The Time for Counterattack (2)

< p >[CRITICAL HIT! LUCKY STRIKE HITS THE ENEMY'S VITAL POINT!]

< p >The sound of bone crunching rang out like a thunderclap as Kang Seojun's backhand blow slammed into Park Sinhu's chin. The B-rank cadet staggered, then collapsed in a heap on the damp alley floor.

< p >───────《SKILL》───────

< p >▶ Name

< p >Counterstrike's Time

< p >◆ Grade

< p >[EPIC]

< p >◆ Description

< p >Activate to evade all melee attacks of Epic grade or lower for 10 minutes, then counter with 1.2 times the attacker's power. Usable only once per day; cooldown resets at midnight.

< p >──────────────────

< p >Counterstrike's Time's damage scaled to 1.2 times the opponent's attack power.

< p >A plain 1.2x multiplier should never have toppled Park Sinhu.

< p >[Luck: 50]

< p >But the 50 Luck stat bonus turned the attack into a critical hit, inflating the damage to well over double.

< p >"Ugh…"

< p >"Wha…"

< p >The alley thugs around ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the scene hardened their expressions instantly, realizing something was terribly wrong.

< p >"This, this bastard…!"

< p >The nearest thug shouted, and the others surged forward like a tide.

< p >[Skill 'Counterstrike's Time' activated.]

< p >[CRITICAL HIT! LUCKY STRIKE HITS THE ENEMY'S VITAL POINT!]

< p >[CRITICAL HIT! LUCKY STRIKE HITS THE ENEMY'S VITAL POINT!]

< p >[CRITICAL HIT! LUCKY STRIKE HITS THE ENEMY'S VITAL POINT!]

< p ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠>The brutal efficiency of the strikes left the thugs groaning and clutching themselves in under three seconds.

< p >"H-ugh… my shoulder…"

< p >"H-huff…"

< p >"Feels like… it cracked… ugh…"

< p >"You bastard…"

< p >Park Sinhu snarled, forcing himself up.

< p >"You hid your stats."

< p >"Who knows."

< p >Park Sinhu was convinced of his own theory.

< p >Kang Seojun deliberately let the misconception stand.

< p >Inside the academy, hiding one's true strength was not only allowed but often a deliberate strategy. The curriculum was built on ruthless competition; concealing power could even earn bonus points if executed correctly.

< p >-Grit… grit…

< p >Park Sinhu began to stretch, muscles coiling like a spring.

< p >His entire way of life mirrored a beast's—submit only to strength, kneel before no one. Any rival, especially inside the academy, had to be broken beneath his boot.

< p >"Haaah…!"

< p >-WHOOSH!

< p >Park Sinhue spun his massive frame and unleashed a powerful kick.

< p >Kang Seojun had been holding back, but with his long reach he could dominate the range. The idiot would be powerless to stop the barrage.

< p >Park Sinhu believed this.

< p >[Skill 'Counterstrike's Time' activated.]

< p >[CRITICAL HIT! LUCKY STRIKE HITS THE ENEMY'S VITAL POINT!]

< p >-CRACK!

< p >"Kyaaah…!"

< p >The low kick shattered his ankle. Park Sinhu collapsed to one knee.

< p >"Guh…!"

< p >Seeing his ruined knee sink into the filthy ground, he ground his teeth in rage.

< p >"You bastard…!"

< p >Exploiting his low stance, Park Sinhue lunged at Kang Seojun's midsection with a tackle.

< p >[Skill 'Counterstrike's Time' activated.]

< p >[CRITICAL HIT! LUCKY STRIKE HITS THE ENEMY'S VITAL POINT!]

< p >-CRACK!

< p >"Agh…!"

< p >A counter-kick smashed his nose; he tumbled backward.

< p >"Huff…! Grrraah…!"

< p >Park Sinhu crawled on all fours, blood streaming from his nose, face twisted in fury.

< p >Kang Seojun exhaled in relief.

< p >If Park Sinhue had been a mage or archer, Counterstrike's Time could never have been used like this. But the Luck bonus made it feel almost inevitable.

< p >"I'll kill you…"

< p >Murderous intent burned in Park Sinhue's eyes.

< p >"Hmm."

< p >To the Seojun of his previous life, that glare would have forced him to curl up in terror. Yet with Willpower at 30, the threat felt almost distant.

< p >"You'll regret this."

