The Ten-Minute Breakthrough
“Long time no see!”
“It’s been a while, Guild Leader.”
The Sky Guild guild leader’s office.
A rather young man sat across from the guild leader.
Short-cropped hair, piercing eyes, and an intense aura rolling off his body in waves.
“A little noisy in here, isn’t it? We just finished our internal evaluations.”
“Internal evaluations… that brings back memories. Feels like just yesterday we were laughing and crying over a single test.”
A-grade Awakened Lim Seokjae.
A former youth-division talent from Sky Guild, he had elevated the guild’s reputation in countless ways during his time there. The recent influx of promising youths into Sky Guild owed much to his influence.
“You were always overwhelmingly in first place. That’s why so many other youths wanted to join. It’s already been several years. A-grade… you’ve truly made it big.”
Reaching B-grade could still be achieved through effort alone.
A-grade was different. Effort was merely the foundation; innate talent was what carried you across the threshold. That was why the world at large viewed A-grade as a resounding success.
“Time really does fly.”
The guild leader had always believed there must be a reason a talented Awakened like Lim Seokjae had chosen Sky Guild. Of course, Lim Seokjae had transferred to another guild not long after.
It was because of Sky Guild’s financial difficulties.
The moment he was promoted to the first team, he moved on, leaving behind an enormous transfer fee that had been a lifeline for the guild. Because of that, Sky Guild had maintained an excellent relationship with him.
“How have you been lately? You don’t look well.”
They were close enough for casual visits, but Lim Seokjae never came without a reason. Whenever he faced a dilemma, he would seek out Guild Leader Lee Hyeokjun for advice.
“There are many difficult aspects. I need to clear the 35th floor, but I’ve hit my limit.”
“Your limit?”
“Yes. Both in ability utilization and physical conditioning. It’s… painful.”
Lim Seokjae explained his condition in detail. Lee Hyeokjun listened and clicked his tongue.
“They call the 35th floor the first true gateway. It really is brutal.”
The tower had sections where difficulty spiked dramatically. The 35th floor was exactly that—a sudden wall known as the speed bump.
“If I can’t break through the 35th floor, I’ll be stuck at the bottom of A-grade. In the worst case, I could even get demoted back to B-grade.”
He was currently the lowest-ranked A-grade Awakened. But his goal had never been to linger at the bottom. To rise into the upper ranks and enter the official standings, he needed concrete achievements. Clearing the 35th floor was part of that equation.
“If you happen to know any good trainers…”
“Doesn’t the Lightning Guild have decent trainers?”
Lee Hyeokjun tilted his head. The Lightning Guild ranked 35th; it should have trainers worthy of that position.
“They do. But they couldn’t fix my problem. Honestly, we don’t click. I understand it in my head, but my body refuses to follow. It’s torture.”
Lim Seokjae let out a heavy sigh.
“It’s already been almost a year in this state.”
Come to think of it, his complexion had been dark every time he visited recently. Lee Hyeokjun never imagined the problem ran this deep.
“Hmm? Then did you come here knowing?”
“Knowing what?”
“We signed a contract with a new trainer. It’s short-term, but he’s extraordinary. Thanks to his guidance, Woo Hana has completely transformed.”
Lee Hyeokjun immediately played a video—Woo Hana’s tower debut match. Lim Seokjae visited Sky Guild often enough to know exactly who she was.
“…!”
After watching, Lim Seokjae asked with genuine shock, “Is that really Woo Hana?”
“Surprising, right? Since you taught her yourself back then, it must hit even harder.”
Lim Seokjae had instructed Woo Hana once at the guild leader’s request. That was why her transformation stunned him. The problem everyone thought was incurable had vanished completely.
“Who trained her? Who is this new trainer?”
“You really came without knowing?”
Lee Hyeokjun’s expression suddenly changed as if he’d realized something.
“Now that I think about it, you were at Promise Guild too, weren’t you? Then you should know him.”
“Ah, yes. Only for a very short time when I was young.”
“It’s Kang Yujun. The trainer we just contracted. You know him, right? He was at Promise during your youth days.”
“Pardon?”
Lim Seokjae looked genuinely confused.
“Trainer Kang Yujun. He’s the one who trained Woo Hana.”
“…Yes?”
Why on earth was he here? And a trainer? What did that even mean?
“He switched careers. To a trainer.”
In that instant, countless memories flashed through Lim Seokjae’s mind.
“Until recently he was teaching the youths, but now I’m thinking of assigning him first-team Awakened. He said from the beginning that he wanted to teach them directly.”
“First-team Awakened?”
Lim Seokjae had heard about Kang Yujun’s expulsion from Promise Guild. It was very recent. Even if he had switched to trainer, without separate preparation his career should still be short. Yet he was already training first-team members?
“No way.”
Then a memory from his childhood surfaced—how he had overcome his own wall back then.
“You said you needed training, right? Perfect timing. How about receiving instruction from Trainer Kang?”
“I’ll go observe first.”
“Ten minutes is enough?”
Kang Yujun’s confident declaration left every Awakened in the training room stunned.
Breaking through the wall in ten minutes?
“I’m sorry, but I’m not a youth, Trainer.”
Even a youth couldn’t break a wall in ten minutes. It was impossible.
“Will you receive the training?”
Yujun simply asked again.
Kim Ojung didn’t know how to respond. Was this confidence or reckless bravado? Ten minutes was an absurd timeframe. How could anyone speak with such certainty?
