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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Master-Disciple Journey (3)
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As we stepped into the gate, it wasn't long before Blue Wolves appeared and surrounded us. These were massive, blue-furred werewolves, about three times the height of a human.
Perhaps due to their acute hearing and sharp eyesight, they seemed to have already detected our entry from the moment we arrived at the entrance and were waiting for us.
"Grrrrrr..."
They let out an irritating growl, a sound of intimidation. Their twitching, thick claws and dripping saliva betrayed an unmistakable anticipation, as if they'd finally found prey after a long time.
"Hmm."
My Master gazed at them impassively, arms crossed, then nodded.
"Hmm, so this is a gate where these creatures appear. It's been a while since I've tackled a dungeon, not a demon extermination... First, I need to warm up. Disciple. Observe for now."
"Yes...!"
*Whirrrrrr—*
The small dagger I had seen earlier spun in her left hand as if it had a will of its own.
And in an instant,
*Whoosh—*
The dagger, which had been spinning in her hand, flew off in the blink of an eye. The flying dagger cleanly pierced the head of the largest Blue Wolf, which was at the very back.
"Grk—!?"
And I could see it. A thread so fine and transparent I might have missed it if I hadn't looked closely. The thread was connected to the tip of the dagger.
*Tighten.*
As Master gripped the connected thread tightly, the Blue Wolf, which was about to fall backward, froze abruptly in place.
Then, Master kicked off the ground silently. Her body soared, following the thread.
*Swish—*
*
To put it simply, I finally understood why my Master was called the 'Slaughtering Maniac' by other instructors and was an object of fear. I could see her true nature.
Honestly, until now, I had never really thought that epithet suited my Master. On the surface, she seemed calm, composed, and aloof. Yet, she always meticulously looked out for me. Having only seen her generously accept any request without a hint of annoyance, there was a considerable disconnect between her and that epithet.
'Of course, she's merciless during training, but...'
If that's why she got an epithet, something like 'Ghost Instructor' or 'Ice Snow Flower' would have been more fitting.
Regardless, the Master I was seeing now was definitely different from her usual self. Her strength was, of course, expected. What surprised me was her combat style.
If I didn't focus, Master simply threw her dagger at the monster furthest back, gripped the thread, and charged forward. And the monsters in her path would simply drop dead on the spot, as if they had suddenly suffered cardiac arrest.
However, when I concentrated and sharpened my eyesight, a completely different scene unfolded. Contrary to my expectation that she would deal with enemies quietly, like a shadow, with static speed, Master, when serious, unexpectedly wielded a free-flowing swordsmanship, as if intoxicated by the sword. It was almost like seeing Kang Dohui, fully buffed, holding a sword.
'Wow, this is insane. Seriously...'
I couldn't help but gape in awe as I watched.
It was as if extremes met. Even amidst formless movements, the moment an enemy was decisively dealt with, her sword was no longer wasted. I could tell, as I prided myself on having developed an eye for swordsmanship by now, how absurdly incredible her current movements were—wielding such a free-flowing sword with absolutely no wasted motion.
And what created the greatest disconnect from her usual self was this: her smile. To think I would ever see my Master, whose default expression was always stoic, smiling so brightly like that.
'So this is why she became the Slaughtering Maniac.'
Against a backdrop of red blood scattered like flowers all around, her figure, with a smile on her lips, was breathtakingly dizzying.
"Keeeek!!!"
"Grrrrk—!!"
"Keeeek!!!"
As the creatures in front of her scattered blood and dropped lifelessly, the Blue Wolf pack, which had converged with anticipation at finding prey after a long time, instantly shifted their emotions from excitement to terror.
However, Master permitted no escape. How to put it? It was as if her sword instinctively positioned itself exactly where the enemy would try to flee. A bizarre scene continued to unfold, where the fleeing Blue Wolves seemed to throw themselves onto Master's sword.
A woman slaughtering with a bright smile, scattering death with every step she took. Not even allowing escape.
'Hmm, I definitely would have wet myself if I were them.'
Why the demons who had faced Master as an enemy had always fled, crying and snotting—I nodded in understanding and empathy.
