"You there, applicant! Your movements are pretty good, want to come down here and try me?"
Instructor Oh Chang-seong shouted up at me as if bellowing.
Given that he could easily climb up here like climbing stairs if he wanted to, his intent must be to see what I was planning to do.
'A stalemate.'
The applicants who were slow to respond or stood there stupidly had already been swept away by the instructor and his assistant corps.
The rest had either fled far away or were keeping their distance and checking them, like Seo Jun-seong and Nam Tae-hoon.
"Go block those cunning kids. I'll give you six men."
"Yes."
Oh Chang-seong dispatched 7 of them, directing them to chase after Hwang Ji-su and dozens of applicants heading toward the finish line on the hill.
"The rest of you, spread out to five areas and clear out those who are hiding or running away like cowards."
"Yes!"
Now the only person left here was Oh Chang-seong alone.
If it weren't for my unexpected action, he would have either chased after Hwang Ji-su, or punished Seo Jun-seong who had bravely chosen to check him, showing these unpolished geniuses a taste of bitterness.
But now his interest was focused on me.
"I'll ask just in case."
Oh Chang-seong turned his head to look behind him.
"You over there, you don't plan to jump in, do you?"
Seo Jun-seong, who was keeping watch from a point more than 20 meters away with debris floating ready to be fired, answered.
"No. My goal is to maintain a defensive line, buy time, and wait for reinforcements. If the opponent remains halted as now, I have no need to engage first."
"Good answer. Then keep to your choice."
'Clever.'
With this exchange, Oh Chang-seong made Seo Jun-seong hesitate if he might try to intervene in our fight.
'He wants to remove an annoying factor before the battle. Psychokinetics are troublesome entities on any battlefield.'
The way he skillfully used his wits despite his fierce appearance might also resemble a tiger's nature.
'Well, even without saying that, Seo Jun-seong wouldn't have jumped in anyway.'
He's that kind of guy.
"Yu-jin. Can you move now?"
"Yes. I'm fine."
Yu-jin, who had been resolving the damage by taking short breaths, rose from her position.
'How kind of you, Instructor Oh.'
Oh Chang-seong was just standing still and watching the whole process with a grin.
'From now on, it's the bonus stage.'
Everyone's behavioral patterns had already been revealed, and most of the scoring was finished.
All the dummies worth catching had been caught, and Hwang Ji-su's choice to aim for the finish line would have earned appropriate bonus points.
In the 10 minutes remaining until the end of the exam, he wanted to test me—who chose to rescue a competitor and then confront him.
'Since I've shown kindness, I should provide an answer worthy of his expectations.'
What I'm about to do is just executing a strategy I've practiced countless times.
Nevertheless, Oh Chang-seong's presence, which made it impossible to completely shake off the tension, was truly formidable.
"Let's go with the plan."
Yu-jin expressed doubt at my whisper.
"But do we need to do it this way? Why make it look like I'm leading when the plan came from your head..."
I couldn't give a detailed explanation, but.
"It's more efficient that way. If I try to convince them, it won't be persuasive."
"...I'll go along with it for now."
Though she must have had many questions, Yu-jin's composure in suppressing them based on priority was commendable.
"Let's go."
We jumped down from the rooftop.
"You! And you! We need your help."
Yu-jin raised her voice and pointed to two people.
Kang Geon-woo and Go Do-il.
The were-ape with a large build who was eating lunch from a lunchbox, and the boy with the ability to turn his entire body into steel.
"What do you mean!"
The two guys, who had been hiding in a building like Nam Tae-hoon, shouted in question.
"You're shouting that loud enough for everyone to hear?"
"!"
At Yu-jin's response, the guys blinked twice, then cautiously approached while keeping an eye on Oh Chang-seong.
'That man still isn't attacking.'
He needed to see what answer I would provide.
"What are you trying to do?"
They didn't seem pleased about being ordered around by someone they'd just met.
