Chapter 6: Training Camp (2)

“What the? What just happened?”

“I don’t know, I just looked away for a second and it was over.”

“Wow, seriously. What was that? Is it a machine error?”

The Hunters murmured among themselves.

“No, I saw it. That guy just tilted his head to dodge the Ratman’s claw, then struck its weak spot dead on.”

“I saw it too. One hit to the head, one to the side. That was it.”

“That was insane. How does he move like that? It’s like he can predict the Ratman’s every move.”

Eyewitness accounts poured out.

A sense of agreement settled over the group.

But there was one person who absolutely refused to accept it.

“This is definitely cheating. It’s a foul! There’s no way that guy is faster than me…”

It was Park Dongsik.

He just couldn’t accept it.

That a guy swinging around a pot lid was faster than himself, even after taking boosters.

“It didn’t even take a few seconds. That’s impossible. He must’ve pulled some kind of trick.”

Park Dongsik, who kept grumbling, soon shut his mouth.

It was because the Instructor had stepped in.

“Clear time: three seconds! As this Instructor has confirmed, it was a proper battle. Won Suho Hunter, impressive.”

“Thank you.”

“The fifteen-second Record set five years ago by Kang Minje of the Icarus Guild has now been broken.”

Kang Minje became a ranker.

Instructor Kim Jintae added, almost absentmindedly.

Suho bowed to the Instructor and headed back to his seat.

Park Dongsik and Suho crossed paths.

Once again, Suho didn’t bother to say anything.

He just gave a faint smile.

***

That was how class ended that day.

Suho headed to his assigned dorm.

Two people per room.

His roommate was a round-faced young man.

His gentle features made him look kind.

“You’re Suho, right? I’m Jung Hyunsu.”

“Ah, yeah. But I’m not sure if I’m older than you…”

“Haha, I’m twenty this year. You can just speak comfortably.”

He really does seem as nice as he looks.

Thinking that, Suho answered.

“Alright, I’ll speak comfortably then. But how did you know my name?”

“I heard it during the afternoon practical and remembered. I saw you take down the Ratman. It was amazing.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“No need to thank me, it’s just the truth. But seriously, how are you so good at fighting?”

He couldn’t say it was because of his sense stat to someone he just met.

Suho replied vaguely.

“It just happened. I practiced fighting when I was younger.”

“Knew it! You’ve been a genius since you were a kid.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then you’re the hardworking genius type?”

“…I said it’s not like that.”

Thanks to Jung Hyunsu’s playful banter, the atmosphere quickly relaxed.

“But earlier, Park Dongsik kept glaring at you. Be careful. He’s not a good guy.”

“You know him?”

“Yeah, he’s the Yeongil Guild master’s son.”

“Yeongil Guild?”

“There’s a rumor that the guild master is from the back alleys… Anyway, Park Dongsik was famous at the Hunter Training Academy even before his awakening. He’s a real troublemaker.”

“I see. Are you from the same academy?”

“Yeah, just by chance. Haha.”

“You must’ve had it rough.”

“Well, you know. It was alright.”

Jung Hyunsu laughed awkwardly and continued.

“By the way, what are you planning to do after the training camp?”

“You know the Guilds get access to the training camp Records, right? With your skills, they’ll be lining up to recruit you.”

There are a lot of advantages to joining a Guild.

“If I join a Guild, it’ll be easier to enter Dungeons.”

Famous Guilds own Dungeons.

Thanks to that, safe and fast growth is possible.

But for Suho, there’s a major downside he can’t ignore.

“They’ll want to know my Class and Skills.”

For efficient growth, most Guilds try to find out a new Hunter’s Class and Unique Skill.

That’s something Suho can’t accept.

So, Suho had already come up with a plan after much thought.

Of course, he had no intention of sharing that with Jung Hyunsu, whom he’d just met.

“I’ll just see what offers I get. If I don’t like any, I can go solo. Besides, I might be hoping for too much. Maybe no one will even notice me.”

“I doubt that’ll happen… Haha. Anyway, got it.”

Jung Hyunsu’s eyes sparkled as he replied.

***

Park Dongsik didn’t want to stay in the dorm, so he booked a nearby hotel room.

“Thanks to you, hyung, I get to sleep in a hotel like this. Thank you!”

His underling, Go Minho, was being obsequious.

Even so, Park Dongsik’s mood didn’t improve.

“Damn it! How did that bastard do it?”

He just couldn’t understand.

