Summer Comprehensive Training (4)
Sana swiftly stabbed the gate's core, bringing the situation to a decisive end. There was nothing wrong with her judgment itself. After all, that was the most textbook way to minimize casualties. What was wrong was the sheer irrationality that barreled in like it could give a fuck about any textbook play. That irrationality was the reality heroes faced.
The gate's core vanished, replaced by a towering shadow giant wielding a razor-sharp scythe. No—that giant was the core itself.
Apart from the visual intimidation, it didn't feel particularly strong. Emergency situation. Sense Qi wasn't working, which meant they had to rely solely on their five senses to track the enemy's movements and intentions.
"Ugh…."
Josef's face drained of color as he stumbled backward. It was natural to fear an unknown foe. Hell, even Yujin felt the same terror.
Sana's dry voice snapped the two back to reality.
"Get it together! This is just training—a test! They wouldn't throw something completely impossible at us! We're not gonna die anyway! Pull yourselves together, you idiots! Nail this, and we'll be the MVPs for sure!"
Whether her words were entirely true didn't matter. The sheer volume shoved their rising negativity aside, if only for a moment.
"Josef! Shoot!"
"Eek!"
At Sana's command, Josef nocked an arrow in a desperate, whatever happens, happens mindset. Don't underestimate primitive weapons. An arrow infused with plenty of Qi could rival the punch of an anti-materiel sniper rifle!
The arrow launched, followed by a sonic boom shattering the sound barrier from behind. The shot—packed with even more power—slammed into the giant's chest. The massive body shuddered once, violently.
But that was it. No way to tell if it did any real damage. The only clue was the glowing red light in its shadowy head, signaling the monster was far from done.
"Wh-what do we do? It's useless?"
"…Save your arrows. I'll go in. You two keep harassing it. Got it?"
The giant raised its scythe. Like a farmer at harvest time—indifferent yet resolute—it swung.
Yujin dove into the scythe's path, pile-driving the shaft with his driver before it could build momentum.
"Urghk!?"
Even blocking the shaft before full power kicked in sent a bone-deep shock rattling his skull. A direct hit would've retired him on the spot.
"Nice!"
Sana used the blocked scythe as a foothold, scrambling up the giant's body. As it bent its elbow to swat the pesky insect away, Josef's harassing shot flew in.
[Aaaaaaah…]
Josef's attack wasn't lethal, but it wasn't negligible either. As the giant's attention shifted toward him, Sana's straight punch hammered its temple.
A small bomb detonated with the impact, tilting the giant's head. She followed with a barrage that would've been fatal to any ordinary monster.
-Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!!!-
This has to be landing solid hits… That was just rookie wishful thinking.
[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…]
Damage had to have gone through. But the giant was still standing. It hoisted its scythe high again—not like harvesting crops, more like swinging a pickaxe. Yeah, can't block that.
"Brace for impact!"
The scythe gouged the ground, triggering a mini-earthquake. Their footing crumbled without warning. Yujin felt the sucking drop into the crater, followed by heavy shock climbing from his feet to his knees.
But Yujin was the lucky one compared to Josef, now clutched in the giant's shadowy fist.
"Gwaaaah! S-save me!!"
Apparently fed up with the constant potshots, the giant stared down at the wriggling Josef in its rippling hand. Sensing they'd lose a teammate, Yujin raised his weapon to charge in—
"Hold it! Leave Josef and run!"
Sana, thrown to the ground by the quake, barked the order.
"Sorry, but we can't save him now. Better one more survives than waste time on a lost cause!"
Harsh, but logical. The skill gap between the shadow giant and their team was vast. Charging in on emotion alone was suicide—no brownie points there.
But.
"Yeah, you run. I'm saving Josef."
Yujin had no intention of fleeing.
"Ignoring your team leader?"
"Sorry. Looks like I'm dragging your score down too."
But that couldn't be helped. A team's merits were the leader's merits; their failures, the leader's failures. If you chase sweeter fruit, bear the weight.
"We already ditched civilians begging for help to get here. Can't abandon a teammate too."
Of course, this was just a simulation. Josef was screaming in terror now, but it'd be water under the bridge once it ended. Training demanded ideal, rational plays.
Someone else might think that way. Not Yujin.
Get those habits here, and he'd betray allies and civilians in a real fight. That's why they trained.
Ignoring Sana, Yujin gathered Qi and fired a pure Qi shot at the giant—not embedded in matter. At mastery, it'd deal real damage, but at his level? Just a pebble.
Predictably, zero damage to the shadow giant. But it got its attention.
[Graaaaaaaaah]
The feeble Qi blast—pathetic compared to Josef's arrows—drew a mocking open maw from the giant.
Yujin gripped his pile driver regardless. The massive iron stake gleamed toward the giant, evoking a lance charge. No steed, no allies, not even a proper lance—just a crude tool. The world's sorriest charge.
But if the charger was a knight at heart, it counted.
[Grooooar….]
Acknowledging the spirit, the giant drew back its scythe, coiling power over its shoulder. No blocking this swing like before. Its intent was clear: shred the fearless fool with the air blade alone, pre-impact.
"Raaaaagh!"
Yujin bellowed a self-hyping war cry and charged, ignoring defense. All Qi funneled into the driver and legs—explosive rocket launch.
Distance closed in a blink. The giant swung to match.
But then—it sensed something. Behind it. Something with immense presence!
The giant diverted some centrifugal force from the swing into a pivot. The mystery behind posed a greater threat than the tool-wielding fool ahead.
The reaper-like scythe cleaved up and down at the "presence"—slicing air.
[Gro?]
The giant's dumb grunt. It didn't know that potent presence was Yujin's illusion, crafted via illusionary arts.
Sense Qi-jamming aura worked on the giant too. Even far inferior foes' attacks became unavoidable body shots.
Suddenly, a Qi mass maximized presence bloomed behind it. Impossible to ignore—like shining light on a cave-dweller's half-blind eyes.
As the giant flailed at nothing, Yujin was already in range. He kicked off the unstable ground with gusto, slamming the stake into the giant's back.
Squelch! The stake pierced shadow—flesh-textured inside.
And it didn't stop. Yujin poured every ounce of Qi into the driver.
This wasn't your average knight's lance. This one launches.
-Kwa-drududududududud!!!-
Propelled by Yujin's Qi, the stake ravaged the giant's innards. Sana was right—this weapon had its niche.
But agonizingly, it fell one step short. The hefty Qi spent on the illusion tripped him up. More would've sealed deeper damage.
Regrettably, Yujin lacked the power to shatter this irrational trial.
[Aaaaaaah…]
The giant dropped Josef, reaching for Yujin with that hand. No last-ditch struggle possible… The driver had no spares like Josef's arrows. One devastating shot, single-use.
"Damn. One more shot…"
If he could refill the spent stake himself…
Impossible?
Nah, maybe not.
How was this pile driver made originally?
"……."
In that instant, Yujin slipped into a trance. He'd burned all Qi but what kept him alive—something not his welled up from the depths.
He hefted the empty driver. Fuel it with foreign material. But shape it with his own hands.
Image: simple cube base topped with a square pyramid. Crude iron stake. No skill for complexity yet.
But fine. Right now, simple was best.
New stake sprouted. Purpose: singular. Like before—aimed at the giant's back.
Fire.