One Left Standing
Now, only you remain.
Jubern’s solemn gaze turned toward Imdun.
The ones who had coordinated an ambush on him had all collapsed to the ground except for Imdun himself.
“Kkueh… uuh…”
The light in Imdun’s eyes, who had been directing the others in his place, gradually dimmed into something icy.
‘Even while taking down that many opponents, he didn’t even break a sweat. Machines aren’t capable of just that much. A fifteen-year-old who can crush them so effortlessly without showing his full power… terrifying.’
Jubern’s single-handed defense against the coordinated assault had been truly astonishing. Every movement was clean, without a single superfluous flourish, and he stood perfectly upright.
In terms of overpowering his opponent, he was on par with Blanser. Yet where Blanser pinned foes down with raw strength, Jubern used nothing more than the precise amount of physical capability necessary to fell his target, eliminating any waste of power.
He was the very definition of the perfect technique.
The mechanical orbs drifting beside him glowed on their own, eliminating the weakness of a rectangular form, and by utilizing the terrain and surroundings to their exact advantage, he had never once faced more than four enemies at once.
How could such a coordinated ambush have meant so little? He had overlooked a few details, but to think he hadn’t managed to land even one decent wound on this opponent.
Imdun ground his lips together, the result far from what he had anticipated.
‘It’s not impossible to suppress them all without a single injury, but it will certainly be difficult.’
In his mind, Imdun began calculating what he would do if he were in Jubern’s position. Before long, he shook his head slowly.
“I see why Senior Hyeondo warned you and Teraden so strongly. In this welcome night, our class’s role is nothing more than mere support. But before Senior returns, I’ll be the one to bring you down.”
“Before Senior returns?” The words sounded suspiciously like the claim that Teraden would defeat that person.
“Of course. Senior has no reason to lose to that brat. Rather, you should be worrying about your own future.”
“My future… I find it somewhat excessive to be concerned while facing you.”
“You have quite the way with words, don’t you? Scratches right where it hurts. If you don’t want to regret it, you’d best do your best.”
“Then let’s begin.”
Paaat!
Imdun, who had been staring at Jubern for so long, launched his opening move like a hawk diving from the sky.
Paang! Peoag.
His fist was easily blocked. They had been observing each other to gauge their true strength, after all.
Starting with Imdun’s opening, the two exchanged dozens of light blows in an instant.
Imdun was swift and nimble, grabbing yet slipping free, light though it was. While others had fallen from single strikes, he showed no sign of crumbling.
Compared to the other first-years, his offensive power was exceptional. It was no wonder he had claimed the rank of second among the first-years without effort.
On the other hand, Jubern was refined and cautious.
Most of his exchanges involved luring his opponent into overextending, then striking the opening, or countering after the attack ended—the classic counterattacking stance. It clearly reflected his gentle nature.
“Ugh.”
The fallen ones who had once lost to Jubern swallowed dryly, unable to tear their eyes away from the clash of the two.
They gazed at Jubern with a mixture of awe and rage.
‘With nothing but physical strength… I can’t believe it even after seeing it with my own eyes.’
‘That, that brat… He didn’t even consider us!’
Pwaeok!
Jubern blocked Imdun’s rapid attacks, but Imdun was like a wingless bird, easily evading and retreating with the same speed.
‘The guy’s attacks are sharp, despite how pretty he is. It doesn’t suit him at all.’
Imdun clicked his tongue as he backed away and immediately charged forward at blinding speed.
“Euaaat…”
The spectators’ eyes widened as if he had vanished for an instant.
But not for Jubern.
Jubern’s parents were the mechanical engineer and Natalie, one of the Seven Pillars. In other words, his bloodline and talent were already extraordinary. Added to that, he had been trained by the sword-wielding fifth seat of the Seven Pillars.
To Jubern, capturing Imdun’s movements was no difficult task. Yet…
Swish!
Once again, Jubern drove his opening straight into the gap, but Imdun dodged his hand and accelerated even further.
Peet! Piiit!
Instead, red lines kept tracing Jubern’s suit.
Jubern tilted his head halfway in confusion.
‘Strange. At the most critical moments of the exchange, his movements become unnaturally fast. Could it be the lightening Ineung…?’
“Aren’t you going to use all of the machine’s power? At your current state, it would be difficult.”
“Well, I haven’t felt the need to unleash my full power against you yet.”
“How arrogant!”
Jubern took several hits to his side from Imdun’s rapid flurries, but his expression remained completely unchanged. Even this amount wasn’t enough to shake his calm.
Peet! Peoag!
After that, Jubern refrained from charging in prematurely and instead defended only the fatal attacks, slowly analyzing Imdun and adapting to his speed.
‘Is this guy…?’
Sensing Jubern’s submissive attitude, Imdun realized he could no longer stall and pushed his Ineung to its limit.
“Kraaaaah!”
Swoosh!
The moment Imdun appeared on Jubern’s side with a sudden flash of speed, intent on delivering a finishing blow.
Pwaeoeok!
“U, uuh…”
“Are you stupid? No one keeps taking the same blow repeatedly.”