"I'll introduce myself first. I'm Lee Yu-jin."
"...There's probably no one here who doesn't know your name."
Yu-jin glanced sideways at me while leading the conversation at her own pace.
"I'm Go Do-il."
"My name is Kang Geon-woo."
"Go Do-il and Kang Geon-woo."
Yu-jin murmured each of their names once.
"Let me ask you something. Which would you choose: retreating and taking a deduction, or cooperating with me to make a gambling move and aiming for bonus points?"
"Bonus points?"
Go Do-il, with his solemn, soldier-like impression, asked.
"Think about it. That instructor is an opponent who can never be defeated at the level of applicants. Would the Academy not have known that?"
'Right. Well done.'
Yu-jin was developing the logic by adding her own flesh to what I had told her.
"..."
"Isn't it more reasonable to think that seeing how you react when faced with a trial of an 'unbeatable enemy' is the instructors' intention?"
"!"
'Besides me, probably only Seo Jun-seong accurately grasped that fact here.'
Indeed, his actions were so precise they could be adopted as tactical doctrine.
'He is quite remarkable.'
In comparison, Hwang Ji-su's choice to run to the target point was more of an action based on intuition rather than calculating this far ahead.
And Nam Tae-hoon's choice to hide and observe the situation was just a manifestation of a familiar habit.
"So I'll ask again. If you were Execution Force members, how would you respond when a Ma-in much stronger than you appears and threatens citizens?"
"...!"
Kang Geon-woo and Go Do-il's expressions became ones of great realization at Yu-jin's words.
"We have to block it somehow."
Kang Geon-woo said, and.
"If we can't win, we should at least buy time even at the cost of our lives. That's the mission of the Execution Force."
Go Do-il solemnly declared.
"That's why Seo Jun-seong's choice was praised."
The two nodded and marveled in understanding.
"As expected of the Sword God's granddaughter. Your perspective is different from ours."
"I'm honestly impressed."
"..."
Yu-jin seemed uncomfortable with their praise and kept her mouth shut, but to the guys, even that seemed like modesty.
"...Now, the choice we're about to make is even more difficult."
"What is it?"
"We're going to take down that instructor with teamwork."
"Wahahahaha!"
Oh Chang-seong, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, laughed.
"It was a good approach. Until you reached that conclusion, that is."
But.
"That's quite a leap, applicant. How do you plan to take down this instructor?"
"1+1 isn't 2. That's what tactics are about, right?"
I cut in between.
"Hey. You're joking, right?"
Kang Geon-woo frowned.
"Will we really beat that instructor just by us jumping in?"
"Even if we can't win."
This time Yu-jin answered.
"It's still better for us to fight together than to fight separately."
"!"
Kang Geon-woo, unable to find a rebuttal, closed his mouth.
'Good.'
As the words came from Yu-jin, the Sword God's granddaughter and a top candidate, they carried significantly more weight.
'If I had taken the lead here, we wouldn't have convinced them properly and would have ended up in disarray, getting picked off one by one.'
This was the conclusion I found after dozens of failures.
It's not enough just to come up with a good strategy.
The true quality of a leader is to convince team members of that strategy and draw their cooperation.
As a nobody, it was difficult for me to create the latter situation.
'I don't need to take the lead from now on.'
There would be plenty of time to build fame and trust.
'That's also why Yu-jin is needed right now.'
"You don't have to cooperate if you don't want to. But this proposal will be better for you too."
"That sounds fun!"
Nam Tae-hoon suddenly popped up behind me.
'I knew you'd come.'
"Are you joining?"
"Of course! If you had such thoughts, you should have called me too. After eating together and all, it's a bit cold."
"You joined on your own without me having to do that, didn't you?"
"Hehe. Our friend here has a talent for leaving people speechless."
"Three minutes have passed."
Oh Chang-seong said, checking his watch.
"How much longer should this instructor wait? If you fail to satisfy me, you'll all be disqualified."
