Training Camp # 9
Training Camp # 9
"What's your deal?"
I wasn't really close with this guy. He was just a classmate whose face and name I happened to know. I never did anything to make him hold a grudge.
"..."
The bastard kept glaring at me with this blatantly hostile look. I couldn't let this slide. No way I was just taking that lying down. So I started properly glaring right back.
"Ha, this prick?"
He averted his eyes.
That moment.
—Ding.
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「Quest Generated」
「Subdue the hostile cadet」
「Reward: 300 Coin」
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Whoa, shit, it's been a while.
A quest window popped up to subdue a hostile cadet for the first time in ages. I felt a flicker of nostalgia, but that's not what's important right now.
That guy really had genuine hostility toward me. But I didn't get it. There was no reason for classmates to act like dicks to each other.
"Geun-cheol. I won't go easy on you. Be ready."
While I was thinking, Si-hoo came over and threw down the gauntlet. This guy had a really cocky look on his face. But I had a shot at winning.
"Si-hoo. I accept your challenge."
I'd knock that arrogance right out of you!
"Don't talk like it's some formal duel. Geun-cheol. Even in sparring, I'm ruthless. If you end up against me, you'll get beaten to a pulp."
"Huhahaha! Yo, Ryu! Si-hoo's provoking you!"
"What! Lee Si-hoo! I'll settle things with you today!"
Ryu, who was already burning with fighting spirit over there, came stomping over and yelled. Isn't this the perfect use of one against the other?
"Aack! I didn't mean it like that! Geun-cheol, you just watch yourself!"
"If you wanna take me down, you gotta go through Ryu first... heh heh heh."
"Geun-cheol, you coward!"
If I stuck Si-hoo and Ryu together, the rest of them were probably around the same level. I'd figure things out after seeing how that fight went, then go support Ryu. Ah, but actually, if I went to help him, there was a chance he'd team-kill me just on principle.
I'd have to play it by ear.
"Looks like you're all fired up from the start. Groups 1 and 2, head to the battleground. Follow that drone over there."
—Vwoom.
The drone lifted off, and we followed it onto the field.
"..."
Mun Min kept sneaking glances at me, radiating hostility the whole time. Since we hadn't started yet, I let it slide, but we'd sort this out while sparring.
* * *
We arrived at the field.
"Alright, everyone spread out to your designated positions. Once you're in position, I'll start the count. At zero, the battle begins. Treat the opposing team as villains and annihilate them."
Instructor Lee So-ra's voice boomed from the drone. I moved to my position as ordered and spoke up.
"Hey. Ryu. Brian. Let's throw together a quick plan?"
"Be quiet."
"Yo, dude! We gotta make a plan to win!"
Quiet my ass!
"Oh! Dragon Cheon-hwi! We gotta make a plan to win! You are way too uptight!"
This Brian guy had guts!
"Stop calling me that stupid Dragon crap! We don't need a plan! I'll just smash everything! Planning against low-level scum like them is an insult in itself!"
"Yo, yo. Cut the bullshit and let's make a plan, man. Lee Si-hoo is here, you think it's gonna be that easy? And you still haven't settled things with Si-hoo anyway."
"Kh...! I'll be the one to take him down! Don't you touch him!"
I couldn't touch him even if I wanted to.
That moment.
"Three. Two. One. Begin."
The count hit zero.
—Fwoosh!
At the same instant, Ryu kicked off the ground and launched himself like a cannonball.
—Kwaaang!
A deafening roar, like a mortar shell dropping. An incredibly powerful charge. Having bolted to the far side in an instant, Ryu let out a battle cry.
"Lee Si-hoo!!! Come and face me!!!!"
That guy didn't fit into team play one bit.
"Ah, crap! Nothing we can do about it! Brian! Let's just each take one and fight! You go left! I'll deal with whoever comes from the right!"
"Oh! Got it! Survive or beat 'em down! If you win, come help fast! Help me please, okay?"
"Alright!"
This guy's way of talking was a little psycho, but he communicated well! I could see us becoming friends!
—Fwoosh!
Anyway, I also split off from Brian. If Ryu was handling Si-hoo, the rest were basically small fry. We could just take them one-on-one.
"This bastard Mun Min."
I had to ask him why the hell he was glaring at me all pissy. As I was sprinting off to the right, Mun Min appeared from that direction.
—Skrrt.
He stopped at the same time I did. Then he checked the surroundings. He didn't bring a buddy. This was a one-on-one.
"..."
The guy just kept glaring at me silently. His look was, well, plain. A dude with brown hair cut into a two-block style. He was a bit shorter and smaller than me, and his gear was identical.
"Hey. Was it Mun Min? Got something you want to say to me?"
I leveled my training sword at him as I spoke.
—Fwoosh!
He kicked off the ground and charged at me without a word. His speed was just average. Not fast enough that I couldn't react. So I kicked off the ground too, swinging my sword to seize the initiative.
—Clang!
Swords collided, producing a sharp ring.
Training swords were great for this. They had this weird property where activating your aura weakened the impact but made the hit feel a lot heavier. I was really fond of this blade.
"Hap!"
Anyway, since we were fighting, I was going all out. I approached the combat as seriously as I could, keeping my eyes wide open and watching Mun Min like Yu-ri taught me.
—Clang!
—Clang!
