Chapter 83: Chapter 83

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 83: Training or Discipline (3)

Everyone has a domain like that.

Something they absolutely cannot stand to lose at.

Even if nothing else matters, this one thing does.

And when that area is touched, they can’t help but bristle.

Kim, a colleague at my previous company, was one such person.

He couldn’t bear to lose in Excel, even to a sharp-witted new hire.

Manager Kwak, too—when it came to the service he had developed over ten years, he raised his voice so that even team leaders or executives wouldn’t dare meddle.

For me, that domain was running.

In other words:

[The final stage mission for the 'Basic Physical Training' class is...]

I absolutely can’t lose to anyone else when it comes to running.

[Running!]

I’d always felt that way, but now, even more so.

“Running, huh... Are you going to use teleportation again this time?”

Especially when the opponent is someone like him—still bitter about losing to a mere 'ordinary person.'

“You do realize you’ll never win by fighting fair, right?”

“Hah! Was your soccer cleats fair play then?”

“Those cleats... are practically a part of me!”

Park Gongchan grimaced.

“And earlier, wasn’t it easier because I shielded you from the wind? You took advantage of that, didn’t you?”

“I do appreciate that.”

“But you’re not going to call that fair, are you? Compared to that, soccer cleats are nothing.”

I never realized this guy could talk so much.

As the national team captain, I’d seen a few of his interview clips.

Back then, he’d said things like, “It’s thanks to my hardworking teammates,” or, “We’ll do our best in the next game,” delivering weighty responses.

Was he hiding his true self back then?

“To lose in physical competition... to an ordinary person, no less... it’s absurd.”

Or maybe...

“I wasn’t outclassed in speed even in the European leagues. Maybe you got lucky earlier, but this time, I won’t let my guard down.”

An “absolute no-loss domain.”

For Park Gongchan, it might just be anything physical.

“Hyah!”

...To the point that he’s warming up so vigorously, even making such ridiculous sounds.

Sigh.

“Captain” Park Gongchan to Lead Victory Ship’s Charge!

「Park Gongchan: Premier League Player with Unparalleled Leadership!」

This probably wasn’t what they meant by his “unparalleled leadership.”

“Huhhhyaaaaahhh!”

It’s amusing, really.

To think that a famous star, someone who wouldn’t have even known I existed before the world fell apart, is stretching so fiercely to defeat me.

“I won’t... lose... ever!”

Then again, with that level of competitive drive, no wonder he made it to where he is.

Though I never went pro, I know what it takes.

In any field, there are always naturally gifted people.

And even they have to work their hardest to survive.

But.

“All this effort is nice and all...”

It only makes my heart race more.

The more fired up he gets, the angrier and more determined he becomes...

“I’ve never lost on a track since I came of age.”

“...!?”

Why, though?

Is it just the stamina stat I received as a bonus?

If that’s the case, why do I feel such an overwhelming urge to win perfectly?

“Track? Were you a sprinter?”

“Not exactly...”

Caught off guard, Park Gongchan asked, and I told him:

“This mission... It won’t be like the running you’re used to.”

“What?”

“They’re not going to just let us run.”

And then, the announcement came over the speakers:

[Avoid the incoming obstacles and reach the destination first!]

“!!”

Of course.

No way they’d let it be a simple race.

“How did you know...?”

“Get ready. It’s starting.”

* * *

Bang!

The sound of a gunshot.

A signal to start.

I knew it instinctively.

And so did Park Gongchan, waiting behind the white line like me.

Swish!

I launched my crouched body forward.

Instead of straightening my upper body, I propelled myself with spring-loaded legs.

“!!”

My body felt light.

Was it the stamina stat I’d gained earlier?

I could feel a breeze pushing against my thighs and calves as if propelling me forward.

My breathing was effortless, as if my lung capacity had grown.

Just as I’d reached the top of the cliff I’d worked so hard to climb, at the peak of my physical condition, and begun the race...

“...!?”

“What’s that sound?”

A heavy rumbling came from beyond the bushes.

Rrrrummmble!

It sounded like a massive door being pushed open—or like an army of horses galloping from far away.

What could it be?

The "obstacle" designed to hinder this mission.

It probably wasn’t just hurdles or traps.

Could it be monsters?

If it’s not too strong, it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll just deal with it quickly and keep running.

I’m also curious what kind of abilities Park Gongchan would use against a monster.

[An obstacle has appeared!]

So whatever it is... It doesn’t matter...

