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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: bchen3
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“You all, if your skills are lacking, at least develop an eye for talent.”
At Shim In-wook’s cold tone, the three people—Jin Chang-sik, Eom Jun-tae, and Son Gi-wook—were momentarily at a loss for words.
Their expressions hardened in response.
But instead of revealing their discomfort, they tried to change the mood, competing to speak first.
“Ah, hahaha! Sorry if we bothered you!”
“Well, rather than paying attention to guys like them, wouldn’t it be better to focus more on training?”
“That’s right! We’re already busy enough with our own training!”
They all rushed to change the atmosphere, as if trying to hide their emotions.
Meanwhile, Shim In-wook ignored their intentions.
He simply maintained his cold expression, making no effort to hide his discomfort.
The three seethed internally at his reaction.
Just as it was becoming unbearable—
“That’s the end of 8th period! Everyone move to your next class location on your own!”
Right then, Instructor Go Tae-sik ended the class.
Immediately after, Shim In-wook said, “I’m going ahead.”
He quickly left the small training room alone.
Only after he disappeared did the three unleash their pent-up frustration.
“Ah, seriously. It’s disgustingly hard to please him!”
“Exactly! Always acting so noble!”
“If it wasn’t for his background, we wouldn’t have to grovel like this!”
They spat out the words that had been stuck in their throats without restraint.
That’s how fed up they were with Shim In-wook’s attitude.
However—
“Sigh, what’s the big deal about his background…”
Like thirsty people digging a well, they had no choice in the matter.
“My father says that once you enter superhuman society, the power of connections is no joke.”
“It’s the same when entering a guild later, and when you need to tackle gates above a certain level, cooperation with top guilds is essential.”
“That’s why our fathers keep telling us until our ears fall off to become friends with the son of the Earth’s Soul Guild leader.”
Their backgrounds were at best executives of mid-sized guilds or members of moderately well-known families.
In other words, they were on a completely different level from Shim In-wook, who had one of South Korea’s four major guilds as his background.
So not only were their parents pushing them, but all three strongly believed they should never let go of their connection to Shim In-wook.
Because of this, they could only curse behind his back or—
“If Baek Yu-jin had been in the gauntlet class… No, if I had chosen the spear from the beginning!”
“I heard Yu-jin is very kind and cheerful.”
“The fact that he treats everyone equally is a slight drawback though.”
Baek Yu-jin, who was as prestigious as Shim In-wook, if not more so.
They envied his spear technique class and could only soothe their burning feelings in this way.
After a long complaint session, they returned to the reality that they had to please Shim In-wook again.
“By the way, that guy In-wook was watching.”
“Was his name An Il-han? What about him?”
“He seemed bothered by him, should we take care of him…?”
The subject was none other than An Il-han.
They were discussing how to deal with him.
Due to Shim In-wook’s noble tendencies, it was always their job to handle things behind the scenes.
But no effective solution emerged.
“If we get caught doing something wrong…”
“Besides, our instructor is a complete tiger.”
“We’d not only get disciplined but completely crushed…”
Unauthorized sparring was strictly prohibited.
Punishment for bullying or lynching went without saying.
Although they were superhuman candidates, their power was sufficient to threaten human life.
Additionally, Instructor Go Tae-sik’s ruthlessness was another factor that made them hesitate.
“Should we just threaten him a bit and stop there? Tell him not to show off?”
“Would that be enough?”
“If we could somehow make him start the fight first…”
As the three put their heads together to scheme—
Perhaps because they were too focused, they didn’t notice someone approaching.
They only realized when—
*Thwack*
A thick forearm wrapped around their necks.
When they reflexively turned to check who it was—
“…Eek?!”
“W-who!?”
Their faces turned pale.
“Young ones, seems like you’re having an interesting conversation. What were you planning to do with An Il-han?”
The thick forearm, the terrible scar across it, and the incredibly rough voice—
The person who approached was none other than Instructor Go Tae-sik.
Upon realizing this, all three thought with one mind:
“…We’re screwed.”
They had been caught in the planning stage.
