A Rookie Master
"Chairman, we've received information from the West Sea patrol."
Jin Taegon frowned at the photo on the monitor.
A glacier suddenly appearing in the West Sea—he had no idea what to make of it.
"They don't know the cause, but the sea froze over. It's gone now, though. We can't be certain, but it's likely…"
"The area where the New Kali-ho is anchored."
"Yes, sir."
A brief silence followed.
There was no way to tell yet whether this phenomenon would be favorable or disastrous for them.
"And you should take a look at this as well."
Next came several radar images.
"These thirty-odd red dots are fishing boats. This blue dot is the New Kali-ho."
"They're getting closer."
"Yes. Judging by the timeline, they started moving the moment the ice disappeared."
Jin Taegon narrowed his eyes, sinking into thought.
There was no reason whatsoever for fishing boats to approach the New Kali-ho.
This was an extremely unnatural movement.
"Contact the Player Hunter Agency and report the situation. Tell the head of security to deploy the assembled players. Block those fishing boats before they reach our route."
"Understood."
"What about the bombs we installed on the New Kali-ho?"
Jin Taegon rose from his seat and walked toward the monitor.
"Something's happened to our friends. Either they can't detonate it anymore, or they never intended to."
Either way, the bomb would not go off.
If that weren't the case, Vesta's fleet would never be heading toward the New Kali-ho.
Not unless they planned to go out in a glorious self-detonation.
Ring-ring-ring.
A phone call came in at a perfectly timed moment.
"It's them."
Jin Taegon took the receiver.
"This is Jin Taegon."
Chairman. Quite a bit of time has passed—did you prepare the money?
"I told you I'd need time. You're awfully impatient."
Aren't you being a bit too relaxed? Your granddaughter's life depends on me, you know.
"Does it still depend on you?"
…What?
"I asked whether you're still the one in control."
A very brief silence fell.
And Jin Taegon did not miss that flicker of hesitation.
For the first time since the incident began today, a faint smile touched his lips.
"You've run into trouble, haven't you? You're anxious enough to call me first."
I suggest you stop jumping to conclusions. That way your granddaughter will return safely. Let me answer your question. Yes, I am still in complete control.
"Not delusional, then?"
What exactly are you trying to say?
"My thought is that things have already slipped from your grasp. If not, why are you rushing over there like some rabid mutt? To the New Kali-ho, packed full of bombs."
A deep sigh came from the other end.
Then a breathy laugh.
Listen, Jin Taegon. You've crossed the line. I don't need the money anymore. Wait right there. I'll tear your granddaughter apart and deliver her to you in pieces.
"Nameless little nobody—here's my warning. You'd better hope you're never caught. Because I can't promise your corpse will be left intact."
Jin Taegon ended the call.
He knew he'd made a dangerous provocation.
But there was no reason not to.
Ten trillion won—an amount absolutely impossible to gather within the time given.
Vesta knew that as well.
Meaning their goal had never been the money.
They had never intended to return Jin Seohee alive.
Chairman. The Player Hunter Agency just contacted us. The river patrol picked up Hunter Cheon Seyeon and Hunter Eun Gangseok from the Han River, and they're en route.The team put together by Genex is also heading toward the New Kali-ho. They should arrive about thirty minutes earlier than the Agency's forces.
Jin Taegon nodded.
"Leave one of them alive."
Yes, sir.
The New Kali-ho was no ordinary cruise ship.
To tamper with it meant the perpetrators had immense capital and preparation behind them.
There was surely someone pulling the strings.
"Hoo…"
Exhaling slowly, Jin Taegon shook his head.
He would think about the rest later.
For now, rescuing Jin Seohee and Jin Hyuk came first.
The New Kali-ho's grand ballroom.
Groups were forming and positions assigned.
Thanks to Jin Seohee's words, everyone wore an expression filled with resolve.
Everyone except one—in the corner, isolated and ignored, Daerof's Lim Cheonung.
"The atmosphere is intense."
Jin Hyuk clicked his tongue as he watched.
Lim Cheonung was being completely shunned.
"It's karma."
Just before Jin Hyuk arrived, Jin Seohee had learned that people inside also wanted to fight beside her rather than just guard the door.
And in the midst of that, Lim Cheonung had abandoned everyone and fled up the tower to save himself.
"I knew he was trash, but this is worse than I thought."
Jin Seohee shook her head in disgust and tightened her grip on her sword.
She seemed calm, yet tension lined her face.
This was the calm before the storm.
No one knew when or where the enemy might strike, so there was no room for carelessness.
To steady herself, Jin Seohee swung her sword just as she always did at the training hall.
Munch, munch.
Jin Hyuk watched while chewing bread.
Swish—
Behind him, out of sight from Jin Seohee and the others, Seira manifested.