[Eliminate the Little Stone!]

...Wait, what?

Rrrrummmble!

Through the sparsely planted trees, a massive boulder came into view.

It looked like someone had intentionally smoothed it into a perfect sphere.

And it was rolling toward us at an incredible speed, growing exponentially larger with every second.

“They want us to eliminate a stone?”

“How are we supposed to eliminate that?!”

For the first time, Park Gongchan and I were on the same page.

Sigh.

And they called it “Little Stone.”

“How is that thing a ‘little’ anything?”

The “little stone,” initially the size of a fist, quickly grew larger than Park Gongchan.

Should I be surprised by its massive size, or the speed with which it lunged forward?

No, first of all...

Drrrrrrrk!

"Accelerate!"

There wasn’t even time to be surprised—my body moved instinctively to dodge.

While trying to grasp the situation, I narrowly avoided the small boulders barreling straight at me.

Five small boulders were charging in total.

Three aimed at me, and two targeted Park Gongchan.

So...

Tatak!

I calculated the paths of the three, found an open direction, and sprinted as if my life depended on it.

And moments later—

Tick-!

…Drrrrrrrrrk!

The boulders regained their momentum.

Crash!

The boulders, rolling in from every direction, slammed into a massive tree nearby.

The tree, which could easily have taken several adults to encircle with their arms, was crumpled as if it were paper.

Shrrrk! Crunch-!

The ancient tree shattered.

Its lush branches were obliterated, and its trunk—thick enough that I couldn’t wrap my arms around it—was crushed simply because it was brushed by the small boulders.

‘Insane.’

If I had been standing there, my head would have burst, and every bone in my body would have been shattered.

Or worse, I might have been pulverized into something not even resembling a sheet of paper, but tofu.

As these grim, vivid images forced their way into my mind and sweat trickled down my back—

“Fuckk!”

A curse rang out from behind me.

Park Gongchan, his face pale as a sheet, was glaring at the rolling boulders.

His stiff expression made it clear he was preparing for something.

So, I slowed my steps and kept an eye on him.

Thududududududu-!

He stared at the small boulders hurtling toward him and slid his right leg back.

"Kick!"

He let out a yell and delivered a kick.

‘Don’t tell me the skill name is just "Kick"?’

One of the smaller boulders—well, smaller in that it was about two meters in diameter—met his foot.

Boom!

The impact resounded with a force unbelievable for a collision between a foot and a boulder.

“Ugh!”

Park Gongchan collapsed.

Thud!

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Meanwhile, the kicked boulder rolled in the opposite direction, colliding with another nearby boulder that was rushing forward.

Like billiard balls, the rolling boulders changed their paths.

“Damn it... my leg...!”

Park Gongchan groaned in pain where he had fallen.

I couldn’t tell if his leg was broken or just battered, but at least he was alive.

The problem was—

Thudududududu-!

The boulder he kicked started rolling in my direction.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

And that boulder collided with the three boulders I had dodged earlier, which had crashed into the tree.

Ding!

[Defeat the 'Small Boulders'!]

An announcement rang out again.

Rattle! Rattle!

The stationary boulders began to tremble like a malfunctioning printer, and then—

Drrrrk! Drrrrrrrrk-!

They regained their momentum.

Momentum directed straight at me.

Taat-!

I erased all thoughts from my mind and moved my legs.

‘I’ll make it to the finish line.’

I had to outrun these boulders and end this bizarre obstacle race.

“Damn it...!”

A trembling voice struck the back of my head.

The voice of "Captain" Park Gongchan, filled with a mix of guilt and irresponsibility.

“Ah, you can dodge them, right?”

…That bastard.

* * *

Drrk! Drrrrrrrrrk!

I wanted to sprint straight toward the faintly visible finish line, but the damned six boulders came charging at me from every direction.

It was as if my body was a magnet for those rocks.

Dodging them left and right as I ran, Park Gongchan’s voice kept ringing in my ears.

“…Sorry about this!”

In front of me, behind me, at my ears, and back again.

I didn’t even have the energy to reply, so I ignored him.

But even as he limped along—half-walking, half-stumbling—his mouth stayed busy.

“I have to lead the team, and there are juniors waiting for me, so I had no choice…”

“Enough.”

I cut him off.

I had neither the capacity nor the intention to listen to his endless excuses.

Instead—

“Is your leg okay?!”

“What?”

I threw the question from my side.

Park Gongchan hesitated and replied awkwardly.

