Chapter 83. Training or Tempering (3)

Everyone had a domain that they absolutely refused to lose at. One thing that they refused to let anyone else take from them, regardless of other things. Touch that nerve, and they couldn’t help but flare up.

Back at his old company, Manager Kim had been like that with Excel. No matter how sharp the new hires were, he couldn’t stand the thought of being outdone there. Director Kwak had been the same with the service he had nurtured for ten years, raising his voice at team leaders and even executives if they laid their hands on it.

For Eun-Ho, that domain was running. Hence why he refused to lose this time, more than ever.

[The final stage trial of the Basic Physical Training class is running.]

“Running,

huh...

Are you planning to use teleportation again?” Gong-Chan asked sharply.

Especially to a man like Gong-Chan, who still bristled at having lost to a so-called ordinary human. Losing here was simply unthinkable.

“You know you can’t possibly win if we go head-to-head,” Gong-Chan said.

“

Ha

. Then I suppose your soccer cleats were a fair-and-square tactic?” Eun-Ho shot back.

“That’s... Those cleats are basically part of my body!” Gong-Chan retorted, face twisting. “Besides, you only made it up that cliff because I blocked the wind for you. Admit that you used tricks.”

“I do appreciate that,” Eun-Ho said evenly.

“Don’t tell me you’re calling that a fair fight. Compared to that, my cleats are nothing.”

Eun-Ho almost laughed because he hadn’t realized Gong-Chan could be this talkative. As the national team captain, Eun-Ho had seen his interviews before.

Gong-Chan delivered the expected solemn lines like “I owe this victory to my teammates” or “We’ll give our all in the next match,” phrases that had become almost second nature.

Had that been an act all along?

“I can’t believe I lost at something physical and to an ordinary man. It doesn’t make any sense,” Gong-Chan muttered in disbelief. “No one ever outran me in the European leagues. Maybe you got lucky before, but this time, I won’t make the same mistake.”

Gong-Chan’s domain—the thing he refused to lose—was likely to be anything and everything involving fitness.

“

Hyaaah!

” Gong-Chan kept shouting ridiculously while warming up in earnest.

Eun-Ho sighed.

“Captain Park Gong-Chan returns to lead Victory!”

“A Premier League star’s unrivaled leadership!”

Surely, this wasn’t the “unrivaled leadership” those headlines had praised.

“

Hyaaah!

” Gong-Chan roared again, twisting his face with determination.

How laughable. A celebrity, who probably didn’t even know I existed before the world fell apart, is now warming up like this, claiming he’ll beat me...

“I will never lose!” Gong-Chan growled.

Well, maybe that kind of burning competitiveness was exactly what had carried him that far. Eun-Ho knew the truth. Even in any sport, the world overflowed with the naturally gifted, and even those had to work themselves to the bone just to survive. He hadn’t gone pro, but he understood.

“Training hard is fine and all but...” Eun-Ho muttered.

Still, the more Gong-Chan’s competitive spirit flared, the faster Eun-Ho’s own heart raced. The hotter Gong-Chan burned, the more Eun-Ho wanted to crush him.

“I’ve never lost a race on a track since I was old enough to understand competition,” Eun-Ho said.

“What?!” Gong-Chan jolted, startled.

Why did he feel this way? Was it just the lure of the Stamina stat as a reward? If so, why did it feel less like chasing a bonus, and more like wanting to thoroughly crush Gong-Chan?

“A track? You ran track and field?” Gong-Chan asked, still stunned.

“Well...” Eun-Ho met Gong-Chan’s eyes. “But this trial isn’t the same as the races you’re used to.”

“What?”

“They won’t just make us run.”

Right then, the announcement echoed.

[Avoid the incoming obstacles and reach the finish line first!]

As expected, they weren’t planning on handing victory over so easily.

“How did you know?” Gong-Chan asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Get ready,” Eun-Ho said. “It’s starting.”

***

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and Eun-Ho knew exactly that was the signal to start. So did Park Gong-Chan, waiting just behind the white line like him.

Whoosh—!

He crouched and launched himself forward, not by lifting his torso but by springing his legs like coiled steel.

