The senior girl in her Edeya felt a single drop of cold sweat trickling down her back. No matter how powerful the Edeya’s armor might be, it was still a rock manipulated by Edeya on the other side. If she were to get hit by any other Edeya, it would be big trouble.
“But still, it’s my Edeya.”
“Haiyo! Squad Leader, Edeya senior! What are you doing? Run away quickly!”
“Hmm? Are you the one who grabbed my wrist earlier?”
“Tsk. That trash just keeps babbling.”
Even the other students couldn’t understand Park Jinsung, who was making a fuss from afar. They simply thought of him as a retard who couldn’t even grasp the situation.
With a hint of impatience, Byun Kiyoung swung the rock with force. The rock that shot towards them was not something a mere student could withstand.
“What’s with that size? Our squad leader… was he intentionally suppressing his power until now?”
Park Jinsung was astonished by Byun Kiyoung’s overwhelming presence, which surpassed his expectations.
A clumsy script.
From a low level to rapid growth, followed by a dramatic victory.
Had all those childish antics of running and hiding been nothing but actions that he believed in himself?
“Senior, please hurry!”
“….”
The Edeya senior didn’t budge from her spot. She stood there, staring at the approaching rock with a blank expression.
“What, what’s happening?! The rock suddenly moved!”
“It must be the doing of that 2nd-year squadleader over there!”
When the spectators noticed, it was already too late. Even the remaining 3rd-year students were slow to react.
The rock flew in a surprisingly smooth trajectory, matching its size perfectly.
“Hehe! The value possessed by our armor senior is nothing more than a stepping stone for me to prove myself!”
The target, of course, was none other than the senior girl in the armor. The momentum was such that it seemed like the armor would be crushed by the rock.
“Is it okay for the 3rd-year to do this?”
“Yeah, surely it won’t be fatal, right?”
The spectators didn’t doubt the shining armor of the 3rd-year. They avoided the reality of the dangerous rock, sneaking it out of their minds.
“I’ll excuse myself for a moment, 2nd-year.”
But there was one student.
One student who had a similar thought to Park Jinsung.
“Isn’t 3rd-year senior reckless?! This Byun Kiyoung will enjoy this victory… huh?! You, you are!”
“Ju Ye is our platoon’s core power. We will need Ju Ye in many future tests.”
“Ahn Seong-ho, why are you here?! G-g-geeennnaaaarrrggghhh…!!”
Byun Kiyoung’s pathetic cry,
The rock that was flying suddenly dropped heavily,
And all of a sudden, the unexpected event happened simultaneously. The hidden prodigy among the 3rd-year students swiftly slammed Byun Kiyoung into the ground.
It was a level that was difficult to even keep track of with the eyes. The outcome was that Byun Kiyoung fainted, but the process leading up to it was completely omitted.
“This was my chance to prove my worth…. Why did you interfere, squad leader?”
Ju Ye, the senior girl addressed by that name, glared at the student who had knocked down Byun Kiyoung.
Ahn Seong-ho, the squad leader of 3rd Company, 1st Platoon, 1st Squad.
Among the pride of Haeun High School, the strongest student in the 3rd-year division.
Formally recognized with an overall combat ability of A+, he consistently ranked at the top in the nationwide combat mock exams, a monster in his own right.
Even though he was a student in terms of age and status, he had already gained recognition from the government.
A-rated overall combat ability is categorized as immediate combat power, which is why the introduction of military school was largely attributed to Ahn Seong-ho.
“As you know, this time was a bit dangerous. I have a duty to protect my squad members.”
“No need to protect. What if there wasn’t?”
Ju Ye retorted sharply.
Ju Ye was also a genius with a B+ rated overall combat ability. However, she had always lived under the shadow of Ahn Seong-ho.
“Perhaps. But there’s no need to protect a probability of what might happen. [I will definitely catch you.]”
While Ahn Seong-ho was speaking with Ju Ye, he engaged in combat. His mouth and body moved independently, making it somewhat eerie to watch.
“Hee, hee hee! Ahn Seong-ho, senior?!”
“Ah, hold on, splat.”
The foolishly standing 2nd-year students were thrown to the ground one by one. One of them fell while frothing at the mouth, and another collapsed with rolled-up eyes.