How did he bring down the Ratman in an instant?

Even if Won Suho was weaker than him, three seconds was way too fast.

“What do you think, hyung?”

“Did you see that pot lid bastard take down the Ratman?”

“I didn’t. It happened so fast.”

“Useless. Anyway, do you really think he beat the Ratman in three seconds?”

“The Instructor said it was legit… but I’m sure he pulled some kind of trick. There’s no way he’s faster than you, hyung!”

Go Minho changed his words after seeing Park Dongsik’s expression.

To be honest, Go Minho didn’t care much about the whole thing.

He was just hoping to leech off Park Dongsik for some benefits.

“Right? Damn it, that’s what I’m saying! How should I crush that bastard to feel better?”

Park Dongsik was arrogant, but if you flattered him right, he’d let you have a taste of the good stuff.

That’s why Go Minho quickly started scheming.

“Uh, hyung. Today’s practical was a Simulation, right?”

“So?”

“The Sensor only detects hits and dodges, it doesn’t actually measure damage.”

Go Minho was right.

To calculate accurate damage, you’d need to know the Skill and Item Options.

The training equipment doesn’t have that function.

No Hunter would willingly reveal their own information.

“Yeah. Item Options don’t really apply properly.”

“That’s what I’m saying. In a real fight, there’s no way you’d lose. As long as your Item Options work properly.”

Go Minho pointed at the sword hanging from Park Dongsik’s waist.

“Of course. So what?”

“There’s a Mock Battle Simulation tomorrow, right? Just take him out then.”

“Yeah, that’s it!”

On the last day of the training camp, there’s a Mock Battle between Hunters.

If he smashes Won Suho, all the Spotlight will be on him.

If he just bribes a Trainer, getting matched up is no problem.

A sly smile spread across Park Dongsik’s face.

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow, hyung.”

“Yeah, tomorrow I’ll smash that bastard. Then everyone will know who’s really the best. Hehehe.”

***

The next afternoon.

After completing the morning curriculum, the Hunters gathered in the auditorium.

Instructor Kim Jintae stepped up to the podium.

“This afternoon’s training is a Mock Battle. You’ll experience combat between Hunters.”

With those words, Kim Jintae captured everyone’s attention and continued.

“The inside of a Dungeon is an isolated space. Anything can happen. If you work as a Hunter long enough, you’ll end up fighting other Hunters. Sometimes, you might even encounter criminal Hunters, so-called Murderers.”

The heavy topic brought silence to the crowd.

“This Mock Battle is to help you gain at least some experience in real combat situations like that.”

More than for actual combat experience, it was a warning to always be wary of people.

“Therefore, you’ll only fight once. We’re not picking a winner by multiple rounds. Instructors and Assistant Instructors will supervise, and Healing Ability Users are standing by, so don’t worry and do your best.”

Kim Jintae paused briefly and added one more thing.

“And if anyone intentionally tries to kill their opponent, not only will you be denied a Hunter Certificate, but it will also seriously impact your future as a Hunter.”

With that warning, Kim Jintae stepped down.

“Jeon Kyungmo Hunter, Shin Sanghun Hunter. Please come forward.”

He called two names at a time, and the Mock Battle began.

Park Dongsik grinned slyly.

‘Pathetic fighting. Heh, today I’ll show them who’s really the best.’

He was confident.

There was no way he could lose.

[Plunderer’s Sword]

• The sword of a bandit who plundered the weak for many years. Having absorbed the blood of countless victims, it becomes even more powerful against the weak.
• Item Grade: High
• Physical Attack Power: 110
• [Slaughter of the Weak]
• Strength +4, Agility +4
• Durability: 140

This sword was the reason.

He told Go Minho it was a gift from his father, but that was a lie.

In truth, he’d stolen it from his father’s safe.

[Slaughter of the Weak]

• A Skill born to kill many weaklings. Generates a blade of magical power and scatters it forward.
• When activated, the sword’s physical attack power is doubled.
• If the target’s physical defense is more than double the sword’s attack power, the blade will break.

*One hit from Slaughter of the Weak and you’re done, you pot lid fraud…’

Park Dongsik glared at Won Suho with a wicked look in his eyes.

If he just took down that guy, he’d be the star of the training camp.

If that happened, maybe his father wouldn’t be mad about the stolen sword.

Maybe he’d even get it as a gift.

While Park Dongsik was lost in his fantasies—

“Park Dongsik Hunter, Won Suho Hunter.”