With Oh Chang-seong making threats in front of them, Yu-jin quickly conveyed the strategy.
"From now on, what you need to do is..."
❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀
A vacant lot with a hill behind and abandoned building alleys in front.
Instructor Oh Chang-seong was quietly waiting in the center as Yu-jin and the cadets shared their strategy.
"Kids, aren't you dragging this out too long? In a real situation, you would have been finished long ago."
"Well."
Instead of Yu-jin, who was slightly flustered, Su-hyeon answered.
"In a real situation, we would have planned our strategy in advance."
Seeing Su-hyeon who didn't back down at all, he finally bared his teeth.
"Hahaha. Impudent guy. Let's see if your skills match your lip!"
Oh Chang-seong pounced on the applicants like a beast in an instant.
"Scatter!"
Pop, pop, bang!
Several fist winds flew from both his hands.
Su-hyeon, Nam Tae-hoon, and Yu-jin dodged in all directions, while Go Do-il, who activated steel transformation, and Kang Geon-woo hiding behind him, took the fist winds head-on from the front.
'Well, well!'
Go Do-il became a giant shield, supported by Kang Geon-woo with his were-ape-specific monstrous strength.
"A body bunker!"
When the two Awakened formed a solid wall, the fist winds shot with 10% of his power couldn't deal any damage to them.
"Then I'll beat you directly!"
"Hold on!"
Su-hyeon shouted.
Boom!
When Oh Chang-seong's pot-lid-sized fist struck Go Do-il's guard, the two were pushed back.
"Kuk!"
Even while tasting blood rising up to his throat, Go Do-il didn't relax the strength in his body.
'Insane destructive power. It feels like being hit by a dump truck.'
For a hardening ability user and a were-ape with monstrous strength to be pushed back this much by just one punch.
The two were newly astonished at the instructor's power.
'It's a different league.'
Kang Geon-woo swallowed hard at the beastliness he felt from the muscles writhing all over Oh Chang-seong's body.
Nevertheless.
'It's enough.'
Su-hyeon smiled.
"Nam Tae-hoon!"
"Okay!"
Nam Tae-hoon, who had scattered, rose from behind Oh Chang-seong's shadow and stabbed with his dagger.
"Hmph!"
Despite it being a surprise attack, Oh Chang-seong avoided the attack with his keen senses and counterattacked with a backspin blow, but Nam Tae-hoon dodged the attack by hiding back into the shadows.
"Quick bastard!"
Between buildings and buildings, and Oh Chang-seong's shadow.
Oh Chang-seong's feet momentarily stopped as Nam Tae-hoon's movements, going back and forth busy like playing shell game and attacking from blind spots, caught his attention.
'Hmm, not bad.'
Two people becoming shields and one person putting in so-called "jabs" around.
Looking at the applicants confronting him with a pattern commonly used in actual combat, Oh Chang-seong grinned.
'But up to this point, it's a predictable idea!'
In any case, holding out with these three was just a matter of time.
Therefore, his interest was focused on what kind of attack the remaining two would launch.
"You two, step back!"
Oh Chang-seong wrinkled his nose dismissively as Su-hyeon charged in after sending Kang Geon-woo and Go Do-il back.
But.
'Eye Power.'
Ping!
When Su-hyeon's eyes emitted a different glow as he activated Eye Power, something unexpected happened.
Whoosh!
Su-hyeon easily deflected the straight punch that cut through the air with a ducking move, and delivered a counter hook that made Oh Chang-seong step back.
'This kid!'
There wouldn't have been much damage even if he got hit.
But Oh Chang-seong's lips curved into a smile as he reflexively avoided the counter that came so appropriately.
'You want to engage in close combat with me?'
Oh Chang-seong, who charged again, unleashed numerous fists and kicks to Su-hyeon in one breath.
It looked like attacks fired almost simultaneously, but Su-hyeon nullified them all by ducking, leaning back, deflecting, and turning.
