Chapter 25

As soon as I entered the classroom, I felt all eyes on me.

Among them, there were two people who were sending me particularly intense gazes.

One was obviously Choi Ji-hoon, who looked at me as if he wanted to kill me.

The other was Shin Jia, who looked at me with a pleading expression.

I knew why Choi Ji-hoon was looking at me like that, but why was Jia like that?

Woong-

At that moment, my smartphone rang.

It was a message from Jia.

[Should I take care of it?]

What are you, a hitman?

What are you going to take care of?

[I’ll cut off his head cleanly.]

Shin Jia looked at Choi Ji-hoon with a look of a demon who had just come up from hell.

He looked like he was going to kill someone right now. I hurriedly replied.

[Don’t say weird things.]

[But I can’t let go of the trash that insulted our ancestor! (A determined rabbit emoticon)]

Insult.

It’s true that using a challenge ticket on a lower ranker is an insult.

The ranking system of the Superhuman Academy is based on points. The bigger the difference in ranking, the more points you get.

That’s why challenge tickets are usually used on higher rankers, or similar rankers. That’s the benefit.

But Choi Ji-hoon used his challenge ticket on me, who is 497th.

If the 103rd wins against the 497th, he will hardly get any points.

On the other hand, if he loses, he will lose a lot of points.

Why did he use his challenge ticket on me?

It’s simple.

He just wants to pick a fight.

I don’t like you, and I want to humiliate you publicly in front of everyone.

That’s what it means.

It’s natural for Jia, who worships me, to be enraged.

But I, the person in question, was not angry at all.

[Let him be. He’s offering to sacrifice his points for us. We should take it.]

How grateful is that?

My goal was to enter the top 10 in ranking within six months anyway.

He’s making a shortcut for me.

[Are you going to win?]

[Yeah.]

[But it will be hard to win with the abilities you’ve shown so far.]

That’s true.

I can’t beat Choi Ji-hoon right now.

Even if I have the trait ‘Flesh of the Predator’ that allows me to ignore durability to some extent, it doesn’t make any difference.

[If Choi Ji-hoon uses magic armor, you can’t do anything with F strength.]

Unlike the friendly match last time, Choi Ji-hoon will use his magic this time.

The rare trait ‘Magic Armor’ that creates armor using magic.

[I know.]

My Flesh of the Predator is a pierce-type skill that causes convulsions in the opponent’s body and reduces their ‘durability’ stat.

There is no way to penetrate the magic armor.

Not now anyway.

[But there are still two weeks until the ranking match, right?]

[(A surprised rabbit emoticon)]

Two weeks is long enough.

I just need to find a way in that time.

[A scenario, huh? A scenario where you grow rapidly in two weeks!]

[Something like that.]

Strictly speaking, it’s not a scenario but real growth.

[But are you sure? You can show your power.]

[Yeah. I have a reason to participate in the National War.]

[(A worried bear emoticon)]

[Is it related to the demon’s appearance?]

Why does the demon pop up all of a sudden?

The ones who show up in the National War are not demons but Truth Saviors.

Well, they’re both bad guys anyway.

[Something like that.]

[I see. Then I won’t interfere with this matter.]

[Okay.]

The message ended with that.

I took my eyes off the phone. Choi Ji-hoon was still looking at me with a sharp gaze. I met his gaze squarely.

And then I walked slowly toward my desk.

“I’ll expose your identity.”

As we got closer to each other, Choi Ji-hoon muttered coldly.

“Go ahead.”

I also replied with a sneer on my lips.

* * *

Time flew by quickly.

My schedule for the past week was like this.

5:40 a.m. ~ 7:30 a.m.

I go through Instructor Pi Jin-ho’s hellish training.

8:40 a.m. ~ 6:30 p.m.

I attend the academy classes.

7:00 p.m. ~ 9:00 p.m.

I watch Ha Shi-yeon’s magic practice and do some light training myself.

9:00 p.m. ~ bedtime.

I think about the plan and the scenarios I have to face in the future and organize them so I don’t forget.

There were some minor changes by minutes, but the past week went by like this.

It was a very regular life.

I don’t think I’ve ever lived this regularly even in the army.

And today is Saturday.

Finally, it’s the day to check the results of my training.

“Phew. Please, just F rank.”

My abilities known to the academy are F rank.

But that was only because the lowest criterion was F rank.

Strictly speaking, my abilities were out of rank. Below F rank.

So, my goal was to raise all my abilities to F rank first.

To stand on the same starting line as everyone else.

“Please.”

I’m currently in a personal training room outside the campus.

This place is full of state-of-the-art equipment that can accurately check your abilities.

The adjustment is simple too.

You just have to adjust the interface window attached to the equipment.

First, strength.

I stood in front of the strength training equipment and entered my ability.

[F(1/99)]

That’s it.

The weight of this equipment is optimized for F rank strength.

All I have to do next is lift this equipment up.

If I lift it up, it means I’ve achieved F rank.

If I can’t lift it up, it means I’m still out of rank.

I sat on the equipment.

With a deep breath.

Gathering all the energy of the universe.

I squeezed my muscles and lifted the equipment up.

“Huh…huh?”

A weak sound came out of my mouth.

It was because it was too easy.

The equipment went up before I even put any strength into it.

Why is it so easy?

* * *

I was sitting in a cafe near the personal training room, sipping Americano blankly.

To sum it up.

I achieved F rank in all physical stats, including strength, agility, and stamina.

