Why Is Everyone in This Dating Sim Trying to Kill Me?!

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: The Magnitude of Talent

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"In our last session, we focused on getting used to killing intent, and distinguishing between real and illusory attacks, didn't we?"

"Yes."

I nodded vigorously at Instructor Baek Seol-hee's words.

It had been just one session, but it had truly been a tremendous help.

'When I fought the tutorial boss, when I sparred with Kang Do-hee in the combat class, and even recently when I took down Shin Soo-yeon.'

After experiencing a killing intent of a different caliber, I was able to maintain a surprising level of composure, even in combat situations where my vision would normally narrow and I'd easily get agitated.

It was like fighting a cat after having wrestled with a tiger, if you will.

I had benefited so much from this class, so I was quite excited to see what we would learn today.

"My lessons are fundamentally cumulative."

"Cumulative?"

"Yes, it's a method where we revisit what you've learned in previous sessions, and only once you've passed, do we move on to new material."

'So, in math terms, it's like going back to sets when you're about to start functions after learning sets? Typical by-the-book style.'

"Do you understand why I've chosen this structure?"

Baek Seol-hee asked, her eyes calm.

I pondered for a moment, then, recalling the by-the-book company commander instructors who always had 'I'm disappointed' on their lips, I answered.

"Because what we learn first are the absolute fundamentals."

"Oh…?"

Baek Seol-hee's eyebrow twitched.

Convinced that this was indeed the correct answer, I continued.

"The most fundamental things are the most important. Is it not because they can never be repeated enough that you've designed it this way? And I believe that as we repeatedly practice and master them, the time required for previous training will also shorten."

At my answer, she nodded in satisfaction.

"That's right. If you forget the fundamentals and get bogged down in new sword techniques and tricks, it's difficult to achieve true mastery."

Baek Seol-hee stared intently at me, then her lips curved slightly upward.

"However, if I were to point out a flaw in your reasoning, it will be difficult for the time required for previous training to shorten, even with mastery. Because you requested additional lessons, I won't just have you repeat them; I'll raise the difficulty."

"…Ah, yes."

"You might end up taking only fundamental lessons for an entire year until the course ends."

'Ugh, fundamentals for a whole year? That sounds a bit intense...'

As I made a weary face, Baek Seol-hee let out a small chuckle.

"You brought this upon yourself, so try to keep up as best you can."

*

I held Wolgwang and closed my eyes.

At that very moment, a killing intent so dense it could make me faint enveloped my entire body.

A shiver ran down my spine—!

'Whoa, the real deal is certainly different….'

A killing intent so thick that Choi Ah-ram, Kang Do-hee, or Shin Soo-yeon's felt like child's play in comparison.

Even with my intuition completely suppressed, the pressure was on another level.

'What on earth is the instructor's power level like…? I wonder if she'd answer if I asked later?'

Thump.

Thump.

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead, and my heart began to pound rapidly.

I bit my lip firmly.

'Still, it's far more bearable than before.'

Was it thanks to the 10% increase in Mental Strength?

Unlike before, when I couldn't even move a single step, I could somehow steady my mind even amidst the suffocatingly dense killing intent.

'Last time, I couldn't even draw a proper sword stroke.'

Back then, I was too focused on whether Baek Seol-hee's attacks were real or not to execute a proper sword path.

Swoosh.

I raised my arm and slowly drew a straight line in front of me.

That's when it happened.

A flicker—

I detected Baek Seol-hee, who was standing in front of me holding a twig, raising her hand.

I immediately raised the sword I was bringing down.

Whoosh—!

Wolgwang flew, aiming for the twig.

Whirl!

Then, Baek Seol-hee's twig smoothly twisted its trajectory in the air, transforming into a thrust.

I immediately twisted my wrist and swung Wolgwang horizontally.

Clang!

Mana clashed with mana, creating a thunderous roar.

After that, the twig in Baek Seol-hee's hand began to unleash sword techniques as if with deliberate intent.

Swish!

Swoosh!

Whiz!

A sword technique where illusion and reality were haphazardly intertwined.

Training where I had to distinguish and block real attacks from fake ones while my senses were numbed by the killing intent.

And at the same time, I had to stabilize my sword path and execute it.

'Insane!!!'

The essence was the same as the last lesson, but the difficulty had clearly escalated.

Swords strokes fired off relentlessly.