After analyzing him, Jubern countered Imdun’s attack with perfect accuracy.
Caught off guard, Imdun’s body sprang back like a spring and rolled harshly across the ground.
Having taken that tremendous speed head-on… the damage from that single strike must have been beyond description.
Moreover, if Jubern’s attack had ended there, it would have been fortunate. But Jubern had no intention of letting such a golden opportunity slip away.
Kwaaang!
Determined to end it once and for all, Jubern slammed the ground with his fist for the first time, charging into the attack. The results showed in Imdun’s movements, which grew noticeably sluggish despite the damage.
Pwaeok! Pwaeoeok!
Imdun, who was only focused on blocking, eventually allowed his attacks to be met with the same impotence as the others.
“Kueuh… aah…”
Yet even so, Imdun refused to fall, stubbornly holding on.
Jubern’s eyes sparkled with admiration at this unyielding resolve.
“My previous words were a mistake. If I don’t use my full strength, I’ll be disrespecting you.”
Having finished speaking, Jubern slowly extended his right arm sideways.
“Develop.”
[S2 command confirmed. Mechanical Development.]
Chulak, chulalak.
The orbs hovering beside Jubern unfolded with a strange sound.
Once unfolded, they enveloped his entire body from shoulders to hands, granting him not only enhanced defense but also destructive power on top of his already formidable strength.
This was Jubern’s true power, replacing the absence of Ineung with machines.
Swoosh-! Utuuk.
However, as Jubern lunged forward with terrifying momentum to finish it, his fist suddenly halted right in front of Imdun’s nose.
Thud.
It was because Imdun had finally lost consciousness, barely holding himself up.
“…Release.”
Chulak, chulalak.
The metal covering Jubern’s body returned to the shape of the orbs with another strange sound under his command.
Jubern gave the fallen Imdun a short bow, then turned without delay to seek his next opponent and set off.
* * *
Swaaaa.
The courtyard where Teraden and Daebang’s battle raged was dyed entirely red.
“A red wave, huh. I have bad memories of water, though.”
Teraden’s lips curled up as he recalled his sparring match with Jubern amid the swirling red currents beside Daebang.
“Well, that’s the point— to break it.”
And with that, he waved his arms dismissively, scattering the old memory.
“You sure are slippery. This eel-like brat.”
“Your arms must be broken. Not even an eel can be caught.”
“T-this…!”
Daebang’s face, who hadn’t even managed to land a proper hit, turned as red as his Ineung.
Daebang opened his mouth several times but ultimately decided to drop the half-baked provocation. He didn’t want to risk ending up as a laughingstock himself.
“No Hwigwang? Too bad. Okay, I’ll accept it. It’s not bad at all.”
“You dared to treat me as a training partner?”
“Well, I’ve changed my mind now. Let’s really try.”
‘With the remaining time, build physical strength that can endure the Ineung. Once that’s done, by the time we reach the National Academy, I’ll have changed so much that even you’ll be stunned.’
Recalling Crow’s Duck’s advice, Teraden took a deep breath.
‘Uncle. This should be enough, right?’
“It’s been a while, so I’m a bit nervous.”
Teraden gathered his spirit and finally slowly drew forth his Hwigwang.
It had been a month since he had last faced Hwigwang.
“…?”
Yet Teraden’s expression when he released Hwigwang was somehow mysterious.
“Hehehehe!”
‘Only with a powerful physical foundation can the true value of Ineung be displayed.’
“What was that old saying… I think it went something like ‘no adult ever lies.’ Yeah, the uncle was right? Hehehehe!”
Hearing his loud laughter, it seemed there was no problem at all—in fact, the opposite.
Goooooo.
Soon, an Hwigwang of a clarity unlike anything before poured out from Teraden’s entire body.
With Crow’s Duck’s guidance, it intertwined with his physical strength that had built a solid foundation, triggering a massive synergistic effect.
Daebang couldn’t help but falter at the overwhelmingly intense presence.
“Th-that Ineung… I was about to say! It’s right in front of my eyes. I’m almost tired of other reactions… I…”
‘…I! Didn’t tell you not to use the Ineung!’
Pwaak! Pwak! Pwaeok!
‘Ugh! Ouch! S-save…!’
Teraden, laughing madly like a madman, suddenly recalled his past suffering from a scorching summer beating and winced, pressing his forehead.
“Kkub… kruek…! Holding out for half a month against an uncle stronger than that yokai… impressive! Truly impressive!”
‘He was grinning a moment ago, and now he’s sulking. Mood swings or what.’
Daebang wanted to crush that overbearing brat right away, no matter how much Teraden laughed or cried, but after seeing the Hwigwang, he no longer dared to make a move and had no choice but to wait for Teraden’s next action.
‘Hwigwang is that powerful… Honestly, I never expected it to reach this level.’
“Here I go. Let’s start round two.”
“Y-you…”
Chwaeag-! Kwaaaang!
The clash between Teraden and Daebang once again engulfed the courtyard in full-scale battle.
“……”
Meanwhile, Hyeondo simply watched the situation silently from the rooftop of the dormitory where he and Teraden had been standing, as if trying to figure out some hidden motive.