I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 106 : Remarkable Growth (5)

"This insolent bastard!"

With his side slashed and having been thoroughly provoked, Chu Jinhong charged at Su-hyeon with murderous intent.

However, he was a Ma-in with very different experience from those who lose their reason in anger and only know how to charge blindly.

Swoosh!

Chu Jinhong feinted as if he was going to stab with his dagger.

Whack!

Then he targeted Su-hyeon's thigh with a sharp low kick.

'Hmm!'

Though he allowed the rather sharp low kick to land, Su-hyeon's tree trunk-like thighs easily withstood the attack.

'As expected, he's quite skilled in martial arts too.'

Since the dagger itself had a short reach, he was using his hands and feet as auxiliary weapons.

Except for the longer blade length, there were many similarities to Su-hyeon's fighting style.

Shwik!

Su-hyeon parried the incoming dagger thrust with his sword as the distance closed, then used his longer reach to stab at the chest.

Chu Jinhong lowered his posture significantly to avoid it, pretended to attack the thigh to make Su-hyeon retreat, then immediately went for a tackle.

'Dangerous!'

It was obvious that if he got caught, he'd be at the mercy of the dagger regardless of any ground fighting techniques.

Su-hyeon formed a large Mana Shield in front of himself, momentarily stopping Chu Jinhong's charge, then collected himself with a back tumble.

"What, are you scared?"

Having regained his momentum, Chu Jinhong grinned and taunted Su-hyeon in return.

'This has become troublesome.'

If he wasn't just relying on speed but was using various setups to engage in a battle of techniques, Chu Jinhong would become a much more difficult opponent than before.

'But giving up on a quick victory is a mistake on your side in the long run.'

Su-hyeon smirked.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Hmm."

Su-hyeon quickly returned to his cool expression.

"Sorry, but I can't bring myself to tears."

"Ha, you bastard."

Watching Chu Jinhong prepare to shift into higher gear, Su-hyeon surrounded his shin, left hand, and forearm with Mana Shields.

This not only reduced damage but also inflicted significant pain on the attacker.

Step, step.

Su-hyeon narrowed the distance with steady steps, his sword hanging naturally at his side.

Swoosh!

Chu Jinhong took nimble steps and thrust his rondel dagger straight at him.

'That must be a feint.'

Though the weapon could cause fatal injuries with just a graze, Su-hyeon wasn't fooled and lightly swung his hwando to tap the blade tip away.

As if he'd been waiting for this, Chu Jinhong spun around once and slashed at Su-hyeon's side with a reverse strike.

The speed was tremendous, but Su-hyeon's eyes tracked the movement.

Tap!

Su-hyeon slightly pushed Chu Jinhong's pivot foot with his own to disrupt his balance, then threw a hook aimed at the back of his head.

'Not there!'

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Chu Jinhong ducked low again and instead tried to sweep at Su-hyeon's ankle.

'He's lowering his center of gravity extremely to target my lower body.'

Su-hyeon avoided the attack with a back tumble in place.

And as if waiting for that reaction, Chu Jinhong pursued him again, taking away the distance needed to swing his sword.

'He's fierce!'

While transcendent speed remained Chu Jinhong's greatest weapon, even without it, his combat ability was at a considerable level.

'He's properly trained. Moreover, his instincts honed through countless life-or-death situations are no different from those of a wild beast.'

The Ma-in's naturally robust physique was also a threatening factor.

However.

'It's not at a level that can surpass my physical abilities.'

The robustness of his body that grew daily through the Unlimited characteristic.

Combined with the output raised several levels through [Liberation].

Whack!

This made it possible to overwhelm Chu Jinhong in a battle of strength against strength.

'How does this kid have such strength?'

Whack!

When their low kicks collided, Chu Jinhong's brow furrowed.

'How impudent!'

Babababak!

The two men's hands against hands, blades against blades, feet against feet crossed.

'He's definitely slower than me. But he's not getting hit.'

Chu Jinhong couldn't understand the situation at all.

'What kind of reflexes does he have?'

This was an unfamiliar situation for someone who lived at a different speed from others.

But Chu Jinhong wasn't deceived.

'I don't know why, but he can see my speed. That's all it is.'

Since that certainly didn't mean Su-hyeon was faster than him,

Chu Jinhong circulated mana through his body to pursue even greater speed, trying to induce false reactions from Su-hyeon by mixing feints with more dazzling attacks.

Whack!

As a result, after consecutive feints of a low kick and dagger thrust, he succeeded in landing a light jab on Su-hyeon's mask, and a smile formed at the corners of his mouth.

"I'll take that mask off first!"

Thud! Thud!

Gradually, Chu Jinhong's attacks began to find Su-hyeon.

'He's quite good. Chu Jinhong.'

Su-hyeon felt his breath being choked off in a different way than when he fought with Instructor Lim Jeong-tae.

