Chapter 2. Adaptation (Part 3)
The third week was almost over, and the various races had cast aside their original natures and adapted quite well to human life. The cyborgs were still there in large numbers, but now they could handle even simple things like receiving and making calls. Of course, there were still the dull ones who couldn’t do even that. Those idiots were kept glued to their mentors the entire day for special training. Word had it they had dozens of phones broken in anger—.
The newcomers had all received their brand-new identification cards. The mentors also gave them advice to fabricate at least one life story each so they wouldn’t be suspected by outsiders. Whether they would actually use it or not was another matter, but it was better to have that insurance in place.
Education had now moved on to the advanced content. Those who weren’t yet judged ready to handle it were simply repeating the basics again. Still, born-human Kang-jun was able to join the advanced training group. The advanced group had only ten out of thirty-two total newcomers.
From that moment, he started receiving the more detailed information about the third dungeon. In particular, he learned extensively about the Hero Organization founded by the natives decades earlier. The instructor never called them enemies, but described them as rather annoying presences. If they offered just a little cooperation, they could help each other, yet the bastards provided no room for negotiation whatsoever. …Well, after referring to players as human-shaped monsters, the conversation was already over.
Of course, not every player was cooperative with the villain organization. Some of those living among the natives here weren’t either. They had little attachment to their original homes. The organization didn’t lump them all together and curse them as traitors, but they weren’t viewed with any kind of kindness either.
Anyway, after the advanced session ended, the ten of them would receive the qualifications to take the final test in the last fourth week. It was about the right to go out and engage in activities outside. If they passed the test, they could choose one of two things.
— Remain with the organization as an agent, or become a free individual and operate independently.
Of course, no matter which choice they made, they would always remain an organization member. Once you stepped a foot inside the organization, even if you died, your name would never be removed from the member list.
Kang-jun had no particular objection to any of it. After all, the organization’s purpose aligned with his own, and having that kind of hidden backing wasn’t a bad thing either. …And every now and then, he would visit them when he felt a little empty, and they would occasionally give him even a small amount of help.
Of course, there were monthly dues and the occasional irregularly assigned missions. The dues were not a small amount, so there were always some free individuals who worked night shifts or part-time jobs outside just to cover them. In that case, it might be better to just join the organization and do whatever the bastards ordered, but there were still those who stubbornly stayed independent till the end. After all, the more free individuals there were, the more funds the organization could maintain….
Kang-jun had no intention of operating as an agent either. The organization’s backing wasn’t bad, but living with a leash attached to it was a completely different story.
Kang-jun went straight to the training hall after the education ended. He only exchanged the bare minimum of eye contact with the mentors who had slapped him with countless eye marks. The only thing that had risen in three weeks was a single point of stamina, but there was nothing else to do except train. At least he could derive some satisfaction from watching others get their asses kicked and endure these boring days.
Among the newcomers, the ranking was roughly settled, but there were still many unsettled relationships. Right now, for example, Kang-jun hadn’t greeted anyone at all. In fact, that was an act that no lower-ranked person could ever tolerate. The sensitive lizard man who was particularly sensitive to that kind of thing clearly looked displeased by such a Kang-jun.
“Older brother, be careful. The second older brother is seething with rage, they say.”
The youngest newcomer warned Kang-jun casually as he passed by. The second older brother was the name the lizard man had been given after losing to the ogre. Kang-jun let out a small, mocking laugh upon hearing that.
Whether that kind of bastard was seething or not was nothing that concerned him in the slightest.
Eventually, the turn came to Kang-jun as well. As usual, Kang-jun had already taken his seat in the training hall when the lizard man approached confidently. Of course, the second older brother was moving, so all eyes naturally turned that way. Everyone except the ogre became mere spectators.
“Hey, no greeting?”
“Hello, pretty one.”
Kang-jun flashed a smile at the girlfriend walking obediently beside the lizard man and waved his finger. He had tangled with her multiple times before. The girlfriend accepted it with a sweet “Hello, my master,” but then received the lizard man’s sharp glare and quickly retreated a step.
Of course, anyone could see that the greeting he had meant was not that one. It was a clear provocation.
“…Fuck this bastard.”
Kang-jun, who never blocked incoming challenges, wiped the faint smile off his face.
“If you’re itchy, just jump on me.”
Killing intent instantly spread. The newbies, who had never experienced this situation even once before, quickly made space without being told.
The lizard man shook his neck left and right like a beast, loosening his wrist in a sharp flick. The bastard was pretending to be human. Kang-jun sneered at his actions.
He himself was also starting to feel that a ranking reorganization was necessary. Those idiots kept losing their composure and glaring wildly….
The lizard man charged forward with the momentum of a fist that would pulverize Kang-jun. His movement was quite fast for a newbie. The ogre had missed him several times at first too.
Of course, when purely comparing raw abilities, the lizard man’s speed was far higher than Kang-jun’s. However, in terms of handling mana, Kang-jun was unmatched. And not long ago, he had raised his mana by one point with the Heavenly Demon Mind Method. So his current mana, including the bonus, reached thirteen. It was even possible that it surpassed the numbers of the instructors present here.
Swish. Kang-jun took a deep breath and exhaled. He poured all his mana limits into speed. It happened to match exactly at twenty.
= Speed - 20(+3)(+1) / 20
Even for a moment, Kang-jun possessed speed that had broken through the limit. The lizard man’s body had already slowed down as if in slow motion.
