abcnovels
Chapter 181
Chapter 181: Do You Know Do Jae-hyun? (2)
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The academy was attempting many changes using this incident as a turning point.
Among them, the most representative would be…
Of course, exchanges with foreign academies.
The Seoul Holder Academy has nearly monopolized the domestic academy market.
While there are some academies existing in domestic areas like Busan and Gwangju, there were no domestic academies that could follow the fame and authority of the Seoul Holder Academy.
And monopoly soon leads to stagnation.
The current academy had naturally become complacent under the name of the Holder powerhouse Ilta Academy, and this ‘lack of external exchange’ along with the ‘lack of manpower’ had often been pointed out as a major cause of the qualitative decline of the academy.
The first project attempted to innovate against such criticisms.
That was this exchange project with foreign academies.
<Welcome Exchange Students from the California Holder Academy!>
A large placard hung high in the middle at the front gate of the Seoul Holder Academy.
Seeing the unfamiliar sight he was seeing for the first time since admission, Park Jin-woo scratched his head.
“…California?”
Although it was still a temporary vacation period, Park Jin-woo naturally came to the academy.
After all the operations were over.
After resting for about three days, he couldn’t stand his body being idle.
Resting and just resting didn’t suit Park Jin-woo’s body.
“It’s changing a lot, huh.”
The academy he was attending after nearly a week.
Many things had changed without him realizing it.
The buildings that were smashed here and there after <Villain>’s invasion quickly regained their former appearance, and as the follow-up of the incident was being wrapped up, vitality was gradually coming back into the academy which had been gloomy.
In addition, the placard he just saw.
Student exchange with famous foreign academies.
It seemed this project had been prepared for quite some time, as the exchange students had already come over to Korea and the project was being executed.
While they were mocked by domestic media for mending the fold after the sheep was lost, the academy’s response through this incident was certainly tidy.
“It’s got nothing to do with me though.”
While such changes in the academy were very welcome innovations to related parties, honestly, Park Jin-woo didn’t care.
He simply liked to fight with all his might.
When he felt the sense of accomplishment from becoming stronger himself by fighting with all his power.
If each Rune Holder has their own beliefs, Park Jin-woo thought such sense of accomplishment was the greatest driving force leading him.
That’s why the academy would be fine as long as the environment to play around well was provided.
Space and time to train.
Opportunities and preparation for actual combat.
An opponent who can become a goal.
If he had just that, there was nothing more he wanted.
“I’m lucky to have that bastard Do Jae-hyun.”
Although he usually didn’t express it, Park Jin-woo secretly felt grateful to Do Jae-hyun.
He was now a friend who had risen too high to be called a rival, but perhaps because of that he was more suitable as a goal.
He became the driving force to get back up again after crashing and smashing into each other several times, and he kept ramming around thoughts, providing an environment to play around in.
Do Jae-hyun would hop around the boring and standardized academy like a whack-a-mole.
And such a mess was also the environment Park Jin-woo liked the best.
“Hehe, let’s run again today.”
Park Jin-woo loosened his sluggish body and headed for the academy’s training ground.
He had a lot to test out today.
Through the extreme actual combat experience from the last operation, he had gained quite a lot as a Holder.
Abilities and Rune levels that had been stagnant for a while had risen sharply, and there were new abilities he had obtained as well.
Especially the combined strategy he unleashed when arresting Cha Soo-yeon.
When using [Unstoppable Swift Sword], he vaguely grasped a strand of realization.
Today’s short-term goal was to grasp that strand more clearly.
Squeak, creek-
Tadada-
And so he entered the training ground he thought would be empty since it was vacation period. But surprisingly, there seemed to be an opponent.
“Haaa! Lower pressure…!!”
The loud and cheerful shouts along with the flashes of movements as quick as knives.
Feeling the rough signs from one side of the training ground, Park Jin-woo cocked his head and went inside.
“Huh…?”
And there was a female Holder.
Clattering golden hair and pronounced facial features.
Snow white skin and long limbs, and drops of sweat dotted here and there.
More than anything, from the shouts, he felt a strange sense of English.
From just that.
He could instantly tell she was not Korean.
“Hap! Hahp!”
She continued training with regular movements.
A shield seemingly larger than her own torso.
And a weapon not commonly preferred, a rapier.
Freely wielding the two armaments like limbs, connecting prepared motions and irregular movements.
‘Oh wow… She’s strong.’
The moment Park Jin-woo saw her, he felt it.
A strong Holder.
At least B-grade, perhaps even A-grade Holder.
Although he hadn’t crossed weapons directly, from the amount of magic power and strength of Runes felt nearby, he could gauge just from that ‘shield technique’.
‘Her movements are unconventional.’
Her shield technique was quite shocking.
Moving the shield without constraints of direction, horizontal, vertical, front and back, diagonal.
A defense that seemed to have no gaps when seen with the naked eye.
And the movements of the rapier poking out from inside were also considerably aggressive.
From the start, moving in a direction difficult to predict, and when it seemed prediction was possible, changing paths again to give variation.
Seeing such crude yet flawless offense and defense, Park Jin-woo wondered if he could win if he went down there and fought.
Swish-
Tok! Tadat-
At some point.
Her movements stopped.
Then, her gaze turned this way.
It was then that Park Jin-woo first saw her pupils.
“…”
It was…
An extremely deep and clean gaze.
