Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: 18. Attribute Tutoring (5)
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30 minutes earlier.
Kang San said to his team members.
"We're going to focus solely on defense in this training."
"...Even though we're up against just three mages, wouldn't excluding attacks make it more dangerous instead?"
It was Jo Han-byeol's astute observation.
It made perfect sense.
As the saying goes, the best defense is a good offense. Mixing in some attacks would prevent the enemy from concentrating their firepower.
Yet Kang San's mind remained unchanged.
He hoped to kill two birds with one stone through this training.
First and foremost, it was a test of whether Project B Team could pierce A Team's defenses with their firepower. If they couldn't even break through a mere four defenders, they had no chance against A Team. After all, a party with three mages was arguably the most extreme firepower composition possible, as Jo Han-byeol had pointed out.
And beyond that.
"Objectively speaking, I don't think our lineup is particularly aggressive compared to others. We've got a main tanker, a sub tanker, and two rear dealers. No matter what raid we tackle going forward, our strength lies not in aggressively pushing to collapse the enemy, but in holding our ground solidly and maximizing Woo-bin’s firepower. So for us, this training is the perfect chance to thoroughly verify and hone our 'defensive capabilities'."
"Ah."
"Yeah, that makes sense. Most other parties would add more dealers to the mix."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
It was Kang San through and through.
He always had a plan, and his team—sharp as they were—grasped it with just one explanation.
Kang San glanced at Project B Team.
He had no intention of spelling out his strategy for them.
Reading his intentions and adapting was part of their skill set. If they failed to figure it out even after all this, well, that just meant there was more to teach them. Either way, the main goal was to instruct them. Kang San turned back to his group and emphasized in a quiet voice that wouldn't carry.
"So, hold out as long as you can. Let's see just how long we can last."
KWAANG!
Min Young-gi, a C-Rank on the cusp of B-Rank promotion, unleashed his full power, but Kang San's expression didn't flicker in the slightest.
It writhed.
His pride stung.
Why?
How could he devise such an absurd setup focused purely on defense?
Unless he was outright dismissing Project B Team's firepower, this situation shouldn't have been possible.
'I'll break through no matter what.'
Violent Blaze
Temporary Attack Power Boost
Roaring flames erupted from his sword.
With the skill active to temporarily boost his attack power, Min Young-gi pressed Kang San relentlessly, showing no signs of stopping. Meanwhile, main tanker Han Eun-seong arrived on the scene. He teamed up with the sub tanker to target Jeong Chan-woo, and amid the breathless chaos, Jo Han-byeol supported Jeong Chan-woo.
The formation was set.
A perfect unmarked opening.
The three mages, channeling their fury just like Min Young-gi, unleashed their most powerful spells.
"Rune Flare""Rune Flare""Rune Flare"
4th Circle Fire Magic
Fwoosh.
Roaring flames surged skyward.
Flaming spears of searing fire cleaved through the air, their crackling heat bearing down on Kang San. Even for him, this looked tough to weather. That is, if Yeon Woo-bin hadn't cast his spell first.
Crackle.
Splatter—
Whoosh.
The intense flames clashed against the ice wall.
In the billowing steam, Min Young-gi momentarily lost sight of Kang San.
It was an environment that could briefly stun even a warrior's keen senses—and Kang San figured the same, lunging forward to close the gap. But Kang San read the situation crystal clear even then. He slipped into Min Young-gi's blind spot. Had he intended to kill, it would've been a finishing blow in an instant.
Swoosh.
"Hup."
Min Young-gi sucked in a breath.
He barely blocked it by a hair's breadth, but in that moment, Kang San looked like a monster.
Just a D-Rank.
Yet his stats didn't seem inferior at all—in fact, Kang San's flashing counters often made his heart sink. From then on, impatience crept in. A foreboding sense that they might not breach the defense even after 20 minutes.
It would be humiliating.
He gritted his teeth.
Revving up even more mana from Violent Blaze, he aimed to create an opening in Kang San's guard.
Clang—!
Clang-clang-clang!
Min Young-gi's onslaught.
The mages' spells.
Fierce.
With defense tossed aside, their firepower could overwhelm even a decent B-Rank party.
But.
KWAANG!
KWRRRR!
They couldn't surpass Kang San.
He held his position unyieldingly, showing not even a hint of wavering no matter how they poured on the pressure.
And that wasn't all.
Jeong Chan-woo, whom they'd dismissed as just a sub tanker, was holding off two attackers with ease—even with Jo Han-byeol's support. Amid the tangled melee, Jo Han-byeol fired each arrow with deadly precision, and Yeon Woo-bin's spells landed with perfect efficiency exactly where needed.
Only then did it dawn on them.
They had.
Studied Project B Team.
