the D-rank boss entities.
Everyone's attention was focused on the boss entity, which was the first to appear among the more than ten participants.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of swordsmanship he'll show."
Shin Hye-ji took out the memo pad she had kept safely tucked away and prepared to take notes.
There is a saying to hate the sin but not the sinner, but in Shin Hye-ji's case, it was the opposite.
Hate the person, but not the swordsmanship.
She herself proved that she wasn't called a sword-crazed bitch for nothing in the future.
And Arthur Taylor also proved why he was called a promising talent in front of everyone.
Clang!!
The Two-Headed Hound's front leg and Arthur Taylor's sword collided, and both were pushed back similarly.
Here, the difference between a four-legged beast and a human was revealed.
Unlike the Two-Headed Hound, which lost its balance as one of its front legs was deflected, Arthur Taylor used the force of being pushed back to spin his body and dove into the embrace of the Two-Headed Hound, which had not yet landed on the ground.
Grrrk!!
One of the Two-Headed Hound's heads tried to bite Arthur Taylor's sword with its snout full of gruesome teeth, but as if he had anticipated this, Arthur Taylor's left fist struck the Two-Headed Hound's jaw.
It was a response that utilized the advantages of a light single-handed sword well.
However, despite utilizing his strengths well, the Two-Headed Hound began to push Arthur Taylor with sheer physical strength, as if to imprint on everyone that it was a boss entity.
As a result.
Yelp──!!
Perhaps judging that it was difficult to deal with using pure swordsmanship anymore, an intense light burst from Arthur Taylor's hand, and the Two-Headed Hound, having instantly lost both sight and hearing, was pierced through the chest by Arthur Taylor's sword and vanished, making its previous struggle seem in vain.
Clap clap clap.
Even though he had defeated a boss entity, the applause and cheers fell far short of what Shin Hye-ji had received. The process up to the middle was certainly excellent, but the ending was so anticlimactic that it brought great disappointment to the onlookers.
However, Arthur Taylor, who couldn't care less about anyone's attention other than Hong Yeon-ha's, pointed his still-unsheathed sword directly at Baek Woo-jin.
"That's a provocation."
"You'll know if you watch."
After a long staring contest, Arthur Taylor finally came out of the simulation room only after the staff warned him.
A few more turns passed like that, and finally, the last turn arrived.
"I'm looking forward to it."
"The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment."
Baek Woo-jin entered the simulation room, drew Baekya, which he had been holding in his hand, and gave it a few moderate swings.
'As expected, is the center of gravity being skewed downward that big of a factor?'
After swinging the sword a few times, Baek Woo-jin put the sword back into its scabbard.
If it was this one, there was no need to hold the handle.
'I think this will work.'
Feeling a certain degree of confidence as he fiddled with the sword still in its scabbard, Baek Woo-jin manipulated the device.
Growl...
The opponent Baek Woo-jin chose was a Goblin Warrior, more familiar than any other monster.
"It's really good to see you."
Tension? There was no way he would feel that toward a comrade with whom he had shared life and death countless times.
"But I thought this place was set up so you could attack first, so why are you just standing there?"
Growl...!!
As Baek Woo-jin took a step forward, the green-skinned brute with vicious muscles took a step back.
One step, another step.
Right at the moment when the Goblin Warrior's back, which kept retreating every time he tried to close the distance, touched the wall of the simulation room.
Kiyaaaaak──!!
Realizing it had nowhere left to retreat, the Goblin Warrior let out a monstrous scream and charged at Baek Woo-jin.
Its speed was something the Two-Headed Hound couldn't even dare to mimic, but.
"Right. Whenever you charge like this, you always aim for the waist first."
As if he had been waiting for the greatsword, which was more like a blunt weapon, flying accurately towards his waist, Baek Woo-jin brought the sword in its scabbard diagonally against the greatsword while holding the handle and the top of the scabbard.
Whoosh!
The massive greatsword sliced through the air and passed by.
It was because Baek Woo-jin, who had brought the scabbard diagonally, shifted his body's center of gravity to his upper body, used the scabbard as a support, and used the force of the greatsword to rotate his body and dodge.
Slash.
Along with landing, the pure white trajectory of Baekya, which was drawn out, bisected the waist of the Goblin Warrior, who had lost his balance after his greatsword missed its target.