Kang-jun exploded forward with a kick into the ground. Using every ounce of strength, he struck the lizard man’s jaw as he approached. Purely in terms of physical power, it wasn’t exceptionally high, but the synergy with speed made the impact far greater.
In the instant everyone was stunned, the lizard man had already slammed into the wall with a loud thud. The fight was decided in an instant.
- ?!
The instructor had been preparing to intervene just in case, but the match was already over before he could move. He belatedly realized that Kang-jun had momentarily surpassed even his own speed. Was that truly possible? The ogre’s strength was strong, the instructor supposed, thanks to racial bonuses, but Kang-jun was, after all, human. Humans developed their stats evenly rather than exceptionally, and there was nothing particularly outstanding. That was just an unavoidable difference in their origins, wasn’t it?
‘Already handling mana like that?’
Then the answer was simple. Mana had simply been converted into speed.
Still, it was difficult to explain how he had surpassed the speed of a twenty-one-year-old instructor.
“Instructor-!”
The girlfriend ran straight to the lizard man whose jaw had been completely dislocated and shouted frantically. The instructor quickly checked the man’s condition and immediately called for support from outside. The organization member carried the lizard man away on his back.
The appearance of a new strongman made the training hall lively. Kang-jun, who was far from imposing in build, had completely surprised everyone by dropping the lizard man with one punch.
“Follow me.”
The instructor summoned Kang-jun separately. No matter whose fault it was, an investigation into harming a fellow organization member was necessary.
Kang-jun entered the interrogation room. The accompanying instructor also attended as a witness. Soon the training instructor entered and sat across from Kang-jun. It seemed he had already checked the lizard man’s condition.
“The jaw was properly reset. They said the bone was fractured.”
The skin burst, the intestines spilled out, the jaw bone shattered. The lizard man’s luck was truly pitiful.
The instructor received a rough summary of the incident from the mentor. Naturally, the mentor who had failed to prevent this disaster was also questioned. He was fined for not properly monitoring the newcomers.
“The fault seems to lie more with the bastard, but your sins aren’t entirely absent either. Harming a fellow colleague is an unforgivable issue. But I’ll take your circumstances into account. …So, is there anything you want to say?”
Kang-jun grinned and tapped the table with his finger. And his next words were even more telling.
“I’ll come here again soon, probably.”
· · ·
Kang-jun received a one-day order of self-reflection. Being locked in his room the entire day turned out to be quite the ordeal when he actually experienced it. However, he couldn’t break out even if he wanted to. He didn’t yet have the authority or skill for that.
He spent almost the entire day repeating the Heavenly Demon Mind Method. Even though running the same polished pathway again wouldn’t produce results, there was nothing else to do. If only his mana could rise by one point, he might have found some enjoyment in it, but it didn’t.
Fortunately, in the dim evening hour, a woman came to his dormitory room. It was the girlfriend of the lizard man who had been thoroughly beaten yesterday. She asked if she could become his official girlfriend. Her skills at transferring men were not something she had practiced only once or twice.
“Of course not.”
Kang-jun smiled and rejected her outright. And, as if explaining, he added bluntly that he wouldn’t settle for just one bitch.
“It doesn’t matter who you meet. Just make sure you stay by my side.”
They were the type who attached themselves to superior men and leeched off their power. But these kinds of people weren’t limited to women. There were plenty of men like that too. Kang-jun pondered for a moment and gave his approval. After all, it was good to have at least one informant within the organization. Later, after he left the branch, it wouldn’t matter in the least if this bitch hooked up with anyone. That was simply her survival method.
Thus, the first official girlfriend was born for Kang-jun. Of course, unofficially, he had already slept with far more.
Anyway, the two of them writhed together on the bed until the ogre arrived. Kang-jun had already noticed that the ogre’s eyes had changed quite a bit since yesterday. It was clear he was still bothered by being knocked out cold by Kang-jun in the blink of an eye.
Although he had transformed into a human, he was still an ogre at heart. Two rulers could never coexist in the same territory. The reason he had been quiet until now was because he had been certain there was no one stronger than him. When that certainty began to shake, he would inevitably grow uneasy. Just like the lizard man had.
‘That’s why I find humans so simple-minded.’
The thought was so straightforward that it made him laugh. Of course, a man like Kang-jun would think that way, but ordinary humans from Earth would never be able to stand against such momentum.
The bastard sat on the bed staring straight at Kang-jun. Perhaps feeling that gaze was unpleasant, the first girlfriend’s mood had already vanished. Sensing her unease, Kang-jun’s fun also dropped. He finally expelled his remaining passion and sent her outside.
“Tell me what business you have.”
Kang-jun sat opposite him, leaning back at an angle and said so. A killing intent radiated from the ogre’s eyes.
“I’m irritated.”
He spat it out without any filter. Of course, Kang-jun understood perfectly well.
“So?”
The ogre shot to his feet. His massive frame carried an oppressive weight that couldn’t be ignored.
“Fight me.”
“…Fine.”
The ogre’s fist flew at Kang-jun. It grazed empty air and smashed hard into the wall. A loud bang echoed, and a hole appeared in the adjacent room.
‘What a crazy bastard.’
The corner of Kang-jun’s mouth lifted.
Of course, such crazy bastards were welcome.