Chapter 35. Field Agent (2)

The room was shrouded in darkness—utterly silent, without a hint of light or noise. Only one presence stirred, which was the assistant instructor, standing motionless in the shadows like a sentinel.

Suddenly, a soft chime echoed in the silence, followed by an automated announcement ringing clearly in his ears.

[Subject Eun-Ho has entered the classroom.]

[Beginner Swordsmanship Class: 1 Student.]

That insolent trainee was back.

Pzzz—!

Then, a flash of light filled the room as the assistant instructor stepped into view. He wore a crisp white shirt and neatly pressed pants. A jet-black sword glinted at his side. His appearance almost matched the lone student he had been waiting for.

“Finally you’re here,” the assistant instructor muttered. “I thought it’d take you years to return.”

At last a twisted grin crept across his lips. It had been two months since Eun-Ho’s last visit. Time flowed differently here—an hour in this place passed as only a minute in Eun-Ho’s world.

From the trainee’s perspective, he had only been gone a single day.

“How bold of you to show your face here again.”

He hadn’t forgotten the chaos Eun-Ho had caused: stealing that precious honey crystal and bolting, a furious swarm of bees hot on his heels. The assistant instructor could barely escape with his arm intact. Even now, it still ached where the bees had gotten him.

Furthermore, after Eun-Ho vanished, he had to spend days repairing the shattered stone wall the boy left behind.

[An audit pass to the Beginner Swordsmanship Class has been issued to Subject Lee Eun-Ho.]

As if that wasn’t enough, he had handed the damn audit pass over as if in a trance. Maybe it was a mistake, but deep down, he knew that the boy would come back sooner or later. Who would’ve expected it’d be this soon?

“Good thing I prepared.”

Anticipating Eun-Ho’s return, the assistant had laid a little surprise.

Thick vines hung from the cave ceiling, meant to lure the Super Mealworms that lurked nearby. Drawn by the irresistible scent of a feast they couldn’t eat, they had come in droves. Now they were starving and growing restless.

“If he’s lucky, he might snag one or two, but that’s it.”

The assistant instructor knew that the rest would descend like demons.

He suddenly found himself wondering—what kind of expression would Eun-Ho make? We would step through the cave’s entrance, expecting safety, only to be met by a dozen ravenous monsters with their mouths wide open.

“He won’t be so lucky this time.”

Super Mealworms were vicious enough to eat each other when hungry. Their shells were so tough that even other giant beasts avoided them. And the cave was full of these monsters.

Only their natural predator, the Drosera—a monster whose digestive fluids could dissolve nearly anything—stood a chance against them.

“

Hmmm...

”

Maybe Eun-Ho would be so terrified that he would not even set foot inside and go back. Perhaps, he’d be torn apart before he had a chance to react. Or maybe, he’d never come back to the Training Institute at all.

Have I gone too far...?

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The assistant instructor began to move, which was uncharacteristic of himself. Of course, it wasn’t out of concern. He wasn't worried or anything. No big reason, he just thought it’d be a shame if that valuable audit pass went to waste.

“He might genuinely repent and apologize from the heart.”

Yes. That was it. That’s all it was.

With that comforting thought, the assistant instructor walked with a lighter step, a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Clack!

He had imagined the trainee struggling to survive, barely clinging to life among the giant monsters. He pictured Eun-Ho groveling in repentance, maybe even dropping to his knees, begging for mercy.

However, the moment the assistant instructor stepped into the cave, all five senses were overwhelmed by a rush of familiar sensations.

Bzzzz—!

The air was thick and humid, clinging to the skin. The constant drone of insect wings hummed like a sinister soundtrack. Then came the stench—heavy and rancid—the unmistakable reek of decaying monster flesh.

“How’s my little surprise—”

Hold on. Was that the stench of dead Super Mealworms?

the assistant instructor thought.

The cave was littered with them. Dozens of massive corpses laid scattered across the floor, their bellies split open, greenish slime oozing out and pooling into puddles.

“You’re here?”

Eun-Ho waved casually from where he sat in a corner, carefully avoiding the slime.

“Wait. Did you kill all of them? All of

these

?!”

“What can I say? You’re looking at it,” Eun-Ho replied with a shrug.

“No way...”

The assistant instructor’s hands trembled. These monsters were supposed to be ripping apart the Subject—not lying there, ripped open themselves.

Yet, the guy responsible was just sitting there, relaxed, waving hello like he had come out of a convenience store. Something about it made the assistant instructor’s blood boil.

“There’s no way someone of your skill pulled this off.”

“Maybe. I mean, if I fought them head-on, sure, that would’ve been tough.”

“

Huh?

What did I miss?” the assistant instructor muttered.

Now that he looked closer, the bodies weren’t all the same. Two of them had been cleanly sliced, their wounds sharp and obvious. However, the rest had their bellies torn open, foam around their mouths as if they had died from something else.

