The following day,
They were in the midst of combat training. Sang-ho called out to Tae-hwa, who was sparring with a teddy bear-like doll on the training ground.
“Tae-hwa, halt. Swap with Na-bit.”
“Huh?”
Tae-hwa, who had been playfully grappling with the doll, widened her eyes.
“Na-bit? Na-bit is going to spar with Teddy too?”
“Yes, starting today.”
With a nod, Tae-hwa left the teddy bear doll and made her way over. Na-bit, who had been standing nearby, approached the teddy bear doll hesitantly.
From the side, Se-hee inquired of Sang-ho.
“Can Na-bit participate in combat too?”
“Anyone can participate. There will come a time when you’ll have to.”
They all observed Na-bit in silence.
She stood before the teddy bear, slightly lowered her head, and focused her eyes into a determined gaze. However, to Sang-ho, she looked adorable, as if she were mimicking Se-hee.
The doll lunged at her with a squeaky hammer.
Clang
“Eek!”
The hammer struck the protective barrier that Na-bit had hastily erected. The unexpected loud noise startled her so much that she covered her ears.
Sang-ho reprimanded her firmly.
“Concentrate, don’t block your ears. You need to keep your senses alert.”
“Ye…Yes!”
She stuttered in her response.
Sang-ho swung the hammer again, shattering her barrier, and attacked her once more, this time from the right.
“Don’t just stand there, put up your barrier!”
Unable to react swiftly, Na-bit managed to deploy her barrier.
Sang-ho controlled the teddy bear at a slower pace compared to when dealing with Se-hee and Tae-hwa, but it was still too fast for Na-bit. Her eyes could barely track the bear’s blurred outline, and she couldn’t even discern how the hammer was wielded.
Nonetheless, she managed to block it with her barrier.
But that defense only lasted a moment.
Crash
The barrier shattered like glass as the bear struck it with its other hand.
“Ah…!”
And the hammer was hurtling towards her head. Na-bit tightly shut her eyes and crouched.
Squeak
The moment the cute impact sound was heard, Sang-ho took a deep breath.
“Dodge it!”
His thunderous voice erupted like a cannonball from his throat. Both Se-hee and Tae-hwa, who had been standing still, were so startled that they jumped. The volume that reverberated across the entire training ground was one concern, but it was also because they had never witnessed Sang-ho shouting like this before.
Of course, the one most shocked was Na-bit herself. Her already pale face had drained of all color.
“Ah…”
Sang-ho slowly approached her.
“Why didn’t you dodge? Do you not have legs? Are you disabled like me?”
“I, I, um…”
“So if your barrier breaks, you’ll just give up? Is that all you’re made of?”
“No, no…”
His rapid-fire rebukes overwhelmed Na-bit, who eventually broke into tears.
“Uh… sob…”
Sang-ho sighed.
‘Is this sufficient?’
He could have continued chastising her, saying things like ‘Why are you crying?’ or ‘Crying won’t stop the ax,’ but he thought this was enough.
He sheathed the sword he was holding and firmly grasped Na-bit’s shoulders with both hands.
“Na-bit.”
“I messed up…”
“Na-bit, look at me.”
Sang-ho gently removed Na-bit’s hand from her tear-streaked face. Her eyes were tinged with red as she gazed up at him.
Sang-ho raised the eyepatch covering his right eye.
A scar that ran vertically across his eye and a pale, clouded eye were revealed.
“Did you hear what I said yesterday? I intentionally leave it like this.”
“Yes…”
“I keep it this way so I never forget, not until the day I die.”
He tapped his temple with his index finger.
“If the cut had been just a bit deeper, it wouldn’t have stopped at the eye. I might have died. This scar isn’t the only one. I’ve come close to death hundreds, even thousands of times fighting monsters. You never know when or how you might die in battle.”
Then he gently held Na-bit’s slender hand. She looked at him with clear eyes, sniffling.
“So always give your best effort until the very last moment. Until it’s proven that you’ve won. You can’t afford to be careless for even a second. Without that mindset, you won’t survive as a hunter.”
Sang-ho locked eyes with her and asked,
“Do you believe you can do better next time?”
“…Yes.”
She nodded earnestly.
He enclosed Na-bit’s hand with both of his.
“I believe in you. Let’s give it another try.”
Sang-ho left Na-bit and returned to Se-hee and Tae-hwa, who still wore surprised expressions.
‘Did I push her too hard? Oh well.’
He adjusted the stuffed bear.
Once more, a toy hammer was hurled at Na-bit. A golden shield appeared in front of her, but this time, he shattered it without hesitation. Na-bit remained composed this time.
“Ha!”
She dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the toy hammer. Sang-ho didn’t let up. He swung the hammer at her, just fast enough for her to evade. She rolled on the dusty floor to escape it.
