Leveling Up From Rank F

Part 2: Transport Hunter

"This is the best weapon for pouring chakra and damaging monsters directly. It's good to train with. For the time being, I’ll train you with this. It's the most basic yet ultimate weapon. It doesn't mean it’ll suit everyone. As you continue to train, you'll find out what kind of weapon will suit you best. There are times when the weapon calls to the Hunter first. For instance, the ax or Sierra Leone." Im Jeong said to Jiwoo who was staring at Sierra Leone as if he were possessed.

“What’s the name of my ax?” Taein asked.

“A hand… ax.” She replied, no names coming to her mind.

“I see…”

"I also had a good idea. If we’re asked to dispose of the corpses by the assault captain, and Body firm is dispatched to handle the places where they’re lacking in manpower, we can practice on a dead monster." Im Jeong said.

"What's the point in doing that?” Taein asked.

"There may be a huge difference compared to a live creature, but you can get a sense by attacking a real monster with your weapon. Will you be able to swing your ax at me while imagining that I'm a monster? Was that an extreme example? Can you cut the life of a living creature?”

Taein's face hardened at her question.

"I believe this training is very necessary."

Taein accepted what she said with a stiff expression.

“My schedule will be tight in a few days, so let's get started immediately while we have time."

The three nodded out of habit without knowing what she really meant. Had they known what would happen, they would have answered more carefully.

When Im Jeong drove the low-level Hunters into a vast open space, the three of them felt something ominous. Sure enough, they heard something scary come out of her mouth.

"Practice with the weapon you chose and get used to it. We’ll then head to the swamp you saw yesterday. There's a limit to how much you can improve by practicing in peace.”

Jiwoo smiled when he heard that. He remembered what she said to him when he asked her how to control chakra. At the time, Im Jeong explained that when a person was on the brink of death, it would come naturally. She also smiled when she saw Jiwoo's expression, knowing that the other man was recalling the memory.

The place they were at was full of waste tires and rotting trees.

“How did you come to know of this place, Noona?" Kanghyun asked.

"Easy, swamps appear randomly all over the place. It's not like they are set to appear in specific locations. We also move around everywhere, so we know about areas like this in advance.

She jumped on top of the pile of waste tires and watched the low-level hunters train. When she saw someone repeating his movement with no energy, she went down and gave them a push.

“Taein, try to find a comfortable angle to swing the ax. Is it better to hold it in your right or left hand? It's probably easier on your right, but there are some cases where it’s the opposite. I'm originally right-handed, but it’s comfortable for me to use my left as it has more strength in power.”

“I think I’m still right-handed even with an ax.” Taein replied.

“After you strike, you can't connect your next move immediately. For the few seconds of delay, you will have to calculate your move wisely before you act. For now, focus on the ax, but I think it’ll be fine if you practice with a knife as well. Basically, you’ll fight wielding both an ax and a knife. While your ax is stuck in the monster you can’t be weaponless as it moves to kick you with its front leg, can you?"

“That’s true.”

"Tomorrow, I'll search every corner of SF’s stuff to find some good items for you. There are very motivated Hunters here who want to eliminate monsters so it won't be a big crime if I took out some. "

“Who can the security force protect when their own member is a thief?" Jiwoo made a snide remark.

“You and your heart?”

Jiwoo grinned at what she said. He felt like he was smiling often these days. He had to confirm at what point she became the source of his happiness. When Im Jeong was not there, he felt empty for some reason. When she was there to lend a hand, he felt strangely tense, but satisfied.

Deep in his heart, he wanted to go out with Im Jeong once he found balance within himself. He often pondered how nice it would have been if he could have met her a little later. He did not feel as though she looked down on him, however, it was natural that he wanted to show a more confident side of himself in front of her.

Ever since Gyutae left the country for surgery, Im Jeong has been watching them train almost every day. As a result, his feelings have quickly grown. The porn AVs that Kanghyun diligently sent to him were piling up without a click.