"Hooh."
Then even Oh Chang-seong's expression spread with surprise.
'This kid has quite remarkable movements.'
Su-hyeon's evasion ability, combining the dynamic vision granted by Eye Power and the experience of having gone through Oh Chang-seong's patterns to the point of boredom, even made Oh Chang-seong feel surprise.
'It's as if he understands the quality and purpose of the attacks and responds precisely. This isn't something a kid of this age can show.'
That was at a much higher level than Nam Tae-hoon, who barely avoided direct hits by utilizing his ability.
However.
'Even so, the attack power that knuckles and a bladeless dagger can produce is predictable.'
If Oh Chang-seong pushed forward accepting hits, they would have no way out.
"Kheung!"
He roared and swung both arms 360 degrees to shake off Su-hyeon and Nam Tae-hoon, then turned his target to Go Do-il and Kang Geon-woo who were trying to find an opening from behind.
"Oh no!"
Bang!
A punch with his full weight behind it sent the two flying far away.
"We can't give a breather here or it's over!"
"Yah!"
At Su-hyeon's encouragement, Nam Tae-hoon stabbed with his dagger from a blind spot once more.
"That pattern is now obvious!"
Oh Chang-seong avoided it by moving his waist sideways and attempted a counterattack.
"Yu-jin!"
Just then, Yu-jin, who had been hiding her presence behind an abandoned building, joined in and swung her sword down.
'Finally, the main attacker appears!'
Oh Chang-seong raised his guard to block the sword against an attack that couldn't be avoided without blocking.
"Ugh!"
Yu-jin's mana, which penetrated into the solid muscles, gave a piercing pain to his heart and blood vessels.
'This is effective.'
An attack that deals damage regardless of the power gap.
That was Yu-jin's true fearfulness.
'Wait, is this...?'
Oh Chang-seong's instinct warned him of another ominousness as he felt his body stiffening from the unfamiliar pain.
'I see. So that was the plan.'
But his realization came a bit late.
Wham!
Su-hyeon, who didn't miss the momentary stiffness, delivered a body uppercut with his entire body weight right to Oh Chang-seong's liver.
"Kheok!"
Coughing out empty air, Oh Chang-seong hurriedly stepped back and wrapped his abdomen with his hands.
"Not bad, you little kids!"
Oh Chang-seong's smile turned fierce after taking an unexpected hit.
'This must have hurt quite a bit.'
Su-hyeon smiled too.
Attacks outside consciousness hurt much more.
A body blow that flew to the liver while his attention was focused on Nam Tae-hoon and Yu-jin's joint attack was enough to penetrate Oh Chang-seong's rock-like abs and deal significant damage.
'In other words, this is the only way to deal proper damage to this monster-like body.'
"My goodness."
"Amazing!"
And that scene gave a fresh shock to the instructors watching the fight through screens.
"This is a perfect score, more than perfect!"
"Flawless joint attack."
"Yu-jin! As expected of the Sword God's granddaughter!"
Among them, only Kim Cheol-han felt a strange sense of dissonance.
'Was this really Yu-jin's idea?'
Something was off.
'Then what about that conversation with Jeong Su-hyeon in the middle?'
Everyone seemed to have preconceptions due to Yu-jin's background, but.
Kim Cheol-han remembered that without Jeong Su-hyeon, Yu-jin could have been retired on the spot.
'If this is Jeong Su-hyeon's idea, then?'
That would be truly astonishing.
'A greenhorn who's not even a cadet yet, gathered fellow applicants he just met, and succeeded with such appropriate role distribution and tactics? Even using such skillful delegation to put Yu-jin forward while stepping back himself?'
"An unbelievable guy."
He began to think that his friend's boasting might not have been empty words.
But.
The instructors' surprise didn't end there.
"Th-that!"
"At this rate, perhaps...?"
