Chapter 82. Training or Tempering (2)

Two doors appeared in the middle of what seemed to be a gym. They seemed just as plain as the one they had entered, except the surface gleamed with a silvery shine.

Click.

When the doorknob was turned and pushed, the first thing that spilled through the crack was warm sunlight and dry air. Then came the faint rustle of leaves, the smell of grass, and a passing breeze. Finally, their eyes landed on what seemed to be a towering wall that reached up to the sky.

Beyond the door lay nature itself—though only half of it, sliced apart by an enormous wall.

“This place is...” Park Gong-Chan muttered to himself, then quickly coughed into his fist.

He obviously didn’t want anyone to notice he had been startled, not that Eun-Ho particularly cared either way.

Thump. Thump.

Eun-Ho stepped out onto the grass. The weather was hot but not humid, and the breeze felt refreshing against his sweat-soaked skin.

“Feels like we’re in Europe,” Gong-Chan said.

“Europe?” Eun-Ho asked.

“Yeah, Europe’s weather is like this. Even if it’s hot, the low humidity makes the shade cool,” Gong-Chan rambled on, offering information no one had asked for.

However, he soon fell silent as a series of mechanical announcements rang out.

[Stage II begins now!]

[This stage’s trial is Rock Climbing.]

[Climb the cliff quickly and safely!]

Eun-Ho jerked his head up because that didn’t make sense. “... Cliff?”

There wasn’t anything resembling a cliff here, just that slick wall blocking off the horizon.

Wait. That wasn’t a wall?

Eun-Ho thought.

[Once again, this is an announcement.]

[You may forfeit the stage at any time. However, please beware of fall-related injuries.]

When they said “forfeit at any time,” what they really meant was “fall to your death if you can’t make it.”

Eun-Ho exhaled sharply. There were neither ropes to secure him, nor cracks to wedge fingers into. There was only a sheer cliff face, smooth as polished stone, which they were expected to climb barehanded.

Even Gong-Chan was at a loss for words, frowning as he studied the cliff.

How tall is that thing?

Eun-Ho thought.

It towered far higher than the Namsan Tower observatory they had climbed last time. From where they stood, it was impossible to even guess at its full height, but the real problem was its sheer size.

It’s ridiculously massive!

Each section of rock was huge, leaving no gaps to exploit. When Eun-Ho placed his palm against it, the surface felt smooth, more like metal than stone. He was still trying to figure out how to even begin when Gong-Chan raised his hand and spoke.

“If you fall, you’ll die instantly,” Gong-Chan said. “It’s better to give up now.”

“I’ll decide for myself,” Eun-Ho replied flatly.

“So you’re the stubborn type,” Gong-Chan said, smirking. “Summon.”

Twin daggers appeared in his grip. The blades were hidden inside their sheaths, but the long handles gleamed ivory-white, as if carved from some enormous beast’s tusks. They seemed expensive and too fine for ordinary use.

And what exactly does he plan to do with those?

Eun-Ho watched silently.

Whoosh—

Gong-Chan flipped both daggers into a reverse grip, then rammed the handles straight into the cliff face.

Thunk!

It was not the blades, but the blunt hilts. He forced them in purely by strength alone.

What the...?

The display was staggering. Eun-Ho had already noticed during the weightlifting earlier, but this was further proof that Gong-Chan’s strength was beyond human.

Crunch!

Right, then left. Two ivory-colored dagger hilts sank into the cliff in succession. The rock was far sturdier than it seemed, hence it had to be the boost from his stats.

But still... He can’t climb the whole way with just arm strength.

The cliff stretched too high, and he’d plummet the instant his grip weakened. Eun-Ho wondered how Gong-Chan planned to solve that problem. Dangling from the daggers, Park Gong-Chan suddenly kicked at the cliff face.

Thud!

Then, just like the hilts, his shoe drove straight into the rock.

No way... Those are...

“Soccer cleats?” Eun-Ho asked.

“They’re an item,” Gong-Chan replied. “The soles can deploy spikes at will.”

“

Tsk

.”

“Almost as if this trial was designed for me, don’t you think?” he said smugly.

