Heroine Hunts Heroines

Chapter 2

Fire Bat, huh? Fire Bat.

As her nickname suggests, her weapon of choice was a bat—specifically a flaming one. Whatever restrictions there might have been, she only used that bat in combat. And she was incredibly strong. In close-range combat, there were few people in the world who could match her.

She was also the one who insisted on teaching Yoo Eun-ha, often tormenting her in the process. Well, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to show off a bit of my skill this time.

Hanseong Academy

Hanseong Academy was the first hunter training institution established in Korea after the emergence of gates. Up until middle school, regular schooling followed the same curriculum as before the gates appeared, but starting in high school, students chose between a regular school or a hunter academy. Hanseong Academy was one of the most prestigious hunter academies, known for producing the most talented individuals, and it required either a recommendation or an entrance exam to get in.

As I made my way to the academy, various remarks caught my ears, grating on my nerves.

“Wow, Hanseong Academy really has some fine girls.”

“Damn, look at that white hair. She's stunning.”

The lecherous stares were making me uncomfortable.

I think I was supposed to be in Class 1-A. When I found the room and entered, many students had already settled in. It looked like cliques were already forming. The children of well-known guild executives stuck together, while the elites who had recently enrolled were also grouped up.

When I opened the door and stepped inside, all eyes turned toward me. Some gazes were curious, others envious, and some just plain slimy.

Of course, this is what happens. After all, I’m the younger sister of the wielder of the Divine Sword. Among the aspiring hunters, there were bound to be some who placed their hopes in me.

"Is that white hair from her awakening?"

"Yeah, if a Korean has an unusual hair color, that’s usually the case."

It seemed that the character Yoo Eun-ha had garnered some attention. Not liking all the stares, I tapped on my magic gear. As expected, the new generation entering Hanseong Academy was receiving considerable attention, particularly Choi Si-woo, who had awakened the Divine Sword. Even his photo was already making the rounds.

“Wait, hold on.”

His gray hair, his righteous and innocent-looking face... There’s no denying it, “This guy is definitely a harem protagonist.”

What more can I say?@@@@

To explain briefly:

Choi Si-woo is the protagonist of this story. And one of his heroines is me.

But when I looked at his face, one thought came to mind:

‘I really want to punch him.’

It doesn’t matter, though. He can live his life, and I’ll live mine. Just because he’s the protagonist doesn’t mean I can’t become stronger. Whatever he does with his harem is none of my business.

Come to think of it, like most harem protagonists, he’s pretty clueless.

Meanwhile, it felt as though some invisible barrier had formed around me, with the other students keeping their distance. While I enjoyed being admired, being treated like this was a bit irritating.

“Hmm?”

For a brief moment, Choi Si-woo and I locked eyes. He stared at me intently before walking over.

Suddenly, the previously noisy classroom went dead silent.

“The Divine Sword wielder is approaching his sister!”

“They must already have a connection!”

The annoyingly handsome boy with the annoyingly bright smile stood in front of me.

Why is he creating gossip all of a sudden?

“Hi, I’m Choi Si-woo. You must be the Divine Sword’s younger sister, right?”

What a social butterfly.

“I’m Yoo Eun-ha. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m a huge fan of the Polar Star of the hunter world, Yoo Jin-seok!”

“Is that so? My brother is pretty amazing. But you’re the one who awakened the Divine Sword, so you’ll probably surpass him.”

I can’t believe I just called someone ‘brother.’ This is the worst.

But for some reason, it came naturally. Even though I felt repulsed by the word, it rolled off my tongue with ease.

It’s not so bad, though. Humans are adaptable creatures by nature. I can’t go around calling him ‘hyung,’ after all. People would think I’ve lost my mind if I kept claiming I’m a guy.

“No, just because I have the Divine Sword doesn’t mean I’m that great.”

That’s when another presence caught my attention.

“Reina? I’m Choi Si-woo. Let’s be friends.”

Kim Ji-hye looked like she’d just been slapped in the face. In the original story, Yoo Eun-ha never mentioned having the ability Acceleration.

As a result, she was mocked by the other students and constantly questioned about whether she was really the Divine Sword wielder’s sister. Even though Acceleration was one of Yoo Jin-seok’s abilities, I have three unique abilities. What difference does it make if I reveal one?

