Chapter 5. Special Division Rookie (1)
Mastering even a single weapon required tremendous time and effort.
A first-rate swordsman could devote his entire life to the sword.
A martial artist trained their own body until it became a weapon.
That didn't mean using multiple weapons was impossible.
Even warriors of old sometimes spent their lives mastering both the sword and bow.
But that only applied...
...to ordinary people.
“Did you just say... you can use more than thirty kinds of weapons?”
Park Min-ho, so shocked that he grabbed the microphone from Choi Ji-woong, asked the question himself.
“...”
Kim Si-hyeon didn't answer.
The moment Park Min-ho saw his eyes, he realized his mistake and hurriedly apologized.
“S-Sorry. I'm not doubting you...”
“...They were all weapons I used regularly.”
Kim Si-hyeon's slow reply came through.
“...”
It was hard to believe.
A Hunter's mana circuit resonates with a certain weapon. To properly use mana, Hunters generally need a specific weapon suited to them.
Normally, a Hunter used only one weapon.
Special cases might use two.
“...Still, the one I used most often was...”
Then Kim Si-hyeon finally chose a weapon.
Something unfamiliar in the East.
“This.”
A halberd.
What weapon was best for dealing with zombies?
There was no debate.
A shotgun.
A gun that fired something closer to a grenade than a single bullet.
Even someone unfamiliar with firearms could blow a zombie's head apart at close range.
There were countless other useful guns, too.
But firearms had one obvious limit.
Ammunition.
Without bullets, their destructive power dropped drastically.
More importantly, as someone born in South Korea, it hadn't been easy for me to obtain guns.
There wasn't a weapon I hadn't tried.
My standards for choosing weapons were simple.
As long as it could crush, pierce, or blow apart a zombie's skull, it was usable.
I had tried swords.
But human bone wasn't easy to cut through.
More importantly, when fighting multiple zombies, blood and grease quickly ruined the edge.
Without time for proper maintenance, swords often broke.
Axes and clubs worked better.
But there was another important factor.
Distance.
That was the strength of guns and bows.
If a zombie bit you, you became one.
The closer you were to a zombie, the more likely you were to get bitten.
So when fighting zombies, a weapon with long reach wasn't merely recommended.
It was essential.
From that perspective...
Swish.
The halberd was nearly perfect.
A spear tip at the end.
An axe blade on one side.
A hook on the other.
If you wrapped the shaft in wire or ran electricity through it, zombies absolutely loved it.
“...We'll test the other weapons later. For now, let's begin.”
Choi Ji-woong's voice came through.
“A mana construct will appear. Please deal with it however you like.”
The moment he finished speaking, a strange humanoid dummy appeared in the center of the training area.
“Oh.”
Interesting.
While staying in the safe house, I had studied this world's monsters.
Creatures different from zombies.
And...
Mana.
I had learned about that mysterious power, too.
“The Association training ground is designed to simulate combat for S-Rank Hunters, so please control your strength. Then...”
Beep. Beep.
A warning signal began to sound.
BEEEEEP!
The moment the alarm shrieked sharply through the room...
“Hup!”
The dummy lunged at me and swung one sharp arm.
Even while staying in the safe house, I hadn't skipped physical training for a single day.
It was the most basic requirement for survival.
Still, it had been a long time since I'd actually fought.
Since the zombie outbreak began, I couldn't remember ever having such a long period without combat.
But...
CLANG!
My body remembered.
It remembered how to survive.
How to move.
Clang!
The dummy was different from zombies, which had once been human.
Its movements and attack angles were strange enough to briefly confuse me.
But...
STAB!
The instant a gap appeared, I drove the halberd into its chest without hesitation.
Then...
CRUNCH!
I cut straight through it.
BEEP!
A signal announced the end of the test.
The dummy turned into particles and disappeared.
“...Something's strange.”
Park Min-ho spoke while watching the test.
Fear of Kim Si-hyeon had made it difficult for him to think clearly, but now that he was focusing on his profession, Illusion of Death seemed to finally be doing its job.
“What seems strange?”
Choi Ji-woong asked.
“The weapon technique itself... is incredible. I've never seen movement like that.”
The way Kim Si-hyeon handled the halberd had genuinely shocked Park Min-ho.
“Actually, I don't even know if you can call that a weapon technique.”
Weapon techniques normally followed some kind of structure.
Methods of responding to situations.
Methods of creating favorable situations.
In other words, every technique was built around certain scenarios.
The better the weapon technique, the more situations it could handle, and the more efficiently a single movement could be adapted.
But Kim Si-hyeon's movements were different.
“That was... like an animal.”
Closer to instinct than technique.
A lion didn't use a special martial art when hunting a rabbit.
It simply charged, pounced, and tore it apart.
Yet the rabbit could never escape that sequence.
“...I can't even see an opening. I don't know how you'd fight him.”
“I agree.”
Between their lives as soldiers and their lives as Hunters, both men had seen countless combat styles.
And yet Kim Si-hyeon's movement left them speechless.
“But what exactly was strange?”
Choi Ji-woong asked again.
