TSCU 07

Chapter 7

Scavenger.

It was a word used to describe animals that fed on the corpses of living creatures.

It wasn’t exactly a positive term, but Hiro was a man who suited the title Scavenger perfectly.

He was one of the most notorious scumbags in the Underworld.

Hiro was famous for his despicable and underhanded personality, as well as his Unique Ability.

The things he had done included human trafficking, organ trafficking, drugs, and so on. It was actually harder to find a dirty business he hadn’t gotten involved in.

The reason he stood out in those fields was because of his Unique Ability.

Kang Hyuk narrowed his eyes and glared at his opponent.

Hiro had also stopped smiling and was staring back at him.

He wasn’t particularly large, but his stance was fairly solid.

A tense atmosphere stretched between them.

Tap!

Kang Hyuk moved first.

He quickly threw himself forward.

Whoosh!

He closed the distance in an instant and thrust his spear straight ahead.

Clang!

The attack was blocked by Hiro’s shield.

But Kang Hyuk had expected that.

He had deliberately thrust along an easy-to-block trajectory.

Without stopping, Kang Hyuk struck upward with the shield in his left hand, knocking Hiro’s shield upward.

Boom!

Hiro’s shield shot up, exposing his upper body and his startled expression.

Kang Hyuk immediately thrust his spear.

Hiro raised his own spear to protect his upper body. Kang Hyuk pretended to aim the spearhead at his head, then rotated the shaft and slammed it into Hiro’s ribs.

Crack!

“AAARGH!”

A horrible scream rang out alongside the sound of bones being crushed beneath the spear shaft.

His ribs must have been broken, meaning the pain would be severe enough to make breathing difficult.

I’m lucky.

Perhaps because Kang Hyuk had charged in from the beginning with the intention of ending the fight rather than merely testing his opponent, he had gained the upper hand much more easily than expected.

Hiro had originally been one level below Kang Hyuk in terms of skill, and with his ribs now broken, he was no longer a match for him.

At this point, if Kang Hyuk beat him up for a few more hits, the assistant instructor watching them would probably declare him the winner.

I can’t let that happen.

He needed to finish Hiro off properly if he wanted to test Predation.

The moment Kang Hyuk thought that, Hiro helped him.

Vrrr—!

A low vibration suddenly rang out.

His vision blurred and was dyed purple.

A wave of dizziness washed over him, and he lost his sense of direction, stumbling as he struggled to keep his balance.

Hiro had used his Unique Ability.

Perhaps it was his first time using it, because he looked startled by what he had done himself.

But he quickly assessed the situation.

Tap!

Hiro rapidly closed the distance and thrust his spear forward.

Thrust!

The sound of the spearhead piercing flesh rang out.

Whether it was because of the sharp pain or because Hiro was too excited to maintain his ability, Kang Hyuk’s condition returned to normal.

He widened his eyes and looked at the spear lodged between his shoulder and chest.

Gasp!

“Urgh!”

Kang Hyuk hurriedly pulled his body backward.

The spearhead slid out, sending blood spraying into the air.

Hiro watched the sight with an expression of ecstasy.

Kang Hyuk, meanwhile, wore a pained expression as he thought calmly to himself.

What an idiot.

Contrary to the expression on his face, his mind was perfectly calm.

He had been caught by Hiro’s ability, but if he had truly wanted to avoid the attack completely, he could have.

And if Hiro had genuinely intended to finish him off, he should have targeted a vital spot that would be difficult to evade.

But perhaps because he believed he had secured a decisive advantage, Hiro charged at him again with a confident expression.

“Haaah!”

Bang!

Kang Hyuk blocked Hiro’s successive attacks.

He deliberately acted as though he was barely managing to defend himself, repeatedly retreating.

Hiro’s offensive grew increasingly fierce.

Occasionally, Hiro’s ability caught Kang Hyuk by surprise, but Kang Hyuk remained calm and dodged every attack.

“Haaap!”

Hiro thrust his spear once more.

Instead of blocking it, Kang Hyuk crossed past him and thrust his own spear at the same time.

Whoosh!

Hiro’s cheek burned.

The spearhead that had originally been aimed at Kang Hyuk’s throat only managed to graze his face.

Feeling blood trickle down his cheek, Kang Hyuk looked at his opponent.

“Ghk, ghk.”

Hiro stared at him in disbelief, having even released his spear as he touched his own neck.

The spearhead was deeply embedded in his throat.

“Stop! The winner is Kim Kang Hyuk!”

The instructor hurried over and shouted.

He immediately examined Hiro’s wound before clicking his tongue.

“You can just pull the spear out. Get this guy out of here!”

“Yes, sir.”

Kang Hyuk immediately retrieved his spear.

