Chapter 58
“He’s far beyond A-rank.”
That was the sensation Kieran felt from the ambush he had just blocked with full strength.
There was no way that kind of pressure could come from an ordinary A-rank hunter.
The sloppy stance the boy had shown earlier was gone.
The man who had been full of openings now stood with perfect textbook form, glaring at him with sharp focus.
“Told me to be careful not to get hurt, huh?”
Kieran recalled the advice he’d heard from an S-rank Hunter in Korea.
As he glanced toward the viewing area, his eyes met those of Hunter Park Han-sung—who quickly averted his gaze, embarrassed.
“Unbelievable.”
Kieran had assumed the Korean hunter was trying to support a fellow countryman.
But instead of protecting him, the man had deliberately misled him—for his own good.
If anyone heard, they’d think I’m supposed to win easily.
He couldn’t gauge it.
He had confidently scheduled several appointments afterward, assuming this duel would be over quickly.
But now…
Would he even be able to defeat that kid and walk out of the arena unharmed?
“Why are you so distracted?”
Thunk—!
In the brief moment his thoughts strayed, the boy rushed in again, swinging his wooden sword.
The two bokkens clashed violently, releasing a sharp noise that rang across the arena.
“Hey, man, isn’t that a little cheap?”
“There’s no such thing as ‘cheap’ when fighting to win.”
Would he blame a monster for deceiving him?
And would the monster back off, saying, “Oh, my apologies”?
Of course not.
Any hunter who fights monsters inside a gate must know how to make use of unfair tactics.
“Besides, you’re the one who underestimated me in the first place.”
“Yeah, that was my mistake.”
As their swords locked together, Kieran delivered a light kick to push him back.
Juhyuk leapt away, landing neatly.
“An F-rank Irregular being this strong… never imagined it.”
No matter how impressive someone might be, A-rank is usually the ceiling.
A human reaches the S-rank threshold only after ascending to an exceptional level.
Who would ever imagine an F-rank mana-holder could reach that peak?
“If you keep this up, you could even be classed at S-rank level.”
“Rank means nothing to me.”
Juhyuk stomped the ground, exhaling a deep breath.
The weight in that breath made goosebumps run up Kieran’s arm.
“Power isn’t something that can be divided up so simply.”
“…Yeah. I suppose that’s why things like Irregulars exist.”
It wasn’t mana.
It was sheer presence.
An F-rank stepping forward with that overwhelming aura was enough to raise beads of sweat on Kieran’s forehead.
“A boy climbing to S-rank territory with F-rank mana…”
A fairy tale.
Something that should only exist in stories.
Yet it was unfolding right before his eyes.
But that doesn’t mean I plan on losing.
He was an S-rank hunter with over ten years of gate experience.
There was no way he would lose helplessly to a kid who wasn’t even thirty.
Kieran met Juhyuk’s gaze head-on, refusing to be intimidated by his aura.
Two beasts staring at each other as prey.
From that moment on, the real battle began.
*
“How many hours has it been now?”
“…Six hours and seventeen minutes.”
Six hours since the duel began.
Kieran and Juhyuk were perfectly matched.
Strength, speed, combat instinct—
It was as if they were fighting their own reflections, so evenly matched that no one could tell them apart.
“How long are they planning to keep going?”
“No idea. They don’t seem to get tired.”
Every spectator wore the same tired expression.
Did these two even intend to finish this?
They weren’t standing still, either.
At least once every minute, they exchanged another clash.
Each time, the shrill scream of the wooden blades cut through the air.
If the weapons weren’t specially reinforced, they would’ve snapped long ago.
Despite exchanging an uncountable number of blows, neither of them looked even slightly fatigued.
They simply prepared for the next strike.
“I mean, I knew Juhyuk trained a lot, but his stamina is insane.”
“Juhyuk’s physical endurance and mental strength are above S-rank. Easily.”
Although the S-rank’s mana capacity was tens—or hundreds—of times greater than Juhyuk’s, he still fought on equal footing in a marathon duel.
Everyone already knew Juhyuk was a monster, but seeing it so clearly made them acknowledge it once again.
“So, when does this end?”
“At this point maybe they should just call it a draw… Chairman, what do you think?”
Hunter Park Han-sung cautiously asked the Association President.
Still staring at the arena, the President didn’t even turn his head.
