The Grimm pack burst out of the ruins in a wave of claws and teeth. Dust scattered in the air as the first Beowolf leapt forward—only to be cut clean in half by Crescent Rose. Ruby spun the scythe with practiced grace, her red afterimages streaking like petals across the street.
Yang roared as she launched herself into the fray, gauntlets flaring with shotgun blasts, each punch rattling bone and shadow. Weiss darted behind her, glyphs appearing underfoot as she launched precise thrusts, fencing through Grimm skulls. Blake slipped between attacks, blades flashing, vanishing into shadow and striking from angles the Beowolves couldn't predict.
Team NOVA moved in next, each member distinctly different but seamlessly syncing.
Jaemin rushed forward first, bladed tonfa in hand. A Beowolf swung its claws down, but Jaemin slid beneath it, spinning his weapon into glaive form mid-movement. His Semblance—Shift Momentum—activated, turning his dodge into explosive force. He redirected the Beowolf's swipe, flipping its massive body headfirst into the pavement before cleaving through its neck in one flowing strike.
"Too slow!" he yelled, grinning as another lunged. He braced, redirected its momentum into a spin, and kicked it straight into Yang's waiting fist.
Jiwon stayed back at first, calm eyes scanning. His staff snapped into two short blades, and the air shimmered faintly around him. Echo Sense pulsed outward, invisible waves bouncing through the ruins. He closed his eyes for a second—then nodded . "Three closing from the left."
Before Blake even noticed, Jiwon moved. His twin blades slashed with surgical precision, meeting each Grimm exactly where his Semblance told him they'd be. Every strike was clean, efficient—never wasted.
Meanwhile, Jisoo darted across the battlefield with wild speed. Her chakram spun in wide arcs, carving glowing trails through the air. Each time she stepped, Step Burst flared, sending her surging forward in a sudden burst of speed. A Beowolf snapped at her, but she vanished from its jaws in a blink, reappearing behind it with her chakram buried in its spine.
Ruby's eyes widened as she watched. "She's fast!"
Jisoo smirked, twirling her chakram before launching it into another Grimm's skull. "Keep up, little leader!"
Zwei barked, darting between Grimm legs, causing just enough distraction for Weiss to land a clean strike.
Through it all, Oobleck stood at the edge of the chaos, sipping coffee as though he were in a lecture hall. His eyes flicked rapidly across the battle, noting every Grimm movement, every student's reaction. "Fascinating... Miss Belladonna's evasive approach synergizes with Mr. Jiwon's predictive combat... Ah, splendid adjustment by Mr. Jaemin—redirecting kinetic energy into rotational force. And Miss Jisoo—Step Burst—high-risk, high-reward... but executed with commendable precision."
Another wave of Beowolves clawed their way out of the shadows, surrounding the two teams. Yang cracked her knuckles, breathing hard but grinning.
"Looks like we're just getting started!"
Hyunwoo spun his spear, planting the butt into the ground with a sharp crack. "Good. Let's clear the streets."
The pack lunged again, and the ruins of Mountain Glenn became a storm of steel, gunfire, and red-eyed shadows.
Hyunwoo moved before the others could regroup. His boots scraped against the cracked pavement as he dashed forward, spear leveled at the heart of the incoming Beowolf pack.
The spear's blade ignited in a sudden bloom of fire Dust—flames roared along the edge, painting his silhouette in orange light. The first Grimm lunged. Hyunwoo didn't flinch. He thrust straight through its chest, fire exploding outward, and the beast collapsed in ash.
Another swung from the side. Hyunwoo spun the shaft, the flaming blade tracing an arc that sheared through its jaw. At the same moment, he slammed the butt of the spear into the ground—ice Dust cracked across the pavement, freezing the surface beneath the rushing Grimm. Their claws skidded uselessly, balance ripped away.
Hyunwoo didn't hesitate. He surged forward, movements sharp and merciless. The spear whirled like a blazing wheel—thrust, slash, sweep. Every strike was decisive. When a Beowolf leapt over the ice, he pivoted, shifting his weight low, then slashed upward. The flaming spear bisected it mid-air, scattering fire-lit ash.
"Hyunwoo's already ahead—!" Ruby gasped, watching his figure tear into the vanguard.
Yang grinned despite herself. "Guy's basically a one-man army..."
Jiwon narrowed his eyes, calm as always. "No—he's making sure nothing reaches us. He's cutting a path."
Oobleck, sipping his coffee, adjusted his glasses. "Mm. Controlled aggression... fire for offense, ice for crowd control . Efficient use of Dust in a live skirmish. Mr. Hyunwoo, you're wasted as a student..."
The last Grimm of the wave charged him head-on, jaws wide. Hyunwoo met it without pause—slamming the butt of his spear down again. Ice spread across the ground, locking the Grimm's legs mid-leap. Trapped midair, it couldn't resist the fire-coated blade that followed, cleaving straight through.
The air hissed with steam as the final corpse crumbled into nothing. Hyunwoo straightened, spinning his spear once before resting it on his shoulder, fire still licking along the edge.
He glanced back at the others, voice calm and low. "Don't fall behind."
The teams, momentarily stunned, tightened their grips on their weapons. The ruins around them still howled with distant growls—this was only the beginning.
