Chapter 7 (1/2)
“Ugh····”
The whole class held their breath.
Eventually, Yoo-seong was defeated.
There was a mannequin holding his neck from behind, while all his limbs were held down by other mannequins.
The instructor intervened. “Thank you, that’s enough.”
There were three mannequins holding Yoo-seong. In front of him were four collapsed ones.
Seven to one.
Three alone were not enough.
Three. Four. Even five or six could not touch him.
Seven was the number needed to defeat Yoo-seong.
The mannequins immediately rushed to him, creating a dense wall, crushing him by force.
Even so, he was able to bring down four of them, before succumbing to the others’ strength.
“That looked like it hurt…” a student muttered as she watched the scene.
The instructor extended his hand to the kneeling Yoo-seong. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, thank you.” Yoo-seong took his hand and stood up.
Unbelievable, the instructor thought as he helped Yoo-seong’s up.
The stat measurement is correct.
Oh Yoo-seong was not physically strong.
The virtuosity that was displayed in defeating the mannequins could not have been because of his physical strength.
Like an idiot, Kang Jae-gyun made remarks to the crowd.
“If he had more muscles… he could have won.”
He’s then said that he could have shaken the mannequins off with force.
This doesn’t make sense. The instructor did not pay attention to Kang Jae-gyun, and was instead deep in thought.
Hunters who were at the front lines could cut down 1-2 star monsters by ten in one attack.
But they are expert hunters who have experience facing hundreds of ridiculous monsters – not students doing practical training for the first time.
Moreover, even if someone is capable of killing ten mannequins, can they defeat six mannequins with bare hands, just like Yoo-seong did?
Unlike the instructor who was thinking complicated thoughts, Yoo-seong’s thought was simple.
What a waste. He felt a sense of accomplishment of what he has done, but there was more regret than accomplishment.
Yoo-seong felt that he had insufficient power.
When the mannequins held him down, he could not escape even with the automatic hunting feature.
He needs to get stronger to fight his way out of that situation.
As he went down the ring, he was thinking about how to increase the sets on his strength exercise.
Suddenly, unexpected applause and cheers greeted him when he came down.
“Great!”
“Really – that was awesome!”
The class who held their breath released the tension by collectively cheering him.
“Seriously, you’d think I was watching martial arts!”
“I thought it was a movie with special effects!”
“That’s honestly ridiculous, just ridiculous…”
Everyone was impressed. Students immediately flocked to him, surrounding him.
“Did you learn martial arts separately? Boxing? Muay Thai?”
“Uh…” Yoo-seong found it hard to answer the deluge of appreciation and questions.
Kang Jae-gyun watched the scene, very displeased. He marched towards the instructor.
“Excuse me.”
“…….”
The instructor was still deep in thought, barely noticing him.
The instructor could hear Kang Jae-gyun’s voice in the background. He heard “even if it’s about 110…” and “if I have some equipment…” but he wasn’t really focused on the words.
Suddenly, Kang Jae-gyun raised his voice.
“Excuse me! Let me go one more time!”
“…….”
The instructor’s eyebrows furrowed. He was displeased because he was distracted, but Kang Jae-gyun didn’t seem to mind it.
“I’m going to do it without a triple rod. I’m going to use my fists. I’m not used to…”
“Once everyone has completed their turn, you can do it once more. Please wait.”
“Ah!”
The atmosphere was tense.
Kang Jae-gyun lost his temper and grabbed the instructor’s shoulder.
After a moment of silence, the instructor spoke quietly.
“Mr. Kang Jae-gyun…”
“……Mr. Jae-Gang Kang.”
Kang Jae-gyun stiffened upon hearing his voice. Fear shot through him.
“This is the last warning.”
“Uhh….”
It’s easy for students to forget, but the instructors were also hunters. They retired due to personal reasons, such as injuries, and opted to teach instead.
“If you interrupt the class or speak loudly one more time, we will refund the tuition immediately. Please try another school.”
“…….”
Of course, the instructor will never hit Kang Jae-gyun.
But his tone and voice was enough to make the rowdy student feel fear.
“Do you understand?”
“Uh… yes.”
Kang Jae-gyun nodded.
The instructor nodded back with a stern expression; then, he turned to the class as if nothing happened.
“The next person?”
…
“Cheers!”
The glasses hit each other with a cheerful sound.
It was late in the evening, and the downtown pub was crowded with students.
They were celebrating the beginning of their practical training.
It was their excuse for tonight – they were usually here two or three times a week.
The difference was that there was a new face that joined them.
“Uh, why is brother Yoo-seong not drinking?”
“Huh.” Yoo-seong shook his hand gently to the student who gave him a beer mug. “I decided not to drink until I passed the exam.”
Yoo-seong had a liking for alcohol. He liked it very much, in fact. But four months ago, after the incident with the Shark Ape, he vowed never to touch alcohol again.
Every night, he longed for beer more than his ex-girlfriend, but he endured it with strong determination.
“Oh, oh!”
“What…”
The students were not confused by Yoo-seong’s words. In fact, most of them were impressed at what he said.
They know his words are proven by action.
After today’s training, the majority of the students approached Yoo-seong to make friends with him and learn from him.
I’m too old for this, Yoo-seong thought and laughed bitterly.
The students around him are mostly twenty years old. Yoo-seong will turn thirty years old tomorrow. The age difference was obvious.
Suddenly-
An ice-filled cup was placed in front of Yoo-seong.
“Then, would you like a Coke?” a girl sitting next to him said.
Yoo-seong nodded shyly and took the can. “Thank you.”
“Hey, please be comfortable. We are all younger than you.”
She wasn’t a typical beauty, but she had a clear and bright face that looked nice to him.
“Oppa, do you know my name?”
“Yeah. Hee-ji, right?