Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Sung Jinwoo.
"Yahallo!" Miyamura said cheerfully, still smiling. Chairwoman Go cleared her throat.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Miyamura," Chairwoman Go said with a slight smile. Miyamura merely blinked before smiling amusedly.
"It's fine in Korean, Chairwoman Go, I'm confident in my Korean." Miyamura said in perfect Korean, I raised an eyebrow as Chairwoman Go laughed happily.
"That's quite a surprise, Mr. Miyamura. It's rare to see a young man like you learning other languages. But I thought you'd learn something like English, instead of Korean." Chairwoman Go said, smiling. Miyamura just smiled back, almost arrogantly.
"Who said I only speak Korean? Besides Japanese and Korean, I speak English and Chinese fluently, and I know a few words of Italian, French, and Spanish, and lately, I've been learning German," Miyamura said with ease. My eyes widened slightly.
"Well, a polyglot, that's not what I expected, Mr. Miyamura," Chairwoman Go said in surprise. Miyamura shrugged, still smiling, even more arrogantly.
"I thought I'd need it in the future," Miyamura said confidently. Chairwoman Go burst out laughing.
"I like you, Mr. Miyamura," Chairwoman Go said, then looked at Miyamura gently. "But still, may I ask why you've come to ambush us?" Chairwoman Go asked. Miyamura just hummed before noticing the other S-Rank hunters below us. Then he smiled broadly at us.
"This seemed like the most entertaining group," Miyamura said, his eyes sparkling with amusement. I stopped and stared at him in surprise. Had he… come just because we seemed like the most entertaining group?
"You're really not what I expected, Izumi Miyamura, Ryuma's grandson," Dad finally said.
"Hunter Sung Il-Hwan," Miyamura said, looking at Dad before bowing slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He greeted respectfully. Dad simply nodded.
"Likewise. It's really good to meet Ryuma's grandson. How have you been?" Dad asked gently. Miyamura snorted.
"Just like always, he hasn't changed one bit. And by the way, he says hello, he said, and I quote: "'Tell that pretty-faced idiot not to let himself get killed before I die, or I'll personally go to Korea and kill him.'" Miyamura said playfully, and I froze and stared at him in disbelief. I didn't remember anyone ever talking to Dad like that, not in my life. To my surprise, Dad burst into laughter.
"Really, I see that Ryuma is still the same as always," said Dad after composing himself.
"And he won't change. It's physically impossible for him to." Miyamura said dryly while smiling.
"Maybe not, but he still has his secrets. Honestly, I never knew he had a daughter my age, let alone a grandson my daughter's age. Truly surprising." Dad said, shaking his head. Miyamura shrugged.
"He says he kept it a secret to protect us, but the real reason is that he hates public speaking," Miyamura said, chuckling. Dad laughed again.
"Oh, definitely," Dad said before sighing and looking at Miyamura, almost wistfully. "How time flies, really. It feels like age is suddenly catching up with me," Dad said with a sigh as he slapped his back.
"If you're implying you're old, Il-Hwan, how am I supposed to take that?" Chairwoman Go said dryly. Dad burst out laughing.
"Don't worry, Gunhee, you look good for your age," Dad said with an amused twinkle in his eye. Chairwoman Go snorted before looking down.
"It seems something interesting is about to happen," Chairwoman Go said. We looked down and saw two hunters about to clash. A fight between two A-Rank hunters, one from South Korea and the other Japanese.
"Hmm... looks like Hanekawa's going to lose," Miyamura said easily, looking at the arena. He had sat on the railing, watching both fighters.
"Oh? You really think so? So little confidence in the Japanese hunter?" Chairwoman Go asked curiously. Miyamura shrugged.
"Hanekawa is a very inexperienced hunter. At least against humans. She has absolutely no experience fighting other people. She'll rely on her speed, become arrogant, and charge straight for it, and she'll end up losing quickly." Miyamura said matter-of-factly as they watched the match as if he already knew the outcome. The three of us glanced at him for a few seconds before turning our attention back to the game.
And just as he had said, Hanekawa had lost to Hunter Park. Exactly as he had predicted. Hanekawa went on the offensive; her fighting style was based primarily on trying to overpower Hunter Park through her speed. She was fast, but inexperienced—too inexperienced. She lost easily, without Hunter Park even attacking beyond a simple kick.
I glanced sideways at Miyamura, who was smiling lazily as he watched the fight. Had he… foreseen the entire match? Was he smart enough to read a fight and know how it would turn out, even before the fight started? I paused for a moment.
Vision of the future, I remembered. He… was constantly looking into the future? Even now? If he was able to maintain it for extended periods or even use it at any time, then… everything I discovered about him made him more dangerous, to a terrifying degree. Even Dad and Chairwoman Go glanced at him strangely for a few moments.
"Let's go down," Chairwoman Go said as she watched the hunters gather. No one argued.