And of all people, by the infamous and feared Instructor Go Tae-sik.
Just as they were about to bow their heads, having no excuse—
“What good does it do just babbling behind his back! Instead, hold onto those feelings. And.”
Unexpected words flowed from Instructor Go Tae-sik.
“I’ll set the stage, so express yourselves freely. Understand what I’m saying?”
It was a puzzling instruction.
But—
“…Yes!”
The three could only nod frantically.
*
After school, small training room.
“Now, 25% of my strength! How can you hope to become a superhuman when you can’t even handle this much!”
Instructor Go Tae-sik approached as usual, provoking me.
As he approached, I suppressed the words rising in my throat and assumed my stance.
‘25%? No way…’
Just as I reacted to his strike, deploying Black Shadow Protection at the right timing—
*whoosh*
A fierce fist narrowly grazed my cheek.
It was truly a close call.
But I was already used to this.
So I paid it no mind and flowed into his space.
*Swish swish*
Like a shadow suddenly appearing beneath his feet.
I moved stealthily to his blind spot.
Simultaneously, I twisted my upper body to summon strength from my entire body.
‘At this angle…’
There was an appropriate technique.
The fourth form of the Demon Subduing Fist.
While all forms carried deadly momentum, the fourth was particularly effective for counterattacks.
‘Target: left chest.’
Specifically, near the heart.
As I extended my fist with the force to crush the killing intent pouring down—
*thwap*
It was blocked by his left palm, which shot up with ghostly speed.
The result after that was predictable.
‘…I’m done for.’
I gritted my teeth in anticipation of the pain.
Sure enough—
*Crack*
As expected, an intense impact struck my side.
“Kuhuk…”
The pain was so severe it took my breath away.
But I endured it, gritting my teeth and correcting my posture.
I had become that accustomed to pain and taking hits.
This was the result of two weeks of hellish private tutoring.
Yet as sadness washed over me—
‘Time-wise, this is my last chance.’
I rushed forward to seize what might be my fifteenth and final counterattack opportunity.
No, just as I was about to spring forward—
“That’s enough. We’re done for today.”
Instructor Go Tae-sik declared the end.
At those words, I naturally hung my head.
‘Damn, today again I couldn’t even graze him, let alone counterattack.’
It was about the second week since starting private lessons.
My abilities had grown rapidly, to the point where I could feel the improvement.
Nevertheless, the pattern just now hadn’t changed at all.
The reason was simple.
‘He keeps increasing his strength and speed as much as I grow.’
As I became more proficient with Black Shadow Protection, my movements became more stealthy and agile.
But even more than that, the speed of Instructor Go Tae-sik’s punches increased.
The same applied to counterattacks.
The principles inherent in each form of the Demon Subduing Fist, their applications, and utilization timing—
My understanding of martial arts deepened day by day.
But even counterattacks delivered at the optimal moment were all blocked by Instructor Go Tae-sik, who raised his reaction speed.
With this happening repeatedly, I couldn’t help but know.
‘There’s no way this is just 25%.’
He was exerting strength beyond the 25% he had initially claimed.
Yet he emphasized “25%” every time, which was infuriating.
Of course, regardless of my personal feelings, the gains were definite.
‘During the first week, I couldn’t even use the Demon Subduing Fist and just got beaten helplessly.’
Whereas now?
In an hour, I was able to respond to Instructor Go Tae-sik’s movements more than 10 times.
Furthermore, although I failed, I even managed to counterattack using the principles of the Demon Subduing Fist.
It was truly remarkable progress, and now I couldn’t deny it anymore.
‘…Indeed, there’s no method faster or more effective than learning while getting beaten up.’
It was saddening just to think about, but it was the truth.
Thanks to this, I was gradually beginning to feel it.
‘Is it time to try it now?’
The message that shadow guy had given me along with the Demon Subduing Fist—
I instinctively felt that the time to master the skill was approaching.
But I had been deliberately waiting.
‘He hasn’t said anything yet, so…’
It was Instructor Go Tae-sik who had taught me the movements and raised my understanding through practical experience.