* * *
Even though she rampaged alone without Jin Yuha's help, Baek Seol-hui's speed in dealing with monsters was far faster than when Utopia had dealt with monsters in America.
Then, at a certain moment, not a single monster was visible around her. She had completely wiped out the entire Blue Wolf population in the gate! She had even chased down every last one hiding in the unknown, shaking them out until not a speck of dust remained.
And the moment the last one fell,
*Stop.*
Baek Seol-hui's sword halted in mid-air.
'Ah.'
Only then did Baek Seol-hui recall that she had come to clear a dungeon with her disciple today.
'I... made a mistake.'
She glanced down subtly to see her body completely drenched in sticky blood. Of course, all that blood belonged to the Blue Wolves, not her own. Her disciple had asked her to show her true skill this time, and she had certainly intended to do so,
'But to completely unleash my limits...'
Baek Seol-hui bit her lip firmly. Originally, she had no intention whatsoever of showing this much.
But the amplified power, and the long-awaited sense of liberation, coupled with the desire to truly meet her disciple's expectations—all of it intertwined and caused her to unleash her limits.
She already knew from experience how others reacted when she showed this side of herself. They usually recoiled with expressions of disgust, or trembled in fear, unable to even meet her gaze. Or they'd let out pathetic screams and flee.
That's why she had stopped Jin Yuha when he was about to get intoxicated by the sword amidst a torrent of emotions during the intermediate evaluation, wasn't it? Because she knew better than anyone what the fate of those intoxicated by the sword was.
The nickname that arose because when she immersed herself in combat, she often didn't notice her surroundings and wielded an exceedingly cruel sword: The Slaughtering Maniac. Though she hated to admit it, it truly was an epithet that perfectly suited her.
That was also one of the reasons she chose to operate in the shadows. Because she was someone who couldn't display the image of a hero in front of others.
"Master."
Just then, her disciple's voice called out to her from behind.
*Flinch—*
Her body trembled at that voice. How would Jin Yuha react, having seen her like this? Would he feel fear? Would he want to distance himself? Or would he be trying to act fine, but his eyes, unable to hide his true feelings, would be trembling?
Her disciple, who had always looked at her with reverence. The thought that his gaze might have changed, just like everyone else's, sent shivers down her spine.
'No...'
Baek Seol-hui, who had never felt fear in front of any enemy, at any time, wanted to run away at this very moment.
However, she clenched her fists tightly and composed herself.
'I can't do that...'
As a Master, how could she show such an unsightly side to her disciple? If he feared her, she could simply use that as another form of teaching.
"Yes, did you observe well?" she spoke in as calm a voice as possible, without turning around.
"Yes! It was truly amazing!"
'...What?'
She briefly wondered if she had misheard something. Her combat, no matter how one looked at it, was far from what could be called 'amazing.'
"I never imagined that dagger could be used like that! You should have shown me earlier!"
'...Why?'
Jin Yuha's voice was... surprisingly normal.
"It's the first time I've seen anyone clear so many monsters so quickly by themselves, except for Director Lina! You really are Master!"
'...Really?'
Baek Seol-hui could feel a slow sense of hope blossoming in her chest.
'Truly, even after seeing me like that... are you really unaffected...?'
Baek Seol-hui slowly turned her head. And there, she saw her disciple, grinning widely.
"..."
Baek Seol-hui stared intently at Jin Yuha. She wanted to know if this child was truly looking at her with the same eyes as always, or if he was forcing a fabricated smile.
It was then. Jin Yuha pouted his lips and spoke.
"But, it's a shame."
"...What is?" Her voice, uncharacteristically, trembled pathetically as she replied.
"Just now, Master's smile was really beautiful. Can't you smile like that normally too?"
*Whoosh—*
A gust of wind swept over from the other side, brushing Baek Seol-hui's hair.
Ha...
Truly.
'No matter how I think about it, gaining such a disciple seems like an undeserved stroke of luck for me...'
The atmosphere of the Jeju Island dungeon, recommended by the demon extermination squad member, was certainly...
damn beautiful.