Chapter 64. Jo Jeonghu (2)
“Hoo……!”
Jo Jeonghu let out a ragged breath. The next round began without even enough time for a proper rest, and by now, neither he nor Kim Jeonghyeon could hear the droning chatter of the drones overhead.
Finally entered the zone.
The moment when surrounding noises faded into irrelevance, and only enemies and allies remained distinct. Even in the same space, fighters and non-fighters became isolated.
“Good. Your adaptability is top-notch.”
“Thank you.”
“Next time, ease up a bit. You're tensing every muscle—how do you expect to last?”
“Yes, sir!”
Despite Kim Jeonghyeon's dry encouragement, Jo Jeonghu bowed his head gratefully.
The subordinate feels great gratitude for the guidance.
Subordinate's Loyalty Level has increased. Lv.2 → Lv.3
Climbing faster than even Philip.
Who knew teaching him would yield such results? Kim Jeonghyeon had been annoyed by the timid, immature Jo Jeonghu from before, but seeing the loyalty level shoot up like this brought a strange sense of pride.
This feels weird.
Kim Jeonghyeon clicked his tongue and infused more mana into Jo Jeonghu.
“Whatever. At least I'll help with recovery.”
The Demon King's mana flowed into Jo Jeonghu, restoring him to full vitality as if he'd never been hurt.
“Whoa…… You can even do this……? Are you a supporter?”
A man once called the greatest swordsman across dimensions, now reduced to a support role. Kim Jeonghyeon couldn't help but snort in disbelief.
“Something like that.”
“Isn't this draining too much mana?”
By the time he'd applied Attribute Domination to Philip, the enemies were already at peak strength. Right now, they were just well-trained civilians or low-rank hunters at best. This level of mana expenditure was negligible for boosting growth like this.
“Worried about me after one win? Get ready for the next one.”
“Yes, sir!”
Confidence now gleamed in Jo Jeonghu's eyes—no longer the pathetic flicker from before.
***
For some reason, perfect training dummies kept appearing for Jo Jeonghu.
The spearman Longgin, introduced by the drone, looked as brutish as his name suggested.
Forget the mask over his face or his 2-meter height paired with a skeletal thinness. What caught Kim Jeonghyeon's eye was the massive quiver on his back—three times the size of a standard arrow quiver, like a coffin.
“Nice to meet you! Let's have a good fight!”
Longgin greeted cheerfully, but his quiver was packed with javelins for throwing.
“Ranged…… Perfect. This time, don't rely on One Strike. Close in no matter what. Use any trick.”
“Yes, sir!”
Jo Jeonghu's responses had become snappily obedient.
Javelins are on another level from regular ranged weapons.
Surviving two Royal Rumbles wasn't luck.
It stemmed from the unique nature of javelins.
“Here I go!!”
“Bring it!”
Longgin grabbed three javelins from his quiver and hurled them one by one in rapid succession.
“?!”
Jo Jeonghu dodged the first by twisting sideways, but a pre-aimed one arrived right in front of him.
Clang!!
With his senses heightened manifold, Jo Jeonghu barely blocked it with his gauntlet.
But then—
Puk.
The follow-up javelin he hadn't seen pierced deep into the edge of his side.
“Kuh……!”
Tough hide, as expected.
Jo Jeonghu didn't scream, yanking the javelin out raw.
But that revealed the first advantage of javelins.
Thwish—!
No time to breathe—they came in relentless chains.
To counter javelins, two things were key.
First: always discern exactly how many were thrown from the opponent's motion.
Otherwise, from the target's view, they flew like points too fast to block all.
“Focus on sound. Hand gestures are feints.”
Kim Jeonghyeon crouched in the arena corner, calling out advice.
“Huh? Got it!”
Jo Jeonghu nodded and blocked the next two javelins.
Clang! Clang!
The dull clash of spear tips and gauntlet echoed, and Longgin drew more.
Three, huh.
The motion of grabbing three at once.
But Kim Jeonghyeon's eyes saw through: three was a bluff, with one hidden along his arm like a magician's trick.
Four.
He threw two at once.
The two in a line looked like one at a glance. But……
Thwish! Thwish!
“!!”
Two sounds rang out. Jo Jeonghu didn't block—he rolled to evade.
Next, Longgin feinted throwing two at once.
Thwish—!
Only one sound. His sharpened hearing caught the true throw. Seizing the chance, Jo Jeonghu spread mana through his body and shot forward like a bullet, kicking off the ground.
