novelraw Chapter 111 : Senior's Lesson (1)
Chapter 111 : Senior's Lesson (1)
On Sunday, when Lee Yu-jin was away on leave to celebrate the Sword God's birthday, the assistants and Instructors were diligently complying with the external investigation, going through procedures to prove their alibis and innocence.
"...Alright, Assistant Jo, you may leave now."
"Yes. Thank you for your hard work."
After completing questioning that bordered on interrogation by the joint investigation team, Assistant Jo Jin-myeong politely said goodbye and left.
"Hmm."
The investigators, who had been staring intently at his back, organized their documents.
"At present, it seems we should process this as no suspicion."
"Yes. He's even received a medal, and there have been no particular negative evaluations during his time as a squad member or in his assistant duties."
"Then let's move on to the next person."
"Phew."
Having returned to his room, Jo Jin-myeong finally took off his upper garment, which was soaked with cold sweat.
"Damn it."
He was so tense that it felt like all the energy had drained from his body.
'Fortunately, it seems I'll get through this time safely.'
But even he wasn't confident about how long he could continue this tightrope walk.
'It must be thanks to that person.'
He could well understand that Hwang Won-jae's arrangements and measures had eliminated the suspicion directed at him.
'Still, I need to be careful for the time being.'
The problem was another directive that had come down from him.
'Jeong Su-hyeon.'
Instructions had been issued to thoroughly investigate and report on that annoying and bothersome first-year.
But in these times when he needed to be careful about his conduct, fulfilling those instructions seemed like a distant task for now.
'Lucky bastard.'
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These days, the most talked-about topic in the academy's strength training room was Su-hyeon's abnormally rapidly increasing weight capacity and performance ability.
"Jeong Su-hyeon is really an amazing guy. How does his strength increase so well?"
Park Gangjeong agreed with Instructor Jang Jin-won's words, who was dutifully abusing his back and arms as soon as he got off work and then drinking protein supplements like water.
"Look at that kid's musculoskeletal structure. Volume, definition, frame—all perfect. And he's only building his body up to the point where he doesn't lose his athletic ability. By not building excessively, his state becomes more compressed and hardened."
"Hmm, in other words, it feels like the ultimate natural, right?"
"I guess when someone born with talent also has determination and a sense of purpose, they end up like that."
Park Gangjeong.
Even he, who boasted the best physique among the cadets, felt envy and jealousy toward Su-hyeon.
"That kid, doesn't he want to enter competitions?"
"I'm not sure. When I brought it up, he didn't seem very interested."
"Hmm."
The pectoral muscles of the two men contracted and relaxed with concern and worry.
"Well, that kid's goal isn't simply to make his body stronger."
Jang Jin-won nodded at Park Gangjeong's words.
"His fighting skills are amazing. According to Instructor Lee Ho-seung, he's also a sword genius."
"I heard he caught a Ma-in called Chu Jinhong by himself this time?"
"That's right. He didn't even get badly injured. Except for some aftereffects from using some kind of doping technique."
"The more I see him, he's not an ordinary kid."
There was one cadet who was making a displeased expression while listening to the conversation between Jang Jin-won, the undisputed boss of the strength training room, and Park Gangjeong, who represented the cadets.
'Tch.'
Yang Dongju, the cadet with the best performance ability and body completion among the second-years, and also called one of the best in close combat skills in his year.
He was quite displeased with the situation where all the attention of Senior Park Gangjeong, whom he respected immensely, and Instructor Jang Jin-won was focused solely on the cocky freshman named Jeong Su-hyeon.
'That bastard is so arrogant.'
It wasn't that Su-hyeon had done anything disrespectful.
He just found it unpleasant that Su-hyeon was the center of all kinds of attention despite being a first-year, and that he always trained with Kwon Seung-yeon.
'No matter what, he's just a first-year. How dare he act so haughty when there are seniors around?'
There was a fuss everywhere about him catching some Ma-in called Chu Jinhong or whatever.
Yang Dongju himself had also received a commendation for subduing a Ma-in after a fight during an internship practice with the Execution Force.
'Hmph. His body is still far from mine. I'm better, aren't I?'
His characteristic, 'Strong Bone,' was a simple ability that made his bones and muscles stronger the more he trained.
