Chapter 44

At that moment, Tae-un sensed something and quickly turned around.

Clang!!

"!"

What charged at him was Soram's sword that had flown back. It was enveloped in a blue mist, and up close... the guard (the part between the blade and the handle) was identical to the small wing shape he had seen somewhere before.

It was when Tae-un tried to dodge. The blue mist spreading from the sword tightly wrapped around Tae-un's body. Then, his legs wouldn't move as he intended. At that moment, the image of Soram dragging Kim Jae-hyeok's body while being caught by him flashed through his mind.

Tae-un raised his arm and blocked the charging sword on the spot. The blue mist binding his body could be shaken off if he applied strong force. However, they scattered and quickly reattached to his body, restricting his movements.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

Unlike when held in hand, the self-moving sword had no limits to its trajectory. When Tae-un flew up, the sword instantly followed him higher. It continued to charge at Tae-un alone, widening the distance from Soram.

His feet crossed the center line again. Amidst the movements of the sword that seemed to be possessed by a spirit, Tae-un read the pattern of clashing swords with Soram a moment ago. As expected, although he had anticipated it, this was controlled by Soram.

While guessing the next attack based on the pattern and trying to counterattack, the sword slid back as if retreating.

Swish!

The sword that flew back stopped next to Soram, who had risen from the pile of debris.

"Ow, ow..."

Soram, who had dusted off his clothes, grabbed the sword that had returned to his side.

"Ah, it still hurts. Are you taking revenge like this just because of a little kick? Me, who is small and fragile!"

Soram looked fine except for his slightly disheveled hair. Tae-un, who had been floating in the air, landed and firmly grasped his sword.

"Is that your real ultimate move, Jin Soram ssi?"

"This? This is like a counterpunch. I have a separate one that can be called an ultimate move, but..."

Soram's gaze slyly swept over Tae-un. Although the battle was quite intense, in contrast, both Soram and Tae-un were in pretty good shape. No torn clothes, no bruised faces. Soram muttered, "I thought I put in quite a bit of effort," and hopped down from the debris.

"Since Han Tae-un ssi is too unscathed, I'll try using an ultimate move."

Soram casually unbuttoned his jacket and pulled back one side of the lapel. Then, something fluttered up from the inside pocket. It was like a magician summoning doves from his bosom.

One, two, three, four, five. The objects that flew into the air were in the shape of paper airplanes. However, the material was not paper but metal that sharply reflected light. The edges of the airplane's wings were sharpened like blades.

The metal airplanes circled around as if they were birds commanded by Soram. Then, when Soram gestured, they stopped in place and turned to face forward. And they flew towards Tae-un in unison.

"...!"

Clang, clang, clang!

Three airplanes were stuck on Tae-un's sword. The thin airplanes made a lighter sound than the sword, but their power was no less. While the airplanes blocked by the sword retreated, other airplanes charged at Tae-un. Moreover, between the airplanes, Soram with a sword quickly approached.

This time, Tae-un had to quickly deflect Soram's attack to the side instead of taking it head-on. It was because the airplanes charged right after Soram's attack. Each attack followed within a time frame faster than seconds.

The opponent was a single person controlling five airplanes. However, Tae-un felt as if exactly six hunters, five airplanes and Soram with a sword, were charging at him.

"Ugh."

An airplane that he couldn't block and dodged tore Tae-un's collar and passed by. Blood soaked through the white shirt revealed between the torn black suit. As expected, the airplane's blade functioned as a sword.

"The lab director boasted to me for half a year after making this for me. Hmph, even though I was the one who came up with the idea."

Clang, clang, clang! Clang, clang!

The airplanes attacked him relentlessly, and there was not a single gap in Soram, who was wielding a sword while controlling the five airplanes. Gradually, rough breaths began to escape from Tae-un's tightly closed mouth. For him, who had only been awakened for 4 months as a 1st-grade hunter and had only one dungeon experience, it was the first time he had been subjected to such a threatening and overwhelming attack in his life.

Tae-un pushed Soram away and flew a little higher. However, the five airplanes that quickly pursued him charged from unpredictable directions. It was arrogant of him to think that he had read Soram's movements from the self-moving sword a moment ago. He couldn't even count how many times the attack pattern had changed already.

On the other hand, Soram had already read Tae-un's straightforward approach. How much difference was there in experience anyway? His career as a hunter, which everyone knew as 8 years, was actually several times that.

Soram kicked the ground and jumped up to Tae-un's height, then leaped forward by stepping on an airplane there. Tae-un looked around with strained eyes at Soram and the airplanes charging from all directions, then bit his lip. His sword was roughly swung down towards the leading airplane.

Kwang!

With a loud impact sound, three airplanes surrounded by a white glow crashed to the ground. And Tae-un himself blocked Soram and the remaining two airplanes.

Clang!

"Haa, ugh..., ugh...!"

"Nngh..."

