The changes weren’t just one or two.
While physical enhancement and destructive force were the same as before, heightened senses and regenerative abilities had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Moreover, ‘decent’ control had been newly added as well—most likely, this was the reason why ‘Control’ had appeared in Kim Seo-jun’s ability information.
‘Did the Solar Divine Art always have these abilities?’
In his previous world, Kim Seo-jun had only been able to master the Solar Divine Art up to the 5-star level.
Any further and his body would have suffered such severe side effects that he couldn’t even attempt it.
He knew that the Solar Divine Art was an incredible inner cultivation method, but after seeing its effects directly in the info window, it seemed even more remarkable.
‘So this was the reason I could stand against Cheon Kang-woo even with the 5-star Solar Divine Art.’
If the 2-star effect was already like this, how much more incredible would it become at 3, 4, or 5 stars?
Kim Seo-jun felt truly grateful for making the Solar Divine Art his main focus above all else.
He pushed aside his thoughts and checked his ability information once more.
Mana: 121 / Inner Force: 109 / Control: 105
Looking again, there were no more plus signs on his ability info.
‘Now that I have Control, maybe I can actually control the Thousand-Burn Sphere?’
A sudden idea popped into his head.
Kim Seo-jun decided to put it into practice right away.
Just in case, he prepared a Psychokinetic Barrier, planning to trap the Thousand-Burn Sphere inside it if he failed to control it, to minimize the blast.
First, he activated the Yang Dual-Focus Technique to split his consciousness, then summoned the Solar Divine Art in his left hand, and struck with his right while channeling Reversed Outpouring Vital Energy.
Even using only three-tenths of his inner force, the Solar Divine Art’s power was overwhelming.
His right hand quickly absorbed that destructive force.
His right hand glowed bright red from the heat.
With that hand, he struck his left, condensing the power in front of his left hand into a small orb.
Fwoooosh—
The power, doubled by Reversed Outpouring Vital Energy, was sucked in, compressing the orb down to the size of a bean.
This was the critical moment.
Up until now, at this stage, the bean-sized orb would always shoot off, whirl around wildly, and then explode on its own.
Kim Seo-jun focused his split consciousness, thanks to the Yang Dual-Focus Technique, completely on the bean.
‘Rise.’
The moment Kim Seo-jun thought that, the bean floated up, rising high into the air.
However, at about 20 meters up, the bean lost direction and fell downward. Kim Seo-jun hurriedly focused and regained control.
‘This time, forward.’
At his command, the bean flew forward. But after about 20 meters, he lost control and it dropped to the ground.
Kim Seo-jun rushed forward in a panic.
Fortunately, before it hit the ground, he recovered his control and lifted it back into the air.
‘So, 20 meters is my control limit.’
It was a simple fact.
Kim Seo-jun experimented a few more times, moving the bean around in various directions.
Within 20 meters, he could freely control its movements.
But then, at one moment, the bean suddenly stopped responding to his will and froze in midair.
The instant he saw it emit a brilliant light, Kim Seo-jun instinctively realized it was about to explode.
He dashed toward the bean and grabbed it with his right hand, now wrapped in a Psychokinetic Barrier.
At that moment, the bean exploded.
KUUUUUNG—
Fortunately, the explosion’s force didn’t escape, thanks to grabbing it in time with his barrier-wrapped hand.
His hand shone red, trembling as if convulsing for several seconds.
Even with perfect protection from the Psychokinetic Barrier, the pain in his hand was far from ordinary.
When the vibration subsided, he opened his hand, and wisps of pale smoke drifted up.
His hand was bright red, as if burned.
‘It stings.’
Just as he thought that, the hand that had been burning red returned to normal in no time.
The lingering numbness faded rapidly.
‘So this is the regenerative power of the Solar Divine Art!’
While not overwhelming, it was strong enough to heal a mild burn in seconds.
Kim Seo-jun was elated.
He could finally control the Thousand-Burn Sphere.
After that, he produced several more spheres, repeating the practice until he could handle them with even finer control.
As a result, he discovered one more thing.
After the sphere leaves his hand, he could control its explosion directly for up to 15 seconds, but after that, it would automatically detonate.
When he checked the time, he realized it was almost lunchtime.
‘Guess I’ll go enjoy a tasty meal prepared by Mom.’
With a cheerful face, Kim Seo-jun made his way down from the rooftop.
*****
The weekend passed like the wind.
Excited by his new control over the Thousand-Burn Sphere, Kim Seo-jun went up to the rooftop whenever he found a moment, immersing himself in training for at least 3 to 4 hours each time.
