‘Wow. That’s really big.’
The rock in front of Park Jinsung appeared twice the size of those destroyed by Ahn Sungho and Kim Seyun. At least, that’s how it felt perceptually.
Due to everyone’s focus on the score, only the most robust and straightforward rock was left. This was because the trainees before Park Jinsung had chosen the rocks already tackled by others.
[Is this one okay?]
[Damn it.]
Of course, the Light Zombie Squad had deliberately left this rock for their leader.
For their captain, the members were willing to easily give up on this evaluation. They were prepared to face this gigantic rock themselves but gave up to boost their captain’s score.
The 5th Squad’s bible had instructed them to prioritize their scores. The Bible had assured them that one big and beautiful rock was enough for him while smiling.
Clang! Bang!
Park Jinsung merely wanted a clean rock, but for the Zombie Squad, it was a significant gesture.
“Number 367, are you ready?”
“Ah!”
“Heh. Begin.”
The instructor and the trainee exchanged secret smiles.
“[Dagger!]”
[Dagger]
World Spirit Rank System: F
Overall Combat Ability: F(?)
Click.
The other trainees, who had been tensely watching, couldn’t help but snicker.
Indeed, Park Jinsung’s performances so far have been impressive. But that thin dagger didn’t seem to hold any promise at all, not even the slightest bit.
No matter how tough one’s body becomes, some things are just not possible.
Click-click-click-click-click-click-click.
For a while, waves of scornful pity washed over the scene.
The talent displayed was disappointingly small compared to the effort that had been made. It was as pitiable as watching an ant do push-ups.
“Huuuh.”
The smile disappeared from Park Jinsung’s face, leaving it as blank as it could possibly be.
Chilling.
The atmosphere was reminiscent of what he had felt at the bank.
“That radioactive waste son of a…”
Byun Kiyoung, feeling a cold fear, inadvertently averted his eyes. When he regained his composure with stubborn pride,
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack!!
The rock was already being viciously slashed.
‘Show off… what on earth are you doing…?’
Kim Seyun unknowingly gripped her sheath.
Even if it’s Park Jinsung, there’s a limit to what a human can do. After all, he’s not Ahn Sungho.
“Heh.”
But the force Park Jinsung was demonstrating now was also completely outside the standard range. It was on the level of superhumans like Ahn Sungho and Kim Seyun.
[Dagger]
World Spirit Rank System: F
Overall Combat Ability: B (F↑)
“Tsk, tsk… No way! It’s me!!”
Park Jinsung furiously rubbed his face with his left hand.
His left and right hands seemed to be operating independently.
To be precise, only the right hand, holding the dagger, appeared to be a completely different creature. It was as if a tiger’s arm had been attached to an ant’s body.
Crack! Crack! Crack-crack-crack!!
The right hand, clenching the dagger, demolished the rock as if enraged. Despite Park Jinsung’s messy stance, the rock was being peeled like layers of an onion.
‘I can do it!’
It was a scene difficult to comprehend by common sense.
Standing upright with his legs and back, his left hand clutching his face, it was clearly not a posture that could utilize 100% of his strength.
‘Ughhh!’
Moreover, talking about 100% was an understatement. Even 150% or 200% would be impossible in such a state.
Crack-crack-crack!
Yet, the rock being peeled away attested to the fact that Park Jinsung’s right hand was something extraordinary.
‘I must maintain it! I need to bring out the Edeya in my right hand only!! Ugh, ughhh…!!’
Park Jinsung was materializing the Edeya only partially. He attempted to control it by manifesting complete murderous intent only up to his wrist.
“Ugh!”
Just bringing it out in one hand, and only up to the wrist, brought a surge of revulsion. The desire for killing rose like angry waves.
The moment he let his guard down, the murderous intent blocked at his wrist would surge up to his throat.
‘No more teenage angst! I’m a senior in high school, not a junior! A Black Dragon for a senior, really!!’
Park Jinsung pressed down on his right wrist with his left hand.
Thrum-thrum-thrum-thrum!
His right hand thrashed as if it were a fresh big fish. Seemingly angrier for losing its target to vent on.
“Huff!”
One minute passed.
The rock that stood before Park Jinsung was reduced to shattered pieces.
“…….”
