Crushing the Propaganda in the Golem Arena
"2+1 event—'Boosting Cha Eun-woo, those fucking bastards.'"
I instantly grasped the situation. A few cadets glancing at Cha Eun-woo. The sharp ones had probably already figured out the inside story.
Cha Eun-woo was your typical brute swordsman, powered by Sword Ghost, an advanced skill that boosted sword talent and added slash damage corrections. Combine that with his publicly known sword aura from the Association, and it was obvious. 100% propaganda event.
Right now, the only noteworthy third-years were two: Cha Eun-woo, who could bisect a golem effortlessly, and Park Jisu, pulling off flashy ultra-long-range shots from atop high-rises. Sure, some of my peers had potential since we were still growing, but to the higher-ups, that shit was for later.
I casually pulled up the streaming site linked to the simulation training ground on my smartphone. Comments were flooding in. Tae-gun was in the thick of it, locked in a chest-thumping power struggle with the golem that'd make any civilian's palms sweat.
Donations exploding everywhere.
After tumbling around for a while, Tae-gun must've realized he couldn't handle it barehanded. He dropped back, snatched the war hammer from his waist, and flung himself forward like a boomerang. His upper body spun wildly, smashing the hammer into the golem's thigh.
It's over.
The golem felt the dent in its thigh and immediately jammed a hand into the building wall, sucking up materials to regenerate in seconds. Virtual sim, so it only mimicked monster traits—no mana drain. In short, unless you nuked the core in one shot, regen was endless.
Tae-gun swung again, but took a fist to the face. His health bar dropped, and he retired. Decent mid-to-upper tier guy, and he got wrecked like a dog. The others didn't even need mentioning.
As cadets retired one after another, the training ground turned gloomy. Then Cha Eun-woo's name was called.
"Next, Cha Eun-woo. Get up there."
"Yes, Instructor."
Unlike the dour mood, Cha Eun-woo sauntered up with shoulders squared like a smug prick. He knew this stage was built for him. That's why the arrogance.
Everything after he hit the field went as expected. He methodically narrowed in on the infinite-mana golem's core, pinpointed it, then unleashed a blinding iaijutsu draw. The golem halted for the first time since sim boot-up.
He struck a cocky pose on the field, refusing to come down. Made me want to puke.
"Excellent. As expected of the top cadet. Next, runner-up Park Jisu—up you go."
Plan going smooth, the instructor called her quick. For viewers, seeing top and runner-up deliver back-to-back spectacles? Instant national pride hit.
Park Jisu slung her sniper rifle over her shoulder, glancing nervously at her peers as she headed to the field. Adorable, even though it wasn't her fault.
While Cha Eun-woo regenerated the vanished golem, Park Jisu huffed her way up to the ruined building rooftop.
Accounting for rebuild time? Thorough. Real thorough.
Everyone else got jumped without prep time—pathetic, right?
By the time the golem reformed, Park Jisu was set. Her short bob fluttered in the wind as she peered through the scope with eyes sharper than her looks suggested.
A woman deep in focus is hot on its own, apparently—chat was blowing up with "She's a snack, damn."
Groooaaarrr!!!
As the golem rose roaring, Park Jisu chambered a round and squeezed the trigger.
Bang!!!
Sim distance between her and the golem: about 1km. The bullet accelerated, morphing into light, then erupted in blinding brilliance.
Kabooooom!!!
Everyone squinted at the blast and flash. Dust, debris, metal fumes cleared to reveal a massive crater—and no golem, even if you scrubbed your eyes raw.
"Jisu gives me chills every time."
"Yeah. Haven't seen her max range yet..."
Her lack of friend-foe distinction hurt versatility, but damn, she was elite. Even the instructor sounded flustered.
"P-Park Jisu, cadet—that was outstanding. Good work."
"Yes, Instructor."
She scampered down, swarmed by female cadets getting manhandled in the best way.
"Talk about inferiority complex."
Jeong Jae-kyung shook his head beside me, moping.
"I'll show you real inferiority complex, you little shit."
"Again?"
No one besides Park Jisu knew my full abilities yet. Time to show the streaming nationalists what 2+1 really meant.
"Finally, Cadet Kang San—to the field."
I hopped up without a word. Cameras everywhere for live feed, even if it looked empty. No slacking.
I watched the crater refill while slipping on my gauntlets.
Nice—drip check.
The dye job from the murim world turned out perfect. Glossy black gauntlets gleaming.
"Kang San's got some weird gear again."
"But it looks cool."
"Kinda lame, but the vibe's insane."
I eyed the golem assembling from scrap.
One-shot's too quick. Gotta show it all.
Hiding power ain't my style. As I brainstormed, the golem lumbered up.
Groooaaarrr!!!
Left hand forward, right on hip. Legs spread steady. The second I posed, the sneaky fucker lunged.
My physical stats were jacked, but did I need to tank it head-on?
Nah... lacks class.
Instinctive martial flow kicked in. My tiny hand versus its massive grip. Left wrapped its wrist, circulating the force inward. Taiji motion spun me around, flipping it clean.
Wham!!!
Golem downed in one fluid move. I pictured stunned classmates outside. Internet probably farming hooks already.
Whatever—the golem regenerated from asphalt and rebar. Perfect for abomination practice.
While I glanced away, the restored golem lunged to crush me. Metal claws alone gave chills. Size queen, for sure.
Tap.
I darted in spry, meeting its grip head-on.
Clangggg!
Testing my strength, I diverted some force—my arm creaked, but the golem's flew skyward as planned.
Frustrated at failed attacks? It grabbed the airborne arm and stomped down.
Diversion's fine, but repeating? Boring. Time for impact.
I disrupted the slamming arm's flow—crashed into ground. I leaped atop, unleashing Flying Sky Shadowless Technique.
Like a bird, one step closed in—its face loomed huge. All prepped, my fist packed with unified energy slammed its skull.
Boom!!!
Energy flooded from the dented head, ravaging internals and shattering the core. My Weight Hand Method perfected for golems?
Thud.
Golem collapsed mindless without its core. I strolled off the field casual.
Park Jisu preening like it was obvious; instructor and cadets slack-jawed.
Ripped it.
Despite the uproar, A-rank hunter instincts kicked in—the instructor clapped quick.
"Cadet Kang San! Unrecognizable growth. Looks like a high-rank skill awakening. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
I bowed calm and returned.
"Ugh. Smell shit anywhere?"
I chuckled at Jeong Jae-kyung's blank stare.
"Alright! Cadets, pair up two-per-team. Reference the sim results—pick partners that mesh. These teams handle gate field training for the next year. Submit forms to admin."
Internet already chaos; Instructor Park Jongcheol handed out forms fast, silenced his blowing-up phone, and ended class quick.
In the lingering buzz, I approached Park Jisu. She beamed back.
Our duo? Top of the year, locked in.