But the truth is, the more an awakened person's will and effort are added to such characteristics, the more they don't lie.
Therefore, he had no doubt that he was better than Su-hyeon in terms of muscle mass and muscle volume.
"Dongju, what are you thinking about so seriously?"
Yang Dongju quickly changed his expression at Park Gangjeong's question.
"Ah! Nothing."
"Alright. Then shall we go and smash 20 sets of pull-ups?"
"Yes, senior!"
He looked at Park Gangjeong's ocean-wide back and shoulders, then turned his gaze to Su-hyeon, who was running a hard program with Kwon Seung-yeon.
"One more set!"
"Please stop, I'll die at this rate!"
"People don't die that easily."
"Hiing."
"......"
Envious, no, disgusting to watch.
'I should really teach him a lesson.'
"Senior, you can't come tomorrow either?"
"Yeah, I have an external schedule. Please take care of locking up the strength training room."
"Yes. Don't worry."
The day of execution was tomorrow.
He decided to start when neither Jang Jin-won nor Park Gangjeong would be coming.
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The next evening.
Yang Dongju approached Su-hyeon, who was focused on deadlifts.
"Hey, first-year."
"Did you call me?"
"What's with that form? Your back will give out if you lift like that. Didn't you learn how to exercise properly?"
Su-hyeon looked at Yang Dongju's face, who was criticizing him out of the blue in a provocative tone, and nodded without much reaction.
"Is that so?"
Yang Dongju.
If Park Chang-jun had become a second-year without receiving etiquette lessons from Su-hyeon, he might have had a similar personality.
"The weight is pathetic too. Hey you, bring more plates."
"Huh? Ah, yes!"
After having first-year cadets add three plates to each side, Yang Dongju pushed Su-hyeon aside.
"Move."
'Looking for trouble.'
Feeling a familiar sense of déjà vu, Su-hyeon stepped back to go along with his rhythm for now.
"Hmph."
Yang Dongju snorted at Su-hyeon's reaction, then demonstratively pulled the barbell from the ground.
"Wow!"
"See that? Form is about focusing on the stimulus while paying attention to your core and hip joint like this."
Su-hyeon nodded as he watched Yang Dongju patting his shoulders and showing off.
'It's about time for this kind of event to happen.'
A senior putting a rookie in his place.
For a first-year with as much momentum as the current Su-hyeon, it was only natural that one or two senior cadets would want to put him down.
'He's not like Seo Jun-seong, Hwang Ji-su, or Lee Yu-jin with tremendous backgrounds. So I'm just the right target, I guess.'
However.
'Well, is Yang Dongju an appropriate match?'
That was also true for Yang Dongju from Su-hyeon's perspective.
'To cut off annoying flies that keep buzzing around, it's good to subdue an alpha male level senior as an example.'
"What. Are you unhappy? Is my look annoying?"
And Yang Dongju was a cadet with quite a high rank within the second year.
Therefore.
'Alright. I choose you.'
Su-hyeon decided to push down Yang Dongju's nose directly from the front.
[A quest has been generated!]
[Sub-quest: Establishing the Hierarchy]
[Yang Dongju intends to crush and humiliate you, an overly successful rookie. Show everyone who the real alpha male is.]
[Caution: Be careful not to appear arrogant or disrespectful in people's eyes!]
'Okay.'
Su-hyeon approached the barbell Yang Dongju had lifted and added two more of the heaviest plates.
"What are you doing?"
"Hup!"
Su-hyeon then powerfully pulled the barbell from the ground.
"Whoa, crazy."
"He lifts that much so easily? How much weight is that now?"
"One, two, three, four plates... Wow."
"How much weight is that in total?"
'Look at this bastard?'
Yang Dongju's eyes turned fierce at Su-hyeon's actions, which seemed to provoke him deliberately.
"I still don't understand well. Would you teach me?"
"Well, well."
Their eyes met in the air.
"You little bastard, do you think you're hot shit these days? Just because you're getting some love from the Instructors and catching some Ma-in, do you look down on your seniors too?"
Yang Dongju growled, baring his teeth, but:
"I don't understand what you're saying."
Su-hyeon answered calmly without blinking an eye.
"I was just exercising as usual, and aren't you the one who came over and got angry for no reason, senior?"
"...!"
