I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 105 : Remarkable Growth (4)

Chu Jinhong, age in his late 20s to early 30s.

A slender build with a height of about 176cm and weighing less than 65kg.

A physique that looked light and agile at first glance.

But the scars engraved along the lines of his densely packed muscles seemed to show the life this man had lived.

'Quite an annoying type of boss.'

Overwhelming speed itself becomes a weapon that cannot be countered.

'His fighting style is concise yet effective.'

Chu Jinhong's weapon is what is called a rondel dagger.

The dagger, shaped like an awl with the blade width narrowing toward the tip, was about 30cm in length.

The blade was thoroughly coated with the paralytic venom of the demonic beast 'Yellow Armor Scorpion,' so once stabbed and the poison infiltrated the bloodstream, even an elephant would collapse.

'Either stab with the tip, slice with a glancing cut, or use the weighted pommel like a hammer.'

His dagger technique was completely different from Nam Tae-hoon's type.

But at least at this point, he was undoubtedly an opponent with skills far more vicious and threatening than his knife.

"You, how did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"How did you keep up with my speed?"

"Is that so surprising?"

"Ha."

Realizing I had no intention of properly answering his questions, Chu Jinhong smiled with irritation.

"Kids these days really have no manners. When asked something, they never answer promptly."

"I don't think you're in a position to say that."

Wasn't Chu Jinhong the very person who, even at his age, couldn't get over his chuunibyou and was playing guerrilla games?

"This kid really pisses me off with his tongue."

Chu Jinhong rolled the rondel dagger around in his hand before gripping it in the hammer position.

"Fine, big brother will stop bothering you with talk."

As his words ended.

'Eye Power activated. Tachypsychia Mode.'

Kiiiiing!

My vision, dyed in black and white, began to appear in slow motion.

'Here he comes.'

Even as everything seemed to slow to a stop, only Chu Jinhong's dash appeared with a completely different sense of speed.

'He's disgustingly fast.'

Listening to the voice of consciousness operating much faster than my body's response.

'Liberation.'

To narrow the gap between my body and consciousness, I also simultaneously activated the Liberation I had been saving.

Duung!

Like an overworked graphics card, I felt an overload as if my overheated brain and cerebrospinal fluid were boiling.

'My brain feels like it's going to burn up.'

Using these two buffs simultaneously puts such a great strain on the body.

Therefore, I couldn't use it for long.

But.

'I just need to win this 1-on-1.'

The rest I'll leave to my comrades.

Shwook!

I deflected the dagger thrust by Chu Jinhong with the tip of my sword.

'I can see it.'

I could see Chu Jinhong's speed, which would have been impossible to respond to originally.

'Eat this!'

I deeply planted a left body blow into the solar plexus of Chu Jinhong, whose posture had collapsed.

Bbeoeok!

"Kuhuk!"

As his own acceleration became impact force and returned to him, Chu Jinhong spat blood from his mouth and flew in the opposite direction.

Ppajik! Ppajijik!

Chu Jinhong, who flew breaking through tangled tree trunks, finally stopped after half-breaking a massive tree.

'If I hadn't wrapped myself in a shield, my fist might have been shattered.'

"Kuuk. Damn it."

One hit.

But Chu Jinhong, who had taken a blow to the solar plexus augmented by his own impact force, staggered to his feet.

"You bastard."

"Tougher than I thought."

'Did he twist his body just before being hit?'

Thanks to that, he was able to avoid a direct hit to the solar plexus.

'So he's not just some random guy who relies only on speed.'

If Chu Jinhong had been a Ma-in with just speed as his only tool, I wouldn't have needed such preparations.

"Fine, I don't know the reason, but you're keeping up with my speed, right?"

Chu Jinhong wiped away the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

"So what? Do you think that means you can beat me?"

I answered simply as I watched him changing tactics and cautiously closing the distance.

"Yes."

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

Bang bang! Tadadang!

The sound of gunfire wasn't limited to the battlefield of Seo Jun-seong and Yeom Sehwa.

"Ah!"

Hong In-hyeon was irritated by the bullets that kept flying through the trees, navigating intricately.

'Damn slippery bastard!'

Although he was defending himself by surrounding the area with intense turbulence.

Hong In-hyeon's nerves were on edge, having nearly been hit by blind bullets several times.

Pusheung!

Hong In-hyeon changed the airflow again and fired an air bullet as a bullet grazed past his ear.

Pung pung pung!

