=========================================
SERIES: Regression of the Cursed Blacksmith
=========================================
Chapter 12 - The Last Man Standing
Choi Kang-oh’s eyes trembled.
“That hammer? Didn’t he just throw it?”
He had thrown it.
But he simply summoned it back.
Clang!
Choi Hyun precisely parried the incoming sword.
Choi Kang-oh’s sword lost its trajectory.
The flat side of his blade had been struck, shattering the force of his swing.
Since he'd been gripping and swinging with all his might, it was impossible for him to twist his muscles and change the sword's path.
But the claw hammer, which had already completed its strike, could do that.
It was light, and its handle was short.
The hammer, as swift as a dagger, was pulled back again.
[ Super Focus has been activated. ]
[ Deft Hands has been activated. ]
[ First Strike has been activated. ]
In an instant, it exploded against Choi Kang-oh's temple.
Crack!
[ You have eliminated an examinee. ]
[ The number of eliminated examinees is 51. ]
Choi Kang-oh was dead.
Thanks to him, the number of eliminated examinees surpassed fifty.
Kim Dae-hyeok was stunned.
Lee Soo-yong quickly raised his crossbow again, but his injured eye made it difficult for him to focus.
And that wasn't all.
Seeing Choi Kang-oh get taken down in one hit in that brief moment made his heart pound, and the hand holding the crossbow trembled uncontrollably.
“What the hell is that bastard…!”
A flustered Kim Dae-hyeok hurriedly composed himself and raised his spear, but at that moment, a sword came flying toward him.
It was the sword Choi Kang-oh had been using.
The instant he threw Choi Kang-oh’s sword, Choi Hyun charged toward Kim Dae-hyeok.
Kim Dae-hyeok was conflicted.
Should he parry the flying sword with his spear or twist his body away?
That was the fatal mistake he made.
He should have acted instantly instead of hesitating.
Kim Dae-hyeok instinctively twisted his body, and the brief moment that was created gave Choi Hyun more than enough time to close the distance.
“Damn it!”
Choi Hyun’s body entered deep into Kim Dae-hyeok's range.
The panicked Kim Dae-hyeok tried to use a skill to counter, but Choi Hyun was faster.
[ Super Focus has been activated. ]
[ Deft Hands has been activated. ]
[ First Strike has been activated. ]
Crack!
[ You have eliminated an examinee. ]
[ The number of eliminated examinees is 52. ]
Kim Dae-hyeok was dead.
Only Lee Soo-yong remained.
Choi Hyun raised his claw hammer and looked at Lee Soo-yong.
“Sh-shit!”
The terrified Lee Soo-yong used a skill to fire an enhanced arrow.
But Choi Hyun looked straight at it and dodged.
He fired again.
Choi Hyun dodged again.
Even though he didn't make any large movements, he dodged them so easily that it seemed unreal, and Lee Soo-yong's despair gave way to encroaching terror.
At that moment.
Thwack!
A sword embedded itself in Lee Soo-yong's head.
Another examinee, who had been lying in wait nearby, had ambushed Lee Soo-yong from behind.
“Haha, my apologies.”
The nameless examinee who killed Lee Soo-yong offered Choi Hyun a brief apology with a sorry expression.
Choi Hyun wasn't sure what he was apologizing for, but he shifted his gaze and moved to find another examinee. The exam wasn't over yet.
And then, a while later.
[ The exam will now conclude. ]
The exam was over.
And the person who survived to the very end in the dueling arena was Choi Hyun.
* * *
At a certain teahouse in Yokohama.
A middle-aged man paid a visit.
He was dressed casually, like a tourist, and upon entering the teahouse, he admired its interior.
“Wow, so this is a traditional Japanese teahouse.”
But even though a customer had arrived, the owner was nowhere to be seen.
Strange.
After looking around, the man spotted an old man enjoying tea by himself in a corner and approached him.
“Excuse me.”
The man spoke in Japanese. He was Korean, but fluent in the language.
Hearing him speak Japanese, the small-statured old man showed interest.
“How can I help you?”
“I heard this was a fine teahouse, so I came to visit. Is the owner perhaps not here?”
“The owner has stepped out for a moment. He should be back if you wait a little.”
“Ah, I see. Then I'll wait.”
The man gave a polite bow, then sat a few tables away from the old man to wait for the owner.
At the same time, he watched the old man who was drinking tea from a distance.
The old man exuded an air of elegance.
Despite his small frame, he looked strangely solid, and the way he drank tea skillfully, born from that solidity, was enough to make any observer marvel.
Finally, after preparing a warm cup of matcha, the old man seemed to notice the man's gaze and spoke to him.
“If you don't mind, would it be all right if I offered you a cup of tea?”
“Ah, really?”
“Of course.”
“Then I'd be delighted.”
At the old man's invitation, the man sat before him and drank a cup of warm matcha.
The man enjoyed the tea in a rather authentic Japanese style.
First, he appreciated the tea with his eyes, then lifted the tea bowl, the chawan, with both hands and drank respectfully. The first sip was slow, and he finished the rest in several smaller sips.