“Would you dare step in between those two right now?”
“…No.”
“Then let them finish. They won’t stop until one of them yields.”
It had gone on too long to declare a simple draw.
Unless one of them raised the white flag, it wouldn’t end.
The scout let out a tired sigh.
Please don’t tell me Kieran is going to lose…?
Though the fight was even, Juhyuk was F-rank. Kieran was S-rank. Their physical limits were different.
Even if Juhyuk had monster stamina and could be called above S-rank, it still seemed exaggerated.
Yes—Juhyuk was impressive, even deserving of the S-rank title.
But—
The last one standing will still be Kieran. Long battles favor S-rank.
That was what the scout believed.
Hopeful, he watched the duel… though his trembling legs betrayed his nerves.
“Hey! Jose!”
As if reading the scout’s thoughts, Kieran called to him while backing away from the clash.
Still locked onto Juhyuk, he asked:
“How long has it been?”
So absorbed in the fight, neither fighter seemed to feel the passage of time.
The scout stood and spoke into the mic.
“Six hours.”
“Six hours? Already?”
Kieran whipped his head around in surprise—
—and barely blocked Juhyuk’s sudden attack.
“Then it can’t be helped.”
He pushed Juhyuk’s sword aside.
Then he raised his own sword slightly.
He’s ending it, everyone thought.
He looked as though he was about to swing—
“Let’s stop.”
“…Huh?”
He hurled his sword across the arena.
Everyone stared at him blankly.
“ Kieran! What are you saying!”
“I’ve got dinner with my wife and daughter.”
“Then at least finish the duel properly! You’re ending it this anticlimactically after six hours!?”
“You don’t know anything.”
Kieran clicked his tongue and pointed at Juhyuk.
“If we fought seriously, neither of us would walk away intact.”
Six hours.
Six hours of fighting with full intent—
—and not a single clean hit from either side.
Which meant they were practically the same level.
If either got reckless and rushed in, the calmer one would surely win.
Kieran knew the fight had no end in sight, so he chose to forfeit.
“My family’s waiting. I need to go.”
“What…?”
The scout was speechless.
Kieran ignored him, walking up to Juhyuk and extending his hand.
“You win, F-rank.”
“…Feels strange, but if you’ve got a family appointment, I won’t complain.”
As the two concluded the duel—
The scout, still unsatisfied, shouted into the mic:
“You can eat with your family tomorrow!”
“Is our guild so black that I can’t even keep a dinner promise?”
“That’s not what I meant—!”
“Anyway, it’s fine. An F-rank lasted six hours against me. Calling it his win isn’t weird.”
Kieran shrugged as he released Juhyuk’s hand.
He smiled toward the crowd.
“I’ll give him the magic stone we wagered, so calm down.”
“…Ha.”
He was even offering the S-rank mana stone out of his own pocket.
There was nothing left to say.
It was the perfect chance to recruit an S-rank-level hunter for D-rank salary…
As the scout despairs—
Juhyuk approached Kieran.
“There’s one more thing I need besides the mana stone.”
“What, there was something else?”
He thought the only bet was the S-rank mana stone.
Juhyuk answered calmly:
“An apology.”
“An apology?”
Kieran frowned, confused.
“I want an apology from the scout who insulted me.”
“…This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
The smile faded from Kieran’s face.
Turning toward the stands, he asked quietly:
“Jose. What’s this about?”
“I—I told you, it was a misunderstanding—!”
Jose stuttered desperately.
Kieran’s expression darkened.
“You still haven’t fixed that habit of cursing in another language in front of hunters, have you?”
“….”
Silence fell.
After several seconds, Jose finally forced out words.
“It really was a misunder—”
“Cut the crap.”
The audience flinched at Kieran’s irritated glare.
He pointed at the arena floor.
“Get down here and apologize. Or I’ll talk to the guild master myself.”
“….”
At the mention of the guild master, Jose had nothing left to say.
He climbed down and bowed deeply to Juhyuk.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ll apologize too, even though it wasn’t my mistake.”
Kieran bowed as well.
“Since you apologized, we’re good.”
“Thanks. I’ll bring the mana stone tomorrow. I’m heading out.”
With that, Kieran made a phone call and left with Jose.
Watching the scout’s miserable expression as he exited…
…Juhyuk couldn’t deny that it felt a little satisfying.
