Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Thunder in the Archery Range
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"Lately, I've heard the Second Archery Range keeps having sounds of doors breaking?"
"That's bullshit. Even lies have their limits."
The archery range was famous for being quieter than the other training grounds.
The Second Archery Range, in particular, was exclusively for the Archery Club.
Thanks to No Jun-yeop, who pathologically hated noise, the only sounds you could hear were gunshots—er, arrows.
But doors breaking all the time?
No student would believe such baseless rumors...
*KRAAACK!!*
"...Was that just the sound of a door breaking?"
Worried they might step in something nasty like No Jun-yeop,
the students had been passing by the archery range as quietly as possible. Now they froze in place.
"Sounded like thunder to me?"
"Why would there be thunder in an archery range?"
"We must've misheard."
"Yeah... haha...."
The students awkwardly laughed as they stared blankly at the now deathly silent Second Archery Range, then left the scene.
It was a situation that made them doubt their own ears, so they wrote it off as a hallucination.
Meanwhile, inside the Second Archery Range.
"Grk, grrrrk...."
Baek Do-jin, his entire body charred black, frothed at the mouth as he thrashed about before slowly closing his eyes.
'No lightning resistance is fatal.'
Lightning Tribulation Response Training using the [Trace of the Lightning Tribulation].
It was training that would be immensely helpful even for S-Rank Players.
Though the Lightning Tribulation summoned by Jae-hyeok was weaker than the real thing, it matched in speed, timing, trajectory, variables from light refraction, and other key characteristics—plenty to learn from.
It honed reflexes while acclimating one to the Lightning Tribulation. Anyone would welcome it with open arms.
But it was too advanced for students.
Baek Do-jin hadn't even managed a reaction.
Worse, without lightning resistance, a single strike had dealt him critical damage.
It was astonishing he'd lasted several seconds without passing out immediately.
"Wha-what...? Quality!"
Da-hee's face drained of color.
The girl dreaming of becoming the second Yaksha.
She hoped to become the ideal noble, destined to walk a thorny path.
A precarious seed that would face despair countless times before the harsh wall of reality, perhaps never blooming.
Knowing this, she endured every trial and hardship with aggressive resolve. But this time was different.
"Was that... a lightning bolt just now...?"
Da-hee's large, clear eyes shook without focus.
Her gaze darted back and forth between the charred Do-jin and the range's high ceiling, swirling like a vortex.
A bolt from the blue—in an indoor space, no less.
That bright yellow thing was just like...
"...Lightning Tribulation?"
Hae-rin spoke the terrifying word Da-hee couldn't bring herself to say.
She'd lost her composure too.
Eyes wide like a startled cat, she backed away unsteadily.
Jae-hyeok cleared up his teammates' misunderstanding.
"Lightning Tribulation comes in at least fifteen consecutive strikes. This was just a perfectly ordinary bolt of lightning."
The number of Lightning Tribulation strikes scaled with the target's level.
Players level 151 to 159 took fifteen strikes.
From level 160 to 169, sixteen strikes, and so on.
The reason Jae-hyeok's bolt during the entrance re-examination hadn't caused a stir was that it was just one strike.
"R-right! Good thing it was just ordinary lightning! I was so shocked thinking it was Lightning Tribulation!"
Da-hee grinned after Jae-hyeok's explanation dispelled her fears.
Hae-rin found her reaction odd but didn't butt in.
True to her cat-like nature(?), she instinctively avoided trouble.
Jae-hyeok watched her retreat farther with interest, then dumped two potion bottles over Do-jin's body.
'I need to meet up with Seong-hyun hyung this weekend for sure.'
Sustaining Lightning Tribulation training required massive amounts of potions.
And he had just the connection: Jo Seong-hyun.
Son of the president of a potion company that harvested herbs at Lion's Castle every week.
"I-isn't that... using potions too wastefully?"
Da-hee jumped when the two bottles emptied in seconds.
Students got only five potions a week.
You could get extras from teachers or instructors during training, but rumor had it that hurt your grades.
Potions were 'extra lives' to begin with. Stockpiling them helped psychologically.
"Why? You sparing potions on Baek Do-jin?"
"That's not it..."
The sooner Do-jin-senior recovers, the sooner it's my turn, right?
Jae-hyeok revealed the truth to her, unable to voice the rest.
"This was Baek Do-jin's anyway, so no need to spare it."
The day before.
Jae-hyeok had burned through his potions practicing Lightning Tribulation deflection.
He had none to spare for others.
"......"
Step by step.
Da-hee backed away, imitating Hae-rin.
She'd already questioned doing this horrific lightning-strike ordeal, but learning victims lost their potions too crushed her motivation further.
No choice, though.
Jae-hyeok needed to gauge his teammates' limits.
"Sorry."
With a curt apology, he stepped into his True Step.
*BOOM!*
Jae-hyeok, who had hit level 32 on the final day of snowfield training, had 102 Agility.
His movement was like a gale.
He closed the distance to Da-hee in a flash and activated [Two Sickles that Stop the Cart].
*Crackle!*
The white gloves on his hands emitted a faint golden glow like scattering lightning,
*Flash!*
A bright yellow bolt struck down toward Jae-hyeok and Da-hee overlapped.
*When using skills, there's a very high chance the Trace of the Lightning Tribulation will excite and trigger a seizure.*
The Lightning Tribulation from the white gloves naturally targeted Jae-hyeok.
But he'd already leaped away at full power.
"Eek!"
Da-hee realized too late as Jae-hyeok passed her naturally. She reflexively swung her thin sword, but it was too slow.
The bolt slammed into her back.