Tae-hwa, who was observing, clicked her tongue.
“Oh my, look at all that dirt…”
The gray school uniform and gray hair were covered in dirt, a complete mess. But Sang-ho only commented calmly.
“You’ll look like that soon enough too.”
“Ew…”
Tae-hwa grimaced, clearly displeased.
Meanwhile, Sang-ho counted how many times Na-bit dodged the hammer. Four, five times. On the sixth, he increased the hammer’s speed.
“Huff, huff…”
Na-bit rolled her body, breathing heavily. Eventually, she couldn’t keep up with the increasing speed and took a hit to the head.
Beep.
“Ah…”
Sweat mixed with dirt trickled down her worried forehead.
“That’s enough.”
Na-bit flinched at Sang-ho’s voice. Her anxious eyes met his, as if expecting another scolding.
“I’m sorry…”
“You did well.”
He approached her and brushed the dirt off her hair.
“That’s the way to do it—giving your best effort until the end. Even if you get hit, there’s no shame in it.”
Na-bit’s face lit up.
“…Yes.”
Sang-ho led her back to the main building along with Se-hee and Tae-hwa. Glancing at them, he sensed an odd atmosphere. While Na-bit was still smiling as usual, both Se-hee and Tae-hwa seemed to be watching Na-bit with envy.
‘What’s going on now?’
It was something he couldn’t quite grasp.
***
End of school hours.
As Sang-ho entered the classroom, he surveyed the children. Na-bit, who had refreshed her face with water, wore a bright smile. He made eye contact with her.
“Na-bit, you put in a lot of effort today.”
“Hehe…”
She chuckled.
Next to her, Tae-hwa raised her arms in mock discontent.
“Teacher! What about me? What about me?”
“Yeah, you too.”
“I don’t feel the sincerity.”
Ignoring Tae-hwa’s comments, he turned to Se-hee.
“Se-hee, you’ve also worked hard.”
“I’m the only one being left out~!”
Tae-hwa sprawled across the desk, kicking her legs like a child.
Meanwhile, Sang-ho closed the attendance book on the lectern and stated,
“Tomorrow is the weekend, right? Have a great weekend. Reach out if anything comes up.”
“Yes.”
“See you on Monday. Take care.”
“Yes~.”
He exited the classroom after hearing their responses.
***
The criteria for hiring teachers were not based on proximity to home but on their skills. Among the school staff, there were more individuals living farther away than those who resided nearby.
Hence, Ye-hyeon High School had arranged separate accommodations for its staff to retain skilled hunters as teachers. While somewhat less fancy compared to student housing, it provided a reasonably comfortable living environment. Sang-ho chose to stay there for the convenience of his commute, despite living not too far away.
Early in the morning behind the male staff accommodations, Sang-ho was practicing with his sword.
Swoosh.
As he swung the sword, a newspaper on the ground was sliced neatly—just one sheet.
He had cut an exceedingly thin sheet from the stack of folded newspapers.
Several more identical marks appeared on other parts of the newspaper, indicating that he had swung his sword multiple times.
“You’re quite impressive.”
From behind him, Haelan’s voice rang out. He had no clue how long she had been observing.
He turned and offered a deep bow.
“Good morning.”
She wasn’t wearing her white suit, perhaps because it was the weekend, but rather a pink sweater and a white skirt. It suited her and made her seem age-appropriate, which was rather intriguing.
“Have you had breakfast?”
“Not yet.”
“Would you like to have breakfast together?”
“Yes.”
Sang-ho sheathed his sword and took a step.
Walking alongside him, Haelan inquired,
“What were you just doing?”
“I was training to sharpen my senses.”
“Senses?”
“I’m planning to spar directly with the kids soon.”
She tilted her head.
“I saw you doing well with stuffed animals before. Wasn’t that sufficient?”
“I was merely observing how the kids fight. I can’t really engage in a typical fight, you know.”
Given Sang-ho’s limited mobility, he couldn’t gauge how fast the kids pursued their opponents or the accuracy of their attacks.
“I’ll do it both ways, directly and with practice dummies.”
“Are the newspapers there to prevent the kids from getting hurt?”
“Yes, previously I only knew how to cut deeply.”
He nodded as he explained.
“I practice every day, as if the sword is an extension of my fingers.”
“Will you use a real sword when sparring?”
“I’m thinking of using the scabbard. I’m more accustomed to it since I carry it every day, as opposed to a wooden sword.”
Haelan chuckled.
“Teachers should appreciate Mr. Kang’s dedication.”
It sounded like she was mentioning the parachute appointment. Sang-ho lowered his head.
“It doesn’t matter if they’re aware of it. The students will prove it.”
“How are the kids?”
“All three of them are kind, diligent, and highly talented.”