Then, he quietly gazed at the chawan, a gesture meant to convey his gratitude.
Seeing this series of actions, the old man remarked.
“You seem to be familiar with our culture of drinking tea.”
“Haha, rather than familiar, I'm just fond of Japanese tea culture, so I've looked into it a bit. I'm embarrassed, really.”
“Where are you from?”
“I'm from Korea. I came to Japan on business, and since I had some free time, I decided to visit a few teahouses.”
“Did someone recommend this place to you?”
“I just saw it on the internet.”
Just then, the man's phone rang.
“Ah, one moment.”
The man put the phone to his ear and covered his mouth with his other hand as he spoke. It was in Korean, of course.
“What? The Yakuza? Good grief... They seemed quite gentlemanly when I met them before, why are they suddenly acting like this? Alright, I get it. I'll look into it.”
A short call.
When the man hung up, the old man asked.
“Is something wrong? I thought I heard you say “Yakuza.””
“Ah, about that... My company ended up forming a connection with a Japanese Yakuza guild, the Inagawa Guild. But the people who were so gentlemanly at first have been getting rougher, which has put us in a difficult position.”
“I see. The Yakuza are fearsome people. You should be careful.”
“Is that so? I didn't think all Yakuza were bad people.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well... I know the government cracked down on them in the past, calling them violent gangs, but I thought that was just an image created by the media. I believed they were actually proud people who carry on the samurai spirit. But from my recent experience, it seems like that's all in the past. It seems that today's Yakuza are becoming nothing more than common thugs.”
“Hmm.”
The old man's eyes narrowed at the man's words.
He then took a sip of tea before speaking.
“It's likely just a groundless fear. The Inagawa I know of are men of honor.”
“Men of honor... Do you know something about the Inagawa?”
“It's just something I've picked up here and there.”
“I hope you're right, elder. I'm worried this incident will give my entire company a bad impression of the Yakuza.”
“What is the name of your company?”
“It's called Daesan. We run a small guild business.”
Around that time, the man's phone rang again.
“Oh, dear. It seems something urgent has come up at the company. Thank you for the wonderful tea, elder. If I have the chance, I'll treat you to tea next time.”
“Haha, I'd like that.”
The man bowed deeply and left the teahouse.
The old man gazed for a while at the spot where the man had been sitting.
“Pride...”
For a while, the old man mulled over the words “samurai spirit” and “pride.”
Then, having finished his thoughts, he picked up his phone.
It was a very old model, which was no longer in production.
A young man's voice came from the other end.
- Yes, Elder Shuzuo.
“Do you happen to know of a Korean guild called Daesan?”
As Shuzuo spoke on the phone, his eyes gleamed with a deep light.
* * *
The exam was over.
The one who survived to the very end of the survival test was, of course, Choi Hyun.
When Choi Hyun emerged from the virtual reality machine, the previously eliminated participants were waiting on one side, and the examiners came out to congratulate him.
“Congratulations.”
“You came in first on the written exam, and now you're first in the practicals as well.”
“It seems a very capable Hunter has been born today.”
Choi Hyun offered them perfunctory thanks for their congratulations.
There were no further procedures.
Because they would all be dismissed at once.
The reason the eliminated participants had to wait was that, it being an exam, the rules required everyone to leave the testing site at the same time.
Therefore, before the dismissal order was given, Choi Hyun found a familiar face among the examiners.
“Examiner Jeong Cheol-min?”
“Yes?”
“Could I have a word with you in private?”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
What could this be about?
But instead of asking, Jeong Cheol-min quietly moved to a more private spot. As soon as they were alone, Choi Hyun lowered his voice and said.
“I'll get straight to the point. I believe a pro Hunter, not a Hunter aspirant, participated in this practical exam and cheated.”
“What? A pro Hunter?”
“I understand that the entire process of the final exam is recorded. If so, I'd like you to summon the three examinees who teamed up to attack me and conduct a magic power inspection on them. There are many things that absolutely cannot be overlooked, such as the fact that a pro Hunter deliberately participated in the Hunter Exam and that they intentionally formed a team to harm me.”
“We didn't notice anything particularly unusual. What makes you so certain? In the final exam, it's not uncommon for people to form temporary alliances to survive. It's actually a well-known strategy among the test-takers.”
“You might not have noticed because the stats are standardized within the Infinity program, but I'm certain. Of the three who targeted me, the player with the crossbow used an arrow enhancement skill at the end that is absolutely impossible to obtain at level 1. Since it enhances the arrow, it's almost unnoticeable to the naked eye, but I saw it clearly. That's why I'm making a formal request.”
“Ah...”
His reasoning was solid.
Besides, it was an examiner's duty to investigate any suspicions that a test-taker had raised.
“Understood. But before that, may I ask you something?”
“Yes, you may.”
“Why me? There must have been plenty of other examiners that can do it for you.”
At that question, Choi Hyun replied with a faint smile.
“Because out of everyone I know, you're the most trustworthy, Examiner.”
0 Comments