Chapter 45

"Haa, ha, haa..."

"Heuk, ugh, kuh..., haa."

The upper bodies of the two rose and fell greatly. Especially for Tae-un, his breath rose up to his chin, and his vision repeatedly turned hazy and then normal.

It was the first time in his life that he had exerted this much strength. Even when he thought, "This is it, it's the limit, let's give up," his sword bent in a direction he thought was impossible, and he endured by somehow blocking attacks he thought he couldn't. He felt like enduring the aching pain from the attacks he received just a little longer. Exhaling his inhaled breath felt like spitting blood, and his heart had been pounding his body to the point of pain since earlier.

However, Soram noticed the smile hanging on Tae-un's usually expressionless lips.

"Whew..."

It must be exhilarating.

Until now, Han Tae-un had been like an airplane that hadn't taken off. He had the potential of a 1st-grade hunter, but far from drawing it out, he didn't even have a chance to use a part of it to the fullest. He, who had been wandering around on wheels despite having enough power to soar high, must have felt like he had finally leaped into the air while facing another 1st-grade hunter.

"You're amazing, Jin Soram ssi."

Now, Tae-un's movements were not calculated in his head but closer to instinctively springing out. As a result, his words also sprang out raw.

"You're truly amazing."

He said those words with a face filled with pure admiration and exhilaration. Apart from being out of breath, his cheeks and earlobes were flushed red. His face was filled with exhilaration and a determination to hold onto that sensation for a little longer.

That much desperate energy was infused into his attacks as well. Even while struggling to block the airplanes, the attacks he occasionally unleashed were sharp, and every time an attack got close to Soram, his cheek twitched.

This makes him seem exactly twenty-six.

Even while roughly heaving his shoulders up and down, Tae-un had a face that anticipated Soram's next attack.

A brief lull came due to the distance created by pushing each other away with their swords. Soram, who had boarded an airplane that flew to his feet, chuckled while tapping his shoulder with his sword. Tae-un, who had been preparing to defend against attacks while standing in the air, also slightly showed his teeth.

Bam!

The airplane carrying Soram soared upward. When Tae-un endured the attack that came down like a downward strike after jumping out in mid-air, five airplanes were stuck on top of his sword.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!

"Ugh...!"

The five airplanes pressed down on him together. The blue mist that rose like a tsunami around Soram's body poured onto the sword and airplanes. Tae-un's body, unable to withstand the heavy force, was gradually pushed back. Tae-un put strength into both hands and endured, but it only slowed down his speed a little.

Screech- Screech...

Soram was even more dumbfounded than Tae-un, who was being pushed back with a frustrated face.

"Seriously, you're so tough that even a drill won't work...!"

It felt like cutting a very, very thick pumpkin with a fruit knife. He had somehow pushed the blade in, but it was so hard that he had to use strength until his face turned red just to get the blade to sink in a little.

The tips of Tae-un's feet, pushed back by force, gradually got closer to the ground. The tremors transmitted from both of their arms made their entire bodies vibrate. Both of them were squeezing out all their strength.

At that moment, Tae-un supported the back of the blade at the opposite end of the handle with his palm. Like that, he grasped both ends of the sword with both hands and endured the attack. Even though he grabbed it to avoid the blade, blood pooled in Tae-un's palms. As it flowed down his wrists, Soram also strained his eyes and clenched his teeth.

This crazy bastard.

The axis of power tilted, and Soram began to be pushed back.

"...Han Tae-un ssi, how are you so strong...?"

"..."

Soram, who had pulled Tae-un down to about 1 meter above the ground, realized that his feet were gradually rising. As Soram's expression stiffened, a glint flashed in Tae-un's eyes.

When this battle footage is broadcast, it will surely cause a sensation. Soram seriously thought. Should I just give the team leader position to Han Tae-un? He was even willing to directly testify that Tae-un would become stronger than him in a few years. Just look at those scary eyes glaring at the opponent, determined to push them back regardless of whether the blade pierces his palm or not.

"..."

Soram let out a deep sigh inwardly. He might get scolded for using too much of his skills when he knew it was being filmed, but it couldn't be helped now.

The opposite side of the jacket pocket where the five airplanes had come out earlier was turned inside out. And three more airplanes flew out from inside.

"!"

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Instead of attacking Tae-un from a different direction, the airplanes joined in stamping down on the sword. Tae-un's feet, which had been pushed far back, finally touched the ground. Soram, who had also come down to the ground, pressed Tae-un with eight airplanes.

Soram's control ability is not affected by the volume and weight of the "vehicle." However, it is greatly influenced by the number.

When moving one, whether it's a car or an airplane, he can move it without any difficulty. Overload occurs when it exceeds five, and from ten, he had to be prepared to not wake up for several days after the battle ended.

A fierce headache came to Soram's head as he moved eight, but Tae-un, who didn't expect the number to increase, was equally startled. He was busy barely deflecting the suddenly endless attacks and retreating.