“Well, aren’t you full of it? Just because your brother has Acceleration, doesn’t mean you do. I remember what a mess you were back in middle school.”

Of course, not everyone was friendly. It seemed there were some who had known Yoo Eun-ha back in her school days. Back then, she had been quiet and timid, with unkempt hair, constantly causing trouble for her older brother, Yoo Jin-seok. But now? Well, things have changed.

“There’s going to be a skills test anyway. What reason would I have to lie?”

When I casually replied, the short-haired girl who had been mocking me blushed, seemingly at a loss for words.

Who is she, anyway? Yoo Eun-ha’s memories don’t include anyone like her.

I glanced at Kim Ji-hye, and she sighed. Who told her to start with me, anyway?

“Since it’s the first day, we’ll only be doing a skills test. Head to the testing grounds!”

The testing grounds, huh? Sounds good.

"Hey, you. I may have asked you to come to the academy, but you really shouldn't lie like that," Kim Ji-hye muttered as we walked toward the testing grounds.

"It's not a lie. You'll see for yourself soon," I replied, her skeptical gaze following me all the way to the test area.

"Alright, you’ll see a wooden dummy in front of you. Use all the skills and mana you have to destroy them," Kim Ji-hye announced as we reached the testing area.

The academy's training system hadn’t changed much from the original. The life-sized wooden dummies in front of us could regenerate no matter how much damage they took. Each time you destroyed one, it counted toward your score, and the test continued until your mana ran out. The instructors used this test to assess a student's mana capacity, abilities, and combat skills, adjusting their training accordingly.

This was perfect. How many of these could I cut down with this body?

I glanced at the other students and saw they were recklessly hacking at the dummies. Yoo Eun-ha's body might be weaker than Yoo Jin-seok’s, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t keep up. After all, Kim Ji-hye had told us to use both our mana and skills, so it was all about proper application.

I released the mana stored inside me.

"Oh. That girl, she's handling her mana so well?"

Hearing Kim Ji-hye’s voice, I lunged at the wooden dummy. My unique ability was Acceleration, and it was time to demonstrate just how effective it could be. I’d also apply Parallel Circuit for an extra boost.

What happens if I push it to its limit?

I gripped the small dagger in my hand. Since my body was physically weaker, I needed to cut down as many dummies as possible with swift, single strikes. Over the past few days, I’d been training myself to handle Parallel Circuit without overloading my brain, applying just enough to maximize efficiency.

With Acceleration and Parallel Circuit active, I could feel the world around me slow down. Only I moved freely in this space, and the wooden dummy in front of me became the sole target of my attention.

I raised the dagger and destroyed the dummy’s core in one swift motion.

Crack!

How much time had passed?

It felt like an eternity from my perspective. I kept cutting down dummies, over and over, but they kept regenerating. My mana reserves were running low as the circuits I had created were nearly depleted.

"When does this end?"

“Yoo Eun-ha! Stop!” Kim Ji-hye called out.

I immediately disengaged my abilities, and a wave of exhaustion hit me. My vision blurred as I stood there, catching my breath.

"Yes, ma’am," I said, trying to remain calm despite the overwhelming fatigue.

By the time I’d stopped, the other students had already finished and were watching me from a distance.

"You had this kind of talent all along? You’re even better than your brother. Look at the scoreboard," Kim Ji-hye pointed at the rankings displayed on the screen.

I glanced up and was taken aback.

Yoo Eun-ha – 9999

Reina – 1459

Choi Si-woo – 1124

Park Ji-su – 1114

Han Soo-ji – 1057

Looks like I went all out. But still...

"Only 9,999?"

It felt like I’d destroyed way more than that.

"That’s the max score," Kim Ji-hye explained, looking uneasy as I licked my lips in mild disappointment.

The sky was growing darker—likely a side effect of using Parallel Circuit and Acceleration to such an extent. The strain on my body was immense. I needed to get home soon.

"Instructor, we’re done for the day, right?"

"Uh, yes... Yes, we're finished."

Ignoring Choi Si-woo and Reina calling after me, I bolted for home, sprinting at full speed.