Chapter 10 - Oppa, Are You Okay?

“Ugh.” I winced and clutched my chest. But the pain wasn’t confined to my chest. My whole body tingled as though I’d been electrocuted. The agony was unlike anything I’d ever felt, and I was terrified I might die right there.

‘I can’t die.’ My hands shook as I grabbed my phone to call for help, but the pain made even pressing a button a struggle. Just as I felt myself being swallowed by darkness, all the pain vanished as suddenly as if it had never been there.

“…What was that?” It had hurt enough to kill me, yet strangely, my whole body felt fine. Stunned, I opened and closed my hands and flexed my feet, then moved every part of my body. Nothing was wrong. “That’s really weird.” Should I go to the hospital or not? Deciding I would if it happened even once more, I went back inside, where Sia was fast asleep, and tried to sleep again.

* * *

The next day, the first thing I saw when I woke was, of course, beautiful Sia. She was lying beside me, smiling shyly as she looked at me. She looked like the Sia I remembered, not the “mature big sis” from last night.

“Sleep well, Oppa?” I’d wondered if last night’s role-play might carry over into today, but she called me Oppa as usual. “Mm-hmm. Did you sleep well too, Sia?” “Really well.” We started the morning with a gentle hug.

“I’m going to slice an apple. You want some too, right?” “Yeah.” Sia got out of bed and prepared breakfast, cutting fruit as she always did. The scene was no different from usual, but for some reason it felt a little strange. Maybe I was remembering the side of her I’d seen last night.

When I sat there staring into space, Sia set down the knife she’d been using to slice the apple and turned toward me. “What are you thinking about, Oppa?” “Last night.” A faint blush spread across her face. “Th-that... Oppa, I mean, yesterday I—” “Big Sis Sia.” I called her big sis teasingly, just as I had last night, and her face turned as red as a beet. Embarrassed, she covered it with both hands. “Mmm...”

“Yesterday you practically devoured me like a proper big sis, but today you’re so shy.” “Ugh. Why did I do that?” “You say that, but you looked like you were having a great time yesterday.” She’d even been the one to suggest it. Apparently, the embarrassment was only hitting her now. “Well, I liked it. Let’s try a different role next time.” In case I was making her uncomfortable, I steered the conversation elsewhere. “Anything you want to do today?”

Sia chewed her apple, considering the question with a happy look on her face, then quickly answered. “A training-ground date!” Not just a date, but a training-ground date? We used to do that sometimes back when we attended the Hunter Academy. But now that Sia was a dragon so powerful she didn’t need training, I couldn’t see why we had to go on a date at a training ground. Unless... “Are you hoping to relive the old days?” That was probably it.

“That’s part of it. But I also genuinely want to help you train. I told you yesterday, didn’t I? I can see the potential in you to become a ranker soon.” Sia was eager to draw out that potential as early as she could. Of course I wanted to see my potential blossom as soon as possible too... But that was one thing, and I still wanted to spend at least a week stuck to Sia like glue, going on dates like an ordinary couple. After all it had taken for us to be together again, couldn’t we spend a week just enjoying ourselves?

“Let’s do it until three o’clock, tops. After that, no more training-ground date—just a regular date. How does that sound?” As if she’d read my mind, Sia added that proposal. “All right, then.” “It’s a date!” We finished breakfast and headed for the training ground.

It was the same training ground we’d frequented during our academy days. I’d thought I would never come here again. “Being here brings back memories.” “Me too.” Familiar shop signs caught my eye, probably because we were near the academy campus. It really felt as though I’d traveled back a few years. Once we arrived, we put down our things and got straight to training. Or rather, I got straight to training.

I picked up the Dragon Bone Sword Sia had given me yesterday, while she fetched a chair and sat right behind me. “What should I do, teacher?” I called her that in a playful voice. “Teacher? Pfft.” “You’re the one teaching me, aren’t you? That makes you my teacher.” Apparently unused to the title, Sia squirmed in her chair. “You’re giving me goosebumps, Oppa.” “Would you rather I call you big sis?” “Mmm.” She neither agreed nor refused. But the teasing didn’t last long. Sia soon slipped into teacher mode and began supervising my training.

“Let’s see. For the monsters... wood golems should do.” “Aren’t those B-rank monsters?” I’d expected her to pick something from the C-rank monsters, but she chose B-rank wood golems for me to face. “They won’t be as hard as you think.” She said that since this was simulation training, not a real fight, we could afford to be bold. I agreed.

