134

Chapter 134 — The Invitation

The Philippine expedition ended sooner than expected.

After discovering the lower mana-regulation layer, the team had enough information for the local authority to begin long-term observation. The dungeon was still developing, but there were no signs that it was preparing to expand toward nearby settlements. Its ecosystem had become remarkably stable, and the strongest creatures inside appeared more interested in maintaining their territories than attacking humans.

For that reason, Director Kang decided against sending the team deeper.

Subin agreed.

There was little value in entering an unexplored region simply because it existed.

They returned to Korea two days later.

The moment Subin entered the Association headquarters, he noticed something had changed.

The training hall was crowded.

Much more crowded than before.

Young Awakeners filled almost every available space. Some practiced with swords, others trained their abilities under instructors, while several groups were gathered around large screens displaying combat footage.

Min-seok looked around.

"What happened?"

Jae-hyun checked his phone.

"Apparently the Association announced a new program."

Ara raised an eyebrow.

"What program?"

Jae-hyun turned the screen toward them.

The headline read:

International Awakener Development League Announced

Yerin read the article.

"That was fast."

Director Kang appeared behind them.

"It wasn't exactly fast."

Everyone turned.

"The discussions began during the international exchange."

He motioned for them to follow him.

The group entered a conference room.

A large screen displayed a world map with several countries highlighted.

Director Kang continued.

"The international exchange demonstrated that cooperation between A-rank Awakeners is becoming increasingly important. But we have a problem."

He changed the screen.

"The first generation of Awakeners learned almost entirely through combat and survival. There was no established education system, no standardized training, and almost no reliable information."

Subin nodded.

"That's changing."

"Exactly."

The next slide displayed several training facilities.

"Every major country is now developing formal Awakener academies and training programs. The problem is that their methods are completely different."

Min-seok leaned back.

"Is that bad?"

"Not necessarily."

Director Kang smiled.

"But it means we have no reliable way to compare different training systems."

He brought up another document.

"The International Awakener Federation wants to establish an annual event where promising Awakeners from different countries train and compete under controlled conditions."

Ara looked interested.

"Another tournament?"

"Partly."

Director Kang looked at Subin.

"But this isn't designed primarily for the established A-rankers."

Subin understood.

"The younger generation."

"Yes."

The program would include C-, B-, and selected A-rank Awakeners who had awakened within the past year. There would be combat exercises, rescue simulations, team missions, dungeon strategy tests, and individual evaluations.

The purpose wasn't simply to determine who was strongest.

It was intended to establish common training standards and give young Awakeners experience working with people from different countries.

Min-seok smiled.

"So why are we here?"

Director Kang looked at Subin.

"Because they want you to participate as an instructor."

Subin stared at him.

"No."

Min-seok burst out laughing.

"I knew it!"

Director Kang remained calm.

"They also want Yerin, Min-seok, Ara, Jae-hyun, Ethan, Liu Wei, and several other experienced A-rankers."

Subin looked at Yerin.

She was trying not to smile.

"You knew?"

"Director Kang mentioned it yesterday."

"You didn't tell me."

"I wanted to see your reaction."

Ara laughed.

Subin looked back at Director Kang.

"What exactly would I have to do?"

"Three weeks."

Subin's expression changed slightly.

"Three weeks?"

"Two weeks of training and one week of evaluation."

"That's long."

Yerin leaned toward him.

"You don't have to fight every day."

Subin looked at her.

"I know."

"Then?"

He sighed.

"I'll do it."

Min-seok looked shocked.

"That was surprisingly easy."

Subin ignored him.

Director Kang continued.

"The event will be held in Seoul. Around one hundred and fifty young Awakeners are expected."

Jae-hyun asked, "From how many countries?"

"Twenty-three confirmed so far."

That caught everyone's attention.

Twenty-three countries meant the event would be considerably larger than the original exchange.

Subin wasn't particularly interested in the ceremony or media attention, but the opportunity to observe different combat styles appealed to him.

He had already learned from Liu Wei and Ethan.

There were probably hundreds of different approaches to swordsmanship developing around the world.

He wanted to see them.

The first training day began a week later.

The young Awakeners arrived gradually.

Some were nervous.

Others were confident.

A few were clearly intimidated by the A-rank instructors.

Subin understood the feeling.

He remembered what it had been like when he first entered the Association.

At that time, even a C-rank Awakener seemed overwhelmingly powerful.

Now he was standing at the front of the same training hall.

The thought felt strange.

Director Kang introduced the instructors.

When Subin's name was announced, the room became noticeably quieter.

Several young swordsmen immediately began whispering.

"That's him."

"The Sword God."

"He won the national A-rank evaluation."

"I heard he defeated an A-rank swordsman without using his strongest technique."

"I heard he doesn't belong to any guild."

Subin ignored the comments.

The first exercise was simple.

Every participant had to demonstrate their primary combat ability.

Subin watched from the side.

There were swordsmen, spearmen, archers, martial artists, elemental users, tanks, assassins, beast tamers, and support-type Awakeners.

The variety was much greater than he expected.

One young Canadian Awakener could reinforce his skin with a stone-like layer.

A French mage could create temporary platforms of compressed mana.

A Japanese swordswoman specialized in extremely short-range attacks.

A Brazilian martial artist used mana to enhance rotational force.

An Indian B-rank spear user had developed a technique based around controlling distance rather than directly attacking.

Subin watched everything.

He wasn't judging them.

He was learning.

After the demonstrations, the participants were divided into training groups.

Subin received twelve swordsmen.

