Chapter 84. Training or Tempering (4)

Chapter 84. Training or Tempering (4)

Sky Breaker was a feat truly worthy of its name.

[The Jikokuten’s Pipa marvels at your extraordinariness!]

After all, even a divine relic that inherited the will of a Heavenly King’s will was impressed.

Still, Eun-Ho thought,

since it’s already impressed, can’t it hand out a little more?

[Congratulations!]

[You have acquired the qualification of a temporary performer!]

[You have three remaining performance counts.]

Three times? How stingy! What is he? Some genie granting wishes from a lamp? I guess I’m still not qualified enough... Though, I don’t know what else it requires yet...

Then, he started playing the Pipa.

Twang—

[You have activated a shield as a temporary performer.]

Three chances at invincibility were no small thing for today, at least.

[You can block the approach of those who resist their will!]

Then, clear notes burst forth like soap bubbles popping in midair.

Twang—

Each tone layered upon the next, weaving into an ever-growing barrier. A translucent veil of faint blue light spread outward, enveloping both the Pipa and Eun-Ho, swelling larger with every note.

Twang—! Twang—!

Just as the cheerful sound began to stir a sense of serenity, a child’s-fist-sized Little Rock slammed into the barrier and shattered instantly.

Boom!

Shards scattered down the curved surface, tumbling like gravel. Meanwhile, Eun-Ho simply walked forward.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Unhurried, he headed toward the finish line. As he broke through the blue ribbon stretched across the end, a bunch of system messages appeared.

[Final stage, running, clear!]

[Your Stamina stat has increased by three.]

[For your outstanding performance, you received an additional stat.]

He had done it, and got an additional stat, to boot.

Across the three stages, Eun-Ho had earned Stamina stats of one, two, and three respectively. With two more granted as bonus rewards, his total came to eight points.

I didn’t expect it to add up to this much.

The last restructuring trial had only given him a single point, so it was akin to reaping the rewards of eight full trials.

This proves that coming to the Training Institute was the right choice.

It never failed to exceed expectations.

“Status window,” Eun-Ho said.

[Eun-Ho Lee]

- Affiliation: Sector 13, ROK-SEO-107 District, MS Tower

- Rank: Selector (S+)

- Stats: Stamina (28), Strength (20), Intelligence (13), Judgment (15), Agility (15), Endurance (31), Resistance (0)

- Traits: Rebel

- Skills: Acceleration(Lv. 6), Petrify(Lv. 12), Basic Swordsmanship(Lv. 3), Blade Wind(Lv. 1), Leadership(Lv. 2), Revive (Lv. -)

- Trait-exclusive Skills: Counterattack(Lv. 1), Order Opposer (Lv. -)

His Stamina now stood at twenty-eight. When he first unlocked the status window, his Stamina was only twelve, while his Strength was eleven. The growth was remarkable, especially since he hadn’t invested heavily into his Stamina.

I wonder just how much I’ve changed. I should test it.

Normally, there was no way to know how much total the Stamina had increased, but he had a method in mind.

“Summon.”

He retrieved a dagger he’d purchased from the Intermediate Shop. It was a weapon with ten attack power, with a razor-sharp edge thanks to being whetted by a Human Whetstone.

[91.7%]

He opened his left palm, checked his remaining Stamina, then wrapped his bare hand around the gleaming blade. The steel bit into his skin, tearing it open as though piercing a thin membrane. The shallow cut was undeniable.

[91.7%]

Yet, his Stamina remained unchanged.

Great, so this much isn’t enough to make my Stamina drop.

Then, he decided to be bolder. Pressing the dagger against his left forearm, he drew the blade across.

Swoosh—!

The cut was easily longer than fifteen centimeters, deep enough that beads of blood traced a vivid red line. Yet, his Stamina had fallen by only 0.1%.

[91.6%]

So, it’s not that I’m losing less health points. My maximum stamina must have increased that much.

Satisfied, he pulled his sleeve back down to cover the wound. That was when Park Gong-Chan, limping badly, staggered across the finish line. He grabbed Eun-Ho by the wrist.

“What the hell are you doing?” he shouted, his face tight with shock.

Of course he’d be startled. The man who had just finished first in the race was now holding a knife to his arm.

“An experiment,” Eun-Ho replied flatly.

Park Gong-Chan frowned. “Experiment? What kind of—”

Eun-Ho merely shrugged, unwilling to explain further.

[The Basic Physical Training class has ended!]

[Return through the exit door.]

A shimmering doorway appeared at that moment.

“

Hmm...

The door is here,” Eun-Ho said.

“Don’t tell me you are trying to test how much your Stamina increased,” Park Gong-Chan muttered, narrowing his eyes.

