Chapter 40…
EX-Rank Reincarnation Drawn
What the hell is this crazy nonsense?
A quest—something that hadn’t appeared in a long time—had suddenly triggered. Staring at the abrupt notification, I had a lot to think about.
No, honestly, there wasn’t much to think about at all. The content itself was absurdly simple.
Win?
Defeat Jin Yeonhee. Fight her in a sparring match… sparring?
So basically, a match.
It was a pretty outdated term, but whatever. In short, I had to win a duel against Jin Yeonhee.
But—
Failure results in a curse?
That part stuck with me. If I lost, I’d receive the Martial God’s curse.
What kind of curse?
What exactly would happen? Just from that alone, I could tell this wasn’t as simple as it looked.
What do you mean “simple”…
Fighting Jin Yeonhee itself was anything but simple.
You want me to fight an S-rank?
I’d fought Lin Xiao inside a gate before, so it wasn’t my first time facing someone at that level.
But that was inside a gate.
That was as the Martial God. As Lee Jinwoo, things were different.
Even if I get ridiculously strong inside a gate…
This wasn’t the same. Being told to defeat an S-rank like this was outright unreasonable.
“Tsk…”
Honestly, I’d been tempted to just lose and be done with it.
…But a curse, huh.
Once the quest appeared, everything changed.
Grip.
I clenched the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword and narrowed my eyes as I stepped into the wide arena, facing Jin Yeonhee.
She’d been looking at the ground, but then she raised her gaze toward me. Her deep blue eyes and jet-black hair shimmered like silk.
There was an awkward tension lingering in the air.
Looking at her, I spoke.
“…You’re aiming to become unit commander?”
It wasn’t a light question.
“I am.”
Jin Yeonhee answered casually.
“You wanted to? That’s kind of unexpected.”
She didn’t seem like the type to care about things like that.
Still, she is S-rank… maybe she wants the position.
That was possible. Irene was the abnormal one—S-ranks themselves were already overwhelming forces.
Having someone like Jin Yeonhee remain a regular member made no sense.
So if she wanted the commander position, it wouldn’t have been strange.
“I didn’t really want it.”
Her answer was nothing like I expected.
“You didn’t…?”
“Yeah. I didn’t want it originally.”
“But?”
“If I didn’t take it, someone else would.”
“What?”
If she didn’t do it, someone else would?
“What do you mean by that?”
“I figured it’d be better if I did it myself.”
“….”
Explaining more wouldn’t help me understand anyway.
In the end, she just didn’t want someone else doing it.
“And so—”
Crackle—!
Lightning burst forth. A sword formed in Jin Yeonhee’s hand.
“Sorry, Jinwoo. But I have to beat you.”
“….”
Her eyes were serious.
This is bad.
At this rate, I might end up as fried chicken.
Lightning Spirit Jin Yeonhee.
The title S-rank superhuman sent a shiver through me.
The moment she released her lightning aura, it became obvious.
[Hero’s Super-Senses have activated.]
My senses went berserk. My breathing grew rough.
My body reacted on its own, bracing for danger. Jin Yeonhee looked different now.
She used to be familiar.
…But now.
She looked like a monster wrapped in lightning.
[True Eye has manifested.]
[Jin Yeonhee: Lightning Spirit (S)]
The glowing S-rank stood out in the floating information window.
I tightened my grip on the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword.
I was scared. Suddenly being thrown into a fight, and more importantly—this was my first time fighting a superhuman as Lee Jinwoo.
An opponent clearly stronger than me. Someone I had no confidence of defeating.
I should’ve been trembling.
But—
What is this?
Something felt off.
Why…
Wasn’t I shaking?
Why was I… excited?
I didn’t know what exactly I was looking forward to.
But I was undeniably anticipating this fight.
* * *
Crackle—!
Lightning repeatedly struck at the center of the arena, making the observing superhumans flinch at the pressure.
It was violent—dazzlingly bright. The sheer weight of the aura made lower-ranked superhumans shrink back.
…As expected, it’s intense.
Jeon Yuseon frowned as she watched Jin Yeonhee.
She feels even stronger than before.
Lightning Spirit Jin Yeonhee.
An S-rank superhuman affiliated with a private company rather than the Association.
As a result, there wasn’t much public information about her.
She mainly operated overseas.
Rather than domestic missions, she handled international incidents, bringing enormous benefits to her group.
Of course—
She didn’t avoid domestic activity entirely.
As an S-rank, the Association could request her assistance for certain gates.
Her performances during those times were widely known in Korea.
Combined with her looks, she gained massive popularity.
Power and beauty together.
Naturally, she became a star.
At the same time—
There’s also the matter with Eugene.
The rumors involving SS-rank superhuman Eugene had drawn even more attention.
Despite limited public information, Jin Yeonhee remained a figure of immense interest.
But why…
Jeon Yuseon still didn’t understand.
Why would she go out of her way…
To join a newly formed knight unit.
For someone lacking nothing, to apply as a regular knight rather than a commander.
Could it be…
A fan of Irene? That was Jeon Yuseon’s initial assumption.
…But I don’t know.
She still didn’t understand Jin Yeonhee’s reasons.
The Association Head had said that a figure like her joining was nothing but a gain.
That was true.
Having an S-rank join outweighs any loss.
With that stance, Jeon Yuseon had no grounds to object.
Crackle.
Rumble.
As the lightning aura shifted into something closer to thunder, Jeon Yuseon turned to Irene beside her.
“Irene.”
“Yes?”
“May I ask why those two were matched against each other?”
Irene looked at her.
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“…I just don’t understand.”
Jin Yeonhee was strong. That was a given.
