Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Indoor Class (2)
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“Hey, didn’t you have drinks with that Jeong Su-hyeon guy last time? Find out anything after that?”
The question came flying through the phone, and Kim Yu-jeong couldn’t help but scowl. She wrinkled her nose as if the phone were Lee Jun-hyeok’s face itself, then let out a deep sigh just quiet enough not to be heard. Her boss—and a pretty influential figure in the guild, the Thunder Sword Lee Jun-hyeok—still believed Jeong Su-hyeon had swallowed a fragment of the Omnipotent Being.
“No. Nothing unusual.”
That’s what Kim Yu-jeong said. All sorts of odd moments Jeong Su-hyeon had shown flashed through her mind, but she decided to chalk them all up to coincidence. The way his muscles had bulged unnaturally on the night he took her first time? Coincidence. The muscles vanishing the next day? Coincidence. His faster-than-average growth? Coincidence.
“Damn it, did you actually look into it properly? You’re not just bullshitting me, right?”
Lee Jun-hyeok clicked his tongue and pressed her again. Kim Yu-jeong brushed off his suspicion without a care.
“We haven’t known each other that long—how am I supposed to dig that deep? I asked casually, but he didn’t bite. You sure you’re not imagining things? Nothing suspicious so far.”
“Ah, should I check him out myself? Stick close to him for a while. Got it? And keep pushing to recruit Ichie.”
“I’ve been trying with Ichie, but she doesn’t seem to get what’s so great about joining the Black Dragon Clan yet. It’d help if we could show her some clear perks. Any ideas?”
“That’s... Hold on. I’ll ask our clan leader and get back to you.”
“Thanks.”
Kim Yu-jeong hung up and let out a heavy sigh. Even through the phone, she could feel how badly Black Dragon Clan leader Choi Sun-hong wanted that Omnipotent Being fragment. What was the big deal about some stupid shard? She couldn’t wrap her head around it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ “Ju-seong!”
A burly man riding a high-end Garma 2:8 bike called out to Kim Ju-seong, decked out in a crisp suit. It was the second day of indoor classes that week. Kim Ju-seong was slumped over his desk, flaunting his massive muscles, while most of the other students were sprawled out in similar poses.
The booming voice out of nowhere was enough to jolt the whole classroom. At that moment, I was chatting with Ichie. We were talking about tasty Korean food and good restaurants. The suit who looked like a salesman was heading straight for Kim Ju-seong.
“Ah, hyung. You’re here?”
Kim Ju-seong scratched his head and stood to greet him. The man Kim Ju-seong called “hyung” grinned wide, flashing an intimidating amount of teeth. Ichie squinted slightly at his hearty smile, looking a bit put off. Kim Chun-bae, sitting next to Kim Ju-seong, stood up hesitantly.
“You’re Chun-bae, right?”
“Ah, yeah.”
Kim Chun-bae bowed politely to Kim Ju-seong’s acquaintance. The man glanced down at him appraisingly, then nodded. Kim Ju-seong looked around before asking the guy,
“Hyung, what’s up?”
“What do you think? Just stopped by to see you.”
He lightly swept back his waxed hair and waggled his eyebrows. Then he turned to Kim Chun-bae.
“Chun-bae. Mind if I call you that? I’m older, so let’s keep it casual.”
“Ah, sure.”
Chun-bae replied meekly, like a timid lamb—his over-the-top confidence from yesterday in front of Ichie completely gone. Kim Ju-seong’s acquaintance pointed to the door.
“Let’s talk outside.”
“Okay.”
Once Kim Chun-bae and Kim Ju-seong were gone, the students started buzzing about the newcomer. Ichie was looking at me, and I tuned into the chatter. I didn’t know much about hunters.
“Who was that?”
“Diamond Club guy. Didn’t you see the logo on his suit?”
“For real? Did Ju-seong join Diamond Club?”
“His mentor’s probably from there. Hitting him up personally like this? They must be tight.”
Diamond Club. The massive guild with rumors swirling about murdering a popular streamer lately. In terms of size, it was top three in the country—with influence to match. Three of the nine S-Rank Hunters in Korea belonged to it, after all.
That big, and that hard to get into. Even when recruiting Awakener trainees internally, they used some special Diamond Club tech to cherry-pick talent.