Eun-Ho felt light. Was it thanks to the Stamina stat he’d gained earlier? It was as if a breeze pushed from his thighs down to his calves, urging him on. Even his lungs felt different. His breathing was easier and cleaner. And so, atop the cliff he had fought so hard to climb, he began the race of his life in peak condition.

Rrrrmmm!

From beyond the brush came a heavy rolling noise, like a massive gate grinding open or a distant cavalry charge.

“

Huh?!

”

“What’s that sound?”

He wondered what the obstacle for this stage could be. He knew it wouldn’t be something as simple as hurdles or pitfalls.

Could it be monsters?

Eun-Ho thought.

If they weren’t too strong, there was no problem. He’d just mow them down and keep running.

Besides, I’m curious to see what kind of ability Park Gong-Chan would use against monsters.

[Obstacles have been generated!]

Therefore, he initially thought whatever showed up didn’t matter.

[Eliminate the Little Rock!]

Well, it

did

matter.

Rrrrm! Rmmmmm!

A massive boulder appeared through the trees. It was a perfectly rounded stone, polished as if carved on purpose. The closer it rolled, the larger it seemed to swell, bearing down at terrifying speed.

“We’re supposed to eliminate that?!” Eun-Ho shouted.

“How the hell are we supposed to do that?!”

For the first time, their thoughts aligned. The system referred to it as “Little Rock,” no less.

Eun-Ho sighed. “Little? In what universe is that little?”

Starting out the size of a fist, the boulder was now bigger than Park Gong-Chan himself. Should he be more shocked at its size or at its blistering speed?

Rrrrrrrrm!

Eun-Ho moved without thinking, darting out of the way. “Acceleration!”

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Tap!

Three of the boulders rolled straight for him, two toward Gong-Chan.

He read the three incoming paths, found the only gap, and sprinted like hell.

Tick—!

Rrrrrrrrm!

The boulders regained their speed and slammed into the massive trees nearby.

Boom!

Craaaack! Thud!

The trunks splintered like paper, while branches shattered. Even the massive tree, too wide to encircle with both arms, collapsed from a mere graze.

Holy shit.

Had he stayed put, his skull would’ve burst and his bones crushed to pulp. Not even like paper, but more like tofu. The grotesque image hit too vividly, and sweat ran cold down his back.

“Fuck!” someone cursed behind him.

The pale Park Gong-Chan glared at the incoming boulders, jaw clenched in preparation. Eun-Ho slowed, watching.

Rrrrm—!

Gong-Chan braced, shifting his right leg back and kicked. “Shoot!”

Wait. His skill is literally called Shoot?

He struck one of the smaller boulders, which was at least two meters in diameter.

Thoom—!

The sound that rang out was almost unreal, like stone meeting cannon instead of flesh.

Gong-Chan collapsed instantly. “

Urgh!

”

Boom!

However, the boulder he had kicked rolled back, slamming into another coming from the opposite side. Just like billiard balls, their courses deflected.

Gong-Chan gasped in agony. “Fuck... My leg!”

Who knew whether his leg was broken or just shattered, but at least he was alive. The problem was that the ricocheted boulder was now rolling toward Eun-Ho

.

Rrrrrm!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Worse still, it collided with the three boulders that had earlier crashed into trees because of him.

[Eliminate the Little Rock!]

The system’s voice chimed again, and the stalled boulders shook like a broken printer and regained their momentum.

Clunk! Clunk!

Rrrrrrm!

This time, all of it aimed straight at him.

Whoosh—!

Eun-Ho cleared his head and drove his legs forward.

Just reach the finish line. I’ll beat the rolling boulders and get there first. That way, I’ll end this insane obstacle race,

Eun-Ho thought.

“Damn it...!”

The shaky voice hit him from behind, Park Gong-Chan’s guilt and cowardice tangled together.

“You can dodge them on your own, right?”

***

Rrrrrm! Rrrrm! Rrrrm!

The finish line laid faintly in the distance. Eun-Ho wanted to sprint straight for it, but six Little Rocks barreled in from all directions. The boulders seemed drawn to him like a magnet.

As he dodged left and right, Gong-Chan’s voice kept stabbing at his ears from the front, from behind, in his ear, then behind again.

“Sorry about this!”

