Chapter 84: The Silent Swordswoman

After the source of the capital became clear,

Hae Eung Eung decisively decided to invest 2 billion won.

[I’ll pay the deposit myself.]

“Isn’t the burden too heavy for you?”

[You mentioned that we can earn money through guild activities, right?]

“By exterminating monsters, harvesting magic stones, or accepting contracted requests.”

[Are there requests for teaching martial arts as well?]

“Teaching requests… Let me check for you.”

Seo Gyeong Seok quickly brought back the information.

“Teaching requests are divided into three categories.”

” Private tutoring requests, special guest lecturer requests at Awakener academies, and martial arts instruction requests from smaller guilds.”

“Ah, unnie. Were you thinking the same thing just now?”

Joo Ahyoung asked, and Hae Eung Eung nodded.

Awakener academies.

Having worked as a part-time instructor once, she had a rough idea of what the job entailed.

The treatment for guest lecturers would likely be better than that of a part-time instructor.

[I don’t want to go to the Awakener academy around here.]

It was an academy that trained prospective guild members for the Myeongho Guild.

There was no reason to train the Awakener trainees there.

“Alright. In that case, I’ll exclude the academy requests nearby and show you the list of private requests.”

Private requests varied greatly, from payment to educational conditions.

“For private requests, they seek martial arts instructors who will train their disciples for a long period of time. Naturally, the pay is high.”

[This one looks good.]

Hae Eung Eung selected the request after considering just two factors:

how little she would work and how much she would earn.

“Haha. Low effort and high reward requests are indeed the best. However, these requests usually have strict conditions, as the clients value their time highly.”

[There are probably few instructors stronger than me.]

“Of course, in terms of fighting, I believe the Guild Master wouldn’t lose to anyone. However, what these clients are looking for is a martial arts certification.”

[Do they accept Awakener certifications?]

“Unfortunately, no. Let me see… the request you just chose is asking for a martial arts instructor with a rank of 20th dan or higher across all martial arts.”

” Additionally, they want to review competition records.”

Hae Eung Eung looked disappointed.

Seo Gyeong Seok thought it was rather unexpected.

“Do you not have any competition records?”

[None.]

“How many dan certifications do you hold?”

[None.]

“…That is even scarier. To think you became such a formidable fighter without even learning martial arts.”

Joo Ahyoung proudly intervened.

“Unnie trained in seclusion in the mountains all by herself!”

“Is that really true?”

Hae Eung Eung nodded.

Her skills were undeniable, but it was difficult to meet the conditions required by the private clients.

Seo Gyeong Seok boldly removed all the private requests from the list.

“Then, the requests for teaching martial arts to Awakeners should be more suitable.”

[Is it fine if I don’t have a certification or competition records?]

“Of course.”

[But why do you keep removing the lists from Awakener guilds?]

“Haha, don’t worry about places like that. They’re not worth your attention. They’re nothing special.”

[It seems like even the guilds with a star mark have been removed from the list.]

“Haha, it’s just a feeling.”

Awakeners also look at certifications and competition records.

But Seo Gyeong Seok didn’t want to directly mention it in case it irritated the mood, so he laughed it off.

In the end, what remained were guilds that would accept her despite lacking certifications and competition records.

“These guilds require martial arts specific to Awakeners, which combine superior strength and skills.”

” The requests are the most demanding as they seek new martial arts and skill transfer that can be applied in real-world situations.”

[Should I learn swordsmanship too?]

“Of course. The reason is simple: in dungeons, swords are the most common equipment, and Awakeners tend to use them as their main weapons.”

Hae Eung Eung looked at the request form with a displeased expression.

[There’s no payment listed.]

“They’ve all been removed if they’re scammers, so you don’t need to worry. This is a sign of confidence that they will pay according to your skill.”

[Is that so?]

According to skill.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Hae Eung Eung’s lips.

‘Only someone who recognizes true talent would make such a statement.’

Could there be a master in that guild who would satisfy her?

Her curiosity was piqued.

[This one will do.]

She had the 2 billion won for the deposit,

but for setting up the guild, there were plenty of holes where the money could leak.

There were wages to pay for staff,

additional expenses for purchasing the guild office and internal facilities,

and of course, vehicles and business expenses needed for operations. So, for now, it was time to earn money.

“Unnie, what about me? How can I help?”

Hae Eung Eung, with a kind smile, attached a page from her notebook to her sister’s forehead.

[Joo Ahyoung’s Schedule]

Myo Shi (5 AM) – Wake up

Mabo posture training

Running for one hour

Weaponless training for one hour

O Shi (11 AM) – Half an hour (1 hour) Lunch and rest

Internal energy cultivation for one hour

Study for one hour

Specialized knowledge study for one hour

Yu Shi (6 PM) – Half an hour Dinner

Free training for one hour

The schedule was tightly packed,

and Joo Ahyoung frowned.

“Is this really it for today? I’m the only Awakener who doesn’t go hunting and only trains.”

[Trust me. There will come a day when you’ll thank me.]

“Who doesn’t trust you? I’m just a little… anxious.”

While she was doing this, her sister seemed to be getting stronger.

Understanding her sister’s feelings,

Hae Eung Eung pointed out the necessary areas of focus for her training.

While studying academics and specialized knowledge might seem unrelated to martial arts,

it was surprisingly important for martial artists.

To read secret books,

one needed to know Chinese characters,

and building knowledge about muscles, tendons, and the human body

helped both internal and external martial arts.