Blood suddenly gushed out, but the assistant instructor, following the instructor’s orders, simply hoisted the choking Hiro onto his back and carried him away.

When Kang Hyuk returned to his position, Lee Tae-beom no longer spoke to him.

Hiro would soon die.

But the training afterward proceeded without any interruption.

“Morning training is over! Move!”

Some time later, the morning training ended.

---

There were no rewards or punishments for the sparring training.

After all, sparring itself wasn’t considered particularly important training.

“Morning was still pretty manageable. I hope the afternoon is just like the morning.”

“So do I.”

Kang Hyuk gave a perfunctory answer to Tae-beom, who had approached him and started talking again.

After the duel with Hiro, Kang Hyuk had secretly been relieved that Tae-beom hadn’t spoken to him.

But after some time had passed, Tae-beom approached him again and cheerfully started chatting.

I remember Paladin Lee Tae-beom being quite taciturn.

Kang Hyuk recalled the Paladin Lee Tae-beom he had seen several times in the past.

Clad in pure white armor, radiating holy light as he swung a greatsword, he had been an object of admiration for many humans.

Kang Hyuk had also thought he looked quite impressive, with his quiet and charismatic demeanor.

“But seriously, if they’re going to make us train this hard, shouldn’t they at least give us good food? What kind of food doesn’t even have enough seasoning…”

…

That was definitely how he had been.

Perhaps that appearance had been deliberately crafted, or perhaps his personality had changed over time.

Kang Hyuk listened to Tae-beom’s chatter with one ear and let it go out the other while thinking about the afternoon training.

I need to show my abilities properly during the monster hunt.

Lee Tae-beom had said he hoped the afternoon training would be as easy as the morning.

But that wish wouldn’t come true.

Even in Kang Hyuk’s previous life, several trainees had died every day during monster hunts while trying to endure the brutal training.

The monsters on the final day in particular had been nothing short of a nightmare for the trainees.

It’s difficult, but the rewards are the most lucrative.

Kang Hyuk reviewed his plans with lowered eyes.

Then he opened his inventory and checked something.

I was lucky. I acquired a skill sooner than expected, and I already have several things I can put to use right away. More importantly, the ability I’m going to obtain this time is…

He recalled the message that had appeared shortly after he arrived at the accommodation.

[Predation Ability has been activated. You have acquired Hiro’s ‘Confusion’.]

The moment the message appeared, a thrilling sensation shot down his spine.

It was different from the feeling he had experienced when he absorbed Acidic Fluid before.

Is it because I devoured a stronger ability this time?

“Hmm.”

Kang Hyuk rubbed his back and leaned against the wall as if nothing had happened.

Confusion.

He knew exactly what it could do because he had experienced it firsthand.

It’s certainly a useful ability.

If he used it properly, his plans for the future would become much easier.

If only I could fit the final piece into place…

As Kang Hyuk organized his newly acquired abilities and revised his plans, time passed quickly.

“Break’s over! Everyone, come out!”

Soon, the short break ended, and all the trainees headed toward the training grounds under the guidance of the assistant instructors.

There were eighteen people gathered.

One person had disappeared because Hiro had died.

Now they really do all look like soldiers.

Kang Hyuk surveyed the gathered people using only his eyes.

Ever since they had witnessed the rebellious trainees being brutally beaten and killed on the first day, no one had openly rebelled.

Even so, there had occasionally been one or two people with rebellious looks in their eyes.

But as the training continued, it became increasingly difficult to find anyone like that.

Even if they have those thoughts inside, they’ve learned not to show them on the outside.

It was understandable.

The training had been so brutal that fewer than twenty people remained out of the original two hundred in less than a week.

Honestly, calling this training was almost embarrassing.

The entire purpose was to filter out everyone who couldn’t keep up and leave only those who showed potential.

“Line up according to your assistant instructors! Afternoon training will be conducted in teams of six!”

As always, training began with Black Hammer’s roar.

The teams were divided in less than five minutes.

Kang Hyuk looked over his teammates and the other teams.

The balance is surprisingly precise.

He hadn’t paid much attention to it in his previous life, so he hadn’t realized it before.

But now that he looked closely, the balance between the teams was remarkably well arranged.

Kang Hyuk was in Team 1.

It consisted of him, Yoo Hyuk-soo, one of the lackeys who had followed him around, two other men, and one woman.

Team 2 was where Mirian belonged.

Tamer James was also in that team, along with three other fairly ordinary trainees.

That woman is in Team 3.

Kang Hyuk focused his attention on a woman in Team 3, the same team as Lee Tae-beom.

She wasn’t someone I remembered from the past. I only remembered her because she stood out during the training.

The woman’s name was Cynthia.