Thanks to this, his ability stats increased bit by bit, and the proficiency of his Reversed Outpouring Vital Energy finally reached 19%.
He tried to raise his proficiency to 20% late into Sunday night, but in the end, he couldn’t reach his goal and had to welcome Monday.
Kim Seo-jun arrived at the Academy early in the morning.
Professor Shim Jae-deok checked the students’ attendance and then had everyone board a large bus.
The bus’s destination: Jamsil General Stadium.
After the world was fractured and Hunters awakened their powers, Jamsil General Stadium had been transformed into an immense, circular coliseum.
The arena rivaled Rome’s Colosseum in grandeur, and countless matches for Hunters were held here each year, earning it the name ‘Hunter Dome.’
This year’s Hunter Academy Tournament was also being held here, so all students and professors headed for the Hunter Dome.
About thirty minutes later, the bus stopped.
Already over twenty buses had arrived, with more still coming in.
Looking at the Hunter Dome, its overwhelming size and majestic presence were even more impressive than expected.
After entering through the gates, an attendant showed them their location, and under Professor Shim Jae-deok’s guidance, they moved to the stands.
Kim Seo-jun looked around the interior of the Hunter Dome from his seat, assigned to First Year, Class A of the Third Academy.
Capacity: 35,000.
The reason for the relatively low capacity, despite its massive size, was that every seat was wide and the spacing was generous.
The stands were already packed with people.
It wasn’t just students.
This year’s tournament had been widely publicized to the general public, so anyone could enter with a ticket.
On top of that, there were high-ranking officials from the Rift Management Bureau and famous guilds, as well as many distinguished government and business figures in attendance.
The reason was the extraordinary backgrounds of the four special participants in this tournament.
These special participants were rising stars from the most prestigious academies in the United States, China, France, and Japan, and impressive figures had come to Korea to accompany and protect them.
In other words, powerful individuals on par with Choi Cheol-hyung, the strongest Hunter and head of the Rift Management Bureau, were also present in the Hunter Dome.
Knowing that such people would be watching the student matches, even Kim Seo-jun couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.
It wasn’t intimidation at their reputation, but a small anxiety: would he really be able to hide his abilities properly in front of them?
‘Unless they have a mystical power like Mind’s Eye, it should be impossible for them to see my true abilities.’
With that thought, Kim Seo-jun reassured himself.
At that moment, Professor Shim Jae-deok, having finished a call with someone, called for Kim Seo-jun and Joo Kwang-sik.
“Kim Seo-jun, Joo Kwang-sik. You two go to the contestant waiting room now. Head to Gate B-17 on the second floor, and the staff there will guide you.”
Kim Seo-jun headed to the waiting room with Joo Kwang-sik.
It was a place resembling a locker room, and there were four large, similar sectors—one for each academy, it seemed.
He stopped in front of the door marked ‘Third Hunter Academy Contestant Waiting Room.’
Similar signs were on the other doors, except for one labeled ‘Special Contestant Waiting Room.’
‘So that’s where the foreign students are.’
Kim Seo-jun glanced over, then opened his own door and stepped inside.
A hallway appeared, lined with dozens of small doors on either side.
Each door had a Third Academy student’s name attached.
“Do we just wait here until our turn? What, so we can’t even watch the other matches?”
Joo Kwang-sik grumbled, and Kim Seo-jun laughed.
“I doubt that. This room is probably connected to the stands. They just separated the spaces so contestants wouldn’t run into each other before their matches. Don’t worry.”
“Oh, really? Still, it’s kind of lame not being able to chat with you during the matches.”
“Just focus on your own match.”
With that, Kim Seo-jun scolded him lightly and opened the door labeled with his name.
“See you later.”
Joo Kwang-sik found his own room two doors down and went inside.
The inside was just as Kim Seo-jun expected.
The room was furnished like a hotel room, with a bed, sofa, refrigerator, and even a large wall-mounted TV.
One wall was a veranda overlooking the center of the Hunter Dome, with steps leading down for easy access.
‘So that’s the entrance to the arena.’
Kim Seo-jun threw open the veranda window and leaned on the railing, gazing at the arena.
Looking left and right, he saw a row of identical verandas, with some students sipping drinks and watching from outside.
Joo Kwang-sik was waving from two verandas over.
Soon after, a famous celebrity appeared at the front of the Hunter Dome’s royal seats.
With microphone in hand and impressive eloquence, he explained the significance of the 17th Academy Tournament and offered thanks to the high-ranking attendees.