The gazes of the two currently pressing their swords against each other were completely different from the beginning of the match. Tae-un's face, which had been expressionless, was half-distorted, and Soram's tightly clenched jaw also trembled.

At that moment, Tae-un noticed something. When Soram himself was in combat, he couldn't control the airplanes outside his field of vision. The two airplanes now were barely being deflected by Tae-un as he turned the direction of his sword, but the remaining three that had fallen to the ground couldn't move.

However, knowing it in his head didn't mean he could deal with such a complex attack. Every time he looked at Tae-un and lamented, "Isn't this cheating?" Who was calling whom a cheat...?

Compared to Tae-un, who had been scratched here and there by the airplane blades, Soram was much more unscathed. He even lifted the three airplanes back up by quickly glancing at the ground while holding the sword in his mouth for a moment.

"Wow, airplanes. Using airplanes as weapons like that... Wow..."

Ayoung, who was sitting in the audience seats, opened her mouth and exclaimed in admiration.

The five airplanes poured attacks toward Tae-un. If someone who didn't know saw it, they wouldn't have thought that Soram was moving them. It was because he himself was also fiercely attacking with a sword.

No manipulation signals were visible from Soram. He simply sent a brief glance and commanded the weapons he had lifted into the air like his own limbs.

"See? I told you there was nothing to worry about."

Ga-eul crossed her arms. Thanks to the two Flight Team hunters fighting high in the air, the front seats that had been the best spots became the most neck-straining seats.

"Now there are five. When he enters a high-grade dungeon, he flies up to seven of those. The last time I saw it was about 2 years ago, so the number might have increased now."

"No, if he had something like that, he should have used it when the ghost house party broke out at the school!"

"No, Ayoung... If he had used it in the school hallway, it would have shattered all the windows and fluorescent lights..."

Ah, that's true. Ayoung quickly agreed with Min-ki's quiet addition. Even during the short conversation, the sound of swords clashing in the arena had been exchanged dozens of times.

"Jin Soram is originally annoyingly strong, but Chief Han Tae-un is also amazing. Until a moment ago, he couldn't keep up with the speed at all, but he has already adapted. Jin Soram's attacks still have 8 years of experience embedded in them, but he figured it out in just a few minutes."

In the current confrontation with Soram, he was clearly being pushed back and would probably lose. However, the fact that he could engage in a fierce battle with Soram using a power he had acquired only a few months ago held more significance. Moreover, it was an insane attack that would make anyone who saw it for the first time panic and get swept away.

"Excuse me, Chief Kim."

"Yes?"

A researcher sitting a few rows back called out to Ga-eul.

"Do you have any idea what category Chief Han's special ability falls under? We speculate that it's a similar type to Chief Kim's, but..."

"Ah..."

Ga-eul's special ability was widely known to people as a power-up or a fatal blow, but that wasn't actually the case. The power Ga-eul exerted with her bare hands was thanks to her exceptionally high strength and force among her awakening stats.

Ga-eul's special ability was to instantly find the most vulnerable part of the target. In other words, it was an eye that found the best spot to land a critical hit. That ability, combined with the strength she received upon awakening, made Ga-eul one of the strongest hunters at the headquarters along with Soram. From Ga-eul's perspective...

"No, it's true that Chief Han has highly developed strength upon awakening, but that white special ability is not at all the same type as mine. ...Rather, doesn't it feel similar to Chief Jin's?"

If the timing when the white powder-like substance appeared was when Han Tae-un used his special ability, it was far from Ga-eul's special ability. Moreover, rather than assisting in combat, it seemed to boost his attack power, didn't it?

However, Ga-eul couldn't be completely certain because it sometimes seemed to have the effect of a support weapon.

Sigh. Can't figure it out this time either. Unlike the research team members who had their heads wrapped around, the public relations team standing near the filming equipment looked quite pleased. It was because the footage being recorded on the screen was truly artistic.

The public relations team, due to the nature of their role, tended to view hunters more as celebrities than heroes. And the match between Han Tae-un and Jin Soram fully met their expectations.

The action without separate CG was a given, and Soram showcased flashy techniques and light body movements, while Tae-un delivered powerful attacks with a single sword and his tall stature. The contrasting attributes of the two were also excellent. When hunters used their powers greatly, their unique energy became visibly apparent, and the color combination of Soram's blue resembling waves and Tae-un's white resembling crashing waves was also very nice.

And Chief Han Tae-un's CF debut should definitely be a suit brand. Or it should go in the direction where that sleek suit fit shines, like watches or perfumes. Even from the perspective of the public relations team, it was a waste to only dress that body in black suits.

The soaring viewership ratings, the number of online broadcast viewers, and the pouring real-time opinions supported that thought.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The exchanges between Soram and Tae-un continued in the air. The speed at which Tae-un moved his sword had become faster than before, and Soram's hand holding the sword was also filled with strength to the point of turning white. Their gazes didn't leave each other.