But while the trees directly hit by his attack fell, the Ma-in's figure had already disappeared into the darkness.

'Is this guy some kind of mercenary? His stealth movement is insane level.'

Darkness, and a forest full of trees.

With these two conditions combined, the opponent was running wild like a fish in water.

'Moreover, the mana loaded in the bullets adds power and speed. Annoying characteristic.'

Even if firing the same gun, it could be said that the bullets shot by this Ma-in were of a completely different class from Yeom Sehwa's.

'If the power of the wind weakens even slightly, I'll be hit.'

That wasn't the only problem.

'The speed and weight of the bullets vary subtly. Is he switching between at least 3 or 4 types of ammunition?'

Although he couldn't determine the exact types.

In reality, the Ma-in was firing various types of bullets.

He was shooting armor-piercing rounds that could easily penetrate even powerful bulletproof vests, regular bullets, and hollow points, constantly switching magazines.

'Hong In-hyeon, is it? He's holding up without panicking even in this situation. Not acting his age.'

The Ma-in hiding in the darkness thought as he watched Hong In-hyeon.

'But how long can that momentum last?'

The mental stress of being continuously targeted from the darkness, plus the mana spent on maintaining a defensive posture.

Hong In-hyeon realized that his reserves were being rapidly depleted even in this relatively short fight.

'Bastard, are you trying to hunt me?'

The method of not engaging in an immediate confrontation to settle things, but persistently wearing down the prey's reserves before finishing them off for certain, was like that of wolves or hyenas.

'The longer this goes on, the more disadvantageous it becomes for me. But even if I try to end it with a short engagement, he won't go along with it.'

Hong In-hyeon first formed three intense whirlwinds and launched them.

"Eat this!"

Kwaaaang!

Even with the intense whirlwinds that swept away everything, he couldn't locate the Ma-in.

'He's good at running away. It's not just moving between trees. He's utilizing the terrain well.'

And then inevitably, bullets came flying.

Piseung!

As if making adjustments to his aim, the distance between the bullets and his target was gradually narrowing.

'This bastard. I'll catch you somehow.'

Hong In-hyeon realized he needed to change his attack target first.

'I'll flatten the surroundings first.'

Whiiii.

The wind surrounding Hong In-hyeon formed an intense texture like a typhoon.

Ujigeuneun!

It began breaking all the surrounding trees.

'This is!'

The Ma-in was shocked by the attack of a brutal scale that aimed to prevent sniping using trees altogether.

"Would you come out from there?"

Hong In-hyeon's face, full of rage, was utterly terrifying.

"Die!"

Were-mole Park Duseong tried to tear apart Kwon Seung-yeon's face with a finger jab that used the length of his long claws, extending his fist and then raising his claws to scratch diagonally.

"Hmph!"

But Kwon Seung-yeon avoided the attack by bending backward like in limbo, lowering her own weight and nimbly performing a tumbling roll to easily evade the ensuing pursuit.

"Stupid mole, would I fall for the same trick twice?"

Kwon Seung-yeon mocked and provoked Park Duseong.

"Damn it!"

As the provoked Ma-in tried to chase her.

Kwajik!

Han Soyul, who had somehow appeared behind him, struck his ribs with an aerial spinning kick, sending him flying far.

"Keok!"

"I used to be a super master at catching moles back in the day."

Han Soyul snickered.

"Oh, me too."

"Want to bet on who catches him first?"

"Call, call, call."

"Keuuuu."

Park Duseong got up, nursing his numbed ribs.

'These brats are annoyingly persistent. If it were one-on-one, it would be nothing.'

Of course, his combat power itself was inferior compared to Jang Manchun, another lycanthrope.

But it was also true that he was struggling to keep his wits about him under the joint attack of Kwon Seung-yeon and Han Soyul, two martial arts specialists.

'First, I'll catch that little kicker.'

But even that wasn't easy.

Buung! Buuung!

Han Soyul avoided and deflected Park Duseong's claw attacks with brilliant movements and retreated.

Pak!

'Got her!'

Seeing her back hit a tree and stop after being pushed back, Park Duseong brought down his claws with the momentum to split her from the crown.

"Where do you think!"

Kwon Seung-yeon, who had grabbed his raised right arm, instantly increased her weight more than 100 times.

Dudududuk!

Park Duseong's arm, unable to withstand the sudden overload, broke with a terrible sound.

"Kaaaak!"

Park Duseong's mouth, which had been howling in terrible pain, was shut by Han Soyul's rising kick.