“So you only cut down two of them. That’s impressive swordsmanship.”

It wasn’t just by-the-book but beyond that. He had struck precisely between the hard carapaces, slicing at the vulnerable joints. It’d have taken a freakish level of control.

He must’ve used the time-slowing skill to make it work,

the assistant instructor thought.

“But the other ones are...” the assistant instructor said, looking around.

Dozens of the giant monsters laid belly-up, clearly having died trying to climb over something.

“

Ah

.”

Catching the assistant instructor’s stunned expression, Eun-Ho simply shrugged again, like it was no big deal.

Still seated, he bowed his head slightly and explained, “I used poison-tipped spikes.”

“What?”

“I had some left over, so I figured I might as well use it.”

The assistant instructor looked again. Sure enough, the creatures’ bellies were full of odd, jagged spikes. Even at a glance, they seemed suspicious.

“I used the first two corpses to build a wall. Then, I stuck those spikes in between their shells.”

If the monsters wanted to get to him, they had no choice but to climb over the dead bodies, right into the spikes.

The assistant instructor remained still. Someone would say predicting enemy movement and preparing in advance are just basic combat strategies. However, most people couldn’t even handle the basics. Hence why tactics existed, and why wars still had losers despite all the manuals and training.

“And so, you set up all these traps? In this short amount of time?”

From the instant the door materialized, to the moment Eun-Ho stepped through it and the assistant instructor arrived, barely ten minutes had slipped by.

“I guess I was lucky,” Eun-Ho said casually.

Sure, he possessed a time-acceleration skill, but both of them knew it wasn’t just luck. Not even the Company would mistake it for chance.

“What are you really?”

He had sensed something strange about this guy during the last training session, too.

That boldness was born from cold, sharp judgment—not just raw strength in a one-on-one fight, but the rare ability to shift the entire battlefield with a single move.

This guy is different...

Suddenly, a faint flash of light flickered in the darkness. The assistant instructor stared at it intently, struggling to decide whether the glow was real or just a trick of his imagination. Then, without warning, the light moved.

The light beckoned him forward, and Eun-Ho handed him a task. “If you’ve got nothing else to do, lend a hand.”

“Huh?”

The instructor found himself awkwardly holding a tangled mass of dark green vines.

“Vines? Why are you passing these to me...?”

It was the special bait he had personally set up on the cave ceiling to lure the Super Mealworms. Now, it had been sliced cleanly—horizontally, vertically—and stacked in neat bundles beside Eun-Ho.

“Just hold that for a sec.”

“What?”

Rustle—!

Eun-Ho’s hands moved quickly. He grabbed two strands of the severed vine and began tying them together. His fingers were swift yet precise, like a skilled craftsman at work.

Rustle. Rustle. Rustle. Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Well, I’m making a rope,” Eun-Ho said without looking up.

“A rope?”

“Yeah. Y’know, the kind gods send down from the sky to save people in stories. You’ve never heard of it?”

Here he was: a one-man army who had just wiped out a horde of giant monsters, now doing arts and crafts like it was a weekend hobby. Washed over by a wave of absurdity, the assistant instructor nearly dropped the vine in his hands.

“You don’t even have anything better to do anyway. I’m probably the only student left in this course.”

“Well, I guess that’s true, but—”

He stopped mid-sentence. He’d meant to agree casually, but something about Eun-Ho’s confident tone rubbed him the wrong way. Eun-Ho was just a Prospective Candidate, not even an official selectee yet. There was no way he could know anything about course structure or enrollment policies.

Feeling a sudden chill of unease, the assistant instructor asked, just to be sure, “Why do you sound so sure?”

“Self-development training is only offered to candidates who’ve already passed the company’s entrance exams. That’s just how it works,” Eun-Ho replied casually.

Hearing his response, his unease crystalized into a full-blown alarm.

“And how do you know that...?” he asked with a frown.

There was no way he should have access to that information, especially during this restructuring phase.

Has something leaked? If so, from where?

the assistant instructor thought.

“

Aha.

So it is true,” Eun-Ho said with a grin, clearly pleased with the reaction.

Tap. Tap!

Then, Eun-Ho stood up and brushed the dust from his pants, like he had just finished a casual task.

“I asked you how you knew.”

“Oh, that?” Eun-Ho said with a lazy smile. “I just read it somewhere.”

“Okay, so where! Where exactly!”

However, instead of answering, Eun-Ho chuckled faintly. Then hoisted a thick bundle of knotted vines into his arms and walked off. He climbed onto the nearest Super Mealworm corpse, wrapping the vine around the body.

Swish—! Swoosh—!

“One loop. Two loops. Three loops... Thank goodness they are heavy,” Eun-Ho muttered.

The assistant instructor remained silent, appearing confused.

“I mean... I wouldn’t want it falling after all.”

Then, Eun-Ho tugged hard, testing the tension. Satisfied, he tied the other end of the vine securely around his own waist.

