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Chapter 8
Jeong Hyun-soo had been suspended from the Cradle, and he no longer had the slightest attachment to it.
Unless there was something worthwhile to gain, he had no intention of returning to that tiny political arena filled with immature trainees.
Instead, he devoted himself entirely to training.
Hyun-soo stood atop a specially made medicine ball while holding a heavily loaded barbell, maintaining his balance.
Heavy strength training was essential, but a Hunter couldn’t afford weakness in any aspect of physical ability.
At times, one needed explosive power.
At others, flexibility beyond anyone else.
And above all, the endurance to keep fighting longer than everyone else.
That was why the body had to be pushed to its absolute limits and maintained in peak condition.
Half-hearted training and relying solely on Tower rewards will never be enough.
The rewards from Towers and Gates certainly made Hunters stronger.
But depending on them alone was foolish.
Rewards were merely bonuses.
A body forged through relentless training…
Countless hours spent refining one’s techniques…
Those were what created enormous differences between Hunters of the same rank.
There was a reason why elite Hunters obsessed over personal training.
And the most important stage wasn’t after reaching great heights.
It was the very beginning.
Perhaps… this is actually good fortune.
Ironically, that perfectly described his current situation.
He was already nineteen.
Yet thanks to years of laziness and lack of talent, he had barely trained properly.
His mana control, in particular, was so poor that it was practically beginner level.
Which meant…
He could rebuild everything from scratch.
A flawless foundation.
The foundation that everyone later regretted not building properly.
And this time…
He possessed the experience of someone who had once reached SSS Rank.
Boom!
After finishing his brutal strength workout, Hyun-soo immediately began an exhausting endurance sprint.
Only after that did he pick up the massive greatsword resting inside the training hall.
Whoosh!
As the gigantic blade descended from above, every muscle in his body screamed in agony.
There were countless weapons in the world.
Everyone preferred something different.
Hyun-soo preferred weapons that were both massive and powerful.
And since a blade also needed cutting power…
The greatsword had always been the obvious choice.
A weapon already possessing overwhelming destructive force.
If its wielder became strong enough to swing it faster and faster through training and rewards…
Then it truly became the king of all weapons.
“Haa… Haa…”
The reason he had once been called the King of Night was actually very simple.
He trained until his limits broke…
So that he could swing the heaviest greatsword faster than anyone else.
At that moment, he sensed someone approaching and stopped his training.
“Eat something before you continue.”
It was Jeong Cheol.
“Father.”
Jeong Cheol quietly observed him.
His face was pale.
His entire body was drenched in sweat.
Drops rolled down his hands.
His palms had been torn open from gripping the enormous sword.
Blood covered them.
His muscles twitched uncontrollably.
He had truly driven himself to the absolute limit.
“So you’ve abandoned the path of speed…”
“…and chosen to overcome everything through overwhelming weight?”
Just by watching his training, Jeong Cheol immediately understood the direction Hyun-soo was pursuing.
As expected of the leader of one of the Ten Great Guilds.
Back when he cared only about appearances…
Hyun-soo had dreamed of becoming a flashy swordsman who fought with speed.
“If you swing fast, that’s speed.”
“If you swing heavily and powerfully, that’s weight.”
“And if you add destruction…”
“…that becomes domination, doesn’t it?”
To Hyun-soo, the direction of a swordsman wasn’t determined by the weapon itself.
It depended solely on the person wielding it.
For a brief moment…
A faint smile appeared on Jeong Cheol’s lips before disappearing.
“Correct.”
“In the end, mentality is what matters.”
“But maintaining that conviction…”
“…is the difficult part.”
“That’s true.”
Looking at his son, Jeong Cheol clicked his tongue.
“You’ll never maintain it if you collapse first.”
“Come eat.”
“At this rate you’ll pass out.”
Both of them knew Hyun-soo was pushing himself too hard.
But neither intended to stop.
To make up for all the wasted years…
This period was unavoidable.
Which meant he needed proper meals and efficient rest.
Everything else was a waste of time.
Training came first.
“I was about to.”
Then something unexpected happened.
“…Would you like to eat together?”
Jeong Cheol looked at him.
“Is there something wrong with a father eating in his own house?”
“No.”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“If eating with your father bothers you…”
“…just say so.”
“No, that’s not it.”
It was simply…
Awkward.
When was the last time the two of them had actually shared a meal together at home?
As expected from a family devoted to martial arts, the table was overflowing with food.
Father and son devoured it at terrifying speed.
“When you return to school…”
“Live properly as a trainee.”
“I was actually going to tell you something.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’m not going back to the Cradle.”
Thunk.
Jeong Cheol suddenly lost his appetite.
His son had finally begun acting responsibly…
And now he was saying he would quit school.
“…Don’t throw that yet.”
“Honestly, considering my current level of Hwancheon True Qi…”
“…is there any reason for me to waste time there?”
“You lack social skills.”
“You still need to meet people.”
“There are things you can only learn from others.”
“And the instructors at the Cradle are excellent Hunters.”
Objectively speaking…
That was true.
But…
Did any of them possess greater experience than Hyun-soo?
Did they know more about Gates or the Tower?
If they did…
They would’ve been the ones to kill the Catastrophe Dragon and the Giant King.
He needed every single day.