They knew how they attacked, their preferred strategies, and were countering accordingly to endure. Even with three mages left completely free, Kang San's party maintained flawless defense.
At the center was Kang San.
Without him holding the front, no strategy would have worked.
In the end.
Beep.
Beeeep—
"...Haa."
As the full 20 minutes elapsed, Min Young-gi wore a look of utter despair.
That day.
The training continued.
The first round could be chalked up to complacency.
With their strategy unrefined amid the sudden shift, he was confident they'd crush Kang San's party in the next one.
But the second, third, fourth.
By the final training session wrapping up the day, Min Young-gi and his team gathered, faces etched with despair.
"...Does this even make sense? We're a C-Rank party, and we can't break through four defenders mostly D-Ranks?"
"Beats me. What the hell is going on?"
Lee Soo-chan and Han Eun-seong.
In all four trainings.
Kang San's party hadn't attempted a single attack.
Even with their blatant defensive intent on full display, Project B Team failed to drop even one in 20 minutes—a humiliating defeat.
Min Young-gi spoke up.
"Our judgment was off from the start. We can't evaluate them by rank. Kang San aside, even Jeong Chan-woo and Jo Han-byeol are beyond D-Rank level. To break this absurdity in future trainings, we have to take down Kang San. With him absorbing everything upfront, we can't leverage our numbers."
"Is that even possible? He didn't show a single crack."
It was absurd.
Three C-Rank mages piling on, and they still couldn't fell one guy?
It defied common sense.
Honestly, from this training, Min Young-gi thought Kang San could test for C-Rank right now—maybe even B-Rank. But that didn't mean they could give up. If the opponent was superior, conceding defeat and yielding to Project A Team would be right.
"It won't be easy. But if we can't breach Kang San, we have zero shot against A Team. That's probably his intent too. Firepower is our strongest sell, and if we can't even use that properly, A Team is untouchable."
They couldn't quit.
Training was training.
They'd identified weaknesses to fix—this wasn't despair; it was a chance to embrace.
Over fragile pride.
Min Young-gi wanted to defeat Project A Team.
To win the rivalry and remain Heavenly Firmament's sole recognized project team.
Min Young-gi sharpened his gaze.
"Our strategy starts by acknowledging their full strength."
The next day.
The same scenario unfolded.
Kang San's defensive formation up front—but this time, Project B Team responded differently.
Thud.
Rumble-rumblerumble.
Stone walls erupted from all sides.
Visibility blocked in an instant.
From Kang San's position, the rear dealers and Jeong Chan-woo vanished from sight; Jeong Chan-woo was cut off from the rear dealers too. Deliberate. Against their organic mutual support, Min Young-gi opted to sever their bonds first.
Step.
Kang San fell back.
As he moved to regroup, main tanker Han Eun-seong pounced.
"Where do you think you're—!"
KWAANG!
They collided.
Another shift in thinking.
If Kang San dominated tanking, no point flailing to break him—instead, Han Eun-seong pinned his ankle. Once the rear dealers fell, the formation would crumble naturally. With the sub tanker pressing Jeong Chan-woo, Min Young-gi eyed a clear shot at the rear dealers, uninterrupted.
He dove in swiftly.
Conviction hit.
Jo Han-byeol right there—the key to cracking them open.
Arriving before Jo Han-byeol in a blink, as he swung his sword, he met the archer's unflinching gaze.
Thud.
Flash—
"Argh."
A flare grenade exploded.
Jo Han-byeol didn't panic at the charge, retreating step by step while loosing several arrows. Min Young-gi reacted with his warrior senses. But even so, he couldn't block every shot embedding in his armor—and then Yeon Woo-bin's spell hammered home.
KWAANG!
Roaring flames.
'What the—.'
Not to be underestimated.
He hadn't expected the rear dealers to handle close quarters this well.
That's when it happened.
As their eyes met, Jo Han-byeol smirked.
"Hey."
"...?"
"If you break formation solo like that, who's got your back?"
Chills ran down his spine.
That meant.
The rear was exposed.
Whipping his head around, he saw Han Eun-seong collapsing in a spray of blood.
'Ah—.'
Now he got it.
Kang San hadn't promised pure defense for 20 minutes.
He'd told his team to prioritize defense, but hadn't committed the whole scenario to passivity. They planned to strike when needed.
The tide had turned.
In attacking the rear, Min Young-gi paid the price: Kang San downed Han Eun-seong and charged straight for the mages.
Min Young-gi shouted.
"Watch out—!"
He believed.
Just as Jo Han-byeol and Yeon Woo-bin endured his assault.
Three mages could surely handle a mere tanker's attack.
At that point, Min Young-gi still thought the training's outcome hung in the balance.