Bet You Can't?
To crumble something sturdy and solid, how do you do it? The simplest way is with overwhelming force. Stronger power is undoubtedly the most straightforward and effective method to shatter defenses. And before his regression, it was a tactic he'd used often.
But who doesn't know that easy approach? No matter the reason, there are always situations where raw power falls short. Like the one he was in right now.
With my current stats, even a top-tier weapon would barely scratch that armor.
So what was the solution? Simple. Strike the weak points.
For humans, that meant the head, heart, or joints. But targeting the head or heart on a tank wasn't ideal—they were the most heavily armored spots. The best bet was the folding joints, the seams in the drive mechanisms.
Like meticulously opening a double- or triple-locked vault step by step, he jabbed into the gap in the shoulder joint's armor, dismantling it while slicing upward. The follow-through was a diagonal cut from the now-exposed left shoulder to the neck.
The invisible micro-gap, the armor's seam, sucked the weapon in like flowing water.
It's like the weapon's sliding right into where it belongs.
With that, the tank clone's defenses were essentially naked.
Schwick—
One fluid motion. Just one.
The tank clone, split clean from left shoulder to neck, crumpled to the ground.
Apparently, this body didn't need as much adjustment time as he'd feared.
It moves just like I expect...
He'd worried about differences in height, build, muscle power, or stats creating a disconnect, but there was none. Maybe because it was still his body, even if from the past. Or perhaps because his skills were firing on all cylinders.
A cheat-key skill perfect for spotting weaknesses. Its low rank meant no pinpoint precision, but it was still razor-sharp.
Before regression, he'd maxed it to S+, letting him exploit every flaw he saw. The gap wasn't that wide yet.
If he'd known it'd go this smoothly, he would've hit record.
"Aw, man, they must've set the defense to minimum. Makes sense, though... Tank clones are built so even unique weapons barely dent 'em without tweaks."
"..."
What the hell? Was the guy so convinced it was impossible that he was twisting reality to fit?
"Still, that form was crisp. Swordplay? Nah, spear, so spear arts? You work out or something? I'm gonna try a tank clone myself before team practice."
"Yeah, knock yourself out."
No need for a lecture. To a normie, easy was easy. Explaining would've just looked try-hard.
"Cool, team practice is up soon, so I'm off to warm up. Good luck with yours. Hit me up for tryouts later—I'll put in a word with the coach about this promising kid from our school."
At this point, it bordered on obsession. Getting bullied on the team? Not his problem.
Hunters, including those in the Hunters League, didn't rely much on guns or ranged weapons. Without specialized ranged skills, melee weapons were superior.
Channeling mana through the body or superhuman strength to cleave monsters—that was the norm. Guns might be humanity's deadliest against normals, but superhuman defenses, mobility, and counters made them useless against Awakened. Monsters shrugged them off too.
So hunters closed in with personal prowess instead of sniping from afar. Most could handle spears or swords competently. Ranged dealers with bows or crossbows existed, sure.
Even so, the slash Lee Chang-hyun had just demonstrated looked sharp to Kim Do-jun, a pro-level academy player among Korean Awakened.
No matter how low the defense was set...
His earlier "take the academy tryouts" line had been empty talk. Seoul Municipal Hunters was top-tier in Korea, academy team or not.
But that slash? He might actually make the cut.
A new maknae from the same school on the academy team? Not bad.
Kim Do-jun summoned his mithril sword—a entry gift from his parents—and charged the tank clone, replaying Lee Chang-hyun's move.
Something like this...
Spear gripped, diagonal slash from shoulder to neck. Spot on.
Clang!
Mithril dagger—special alloy—clashed with the armor in a deafening tin-can ring. The full-force impact jolted his hands numb.
Ow... what? Defense glitch?
Settings confirmed: minimum defense. He'd mimicked perfectly, but...
Retries yielded only clangs. Something was off.
Must've botched a setting. Next time, ask how he tweaked it.
Whatever. Time for warm-ups: pummeling the clone.
Didn't last.
"Hey, Kim Do-jun! Seniors are here—greet 'em quick!"
Han Ji-su, two years his senior on the academy team. Technically same intake, but older. Thuggish vibe clashed with the prestigious club's rep. Kim Do-jun, from a cushy family and good district, found it grating.
To avoid beef, bow and scrape.
"Ah, Senior! Hello."
"Yeah."
Mid-practice 90-degree bow got a grunt of approval.
"Why're you whaling on a tank clone?"
Sneer screamed "dumbass."
"Uh... warming up with some practice."
"Who warms up on a tank clone? Proving you're braindead?"
"Ah... a friend..."
Han Ji-su cut him off.
"Your friend's Lee Min-seok? Or Coach Choi?"
Lee Min-seok: Korea's top global hunter, active in Hunters League. Coach Choi: national team head.
"No matter the settings, you won't dent it. Put on a show, why don'tcha? So damn noisy... Other seniors coming—can't you see? Gotta spoon-feed you everything."
"Sorry."
Dismissed, she deleted the clone via settings. Then she and her crew trashed the spot with snacks and laughs.
Kim Do-jun sighed inwardly.
After Kim Do-jun left the Hunter Union Training Facility, Lee Chang-hyun started his real session: summoning Hunters League foes.
Map-specific monsters and AI hunter proxies popped up as holograms. He fought them.
Way short of the mark...
Unlike the tank clone—zero defense post-joint exploit—these had tough baseline bodies. Weapons barely penetrated, even with Piercing Eye weak spots.
B-rank limits precision, sure...
S+ to B was a chasm.
And stats didn't help.
Athletic normie-plus. Pinpoint 150% efficiency? Base power too low for real damage.
Tank clone gaps are exploitable, but without 'em...
Dodging perfectly could still mean loss.
Priority: one-shot power. Raw damage output.
Body would grow back to peak eventually, but he needed accelerators.
Pre-regression, Bloom boosted everything...
Skills and physique. Now, grind the body. Skills need hardware.
All-in on strength till Hunters Next Generation rookie hunt.
He fired up the facility's physical enhancement program.
Comprehensive setup: sandbags like tank clones, virtual spars, stamina boosts.
Physical Ability Enhancement Program: Strength (Prologue & User Analysis) commencing.
Not basic gym junk. Personalized, hyper-optimized gear.
At this price tag, it'd be criminal for simple lifts...
Stage 1 commencing.
White cylindrical targets spawned. Hit 'em—scout-like total force score popped up.
Punching machine, but with weapons/skills...
Analyzed peak scores, optimal balance tweaks. Stage 2: moving targets. Stage 3: dodging/blocking monsters/humans.
AI manualizes based on analysis.
◈ User's strike point is subtly high relative to height. Lower it for optimal force.
◈ Pose optimizes force transfer, but muscle growth lags—insufficient destructive power. Strength training required.
◈ Lower body vs. upper body development uneven. Recommend lower body focus.
Recommended programs unfolded. Plenty of strength boosters, but striking was the custom strike-point reset.
Leg day every damn day, huh...
No Bloom, pure grind. Pre-regression? Skipped the gym.