"What about a sparring match with the same rules as now, between S-Rank hunters?" We arrived just in time to hear Hanekawa speaking next to Goto.
"Alright," Chairwoman Go said, stepping forward. Finally, all the Japanese hunters looked in our direction, specifically at Dad, and stared intently. "However, only if those quirks that are too destructive or far-reaching are excluded, to avoid harming non-combatants," Chairwoman Go said, drawing everyone's attention once again.
After adding a few more rules and deciding on a team battle, the eight hunters entered the arena. The Korean side consisted of Hunter Baek, Hunter Ma, Hunter Cha, and Hunter Lim, while the Japanese side included Hunter Tanaka, Hunter Hoshino, Hunter Kumamoto, and Hunter Tawata.
"So, you want to predict this fight too?" Dad asked, turning to Miyamura. I stopped and looked at him curiously. Miyamura just smiled broadly before humming.
"Tanaka will defeat Ma, Hoshino will defeat Lim, Cha will defeat Tawata, and then Kumamoto will be defeated." Miyamura said with a wide smile as he stared at me. I frowned in confusion.
"And the others?" asked Chairwoman Go.
"I suppose it'll be a surprise," Miyamura said playfully. We glanced at him strangely before looking back at the arena. The eight hunters immediately moved and began to fight.
I could only watch in disbelief as, once again, exactly what Miyamura had just described came to pass, and in the exact order he mentioned. Huntress Tanaka soundly defeated Huntress Ma in a strength contest. Huntress Hoshino outpaced and cornered Huntress Lim, grabbing her by both wrists.
Following that, Huntress Cha Hae-In touched Huntress Tawata's back, winning their fight, and she went to help Huntress Baek, who was fighting alone against the other three Japanese huntresses.
Kumamoto broke away and tried to intercept Cha Hae-In, only to be struck several times in the face at terrifying speed. Did that... count as a defeat?
No, the aura of Huntress Kumamoto seemed to change suddenly. She was enraged and began attacking Huntress Cha Hae-In with all her might, without holding back. I frowned. She was fast, her bloodlust too much for a competition; she was trying to hurt Huntress Cha.
My body moved quickly, I got between them and stopped Kumamoto's attack with one hand.
"It's just a competition, but your bloodlust is too high. I hope you don't mind me intervening." I said, glancing at the Kumamoto hunter. That seemed to enrage her even more, as she appeared to shout something before attacking again. I just sighed and moved away before grabbing her by both wrists and pinning her to the ground.
That would count as Kumamoto the Hunter being defeated. I couldn't help but glance at Miyamura out of the corner of my eye. He still had a huge grin on his face, and I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine.
Was he able to foresee this? Did he see that I would intervene? That I would be the one to defeat the Kumamoto huntress? Is that why he's staring at me? It's truly terrifying.
"Hunter Cha Hae-In. I think it's best if we consider that the Korean team lost this competition." I said calmly while looking at Cha Hae-In. She seemed surprised, but finally nodded.
"Okay..." Cha Hae-In said slowly. I glanced sideways to see the huntress Baek, who had also been captured. I stood up and released Kumamoto.
"Lord Hunter. There's a message Goto-san wants to convey to you," said translator Hanekawa as she approached. I glanced at Goto as Hanekawa began translating. "' You said your name was Sung Jinwoo, correct? Son of Hunter Sung Il-Hwan. Would it be alright if we had a one-on-one fight?" I frowned slightly as Goto's aura began to emanate. Strong. He was definitely strong.
Even so… it's not a bad idea. I'm not sure what his true intentions are… but it's not a bad opportunity to test how much stronger I've become against the strongest hunter in Japan. I smiled slightly at that thought.
"Now, now, Goto-san." Dad interrupted immediately, smiling coldly. I could feel his aura clash with Goto's. "An experienced Hunter against an inexperienced Hunter like my son would be truly unfair, don't you think? " Dad asked tensely. Hanekawa shuddered slightly, but quickly began translating in Goto's direction.
"'It's just sparring, it won't be dangerous at all.'" Goto replied calmly.
"Perhaps, but I think it would be more interesting another way," Dad said calmly. I could see Goto tense up at those words. "Why don't we old folks step aside and let the youngsters train? Let my son train with Izumi Miyamura. What better training than the son of a National Hunter against the grandson of another?" Dad asked calmly. That seemed to silence all the Koreans immediately, and all the Japanese when Hanekawa quickly translated.
The commotion began immediately, the excitement and anticipation of everyone else. I looked at Dad in surprise; he just winked at me discreetly. Then someone started laughing loudly. We all watched Miyamura laughing happily, then he looked at me with a huge, predatory grin.
"Oh, I more than agree," Miyamura said with childlike glee. We all looked at Goto. She seemed conflicted, really seemed to want to test me and fight me, but in the end, she seemed to reluctantly give in and nodded. I walked away with Dad for a moment when he frowned at me.
"Are you really sure about this?" I asked quietly, frowning. Dad nodded.