'Maybe I should shift into a higher gear.'

Su-hyeon clearly acknowledged that it was difficult to counter all of Chu Jinhong's speed just by responding with his eyes.

'I'll read the signs of his attacks and respond in advance.'

Su-hyeon's eyes swept broadly over Chu Jinhong's shoulders, gaze, and foot position.

'His shoulder is moving.'

The meaning of this motion was that his right hand holding the dagger was preparing to thrust.

Having interpreted Chu Jinhong's attack, Su-hyeon moved widely to the left and delivered a low kick.

Whack!

"Kugh!"

Chu Jinhong's body staggered, not only missing his attack but also allowing a heavy blow to his lower body.

Meanwhile, Su-hyeon stepped back once more to widen the gap and swung his hwando.

"Chiik!"

Clang! Clang-clang!

After exchanging several sword strikes with Su-hyeon, Chu Jinhong tried to forcefully close the distance again.

'Not there.'

Having read his intention one step ahead, Su-hyeon retreated again and extended his hwando to completely block the approach.

Clang!

'Fuck, what is this now?'

Chu Jinhong was bewildered as the initiative passed to his opponent yet again.

'As if he's reading all my attack intentions...'

It was truly incomprehensible.

'I'm losing in technical combat too?'

He couldn't believe that his opponent was really a 17-year-old boy.

'What kind of monster is this?'

Chu Jinhong had personally taken the head of a team leader with his own hands.

'It wasn't even a difficult fight.'

But now what?

Are we saying that a mere 17-year-old kid has obtained power even greater than an Execution Force team leader?

'Come on. What nonsense.'

Was he going to be defeated like this?

His beliefs, his dark past, his intense anger, and the faces of his comrades flashed before him like a kaleidoscope.

'That can't be!'

Chu Jinhong's body disappeared, leaving behind afterimages.

'Hmm?'

Tap-tap-tap-tap!

Chu Jinhong moved in a zigzag pattern to confuse Su-hyeon's vision, then suddenly stabbed at his back.

'From behind.'

But Su-hyeon wasn't one to fail to anticipate that an invisible attack would come from his blind spot.

'If you aim too much for one decisive blow, you'll end up with nothing.'

Woong.

A massive Mana Shield formed behind Su-hyeon's back, blocking the lightning-fast thrust.

'Crazy.'

The force behind his thrust was so strong that the shield only lasted for a fleeting moment before dissipating.

But it was enough to buy Su-hyeon time for a counterattack.

Whoosh!

Su-hyeon's sharp sword strike reflected the moonlight as it cut through the darkness of the night.

'Ugh!'

However, Chu Jinhong hastily retreated and successfully evaded the attack with only his outer skin being cut and shedding a little blood.

'Now!'

Taking advantage of the missed sword strike, he executed a front kick aimed at Su-hyeon's solar plexus.

It was truly a tight response worthy of immediately turning the crisis around, but

Su-hyeon had read that far ahead.

Thump!

After strongly parrying with his left arm, Su-hyeon grabbed the leg and momentarily released his sword.

He tripped Chu Jinhong's inner leg while pushing his chest, making him fall.

"Kugh!"

There was no time to break his fall, much less freeze from the impact.

Chu Jinhong forcibly retreated with a backward roll, and Su-hyeon pursued with a middle kick.

Whack!

"Kugh!"

It was a powerful kick that surely cracked his ribs.

However.

'Stupid fool! You even dropped your sword yourself?'

Chu Jinhong grabbed Su-hyeon's reckless kick and tried to trip his inner leg, just as had been done to him.

'The kid is still a kid. You got excited at the last moment!'

Chu Jinhong's excitement at seizing the advantage didn't last long.

'Exactly as intended.'

Before Chu Jinhong's attempt to trip his pivot foot could be realized,

Su-hyeon leaped up vigorously on one leg and raised his knee.

A one-legged flying knee kick that looked like it was drawn in a picture!

Whaaack!

Having allowed an unexpected attack to his chin at an unexpected timing, Chu Jinhong staggered from the tremendous impact.

"Arghhhh!"

Swish! Swoosh!

Even in this state, Chu Jinhong's desperate struggle to swing his dagger in the air to prevent follow-up attacks was truly like that of an injured beast.

"Huff. Huff!"

When Su-hyeon's attacks didn't continue, Chu Jinhong quickly retreated up a tree to recover from the damage.

"Damn it!"

Struggling to collect his dizzy mind, Chu Jinhong clawed at his trembling right arm with his left hand.

'I can't lose. If I lose here, everything is over.'

An almost strange sense of responsibility drove him forward.

"Arghhhh!"

"Seems like you can still go on."

There was even a hint of pleasure in Su-hyeon's calm voice.

'A familiar sensation.'

Through this fight, Su-hyeon was returning to a more advanced state.