When he stepped forward and swung his sword, I blocked and stepped back. All the while, I watched for the timing to counterattack and push forward.
Was our skill level... about the same?
We were fiercely swinging our swords, but neither of us could get the upper hand. Impossible to tell who would win.
That moment.
"Hyaaaaaap!"
With a battle cry, he pushed me back!
It didn't feel like I was outclassed in raw strength, but I was physically being pushed back. This guy had a higher swordsmanship level than me and his mana handling ability was a cut above!
"Kh!"
He started reinforcing his strength with mana and shoving me backward.
Should I contest him in a power struggle here? No, I didn't have any other option right then. I had no choice but to focus my mana into my feet and give it everything I had to push him back.
But then.
"Whoa...!"
He didn't budge an inch!
I was completely outmatched in mana!
He might have been giving me a shitty look, but he had decent ability. Fine. This was training too. The moment I decided to use this fight to improve myself—
"Ah."
The guy cracked a twisted smirk.
"Seeing you always hanging around the strong ones, I figured you must have something going for you."
"What?"
"But you're just a loser, huh?"
"You son of a bitch?"
"Huh?"
"What did you just say to me?"
—Boom!
I stomped a powerful stamping step and launched my body to the left. He didn't chase; he just stood there, pointing his sword at me as he spoke.
"Oh, did that piss you off?"
With a face full of scorn.
"Have you ever even fucking talked to me?"
"No. I haven't."
"Then what the hell are you picking a fight for?"
"Can you call it a fight? I just found you a little obnoxious."
"Oh, really. What's so obnoxious?"
"A guy with no skills just leeching off the strong ones."
Leeching?
"Just hoping to scavenge something by clinging to their coattails. I gotta say, it's pathetic. Really pisses me off."
"Huhuhu, is that so? If it bothered you so much, why didn't you say anything sooner? Why now?"
"I've been meaning to say it this whole time, and now the perfect opportunity just fell into my lap."
No matter what, I was going to beat the shit out of this guy.
"Wow. This bastard is seriously creepy. If you had those thoughts, you should've said something earlier. You're really pulling this during a fun training camp? Huh? If you wanted to talk shit, there's always been plenty of chances, right?"
He shut his mouth for a second at that.
"It's been like this since the first day of camp. Lee Si-hoo. Leona. Woo Yu-ri. You just team up with all the strongest people and walk away with all the good evaluations. Don't you think that's cowardly?"
"No, I don't, you dumbass?"
I didn't even get good evaluations to begin with.
All I was told was to keep trying.
"...Pretending to build connections instead of actual skill, and being a total dick about it."
Maybe my mockery got him fired up, because he started showing his rage.
"Aren't you the one being a dick by randomly going off like this? Why? Go say the same thing to Si-hoo and Leona. Can't bring yourself to do it to them, huh?"
"..."
—Fwoosh!
Having been quiet, he kicked off the ground and swung his sword.
—Clang!
I watched it precisely and parried.
But I was overpowered. There was a gap in our mana handling ability, so I was bound to lose the power struggle. As he pushed me back, I had no choice but to retreat.
"Hup!"
Still, there was no way I could lose to scum like this.
I was going to beat him bloody.
"Honestly, guys like you just piss me off. No talent whatsoever, but always clinging to the strong ones. Do you ever think about Lee Si-hoo or Leona or Woo Yu-ri, who waste their own time just to go easy on you?"
"Of course I do. I'm crazy freaking grateful."
"They're losing out because of you!"
Why the hell are you the one getting mad?
"Huhuhu, they're just hanging out as friends, and you're going on about 'losing out.' Are you seriously mental? Yaaagh!"
—Wham!
In an instant, he feinted a slash and slammed me with an Iron Mountain Lean! This bastard knows some martial arts too! That sent me flying back nearly two meters!
Ahh, that rattled my bones.
"Can't even handle this, and you act like you're something."
"You bastard... you are stronger than me."
Gotta judge this calmly.
I couldn't beat him in a straight-up fight.
"Scared?"
So what's the move?
"Bail."
Immediate getaway.
I kicked off the ground at once and bolted toward a nearby building. Then, giving it absolutely everything, I launched myself off the ground, ran up the wall, and slipped right through a second-floor window!
"Wow, what a total loser. Didn't know you'd run away, Geun-cheol."
Behind me, Mun Min hurled insults, but they didn't faze me one bit.
"Yeah. Eat shit, dumbass. Creepy bastard. Imagining shit all by yourself, worrying all by yourself, you're a real piece of work. Told you, you're a psycho. Huhuhu. You give me the creeps, you goddamn dick."
Because all I had to do was flip the bird out the window.
"You little...!"
Enraged by my words, Mun Min started charging this way.
And so.
—Boof!
The instant he kicked off the ground and leaped up toward the window where I was standing—
"I was aiming for this, you motherfucker."
"What?"
Skill.
War Cry activated.
"Kya."
"Kya?"
Pouring all my power into it!
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!"
I screamed right into his face with every ounce of strength I had!!!
"Aaargh!!!!"
Mid-leap, the guy threw his sword aside and clamped his hands over both ears! You moron! You fell right for the taunt!
"Die, you bastard!"
The moment I slammed my fist into that face!
—Wham!
"Gakh!"
He clutched his face and dropped!
"You're dead meat, you bastard!"
From here on out, I was about to lay down an absolutely one-sided beatdown!