Chapter 148: Overdue Homework (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 148: Overdue Homework (2)
I had a lot of overdue work because of Han Byeong-sin.
My original plan was to reach B-rank before the end of the year, but now I’d have to aim for the end of winter.
In truth, if I grinded through dungeons like a madman right now, I could probably meet the B-rank requirements. However, my time spent on the run had forced me to rethink my training schedule.
Once you become a B-rank, you don't just clear dungeons; you’re expected to take an active role in dealing with Villains and Error phenomena.
Even though I’d only dealt with local criminal organizations so far, I realized that the Awakened of this world were surprisingly weak in interpersonal combat. Their tactics mostly revolved around mindless charging, which made them strong in a head-on clash. But since they weren't trained specifically to kill humans, they were vulnerable to external factors—their reactions to things like flashbangs or tear gas were sluggish.
Of course, using those things didn't mean I could beat someone like Lee Ru-da. No matter how much someone relied on "rush tactics," by the time they reached A-rank, they had accumulated enough experience to handle most situations.
Most kids aiming to be Heroes operated with the mindset that they’d eventually reach at least A-rank, which was probably why they didn't bother with tactical movements.
It made sense, in a way. You just had to get stronger. If you gained enough raw power through experience and stats, you wouldn't need petty tricks.
But the question was: could you survive until then?
The Orbs were a cheat item, but they only worked inside dungeons. If I died fighting a Villain or got kidnapped again, that was it.
And then there were the Errors. I’d been deployed for those before, but from B-rank onward, you were often expected to lead the charge, which increased the risk significantly.
I needed to train my girls so they wouldn't get hurt or die in some godforsaken place.
Strength isn't just about winning a one-on-one duel. It’s about how well you can maintain your performance and utilize your surroundings in various situations—like when your abilities are sealed or when you're outnumbered.
It was better to delay becoming a B-rank and prepare now, rather than rushing into it and scrambling to train later.
I completely overhauled the training plan I’d developed so far.
"So, I’ve brought in a teacher."
I introduced Han So-ye to the party members gathered at the sparring arena.
"Ye-jin and A-young, you know her, right? This is Han So-ye, a B-rank Hero who joined us from the Break Line."
"Hello. This is the first time we’ve spoken face-to-face," Han So-ye said with a smile.
Her seductive smile and voluptuous figure—soft in the right places yet retaining a sharp curve at the waist—exuded a mature, sophisticated charm.
Everyone in the party knew who she was. When we first recruited Anna, So-ye had stayed by her side to guard against Demonization, and she had crossed paths with everyone frequently as a member of Square Garden.
After the introductions, I explained the training plan.
"Ms. Han So-ye’s specialty is Deflection. Against humanoids, she can suppress even an A-rank if the compatibility is right."
"Oh my, I’m not quite that good," Han So-ye replied with a small, humble smile, acting as if I were overpraising her.
"From now on, you will all be experiencing Ms. Han So-ye’s Deflection firsthand."
"I have one question."
Yoon A-young, who had been listening quietly, raised her hand.
"What’s the goal of this training? Hero Han So-ye’s Deflection is a skill, so we can't learn it ourselves."
She was right. Han So-ye could deflect any physical attack—excluding those with massive mass—by defying logic. It was strictly a skill, not a martial art technique, so it couldn't be taught.
I shook my head.
"I’m not telling you to learn Deflection. This is training for how quickly you can recover your stance and posture after an opponent deflects your attack, ensuring you don't leave yourself wide open."
Lee Yu-na and Yoon A-young seemed to understand, but Anna and Kwon Ye-jin just blinked.
"It’ll be better to show you. Anna, please use Demonization."
I gave the order while turning on a high-speed camera.
Without a moment's hesitation, Anna transformed into a demon. She wrapped her hands around her sexy frame, emphasizing her chest.
"Aha~ So I just have to make a total mess of this woman?"
"Yes, attack as much as you like. I’ll be standing next to Ms. So-ye, and I’ll attack you whenever I see an opening. You’re allowed to block or dodge me, but your attacks must be directed at Ms. So-ye."
"Mmm~ Of course, I could never hit my dear Yeon-yu-chan~"
She was acting all relaxed, but she’d be fuming soon enough.
I stood next to Han So-ye, holding a training rod.
Demon Anna smiled at me for a moment before suddenly lunging at Han So-ye. As her sharp claws swung through the air, Han So-ye slowly raised her hand.