To save Garam.
To conquer the Tower once again.
And to make the Association Chairman experience hell.
“Give me a chance to prove it.”
“If even you conclude I don’t need the Cradle anymore…”
“…that should be enough.”
“And if you fail?”
“I’ll obey whatever you say.”
“Fine.”
“In that case…”
“Next year you’ll get engaged immediately.”
“Pfft!”
Hyun-soo nearly choked on his protein drink.
“Cough! Cough!”
“…What?”
“Once you’ve finally gotten your life together…”
“Starting a family should make you even more responsible.”
“Father!”
“What are you talking about?!”
“You proposed conditions.”
“So I proposed mine.”
“Even a father shouldn’t always accept one-sided deals.”
Otherwise…
He was going back to the Cradle.
If he disliked it…
He simply had to prove himself.
It was such a typical Jeong family way of thinking that Hyun-soo almost found it amusing.
Blood really is blood…
But Jeong Cheol wasn’t finished.
“The stage…”
“I’ll choose it.”
“The rookie Hunters of our guild will soon enter the Tower for the first time.”
Hyun-soo’s eyes lit up.
Of course he remembered.
The debut match.
The competition where rookies from five of the Ten Great Guilds entered the Tower together.
An event that would determine the future of countless promising talents.
The entire nation had paid attention.
The problem was…
Garam Guild had finished dead last.
Its heir had caused trouble…
And then disaster had struck.
But there was an even more important reason he had to participate.
The Seed of the Overlord.
It was the only chance to obtain a Legendary-grade item.
Hyun-soo immediately tore off the roasted pig’s front leg and stood up.
“Then I don’t have time to sit around.”
“For the time being, I’ll even skip meals—”
“Meals are eaten here.”
“A family sits at the same table.”
“…Yes.”
“By the way…”
“Aren’t you curious who your fiancée would be?”
Hyun-soo chuckled.
“No matter who it is…”
“I have no intention of getting engaged.”
“I’m sorry.”
Jeong Cheol watched him leave.
He had definitely changed.
That alone was enough to satisfy a father’s heart.
He simply hoped…
This time…
His son would truly stay on the right path.
*** * * **
After returning to the training room, Hyun-soo found something new.
“…This is…”
Apparently the old butler had visited while he was gone.
The room had been cleaned.
And resting neatly on a table…
Was a single book.
Paecheongi!
One of the Five Divine Arts of the Five Kings Martial Arts.
The supreme martial art created by his great-grandfather after being chosen by one of the Five Kings exiled from the Underworld.
The strongest martial technique of the Jeong family.
Previously…
Hyun-soo had challenged the world’s strongest opponents using only Cheonpae Ghost King Martial Arts and Hwancheon True Qi.
Now…
He finally possessed a second supreme art.
Paecheongi.
The technique most compatible with Cheonpae Ghost King Martial Arts.
How often had he regretted never obtaining it?
He had desperately hoped the Five Kings would choose him as they had chosen his great-grandfather.
But…
They had remained silent.
Again and again.
Now none of that mattered.
Because the manual lay right before him.
There were many ways martial arts could be inherited.
Some came through skill books.
Others…
Through teachings, enlightenment, and repeated practice.
The latter was overwhelmingly superior.
Experience had taught him that.
Skill books granted immediate mastery.
But they robbed a person of the struggles…
The insight…
The countless refinements needed to truly make a technique their own.
True mastery only came through trial and error.
Which was why Hyun-soo preferred learning from nothing.
The forgotten King known as the Heaven-Suppressing Demon King, master of Paecheongi…
Had pursued nothing but the ultimate amplification of raw physical force.
Combined with Cheonpae Ghost King Martial Arts…
Paecheongi allowed one to generate devastating vibration waves capable of destroying even absolute defenses.
It would be the perfect counter against Sun Woo-hyun’s defensive magic.
It would also prove invaluable when breaking the Catastrophe Dragon’s scales…
And even when clashing directly with the Giant King’s overwhelming strength.
“Manggiwijung, Wanchwi… Jogyeol, Hyul-yukseonggang, Sikchimyeoseok…”
Compression.
Pressure.
Crushing.
Pulverization.
Jongdap Cheonsang.
All energy…
Becomes weight.
Hyun-soo slowly gathered that energy.
Then violently compressed it.
His flesh twisted into steel.
Even his breathing became as heavy as stone.
Crush.
Suppress.
Pulverize.
Then—
BOOM!!
The released force exploded through the air.
The training dummy standing in the center of the room was struck.
Its chest caved inward.
Looking at the damage, Hyun-soo muttered,
“…Still a long way to go.”
[You have learned Paecheongi!]
He had entered the technique.
But to use it in actual combat…
Countless repetitions still awaited him.
Name: Jeong Hyun-soo
Stats
- Vitality: 11
- Strength: 7
- Technique: 5
- Mental Power: 12
- Endurance: 8
Skills
- Five Kings Martial Arts – Cheonpae Ghost King Martial Arts (2-Star)
- Hwancheon True Qi (10-Star)
- Paecheongi (1-Star)
Except for mealtimes…
He even slept inside the training room.
Two weeks passed in relentless training.
And finally…
The day arrived when the rookies of five of the Ten Great Guilds would ascend the Tower and begin their competition.