"Keu, keueuu."

Blood flowed from Park Duseong's mouth as he bit his tongue in the process.

'These brats really.'

Park Duseong's gaze turned to the ground as he realized he couldn't win like this.

'Should I escape for now?'

But even that didn't seem easy.

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

"Damn, just stalling for time."

Lee Ho-seung sighed, having finally subdued the two Ma-in who had been tenaciously holding him back.

'Mission complete, you say? Ridiculous bastards.'

After cutting the ankles of the Ma-in to make movement impossible, Lee Ho-seung moved to the scene filled with sharp sounds of air being cut and collisions.

'Who's fighting now?'

First, he needed to join there and assess the situation.

"Instructor Lee!"

"Hmm?"

There, he found Kim Cheol-han and cadets like Seo Jun-seong, Lee Yu-jin, and Hwang Ji-su gathered as if by appointment.

"What's this, why are you all standing here blankly?"

His gaze followed where the cadets were pointing.

"That bastard!"

There, he could see Su-hyeon engaged in close combat with a Ma-in moving so fast he was barely visible.

'I wondered what they were doing, but he's doing something extraordinary on his own again?'

"Cheol-han, about that Ma-in."

"Yes."

Kim Cheol-han said.

"I remember that ability. His name is Chu Jinhong. A young Ma-in who handles a characteristic called 'Swiftness.' I heard he's gaining notoriety by creating something like an anachronistic secret organization..."

His eyes narrowed.

"That speed is truly beyond common sense. If it weren't for Jeong Su-hyeon, something terrible might have happened."

"That's right."

Lee Ho-seung said.

"Not just the speed, but the way of fighting itself is ingrained in him. That guy is dangerous."

"Then we should together!"

"No."

Lee Ho-seung raised his hand to stop Lee Yu-jin's words.

"We will handle the remaining riffraff as quickly as possible."

"Shouldn't we help Su-hyeon and finish this quickly?"

To Seo Jun-seong's question, Kim Cheol-han also stepped forward.

"Currently, the only ones who can respond to that guy's speed on this island are Jeong Su-hyeon, me, and Instructor Lee Ho-seung."

"...It's frustrating, but you're right."

Hwang Ji-su, who would have been helplessly caught in the surprise attack if not for Su-hyeon, bit her lip.

"But conversely, if not for him, how much fighting power does the Ma-in side have left to face me and Instructor Lee?"

"!"

"Remember. Tactics are about striking the weak point your opponent least wants targeted."

"Well, if you understand, scatter quickly."

Lee Ho-seung waved his hand dismissively.

"Sometimes you need to understand your comrade's intentions without being told."

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

'As expected.'

I smiled as I saw the people watching us from a distance disperse.

"Damn it!"

Chu Jinhong showed signs of impatience.

"You bastard, was this your objective?"

"Why, are you flustered now that you're getting your own tactics thrown back at you?"

Chu Jinhong's miserable appearance, after having been so confident, was quite a sight to see.

"While I keep you tied up, all your proud comrades will be cleaned up and dragged before you."

I raised the corner of my mouth and mocked him.

"If you don't like it, try killing me and breaking through."

"Arrogant bastard!"

Hmm.

This made it feel as if I were the villain.

But it didn't matter.

'I'll gladly be a cruel villain to Ma-in bastards.'

What reason is there not to return the same to an enemy who has already shown its teeth to me?

"I'll kill you!"

"Weren't you supposed to keep me alive as a hostage?"

"Shut up!"

The enraged Chu Jinhong launched a machine-gun-like fierce attack.

'Fast!'

It was literally an insane speed, but I could see it clearly.

If I can see it, I can avoid it.

If I can avoid it, I can also respond at a higher level.

Pabababababak!

Chae chae chae chae chaeng!

After deflecting all of his barrage attacks using dagger, fist, and the blunt weight of the knife handle with my sword and hands, I kicked his foot to break his balance.

Kwang!

Then I rammed him with my shoulder and back.

"Kaak!"

Taking advantage of the moment his movement stopped from the intense impact, I swung my sword toward his head.

"Chiik!"

Chu Jinhong reflexively raised his dagger to block the blade.

Saak!

I flexibly twisted my wrist to change the trajectory and made a long cut on his side.

"Uk!"

Chu Jinhong, bleeding from his side, knelt down from the momentary shock.

"Hmm."

Seeing this, I nodded with satisfaction.

"That's a pretty good eye level."