“You catch on quick.”

Park Gong-Chan’s face twisted. Whether it was disbelief at Eun-Ho’s answer or the pain of his battered shin, Eun-Ho couldn’t tell. Or maybe—

“... Sorry.”

The sudden apology suggested that guilt was gnawing at him. After all, he had kicked Little Rock toward Eun-Ho just to save himself. Not that it mattered to Eun-Ho.

“Forget it.”

“But earlier—”

“I don’t think we’re in the kind of relationship where apologies matter.”

Park Gong-Chan clenched his fist tight. He didn’t speak further, only dropped his head. However, his silence was answer enough. He knew that such apologies were meaningless.

Instead, Park Gong-Chan rubbed his face with both hands. “I was foolish. Anyone who made it here couldn’t possibly be just an ordinary person.”

Eun-Ho clicked his tongue. “You keep saying ordinary this and ordinary that. But in a world like this, doesn’t the whole concept of an ordinary person sound ridiculous?”

Then, he looked straight at Park Gong-Chan. “Unless the ones up there decide to host a World Cup, maybe.”

Since it was their first meeting, he didn’t need to say the last part. He had no obligation to talk like this, but the words tumbled out anyway.

Park Gong-Chan seemed shaken as if struck by the thought. He nodded faintly. “I...”

Eun-Ho cut in, glancing down at the man’s injury. “Just take care of your leg.”

Even with high Stamina and natural healing, it’d remain a problem without proper treatment. He knew that from experience.

The advice was unsolicited, but he offered it anyway. He half-expected Park Gong-Chan’s competitive streak to flare up.

Instead, grimacing, Park Gong-Chan fell silent for a moment, before asking, “What’s your name?”

“Lee Eun-Ho.”

Then came the unexpected proposal.

“Do you want to join my group?”

“Your group?”

“There are national athletes gathered in Paju. I can assure you, it’s the strongest force in the country.”

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Eun-Ho recalled hearing that the national soccer team trained in Paju, much like athletes gathered in Taereung.

A group made of national athletes, huh...

Eun-Ho sensed no exaggeration, so Park Gong-Chan was probably telling the truth. Like he said, it’d indeed be a force unlike the ordinary clusters Eun-Ho had seen so far. These weren’t deskbound survivors, but people who had dedicated their lives to building their physiques, sharpening themselves into peak condition.

“How many of you are there?” Eun-Ho asked.

“Fifteen athletes and one doctor.”

Even the number was formidable. With them, he’d have a shield strong enough that no other group would dare interfere.

“Right now it’s just the related ones, no ordin—I mean no outsiders. Still, with your ability, they’d accept you. I’ll put in a word for you myself.”

“No.”

Why was Eun-Ho’s first instinct not to join, but to wonder if he faced them, could he have a chance of winning? Instead of safety under Park Gong-Chan’s wing, his thoughts turned to something else entirely.

“No?” Park Gong-Chan repeated, incredulous. “Do you even understand what I just said? I’m offering to bring you into the national team’s group—”

Eun-Ho shook his head. He didn’t disdain the offer, he just simply didn’t need it.

To Park Gong-Chan, they were probably loyal younger brothers and dependable teammates. However, to Eun-Ho, there was no guarantee what kind of people those so-called national athletes really were.

“I already have people waiting for me,” Eun-Ho said.

Park Gong-Chan’s brows shot up at his indirect refusal. “Are they as strong as you?”

Eun-Ho smirked faintly. “Hard to say.”

Of course, the truth was that he was the strongest in his group. However, it felt too arrogant to declare something like that, so he kept his answer vague.

“That’s not the important part, is it?”

“That can’t be...” Park Gong-Chan muttered, his hand trembling as he pressed it against his broken leg.

Eun-Ho turned away, taking calm steps forward. “Anyway, I’ll be going first.”

Clack.

He grasped the door knob and twisted it.

Just as he stepped through the pale mist billowing beyond the doorway, Park Gong-Chan shouted after him, “It’s Paju! If you ever change your mind, come find us anytime!”

[Your training has ended!]

[You are returning to your original state.]

***

Eun-Ho found himself back on the main street in front of Hongdae. The scene hadn’t changed as it was still desolate, with only a few abandoned cars rusting at the edges.

Thump. Thump.

He walked toward Hongdae Station, where he had arranged to meet his companions. His eyes swept the area, half-expecting to catch a glimpse of long hair tinged with purple, but the streets were silent.

I’ll meet her soon.

The physical examination was scheduled to begin the next morning, and Eun-Ho figured that those nearby would likely end up taking it together. Unless, of course, that purple-haired girl had walked through the night and left the area altogether.