As if to prove his point, a sharp gust of wind swept past, but he didn’t waver at all. With both hands and feet pinned into the cliff, he was practically fused to it.

Thud! Crunch! Thud—!

Gong-Chan began ascending, embedding daggers and shoes into the cliff as he went. He never hesitated about where to grip or step, and that was why his speed was incredible. He scaled the cliff almost as easily as walking on flat ground.

Moments later, he poked his head out from above and called down, “The higher you go, the more dangerous it gets. You’d better give up now.”

However, Eun-Ho had his own answer.

“Petrify.”

He had spikes of stone too.

***

Thunk!

He drove his right hand into the cliff, his fingertips piercing the solid rock as if breaking through a shell of defense.

There’s no need to dig deep,

Eun-Ho thought.

What mattered was speed. As long as the grip didn’t slip, two knuckles’ depth was perfect.

Thunk! Thunk!

He reached up and punched holes to the left and right, ready to hook his fingers in turn.

Just as he prepared to climb higher, Gong-Chan, now far above, called down, “That’s a curious trick. Is that a skill?”

It wasn’t surprising that Gong-Chan knew about skills. Someone ranked high enough to reach this place would’ve encountered them before.

“But surely it would have a cooldown,” Gong-Chan said.

That meant he must have unlocked his own skill as well, just like Ji-Eun, Jae-Hyuk, Yul, and Yeon Bo-Ra.

What kind of skill could he have?

Eun-Ho thought.

Eun-Ho never stopped moving, driving his fingers into the rock, occasionally stealing glances at his rival. Gong-Chan was watching him too.

“What skill is it?” Gong-Chan asked, as if reading his mind.

Eun-Ho shot the question back. “What about you?”

“Me? Let’s just say it’s a fated ability,” Gong-Chan said.

What nonsense, it sounded like a bad line from a movie.

Yet, Gong-Chan gazed toward the distant sky, his expression oddly wistful, as though struck by sentiment. Why he felt the need to gaze longingly at the heavens was anyone’s guess.

“Then I’ll call mine that too,” Eun-Ho replied.

Gong-Chan raised his thick eyebrows. “

Hmm

.”

His rival’s evasive answer seemed to intrigue him, but Eun-Ho had more pressing thoughts.

Items versus skills. If it comes to a direct contest, I’ll be at a disadvantage.

Gong-Chan’s climb relied on items, meaning he could keep going as long as his stamina lasted. Meanwhile, Eun-Ho depended on a skill that was bound by limits.

[Petrify(Lv. 12): Hardens the caster’s body for sixty seconds.]

[Manifestation range: right arm, right leg.]

The duration was one minute. With his Acceleration skill, he could stretch it to a minute and a half at most. After that, he would be left exposed for a full minute of cooldown, stripped of protection and nothing more than flesh clinging to stone.

Then, the wind howled, far stronger than expected.

Whoooosh!

Standing on solid ground, he had never realized how fierce it truly was. The higher he climbed, the more violently it tore at him.

Wobble!

When Petrify was active and his limbs were wedged deep into the cliff, it wasn’t a problem. Without it, the danger multiplied. One lapse of focus and he would tumble into the abyss.

I can’t just burn through stamina blindly. Think. Think. Think,

Eun-Ho thought.

He had to find a way to climb safely during the cooldown gap—a route that would keep him alive. While he was working through possibilities, Gong-Chan’s voice drifted down.

“Looks like your skill wore off.” Gong-Chan paused, then added with a mocking edge, “or maybe you’re just getting tired?”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m fine,” Eun-Ho shot back.

Gong-Chan even feigned concern. “Why not climb back down? It’d be faster than falling.”

“Mind your own business.”

The other man tsked and resumed climbing, grumbling to himself. “A sparrow following a stork only ends up with torn legs.”

Eun-Ho was about to ask if he even knew what sparrows and storks looked like when a thought cut through his mind.

Not a sparrow, but I’ll show you how a 3-lift 500 beats a fully geared 3-lift 1,170.

Tap.

The corners of his lips curled as he shifted sideways, planting his hands and feet into the spaces Gong-Chan had so kindly carved out for him.

***

“Not a bad tactic,” Gong-Chan remarked when he glanced down.

