Chapter 30: Into the Deep

“Anyway… this is actually pretty fun. Combining skills.”

Seong Ji-woo lifted the corners of his lips. In his mind, he imagined crafting personalized weapons—something beyond just selling artifacts loaded with simple buffs. If he found the right combinations, it could be quite profitable.

“I thought you’d like it, sunbae.”

Yoo Hee-ro answered brightly, looking proud.

“Well, Kim Yoo-cheol is coming in the next round… we should probably prepare for that.”

Dealers without support abilities were allowed to join directly. There was a five-minute time limit, but Ji-woo didn’t think it was unfair. His own support buffs lasted around ten minutes anyway.

“He’ll probably join during the last five minutes.”

Naturally, since that would be the highlight—the moment that decided the match. They either had to secure points beforehand or endure the final five minutes well. Soon, the location draw for Round 3 began. The roulette spun and names of locations flashed on the screen one by one…

“Swimming… pool?”

The place where Kim Yoo-cheol’s team and Ji-woo’s team would face off was the swimming pool. The moment it appeared, Lee Soo-hyun’s face turned pale and he bolted out of the room.

“I—I can’t do this…!”

Ji-woo wondered why, until he remembered: Soo-hyun’s ability was electricity. If he misused his power, something catastrophic could happen. Not only to him, but to everyone with him.

Teachers gathered to discuss the situation. Soo-hyun waited anxiously beside them, fidgety and restless.

“For fairness of the rules, we will proceed as is. No location change. But Soo-hyun, please come here for a moment.”

After a long discussion, they finally called Ji-woo and Hee-ro over as well.

“We’ve decided to add a special rule.”

The special rule was this: Round 3 lasted 30 minutes total. Instead of individual turns only, each side would have 10 minutes for offense, and the remaining 10 minutes would allow both teams to attack simultaneously.

“If you both agree, we’ll proceed.”

Before Ji-woo or Hee-ro could answer, Kim Yoo-cheol burst forward with a shout.

“Either way, it’s our loss! During the shared ten minutes, that bastard can’t do anything anyway! He’ll just stand there and watch!”

It was a sharp insult. Soo-hyun stood silently beside him. Ji-woo stepped back, thinking the person who mattered most should decide.

“Hee-ro, what do you think? You’re the one going in. You choose.”

Yoo-cheol shifted his burning gaze to Hee-ro, pressuring him to agree quickly. Hee-ro answered without hesitation.

“I don’t mind.”

Ji-woo nodded as well.

“Alright then. Let’s go.”

The moment they entered the indoor swimming pool, the heavy humid smell hit them. Voices echoed off the walls. The stands were on the second floor behind a giant pane of glass overlooking the pool.

This place wasn’t used often—mostly by those with water-type abilities. Ji-woo himself had trained here only once or twice.

It had been just to check whether his abilities worked underwater—and thankfully, they did. The problem was his terrible swimming.

Aside from the four competitors and the referee, no one else was allowed near the pool. Ji-woo sat at the referee’s table with the supervising teacher. Kim Yoo-cheol appeared first, wearing a leg-skin swimsuit for mid-round entry. His exposed torso annoyed Ji-woo enough that he turned his gaze away.

Come to think of it, I didn’t get to see water even once this summer…

He had been too busy with his internship. No beach, no river, no pool. It was a little disappointing.

But next year… I’ll be free to enjoy it as much as I want.

Letting go of the hunter path made him excited for life after graduation. Ji-woo smiled at the peaceful future he imagined. Soon, Hee-ro and Soo-hyun arrived in full diving suits. Standing next to the slim Soo-hyun…

That’s… Hee-ro?

With uniforms they looked normal, but the diving suit revealed everything. It clung to Hee-ro’s broad shoulders and defined muscles, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. His chest and shoulders stretched the fabric tightly, while his abdomen had space to spare despite the tight fit. Ji-woo knew Hee-ro was toned, but… this was closer to a fitness magazine model than a fashion model.

…Why do I feel betrayed?

So this was what innate muscle looked like. Not a trace of fat anywhere, even though fat had an important purpose in the body!

Water dripped from Hee-ro’s freshly washed hair. The darker shade of his wet hair settled heavily. Annoyed by the strands over his eyes, he casually brushed his hair up. Beneath it, the straight forehead, sculpted brow ridge, and the face Ji-woo had admired shone even under the bluish pool lights.

“What the hell… damn.”

Yoo-cheol muttered a curse, apparently feeling some inexplicable defeat. His confident posture wavered.

Hee-ro scanned around after leaving the locker room, then walked straight toward Ji-woo at the judge’s table. Seeing him instantly return to the usual Hee-ro, Ji-woo let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Right. Hee-ro is still Hee-ro.

Ji-woo brushed the hair poking into Hee-ro’s eyes back and asked:

“Ever practiced underwater?”

“…No, never.”

He figured as much. Water wasn’t a lethal weakness for Hee-ro, but the visual distortion underwater would definitely cause problems. And there was always a risk of accidents.

“Don’t overdo it. Safety first and second. If you get hurt here, only you lose. Got it?”

Ji-woo truly hoped Hee-ro wouldn’t push himself too hard.

“Yes, thank you.”

Hee-ro looked carefree. Which only made Ji-woo more worried.

“Be careful!” Ji-woo shouted as Hee-ro walked away.

Hee-ro turned back and nodded vigorously.

“Hee-ro, you’ll attack first. Please move to standby.”

Hee-ro put on his gear and stepped in front of the pool. The deep water churned below him. Sensors at the bottom would detect his attacks—no other obstacles. But reaching 5 meters underwater and striking precisely was incredibly difficult.

Even bullets struggled beyond 2 meters.

The countdown began.

BEEP—

The whistle blew.

And Ji-woo thought:

Wait. Does Hee-ro even know how to swim?

Right on cue, Hee-ro dove in without hesitation.

“So he can swim.”

The underwater camera showed him clearly. After the splash settled, Hee-ro was surrounded by shimmering water shadows—reflections rippling on the pool floor. Like seaweed in the ocean, they swayed with the water. Lightweight shadows drifted smoothly toward the sensor, unimpeded by drag.

They surrounded it and struck all at once.

As Hee-ro reached the bottom, his own shadow darkened and joined the assault. Unlike his movements on land, it was fluid and graceful. But appearances deceived—his shadows were delivering tremendous damage.

The problem was his breath.

He grabbed the safety rope and surfaced for air. While he breathed, the shadows weakened. Worse, the farther he drifted from the bottom, the fainter his own shadow became—until it stopped moving entirely.

“Ah…”

Ji-woo sighed. His assumption had been wrong—Hee-ro was disadvantaged underwater. He compensated only through excellent diving skill. Ji-woo sharply regretted using his buff in Round 2.

“Figures.”

Seeing Hee-ro struggling, Yoo-cheol relaxed.

“Want to know something? You shouldn’t have accepted that rule.”

As Hee-ro’s ten minutes neared their end, Yoo-cheol grinned triumphantly. Hee-ro’s score ended up slightly above average.

Then it was Soo-hyun’s turn. He inhaled deeply during the countdown.

Is Soo-hyun some kind of amazing swimmer?

Trying to understand Yoo-cheol’s confidence, Ji-woo narrowed his eyes and watched Soo-hyun prepare to dive.

[START]

“….”

But Soo-hyun didn’t jump.

Yoo-cheol whistled loudly.