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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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I was beaten to a pulp by the Heavenly Demon.
Thoroughly.
The spectators had long since disappeared.
The training ground system reactivated. Again.
I couldn’t remember how many times it had been reset.
Once the count went past 50, the numbers lost all meaning.
Throughout the entire day…
I only landed two hits.
One at the very beginning of our fight, and the other…
Well, refer to the previous chapter for the first hit.
The second hit was pure luck.
I accidentally ripped out a chunk of his hair.
You might be wondering how that’s even considered a hit, but it was.
It was a simultaneous attack on both his physical and mental well-being.
The only downside was that the Heavenly Demon went berserk afterward and trampled my corpse for a while.
Thankfully, when the training ground system deactivated…
His hair grew back, he regained his composure, and the merciless beating stopped.
“Isn’t it a bit much to beat someone up just for pulling your hair?”
“…Hair is as precious as life to this one. To lose one’s hair is to lose the title of Heavenly Demon.”
It seemed that even the Heavenly Demon feared hair loss.
But what is the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?
Fists, breath, steps.
Everything was a part of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Couldn’t hair loss also be considered a technique?
“Heavenly Demon Hair Loss.”
“One more time.”
“Seriously, damn it.”
Judging by how easily it came out, unlike with Lucian and Old Man Kang-hyuk, his hair was definitely a transplant.
Even the Heavenly Demon couldn’t escape the genetics of baldness.
[A Hunter’s life hack.]
‘To defeat a Heavenly Demon, pull out his hair.’
I, a three-time baldy-maker, can guarantee its effectiveness.
Then, I remembered something.
The way he lamented Old Man Kang-hyuk’s name.
“By the way, who is this Ryu Kang-hyuk… that you seem to dislike so much?”
“That bastard, though this one hates to admit it, is stronger than I am.”
“Is that why you’re so jealous?”
“Shut up!!! That’s not the reason!!!”
“Then why do you hate him?”
He clenched his fists, still seething with rage.
“That bastard introduced this one to… coins, or something. He recommended them.”
“What?”
“He called it ‘making money with money’ and convinced me to invest all my savings.”
“Wait, you seriously invested everything?”
“…I had to eat grass for a while. It was surprisingly tasty.”
“Holy shit.”
He closed his eyes and mumbled, “Pine needles were especially good.”
But he said it wasn’t so bad.
“I was the one who bought them, so even though I was angry about losing the money, I didn’t resent Ryu Kang-hyuk.”
I didn’t understand.
If he didn’t resent him, why was he so openly hostile towards him?
“Then why did you react like that?”
“I asked Ryu Kang-hyuk how much he lost, thinking he invested as well.”
“And then?”
The Heavenly Demon started grinding his teeth.
His eyes blazed with fury.
“That bastard said, ‘Of course I didn’t buy any. I’m not an idiot.’”
“…”
I was starting to think Old Man Kang-hyuk retired not because the Hunter society was dirty…
But because the Hunter society couldn’t handle him.
“Anyway, tell that bastard I’m looking for him if you see him. Let’s meet again tomorrow.”
“But I still haven’t mastered physical enhancement! You saw how my arms and legs got ripped off earlier!”
[They flew away like a combo meal from a burger joint.]
‘For an extra 1000 won, you can also get a flying head.’
He crossed his arms and looked at me confidently.
“You learn best from real-life experience.”
“You’re just using me as a punching bag because I remind you of Ryu Kang-hyuk, aren’t you?”
“…”
“…”
An awkward silence.
He suddenly avoided my gaze.
“…”
“Hey, answer me.”
“This one is leaving.”
Without answering me, he quickly left the training grounds, his speed surprising considering his size.
I stared blankly at his retreating figure.
[Is that the Heavenly Demon Runaway technique?]
‘Heavenly Demon, my ass.’
Then, I spotted Hye-ji training in the distance.
She was holding a military knife in a reverse grip, facing off against a giant spider-like monster.
Her movements were different from usual.
It wasn’t her usual style of brute force with heavy weapons.
Her attacks were clean, precise, and efficient.
It reminded me of the special forces soldiers I used to watch on TV.
She calmly dodged the spider’s attacks, severing one of its legs with each strike.
Her speed didn’t falter, and she finished it off with a clean blow to the neck.
She noticed me as soon as her training ended and ran towards me.
“Shinwoo, when did you finish?”
“Just now. You’re using a knife? Where did you learn that?”
“Oh, this? I just… learned it at home.”
“Really? I see.”
Her response was a bit evasive.
She didn’t seem to want to elaborate, so I let it go.
Just then, Jung Ah-yeon arrived.
“Hey, Jung Ah-yeon. Do you want to train with the Heavenly Demon tomorrow?”
“…This one will pass. My training is still insufficient.”
She had sounded envious earlier that morning, but she was now refusing.
She was probably embarrassed.
“Don’t worry, don’t be shy. You said you were envious, so let’s share this opportunity. I’ll talk to him.”
“No! It’s fine! I can’t burden Master Shinwoo! Please stop!”
“If I ask him, he’ll agree. You’re joining us tomorrow. Understood?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I won’t subject myself to that torture! Just kill me now!”
Jung Ah-yeon finally snapped and yelled.
Silence fell between us.
“…”
“…”
“Damn it, no wonder the spectators disappeared.”
