Chapter 2: Adapting (4)
**THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP.**
Every time his fist slammed into the wall, cracks spiderwebbed across the surface or chunks splintered away. Even though this was only a raw newbie who’d never awakened once, one hit from that punch would hurt like hell. His power stat sat at a full twenty-five, loaded with raw brutality, and the sense of crisis behind it made the impact feel like it punched straight past numbers and stats.
If this noise carried on, the organization members would come running in seconds. Of course, since the fight had already started, Kang-jun had zero intention of letting it fizzle out half-assed. These kinds of idiots needed to be properly wrecked.
‘Going all-out right now.’
He didn’t have that much breathing room. The bastard had his strength and stamina maxed out at twenty. One careless slip and he could end up taking it back. …Of course, the seasoned version of him wasn’t about to make any such mistake.
Kang-jun balanced mana evenly between his power and agility. Following the mana paths he’d already honed, he spun like a top. Power surged through his muscles.
He dodged the fist by a hair’s breadth and drove his left foot forward with a heavy stomp, throwing his full weight into the counter. Then he hammered the exact same palm straight into the guy’s solar plexus with a **WHAM!**
- !
Ogeonam’s massive frame shot into the air, crashing against the wall with a thunderous boom before slumping down. The wall, not even reinforced with rebar, crumbled like wet sand. The sudden roar from his enormous body sent pandemonium erupting in the adjacent room. The others stood frozen, utterly lost on what the hell to do with two raging lunatics.
Of course Ogeonam wasn’t that soft. One hit hadn’t taken him out of the fight. The big guy pushed himself up without a care, cracking his neck with a sickening pop. His eyes were bloodshot, clearly furious that he’d taken even that one punch.
Again. The guy charged forward like a tank and threw another wild punch. **Dumb.** Kang-jun sneered at that brainless fighting style. Strength and stamina only, no real skill. He sidestepped the massive fist lightly and this time slammed his elbow hard into the bastard’s ribs.
Dodge and counter, over and over. Four or five exchanges. The timing was almost perfect for the trainers to arrive and shut the noise down. They weren’t even in the training center; they were breaking shit in a dormitory room. They were going to calm this down fast. The commotion had already spilled into the room next door, and possibly the one after that.
Kang-jun had made up his mind to end it with one strike. The moment Ogeonam came lunging in again, Kang-jun flicked the guy’s wrist with his open palm to twist the trajectory, then snapped his hand in the opposite direction and drove it straight into the solar plexus.
- **Asura Palm Method.**
The palm itself didn’t pack much weight, but the qi that exploded out of it wasn’t something the guy’s skin could block. Ogeonam’s body lurched up and slammed back down.
- ?!
Ogeonam’s eyes bulged. Watching Kang-jun’s crooked smirk, he slowly collapsed. Blood surged back up from his throat. Externally he looked fine, but his organs were twisted. Breathing choked him, vision blurring.
When the trainers finally came running because of the racket, the fight was already over. Ogeonam lay crumpled at Kang-jun’s feet, still covered in swirling dust on that still-warm scene.
“His breathing is weak. Get him to the infirmary quick—!”
Several organization members piled in and dragged the groaning Ogeonam away. Of course, since he’d caused the ruckus, Kang-jun got dragged back to the interrogation room again.
The moment the training instructor opened the door and saw the familiar back, he swept his hand across his face. He’d met countless training students, but this was the first time one had caused a scene on this scale. Unintentional homicide happened sometimes, but smashing every single dormitory room? Never seen that either.
The instructor dropped into a chair opposite Kang-jun and sighed before speaking.
“You little shit… I mean, if you’re gonna fight, at least hit with some restraint!”
“I didn’t break the wall.”
“Even so, you were fighting with him! Why not just go to the training center if you were gonna brawl!”
“That guy just kept throwing punches at me. You know the type who won’t listen no matter what you say, right, instructor?”
Kang-jun answered with a smirk. Of course his words were accurate. The instructor had known Ogeonam wasn’t the listening type for a long time. He’d received reports about similar incidents from the trainers.
“Still, this idiot… Even so, you should’ve tried to talk him down at least.”
“I’m the same trainee as him. Honestly, this is mostly the trainers’ fault for slacking on supervision.”
“No, but still, man…”
The instructor stretched the sentence, then grabbed a cigarette and lit it with a hiss. He took a deep drag and blew out a long cloud of smoke.
“So why not just patch the wall?”
“With what money? The entire repair budget. You have any idea how tight things are right now? I’m even considering whether I should take a side job or not.”
Kang-jun’s face on the training instructor today looked like he’d aged ten years in a single night.
“Yeah, that was one hell of a dramatic report, damn it. …I’m collecting the full repair costs from both of you, so remember that.”
“Is that a fine?”
“And that’s separate.”
“Coming straight out of the dungeon as a fresh meat, that’s a bit heavy a burden. …Could you go easier on us?”
“Whoa, this guy’s trying to haggle here.”
The instructor crushed the cigarette, veins bulging in his neck.
“You should be grateful I didn’t even file for overtime. Fixing that mess is going to take days. …Anyway, that’s beside the point.”
The instructor pulled out another cigarette and lit it. His voice had dropped to a lower tone.
“So how did you do it?”
The instructor had already seen Ogeonam’s condition before coming here. There was no way a newbie could’ve pulled that off.
“He just fell when I hit him.”