“So, are you confident about securing the top spot in the grade?”
“It’s already a certainty.”
His response was brimming with confidence.
Haelan stopped walking and gazed at him.
“Then let’s make a wager.”
“A wager?”
Sang-ho blinked in confusion.
“If a student from your class comes in first, I’ll grant you a scholarship that you can utilize as you see fit.”
“…Where would I use that?”
“It’s up to you. You could use it for the students’ tuition, buy them meals, or even take them somewhere. You could even purchase them a sword or combat gear.”
A hunter’s sword alone costs at least 1 million won, and a high-quality one can exceed 10 million won. Some exceptional, non-standard items can even surpass hundreds of millions.
“How good of a sword could we get?”
“You could likely obtain a Grade 2 one.”
Grade 2 swords cost around 5 million won.
The monetary amount meant little to Sang-ho, but the opportunity to provide something for the students held significance to him as a teacher. Even if the students were struggling, it would be excessive for a teacher to offer financial assistance. The public might misconstrue it as a teacher attempting to buy the students’ favor.
He wouldn’t mind, but he didn’t want the students to be misjudged.
However, if he used the school’s funds, it would be a different matter.
“So what’s the counterpart?”
“……”
“If we don’t secure first place, I’ll resign from teaching.”
Haelan crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly.
“Hmm… And you’ll be my personal assistant as a bonus?”
“What?”
“Hehe, forget what I just said; old habits die hard.”
She waved her hand dismissively.
Sang-ho furrowed his brow.
“Isn’t the downside too significant?”
“You’re confident, aren’t you? I believe you, Teacher Kang, can make it happen.”
Haelan suddenly sighed.
“Actually… The director doesn’t favor you, Teacher Kang.”
“Because I was parachuted in?”
“Yes. He’s been keeping a close eye on you. If you don’t deliver results by the end of this year, he’ll let you go.”
She chuckled.
“So, I made a bet with the director. If I win, he’ll fund the construction of a new school building, and if he wins, I’ll return half of my annual salary to the school.”
“You wagered that my student would secure first place?”
“Indeed.”
Sang-ho contemplated for a moment, then nodded.
“Then I’ll also accept that bet.”
“Including becoming my personal assistant?”
“Let’s skip that part…”
As they continued walking, they came to a halt in front of the student dormitory. More precisely, they paused when they spotted a student in a pink tracksuit standing beneath a tree next to the dormitory. Sang-ho’s eyes widened.
It was Se-hee. She held a sword and was fixedly gazing at a tree.
Haelan noticed Sang-ho’s reaction and inquired,
“Is that your student?”
“Yes.”
“Both teacher and student are quite diligent early in the morning.”
Haelan wore a contented smile.
“Go take care of your business. I’ll head to eat first.”
She strolled away, leaving him behind.
Sang-ho approached Se-hee. The sound of his sword hitting the ground resonated. Se-hee heard the noise, turned her head, and gave a slight bow.
“Hello.”
“What were you doing?”
“Cutting leaves…”
“Leaves? Ah, for the assignment?”
“Yes.”
“How many have you managed to cut?”
“Three.”
Sang-ho observed the leaf fragments scattered at Se-hee’s feet and reflected,
‘She had also cut three back then.’
“Would you demonstrate it for me?”
“Sure.”
As soon as she replied, Sang-ho’s sword struck the tree, scabbard and all.
Leaves descended around Se-hee.
Beneath her long eyelashes, her keen eyes quickly assessed the targets.
Whack.
Her outstretched sword shattered a leaf into pieces. One.
Sang-ho’s eyes sparkled as he witnessed her thrust with the sword.
‘I didn’t even teach her that…’
Pop, Pop.
Two, Three.
Every time her sword touched a leaf, it disintegrated into fragments. The motion was flawless, with a clear start and finish.
Sang-ho was about to applaud when he saw her pierce the final leaf.
At that moment, another leaf fluttered down behind Se-hee’s back.
Drifting like butterfly wings.
She twisted her ankle.
Crash.
The fourth leaf burst apart with her swift strike.
“…Well done.”
Sang-ho smiled and tenderly patted her head.
“Now it’s four.”
Se-hee looked up at him. Her tone and expression radiated genuine delight.
“Did I do well?”
“Yes, you were fantastic, simply the best. Couldn’t ask for more.”
Her face flushed with his lavish praise. Coming from him, usually so strict, the compliment felt both unfamiliar and incredibly uplifting.
“Really?”
“I already knew you had nimble hands, but it seems you’ve also honed practical sword skills. That’s more than enough.”
Sang-ho shook his head and signaled for her to follow him.
“Haven’t had breakfast yet? Let’s eat together.”
“Yes.”
Se-hee sheathed her sword and hurried over to join him.
Cliche Novel 