“Reality is often disappointing.”
“I thought he’d train me properly from the basics, like in other novels.”
This was definitely not a typical protagonist growth story.
[At least it’s not a tragedy.]
‘Fuck.’
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
As mentioned before, the election for the World Tree Communion representative was proceeding with a single candidate.
So I figured there wouldn’t be any campaigning.
But reality was different.
The area in front of the classroom building was designated for campaign activities.
And it was packed with people.
They were supposed to campaign inside the classrooms, but…
Apparently, they received complaints about being too disruptive and were restricted to the designated area.
And despite having only one candidate, the campaign was surprisingly fierce.
Mostly from those opposing her candidacy.
“A half-breed as the World Tree Communion representative? That’s unacceptable!”
“Pink hair?! Don’t they know what pink represents?!”
“Only pure-blooded elves should commune with the World Tree!!”
“Showing off inappropriate breasts is punishable by death!!!!”
The last one seemed like a stretch, so I turned to look and saw…
Hye-ji, shouting passionately.
I decided to ignore her and walked past.
When I reached the classroom, Jung Ah-yeon waved at me.
“Jung Ah-yeon, you saw it too, right?”
“Indeed, Master. It’s surprisingly lively out there.”
She looked amused.
I shared my thoughts about the intense opposition campaign.
“They said there wouldn’t be any discrimination because she’s a High Elf, but look at them.”
“…This one can also be wrong.”
Hye-ji entered the classroom.
“That was productive.”
“Hye-ji, you’re really dedicated to the campaign.”
“…Did you hear my slogans?”
Her face turned pale.
I didn’t answer, but…
“…”
“Damn it.”
That was enough of an answer.
Jung Ah-yeon tried to console her,
“Miss Hye-ji, don’t be so obsessed with such trivial matters.”
“You have big boobs too, you bitch.”
“…Sorry.”
Of course, it wasn’t very effective.
Hye-ji was right, Jung Ah-yeon did have large breasts compared to an average person.
It was just that her dobok hid them well.
I figured out the reason for Hye-ji’s outburst.
She was likely feeling insecure about her own chest after seeing the elf’s enormous breasts on the poster.
“Shinwoo, are you voting for that half-elf?”
“I think so?”
Hye-ji’s eyes narrowed, and she suddenly grabbed my neck.
“Are you also captivated by her boobs?”
“…That’s not it… Can’t… breathe… Let go…”
She was choking me.
I could finally breathe after she released her grip.
“I already ripped apart that pointy-eared candidate number one, and all those protesting outside are his supporters, aren’t they?”
“…That’s true.”
“So I’m going to vote for her just to spite them.”
“Sorry, I was so blinded by boobs that I missed the real enemy.”
“It’s okay. Take a deep breath and repeat after me: ‘There are no bad boobs.'”
“Th-th…”
She struggled to speak, but she would learn soon.
“Good, you’re doing great. Come on, try again. ‘There are no bad boobs.'”
“Th-th…”
“Come on, say it!”
Finally, she took a deep breath and shouted,
“I should kill everyone with bigger boobs than me!”
“…Hye-ji, even Thanos only killed half the universe.”
[Everyone’s going to die.]
‘The beginning of an apocalypse where only Hye-ji survives?’
Jung Ah-yeon suddenly shouted,
“Master! Run! Quickly!”
“I already caught you.”
“…What?”
Of course Hye-ji was faster.
The Heavenly Demon, as usual, arrived right on time for the practical training session.
But he couldn’t conduct the training that day.
Because…
The berserk Hye-ji…
…was mercilessly slaughtering me with countless deadly weapons.
Actions speak louder than words.
And that was still true today.
Treaties and protests were meaningless in the face of her firepower.
Her weapons were more persuasive than their words written on paper.
Overwhelmed by her might, the Heavenly Demon silently moonwalked out of the training grounds.
Hye-ji, after using every last bullet, let out a sigh of frustration,
“No more… boobs…”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The Heavenly Demon visited us every day for two weeks.
Except for the day when Hye-ji ripped me to shreds, he would always beat me to a pulp every time he came.
Actually, “beat me to a pulp” wasn’t accurate.
He exploded me. Repeatedly.
But towards the end of the two weeks, I finally started to see some progress.
I was finally getting used to physical enhancement.
BOOM!!!!
Not quite.
My right wrist had just exploded.
354.
The number was simple.
It was the number of times I had blown off my own limbs while attempting physical enhancement.
BOOM!!!!
355.
It was fine as long as I was just focusing and not moving.
But I kept making mistakes during actual combat.
There was still room for improvement.
But on the last day…
I finally managed to crack the Heavenly Demon’s skull.
It wasn’t a fair fight, of course.
I used every dirty trick and underhanded tactic I could think of.
And he wasn’t even using his full power.
Thanks to a lucky coincidence, my legs exploded, propelling me towards him, allowing me to exploit an opening.
It was a cowardly and completely accidental victory, unbefitting of a protagonist.
But I still won.
“Fuck yeah! I finally did it!!!”
“Hmph. This one went easy on you. Let’s spar again.”
“Nah, you’re a noob. I’m not doing this again. Are you crazy?”
“We’ve already started.”
“Damn it.”
And so, until the very last day of his stay at the academy…
I continued to be his punching bag.
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