< p >Counterstrike's Time scaled damage with the opponent's power—meaning the more sincere the attack, the heavier the user's own penalty.

< p >Still, there was a risk. Permanent disability or worse, death.

< p >Kang Seojun worried about that possibility, but Park Sinhue's death itself was irrelevant.

< p >The real problem was the Taesan Group lurking behind him. Killing the heir would make escaping their investigation impossible. Early Luck might have bought time, but Luck had limits.

< p >'Then I'd have to drop out of the academy and follow the villain route…'

< p >Seojun simply hoped it never came to that.

< p >"You bastard…"

< p >Park Sinhue ripped off his necklace and poured mana into it.

< p >The pendant flared, swelling into a massive greatsword in his grip.

< p >"Ah…"

< p >Kang Seojun let out a tired sigh. Now the fight was truly desperate.

< p >He had only wanted to knock the guy out painlessly. But no skill allowed fine control…

< p >'What now…'

< p >Kang Seojun bit his lower lip in frustration.

< p >He began planning the scenario where Park Sinhue died.

< p >Drop out of the academy, join a villain organization, awaken differently…

< p >"Still regretting?"

< p >Park Sinhue misread the calm expression as weakness.

< p >"But it's too late."

< p >Drawing his blade meant he would swing it down with full intent. The Taesan heir didn't care about collateral.

< p >'Sigh… this is getting tangled…'

< p >"You stupid bastard!"

< p >Park Sinhue pushed off the ground, closing the distance in an instant, and brought the massive sword down in a vertical chop.

< p >[Skill 'Counterstrike's Time' activated.]

< p >Time seemed to slow.

< p >'Fine. If this is how it ends, so be it.'

< p >Kang Seojun accepted the coming death.

< p >At that exact moment, the air around them shifted.

< p >Some ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mysterious Luck flow responded to his will.

< p >'Ugh…?'

< p >Park Sinhue's beast-like instinct also sensed the change.

< p >As the greatsword descended toward his head, an instinctive warning screamed through him like a tsunami.

< p >Inside that ominous wave, Park Sinhue felt an emotion he had never known in his life.

< p >Fear.

< p >Staring at the fist hurtling straight at his face, he finally felt real terror.

< p >'Ugh…!'

< p >Park Sinhue, who had never once looked away from an enemy in his life, squeezed his eyes shut.

< p >Immediately after.

< p >-BOOM!

< p >A massive shockwave swept the alley as if an earthquake had struck, and

< p >[CRITICAL HIT! LUCKY STRIKE HITS THE ENEMY'S VITAL POINT!]

< p >"Ugh…!"

< p >A woman in a sharp suit slipped between Kang Seojun and Park Sinhue.

< p >She caught the sword in one hand while taking the fist with her body, grimacing in pain.

< p >"Ah?"

< p >The woman frowned, enduring the agony, and Kang Seojun recognized her instantly.

< p >'Park Seoyun?'

< p >Park Sinhue's older sister and guild master of the Taesan Guild.

< p >'She appeared here?'

< p >Park Seoyun usually entered the story much later.

< p >This ultra-early intrusion was unprecedented.

< p >'First-time flow.'

< p >Having cleared every route in the Grand Hunter Academy countless times, Kang Seojun felt genuinely confused by the deviation.

< p >Luck corruption? The gap between game and reality? Or some secret DLC branch?

< p >The unknown flow left his mind momentarily tangled.

< p >"Hmm…"

< p >[Intelligence: 8]

< p >It didn't matter.

< p >He accepted the situation without much thought.

< p >[Willpower: 30]

< p >Since the game had become reality, expecting every flow to follow game logic was the real mistake.

< p >Moreover, this was no complete stranger; the variables were manageable.

< p >"You…!"

< p >Park Sinhue was the one who looked shocked.

< p >"Grow up… you crazy bastard…"

< p >Park Seoyun glared at him while enduring her pain.

< p >"Guh…"

< p >Park Sinhue clenched his teeth, a complicated expression crossing his face.

< p >He secretly felt relieved that Park Seoyun had intervened in the crisis. It pierced his pride deeply.

< p >-CRASH!

< p >Park Sinhue hurled the useless greatsword aside and stormed out of the alley. The thugs on the ground quickly followed him.

< p >"This isn't his punch…"

< p >Park Seoyun straightened with difficulty and looked at Kang Seojun.