No one could perceive the process of how Ahn Seong-ho knocked down and subdued the 2nd-year students. To others, it seemed like they had already fallen.
“Hmm. Is he even human?”
“Last of the 2nd-years.”
The school’s greatest monster slowly approached Park Jinsung.
“I surrender! I surrender! I have no other choice, it’s genuine!”
“2nd-year…, you warned Ju Ye earlier that it was dangerous, right? Wasn’t that the case?”
“Well, you know, our squad leader tends to be a bit ruthless, so I judged that he might do something dangerous…, uh, well, that’s why I thought the squad leader, wasn’t that valuable.”
“You’re not very good at lying.”
“Wait, hold on. I surrender, right?!”
Ahn Seong-ho slightly lowered his posture. Just by bending his knees slightly, his emitted aura was incredible.
“[Definitely.]”
Ahn Seong-ho instantly appeared in front of Park Jinsung. It was as if he had been there all along, his speed was so incomprehensible.
“Oh my! Please listen to me!”
As soon as Ahn Seong-ho grabbed Park Jinsung’s collar, he reacted. He quickly gripped the dagger and aimed precisely for Ahn Seong-ho’s left arm.
“Oops!”
Feeling the danger, Ahn Seong-ho quickly distanced himself from Park Jinsung.
“Wow, did you see Ahn Seong-ho’s speed just now? It’s incredible!”
“Hahahaha! It’s definitely Ahn Seong-ho. Playing around with an F-grade like it’s nothing.”
“I thought he was just skilled, but it seems he knows how to put on a performance too.”
The students in the audience praised Ahn Seong-ho. In their eyes, it looked like Ahn Seong-ho was just toying with Park Jinsung.
“Wha- Did the squad leader dodge?!”
Surprised, Ju Ye widened his eyes and watched the two.
“2nd-year…”
“Ah, geez.”
Ahn Seong-ho slightly lowered his head. The shadow on his face created an intense atmosphere.
A tingling pressure that even reached the audience.
“State your unit and identity, 2nd-year.”
“I am Park Jinsung, a member of 2nd Company, 10th Platoon, 3rd Squad, a trainee with F-grade edeya, sir.”
“You? I see…”
Park Jinsung openly checked the time.
“There’s still one minute left?! This is driving me crazy.”
Facing the seniors who might be the best in the country, along with their comrades, not a single one of them had retired yet.
In this situation, he couldn’t see how they could endure any longer, but before even 10 seconds had passed, Park Jinsung gave up hope.
“Do we really need to go this far?”
Many people in the audience, the headhunters somewhere out there, the teachers, and even his own teammates, were probably thinking the same.
Just get it over with. Anyway, it’s already over. Let’s just enjoy the spectacle of an F-grade getting beaten up.
“Meh, it’s a bit annoying. Not too much, just a bit.”
Even the teacher, the 10th Platoon leader, was laughing from a distance.
Park Jinsung locked eyes with his homeroom teacher.
“Jinsung, fighting!”
Indeed, it was their homeroom teacher.
The 10th Platoon leader smiled broadly and sent a double thumbs-up.
“Where are you looking, 2nd-year?”
“Huh? Don’t you call F-grades by their names, senior?”
“Do you find me amusing?”
“No way! I mean, even the teachers won’t stand a chance against Sergeant Ahn Seong-ho. He might be the best out of the 1,000 students here.”
“That tone… Does it mean there’s still a possibility it’s not over?”
Ahn Seong-ho adjusted his stance once again.
He showed no signs of letting his guard down. Park Jinsung was taken aback by this unexpected reaction.
“Huh, is he some kind of AlphaGo or something? Seriously, is he really a high school senior?”
Park Jinsung didn’t even realize that he swallowed his saliva.
The reflexes he saw when Ahn Seong-ho easily passed the rock earlier… If it wasn’t for his ability, it was undoubtedly on a level that could be called insane.
“Hey, Sergeant Ahn Seong-ho.”
Park Jinsung felt like the monster was scrutinizing him.
“Focus, Park Jinsung. This is advice.”
“…….”
“I don’t like guys like you.”
“Huh? What did I do to deserve that?”
For the first time, Ahn Seong-ho’s face distorted.
“Why don’t you put in any effort?”