‘This is exciting.’ The idea had seemed a little odd at first, but the memories made me eager to try. I was excited to find out how much power I could wield, too. What talent did I have that let me draw out the Dragon Bone Sword’s power? And how far could I take it? Before training began, I gave the sword a few experimental swings. I still couldn’t tell.

“Even if it’s a simulation, you know the drill, Oppa. Don’t treat it like training. Give it everything you’ve got.” “Of course.” Come to think of it, I used to say that to Sia during our training-ground dates. I never expected to hear it turned back on me today. “Think of every wood golem that appears as some bitch trying to get your number. One swing each—slash, slash! Got it?” “Of course.” Her tone was playful, but the look in her eyes told me she wasn’t entirely joking. ‘Fair enough.’ I’d probably have been bothered by what happened too, if I were in her shoes. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh. Anyway...

With that spirited rallying cry, the simulation began. Training wood golems started spawning along the opposite wall. ‘What’s the best way to take them down?’ Wood golems had considerable defense, but their movement speed and attack power were unimpressive for B-rank monsters. Agility and stamina would be the deciding factors. Judging by yesterday’s fight, agility probably wouldn’t be much of a problem. My stamina was another matter. Still... ‘I’ll have to grit my teeth and push through.’ Wasn’t there a saying? What mattered was an unbreakable spirit. Holding on to that thought, I gripped my sword and charged straight into the middle of the enemy ranks.

The wood golems had been lumbering toward me, but they began to pick up speed. I didn’t care. Right now, boldness was all that mattered. I spotted the golem farthest from the rest, ran straight for it, and swung my sword.

SWISH!

It might not have been obvious from the outside, but I could feel it. “Got it.” The way it staggered told me the blow had landed solidly. But I couldn’t stop there. I rolled forward to dodge its sluggish attack, and as I came out of the roll, I slashed across its legs.

SLASH!

It wasn’t my imagination. Holding this sword definitely made a difference. ‘But Sia said the sword’s power alone isn’t responsible.’ I had to keep thinking about why as I swung, especially since this was training. A massive golem swung an arm at me. I ducked beneath it, leapt with all my strength, and drove my blade into another golem. ‘The reason I can fight like this...’ The Dragon Bone Sword. If it was made from a dragon’s bones, then it held a dragon’s power. A dragon. Yes. I should start by focusing on what a dragon was. How was I supposed to draw out the power of a creature that reigned supreme on earth? ‘Sia said dragons reign and rule.’ Reign and rule. I felt as if I was close to understanding something, but it hadn’t quite clicked. Those words hardly suited a mere D-rank hunter like me. But if I wanted to draw out even a little of the dragon’s power in the sword, didn’t I first have to become someone worthy of it?

According to Sia, those who had drawn out the Dragon Bone Sword’s power to its limit had generally become rulers. Someone born to humble circumstances would become a king and reign; the king of a small nation would unite a continent and reign over it. So shouldn’t I swing my sword with the ambition to become a ruler, too? I still didn’t know why I’d been able to draw out its power, but I was starting to understand, however faintly, the mindset I needed when I used it. I couldn’t think of myself as a challenger. I had to swing as though I stood above them from the start. Not hoping to learn a thing or two, but intending to teach them a thing or two. I struck a golem as if I were hitting a practice dummy.

CRAAACK!

The blow felt heavier than before, and the golem fell in a single hit. I checked Sia’s reaction. “Nice, Oppa!” Her face was full of surprise and delight. “That’s one number-chaser down.” I pointed playfully at the golem, still swaying a little from my strike. As a dragon, she probably couldn’t forget yesterday’s unpleasant incident, but maybe I could help ease her feelings about it a little. “Not that she could hold a candle to my Sia.” “Exactly, exactly.” I’d deliberately added that cheesy line, and Sia nodded, apparently pleased.

Sia was happy, and I was starting to get the hang of it. All that was left was to press forward. Forget what sword I held and what enemies stood before me. The wood golems kept multiplying, but I swung without a care. Confidence and exhilaration unlike anything I’d felt before began to sweep through me. Was this what it meant to lose myself in the fight? Little by little, my mind began to grow hazy. ‘...No.’ At first I’d mistaken it for that, but this was different. Even as my mind grew hazy, strange pains began spreading through my body, almost too intense to bear. It was the same pain I’d felt briefly on the rooftop last night. My legs began to give way. “Oppa? Are you okay?” I needed to tell her I wasn’t, to ask her for help. But for some reason, no words came out. At this rate, I’d collapse any second.

CLANG!

My grip failed and I dropped the sword. I reached toward Sia to ask for help. “Si...a...” But for some reason, I couldn’t get the words out properly. The last thing I saw was Sia rushing toward me in alarm. Then I lost consciousness.