"If she's your friend, shouldn't you give her some advice? The master will see it too."
Jin Hyuk offered a faint smile.
If swordsmanship had sound, the blade Jin Seohee was swinging would be ringing with subtle dissonance.
"Well… I'm just a baby who only started learning from you, Seira. Feels a bit arrogant to give advice."
"Have confidence, Master. You are learning the sword of the Knights of the Sword. Even as a beginner, compared to ordinary techniques, you've already reached a remarkable level. And—"
Seira placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Showing the right path to someone lacking is neither rude nor presumptuous. If they can't walk that path even after seeing it, then it simply means their vessel is too small. The path you walk is not wrong. So show her—confidently."
"If Master says so, then."
Smiling, Jin Hyuk stood up.
He approached carefully.
"…?"
Jin Seohee paused mid-swing, a question mark on her face.
Jin Hyuk cleared his throat a few times.
He'd always been the student—playing this role felt strange.
"Seohee, if you don't mind… could you try that motion again?"
He picked up a stick and mimicked what she'd been doing.
Still puzzled, she followed along.
When she was about to move to the next motion, Jin Hyuk extended the stick to stop her.
"Try it like this. Don't swing immediately—pause for a beat here, then let your elbow open and send the strike outward. Same with this part here."
Jin Hyuk demonstrated.
If anyone else had said this, she would've been offended.
The Jin family's swordsmanship had been passed down for generations.
She'd practiced it from the moment she could remember and considered herself the next most skilled after her grandfather and father.
"I'll try."
She answered, though she wasn't convinced.
From what she saw, the demonstration had actually looked more awkward than her usual technique.
Steadying her breath, Jin Seohee reenacted the sequence as shown.
And when she reached the section Jin Hyuk mentioned—
"!!!"
Her eyes widened.
That movement, the one that always felt subtly wrong from the moment she learned it.
It had been written in the family's style, so she drilled it over and over, forcing herself to adapt.
Even now she had to consciously brace herself each time she reached that part.
"Hoo…"
She repeated the movement again, recalling Jin Hyuk's demonstration.
A question arose.
Had this motion… always been this natural?
The transition into the next sequence was far smoother.
Like changing from ill-fitting clothes into something perfectly tailored.
Ding!
[The Jin Family Swordsmanship, Jingeom-ryu, has increased in level!]
Jin Seohee's eyes widened even more.
The system manifested even pre-awakening skills as traits or abilities.
Thus she possessed her family's swordsmanship as a passive trait from the moment she awakened.
She went to the training hall day after day just to raise that trait.
And it hadn't gone up in so long.
As she climbed higher floors and leveled up, she gained new skills.
But her foundational trait—Jingeom-ryu—had hit a wall.
Yet now, it rose from something so simple.
After gathering herself, Jin Seohee stared at Jin Hyuk.
He truly was an enigma.
Is she angry?
Jin Hyuk swallowed at her unwavering gaze.
From his perspective, her movement was undoubtedly smoother, and the dissonance gone.
But her own experience might differ.
"If you don't like it, you don't have to do it that way. I just thought it might help."
"…It's better."
"Huh?"
He hadn't heard her clearly.
She turned her head.
"I said it's better."
"Oh—right."
Relief spread across Jin Hyuk's face.
Seira had told him once:
Traditional sword forms carried countless experiences and devotion within them.
But that also made them rigid and inflexible.
One had to discern whether those movements suited oneself—and alter them if they didn't.
Jin Seohee had just undergone that process.
"Imitating perfectly isn't always the right answer…"
She murmured to herself, and Jin Hyuk nodded.
Having made one adjustment, she would surely continue refining things on her own.
He's really an unbelievable person.
After a few deep breaths, Jin Seohee opened her mouth.
She rarely said things like this, so the words felt stiff.
"Thank—"
Before she could finish, Jin Hyuk's expression sharpened.
"Move to your assigned positions. They've arrived. I'm heading upstairs for a moment."
He sprinted up the escalator, brows furrowed.
Judging by the direction of approach, unwelcome guests were coming.
The top deck of the New Kali-ho.
Jin Hyuk arrived and looked straight ahead.
Thirty ships were racing toward them.
"They're coming from the other side too."
Darrk, still seasick, nodded weakly.
Behind them, multiple patrol boats flying the Korean flag were also approaching.
The front was faster, but the situation wasn't catastrophic.
The ones behind were almost certainly allies.
"Captain! Those ships ahead have insane weaponry!"
Jin Hyuk nodded and placed a hand on Kancho's head.
"Kancho. Fire."
At the commander's order—
Kancho, leader of the Yodle Ranger Unit, curled his lips into a vicious grin.
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T/N:
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