It was only fortunate that the speed was slow; otherwise, I clearly wouldn't have even been able to react.

Even knowing what was coming, dealing with her sword was not easy.

Suddenly, Instructor Baek Seol-hee's sword changed.

'Ah, this is the sword technique the instructor showed me before.'

Still, having performed that sword technique once, I could barely distinguish the illusions mixed within it.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

I gritted my teeth and parried her sword.

'But at this rate, when am I ever going to draw a line downwards?!'

* * *

A while ago, Baek Seol-hee had handed over a student who had turned into a Demonized to the Hunter Management Bureau.

It was an incident that could have originally escalated into a major crisis.

It was a serious matter that could have threatened the very prestige of Velvet Academy.

Since the demonized student wasn't one who usually showed outstanding academic performance, no one had called for an instructor at her summons, so if things had gone slightly wrong, the students inside the academy could have been massacred.

If such an incident had occurred, it couldn't have been resolved with a mere public apology.

When she heard the news that Jin Yu-ha's party had stopped that Demonized.

Baek Seol-hee felt immense satisfaction, yet at the same time, she understood.

She knew that Jin Yu-ha's party leadership was beyond extraordinary, bordering on exceptional. If they had systematically tackled it as a party unit, it would have been a manageable level to defeat.

However,

when she actually verified the scene and heard the students' testimonies, she couldn't help but show a look of utter surprise.

Because all the traces at the scene and the testimonies indicated that Jin Yu-ha had subjugated the Demonized *alone*, not as a party unit.

'Even if it was someone who had just recently demonized...'

That achievement was by no means small.

Even those who joined the Demonized Extermination Squad only gained the skill to face a single Demonized alone after at least a year of training.

Demonized, possessing bizarre abilities and having forgotten human emotions, were extremely difficult opponents to deal with unless one knew their opponent inside and out beforehand.

'So, I intended to ask him directly what had happened after the training, but...'

Not long after beginning the training with Jin Yu-ha, Baek Seol-hee felt a tremor spread throughout her entire body.

She had thought she had already fully grasped the magnitude of Jin Yu-ha's talent.

Three weeks in basic training.

Full-scale ability verification in the previous lesson.

Honestly, just from what she had seen so far, Jin Yu-ha was someone who could be called a prodigy among prodigies.

Someone who would clearly become stronger than herself in the future.

However, Jin Yu-ha appeared to have evolved another step, as if everything he had shown so far was just a preview.

'He hadn't revealed everything yet? No, it's only now that it's truly come to light.'

Adapting and reacting to killing intent.

Let's say that's something one can become sufficiently accustomed to once they grasp it.

It was like riding a bicycle; once you mastered it, it was harder to unlearn.

'But performing sword techniques within that state is an entirely different story.'

Jin Yu-ha was now performing sword techniques.

This was like riding a bicycle with no hands and popping a wheelie.

Baek Seol-hee once again revised her assessment of Jin Yu-ha.

This was too bizarre to simply be packaged as 'talent.'

'His already sponge-like absorption rate has become ridiculously fast. His mental stability has also ascended to another dimension.'

A bewildered chuckle escaped Baek Seol-hee's lips.

'Ha, with this level of talent, it's not strange at all that he subjugated a Demonized on his own.'

Could it be alright for this much talent to be condensed within one person?

Male quota.

His male gender.

Already a late age to begin swordsmanship.

There wasn't a single advantageous condition.

However, her disciple was relentlessly pursuing, as if such things didn't matter at all.

As if he would devour everything she possessed.

Jin Yu-ha's brilliant talent was enough to threaten even her.

'How long has it been since I last felt this way...'

Baek Seol-hee's lips curved into a wide smile.

Of course, it was an illusion full of errors, brought about by the power of an item, but Baek Seol-hee nodded at her own judgment.

Just as she was momentarily lost in thought.

CRACK—!

With a loud thud, Baek Seol-hee's twig was pushed back by a hand span.

It was at that moment that Jin Yu-ha's blue sword, which had been steadily countering Baek Seol-hee's, transformed.

The tip of the blue sword aimed for an opening and struck skyward.

SWISHHHHHHH—!!

It was drawn downwards, as if striking.

In a perfectly clean, straight line.

Baek Seol-hee couldn't help but acknowledge that flawless sword path.

"...Passed."

That his words, claiming he would take additional lessons on top of the current ones, were not just empty boasts.