'Let's see if this works too.'

Chu Jinhong ran toward Su-hyeon and thrust his knife.

Su-hyeon sheathed his sword, then tilted his head to the left while swinging a large, slow overhand hook.

Whack!

"Gugh!"

And that attack struck Chu Jinhong's temple squarely.

"It hit."

"Damn it!"

Chu Jinhong stepped back, having received a significant impact.

'What's going on? Why am I getting hit by such a slow and big attack!'

Su-hyeon smiled as he watched the Ma-in bewildered by the incomprehensible situation.

'Fighting is all about timing.'

Even a 160km/h fastball will get hit if thrown continuously.

A fastball achieves its greatest power only when combined with breaking balls that steal timing through speed and trajectory.

'Counter-initiation.'

Even a slow, large attack can be designed to land at the right timing while avoiding the opponent's attack, thus transcending speed to succeed like this.

'Chu Jinhong, you are certainly an experienced and strong warrior, but.'

It was evident that he had not yet stepped into the realm of using slowness to overcome quickness.

"Fuck! Damn it!"

Su-hyeon slowly walked toward the desperate Chu Jinhong.

Shing.

Drawing his sword again, he coated it with sword energy that suppressed its cutting edge.

Whack!

He struck Chu Jinhong's collarbone with the back of the blade, rendering him unable to fight.

"...That's unfortunate."

Su-hyeon said.

"Even your final desperate move was in vain."

Su-hyeon had blocked the dagger thrown in the final moment with his Mana Shield.

"Damn it, it was close. I can't take this."

Chu Jinhong collapsed on the ground with his collarbone shattered, finally giving up everything and lying spread-eagled.

"No."

Su-hyeon shook his head.

"The gap was probably much wider than you think."

"Annoying bastard."

Chu Jinhong muttered, struggling to hold onto his fading consciousness.

"Ah— I guess it's not possible after all."

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

"Failed, huh."

Hwang Won-jae, who had been watching everything through the Queen's vision, muttered in a flat voice.

"It seems so."

"Useless fools."

Hwang Won-jae closed his eyes and silently cursed inside.

'Kill yourselves.'

To him, this was merely disposing of an object that had outlived its usefulness.

Simultaneously as Hwang Won-jae's order was transmitted to all members of MK-1:

"Ugh!"

"Damn it!"

"That cursed bastard!"

The Ma-in began committing suicide, leaving behind death screams and curses.

Some pierced their throats with their claws, others threw themselves head-first off cliffs, while some tore their own heads open with knives.

"Arghh!"

"W-what is this?"

The cadets who had painstakingly subdued the Ma-in and were exhausted couldn't hide their shock at the sight.

"Damn it, again!"

Kim Cheol-han, who had ordered everyone to be restrained in case something like this happened, couldn't contain his anger.

"Worse than beasts. Even among themselves, don't they show even the slightest bit of humanity, even if they are Ma-in?"

He felt contempt and disgust for whoever was behind them.

"Man, these are some seriously cold-blooded bastards."

Lee Ho-seung also clicked his tongue.

"Are they really trying to commit a perfect crime or something?"

At that moment:

"Urrrghh!"

Chu Jinhong was directly resisting the intense urge that destroyed the survival instinct encoded in the genes of all living beings.

'Hwang Won-jae! You fucking bastard!'

Rage, resentment, indignation, grief.

In the whirlpool of all those emotions, he was barely resisting the suicidal impulse by biting his own tongue.

"D-damn it! You! Jeong Su-hyeon!"

Grasping Su-hyeon's pant leg as he turned around at the ominous situation, Chu Jinhong coughed blood and shouted.

"Chu Jinhong?"

"Damn it! You're all being deceived! No, the entire world is!"

"!"

"T-the identity of the one who sent us is...!"

That was as far as he got.

Splat!

Chu Jinhong's head suddenly melted like a rotten tomato and burst pathetically.

"...!"

Su-hyeon wore a complex expression as he witnessed the scene.

'How horrific.'

He knew Hwang Won-jae had taken direct action.

He knew this would be Chu Jinhong's fate.

That's why he hadn't done anything.

Of course, he didn't have any means to save Chu Jinhong either.

'This disgusting bastard.'

Thinking of Hwang Won-jae's face, Su-hyeon felt extreme anger and contempt.

'A twisted man who views everyone except his master and himself as tools.'

Chu Jinhong, MK-1, and all the Ma-in were nothing but enemies to Jeong Su-hyeon.

And that was equally true for Kim Seongyun's soul residing in his body.

Nevertheless:

'Hwang Won-jae.'

Su-hyeon truly despised him.

Though he couldn't even speak his identity aloud at present:

'Someday I will definitely cut off your head.'

Looking at Chu Jinhong's body, 'dead without even being able to close his eyes,'

A quiet fire burned in Su-hyeon's eyes.