Finally, Tae-un was pushed back to the entrance of the arena.

Swish!

The eight airplanes gathered together and poured onto Tae-un. The moment they were about to collide with Tae-un's sword, the airplanes scattered in several directions, and Soram thrust his body out from the middle.

Tae-un, who had not lost his momentum even while facing eight airplanes, was startled and pulled his head back when Soram's face unexpectedly came close. But as he tried to regain his battle stance...

A hand reaching out from the front grabbed Tae-un's wrist.

"Let's go!"

Soram swiftly pulled Tae-un's wrist and started running out of the entrance. Only after being dragged unknowingly for three or four steps did Tae-un show a dumbfounded reaction, saying, "...Huh?" However, they had already left the arena, and Soram continued to run outside while pulling Tae-un.

Min-ki appeared at the exit of the dim corridor where the two were running.

"Do you know the location?"

"I know."

Soram clasped hands with Min-ki.

Pop!

In an instant, the figures of Seo Min-ki, Soram holding his hand, and Tae-un whose wrist was grabbed by Soram disappeared from the spot.

* * *

An absurd silence flowed through the arena where the two people who had been fighting excitedly suddenly escaped. Ayoung and Ga-eul, who had been watching with sweaty hands, were the first to speak.

"What? Where are they going?"

"Huh?"

Even Seo Min-ki, who was next to them at the moment they ran away, had disappeared. Where did everyone go?

The screen hurriedly showed the camera installed in the corridor, but no human shadows were visible there either. If Min-ki, who was capable of spatial movement, had joined them, it would be impossible to catch up with them wherever they had disappeared to.

As much as the venue was in an uproar, the chat window that had been broadcasting the video live was in even more chaos. About 5 minutes later, Min Yu-ra clicked and walked in front of the main camera filming the scene.

"Chief Jin Soram and Chief Han Tae-un have become excessively overheated, so the training has been arbitrarily suspended. This decision was made to prevent injuries to the two hunters, and currently, the two have moved to calm their elevated abilities. Today's public training ends here. Thank you."

"What? Is this cutting off at the point where there are 15 minutes left until the ending of an action movie?"

"Then shouldn't there be a rematch? We need to see who wins and loses!"

People whose breaths had risen to their chins along with the two protested, but there was no reversal. Min Yu-ra left a polite and dignified greeting before returning to her seat.

"Seriously, the goosebumps won't go away because it ended so absurdly. This is why they say 1st-grade, 1st-grade..."

The camera director from the broadcasting station rubbed his arms with his palms. The thrill that ran through his body every time the shockwave of the two clashing swords reached the audience seats was still unforgettable.

"Wow, director, Jin Soram was really crazy. With the airplanes flying around, I understood why the United States and China were doing all sorts of behind-the-scenes work to take Jin Soram. Rather than being a government official and getting cursed at all the time here, Jin Soram should just go over there..."

"Don't say such nonsense, you bastard! Do you have no patriotism? What do you think will happen to us if he goes over there?"

"...Han Tae-un will hold up for us. He was also freaking amazing. If that's the skill level of a 4-month awakening, won't he become equal to Chief Jin in a few years?"

"Yeah, it might be better that they stopped well. Earlier, it seemed like it would only end when one of them got seriously injured, but it's better for allies to fight moderately."

The filming team was still seeing the battle in their minds, but they prepared to get up and organize the camera equipment with semi-automatic habits. The research lab and public relations team were the same. However, Ga-eul was still indignant, saying, "What the heck!"

"If I were Jin Soram, I would have hit and run for at least an hour to try more. Chief Han Tae-un's ability is so interesting! I want to figure it out more!"

"Exactly!"

Ayoung heartily agreed. Two seats away from them, Director Shin Gi-hyeon stared at the arena where Soram and Tae-un had disappeared for a long time before asking.

"Chief Kim, did you say that the tall guy among those two had just awakened as a 1st-grade hunter?"

"Ah, yes. He re-awakened from 3rd-grade to 1st-grade and was scouted to come up. He started working at the headquarters this spring."

"Then, of course, this is his first public training, and he has no experience in large dungeons either."

"Yes. As far as I know, he has almost no dungeon experience."

"He only went to a 4th-grade dungeon. Our whole team went together."

Ayoung added from the side.

"Aha."

Director Shin Gi-hyeon crossed his arms and chuckled.

"Is there a problem?"

When Ga-eul and Ayoung looked at him with a puzzled expression, he shrugged his shoulders and answered, "Hmm."

"No. The friendship between young men is nice. I understand why Min-ki begged to leave after today's match."

Director Shin Gi-hyeon was currently in his late 30s. His awakening to 1st-grade happened at the age of twenty-eight, similar to Tae-un. So he roughly knew what had happened between those three 26-year-old boys of the same age.

Also, due to the lenient reaction shown by the director, who they thought would ask what they were doing with his kid, Ga-eul and Ayoung's curiosity deepened a little more.