Eun-Ho ignored it, as he was too focused to waste breath. However, Gong-Chan kept talking, whether to him or just to himself, who knew. Even half-hobbling, the man’s mouth never stopped.

“I’ve got a team that’s waiting for me, and juniors counting on me, I can’t just—”

Eun-Ho cut him off. “Save it.”

He had no patience or time for excuses. Instead, he asked flatly, “Your leg. It’s still working, right?”

“What?

Uh

, y-yeah.” Gong-Chan answered hesitantly. Then, he muttered again, “Wait, you’re worried about me in this situation?”

“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m just making sure.”

If those boulders had been anywhere near as hard as his Petrify skill made him, Gong-Chan wouldn’t be talking at all. His leg wouldn’t be fractured, but decimated.

That means, the Acceleration skill isn’t my only card.

“Summon.”

A black blade appeared at his call. The Flame Sky-Shattering Blade.

Fwooom—!

It radiated blistering heat, though he hadn’t even touched the core. Rather than him gripping the weapon, the sword was clinging to him, wrapping itself around his hand.

Vmmmmm—!

Gong-Chan gasped, half-screaming, “You’re not seriously going to cut those rocks, are you?!”

“I am.”

“All of them? That’s insane!”

“Then come kick them with me, not that a limping leg could do much.”

Gong-Chan remained silent. Ignoring him, Eun-Ho raised the blade, both arms stretched high. As the merciless boulders bore down on him, he drew an arc from left to right.

Swoosh—!

Crack!

Stone split under the thin steel, cutting into that mass, tearing it apart cleanly. It shouldn’t have been possible. However, the Flame Shatter Blade carved through it without resistance.

It worked.

A moment later, the rolling boulder stopped dead.

“What the—? How did it stop?!”

“Can’t you see it?”

The cut surface flattened against the ground. It was no longer round, so it couldn’t roll. If the Little Rocks had been monsters with life and health bars, he would’ve needed to cut deeper and sever a vital point. Stone was simpler.

All I need to do is to keep them from rolling. And it worked.

Therefore, he decided to stop time and deal with the rest. “Acceleration.”

Then, his blade flashed.

Swish—!

Every last boulder was cut down with six rolling threats halting in place. When time flowed again, the race resumed. There was no need to change lanes, nor worry about rivals as it was just a clean track. Eun-Ho tore across it at full speed.

Soon, the blue finish tape appeared in the distance, with a yellow banner swaying against the gray mountainside.

[FINISH]

He was almost there. About four hundred meters left.

Let me just end it like this. Please.

The gap shrank to maybe two hundred meters, and relief began to creep in.

[The Little Rocks lying dormant have recognized the runner!]

However, the final obstacle had been triggered: the mountain behind the finish line.

So that wasn’t a mountain?

The slope crumbled, unleashing hundreds and thousands of rounded boulders.

Rrrrrmmmmm!

The earth shook and the world itself roared as a tidal wave of stones surged forward. They were faster, heavier, and deadlier than before. They were about to collide head on at the finish line.

I’ll hit the line, but I’ll be paste. Passing the stage at the cost of my body? That’s suicide. But still, let’s just cross first.

Eun-Ho sprinted straight for the finish line, straight into the avalanche. As he approached the finish line, he pulled out Yeon Bo-Ra’s pipa.

“Summon!”

Even if the stat reward takes a hit, this thing has more than enough punch.

He was ready to sacrifice the flesh and seize the bone. Therefore, he plucked the strings and the system answered.

[The Jikokuten’s Pipa rejects the playing of an unworthy performer!]

[The instrument is draining the performer’s life force!]

His fingers jolted with electric pain. Such a strange sensation it was, as if his moisture was being sucked away. Disgust rippled through him, and his grip faltered.

Twang—

However, a note rang out, clear as marbles rolling across glass. Then with it, another notification rang, this one far more welcoming.

[The Jikokuten’s Pipa responds to the subject’s astonishing feat, Sky Breaker.]

[The Heavenly King takes interest in the one who left his mark on the path to the skies.]

[The Jikokuten’s Pipa is reconsidering your qualifications!]

Heavenly King, skies, destiny, none of those matter. What matters is that reconsideration. Could you hurry it up?