So rather than trying hastily, I thought I’d wait a bit longer.
While I was organizing my thoughts, the pain had subsided considerably.
‘I should go get some food soon.’
Just as I was about to wrap up with a greeting—
“Oh, by the way, from tomorrow we’re moving to the next stage.”
Instructor Go Tae-sik announced casually.
Surprised by this unexpected information, I opened my eyes wide.
“By next stage, do you mean…”
“Actual combat training. You’ve learned how to take hits, now you need to learn how to give them.”
“…!”
Though crudely expressed, the nuance was clearly different.
I only questioned what he meant by “actual combat training.”
‘Hasn’t what we’ve been doing already been actual combat?’
At the same time, one possibility occurred to me.
‘Could it be actual combat with another person, a cadet who takes the same class?’
I naturally thought of a suitable sparring partner.
I immediately asked Instructor Go Tae-sik.
“Could my actual combat partner possibly be Cadet Lim Gang-cheol…?”
None other than Lim Gang-cheol.
Although it wasn’t private tutoring, he too had experienced the “learning how to take hits” class with his whole body.
Thanks to that, Lim Gang-cheol had also grown remarkably compared to when he started.
‘Moreover, this guy can respond to the instructor’s movements with just the Three Disaster Steps and Six Harmony Fist, without a special skill like mine.’
In terms of talent and aptitude, he seemed even a step above me.
So I thought he would be quite helpful.
As I smiled with rising competitive spirit—
“That guy is still too early. Your opponent is someone else.”
“…?”
Instructor Go Tae-sik gave a puzzling answer.
‘Still too early? What does he mean by someone else?’
In my confusion, one cadet suddenly came to mind.
‘Could it be…’
The undisputed number one in the gauntlet advanced class and a model elite.
“Is it Cadet Shim In-wook?”
I felt my heart racing as I spoke his name.
But—
“What? Shim In-wook?”
Instructor Go Tae-sik responded as if it were absurd.
“No matter how much of a youngster he is, he’s not someone you can handle at your level yet.”
“…I see.”
“That’s right. From stat differences to martial arts proficiency and practical experience. He far surpasses you in every aspect.”
Every word was true.
I had actually felt this while watching Shim In-wook’s sparring matches in class a few times.
‘He always achieves overwhelming victories against peers of the same skill level.’
It made perfect sense.
But separate from that—
‘So that’s how much of a gap there is.’
My competitive spirit boiled fiercely.
As I was silently strengthening my resolve—
“Oh, by the way, youngster.”
Instructor Go Tae-sik suddenly added one more thing.
“It’s about time you try it.”
“You mean…”
“The skill. Prepare it by tomorrow.”
The Demon Subduing Fist.
The time to master it had finally arrived.
*
That night.
-Confirming the subject’s unconscious state.
-The subject’s initiative passes to [Shadow of ????]!
-Confirming synchronization rate with the subject.
The shadow watched the shower of messages in the air with eyes full of strange light.
-Current synchronization rate… [20%]
-[Shadow of ????] acts according to a consciousness imbued with ordinary level of discernment and half of complete memories!
He clearly recognized within his sharpening consciousness.
-[Skill] imprinted in consciousness has been activated!
-Synchronization rate is quite low!
-Efficiency of [Skill] imprinted in consciousness decreases significantly!
-Skill [Ultra Evolution(SS)] changes to [Ultra Growth(B)]!
-All types of training effects increase by 8 times!
-Skill [Ultra Regeneration(SS)] changes to [Ultra Recovery(B)]!
-All types of rest effects increase by 8 times!
It was time to move forward at a faster pace.
At the same time—
-Synchronization rate has reached a certain threshold!
-Basic level of [Succession] has been achieved!
-Fragments of consciousness connect weakly!
The connection he had been longing for, its first button had been fastened.
With this, the guy would soon come to know various things.
However, even the shadow couldn’t know what would be the start of it.
“Whatever you see, face it squarely.”
Depending on the circumstances, it could be quite helpful.
As if speaking to someone, he muttered quietly.
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