< p >Her durability was A-rank. Even with protection magic layered over it, the damage was substantial.

< p >'If Park Sinhue had taken that punch… he'd be dead.'

< p >Yet Kang Seojun felt no need to blame her.

< p >After all, the one who drew first.

< p >'Besides…'

< p >The opponent had swung such a ferocious attack without any sign of tiring.

< p >'With a body that wrecked, that power and stamina… he's no ordinary person. There must be something else.'

< p >Even a Taesan family member hiding unknown strength and background would be reckless to antagonize casually.

< p >The world had plenty of organizations and humans whose reach rivaled Taesan but operated only in the shadows.

< p >"I'm sorry. My brother caused a huge inconvenience. I'll take responsibility for what happened and make full restitution. This is my business card."

< p >Park Seoyun bowed 90 degrees, apologizing formally.

< p >"You've just enrolled as a new cadet, right? I know this might be a bit rough, but I hope no bad feelings remain between you and my brother. I'll warn him severely too—medical bills, additional rewards, whatever conditions you want. I'll match them as closely as possible."

< p >"Eh…?"

< p >Kang Seojun was stunned by the unexpected deference.

< p >The Taesan family always leaned toward coercion and violence rather than negotiation. Park Seoyun was the most human among them, but she was still a Taesan.

< p >When the Taesan family offered terms, there was always a clear reason.

< p >Kang Seojun could not see it and felt puzzled.

< p >The hesitation was brief.

< p >'If I don't know, I'll find out.'

< p >[Eye of Providence scanned the target's inner thoughts.]

< p >Mysterious patterns flickered in Kang Seojun's pupils.

< p >'Reward as pretext… approach… analyze… strange… eliminate…'

< p >[Mana insufficient—scanning halted.]

< p >-CRACK!

< p >"Ugh!"

< p >A piercing pain shot through his eyes as if needles had pierced them.

< p >"…Are you alright?"

< p >Park Seoyun asked with concern as Kang Seojun suddenly grimaced.

< p >"…I'm fine."

< p >Kang Seojun covered his throbbing eyes and answered vaguely.

< p >'The words alone couldn't be good. The rotten inside was still there. It's better not to get entangled any further.'

< p >Mana depletion prevented deeper insight, but the clues were enough.

< p >In the original story, hooking up with Taesan Group in the early stages brought nothing but trouble, no matter how the later plot unfolded.

< p >"No reward is necessary."

< p >"What? Excuse me, your body also looks a bit off… If you wish, I can introduce skilled healers and doctors. Naturally, we'll cover all treatment costs."

< p >The moment she offered, an examination under the guise of "checking status" would begin—everything, every trait exposed.

< p >If they discovered he was harmless, the Taesans would switch to even more ruthless violence.

< p >"I'm alright. Just please forget everything that happened today. Then I'll treat it as though it never occurred."

< p >"But…"

< p >Once something happened, it could not be undone. Minimizing entanglement now was the best option.

< p >[Prudent judgment increased Intelligence experience points slightly!]

< p >And then…

< ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠p >'I already gained something worth calling a reward.'

< p >[Constellations admire your performance!]

< p >[Constellation 'Sympathetic Hermit' sponsors Dimensional Currency!]

< p >[Constellation 'Scales-Bearing Guardian' sponsors Dimensional Currency!]

< p >The constellations' gifts were generous, but the true reward came in another form.

< p >Kang Seojun stared at the bloodstains on his clothes where Park Sinhue's blood had splashed.

< p >With Park Sinhue's blood available, he could create a skill at the shop that would help break early-game weaknesses: a disposable combination box.

< p >Skill 'Parasitic Growth'

< p >A skill that let the user absorb a portion of the host's EXP whenever the host trained or studied. The host's effort became the user's gain.

< p >When the host did push-ups, Kang Seojun's arms would harden. When the host studied, his intelligence would rise.

< p >Even…

< p >'He could periodically dump his debuff traits onto the host.'

< p >Kang Seojun's mind drifted. The image of Park Sinhue growing more haggard with every passing moment flashed through it.

< p >And the image of himself growing cleaner and cleaner in return.

< p >A strange, twisted pleasure tugged at the corner of his mouth.

< p >"U-um…?"

< p >Park Seoyun, watching this, suddenly felt an inexplicable chill run down her spine.