Then, with a grand gesture, he declared the official start of the tournament.
A tremendous roar erupted from the stands.
This event was held every two years, and this was the 17th, making it a tradition spanning 34 years.
That meant there were many who had been waiting for this day, and students had also prepared diligently for a good result.
The anticipation in the air was palpable amidst the cheers.
After the opening declaration, the MC invited the president of the First Academy to give a congratulatory speech.
Each academy had its own president, but the First Academy’s president was also a figure representing all the academies—a venerable, powerful Hunter from the dawn of the Great Rift era.
In his mid-50s, the president stepped up to the podium, white hair flowing.
He recited a congratulatory speech to the tens of thousands of spectators, and ended by introducing the special guests gracing the event.
Following his introduction, the giant screen on the arena ceiling displayed the faces of the foreign students.
First was Leonard Bright from MPIT (Massachusetts Premier Institute of Tactics), USA.
Next was Adelhaite Lorian from France’s PSH (Paris Special Hunter) Academy, then Akuuncheong from Beijing Academy in China.
Last was Harusaki from Musashi Academy, Japan.
But as Kim Seo-jun looked over their faces, he involuntarily flinched.
Even if others didn’t know, China’s Akuuncheong was a face Kim Seo-jun was all too familiar with.
‘Akuuncheong! To think I’d run into that guy here, too…’
Akuuncheong had been a master who followed Cheon Kang-woo in his previous world, an expert in spear techniques.
In China, he was so skilled with the spear that no one could match him, and with his cruel nature, he had killed countless people as if playing, earning the nickname ‘Mad Spear Demon’ and becoming an object of fear.
When he realized he couldn’t defeat Kim Seo-jun head-on, Akuuncheong resorted to cowardly tricks, setting traps and ambushes.
As a result, Yoo Ho-seong died in Kim Seo-jun’s place, and in a fit of rage, Kim Seo-jun tore Akuuncheong’s body limb from limb in a brutal death.
Kim Seo-jun still couldn’t forget the sight of Yoo Ho-seong dying with Akuuncheong’s spear through his chest.
So, seeing Akuuncheong now, all those emotions returned, and uncontrollable fury welled up inside him.
By the time Kim Seo-jun barely managed to calm himself, the preliminaries had ended and thunderous cheers signaled the real matches were about to begin.
‘Hoo… That guy isn’t the same one who killed Ho-seong. Here, Ho-seong isn’t dead. Calm down. There’s nothing to gain from losing my cool here.’
Kim Seo-jun had no choice but to apply a double standard.
While it felt natural to feel affection for the companions he’d met here, just like his former comrades, he forcibly tried to separate his emotions when it came to enemies from his past life—insisting they weren’t the same people.
But, in truth, he couldn’t erase his anger toward Akuuncheong.
“…Now, let’s draw the match brackets by lottery.”
The MC approached the large red drum behind him.
Among the many balls rolling around inside, one emerged through a hole.
“The student honored with the first match is… Hong Woo-jin! A third-year from the Second Academy. Now, for the Blue Team.”
He moved to the blue drum beside it, also full of balls.
“The opponent for Hong Woo-jin is… Yoo Jin-hyung, a second-year from the First Academy!”
Students’ names continued to be called in this way.
A total of 64 students.
They were split into two teams—32 on the Blue Team and 32 on the Red Team—and the match brackets were quickly arranged.
Kim Seo-jun was on the Red Team, with his first opponent being a third-year from the Second Academy named Jo Tae-soo.
According to the order, he was the 27th match, so there was still a long time before his turn.
In the meantime, Kim Seo-jun decided to pay close attention to other matches, especially Akuuncheong’s.
Akuuncheong’s match was the fourth—short and fierce.
He swung a two-meter-long match spear at his opponent, toying with him, and finally struck the back of his neck to knock him out.
It was over in just one minute.
To others, it looked as though Akuuncheong had dominated with amazing spear skills, but Kim Seo-jun saw it differently.
[264/Elite]
That was Akuuncheong’s ability stat, confirmed with Kim Seo-jun’s Mind’s Eye.
‘His mana is impressive, but he has no inner force. And his spear technique is a mess.’
Honestly, Kim Seo-jun was confident he could wield a spear better than this Akuuncheong.
Compared to the Akuuncheong he had tangled with in his previous world, this one wasn’t even a quarter as skilled.
‘Where did all those remarkable spear skills go?’
Kim Seo-jun knew the reason all too well.
In this world, there was no inner cultivation art, no proper martial arts manuals, no technique formulas to unleash true martial prowess.