Still... There’s no one here...

It was already 6:30 PM in the evening, with thirty minutes left until the appointed time. Standing alone at the absolutely quiet Exit 8 of Hongdae Station, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

“Eun-Ho!”

Even though the street had been empty just a moment ago.

“Over here!”

“Where—” he asked, then froze.

Thud!

Then, the next moment, Ji-Eun dropped from the sky, landing softly. Her graceful descent no longer surprised him.

Eun-Ho couldn’t help but smile proudly at the sight.

Ji-Eun hurried to his side, grabbed his shoulders, and began checking him all over. “You’re not hurt, are you? Nothing broken? No fractures or—”

“I’m fine,” Eun-Ho answered quickly.

She pressed a hand to her chest and let out a huge sigh of relief. “

Whew...

”

Eun-Ho couldn’t help but chuckle softly at the endearing sight. “Were you worried about me?”

“

Mm...

A little,” Ji-Eun admitted.

“Not a lot?” he pressed.

She hesitated, fidgeting as she answered, “Well,

um...

This might sound strange, but I somehow felt it.”

“What did you feel?”

“That you were safe.”

Huh. She felt that I was safe?

“It probably sounds ridiculous, but—”

“No,” Eun-Ho interrupted. “I believe you.”

Anyone else, he’d have brushed off. However, Ji-Eun was different.

“Because you’re someone worth trusting,” he added.

She had always been sharp. For example, it was Ji-Eun who had first suggested taking on a trial. Besides, since her mental resilience had grown, perhaps her intuition had sharpened with it. In a world where people could even manifest psychokinesis, trusting her instincts hardly seemed unreasonable.

Therefore, he said, “If you feel that way again, tell me. Maybe there’s some kind of pattern or condition behind it.”

“

Ah...

O-okay!” she replied quickly. After chewing her lip in thought for a long while, Ji-Eun said again, “Actually, now that I think about it, I’ve felt the same thing about my little brother a few times... I thought it was just because of the messages, but it felt a little different.”

“So you’ve only felt it with me and your brother?”

“Yes.”

“

Hmm...

Then what’s the common thread?”

“Common thread...” she muttered under her breath, and suddenly blushed pink.

“Did something come to mind?” Eun-Ho asked.

“N-no! Nothing at all! I really don’t know. What could it be, right?” she stammered, averting her eyes. Then, as if scrambling to change the subject, she blurted, “

Um...

Eun-Ho, did you play sports?”

“

Hm?

How did you know?”

“Well, it’s just that your body looks a little more... I mean—it’s nothing! Forget I said that!”

Flustered, she ducked her head, ears burning red. Just then, more people began arriving including Jae-Hyuk and little Yul with her father, followed by Sol-Ah and Yeo-Jin.

“Hyungnim!”

“Uncle!”

“How’d you all meet up?” Eun-Ho asked.

“We ran into each other on our way,” Jae-Hyuk explained.

A few minutes later, Ye-Ji and the foul-mouthed guy finally appeared and the clock struck exactly 7:00 PM.

“

Ugh

, there they are, Exit 8!”

“I told you it was this way, you dumbass!”

“It was me who said it was this exit! You’re the one who mentioned the Airport Railroad side!”

“What the hell are you yapping about? I said here from the start!”

“

Ugh

, you’re so annoying. Don’t ever talk to me again!”

While Ji-Eun rushed to calm the two bickering people, another ten minutes ticked by.

“

Hmm...

Ms. Song and Mr. Kim are quite late.”

“Do you think something happened to them?”

The fact that they couldn’t track those two’s location alone made Eun-Ho worry.

He was about to send another message when a system message appeared.

[A gift has arrived from the subject Song Hyun-Sook!]

It was a message from the cleaning lady.

Puff!

- To: Lee Eun-Ho

- From: Song Hyun-Sook

- Message: Young man! We’re trapped on Night Island right now. Oh, heavens! Mr. Kim! Somebody help!

Aaaah!

The desperation bled through every word.

“The Night Island?”

“If I remember correctly, that’s an uninhabited island in front of Yeouido.”

“What? An uninhabited island in Seoul? That’s insane!”

It wasn’t too far. Though there was no land route, with Ji-Eun’s abilities, reaching it was possible.

“I’ll go with you Eun-Ho!”

“Only Ji-Eun and Jae-Hyuk will—” After quickly making up his mind, he was about to set off when he changed his mind. “Actually, everyone should come.”

“Everyone?” Ji-Eun blinked.

“I’ve got a good idea,” Eun-Ho said with a faint smile. “Think of it as training.”

“Training? Out of nowhere—?”

“One day, we might be up against the national athletes.”

“... What?”