“Why are you suddenly talking about effoooooort?”
“If you want to pretend not to know, that’s fine. But at least mention the facts.”
Time was still passing somehow. If he could just hold on a little longer, he could give those idiotic spectators a thrilling final blow.
A subtle breeze, a faint sunlight, and a clear sky with not a speck of dust.
The serene environment contrasted sharply with the noisy crowd.
“Ugh?!”
Suddenly, Park Jinsung felt a suffocating sensation, without any external cause.
“I overheard it by chance. If the 2nd-year students lose this time, they will expel a few of them for being insufficiently skilled.”
“……”
Park Jinsung’s face also slowly contorted, just like Ahn Seong-ho’s. They found themselves observing each other’s contorted expressions.
It was clearly a fact aimed at Park Jinsung. It seemed like a pretext to expel the bothersome F-grade students based on the outcome of this battle.
The clash between the pride of Haeun High School, the monster, and the despised F-grade students?
The more thoroughly Park Jinsung was defeated, the more reasons they would have to expel him.
“Are you listening, Park Jinsung?”
“I want to graduate from this school, Sergeant.”
“In that case, show the corresponding effort.”
“…Is it okay to do that? Hm, maybe it’s fine if it’s you, Sergeant.”
The F-grade, the weakest in the history of the school, suddenly wanted to prove others wrong and shatter their expectations.
Let’s do our best to provide a memorable performance for those who expect me to fail. With this person in front of me, I might be able to endure somehow.
The subtle breeze was still there, the sunlight was still gentle, and the sky was still without a speck of dust.
Jinsung’s worldview went on a rampage all by itself.
“Ah.”
The blood vessels around his temples suddenly bulged. He could feel the vessels expanding and the blood flowing hot and fast.
His once attractive large black eyes turned into a twisted mess, like a whirlpool of darkness. The whites of his eyes surrounded the dark pupils in all directions.
The isolated dark pupils looked like a deserted island in a vast sea of white.
Adrenaline overflowed, and his heart raced wildly, as if his veins were pumped with pure caffeine, awakening his entire body.
Jinsung felt an unwavering confidence that he could control every single fingertip and every single toe perfectly.
“…….”
With a slight smirk, Jinsung realized that the corners of his mouth had risen.
[Perfect Carnage]
Grade: S(F↑)
Becomes fixated on the desire to kill.
Physical abilities increase threefold beyond the original level of motion.
Can fully grasp the weak points and the Edeya of the target.
Can perceive the most efficient route to destroy the target within one’s own capabilities.
In order to deactivate [Perfect Carnage], Jinsung must take the target’s Edeya or life.
Overall combat ability: ?
Whether it was Jinsung who had changed or the environment surrounding him, it felt a bit ambiguous. He could simply sense that something had changed.
“Haah….”
Jinsung exhaled a hot breath. He was no longer an irredeemable F-grade soul.
“The air feels different. As expected. The F-grade dagger wasn’t the entirety of your soul.”
“Ah-hehe. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
His manner of speaking, attitude, and expression—everything that defined Jinsung—had changed. It was like a completely different person inside the same shell.
“A truly apologetic person doesn’t smile like that. And there’s no need to apologize.”
“Ah-hehehe!”
Jinsung couldn’t control the rising corners of his mouth. Even if he tried to cover his face with one hand, it was no use.
[Definitely Catch You]
Grade: B¯
Can always catch the designated target.
Limited to a certain distance, can personally go to the target’s location to catch them.
The time it takes to move the distance is omitted.
The prominent letters in Jinsung’s eyes showcased very explicit information.
“Ah-hehe… So, you have more hidden abilities than I thought??”
“Could it be that you can see through my Edeya too?”
“Ah-he! I’m sorry!! I can’t hold back anymore! You’ll really stop me, right?! Right??”
“Hehe. Is that the true essence of your existence—chuunibyo?”
There was definitely a complete reversal in the aura that Jinsung emitted. However, the supreme demeanor of the school’s top fighter remained unwavering.
Jinsung readjusted the F-grade dagger in his hand.
Though everything about his posture seemed utterly nonchalant, Ahn Sungho couldn’t find an opening to attack.
“Csik.”
Unwillingly, the S-grade killer uttered his unique onomatopoeia.
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