I was dumbfounded.

It was so easy that it made me forget all the worries I had.

Is this the synergy of the boiling blood of the pureblood and Pi Jin-ho’s hellish training?

The hellish days I had been through were not in vain.

I felt good thinking that.

At this rate, I might be able to reach E rank and D rank soon.

I also felt hopeful.

Of course, I know it’s not that easy. F rank is just the lowest level.

It might be manageable to reach E rank, but going above D rank is never easy.

There are countless superhumans who stay in D~C rank until they retire, so that says it all.

But I saw hope, and that was enough.

I felt more motivated to work harder.

I smiled happily.

Woong-

My smartphone rang at that moment.

[Yoo-hwa]

It was a call from Yoo-hwa.

What’s up?

-You’re going to fight the eldest son of the Suseong Group this time, right?

I didn’t even have a chance to say hello.

“Where did you hear that?”

-From Jin-ho oppa.

“Weren’t you two supposed to be secret friends?”

-What’s the point of hiding from someone who already knows?

Well, that’s true.

-This ranking match. You’re going to win, right? You said your goal was to participate in the National War.

“Yeah.”

-I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ll show us this time.

“Are you coming to watch again?”

-Of course.

Are you really busy?

Or, are you actually very free?

Are you rolling around on your bed right now?

-Ah. I have to go. I’ll contact you later.

She hung up the phone as soon as she said that.

She must have been bored and called me.

No, rather than bored, maybe she was lonely and called me.

The betrayal of ‘Kim Shin-woo’ must still be stuck in her heart like a thorn.

She probably thinks about him all day when she’s alone.

It’s her personality to do so.

It would last at least six months for her.

Well. I would be like that too.

The person who had been with me for 20 years turned out to be a traitor and a murderer.

How shocking would that be?

“Sigh.”

But what can I do?

I can’t just let him go knowing he’s a traitor.

I hope she’ll get over it soon. She will actually get over it soon.

I finished the rest of my Americano and got up from my seat.

I don’t have any plans for today.

What should I do?

“Hmm.”

I’m free today.

Maybe I’ll go see Goldie.

There might be monsters in the ruins, so I can practice in real combat too.

If I ask Goldie to bring one at a time, there won’t be any danger either.

And there won’t be anyone watching, so I can practice flying with the wings I got this time.

* * *

“Goldie~”

I entered the Golden Rest and shouted loudly.

Kwoong, kwoong, kwoong!

I saw Goldie running from afar.

He must have missed me so much, he’s running at a tremendous speed.

I wondered what he would do if he crashed into me at that speed, but

He must have remembered what I told him to be careful last time, he slowed down gradually.

“Rrrr.”

And he gently rubbed his head against me in front of me. His expression seemed to say ‘Why did you come so late!’

“I’m sorry. I was a bit busy.”

I rubbed Goldie’s face hard.

“Roo.”

Goldie wagged his body as if he liked it. Ah. It’s healing.

Is this Goldie therapy?

“Wow. I wish I could take you out of here if you could.”

How nice would that be?

He’s cute and strong.

His size is a bit of a problem, but there are tamers in this world too. If I say he’s a monster I tamed, and pass the obedience test, it’s over. He’ll be designated as my pet from then on.

Of course, as long as he’s bound to the ruins, it’s impossible.

“Goldie. Can you bring me one monster here?”

“Krrr.”

Goldie perked up his ears and smiled confidently. He turned his body with a dignified posture.

Now I just have to wait for him to bring a monster.

Then I can train with him in real combat. If it’s dangerous, I can ask Goldie for help.

That’s why I brought all my equipment with me.

Ah. I’m looking forward to it.

What does an A-rank dagger feel like?

It sounds like I’m some kind of pervert killer.

“Krrr!”

I heard Goldie growling from afar. He must have brought a monster.

Then I should get ready to fight…?

“Goldie?”

I was stunned when I saw Goldie coming out of the darkness.

“Rrr?”

“What is that?”

I pointed at Goldie’s mouth. Or rather, what he was holding in his mouth.

Goldie tilted his head and put down what he was holding in front of me.

“Krrr.”

And then he smiled proudly. ‘Praise me!’ His expression seemed to demand.

He’s cute.

He’s cute, but…

“That’s not a monster. That’s what ‘used to be’ a monster.”

What am I supposed to do with a carnivorous deer that’s been minced into meat?

“!”

Goldie’s ears perked up at my words.

He looked at me and the monster ‘that used to be’ on the floor alternately with an unexpected expression.

Goldie’s eyes shook violently. He seemed to be embarrassed that he couldn’t fulfill my request.

“Rrrr.”

And then he picked up the minced meat in his mouth again and stood it on the ground.

Thud-

It fell over.

He stood it up again.

Thud-

It fell over again.

“Rrrr.”

He seemed to be angry that it didn’t go his way, so he slammed it into the ground.

Then, surprisingly, the monster ‘that used to be’ stood on the ground.

It looked like it was somehow alive.

“Krrr.”

He seemed satisfied with that and looked at me with a wide smile.

‘Did I do well? Then praise me!’ His expression seemed to insist.

“You…you did well! Goldie!”

I couldn’t betray his expression, so I praised him first.

“Rrr.”

He seemed satisfied with my words and rubbed his face against me again.

“Can you wipe off the blood on your mouth?”

This is my first time wearing this armor.

I smiled bitterly and stroked Goldie’s head.

“Then Goldie. Can you bring me one without any wounds this time?”

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