At last, the Assistant Instructor’s voice rang out.

Dongsik and Suho entered the training room.

“Heh, you bastard. You’re dead today.”

Park Dongsik taunted Suho.

At this point, Suho was curious too.

“What’s your problem even though we’ve just met? Are you sick or something?”

“What? You cheating bastard, what did you just say?”

“Stop whining and go do your thing. And why am I a cheater?”

“You think I don’t know you cheated?”

“Try saying that in front of the Instructor. You kept quiet back then.”

“You son of a bitch.”

Unable to stand it any longer, the Assistant Instructor intervened.

“You two, cut the pointless chatter and get ready. We’re starting soon.”

Park Dongsik ground his teeth.

“Get ready to cry, you cheating bastard.”

With one last insult, Park Dongsik drew his sword.

The blade shimmered blue under the light.

Suho also gripped his hammer and pot lid in both hands.

“Begin!”

The Assistant Instructor gave the signal.

Park Dongsik moved first.

The blade aimed straight for Suho’s head.

Suho stepped aside at an angle.

Whoosh—

The blade missed completely.

Park Dongsik swung again.

Same result.

The sword just cut through empty air.

‘As expected, I can read everything.’

Suho’s Sense stat was reading all of Park Dongsik’s movements.

‘He moves a bit more unpredictably than the Ratman. That’s good.’

He’d already confirmed the effectiveness of his Sense stat against the Ratman, but that fight ended too quickly.

He’d wanted to test it more, and now he had the chance.

Whoosh—

The blade narrowly missed again.

Suho’s face stayed calm and relaxed.

The same thing repeated over and over.

Only then did Park Dongsik realize what was happening.

‘That damn bastard, he’s toying with me right now?’

‘How dare he! How dare a lowly bum look down on the successor of the great Yeongil Guild!’

Park Dongsik’s eyes blazed.

“You bastard, I’ll kill you!”

You brought this on yourself!

Park Dongsik activated [Slaughter of the Weak].

Bzzzt!

The tip of his sword trembled.

Chirararara—

A blue magical blade shot forward like shrapnel.

At that moment, Suho’s Sense stat sounded the alarm.

He couldn’t dodge it all while standing still.

If he didn’t want to get hurt, he’d have to leap away.

But Suho didn’t jump.

“I don’t have to dodge everything.”

Instead, he raised his left hand.

Pot lid firmly blocked the front.

Lightning-fast reflexes.

He had time to finish his defense and still have some to spare.

Suho stepped forward.

Boom!

Only then did Park Dongsik’s Skill crash into the pot lid.

A slight resistance.

Suho pushed through it, leaning his upper body forward.

He saw Park Dongsik’s exposed side.

Suho swung his right hand horizontally.

Thunk!

The hammer slammed into Park Dongsik’s side.

“Ugh—!”

Park Dongsik dropped his sword.

He collapsed to his knees.

“Guaaaagh—!”

Park Dongsik vomited up everything he’d eaten as his insides twisted.

And at the same time—

Clang—

The dropped sword let out a pitiful scream.

‘No, no!’

Park Dongsik’s desperate cry couldn’t even come out as a sound.

Because the moment his sword broke, he lost consciousness.

Thud.

Park Dongsik fainted, his face landing in his own vomit.

***

Outskirts of Dwarf Village.

“Hee, this looks delicious.”

Bold was tiptoeing along.

He’d come out to the mountainside beside the village to secretly eat the ramen he’d hidden while cooking.

“I’m going to eat this all by myself.”

At mealtime, everyone fought over food.

He could never enjoy it in peace.

Bold just wanted to savor ramen properly, at least once.

After a while, Bold started boiling the ramen over a fire.

The smell of the broth tickled his nose.

“Sssss—Smells so good. Hehe. Hurry up and cook!”

Since he only had one, he’d eat it slowly and savor it.

Bold suppressed his impatience, waiting for the ramen to finish.

Just as Bold hoped, the noodles were soon perfectly cooked.

“It’s done!”

Bold cheered and grabbed his fork.

But just then—

Something strange caught Bold’s eye.

“Huh? What’s that?”

Down at the base of the mountain.

A group with green skin and vicious faces was climbing up along the ridge.

Bold turned his blank face.

Looked at the pot.

Looked down the mountain.

Then looked at the pot again.

“Ah—life…”

He threw down his fork and sprinted toward the village.