Episode 96: Experience (2)
Fwwwwwwip—!
Multiple arrows were fired in rapid succession.
Thwack, thwack, pop!
With the sound of air being torn apart, arrows flew in from all directions.
They pierced through the air and rained down.
In an instant, the target board turned into something resembling a porcupine.
A vast, wide-open and quiet field.
At its center stood two people.
Ha Sion.
And her grandfather, Ha Taesung.
“Not bad.”
The old man nodded in satisfaction.
It was rare for praise to come directly from his mouth.
But Sion didn’t show much of a reaction upon hearing it.
Instead, she slightly puffed out her cheeks.
“…Why didn’t you open it?”
“Hm?”
“The experience session. For Vanquisher. You didn’t post the notice on Gaon.”
Her voice was calm, but there was a subtle hint of a pout at the end.
Because of that, she completely lost Haein.
At the very least, she thought she’d be given a chance to choose.
Contrary to Sion’s hopes, her grandfather had not posted any recruitment notice.
As a result, the experience-date opportunity vanished like smoke.
Of course, just the fact that she could shoot arrows again with her beloved grandfather made her genuinely happy.
She was always simply grateful… but this was Sion’s small, adorable bit of selfishness.
The old man silently stared at the target, then turned his head.
Without a word, he extended his hand toward Sion—
A gesture asking for the bow.
Sion obediently handed it over.
“It’s been a while since I used a bow.”
He pulled the string.
“Since I taught you… this might be the first time.”
With a quiet murmur, Ha Taesung drew the bowstring.
His movements flowed perfectly, without a hint of hesitation—
Continuous, elegant, and precise.
Sion knew this well.
Those were the very movements she had pursued since her past life up to now,
Yet she still couldn’t replicate them perfectly.
—Thwack!
The released arrow splits Shion’s earlier shot cleanly in half before embedding itself dead-center in the bullseye.
X-ten.
“Guess my back’s still holding up.”
Ha Taesung casually said, patting his lower back.
Then he looked at the target once more and slowly turned his head.
His gaze landed on Sion.
“This old man… is scared.”
It was an unexpected remark.
Sion blinked.
“The Apostles.”
He spoke quietly.
“They were beings with strength beyond comprehension.”
He continued slowly.
“Facing them head-on, I felt it in my bones. Even if I never claimed the title myself, the so-called ‘strongest of humanity’—we’re still far, far from reaching that level.”
His voice was calm, but the weight behind it was immense.
“In such a situation, taking in young and promising kids… sure, it would be great. But… I began to think it might be too dangerous for them. Vanquisher must always stand on the front lines. So, Sion… you too…”
“No.”
Sion’s answer was firm.
Without even a hint of hesitation.
Then, as if snatching it away, she lifted the bow from her grandfather’s hands.
Holding the bow tightly with both hands,
She spoke quietly but clearly.
“Who asked you to protect me, Grandpa?”
As she spoke, she slowly pulled the bowstring.
Creak— The string creaked as it was drawn.
A heavy weight pressed against her fingertips—heavier and stronger than the bow she usually used.
—Twang!
A single arrow tore through the air,
Flying straight toward the center of the target.
—Thud!
A heavy impact sound.
The arrow pierced through the alloy target and buried itself deep beyond it.
“Phew…”
Ha Taesung’s eyes shimmered with something new.
The corners of his mouth began to lift, very slowly.
“……”
Sion silently watched his expression.
Then she spoke.
“We can do it too. So please… believe in us.”
The old man closed his eyes.
Just then—
—Hoooom…
A white Eurasian eagle-owl flew in from the distance.
“Philip?”
The owl had a letter in its beak.
—Hoo hoo…
Philip.
A magical beast responsible for delivering letters for Vanquisher.
The old man took the letter from the owl’s beak.
On the envelope, in neat handwriting, was a familiar name:
[Yoon Chae-ha]
A name he knew well.
A student who had recently been spending time with Haein.
He remembered her specialty was magic.
Ha Taesung unfolded the letter and began to read quietly.
———————————————————
To. Vanquisher
Hello. This is Yoon Chae-ha.
I’m Haein’s close friend, mentor-mentee partner, and honestly—we’re just super close.
I was curious why there wasn’t any recruitment notice for this experience session—
So I decided to write you a letter.
Honestly, I was pretty disappointed.
Because… I wanted to apply.
I really want to join Vanquisher.
It might be a little bold to say, but I kind of…
No, actually, I’ll just leave that part out.
Anyway, please make sure to open up recruitment next time.
I’ll be preparing for it.
And this is just a small personal wish…
Please hold onto Jung Haein.
Lately, it feels like someone, somewhere, is trying to snatch her away—
And to me, there’s no one else like her.
I sincerely hope you won’t let her slip away and regret it later.
Anyway, thank you for reading this long letter.
FROM. Yoon Chae-ha
P.S. I’m serious. Whether it’s about joining—or about Haein.