[The kids learning outside will have to pay a lot more to learn things worse than this.]

“Really?”

Once again, her sister was on her side.

Joo Ahyoung felt happy and filled with motivation.

‘I’ll train hard and then do jumping rabbit afterward!’

A comprehensive 14-hour training schedule for the day.

Min Woo Seong and Woo Ji Woo

prayed that Joo Ahyoung would get so tired of training

that she wouldn’t be able to make a single jumping sound.

But with her five years of balancing Awakener training and convenience store work,

Joo Ahyoung’s physical and mental strength was so impressive

that she could easily complete the schedule and still enjoy some fun afterward.

To be blunt, it was a prayer made in vain.

Dae San Guild.

Unlike guilds with administrative districts that bore their names,

Dae San Guild was not yet powerful enough to control such an area.

However, Awakener members from Dae San Guild were highly regarded for their physical training,

making the guild recognized in the industry.

“The problem is that their recognition is all about scouting. We train them with difficulty,

only for them to leave for better guilds,

and we can’t even do anything because of the penalty fees. We’re losing them all.”

The Guild Master of Dae San Guild, Cheol Dae San, started with complaints as soon as they met.

His words were long, but the core was simple.

“You want to stop the outflow of talent and have martial arts that are on par with other guilds, correct?”

“Exactly!”

“And it would be even better if the martial arts were differentiated from the existing ones.”

“That’s right!”

“The training period can be negotiable, but we can offer top-tier industry-level costs.”

“Of course!”

“Then, our instructor’s help will be essential.”

The negotiation went smoothly.

Of course, Cheol Dae San wasn’t naïve.

“However, we’ll need to assess the instructor’s skill.”

“I think it’ll be fine for you to come in.”

At Seo Gyeong Seok’s words, Hae Eung Eung stepped into the interview room.

Instead of the outfit Joo Ahyoung had coordinated,

Hae Eung Eung was fully geared in combat attire.

At her imposing entrance,

Cheol Dae San couldn’t maintain the dignity of an B-class Awakener

and immediately jumped to his feet.

Heh. Did Cheol Dae San just feel a sense of caution? Against a young female Awakener barely reaching my chest?

Cheol Dae San couldn’t hide his surprise.

Small stature, young age, female.

With conditions that were unfavorable for becoming a strong Awakener,

if they had met by chance on the street,

he would have looked at her with a pleased smile,

yet he felt an intense sense of vigilance from her.

“Are you a swordswoman?”

Hae Eung Eung nodded.

“Though my teacher doesn’t have a certification or records of championships,

the swordsmanship she developed independently in a remote mountain village, away from the secular world,

can confidently be called the strongest in Korea.”

Seo Gyeong Seok, eager to praise Hae Eung Eung,

was busy buttering her up,

but Cheol Dae San remained tense,

his whole body brimming with strength,

continually letting out soft sighs.

Just as interesting as the veteran experts of the Myungho Guild.

With murderous intent,

Hae Eung Eung mentally drew the trajectory of her sword,

and Cheol Dae San’s body twitched, reacting.

He had such a keen sense,

almost animalistic in its awareness,

that he could catch even the smallest hint of intent.

This level of talent in sensing was enough to qualify for sword training.

“Cheol Dae San? If, by chance, you’re not impressed by my teacher,

would you like to see her skill firsthand?”

“I’ve already seen enough. If I couldn’t sense it after this, I would have to quit as guild leader. Forget about the other details,

there’s just one thing I want to ask.”

Cheol Dae San asked Hae Eung Eung, now with a serious expression.

“What martial arts do you think are most necessary for me and my guild members?”

Seo Gyeong Seok, who was silently observing, thought to himself,

It’s obviously going to be some powerful martial art that can utilize those overflowing muscles. Just throwing a punch would be enough to reduce most monsters to a bloody mess.

Would she be teaching great swordsmanship?

He privately hoped it was great swordsmanship,

keeping an eye on Cheol Dae San and Dae San Guild’s strengths, but Hae Eung Eung, on the other hand, focused on their weaknesses.

[The martial art needed for Dae San Guild is one that suppresses their wild instincts.]

Cheol Dae San stood up and clapped.

“Wonderful! Those who don’t know anything would try to teach martial arts that just use brute strength, but do we look like we lack power?”

[With their overly sensitive instincts, normal martial arts would have caused too many problems while training.]

“Exactly. We have some financial stability, but the reason we haven’t found usable martial arts is because of these sensitive wild instincts.”

[Do all of your guild members have the same condition?]

It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but yes, all of our guild members share the same characteristics. We come from the werewolf bloodline.”

“Ah, a werewolf bloodline.”

“Yes, a mix of human and wolf blood. We have the instincts of a monster combined with a human body.”

Her curiosity piqued by the similarity to a half-demon tale,

Hae Eung Eung grew more interested.

[Could I see your guild members?]

“I’ll show you.”

Without hesitation, Cheol Dae San led her to the training room where the guild members were gathered.

And what happened next took both Cheol Dae San and Hae Eung Eung by surprise.

“Huh? A silent swordsman?”

“Holy cow, it’s real!”

“A silent swordsman is here!”

“What? Is this for real?”

“Whoa!”

“I’m a fan! Can I get your autograph?”

“Please shake my hand!”

“Can you show us your Wind-Cutting technique?”

An impromptu fan meeting took place.