“Oh? Uh, yeah.”

Suddenly, he fell silent, and after a moment, mumbled faintly.

“You’re worrying about me… in this situation…”

“Don’t misunderstand—I wasn’t worried.”

“…?!”

If those small boulders had the hardness of a diamond under a petrification skill, he wouldn’t be this composed.

His instep and leg wouldn’t just be fractured—they’d be crushed into dust.

In that case—

‘I’ve got options beyond just accelerating.’

“Summon.”

Finally, the black sword I had been waiting for appeared in my hand.

The Flame Skyreaker Sword.

Fwoosh!

Without even touching its orb, the sword radiated a scorching heat as it wrapped itself around my palm.

I didn’t grab the sword.

The sword grabbed me.

Vwoom-!

Park Gongchan flinched and let out a scream-like question.

“You’re not thinking of slicing those boulders with that sword, are you?”

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

“All of them?! That’s reckless!”

"Then come over here and pour me some tea."

Though, with that limping leg, it’d probably be impossible.

"……."

Declining the ill-thought-out suggestion, I raised my sword.

Stretching both arms as high as they could go.

And then, toward the mercilessly charging little rock.

Swish!

I slashed from left to right.

Crack!

Slicing through a solid chunk of rock with a thin blade.

Digging into the dense interior, carving through it cleanly—it wasn’t easy.

Even so.

Swish!

The sharpness of the Flame-Heaven Sword made cutting the little rock effortless.

It’s cut!

And in the very next moment.

Thud!

The rolling rock came to a stop.

"What, what the—? How did it stop?!"

"Can’t you tell just by looking?"

The severed side had fallen to the ground, turning it from a sphere to something far less round.

If this were a living creature with health and vitality, I might have needed to go for the neck. But a rock? It was different.

'Just stop it from rolling.'

Seeing the strategy work was enough.

"Acceleration!"

I paused time and cut down the remaining rocks.

Swish, swish!

Stopping all six rolling rocks dead in their tracks, I resumed the race.

The track was simple—no need to change direction or worry about other runners. I sped forward.

And soon enough, the blue finish line came into view.

The yellow banner hanging against the backdrop of the gray mountains was unmistakable.

「FINISH」

I was almost there.

The finish line was about 400 meters away.

All I had to do was run.

'Let’s just end this.'

Thinking so, I moved closer to the finish line.

About 200 meters left.

Just as I started to relax.

[A previously dormant "little rock" has detected the runner heading for the finish line!]

The final aggro had been pulled.

And not just any aggro...

It was the mountain of rocks beyond the finish line.

'It wasn’t a mountain!'

The massive pile of round stones, which had looked like a mountain, came tumbling down.

Hundreds—no, thousands—of little rocks charged forward.

Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble—!

The deafening roar shook the entire world.

And this time, they were coming at an unbelievable speed.

Naturally.

The little rocks’ original speed, combined with the speed of my approach, had multiplied their momentum.

At this rate...

'I’ll crash at the finish line!'

The mission would succeed, but my body would be utterly destroyed.

Throwing my life away just to boost my stats wasn’t exactly a fair trade.

But.

'First, I just have to cross!'

Tap, tap!

I sprinted toward the finish line.

Toward the wave of crashing rocks that were aiming straight for me.

And finally.

Tap!

With the blue finish tape and the surging gray wave in sight, I was just about to clear the stage.

"Summon!"

I drew it.

The lute I had obtained from Yeon Bora.

'This will more than make up for the lost stamina with stat rewards!'

Sacrificing the smaller picture for the greater good.

Giving flesh to gain bone, I strummed the strings.

And then came the message.

[The Lute of the King of the East rejects the performance of an ordinary human!]

[The lute drains the performer’s life force!]

Flinch!

A jolt of electricity shot through my fingertips as they touched the strings.

An unfamiliar sensation of moisture draining from my body.

The unpleasant feeling made me instinctively loosen my grip on the lute.

But at that moment.

♬-!

A pure, jewel-like sound rang out.

[The Lute of the King of the East reacts to the wielder's extraordinary feat, "Sky-Sundering"!]

A welcome piece of news.

[The will of the King of the East is intrigued by the one who left a mark upon the sky!]

Honestly, whether it’s King of the East or the sky, I don’t care.

[The Lute of the King of the East is reassessing the qualifications of the wielder, Lee Eunho!]

This “reassessment” thing...

'Could you hurry it up a bit?'

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]