Furthermore, the pieces, even more roughly shattered than Ahn Sungho’s, silenced the trainees.
“Ah, really. It’s so disobedient.”
He had turned off the dagger, but couldn’t completely suppress the full murderous intent.
[Complete Murderous Intent]
World Spirit Rank System: S
Physical abilities increase threefold beyond the body’s original kinetic capacity.
It can only be turned off by capturing the target’s Edeya or life.
Thrum-thrum-thrum-thrum.
Park Jinsung’s right hand continued to flick and twitch restlessly.
Limiting the implementation to his wrist was the right choice. If he had extended it to his elbow, he would have been dragged around uncontrollably.
“Hahaha… Instructor? Could you help me a little…?”
“I can only make you faint. Control it yourself.”
Wriggle.
Park Jinsung’s right hand, which had been calmly looking at Ahn Sungho, suddenly,
Snap!
Spurted out its middle finger.
“Ow! It’s, it’s not me! Instructor! Aaah! This damn thing!!”
Park Jinsung’s straightened middle finger pointed past Ahn Sungho towards the other trainees.
Crack.
As Park Jinsung grabbed and twisted his middle finger, the tripled kinetic energy instead pressured his left hand.
“Ouch! It hurts! It hurts so much! Right hand, stop it!! My left hand is dying!!”
“He’s putting on a show… really…”
Kim Seyun, feeling oddly embarrassed herself, shook her head from side to side.
“……?”
Except for a few superhumans, most people couldn’t grasp the current situation.
What’s happening? Is this some sort of hilarious candid camera for the exhausted trainees?
The still pouring raindrops, the instructors, even the other trainees right behind.
No one could explain the reality unfolding before their eyes.
“Ow! Listen to me! Right hand!! Do you think I worked out so hard just for this?!”
The pieces scattered in front of Park Jinsung were indistinguishable from those destroyed by the superhumans.
Slap-slap!
The scene of a madman energetically slapping his own right hand and that same right hand attacking its owner was bizarre.
Regrettably, the two mad entities were indeed the same person.
“Aaah! This damn thing!”
Park Jinsung, hit by his own right hand and with a split lip, scowled deeply.
He had contemplated offering his dagger as a sacrifice or even materializing the Edeya in his left hand, but,
‘I need to make it mine. There’s no guarantee that this will stop it.’
In the end, there was only one conclusion.
He had to turn it on and off with his own will. Otherwise, he would never escape being a puppet.
“Huuuuuh.”
Park Jinsung focused all his attention on his right hand.
Flap-flap, thrum-thrum, flap.
Leaving his right hand idle, it disrupted his concentration with all sorts of bizarre movements. The hand even bent its fingers backward, craving attention.
‘Concentrate.’
Despite the continuous pain and distractions, Park Jinsung decided to remain a passive observer. He watched from a distance, waiting for the hand to calm down.
Click, snap.
It hadn’t been a few seconds. The raindrops appearing in slow motion were probably an illusion.
Park Jinsung swiftly grabbed his right hand, interlocking fingers. A staring contest between him and his own right hand ensued, exchanging several bouts in a short time.
‘I’m not a person with a split personality. So please, just stay still, right hand.’
Droop.
The right hand, which had been aggressive enough to break his left hand, reverted to being docile.
[Partial Murderous Intent]
World Spirit Rank System: A⁻⁻⁻
Manifests only a portion of the combat ability inherent in [Complete Murderous Intent].
The more areas that are opened, the harder it is to control, and the potential for control is significantly influenced by the owner’s mental strength.
The opened area reproduces the movements of [Complete Murderous Intent] regardless of the owner’s will.
Current area: Right hand (subject to change)
Overall Combat Ability: A⁻⁻⁻
‘I did it… Not perfectly yet, but still!’
Park Jinsung had succeeded in manifesting the Edeya in a limited area of his body.
Though he had been practicing in secret for a while, this was the first time he had opened it up so fully. He believed that if something went wrong, Ahn Sungho and Kim Seyun would be there to stop it.
‘Ah.’
Memories of the difficult days of training came flooding back.
A healthy mind resides in a healthy body.
With the healthy spirit he had hard-won, he managed to suppress his misbehaving right hand.
“Hehe! I did it, Instructor!!”
“…Heh. Seems so. Return to your place.”