"Arrrgh...."
Da-hee couldn't even scream. She convulsed and blacked out instantly.
Jae-hyeok rifled through her pockets for potions, smirking.
'Both exceeded expectations.'
Da-hee's sharp thin sword had moved right up to the bolt; Do-jin had taken a direct headshot and lasted seconds before collapsing.
Meaning their Agility and Vitality matched their Strength.
As expected from dozens of spars: both had two 'main stats,' not one.
'No surprise. Pure Step is a top-tier First Skill, and Da-hee didn't snag top freshman spot for nothing.'
Of course they had top potential.
As he poured potion on Da-hee, a smile spread across his face.
"You're actually worse than Jung Lu-han?"
Hae-rin, her pupils dilating hugely, showed intense wariness.
She was already armed with sword and shield.
"Who knows..."
He regretted not sending(?) Park Hae-rin, with whom trust was still low, first...
Realizing his mistake, Jae-hyeok chose his words carefully.
"You'll have to experience it yourself and judge what kind of person I am."
"......"
Experience it herself and decide.
Jae-hyeok's casual words stirred something odd in Hae-rin's chest.
Her eyes sparkled as she nodded vigorously, a rare sight.
"Got it. I'll judge and decide for myself."
*Shing!*
This time, Jae-hyeok didn't summon Lightning Tribulation right away.
He wanted to test Hae-rin's skills directly, so they exchanged blows.
'Surprisingly similar to Baek Do-jin.'
Do-jin had a feral vibe.
Lacking technique but rampaging like a beast, he applied immense pressure.
Hae-rin, by contrast, evoked her family's storied history.
She fought by deploying systematically trained techniques at key moments.
Yet she had Do-jin's raw edge too.
Thanks to 'instinct' built on high Insight.
She intuitively pierced the limits of a given technique producing result A and produced B or C instead. Her style was systematic yet chaotic.
A nightmare for opponents.
'This with her First Skill sealed.'
He felt the same thrill as when he first met Baek Do-jin.
Judging her sufficient, Jae-hyeok grabbed her shield with his hand and yanked, pinning her in place so she couldn't flee. Then he activated the skill in midair.
*Flash!*
"...!"
Hae-rin's keen senses detected the Lightning Tribulation faster than most.
But she couldn't dodge like Se-hee or endure like Do-jin.
She didn't even attempt to counter and simply collapsed.
'Not bad. Once they all get lightning resistance, we could push the training hard....'
Of course, none of them could dodge or deflect Lightning Tribulation yet.
Even Jae-hyeok struggled with it.
But just reacting and attempting something was training in itself, he figured.
Extremely encouraging.
Both the environment to summon Lightning Tribulation at will and teammates able to exploit it.
Heaven's blessing indeed.
'The issue is building lightning resistance will be tough.'
Ways to raise attribute resistance were limited.
Barring specific classes or achievements, items were the only option—and the limit.
Lightning resistance was rarer than any other.
Because of Lightning Tribulation.
Unless it was a flawed item like the [Trace of the Lightning Tribulation], finding one that boosted lightning resistance was harder than finding a needle in a desert. Even if found, competitors drove prices to astronomical levels.
'In conclusion.'
Lightning Tribulation Response Training for the team was realistically once a day max.
"You crazy bastard...."
No Jun-yeop, just arriving, muttered a curse.
Losing his vice-captain spot hurt, and now dull duties piled on?
No, that was secondary.
He recoiled at the three charred lumps lined up at Jae-hyeok's feet.
Only then did Jae-hyeok feel a pang of conscience.
Even two potions each hadn't improved their conditions.
'Pushing training like this might actually kill them...?'
Facing reality, he calmed his excitement and slung his teammates over his shoulders to carry them to the infirmary.
***
Kim Jin-rae, Class 1-B.
The dutiful boy had scoured club rooms every night since getting his father's call.
What good could he do alone? He questioned it, but planned to find the club hunting 'Black Rock Tuna' and beg them to consider Daeyang Shipping's position.
Yes, the boy clung to faint hope.
And by sheer coincidence, he witnessed it.
Hearing sudden thunder, he ran to the archery range like a moth to flame—and saw Archery Club members hauling massive ice boxes.
'Ice boxes? No way...!'
No one stored arrows or ammo in ice boxes.
Sure enough.
While the members were away, he peeked inside: one massive Black Rock Tuna per box.
The culprit disrupting Daeyang Shipping's chain stores and distressing his father was revealed.
'Of all clubs, the Archery Club.'
It ranked a step below major clubs.
But rumors said the leader had a piss-poor personality and authority beyond imagination.
Not the right target for a freshman nobody's plea.
'Still, I can't just sit idle.'
Recalling his father's face, the boy steeled himself at the range entrance, steadying his breath.
"Kim Jin-rae?"
An unexpected figure emerged from inside.
"J-Jae-hyeok? Ah, ahhh...!"
Kim Jin-rae shuddered.
Why did the class treat Jae-hyeok like a leader?
He'd thought it was just strength.
Jin-rae himself had benefited from Jae-hyeok's power and drive, harboring vague goodwill.
But now he saw the real reason.
"Jae-hyeok, you... knew my situation and were helping from the shadows...?"
"...?"
"I get it. The others figured out your true nature long ago and that's why they..."
Misinterpreting the three pitch-black 'corpses'(?) slung over Jae-hyeok's shoulders, the boy teared up in感动.
To Jae-hyeok, it was baffling.
'This kid's a bit off too.'
Students of Lion's Castle, the future of Korea?
Where?
Sighing, he jerked his chin at Jin-rae.
"Come on. Let's hear your story."