Sparring Supremacy
The bastard charging at my side, aiming to sever the web, swung his sword with his whole body committed to ripping it away—but sarsuk. The gear's sharpness and durability were already beyond normal limits, so instead, the swinging blade got tangled up, and I straight-up stole his weapon. Even after I'd suppressed the edge with mana, the long sword was chipped in spots just from that instant.
Should I hold back on using the spider web offensively unless I have to...? Fine against enemies, but in a simple spar, hitting through the web painted a clear picture of some poor bastard without defensive skills getting shredded—cold sweat beaded on my skin. Back in the murim world, I hadn't thought twice about slicing up those righteous sect nobodies like sashimi, but now that I was pulling my punches and going easy, the web's cutting power suddenly felt no joke. My tongue clicked involuntarily.
"Tae-gun!"
Mistaking my brief distraction for an opening, the classmate who'd lost his weapon let out a hopeful shout. His sneaky ass trying to snag assist points through the assist log made my eyes narrow on reflex. But whatever—the cry drew a response from Lee Tae-gun. Seeing the web gone and my eyes rolling around, he took it as his golden chance, leveraging his massive frame's weight into a powerful advance step. He swung a hook at my ribs, channeling his strength-based ability.
The air current from the fist's swing and the faint mana trails lingering in its wake drew an unwitting gasp of admiration from me.
Guess he didn't slack off...
Not just Tae-gun—the guy who'd tried to create an opening via his weapon, and the classmates overall—they'd all leveled up a notch. Even Park Jisu, a solid B-rank for her age, must've lit a fire under them. But with a ecosystem-wrecker like me showing up, I could picture them grinding their asses off in frustration, pushing each other hard.
Thud! I deflected the incoming hook, the collision echoing across the training grounds. Without so much as a blink, as Tae-gun kicked off to retreat—
Crack. In the moment I'd parried, one of his arms got wrapped and bound by the web. He scowled, brows furrowing.
"Gotta play, right...? Hehe."
"...Fuck."
His advance step and the punch's snap showed he'd picked up some superficial martial arts while I was away.
"Drew a crowd? Lemme teach you a move."
"...Hoo... "
The second my words ended, Tae-gun thrust his fist forward. He wielded a war hammer, but for raw physical power output like strength enhancement, bare-knuckle fighting was optimal. Seeing his thirst for knowledge—learning techniques indirectly through me—my lips curled up.
As I smirked, his right arm—freed by my consideration—aimed for my face, while his left shoulder twitched, telegraphing the follow-up combo.
Tak. Pong. Contrary to the packed power, it bounced back with a light, half-hearted pop and retracted. Even as an A-rank hunter, my raw strength was clearly no match for a pure strength-specialized awakener like him, so he twitched an eyebrow in curiosity and dissatisfaction.
"Simple and clean, right? For strength types... but with that power, just dumping mana into speed? That's mid as fuck."
Tae-gun's eyes rolled as he processed. Unconsciously torn between balanced build or all-in power, he met my gaze.
"At your level? You can pull this off easy."
Kuuung! No way was I, using the Mudang's Face Wall technique, just deflecting his attack. As I parried, I'd naturally absorbed his force, layering and amplifying the destructive power inside me before unleashing it through a deliberate, slow advance step. Then—a sluggish straight punch.
The aura pouring from my body and the rattling pebbles urged him to dodge, but Tae-gun gritted his teeth, rallying his full mana to turtle up like a fortress.
He was getting all hot-blooded, but a squad leader was still a squad leader—his fiery spirit plain as day, drawing a chuckle from me.
Kwaaaaang!!!
"Kuheok!!!"
"Hehe. Why tank it, dumbass?"
Turning turtle was a fact, sure—but come on, read the room and flop preemptively, yeah? Just take the advice sweet, fake some agony, and bail...
"Hey... ain't that guy getting wrecked...?"
"But he went easy, right...?"
"But if Tae-gun flies off from one hit, who the hell blocks that monster's attacks?"
"......"
"What? Not coming?"
Tae-gun's sacrifice bought a brief lull. They gulped, eyes flicking between my pristine clothes—no hits landed—and the sprawled classmates.
"Enough. Assemble—time's up."
"Yes, sir!"
"Instructor Park, hurray...!"
"Send Instructor to Congress!"
"Cut the bullshit and assemble!"
I'd gone easy but still dished out personalized coaching like with Tae-gun, turning it into a masterclass. Dusty as hell but limbs intact, the ten-odd classmates grinned ear-to-ear, making my lips pout.
Shouldn't have held back...
I muttered, and Jeong Jae-kyung, slinking past, startled and piped up.
"Hey, you psycho—didn't see Tae-gun? More would've killed him, dumbass."
"True, but..."
"Sigh... no sense of 'enough'... "
His eyes narrowed triangular in a glare. Unintentionally scanning him mid-chat, I saw he was dusty like the survivors but unscratched and intact—rage boiled over, and I smacked his nape.
Thwack!
"Ack!!!"
Jeong Jae-kyung howled, face-planting. Leading instructor Park Jong-cheol glanced back, clocked it was me and him, then kept walking without a word.
"What's his deal...?"
Overplaying the fall to spite me, he got stomped by trailing Park Jisu, yelping again—but with the instructor ignoring us, it faded into silent screams.
"How'd they do?"
The loaded question made Park Jisu tilt her head before replying.
"Definitely stronger than before the Grand Prix."
"Right?"
"Yeah—even Tae-gun's hit peak realm entry... right...?"
"Yup. Among classmates, excluding us? Only Tae-gun and Jae-kyung have B-rank shot."
She startled, eyeing rising Jeong Jae-kyung.
"Him...?"
"Hehe. Yo, he's a drama queen, but pure ability? Stronger than Tae-gun. Don't sleep on him, Prez Park."
"Just from looking...?"
"Nah—scanned him smacking his head. Reflexes, mana pool..."
Tae-gun was the model student; I'd expected him to grow. But Jae-kyung, the cheeky punk rivaling my hothead vibe, gunning for her B-rank league? She sensed the threat—unlike my smirk, her face hardened instantly.
She has no clue how much her potential's spiked... she's shocked, so let her stew...
She didn't know—from ogre hunts to our romps, running Moonlight Body Heart Art like breathing had steadily boosted her mana's purity and volume. Her drive to grow beyond complacency? Music to my ears. Seeing her clench a fist, I smiled and kept walking.
"Told your bro?"
"Yeah, he was thrilled? But glad the principal's suppressor is close..."
Poor naive instructor Park Jong-cheol. Who was suppressing who...?
"Not that—what about gun sponsorship?"
She smacked her lips, shaking her head.
"Old Blackie's level's tough now... Hunters don't main guns anyway, and that was max effort back then... Probably standard consumables."
Her bitter look soured my mood further. My woman slumming it with basic gear? If she were average, maybe—but with Moonlight Body Heart Art guaranteeing growth, she was a surefire jackpot.
Gun-related games... cyberpunk or SF line?
Recalling my downloaded game list for downtime, I ruffled her sulky head. She giggled back, clinging to my arm and nuzzling.
Who could refuse that aegyo? Her unintentional seductiveness drew a chuckle.
Gotta snag a real beast for her...