Ahn Sungho smiled secretly at the sight of a jubilant Park Jinsung, who returned to his place despite the intense stares.
On his way, he quietly saluted Kim Seyun.
“Deputy… victory, win.”
“Yeah… Don’t quite get it, but victory, win.”
It was an aimless victory chant, but the two felt a senseless solidarity. Kim Seyun, who acknowledged it, felt oddly proud of herself.
The echo caused by the F-grade individual was, after all, a fantasy hard to accept for those who weren’t superhumans.
Swoooosh!
The sound of heavy rain possibly heralding a rainstorm dominated the western training ground for a while.
* * *
Having returned to their quarters, the trainees were granted some free time for the first time in a while.
Wash, eat, sleep, and duty – that would be the end of the day!
Thanks to the excellent health teacher, they had been running non-stop for two days, so a mental break was indeed necessary.
“Move aside!”
“Don’t come any closer!”
Both the men’s and women’s dorms were noisy, but the men’s side was definitely more bustling.
The one who had put on a show was Park Jinsung, but ironically, it was the Zombie Squad that ended up having a hard time.
“Everyone move aside!”
“We’re not his managers! Back off!”
The 30 members of Squad 5 came together solidly to protect their highly admired and praised squad leader.
They shielded him even during showers, blocking the view, and guarded him while he ate.
Outwardly rejecting but inwardly peaceful.
‘Haha. I didn’t mean for this to happen.’
The area around Park Jinsung almost became akin to the eye of a storm.
The Zombie Squad members sincerely praised their leader.
There was no doubt about it.
An F-grade Edeya user, yet he stood shoulder to shoulder with the top monsters of the battalion.
Grateful for his trust and leadership, they were proud that he had showcased his abilities for all to see.
‘We only have our captain…!’
Trust built solely on the proof of skill and effort.
With Park Jinsung, they believed even they, who might have remained unremarkable for life, could change.
Clatter!
After finishing their meal, the Zombie Squad stood up, centered around Park Jinsung. It seemed like they had been waiting for him.
“Hahaha… If you’ve finished eating, it’s okay to go ahead.”
“But then the captain will be in danger. All sorts of people will swarm here.”
“Right. We can continue training only if the captain is there.”
“Oh, my. Already wanting a monopoly? Well… I’m not exactly displeased, but still.”
“Huh?”
All 30 pairs of eyes echoed the same sentiment.
“I have somewhere else I need to be first. You all go back and continue with your independent training.”
Park Jinsung waved his arms, sending the Zombie Squad off. He had a bit of a struggle peeling off the persistently clinging Zombie Squad members.
Thud, thud.
Park Jinsung hoped the Zombie Squad wouldn’t know where he was headed now.
His steps, somewhat reluctant, led him to a place where regular trainees were not permitted.
“Knock, knock. Is anyone there?”
Park Jinsung’s destination was none other than the officers’ quarters.
He was there to request the health teacher for a boost in the physical recovery of Squad 5. He aimed to give them a bit of an extra benefit while they were deeply asleep.
There was indeed a genuine need for physical recovery, but he also knew that getting treatment now would significantly enhance the torn muscle fibers.
“Knock, knock. Is nobody there?”
With blissful ignorance of this, Squad 5, once fully revitalized, would level up with a buoyant condition.
The placebo effect was also worth considering. Though it was just a perception, they would feel twice as strong.
Condition multiplied, placebo effect multiplied, and actual growth.
“Hmm. Maybe they’re somewhere else?”
Moreover, the confidence gained from this transformation would practically create a different person in just three days.
In fact, confidence was the most crucial element here.
The sense of fulfillment from the change would build confidence, and that very confidence would pull them to the next stage.
“Knock-knock-knock-knock! Is anyone there?!”
“Who is it?”
Creak.
Despite Park Jinsung’s persistent calling, the door of the adjacent room opened instead.
The corridor was dimly lit, making the light spilling from the room feel warmly inviting.
“Y-You! Rank! Trainee number 367! Ah!”
“Oh, who do we have here? Jinsung?”
Unfortunately, the voice that greeted him wasn’t as warm as the light.
The commander of the 10th Platoon, emerging from the officers’ meeting room, frowned upon seeing Park Jinsung.
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