“Diamond Club. I’ve heard of it. One of Korea’s big guilds.”
Ichie seemed to know the name too—much like how I’d vaguely heard of Japan’s major guilds. I watched the three silhouettes moving beyond the door, then turned to Ichie.
“Ichie. What do you want for lunch today?”
“Lunch. Somewhere tasty.”
“There’s a great soup place nearby. Gukbap. Wanna try it?”
Ichie shook her head firmly. She scrunched her face a bit and said,
“We had gukbap yesterday too. Not gukbap. Something else.”
“Ichie, today’s not just any gukbap—it’s bean sprout gukbap. Yesterday was pork gukbap, right? Today’s got no meat, just bean sprouts. The broth’s made from them, super light and refreshing. You’ll be amazed. How do bean sprouts alone make it taste this good?”
“Really? That amazing?”
“Of course.”
I nodded. Ichie looked intrigued now that I’d hyped it up. She said,
“Let’s go.”
Ichie nodded. Right on cue, the lunch bell rang. I headed out with her. Today bean sprout gukbap, tomorrow ox head gukbap, day after spicy beef soup gukbap. Gukbap’s just that good.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Relax your body and close your eyes.] After work and back home, I dove into training with the Omnipotent Being. I was the one who’d first asked for it. I wanted to level up fast, raise my rank, and show Yu-jeong sunbae the stamina-packed muscle man I’d been that first time.
I’d given her such an intense debut experience—couldn’t have her thinking I was lackluster from then on.
Plus, with the Rookie King tournament coming, I needed nonstop training starting now. Everyone else was grinding hard, so to pull ahead and win, I had to go harder.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Take deep breaths and visualize yourself. As you stand there.] I closed my eyes and tried imagining myself as the Omnipotent Being instructed. No matter how hard I squeezed them shut and focused, my ideal form wouldn’t appear. The Omnipotent Being said,
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ease your mind. Relax, close your eyes, and focus.] When I was little, my family went on a temple stay together. There was a meditation session where everyone sat in a row. If your posture slipped, a monk with a funny-looking stick would lightly tap your shoulder as he patrolled.
Focusing on avoiding the taps just messed up your form more. You couldn’t obsess over it. Clear your head, stay alert, and suddenly you’d be deep in meditation, tuning out everything. That’s what I figured the Omnipotent Being meant. I closed my eyes, calmed my mind, took deep breaths to quell my impatience. A faint light pierced the darkness in my vision, and before I knew it, I stood in a gray space.
“Desire drives humanity forward. Ever has it been so.”
A voice echoed from afar. An old man with a long beard approached in flowing robes. I instinctively stepped back, clenching my fists warily. The old man chuckled heartily.
“No need for caution. I am a fragment of the Omnipotent Being, nameless for now. I’ve entered your mindscape to aid your training.”
“Is that... your true form?”
“Nay. I have no fixed shape. I remember not my original visage.”
The Omnipotent Being shook his head. His body blurred like plunging into water, reforming as a sharp-featured middle-aged man. His voice deepened, carrying the pressure of a stern boss.
“I can take human form like this.”
He shook his head again. Black hair sprouted long and wild, exploding outward like fireworks. His height shrank a bit, his stern face softening into a kind, maternal smile. A gentle woman in billowing robes descended gracefully.
Her breasts were huge. Her waist was slim enough to make you wonder if it could support them, flowing into soft curves down to her thighs. In a silky voice, the Omnipotent Being said,
“Or like this.”
“I like that form. Please guide me in that one.”
Same price, pick the red skirt, as they say. The Omnipotent Being seemed amused by my choice. Maybe after ages without human contact, even my little reactions felt fresh. She nodded happily.
“Very well. If you wish it, I shall train you in this guise.”
Her outfit was modest, covering everything properly, but her voluptuous figure kept drawing my eyes. The Omnipotent Being said,
“Then let us begin. Note this: the point of this training is not mere physical growth, but honing judgment in battle and mastering unconscious habits. Through sparring, you shall discard wasteful ones.”
She stood before me and extended a hand. I trusted my abilities—even here in my mindscape, my Awakening seemed active. The Omnipotent Being said,
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Come.]