Kim Cheol-han's eyes narrowed as he saw Go Do-il and Kang Geon-woo approaching Oh Chang-seong's rear.
'So they weren't just shield roles. If Oh Chang-seong thinks he disposed of those two with one punch, he'll be at a disadvantage.'
❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀
"Don't give him time to breathe!"
Yu-jin's penetration sword style that inflicts damage regardless of defense, me exchanging equal blows with almost supernatural evasive ability, and Nam Tae-hoon's attacks from the rear that kept irritating his nerves.
The three-person joint attack continued relentlessly, not giving Oh Chang-seong room to recover from the damage.
'Nam Tae-hoon is in the most precarious position.'
We couldn't hold him for very long.
If even one person dropped out here, we would be picked off individually in an instant.
'Just a little longer.'
I squeezed out all the muscles and breath in my body, binding Oh Chang-seong's attention to us.
'Go Do-il! Hurry!'
Go Do-il and Kang Geon-woo who had been sent flying by a direct hit.
But their roles weren't simply as shields.
Rather...
"Huaaaap!"
'He's here!'
Go Do-il, who had entered the attack range, collided with Oh Chang-seong with a body tackle using all his strength.
"Hmm!"
Seeing this, Oh Chang-seong tried to receive it by lowering his center of gravity.
'Not so fast.'
I secretly tripped his leg, destroying his balance without anyone noticing.
"What?!"
Wham!
With a collision sound reminiscent of a car accident, Oh Chang-seong's body was pushed back.
"Damn it!"
Being suddenly rammed by an iron lump of over 80kg momentarily stunned him.
In other words, that was.
The first and only chance that had finally arrived!
"Kang Geon-woo!"
Yu-jin shouted.
Kang Geon-woo's burly arms appeared from behind Go Do-il, instantly gripping Oh Chang-seong's arm and collar, attempting a shoulder throw.
"Oh no!"
Feeling dismay, Oh Chang-seong hurriedly extended his fist to counterattack Kang Geon-woo, but.
'Not so fast!'
I inserted my body between the two and blocked Oh Chang-seong's fist.
Crack!
Terrible pain shot through my nerves and enveloped my brain.
'Is my arm broken?'
Though I was momentarily shocked that my left arm broke even from a swing without weight behind it, I grinned at Oh Chang-seong as if to show off.
"Huh."
Oh Chang-seong closed his eyes with a hollow laugh.
"You little pups."
Boom!
Oh Chang-seong's back collided with the ground as he was properly thrown.
Boom!
"Kuk!"
The throw, enhanced by Kang Geon-woo's monstrous strength added to the weight of two people, led Oh Chang-seong into a temporarily incapacitated state.
Yu-jin's sword pointed at his face.
"Checkmate."
Yu-jin declared.
[Everyone freeze! The exam is over.]
At the voice announcing the end of the exam that came just in time, Oh Chang-seong burst into laughter that he had been holding back.
"Hahahahaha! You audacious little runts! Splendid!"
As he sprang up, his gaze passed over me and went to Yu-jin.
"Especially you two! Exam numbers E-13 and H-7! You two get the highest scores, no question!"
"...Thank you."
Yu-jin bit her lip, seeming to feel guilty at the instructor's praise.
"Yu-jin! If there's anyone who scored higher than you, come find me! Understood?"
"Y-yes, I understand."
"And you! You're quite the clever one! Well done!"
"Thank you."
Oh Chang-seong pounded on my shoulder as if finding my calmness even in this situation amusing.
"Shouldn't you be more excited at a time like this!"
"...It hurts."
It happened to be on my broken left arm.
"Oh no! Sorry!"
There was probably no malice.
Probably.
[Main Quest, Entrance Exam cleared!]
[3p Skill Points awarded!]
[Beyond imagination achievement! Subdued Instructor Oh Chang-seong through cooperation with colleagues!]
[Yu-jin feels guilty for taking credit for your accomplishment.]
[Achievement score 500 points awarded!]