Claps and Murmurs
p>The demons are strong.
p>Not just the high-ranking demons, but the entire demon race itself.
p>Just a month ago, when I faced them in Yeonha's body, Arin and Kana—alongside me—were already trembling in fear despite facing mere grunts.
p>In the lore, demons are connected to the Demon God, opposing the goddess Iriel.
p>As a result, they faintly absorb the Demon God's power.
p>The proof of how much?
p>The grunts I saw last time were at least level 60.
p>Above them, militarized demons reached level 70.
p>Commanders hit 80, and high-ranking officers were in their mid-to-late 90s.
p>It was easy to see how strong the demon race truly was.
p>But facing them in my current state was impossible.
p>Over the past month of lessons, the representative characters' average levels hovered around mid-50s.
p>Of course, their bodies had physically grown, and they steadily raised their stats from eating Yeonha's cooking.
p>They probably reached mid-60s by now.
p>Still, it wasn't enough.
p>No matter how many boulders I could chop with sword and knife, or how easily I could blow up a building with a single arrow, it meant nothing against similar opponents.
p>But I couldn't grow that fast either.
p>Even in two weeks, I couldn't expect to slaughter demons casually.
p>If I faced Idea herself, the elite demons she summoned would be at least mid-70s, or 80s in the worst case.
p>I needed a trump card.
p>A special move that could instantly reverse the tide against a near-identical opponent.
p>And that was the fighter-class skill I planned to teach in Yujia's body.
p>Neutralization.
p>
p>Clap! Clap! Clap!
p>Only the sound of clapping echoed across the enormous training ground.
p>Thirty minutes ago, faint murmurs and chatter still lingered.
p>But after forty minutes of class, all I heard now were the ragged breaths of tired students and the crisp rhythm of applause.
p>For swordsmen, swing the sword ten times, sheath it, and clap.
p>For fighters, throw a punch ten times and clap.
p>For archers, pluck the string ten times, loose the bow, and clap.
p>The exhausted students continued with slight rests, but the applause still lacked satisfaction.
p>Mu and I walked among the students, correcting their postures one by one while synchronized in our Neutralization practice.
p>“Wrong.
p>Before clapping, don't gather mana and then split it.
p>Do it from the beginning!”
p>“Hah… hah… Yeah…”
p>Arin, who had been swinging her sword, immediately restarted.
p>Her stance was completely off, so I corrected it several times before turning to check the others.
p>But as expected, talented Arin was already this good.
p>No students showed even a hint of progress.
p>Kana, Riana, Park, or the extra students.
p>Of course I had expected it, so I didn't mind.
p>I could only pray that even one would grasp it quickly.
p>“Neutralization is a hard skill….”
p>The fighter-class skill Neutralization named itself after making the opponent unable to fight for a certain time.
p>The principle was simple: fill your hands with mana and resonate with the mana in the air ahead.
p>Then, with the power directly in your mana, you shook the opponent's inside and outside together by adding sound.
p>Because of this principle, even the representative characters would need at least a week to master it.
p>But the effect was certain.
p>“With Neutralization alone, even low-level characters could neutralize mid-rank demon officers.”
p>No matter how low, Neutralization would stun any opponent for at least ten seconds.
p>If they had no ears or soundproof structures, it wouldn't matter, but all the opponents this time were demons.
p>So there was no need to worry about that.
p>If I mastered this skill, I could create an extra life or a chance to seize victory against demons.
p>“And to use it in real combat, I have to feel it myself.”
p>That's why the only thing I could do was gently correct wrong postures.
p>I left Arin, who was now in proper stance, and jumped over to the dais where Morgan sat with a bored expression.
p>“Hup!”
p>A single foot stomp shrank thirty meters into nothing.
p>And landing without stirring a speck of dust, I turned to Morgan standing beside me.
p>Morgan looked slightly startled by my sudden arrival but quickly hid her expression.
p>“What?
p>Is the task over already?”
p>“If there are only about a hundred students, Mu could watch them alone.
p>She's a homunculus with a vision broader than normal humans.”
p>“Lazy.