Whoosh—
With just a light tap of her finger on the back of Anna’s hand, the sharp strike was diverted past her, as if Anna had intended to hit the empty air beside her all along.
When an attack is deflected that cleanly, the attacker is bound to be flustered. Having met no resistance and hitting nothing but air, a surprised Anna tried to twist her body, but her opening had already been exposed.
"Urgh!"
I thrust the rod into her defenseless flank. Anna twisted her body mid-air, rolling across the floor before springing back up.
Her reflexes were impressive. To be able to twist like that and dissipate the impact in that situation...
However, it wasn't a clean dodge. Anna clutched her aching side, her gaze shifting. With the eyes of a predator, she began to circle us cautiously, while Han So-ye simply stood there, looking straight ahead.
Anna, now behind her, watched for an opening and charged.
Han So-ye slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder. As the attack aimed for her body, she spun half a turn. Anna’s attack seemed to be sucked into the direction of the spin, passing harmlessly behind So-ye’s back.
Anna desperately planted her feet to stop her momentum, but I was already there. Following the opening Han So-ye had intentionally created, I drove my knee into Anna’s exposed abdomen.
"...I thought you weren't going to attack?"
"Huh? I didn't attack. I just flexed my stomach really hard."
My knee throbbed as if I’d struck an iron gate. I rubbed my knee, which felt like it had been hit by an electric shock, while Anna giggled and played dumb.
Damn this body. My physical stats were so low that normal attacks didn't even leave a scratch on her.
Anna clung to my back as I leaned over, playfully rubbing her chest against me and telling me not to be mad.
"I’d heard about it from my sister, but seeing it in person... it’s even more incredible than I imagined," Lee Yu-na remarked, praising Han So-ye’s skill.
"It’s a skill with just as many limitations. There are plenty of ways to counter it," Han So-ye replied with her usual mature smile.
"Still, it’s amazing. Out of all of us, the only ones who might be able to break through that skill one-on-one are... A-young and Yeon-woo."
As expected of the knowledgeable Lee Yu-na, she had already spotted the weaknesses of the Deflection skill.
Except for Yoon A-young, our party relied on skills that required physical contact. Kwon Ye-jin had a hardening skill, and Anna’s Demonization boosted her raw stats. Even Lee Yu-na, who couldn't move while using her skill, still had to use her body to attack.
Wait, me?
"Me? I don't have the confidence to break through Ms. So-ye’s skill either."
"Still, if it’s you, Yeon-woo, I feel like you could do it somehow."
"Yeah, Yeon-woo could do it."
Lee Yu-na and Han So-ye looked at me with infinite trust, but I really wasn't so sure. My only method would be something like 'Live Burial.' I didn't have the ridiculous stats to pick up a building and throw it, so my options were limited.
"Right, anyway. We’ll practice in pairs, rotating turns: one person attacking alongside Ms. So-ye, and one person reacting to the Deflection. Good luck."
"Yu-na, you’re with me."
"Why? Do you want to get hit by me?"
"That’s my line."
Kwon Ye-jin and Lee Yu-na teamed up, while Yoon A-young and Anna formed the other team.
As the teams took turns facing Han So-ye, fatigue and bruises began to accumulate. The key was to see how well they could maintain their basic form without getting swept away by the Deflection, even when exhausted.
"Isn't using a shield cheating?"
"I always use a shield! And you’re the one being cheap, firing arrows at point-blank range just because you aren't being attacked!"
"It’s my primary weapon, after all."
Yeah, it was nice to see them getting along so well.
Leaving them to their training, I started my own personal session.
In truth, the biggest problem was me. Even if we cleared dungeons and I met the B-rank qualification requirements, I couldn't actually become a B-rank because my stats were too low.
[Stamina: 41 | Strength: 36 | Agility: 47 | Mana: 80]
The minimum requirement was an average stat of 65, but I was currently only at 51.
I thought raising my average from 3 to 51 in less than a year was miraculous growth, but then I looked at the monsters over there.
Lee Yu-na was currently firing arrows at Kwon Ye-jin’s defenseless butt, and Yoon A-young was having a quiet chat with Anna.
Perhaps thanks to the Boosters, the members of Black Unicorn were growing even more miraculously than I was. Anna’s stats were already high, so her growth rate should have been slowing down, yet she was still keeping pace with me.