Lost in his thoughts, Jiwoo began to blush. Before he knew it, Im Jeong was standing in front of him with a sword in her hand.

"You can set up your attack, but you can't set up how you defend. You have no choice but to block the incoming attack."

She then grabbed Jiwoo's clothes and swung a long wooden stick at Jiwoo's neck. Jiwoo couldn't defend in time because he let his guard down. The grip on his neck tightened.

Jiwoo bent backward to pull himself out. He felt like a live fish who had leaped out of the water, sliding out of her hand. Im Jeong aimed for his neck again, but Jiwoo turned around to avoid the stick she was holding and grabbed her wrist.

“See it through to the end. Practice like it’s the real deal. Don't go easy because you see me as a female.” She said to Jiwoo when he only half-heartedly grabbed her.

"I didn’t because you’re a woman. You're my mentor." Jiwoo responded.

He didn't want to twist her wrist.

"I didn't make time for you when I’m already busy just to fool around.”

Im Jeong attacked again to see how long he’ll keep it up. This time, the hectic strikes came one after the other. She dropped the wooden stick and pulled out her sword. Jiwoo also snapped out of it. He blocked her sword and redirected it to make it swing in her direction.

"Let's take it up a notch."

He used a lot of strength there, making him groan. If he looked down on her because she was a woman, he might as well end up dead. Gender was not important here. Be they Hunter or ordinary folk, basically it boiled down to how naturally they could control their chakra and how much chakra they held.

This was the fundamental problem. There was no "female Hunter who learned how to control chakra,” a Hunter was simply a Hunter.

He had thought even if he didn’t put his all, he could fully stop her, but that was Jiwoo's mistake. His arms began to tremble. Their blades were pointing at each other, and their faces were closer than they ever have been. He felt strange.

Their tense gaze broke when his eyes lingered down toward her lips. Jiwoo quickly shook his head thinking she would get angry if she found out where he was staring. During that moment, his leg got kicked hard.

It was an attack Jiwoo couldn't anticipate because his hands were preoccupied. When he realized his leg had been struck, Jiwoo felt his body lift up. The next minute, he saw the sky, and then Im Jeong’s face. She raised her knife at him, who was lying on the floor.

He knew she wouldn't stab his neck, but he expected she would drive the knife to the ground next to his face to make him feel defeated. Jiwoo quickly rolled over. Their pace was three times faster than before.

Im Jeong’s balance was disrupted then. Jiwoo knocked her over using his sturdy thighs to wrap her waist, and kneeled on top of her, restraining her in the position. Her eyes lit up as she tried to move the hand that was holding the knife. Jiwoo leaned down, pressing onto her wrist tightly.

Their breathing got rough. Jiwoo's gaze went to her lips before scanning downward. When she began to struggle with her legs, Jiwoo overpowered her with his. Her legs were completely caught between his thighs.

Im Jeong watched as the man above her opened his mouth sensually as he put force onto her wrist. Jiwoo could feel a hot air graze his arm. He lost the desire to tighten his hold and keep this match going.

“Um, uh, we're going to get the other weapons from the car. I think it'll be good to practice with a knife." Taein, who had been watching the scene unfold, stuttered.

“Kanghyun, come here.”

“Why?”

“Just come here, you punk!”

The two men disappeared under the pretext of retrieving weapons.

Im Jeong looked at Jiwoo, seeming like she hadn’t made up her mind yet. She wanted to have a proper match with him until the very end, but she also wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. She was curious about Jiwoo's chakra and his ability to control chakra. However, she believed there was always a chance to find out another time and went lax.

Jiwoo lowered his head as she closed her eyes. The two wet lips attached themselves together. He caught Im Jeong’s tongue with his mouth and stuck his own tongue out to taste every bit of her tender flesh.

“What are you doing?”

Jiwoo raised his head to look at her.

“Think of it as collecting the tuition fee, don't feel bad, take it."

“Ah.”

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