______
The Grimm dust finally settled, and the two teams regrouped beneath the shadow of a half-collapsed skyscraper. The wind whistled through broken windows as Dr. Oobleck poured himself another steaming sip of coffee, his eyes gleaming behind round spectacles.
Dr. Oobleck begins asking the team why they chose to become Huntresses, starting with Yang and working his way through every member except Ruby. The girls are unable to provide a satisfactory answer, with Yang citing her thrill-seeking attitude, Weiss claiming that it is to protect her family's honor and Blake claiming that she hopes to stop all the various wrongs in the world. After the Huntsman's interrogation, the girls look somewhat perturbed and unsure of themselves.
"Ah, fascinating responses, fascinating... yet troublingly vague," he said, looking from Yang to Weiss to Blake. "Thrill, honor, correction of injustice—noble ideals, yes, but do they truly anchor you when the void stares back?"
The girls shifted uncomfortably. Blake lowered her gaze, Weiss crossed her arms tighter, and even Yang had no comeback.
Oobleck turned his focus sharply, his cup never leaving his lips. "Very well. Team NOVA. Tell me—why do you seek the path of Huntsmen?"
The question landed heavily, but the four met his stare without faltering.
The four exchanged a look. It was Jiwon who stepped forward first, posture calm, staff resting lightly in his hand.
"I fight because I want to understand. Grimm, people, the world... even myself. My semblance only echoes what's already there. But if I train, if I search, maybe I can find the truths hidden underneath the noise."
Beside him, Jisoo leaned her chakram on her shoulder, grinning faintly.
"And I fight because I want to keep moving. If he's the one who listens to the world's echoes, I'm the one who pushes forward. It doesn't matter how heavy things get—someone's got to keep taking that next step."
Jiwon gave the faintest nod. Jisoo's grin softened, their words fitting together like two halves of the same thought.
Oobleck scribbled furiously. "Ah, siblings! Dual philosophies—reflection and momentum, insight and drive. A fascinating case study!"
Jaemin clicked his glaive back into its tonfas form, leaning it across his shoulders. "Me? I just don't like being pushed around. Grimm, crooks, people in power—if they try to control others, I'll shove back harder. Call it shifting momentum, I guess."
Oobleck muttered quickly to himself, "Rebellion turned weapon, fascinating, fascinating..."
Finally, all eyes fell to Hyunwoo. He held his spear at his side, face steady, voice low but firm.
"Because I want to follow my father's path. He always said protecting people was the only thing worth risking your life for." Hyunwoo's gaze dropped briefly to the ground before lifting again. "I guess that stuck with me."
The words lingered in the ruined air, heavier than the rest. Ruby glanced at him, wide-eyed, but said nothing. Even Weiss shifted her stance, as if the blunt honesty had cut closer than she expected.
Oobleck snapped his notebook shut. "Pragmatic, principled, and bound by legacy... far more clarity than most Huntsmen-in-training possess. Very well, very well."
He finished his coffee in one gulp, already striding toward the broken streets.
"Team NOVA and girls, secure a camp here. Miss Rose, you and I will conduct reconnaissance."
Ruby startled. "M-me?"
"Yes, yes,"
Oobleck said briskly, gesturing for her to follow.
"Leadership requires knowledge of terrain, and besides—you've brought a dog, the finest early-warning system one could ask for. Now chop-chop!"
Ruby hurried after him, Zwei padding happily at her heels, leaving the ruins creaking around the two teams as dusk settled.
The wind whistled through the broken windows as Ruby and Oobleck disappeared deeper into the ruins, Zwei's little paws padding after them. The silence that followed was heavy, broken only when Yang crossed her arms, eyes still on where Hyunwoo stood with his spear.
"Follow your father's path, huh?" she said, her tone more thoughtful than teasing. "You said that back when we first met, too."
Hyunwoo gave a small nod, steady as always.
"Yeah."
Jaemin leaned on his glaive, smirking faintly. "Well, who doesn't know about Hyun Kim? Your old man almost became a legend. It'd be weird if you didn't want to be like him."
Weiss blinked at the name, brows knitting together. "Hyun Kim? I don't recall that name."
Jisoo let out a short laugh, flipping her chakram in hand. "Of course you wouldn't. You've probably been too busy with your family's 'honor' to keep up with Huntsmen outside Atlas."
Weiss shot her a glare, but Jiwon stepped in calmly.
"His father wasn't just strong—he stood out because people trusted him. When he showed up, villages believed they'd see the next sunrise. That's rare."
Blake's gaze sharpened, curious despite herself. "So he was respected even among Huntsmen?"
Jaemin nodded. "Respected, feared by Grimm, and almost a legend. Almost."
Yang leaned forward, interest clear on her face. "So what happened to him?"
Hyunwoo paused, eyes lowering just for a moment before steadying again. "He died doing what he always did—protecting others. It wasn't anything glorious. Just... the job."
The answer silenced the group. Even Weiss softened at that, her expression tight but no longer skeptical.
Yang finally broke the quiet, her voice quieter than usual. "...Guess that explains a lot about you."
Hyunwoo simply adjusted his grip on the spear, gaze fixed on the desolate street ahead.
___
Support my stories on p*treon.com/Jujukaka0 and get 12 early chapters,