The atmosphere froze instantly at the direct words that surprised even the cadets who were pretending not to listen with their ears open.
"Senior, I don't really understand why you're so angry."
Kwon Seung-yeon, who couldn't bear to watch anymore, also stepped forward, but:
"Ha, really. These first-year kids are all lacking manners."
It only further provoked Yang Dongju's anger.
"Have we committed any disrespect?"
Su-hyeon asked, looking around at those present.
"Your attitude right now is fucking disrespectful, kid."
"With all due respect."
Su-hyeon said.
"If there's something you wish to teach, I'd gladly receive it."
"Hahaha. This kid, really."
Yang Dongju burst into a hollow laugh.
'So you're going to keep messing with me like this, huh?'
He had forcibly picked a fight, but Jeong Su-hyeon didn't even blink and was almost talking back.
And the gazes from around weren't very favorable either.
Yang Dongju was keenly aware that the possibility of ending this situation well had already disappeared.
He didn't intend to anyway.
"Hey, Jeong Su-hyeon."
"Yes, senior."
So Yang Dongju made a desperate move.
"Kid, you've been quite confident. Are you any good at fighting?"
"What do you mean by 'good at fighting'?"
Su-hyeon tilted his head to the side.
"You asked for a lesson. I'll teach you."
Cracking his knuckles, he finally uttered the words Su-hyeon had been waiting for.
'Simple.'
Su-hyeon calmly nodded.
"If that's the case, gladly."
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Private fights between cadets are prohibited in principle.
However, 'instructional sparring,' a form where a senior teaches a junior, could be freely conducted under the mediation of an observer if approved through the reporting system from assistant to Instructor.
"Are you ready?"
Yang Dongju, wearing 12-ounce gloves with boxer trunks, asked while punching his fists together.
Yang Dongju's fighting style was, in a word, a typical heavyweight Muay Thai fighter.
He had deeply practiced Muay Thai and was the type to pour out strong attacks with the momentum to crush opponents with each blow, based on his large physique and power.
'His personality is similar to Park Chang-jun's, but his current skill level is incomparable to Park Chang-jun's.'
"Are you confident? If you want, I can still change this to a virtual combat?"
"For a lesson, it's better to feel it directly with the body, right?"
"Look at this kid."
Yang Dongju grinned.
"Fine. Put on your gloves. Bite down hard on your mouthpiece."
"Let's do that."
As they climbed into the square boxing ring, cadets who had come to watch appeared in a short time, somehow having heard the news.
'Quite a crowd.'
"Is that Jeong Su-hyeon?"
"Didn't he catch the leader of MK-1? A Ma-in of that level must be quite a big shot, right?"
"I heard he was B+ rank."
"Crazy, a first-year caught that? He could graduate right now and still be among the top ranks."
"Well, he wouldn't be the top student though. Hae-na could do it too."
"There might be other factors we don't know. Perhaps he had a good compatibility."
The second-years seemed excited at the thought of seeing the fighting skills of the super rookie—me—about whom rumors were rampant.
"Still, Yang Dongju's personality is nasty, but his fighting is legit."
"Plus, no matter how good a first-year is, the experience gap with a second-year is too big."
'That's true.'
Second-years who had endured all kinds of curricula and accumulated experience in tactics and characteristic utilization inevitably had a significant difference compared to first-years at this time.
"And isn't there also a weight class difference?"
"Seems to be more than one weight class apart."
"Is it excessive audacity or just that much confidence?"
That was correct.
My weight class, which was around the edge of middleweight (77.1kg ~ 83.9kg) at the time of admission, had now entered above the middle of light heavyweight (83.9kg ~ 93kg) due to continued training and weight gain.
But Yang Dongju, boasting a giant physique of 187cm and about 95kg, had a weight at the edge of light heavyweight or the entry of heavyweight.
"Are we really doing standing rules?"
Yang Dongju asked, swaggering.
"It doesn't matter."
I said.
"If we go into mixed, you might be at a disadvantage, senior."
"Hahaha."
Yang Dongju laughed as if it were ridiculous.
"You've been picking at me all this time."
At those words.
I quietly approached and asked in a lowered voice.
"...You just realized that now?"
"You motherf***."
"Ah, excuse me."
It was just too fun to see his reaction.