The others were growing rapidly too; I was the only one in Black Unicorn whose average was below 65.
The only silver lining was that my mana was growing noticeably after learning the basics and theory at the Magic Tower.
It seemed this body was truly suited to being a mage.
I sat down and focused, making eight mana orbs rotate around me. Following the instructions of Seol Ga-yeon, the sexy professor from the Magic Tower, I concentrated on my internal consciousness, trying to grasp the thin threads of mana.
In my original world, the concept was to absorb mana from the surroundings, but I wasn't sure what kind of setting was applied to this world—here, the focus was internal.
Until I learned from Seol Ga-yeon, I had been gathering mana using the concepts from my previous world, so I now had two different types of mana accumulating in my body.
On the status screen, they were represented as one, but as someone who manipulated mana, I could clearly feel the two distinct energies that refused to mix.
It might be good if I could harmonize them, but in reality, I had to be careful since I didn't know what might happen. An Awakened who lost their mana became a mere civilian who couldn't even use the physical abilities they’d worked so hard to build. It was a terrifying thought.
As I finished my training, focusing on carefully increasing my mana, I saw my party members drenched in sweat.
Seriously, seeing women glistening with sweat after a workout is damn sexy.
I smiled as I looked at the four of them, their wet hair clinging to their necks as they breathed heavily.
"Good work, everyone."
"Master, Senior Han So-ye’s skill is too broken. I can't counter it at all."
"That’s because you attack so mindlessly."
"Funny. You looked like you were having the time of your life doing ballet out there."
"What ballet? I did well."
"You were falling over so gracefully. I thought I was watching a Russian ballet show."
Kwon Ye-jin and Lee Yu-na bickered back and forth.
"Everyone’s exhausted, so go get a massage. We’ll do tactical training after a short rest and a meal."
Despite the mention of more training, the party members didn't lose their motivation. Back when I was a recruit, I would’ve been beaten for swearing at the drill sergeant, so I was glad they didn't complain about the grueling schedule.
After thanking Han So-ye for her help, we parted ways, and everyone headed to the massage rooms.
I hadn't done much physical training, so I was about to head back after seeing the members off when Yoon A-young came out of a room.
"What is it? Is something wrong?"
"It’s crowded. There’s no one available to give me a massage."
There were plenty of massage rooms, but a shortage of staff.
After I got caught up in that incident, Im Jin-ah had spoken on her broadcast as if she knew everything that only Square Garden should know. Lee Ru-da, concluding that internal information was leaking—such as my call to retreat after seeing the Teki, which should have only been known in the situation room—had conducted a massive investigation of Square Garden’s clan members. A large number of people had been fired.
One situation room staff member assigned to Black Unicorn had been dismissed, and specifically, a third of the massage staff had been let go. They hadn't been able to replenish the workforce yet.
Lee Ru-da said she’d just used the opportunity to clear out the dead weight and that I shouldn't worry about it, but I felt uneasy, as if I’d been the catalyst for a mass layoff.
"Really? Then I’ll do it for you."
"Huh?"
I led a dazed Yoon A-young into the massage room.
I told her to go change while I prepared the massage supplies. After a moment of hesitation, she entered the dressing room.
A short while later, Yoon A-young emerged, her mysterious silver hair pinned up and her body wrapped in a towel. Her usually cold expression was replaced by flushed cheeks, and she fidgeted shyly.
"Um... even if we’re close, isn't it a bit much for a man and a woman to... massage each other?"
"There used to be male massage therapists here too. Besides, it’s just a massage. Lie down here."
Yeah, don't worry. I’m only going to touch your body.
Yoon A-young carefully lay face down on the bed, making sure her body remained covered by the towel.
Seeing her white nape exposed by her pinned-up silver hair and the elegant curve of her shoulders, blood began to rush to my crotch.
No. Mind control. Mind control.
I draped a large towel over her back and moved to remove the towel covering her body.
"Wait..."
"I have to take this off to give you a massage. I put a towel over you, so it’s fine."
"I’ll... I’ll do it."
Blushing, Yoon A-young fumbled under the large towel to remove the one wrapped around her, pulling it out from underneath.
No matter how much she tried to hide, her movements caused glimpses of her cute breasts or hips to peek through the gaps.
...Endure it. I have to endure it.
I folded the towel back toward her hips and swallowed hard as I looked at her small, flawless back.