———————————————————
“Heh.”
After reading the letter, Ha Taesung couldn’t hold back a soft laugh.
He lowered the paper and shook his head.
It was barely ten lines of writing,
Yet it clearly conveyed how bold and full of confidence this girl was.
He carefully placed the letter back into the envelope.
A smile slowly bloomed across his face, as if something amusing had come to mind.
“How interesting.”
The corners of his lips curled upward.
Maybe, just maybe, his granddaughter was right.
There were still daring, confident successors like this one out there.
He tilted his head slightly, gazing at the shattered archery range.
‘Maybe… I don’t need to worry so much.’
There were definitely kids he could rely on.
“…Who is it?”
Sensing something beside him, Sion cautiously asked.
Ha Taesung turned his head slightly and gave a slow smile.
“Sion.”
“Yes?”
“How are things going… with that guy, Jung Haein?”
“H-Huh?!”
Sion’s face flushed bright red in an instant.
Flustered, she couldn’t even make eye contact and cupped her cheeks.
‘Judging by that reaction…’
Ha Taesung could tell.
His granddaughter had feelings for him — she always had, and still did.
Which meant the real issue was Jung Haein.
Ha Taesung shook his head slightly.
Recently, Yu Mujin from the Yu family…
Then Glory’s Kang Yoon-hyuk.
All of them had been asking questions about Jung Haein.
‘Looks like I need to step it up.’
Apparently, more kids than expected had their eyes on Jung Haein.
***
A lecture hall during class.
“—So, when deploying a barrier, environmental factors are also crucial—”
The professor’s passionate lecture continued.
But it was safe to assume that the students weren’t really paying attention.
In five minutes—
The participant list for each group’s training experience would be announced.
And conveniently, the lecture was set to end in exactly five minutes.
Perfect timing.
“…Well then, we’ll end class here for today.”
With that, the professor left the room.
But no one moved.
Everyone just remained seated.
“I’m as nervous as I was when I got into Gaon.”
“Deep breaths, deep breaths.”
Only faint breaths and tense silence filled the classroom.
Next to me, Yoon Chae-ha and Cheon Yeoul seemed calm.
Neither of them had applied.
Well, Yeoul had to be at the temple every weekend no matter what, and Chae-ha wasn’t interested in applying anywhere unless it was Vanquisher.
It would’ve been strange for either of them to sign up.
In contrast, Yu Hana said she applied to Cheongpungdae.
She mentioned it casually during our morning run, soaked in sweat.
As for Sion… well, she’s probably doing fine on her own.
“About a minute left.”
I muttered to myself.
“I hope you don’t get in.”
Chae-ha replied while lying on her desk.
I thought she was sound asleep, but turns out she was just waiting for the right moment to speak.
“…Just kidding. Go and do well.”
Maybe feeling a little guilty, she added that.
“What’s with you?”
“…What?”
“You’re kinda cute.”
Her behavior was unexpectedly cute.
Was she always like this?
“…What are you saying.”
Yoon Chae-ha turned over and buried her face into her arms.
“Anyway, they won’t pick a first-year for Maengju, right? They usually only pick second or third years.”
“Yeah, that’s the usual custom…”
“Exactly. That’s why I applied for everything except Maengju.”
She had a point.
In reality, first-years were rarely chosen as Maengju.
The reason being, “they’re still unproven freshmen.”
They figured that by second year, at least, they could begin to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Besides, whether second or third year, if the Maengju calls, you go.
Still, my case was a little different.
I had a feeling they might pick me… though I was starting to feel a little nervous now.
The students’ chatter was reaching its end.
And then, at that moment—
Ding.
[Gaon Experience Program Participant List Released – By Group.]
My smartwatch chimed.
“It’s uppppppp!”
“Jeez, you scared me.”
Some students shouted in excitement.
I checked my smartwatch too.
[Maengju]
I immediately looked at the Maengju list.
[4th Years]
Empty.
As expected.
[3rd Years]
[Yoon Do-jun] – Rank 6
[Jang Hyun-soo] – Rank 11
…
[2nd Years]
A stream of names.
Most were top-ranked students.
And finally, the 1st years.
[1st Years]
[Kang Arin] – Rank 1
[Jung Haein] – No Rank
“…Oh, damn.”
There were only two first-years.
Exactly two.
Me, and Kang Arin.
In the end, I’d be doing the program with the upperclassmen.
Under my name, a short description was written:
[Jung Haein]: Despite having no official ranking, demonstrated exceptional combat ability, situational judgment, and leadership potential during the Medusa battle. Considered among the highest tier.
I lifted my head slightly.
And only then did I realize—
Every student was staring at me.
It was an unusual occurrence.
After all, the only first-years on the list were me and Kang Arin.
And among them, Kang Arin…
With the corners of her lips slightly raised…
Was smiling and gently waving at me.