She was an American with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Two days ago, she had awakened both holy power and healing abilities.

The fact that she had awakened holy power despite having absolutely no faith in the gods of this world meant that she possessed considerable talent as a priest.

The orcs had no choice but to cherish her.

The problem is that despite possessing such talent, her name never became known at all…

Kang Hyuk’s expression darkened.

Cynthia was beautiful.

And in this place, having an attractive appearance wasn’t necessarily an advantage.

A powerless person holding a jewel would only put herself in danger.

“All right! Team 1, come forward first!”

The instructor’s shout brought Kang Hyuk out of his thoughts.

As he walked forward, Kang Hyuk looked at his teammates.

Most of them wore confident expressions.

Considering the low-level monsters they had fought until now, it was understandable.

Those monsters had been nothing more than nameless cannon fodder.

To be honest, even a young orc with no training whatsoever could handle monsters of that level alone.

“Take out your weapons and stand by!”

At the instructor’s command, Kang Hyuk drew his weapon.

Meanwhile, the assistant instructors approached a metal-barred gate at one side of the training grounds and threw it open.

Then they quickly retreated.

Thud! Thud!

Everyone heard the footsteps.

The earth-shaking sound dragged an old memory out of Kang Hyuk’s mind.

The memory was so vivid that he didn’t even need to think about it.

Among everything that had happened at the training camp, this had been particularly memorable.

—Grrrrrrraaaah!

A roar rang out.

The confident expressions on the faces of the other trainees immediately turned pale.

Boom!

The monster appeared.

Teeth like saw blades filled its mouth.

Claws rose menacingly from its feet.

Its tail looked as though it had a battering ram attached to it.

But most frightening of all were those eyes glowing red.

Its eyes are looking at me.

Its eyes are…

“Gasp.”

Kang Hyuk took a deep breath.

Their eyes had met for only an instant, but he had already suffered mental damage.

These fucking orcs.

No matter how many times he thought about it, the orcs were completely insane.

Who would put a monster like that into a mere training exercise?

“Ugh…”

Kang Hyuk already knew a fair amount about the monster, so he recovered almost immediately.

But there were far more people who weren’t like him.

Some stood there with their mouths hanging open, making strange groaning sounds.

“Get a grip!”

Kang Hyuk shouted loudly while simultaneously striking the dazed trainees with the shaft of his spear.

The trainees who had been groaning regained their senses after being struck.

—Grrr.

The monster watched them with interest before slowly beginning to walk forward.

The monster’s name was Yohara Batum.

In the orc language, it meant Lizard with Frightening Eyes.

Though its appearance was actually closer to that of a dinosaur than a lizard.

“Don’t look into its eyes! It’s dangerous if you look at its eyes!”

Kang Hyuk shouted once more.

The creature was classified as a low-mid-level monster, but despite its classification, it possessed the ability to launch mental attacks.

Fortunately, once someone had already been affected by it—or possessed sufficiently strong mental fortitude—they could overcome the attack.

Naturally, Kang Hyuk fell into the latter category.

Otherwise, the monster would have been classified as at least a mid-level threat.

—Grrrrrrrr.

The creature roared once more, lowered its body, and then charged forward.

Boom! Boom!

The monster rapidly closed the distance.

Even without being told, everyone immediately spread out to both sides.

Their movements weren’t bad, perhaps because their levels were between 6 and 8.

In fact, a party of six people with an average level of 7 could normally defeat a low-mid-level monster without suffering any injuries.

But things were different when the party consisted of humans who had only gained their levels inside the training camp.

Boom!

The monster pretended to swing its claws before whipping its tail around.

Its tail struck nothing but the ground, but one person nearby lost his balance foolishly and stumbled.

The monster immediately swung its tail again at the exposed trainee.

He was too far away for anyone to run over and help him.

Kang Hyuk frowned.

It’s too early to use that.

But losing a team member already would be a tremendous disadvantage.

He quickly made his decision and pulled something out of his inventory.

“Activate.”

Something attached to his fingertips emitted a blue light.

Kang Hyuk threw forward the talisman he had personally created and named the Guardian Talisman.

While everyone’s attention was drawn toward the talisman, Kang Hyuk secretly used Confusion on the monster.

Boom!

Immediately afterward, the monster’s tail slammed down on the spot where the team member had been.

That was when astonishment appeared on the faces of everyone watching.

The monster’s tail had been stopped by a blue barrier.

A mere thin sheet of paper had blocked the attack of a mid-level monster.

The sight was so astonishing that the others failed to notice that the monster had been affected by Kang Hyuk’s ability and had staggered just before attacking, unable to properly control its body.

“Hmm.”

After witnessing Kang Hyuk’s performance, Black Hammer’s eyes gleamed with interest.