"I'm sure you were thinking of testing yourself against Goto, weren't you? To see how strong you really are in comparison." Dad said playfully. My eye twitched slightly, clearly having been read so easily by Dad. He just chuckled and playfully punched my shoulder. "Forget about Goto," Dad said quietly, just between us. I looked at him in surprise. "Even if Goto joins the National Hunters' ranks, she shouldn't matter. Instead, you should focus on Miyamura," Dad said seriously. "You've seen him fight on TV, and I have no doubt he's improved a lot since then. People like him don't stop halfway."
"Once he graduates, or even before, he'll be among the strongest people in the world, right alongside you. You'll be in the same group. This is the perfect time to test him, to test yourself. Goto is not important." Dad emphasized seriously. I stopped myself from becoming serious. I looked at Miyamura, who just had a huge smile on his face. Finally, I nodded.
"I'll do it." I said simply. Dad patted my shoulder one last time and I walked over to the group.
"The same rules?" Miyamura asked curiously as he too approached the fighting arena.
"Would it be too much to ask that you fight with all your might?" I asked simply, my hands in my coat pockets. Miyamura just smiled even wider.
"Only if you allow the use of weapons. I'm better with a sword than I am with unarmed combat," Miyamura said, shrugging. I just looked at Dad and Chairwoman Go. They both nodded.
"So, since we're going that far, shall we have a proper fight?" I said with a smile. "Whoever's aura drops below 50% first loses? All attacks and quirks are allowed, as long as they're not too destructive. What do you think?" I asked, glancing at Chairwoman Go. She just nodded in resignation. Miyamura stopped and looked at Goto, who seemed to frown as Hanekawa translated for her. Then she nodded too, and Miyamura looked back at me.
"That sounds good to me," Miyamura said easily. I nodded, moved my hands, and drew my pair of daggers from my shadows. I looked at Miyamura as he smiled.
"Mai," Miyamura said calmly. A girl emerged from the crowd with a sigh. She wore the UA uniform and had green hair. I frowned. An E-Rank Hunter? Was there someone with such a weak aura among the Japanese group?
I watched curiously as she approached Miyamura.
"Seriously, you need to stop getting involved in these situations." The girl grumbled with an annoyed expression. I just blinked as I heard Miyamura burst out laughing at what the girl had said, then he gently raised both hands. The girl just sighed before glowing slightly and transforming into a katana that appeared in Miyamura's hands. My eyes widened.
A weapon quirk? That's... not what I was expecting.
"I hope you don't mind me using Mai. She's my weapon, I'm her Meister, we fight together," Miyamura said softly in Korean. I looked at the pair curiously before starting to smile. This... was more interesting than before.
"Don't worry, I understand," I said easily. I could feel the emotion coursing through my body.
"Then, if you don't mind, I suppose you won't mind if we use Soul Resonance," Miyamura said matter-of-factly. I stopped abruptly before I could remember what he was talking about. A special technique for resonating two auras, for amplifying and merging them.
I remembered skimming over it; I had no idea about the finer details, but it was something they mainly used in Shibusen, among the Meisters and Armas. I suppose it wasn't unusual for them to be able to do it.
"Of course." I said without hesitation. A soul resonance? Even if I knew what it was about, I wasn't going to miss the chance to see it, especially when it was performed by someone in the S-rank. It would be a truly rare sight.
Miyamura simply nodded and smiled. He didn't say a word, but for the first time since I'd seen him, I could begin to sense his aura. His aura appeared like a blaze, grew, and flooded the entire gymnasium, and to my surprise, the sword girl's small aura was there as well.
To my shock, Miyamura's enormous aura seemed to consume the aura of the girl named Mai, it consumed her, enveloped her within itself and swallowed her into the sea that was his aura, but to my surprise, the girl's aura exploded back.
It grew like a tidal wave, only now it had gone from being an E rank and had jumped to the aura of a B rank, and it didn't end there, Miyamura's aura consumed Mai's aura once again before she resurfaced once more, this time even stronger.
Miyamura's aura continued to consume and push back, and Mai's responded, allowing herself to be consumed before forcefully returning the force as her own aura grew and grew. In a short time, Mai's aura matched Miyamura's, both at S-Rank, and they continued to grow, pushing each other apart.
They came and went, this time, both consumed, both pushed, both pulled and let themselves be carried away, and in a short time, their auras seemed to merge until they became indistinguishable from one another. I couldn't tell where Miyamura ended and Mai began, and vice versa. They were two people, one soul, one aura. This was Soul Resonance. I gazed in wonder at Miyamura before me.
And then, everything disappeared. Just like before, everything was hidden beneath Miyamura once more, as if it had never existed, and this time, I couldn't sense Mai's aura either. They had both vanished from my senses. I could only smile wider and wider.
"Shall we begin?" Miyamura asked with an equally wide smile. I just gripped my daggers with excitement.
"Whenever you want," I said with the same wide smile as I got ready.