Most were C-rank.

Two were B-rank.

One was A-rank.

The A-rank swordsman was a nineteen-year-old Korean named Han Seojun.

He had awakened only four months earlier.

His swordsmanship, however, was already advanced because he had trained in traditional martial arts since childhood.

When Seojun stood before Subin, he looked confident.

"I've studied your matches."

Subin nodded.

"I see."

"I want to fight you."

The other participants immediately became interested.

Min-seok, watching from another section, laughed.

"Here we go."

Yerin glanced toward him.

"Don't encourage them."

Subin looked at Seojun.

"You can spar with me after the session."

Seojun seemed surprised.

"Really?"

"Yes."

The training continued.

Subin focused on fundamentals.

Most of the young swordsmen were too eager to demonstrate techniques.

They moved quickly but wasted mana.

Several relied heavily on predictable combinations.

One repeatedly attacked with three-step patterns.

Another kept his dominant foot too far forward.

Subin corrected them individually.

"You're moving before deciding."

"Your shoulder gives away the attack."

"You're protecting your sword instead of controlling the opponent."

"Your second attack is stronger than your first. That means your first attack isn't meant to hit."

The participants gradually became more focused.

After two hours, the training session ended.

Seojun remained.

"Now?"

Subin nodded.

They entered the sparring area.

Yerin, Min-seok, and Ara watched from the observation platform.

Seojun drew his sword.

Subin did the same.

The barrier activated.

Seojun attacked immediately.

His movement was fast.

Much faster than most B-rank swordsmen.

His first strike came from a high angle, but it changed halfway through.

Subin blocked.

Seojun rotated his wrist and turned the blocked attack into a horizontal cut.

Subin stepped backward.

The young swordsman followed.

He wasn't simply attacking.

He was adapting.

Subin's eyes sharpened.

Seojun's swordsmanship wasn't refined enough to challenge him seriously, but the foundation was excellent.

Another attack came.

Subin parried.

Seojun changed his grip.

Subin moved aside.

The young swordsman suddenly stopped.

His next attack never came.

Instead, he changed his stance.

Subin smiled faintly.

"Good."

Seojun looked surprised.

"You noticed?"

"You stopped trying to complete the combination."

"Yes."

"You realized I was waiting for it."

Seojun nodded.

Subin stepped forward.

Their swords crossed.

The exchange lasted several seconds.

Subin didn't overwhelm him.

Instead, he deliberately reduced the difference between their speeds, allowing Seojun to experience the exchange rather than simply lose immediately.

Eventually, Seojun made a small mistake.

His weight shifted too far forward.

Subin tapped his sword against Seojun's chest.

The barrier activated.

The match ended.

Seojun lowered his sword.

"I lost."

"Yes."

"But I didn't feel helpless."

Subin nodded.

"That's important."

Seojun looked at him.

"What should I fix?"

"Nothing immediately."

The young man looked confused.

"Why?"

"You're still developing."

Subin sheathed his sword.

"Don't try to become like me."

Seojun froze.

Subin continued.

"Your swordsmanship is different. Develop it."

The young swordsman looked down at his sword.

For the first time since the spar began, his expression became thoughtful rather than frustrated.

"Understood."

As he left, Yerin approached Subin.

"You handled that well."

"He has potential."

"You didn't tell him how to copy your techniques."

"That wouldn't help."

She smiled.

"You're definitely becoming a teacher."

Subin sighed.

"I still don't like that word."

"Too late."

Across the hall, Min-seok was arguing with several young Awakeners who had challenged him.

Ara was laughing at him.

Jae-hyun was helping a group of defensive fighters.

The Association no longer felt like the place Subin had entered months ago.

It had become something much larger.

A community.

A training ground.

A place where the next generation was beginning to grow.

That evening, after everyone had left, Subin and Yerin sat on the rooftop.

The city stretched beneath them.

Thousands of lights filled the streets.

Yerin rested her arms on the railing.

"Do you ever think about how strange this is?"

"What?"

"Everything."

She looked at the city.

"Before Awakening, none of this existed."

Subin nodded.

"Now children are learning how to fight monsters."

"Exactly."

She turned toward him.

"What do you think the world will look like in ten years?"

Subin considered the question.

"I don't know."

Yerin smiled.

"You've become very good at saying that."

"I mean it."

"I know."

He looked at the city again.

"There will be stronger Awakeners."

"Definitely."

"More dungeons."

"Probably."

"New countries will develop their own combat styles."

Yerin nodded.

"And maybe new worlds."

Subin's eyes shifted slightly.

Neither of them knew how close that possibility actually was.

For now, Earth remained the only world humanity knew.

But mana had already begun changing everything.

Subin looked at his hand.

His path had started with a single sword.

Now he was surrounded by hundreds of people learning how to wield their own abilities.

He had once believed reaching the peak meant separating himself from everyone else.

He was beginning to understand something different.

A peak was only meaningful if there was something beyond it.

And the world was already building the road there.

Yerin stood.

"Come on."

"Where?"

"Dinner."

Subin looked at her.

"We ate already."

"That was four hours ago."

"I'm not hungry."

"I am."

Subin stood.

"Then let's go."

Yerin smiled.

They walked toward the elevator together.

Neither noticed Director Kang watching them from the hallway.

He shook his head with a faint smile before returning to his office.

The world was producing stronger Awakeners.

The dungeons were evolving.

International cooperation was growing.

And the next generation was beginning to take its first steps.

For Subin, the sword remained the center of his journey.

But increasingly, the people walking beside him were becoming part of that journey too.