p>Of course, that's not something I should say, but it's pitiful that the homunculus working in your form is so….”
p>“I made the homunculus to be used like this.
p>Nothing to worry about.”
p>Mu might give affection, but the core was moving to replace me.
p>Like in games, it's better to set the auto-hunt than to hunt myself.
p>I couldn't say it out loud, but Morgan shook her head in disbelief at my proud words.
p>She seemed to have a lot to complain about while resting, just like what she said.
p>I wanted to say something, but there was nothing to say, so I turned back to the students.
p>Morgan followed my gaze, then spoke.
p>“Is that the Neutralization you mentioned?
p>It's a terrifying technique.
p>If it hits us, we could still be properly caught.
p>But it’s too fast unless prepared.”
p>“Of course.
p>Because it’s that kind of technique.
p>I’m teaching it this time so you can face demons again.”
p>“Facing demons?
p>Ah… so that's why Idea is coming to this training session.
p>Bringing a few soldiers.”
p>I simply nodded instead of answering.
p>Morgan's lips curved into a smile and her cheeks flushed.
p>“It’s quite exciting…
p>If the subordinate she chose gets hit by that and dies, her expression would be quite satisfying.
p>Hng… I really want to see it.”
p>“What a twisted hobby.
p>Honestly, it gives me chills.”
p>“I’m naturally like this, so understand.
p>Because I’m so strong, I like watching someone’s face fill with despair.”
p>Morgan turned to me with that disgustingly smiling face.
p>Interpreting her words, it meant she enjoyed seeing opponents’ defeated faces because she was too strong and stomped on them.
p>But when I understood, I answered with doubt at her contradictory statement.
p>“But you’re not weak, right?
p>You didn’t lose completely to me?”
p>“……”
p>“You fight well, but calling you strong is a bit….”
p>Suddenly Morgan’s smile vanished.
p>The flush disappeared too, and her face became expressionless in an instant.
p>Morgan stared at me with eyes completely drained of light.
p>The terrifying sight made me quickly wave my hands.
p>“Whoa, that was a joke!
p>You’re quite strong!
p>Yeah, you were second only to the guys I’ve fought so far.”
p>I hadn’t fought much since arriving here, but among those I had, Morgan was second.
p>Naturally, the first was the Demon King.
p>At my words, Morgan pouted her lips and sighed.
p>“It only makes me more miserable… don’t say that….”
p>“Um, ah… yeah.”
p>Unable to find a proper reply to the sigh full of worries, I finally patted her shoulder with a short answer.
p>It was true that Morgan was strong, though.
p>Seeing her sulk and mutter alone from now on, I decided not to tease her anymore.
p>“Even if I’m weak, even like this, I’m the strongest among the officers.
p>Of course Ar is the strongest, but even so, I can win in a fight.
p>But to belittle me as weak is unbelievably stupid….”
p>I pulled my hand away because leaving Morgan like this would make it impossible to vent her frustration by the end of the day.
p>Morgan, now back to her usual flirtatious self, grumbled like a machine gun.
p>It was curious why both officers who came under me had such a big gap in personality.
p>I seriously considered if there was some strange bug that changed someone’s personality.
p>To stop Morgan from venting, I tried changing the topic.
p>“Speaking of which, there was something you had to do for me.
p>I’m thinking of sending you out with Isolde this weekend.”
p>“……”
p>“Task?”
p>Morgan showed interest in the smoothly changed topic.
p>She stopped her muttering and looked at me with anticipation as if she could swing her sword.
p>I thought for a moment if I could fulfill her desire, then spoke.
p>“Yeah, probably an external large-scale magic circle has been installed by Idea or her demon mages.
p>Find their positions and mark them on the map, then tell me.
p>This time I’ll give you the magic sword and Masthaf you originally had.
p>Any humans in the way, kill them all except humans.”
p>Preparing the demon's extreme-scale magic circle, which had just started activating.
p>Once triggered, it would wipe out nearly half of the human race with its extreme-scale annihilation magic.
p>And it had to be stopped at all costs, so I presented a drastic proposal to Morgan.
p>And Morgan smiled brightly like a child.
p>“Really?!”