“What the hell are you doing now?” the assistant instructor asked.

“Just start uncoiling it. Slowly, okay?”

“Uncoil it? Uncoil what?”

The assistant instructor was still trying to piece it together when Eun-Ho casually opened the door.

Then Eun-Ho turned back as if he remembered something.

“Oh yeah. Thanks for the gift.”

“Gift? What gift? What are you talking about? And what exactly are you doing—”

“I’ll make good use of it.”

Tap. Tap!

He slapped his own chest.

“Wait a minute.”

That did not sound like flesh. It was the distinct knock of something hard—something solid—underneath his shirt.

Just for a second, a dull golden gleam flashed beneath the fabric.

“What the hell are you hiding under your clothes?” The assistant instructor’s mind jumped to a very specific, very unpleasant memory from the recent past. “Don’t tell me you smuggled royal jelly again.”

His face twisted involuntarily as he asked the question, but Eun-Ho waved a hand and grinned.

“Come on, really? After fighting those monsters, you think I’ve got any strength left to haul something like that?”

“Then what is it?”

“Why bother? Next time, just make sure the next batch is tougher. Got it?”

“What...?”

“Make sure to bring me some monsters that drop better loot. You understand?”

Before the assistant instructor could even respond to that shameless request, Eun-Ho stepped out through the door.

Swoosh—!

Then, he jumped like he was bungee-jumping into the unknown.

“Don’t forget to uncoil it slowly!”

“Uncoil what?!”

[Subject Eun-Ho has exited the classroom.]

[Beginner Swordsmanship Class: 0 Student.]

***

Whoooosh!

A sudden gust of wind slammed into Eun-Ho, making him sway mid-air. Gravity had flipped on him, and for a second, the shock hit him like a wave.

Then, the vine began unraveling like thread from a spool, and he felt the tension snap tight.

“

Huff...!

”

The ground came rushing up at him. Even though he had braced himself countless times in his head, his heart still plummeted.

“But still, I’m alive...”

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The fall had to be at least two hundred meters. Just thinking about how high up he’d been made his head spin.

The rope was a little short.

However, with the rope any longer, he would have smashed headfirst into the ground. He shook away the dizzying thought.

He was still about three meters off the ground. It would be rough on the ankles, sure, but it was definitely doable.

“Petrify.”

Clinging to the vine with his left hand, he used his hardened right hand to slice through just below him.

Swish!

The thick vine snapped with ease and he let go of it.

Thud!

He hit the ground hard, his knees buckling slightly under the impact. However, before he could fully steady himself, a message appeared before his eyes.

[Chitin Breastplate has absorbed all the impact!]

Huh? Chitin Breastplate...? Oh, right. That’s the reward I earned after killing the Super Mealworm.

Then, Eun-Ho remembered the system messages he received at the Training Institute.

[You have defeated the Super Mealworm, apex predator of the inverted jungle!]

[First kill reward has been unlocked.]

[You have acquired the Super Mealworm’s Chitin Breastplate.]

[Super Mealworm’s Chitin Breastplate]

- A breastplate woven from the massive Super Mealworm’s durable carapace.

- Increases Defense by +10.

- Item cannot be sold.

He hadn’t known exactly what a plus ten to Defense meant, but now he did. It was enough to absorb a three-meter fall without taking a scratch.

I guess it was worth the trouble.

Just by wearing it, he had some insurance against surprise hits. It was indeed a huge step up from barehanded brawling.

“Hey! Look over there!”

“What! He’s still alive!”

“What was that door?!”

“Wait a minute. Did he use an audit pass or something?”

If he was going to keep clashing with those headbutting specters, this level of prep was the bare minimum.

Swoosh—!

The twins, their faces twisted in disbelief and rage, swooped down just like birds. Eun-Ho had to move fast.

I need one more thing.

“Summon!”

He raised both hands and visualized two items. One was familiar—the curved blade he always summoned, and the other one was brand new. It was his first purchase from the upgraded intermediate-tier shop.

Plop.

Something slimy, cold and small materialized in his palm. Before it could fully take shape, he popped it into his mouth.

[You have consumed an Ice Fragment.]

[A temporary skill Ice Resistance(Lv. 1) has been unlocked.]

[Duration: 3 minutes.]

Chill spread like wildfire from his tongue to the roof of his mouth, then down his throat.

Whoosh—!

That sharp, refreshing cold flowed through him. Then, just in time, the twins landed right in front of him.

“Gotcha now!”

“

Ugh...!

You little rat!”

Maybe they thought they had him cornered again. Maybe they assumed he was just running scared, just like last time.

Smirking with overconfidence, they each raised a foot, ready to slam it down and send twin trails of ice roaring across the ground. They had failed to account for the change in his stance or the spark in his eyes.

Well, well. This time, I actually came prepared.

“Hand over the report!”

“Or we will kill you!”

Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard it all before.

“Bring it on, kiddos.”

Let’s end everything in three minutes.