Clang!!
He swatted the incoming javelin with one hand, closing the distance at last.
Still a ways to go.
Kim Jeonghyeon shook his head.
“Think I'll let you do nothing up close?”
Puk.
Face-to-face with Longgin, Jo Jeonghu's eyes widened.
“Kuh……!”
A hot, heavy pain bloomed in his gut.
Blood dripped from his stomach. Looking down slowly, he saw Longgin's javelin had pierced right through.
“For throwing: javelin. For holding: shortspear.”
Longgin kicked Jo Jeonghu's chest hard, yanking the spear free as he tumbled across the ground.
“Round two?”
As the hard-earned distance opened again, Longgin smirked slyly and drew another javelin.
Kim Jeonghyeon couldn't stand it anymore and yelled at Jo Jeonghu.
“Hey! I said ease up. What's with the tension? Like a grappler, yeah? You guys are pros at that cringey stuff.”
“Y-Yes……? Yes, sir?”
Clutching his bleeding gut, crawling on the ground, Jo Jeonghu turned.
“Feel it. The fight. Like that matador said.”
If he'd learned rotation from the matador, he was likely picking up something from Longgin's style unconsciously.
“Yes……!”
“Last chance. Try again.”
Kim Jeonghyeon shared more mana.
Bestowing mana to the dominator.
Sealing wounds with mana. Bleeding stops temporarily, and pain is alleviated.
Not like a healer's skill that erased wounds entirely, but enough to move for now.
Anyone who knew mana used it this way to prolong fights……
But this punk wouldn't know that.
Like Uldran said, consuming this much Demon King mana might connect to Mirtus.
Doubts swirling, Kim Jeonghyeon anticipated Jo Jeonghu's next move.
The kid progressed faster than expected.
“Hoo……!”
Pain gone, Jo Jeonghu stood and assumed a One Strike stance. Like against the matador, his eyes and aura chilled instantly.
“Think I'll give you that opening!!”
Longgin hurled javelins in a barrage.
With his own mana and Kim Jeonghyeon's Demon King mana evenly distributed, Jo Jeonghu spun like the matador, deflecting them.
As javelins neared, he matched their speed with rotation, flowing them away like Tai Chi.
Panicked, Longgin unleashed near ten in a blink.
Thwish! Thwish!
“Storm Dragon Fist……”
Jo Jeonghu spun, deflecting them all.
“Leap Strike.”
He kicked off the ground, soaring skyward.
“Oh……?”
A wuxia novel move. Jo Jeonghu bounced lightly like on a trampoline, then propelled into the air.
Releasing mana from his toes like footholds, he dashed through the air toward Longgin.
“Insane……”
Just one nudge to relax, and he'd loosened this much? Weightless, Jo Jeonghu closed in instantly.
“This……”!
Longgin gripped his remaining javelin to fight, but Jo Jeonghu was already in range.
“At this distance, no need for One Strike.”
Using momentum, Jo Jeonghu smashed a straight punch into Longgin's face.
Crack!!!
Bone and metal clashed dully; Longgin's head snapped back, victory sealed—but Jo Jeonghu didn't stop.
If One Strike was a simple punch, Leap Strike was an aerial movement technique, stepping freely in all directions with mana-loaded feet.
He attacked from every angle, like Longgin's javelin throws.
Not One Strike power, but hammering an exposed foe with mana stone weapons was plenty strong.
Thud.
Longgin collapsed, unconscious and pulped.
“Hoo…… Is this…… good enough?”
Rotation from the matador, bounce from Longgin.
Monstrous learning speed.
Maybe the Jo family rejected him because he was too strong.
“Good work.”
Kim Jeonghyeon snapped his fingers, withdrawing the mana.
Pain surged; Jo Jeonghu hacked and collapsed.
“Now, onto the next training.”
Kim Jeonghyeon hoisted him piggyback and headed out.
The drone protested, but Kim Jeonghyeon didn't look back, drawing Blood Dissector from inventory.
Infusing it with mana, he swung at empty air.
The elongated sword aura exploded massively, proving how restrained he'd been without swordplay—obliterating half the arena.
“That do it?”
The waiting next foe was surely combat-ineffective from the aura alone.
Viewers and drone, thrilled by Jo Jeonghu vs. Longgin, were stunned by this off-script overkill.
Only Kim Jeonghyeon strolled out leisurely.