“…”
Kim Ojung frowned. Nothing to lose. And he wanted to see what that confidence was based on.
Watching him, Yujun swept his hair back.
I know my reputation isn’t great. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is the limit of my ability.
How far could his newly acquired skills and insight reach? The ability to truly see had been with him since birth. Add the Awakened Trainer System and its skills on top of that, and he was curious just how far he could push someone now—and how much stronger he could make them.
“All right. I’ll receive it.”
After long consideration, Kim Ojung accepted.
“Please train me.”
Yujun smiled faintly and studied him.
Awakened Scan Initiated!
“Then let’s begin the training.”
Kim Ojung remained silent.
He had requested training because the man seemed confident, yet he offered no further explanation afterward. Normally a trainer would ask about training style preferences, whether the trainee learned better through theory or instinct, and exactly why they felt blocked by the wall. Only after that discussion would a curriculum be built.
But Kim Ojung said nothing. It was only natural. The man had claimed he would break the wall in ten minutes. That could only mean he believed he could see through everything with a single glance.
It was childish, but Kim Ojung simply couldn’t bring himself to trust Kang Yujun. The highest achievement the man had shown as a trainer was turning Woo Hana around. He had taken a youth whose reputation was in free fall and transformed her into someone fit for the first sales team.
Yet perhaps it wasn’t Kang Yujun who was impressive—perhaps Woo Hana had simply been extraordinary. While a trainer’s role was important, maybe the wall had already been mostly shattered and Kang Yujun had only given it a tiny push?
That line of thinking dominated the first team. So Kim Ojung stayed silent.
Then—
“Would you use your ability for me?”
Kim Ojung’s ability was Petrification. It hardened parts of the body and could be applied in many ways.
Whoosh—!
In an instant his entire body turned to stone as he threw a punch. It was the powerful strike that had earned him a spot on the first sales team. The sonic boom that rippled outward drew gasps from the onlookers.
Yujun watched his movements quietly. For a split second the blue light burned bright, but a tiny crack appeared. The crack vanished almost immediately.
His skill level is considerable.
That was why any problem resolved itself quickly. But that single crack prevented the blue light from growing any brighter.
He’s instinctively protecting himself. His mental strength is low, too.
That suggested a psychological issue.
The Eye for Seeing has improved further.
Analysis power has increased!
“You’re holding back, aren’t you?”
Kim Ojung froze mid-attack.
“Did you suffer an injury as a child?”
“…”
Kim Ojung stared at Kang Yujun in shock. There was no way the man could know.
“You can tell just by watching…?”
“You shrink your shoulder for a split second. You extend it fully, but right at the end you slam on the brakes. There’s only one answer. You’re afraid of using your full power. Why?”
Whoosh—!
Yujun extended his own hand.
“There must have been pain, right? A time when you went all out and got injured.”
“…”
“You know me, don’t you, Mr. Kim Ojung? Do you know how many failures I’ve experienced? How many injuries I’ve suffered? As a non-Awakened, I went through every possible injury you can imagine.”
Yujun smiled as he spoke, but there was nothing funny about the words. Faced with that sincerity, Kim Ojung could no longer hide the truth.
“…You’re right. I was injured once.”
Just once. He never imagined someone could see through him so completely from a single movement. Yet knowing the circumstances changed nothing.
“Because of that, I haven’t been able to fulfill my proper role in the tower.”
The words spilled out before he could stop them. Yujun patted his shoulder.
“Don’t worry.”
Kim Ojung looked at him. The man’s eyes had completely changed. With one movement he had seen through everything. He might have heard the story beforehand, but the way Yujun instantly seized control of the atmosphere left no room for doubt.
At this level, ordinary trainers would never be able to solve it.
The first-team trainers had already failed, and Kim Ojung had been agonizing over it every day. Trauma wasn’t something easily fixed. But Yujun could fix it.
“Stretch your shoulders all the way. Swing with everything you have.”
Linguistic Correction
Whoosh—!
Kim Ojung had carried an instinctive terror: the fear that going all out would bring unbearable pain. No matter how hard he tried to shake it, the fear remained. But now it was gone. He could extend his arm perfectly.
Among all the punches he had thrown today, this one was the straightest and strongest. He had swung so hard that mana drained out in a rush and left him breathless.
Then Yujun’s voice reached him.
“You still have eight minutes left.”
As the training kicked into high gear, Lim Seokjae watched everything from the back of the training hall.
“I suspected as much…”
It really was Kang Yujun. Lim Seokjae recalled the Yujun from back then—the single piece of advice that had let him break his own wall. The current Yujun was far sharper.
“To solve a problem that easily…”
Of course Lim Seokjae understood. The fact that it looked easy only proved how outstanding Yujun’s training ability truly was.
“Ugh…”
Kim Ojung, still in the middle of training, began to cry.
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“The training isn’t over yet. Don’t forget that sensation.”
The moment Yujun fixed a problem everyone believed was incurable, first-team Awakened began gathering around them. Lim Seokjae stepped forward. If he missed this chance, he might not get another opportunity to speak with Yujun.
“Kang Yujun.”
At the call, Yujun turned. Surprise flashed across his face, quickly replaced by a smile as he walked over.
“Who… Seokjae?”
Yujun looked at him with wide eyes. It was a familiar face. But what caught his attention more was the state of Lim Seokjae’s body.
Why is his condition like this?
A massive, dark crack loomed over Lim Seokjae.
“You… is there something wrong with your heart?”
Lim Seokjae’s pupils dilated sharply.