“Was that a joke? …I’m making a decision right here and now.”
The instructor had even suspected the guy might be a spy from the Hero Association. …But every piece of evidence pointed to him being a player. He already had the headquarters certificate from the very first week. This Lee Kang-jun in front of him was definitely a two-month-old newbie.
Yet he’d successfully pierced mana on his very first awakening attempt? That wasn’t just talented. In terms of natural talent, he was willing to bet he was inside the top three across the entire 3rd Dungeon.
“So when did you start handling mana?”
“From the moment I entered the training center.”
“And how well can you control it now?”
“Enough to take on the trainers here.”
Trainers in the organization weren’t in the highest positions, but they were still middle-to-high among the members. No matter what, they couldn’t just use rookies as trainers.
This kid was a gem. The instructor was certain. Of course Ogeonam was strong, but he wasn’t rare enough to be eye-catching. But cases like Kang-jun? That was something they might only see once in a lifetime. …The hope of the 41st branch!
The instructor’s throat felt tight. He needed to sweet-talk this kid hard. If the kid succeeded, the 41st branch could finally spread its shoulders. There were a few branches that had raised one super-fan and profited big.
“…But I do have good news for you.”
The instructor slowly set the bait. He nodded for Kang-jun to speak.
“If you do well, you won’t have to pay the repair bill or the fine. That’s good news, right?”
Kang-jun barely managed to keep from laughing. Sorry, but he was sitting on the top of the instructor’s head right now. The man’s thoughts were crystal clear.
“Adding your name to the 41st branch list. In our branch, we can turn a blind eye to a small mistake by a colleague every now and then.”
“That sounded pretty small earlier.”
“That was, man, just to scare you a little. If you keep causing trouble like this, you’ll see!”
The instructor gave him a meaningful look while urging him to think carefully. Then he muttered nonsense to himself.
“…It might come out to around a hundred million.”
A hundred million? What the hell. Even half of that seemed too much.
“So, have you thought it over?”
“It’s only been about a minute.”
“No, I’m telling you to decide right here. That way I can decide whether I’m going to look out for you or not.”
Kang-jun couldn’t hold it in and let out a soft laugh. Whoa, this guy’s judgment is off and he’s laughing?! The instructor looked pretty flustered too.
“Think it over carefully. Right after you leave, you’ll owe five thousand. Five thousand! Plus monthly fees, living expenses. Rent too! …You were the one who asked to reduce it earlier.”
“That was because you kept pushing me around.”
“So let’s compromise. …Yeah, I’ll include my recommendation for half a year of rent support. It’s not like I recommend just anyone.”
The instructor’s effort looked painfully genuine. Kang-jun figured it was time to back off a little. After all, he needed to plant a seed in one of the branches.
“Okay then. …But in return, can you cut my monthly fees for a full year?”
“No way, you thief!”
The instructor’s butt practically jumped off the chair. Kang-jun’s eyes flicked sideways.
“Ah, then maybe I’ll go to the 31st branch after all…”
“No, I’m cutting it! I, strongly recommend you!”
The instructor realized he was crawling and looked panicked. What could he do? The guy who was supposed to feel sorry had to bow his head.
Kang-jun knew that too much twitching could backfire. He’d been generous enough to cut this much; he should know when to stop.
“Fine. I’ll join the 41st branch.”
Kang-jun had never seen the training instructor smile so brightly before.
“I promise! It’s true!”
When Kang-jun kept affirming his willingness, the instructor shot up and ran out. He was probably rushing to write up the joining paperwork right away. The trainer who came in right after had his eyebrows twisted in a weird shape. The man who had come in looking like he wanted to die was now sprinting out in pure joy. He couldn’t wrap his head around the sudden change.
“What the hell did you do?”
“To me?”
The trainer who already knew it was impossible nodded thoughtfully and led Kang-jun out. They waited outside the instructor’s room. Soon the training instructor returned and assigned him to a single room. Where had the guy gone from earlier, who was jumping around saying he’d throw him straight into the holding cell, to suddenly offering a single room?
“A single room, you say?”
“Do I have to repeat myself, trainer? Single room, I said single room! Here, take this.”
The trainer’s expression toward Kang-jun looked like he was staring at a devil, while his face toward the real person looked like a girl admiring spring flowers. In reality there was no real difference, but the feeling was what mattered.
Kang-jun received the paperwork and headed toward the single room. The trainees in the neighboring rooms would have to sleep with cold drafts whistling through the gaps, while the one who had caused all the chaos was sleeping in luxury. The trainer would be boiling with resentment.
Kang-jun flopped onto the wide bed in the single room and clasped his hands behind his head, using them as a pillow. It finally felt like a real person’s place. Whether trainee or student, it still felt like a beast being stuffed into a cage, and it was never comfortable.
**Knock knock.**
A few minutes later, three women came visiting the single room, drawn by the sound of no footsteps. They had been on fire to come the moment they heard the news that the guy they’d thought was about to be locked in the holding cell was actually in a single room.
“Oh my, how wonderful. You’re okay.”
Even the official number-one girlfriend was there. Kang-jun suggested she dance for them as a celebration. Of course that meant a striptease. The room had lights and alcohol already; it was perfect.
The three women had worked hard to gain his attention. Clearly he was a strong talent who lined up perfectly. They felt they had to either hook him or get hooked themselves. So they decided to get hooked.
A wild night unfolded in the single room.