His tone carried a hint of amusement, almost like praise.

Eun-Ho had half-expected him to shout accusations of cheating and draw his blades on the spot. It was a relief that he didn’t, at least for now.

“If you stick close behind me, your chances of success go up. I’ll block the wind for you,” Gong-Chan said.

The patronizing tone, like a senior lecturing a junior, grated on Eun-Ho’s nerves. However, that wasn’t what mattered most right now. What weighed on his mind was whether he should reveal his abilities to Gong-Chan.

In truth, it wasn’t much of a dilemma. Risking his life now, just to keep his power secret from someone he’d probably never face again would be foolish. In this world, no one could predict when they would die, or when they’d meet again.

Going for the bonus stat is more important than secrecy!

It was the so-called “Zodiac Strategy,” like the rat that won the heavenly race by riding on the ox’s back until the very end, then darting ahead at the last moment.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Crunch! Thud—

After a grueling climb, the top of the cliff finally came into view. Their vertical race was nearing its end.

“Not bad for a regular hu—” Gong-Chan called down.

“Petrify! Acceleration!” Eun-Ho shouted.

“—uuummmaaaaannnn...”

Eun-Ho thrust his right arm upward, stretching to its absolute limit, and drove it into the stone like an anchor. His right leg followed, stabbing forward like a spear.

Thunk—!

Eun-Ho stretched his right arm and leg as far as they would go, hooking into the cliff’s upper-right side. Then, he bent his knee, shifting his weight in that direction.

Swoosh—!

He jammed his left hand into the space where his right hand had been, then drove his freed right hand into a new hold higher up.

Thunk—!

Finally, he pulled his left foot over and swapped his footing. It only allowed him to move diagonally upward to the right, but at least he was way faster.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk...

He burned through every second of that precious one minute and thirty seconds without waste.

Tick—!

“Don’t lose heart... Wait, what?”

At the end of that timer, Gong-Chan was there. His face twisted in confusion when he realized the climber who had been below him had suddenly vanished.

“Did you fall already? I knew a regular human couldn’t possibly—”

“Up here.”

“What?!”

Tap!

Eun-Ho gripped the cliff’s edge with his hand, shifting his weight onto it. Then, at last, it was over.

[Stage II Clear!]

[You have overcome physical and mental limits! Rock Climbing trial has been completed!]

Gong-Chan’s face was frozen in shock. “But how?!”

A gust of wind brushed past, cooling the sweat on Eun-Ho’s skin before it vanished again.

“You... You just teleported! That has to be another skill, right?” Gong-Chan demanded.

“Why don’t you focus on climbing up first? It looks dangerous,” Eun-Ho said calmly.

“Answer me!”

Thud!

Gong-Chan clung to the cliff edge, shouting up at him, but Eun-Ho ignored him. Instead, he crossed his legs and sat at the precipice, savoring the relief of no longer having to defy gravity.

Then, the announcements chimed.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

[Your Stamina stat has increased by two.]

Maybe it was thanks to the stat boost, but his ragged breathing quickly evened out, as if he’d been flushed with energy. It was like downing an ion drink after harsh training, only magnified several times over.

[You have been rewarded with an additional stat point for outstanding performance.]

On top of that, he received a bonus stat for beating Gong-Chan.

“I’ve never seen anyone unlock two skills!” Gong-Chan shouted from below. “I didn’t even know it was possible until I read it on the skill list earlier. What are you?!”

Eun-Ho tilted his head.

Hmm... So this is the first time Gong-Chan had seen someone with “two skills.” Then what would he think of someone who had unlocked all five basic skills plus two trait-specific ones?

“Did you stumble onto it by chance? Was it some kind of miraculous encounter?!”

“Miraculous encounter?” Eun-Ho echoed.

“Yes, that! Otherwise a normal person couldn’t possibly have two skills—”

Eun-Ho cut in, “There’s a world ordinary people don’t know about.”

The words slipped out before he realized it.

Then, he added another sentence to the man still clawing his way up the cliff. “Want a hand? You look like you’re struggling.”

The legend of Korean soccer answered, dripping with displeasure, face twisted in frustration, “You’re lucky, that’s all.”