Her unwavering eyes were as clear as a lake, and her eye sockets glistened with the blue light of a vast sea.
It was a gaze that seemed to contain a firm will towards martial arts.
Lost in those strange pupils…
Park Jin-woo blankly had his gaze stolen away.
It really was…
A feeling he had never experienced in his life before.
“Who are you?”
The woman’s voice flowed out again.
It was English.
-Who are you?
Simple English that Park Jin-woo could understand came out.
Thud – Tap –
Thump!
At those words, Park Jin-woo immediately jumped over the railing and entered the training ground.josei
With high magic power and endurance stats, it was easy to land from this height.
“Ah, um…”
And soon his words were blocked.
Park Jin-woo scratched his head with an awkward expression.
He had impulsively come down, but he couldn’t grasp how to speak to the foreign woman.
But surprisingly, the question came first from the woman.
“Are you a student here?”
“Huh? You can speak Korean?”
As soon as he heard the familiar language, he felt a welcoming feeling first.
In response to Park Jin-woo’s question, the woman nodded her head and answered.
“A little. I was surprised earlier, so I used English.”
“It’s still awkward.”
“Yes. I’m learning. Korean is hard.”
“Haha.”
Park Jin-woo laughed at her slightly cute way of speaking.
And after shaking his wandering hand for a while, he carefully reached out to her.
An emotion I had never felt before in my life.
It was a handshake that barely held back my pounding heart.
“My name is Park Jin-woo. I’m a 1st year warrior under the Seoul Holder Academy.”
“Park…Jin-woo.”
The woman mouthed his name with still clumsy pronunciation.
Soon she smiled brightly and shook his hand.
“I’m Camila. Camila Flores. 1st year warrior from the California Holder Academy. Nice to meet you.”
California Holder Academy.
At that familiar name, Park Jin-woo internally went ‘Ah!’ and snapped his fingers.
“You’re an exchange student.”
She seemed to be an American Holder student participating in this exchange project from the Seoul Holder Academy.
“Yes. I arrived yesterday.”
“Wow. You really just got here recently huh.”
“Yes! I don’t know a lot. Please teach me.”
“M-me?”
Surprised by the natural flow of the conversation, Park Jin-woo asked in bewilderment.
Then Camila nodded brightly.
“Yes! I’m curious about the Korean academy.”
In contrast to when she trained roughly, she seemed to be someone who conveyed a bright aura to those around her usually.
Slightly flustered by her clean appearance, Park Jin-woo soon regained his composure and thought.
An American Holder who had just arrived in Korea.
Regarding the academy information he was supposed to teach her about…
‘But where do I start?’
However, unfortunately…
Park Jin-woo was weak in things like this.
Basic building and department introductions.
Introductions of related professors and key information.
Introductions of academy facilities and nearby areas.
For information that any academy student could easily teach, in truth Park Jin-woo knew almost nothing.
‘…I’m screwed.’
That was because Park Jin-woo’s patterns were almost always similar.
Classroom – Training ground – Home.
Or Training ground – Classroom – Home.
Except when attending classes, he trained every day, so even after nearly a year, he still didn’t know the structure of the academy exactly.
Naturally, what he could teach Camila was also limited.
As Park Jin woo concentrated to think of a method…
‘Ah.’
With the thought that flashed like lightning, he barely squeezed out a word.
“…Do you happen to know Do Jae-hyun?”
“Do Jae-hyun?”
“Yes. He’s currently the most…”
“Ah! I know! The academy’s hero! Korea’s hope?”
‘Bingo!’
At Camila’s positive response, Park Jin-woo shouted in delight internally.
As expected, Do Jae-hyun.
The reputation of his friend who had recently taken over headlines like the media’s darling had reached even Holders from overseas who had crossed the ocean.
It felt like blood had rushed into the previously awkward flow of conversation.
“He’s my friend. Would you like to watch us spar?”
“Spar?”
“Ah, so fight each other. I’ll show you how Korean Holders fight.”
“Oh! Good. So good.”
Just like Camila who had been training since arriving in Korea the next day, she seemed very interested in sparring.
After much contemplation, the method Park Jin-woo barely chose was what he knew best and did best.
“Okay. Then wait a minute.”
“Yeah!”
Leaving Camila behind for a moment, Park Jin-woo went to one side of the training grounds and took out his phone.
It was to deliver this good news to his friend and savior, Do Jae-hyun.
[Me] What u doing
Fortunately, he seemed to be looking at his phone too, as the reply came back in 3 seconds.
[Do Jae-hyun] Eating pancakes. I feel like dying right now.
[Me] At a cafe?
[Do Jae-hyun] Yeah. Inhaling a mocha frappuccino.
[Me] Come to the training grounds. Let’s go one round.
[Do Jae-hyun] ?
After the offer, the conversation paused briefly before…
A reply came back as if incredulous.
[Do Jae-hyun] Can’t read? I said I feel like dying. I just finished sparring with Professor Tak Won-ho.
[Me] Just do it once today. It’s really important.
[Do Jae-hyun] No, I said I can’t do it? I’m on fumes right now.
[Me] If you spar today I’ll give you 10 free match tickets anytime.
[Do Jae-hyun] Ah this bastard. No thanks. And only you benefit from that.
Although fiery curses came from his friend, Park Jin-woo was simply in a good mood.
‘Famous friends, this is nice.’
It felt like today would go well somehow.
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