So—
“Wouldn’t it have made more sense to match her with Superhuman Ye Jiram… or Kim Jincheol?”
Rather than Lee Jinwoo, who had awakened only months ago, wouldn’t veterans make more sense?
That way—
“So there’d be more of a chance?”
“—!”
Irene’s words perfectly mirrored Jeon Yuseon’s thoughts, making her eyes widen.
“Hm.”
Irene looked back at the arena.
Jin Yeonhee radiated power.
Lee Jinwoo stared at her, eyes burning with excitement.
“…A chance…”
Irene smiled faintly.
“That’s exactly why it’s those two.”
“Pardon?”
“It makes sense to match the pair with the higher possibility.”
“…What?”
Jeon Yuseon was even more confused.
It sounded like—
Lee Jinwoo…
Had a better chance of beating Jin Yeonhee.
That’s absurd.
How could a newborn superhuman defeat the Lightning Spirit?
As Jeon Yuseon struggled to accept it—
“…Watch.”
Irene crossed her legs.
“That guy is… interesting.”
“…What?”
Before Jeon Yuseon could respond—
KWA—ANG!!!
A deafening explosion erupted.
Lightning engulfed the space where Lee Jinwoo stood.
The shockwave rattled the air.
Is it over…?
At that power, it should’ve been.
But—
WHOOSH—!
Lee Jinwoo burst through the smoke.
Sword in hand, he charged forward.
His speed was absurd for a normal person.
But as a superhuman, it still didn’t look that fast.
Jin Yeonhee flicked her sword.
KWA—ANG!!!
Lightning poured down again.
It was overwhelming.
Jeon Yuseon thought it was truly over this time.
Then—
Lee Jinwoo moved.
Slash—!
“Huh?”
Jeon Yuseon froze.
He cut it?
Lee Jinwoo’s blade split Jin Yeonhee’s lightning.
Not once.
Slash—! Slash-slash—!!
With a heavy body, he moved again and again, slicing lightning apart.
The lightning tore like paper.
“What the…?”
Jeon Yuseon was stunned.
And so was Jin Yeonhee.
Surprise flickered across her face.
Seeing that, Irene spoke.
“Told you. Interesting, right?”
“….”
Jeon Yuseon was speechless.
Then Jin Yeonhee moved.
She decided to engage directly.
If she does that…
This should really be the end.
Her greatest trait was speed.
No matter how strong Lee Jinwoo was for an A-rank—
This time for sure—
Shhk—!
She vanished.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared before him and swung her sword.
Clang—!!
“…!”
Her sword was knocked away.
Lee Jinwoo had deflected it.
Jeon Yuseon stared in disbelief.
“Oh— hahahaha!”
Irene laughed loudly—something she’d almost never done.
“That’s fascinating…”
“…What do you mean?”
Irene answered calmly.
“He’s been doing something regularly.”
“What…?”
“Watching videos.”
“Videos?”
“Footage of fellow members… their information…”
Her gaze returned to Jin Yeonhee.
“He keeps watching them.”
“…You mean other members’ combat footage?”
“Yes.”
“….”
What did that mean?
Did she mean—
He memorized Jin Yeonhee’s movements?
That’s impossible.
That would be beyond genius.
Jeon Yuseon’s eyes trembled.
* * *
Of course, that wasn’t possible.
Contrary to Jeon Yuseon’s assumption, Lee Jinwoo’s situation was different.
Watching videos alone couldn’t allow him to counter Jin Yeonhee perfectly.
That wasn’t what was happening.
[Hero’s Super-Senses have activated.]
[Koruka’s Phantom manifests, revealing the paths spirits traverse.]
I could see it.
Simply… see.
Left.
I turned my head.
Rumble—!
Lightning struck the left side.
And…
At the same time, something appeared in front of me.
A semi-transparent human shape swung a sword.
I swung in response—
Clang—!!
Jin Yeonhee’s sword moved exactly along that phantom’s path.
Ha.
I smiled in amazement.
My senses were razor-sharp.
They told me where it would come from.
How it would come.
What I needed to do.
For example—
If I cut here.
Slash—!
I could slice lightning itself.
[Hero’s Super-Senses have activated.]
[Koruka’s Phantom—]
I saw Jin Yeonhee’s movements.
Heat surged through my body.
The heavy Heavenly Demon Divine Sword tore through the air.
It was slow.
But—
I knew the answer.
So I just had to cut there.
Slash—!!
Her sword flew upward, knocked skyward.
An opening.
Ah.
My waist twisted instinctively.
No one told me what to do.
Or—
Was the sword telling me?
The Heavenly Demon Divine Sword in my hand wrote the answer itself.
[■ Heavenly Demon Divine Sword activated.]
[■ Heavenly Demon Art manifests.]
[■ Duration: 15 seconds.]
I stomped hard.
Cracks spread across the ground.
Dark-blue flames wrapped around my blade.
“…Ugh.”
Jin Yeonhee grimaced, releasing more power.
Rumble—!
A different aura surged.
But—
[■ Heavenly Demon Severance.]
My sword tore through the air first.
KWA—AAAAANG!!!
The strike shattered the golden barrier.
A barrier said to withstand anything short of SS-rank power collapsed effortlessly.
“Ah.”
“…W-what…?”
Shock spread across every face watching.
“….”
The strike passed beside Jin Yeonhee.
At the same time, her lightning sword split cleanly in two.
Fizz—
The lightning dispersed completely.
“Match over.”
Irene declared calmly.
Lee Jinwoo’s victory.
An unprecedented event had occurred—
An A-rank superhuman defeated an S-rank.
