Chapter 112
It was only natural that most people who had walked an elite path among Hunters and were on a roll would join a good guild, receive excellent treatment, and make a lot of money.
But a small number of them made a slightly different choice.
Some probably made that choice because they had a soldier in the family, or a veteran among their relatives.
There were also a few who enlisted with the thought of using their abilities for the country.
The members of the Divine Power Unit right before his eyes.
They were the clearest example of that small minority.
‘As expected, they’re strong.’
And those few men underwent several times more training and real experience than those in guilds, going through their Awakening one by one.
These men were exactly that kind.
“Hoo-wook!”
He instantly detonated the vast Blood Demon Energy that had even sent Wi Gwakdu flying.
The terrifying destructive force sent three nearby seniors flying in all directions and slammed them into the walls.
‘Tch, I thought at least six would go flying.’
But what happened afterward made Hyuk-min see the Divine Power Unit in a new light.
Even those three who had been sent flying released Mana just before hitting the wall and landed on the floor without suffering any major damage.
And then there were the large and small Barriers that rose around them.
‘The military really is the military.’
He had seen Baeksan’s White Shadows, and he had seen the Haeundae Guild’s expert assault teams.
They were the elite forces each guild took pride in.
But even in a no-holds-barred battle with their lives on the line, Hyuk-min felt he would choose the Divine Power Unit without hesitation as the stronger force.
‘Is it because of the difference in environment?’
Unlike guild members, these people lived for nothing but clearing Dungeons that were no different from wars.
And not just ordinary Dungeons, but high-rank Dungeons the country had deemed dangerous.
Not only did they live in that environment, but all of their training was focused on survival, so the amount of training they went through had to be on a completely different level from those who simply commuted to a guild.
‘I never imagined the gap between training to get stronger and training to survive would be this huge.’
As if proving it, they had blocked the hastily unleashed Blood Demon Energy Detonation without taking any real damage.
“This bastard!”
“Uraaat!”
Then came the seamless transition from defense to offense.
As if they had been waiting for this, the burly [Warrior Class] seniors from all directions launched their attacks at once.
The Divine Power Unit was not a place for ordinary soldiers, but a space occupied only by those considered the best of the best in society.
Though the amount of Mana each of them possessed was not great, their monstrously trained strength, combined with the support their teammates provided from the rear, felt threatening.
Whoosh! Wh-whoosh!
It was surprising.
But unlike three months ago, the current Hyuk-min had already completed his Awakening.
“Hoo-wook!”
After dodging the relentless storm of fists and kicks flying at him from every direction, he detonated his Blood Demon Energy once again.
Pang!!
As if they had already adapted, not a single person was sent flying this time.
It was a little disappointing, but it did not matter.
He had created enough distance from the [Warrior Class] seniors who had been swarming him.
This was exactly what Hyuk-min had been aiming for.
A brief lull created by the powerful shockwave.
It was regrettable that no one had been sent flying, but the opening was still enough.
“Hoo.”
An amount of Blood Demon Energy denser and greater than any he had gathered so far slowly rose from Hyuk-min’s body.
The moment that writhing Blood Demon Energy settled into place.
Flash.
A crimson glint flashed through his eyes as Hyuk-min slowly opened them.
Having finished all his preparations, Hyuk-min’s fighting style changed completely.
The Hyuk-min who had only been defending until now took the first step toward the group of seniors.
Tadak!
With a deep breath, Hyuk-min kicked off the ground.
In an instant, he drove his fist toward the solar plexus of a nearby senior.
It was completely different from before.
He had realized it perfectly after detonating his Blood Demon Energy twice.
The seniors’ bodies were so well-trained that an attack at that level would not even leave a scratch on them.
So just as the seniors had decided to get serious earlier…
Hyuk-min also had no intention of showing any more mercy.
“Ugh!”
Startled by the unexpected speed, the senior hurriedly crossed his arms and drew up his Mana.
However, the Blood Demon Energy, released with as much force as Hyuk-min’s resolve, spread out in a fan shape and sent even the seniors standing behind him flying all at once.
Pang!
“Keok!”
“D-dodge!”
“Kuaaaargh!”
Hyuk-min’s fist, clenched so tightly that it had gone red, showed just how powerful that attack had been.
But there was no time to stand still.
Even after witnessing Blood Demon Energy on a completely different level from before, the seniors, who had survived countless high-rank Dungeons, did not flinch.
The sight of the seniors trying to move even faster instead of shrinking back…
made a smile naturally spread across Hyuk-min’s face.
‘This place… is the real thing!’
The fists and kicks flying in from all directions gave Hyuk-min no room to breathe.
Whoosh! Wh-wh-whoosh!
Attacks powerful enough to slice through the air came flying at him.
The seniors’ attacks had grown even heavier, and the sound alone made it obvious they were no longer holding back.
Faced with that merciless assault, the smile on Hyuk-min’s lips only deepened.
Ssk.
But unlike before the lull, when he had been busy dodging and blocking, Hyuk-min had no intention of dodging or blocking their attacks.
Instead, he drew up the Blood Demon Energy from his Dantian, lowered his head, and broadened his back.
That was right.
Hyuk-min was not planning to dodge.
He was planning to take all of their attacks head-on.
Thwack! Th-thwack!
As if on cue, the Mana-infused attacks of the seniors rained down on Hyuk-min’s body.
However.
“A Barrier?”
All the seniors who had attacked the crouching Hyuk-min frowned at the same time.
They had definitely landed their blows, yet the sensation was different.
It did not feel like striking a human body, but like kicking a hard shield.
The unease of something being wrong came before the satisfaction of landing a hit.
“My Mana shattered?”
“My Barrier’s gone too.”
Sure enough.
It was not Hyuk-min who had been damaged, but the Mana coating their fists and feet that had shattered instead.
Unable to understand what had happened, all the seniors stared at the crouching Hyuk-min in astonishment.
The translucent membranes surrounding Hyuk-min’s body.
Their nature was completely different from the Barriers created by magic [Skills].
“This bastard! He’s a martial artist!”
“Body Protection Hardened Energy!?”
“He knows how to use Body Protection Hardened Energy?”
What was Body Protection Hardened Energy?
It was the ultimate defensive martial art, one that condensed Internal Energy and wrapped the entire body in it.
“Since when…”
“How can he use Body Protection Hardened Energy…”
During the brief lull created by the release of Blood Demon Energy, Hyuk-min had done only one thing.
Drawing upon the memories of his past life, he had converted all the Blood Demon Energy he had gathered into Body Protection Hardened Energy.
That alone was enough to shift the atmosphere of this chaotic hazing ritual in Hyuk-min’s favor.
‘Want to know why?’
The Body Protection Hardened Energy, wrapped in the domineering force of Blood Demon Energy…
‘Because it can also damage the one attacking.’
Just moments ago, while he had been crouched down, Hyuk-min had seen fragments of shattered Mana scattering everywhere.
And among them, there had not been a single crimson fragment.
Grin.
‘Very few of them can break through my Body Protection Hardened Energy!’
If so, then what he had to do now was simple.
Before the Body Protection Hardened Energy, which had consumed nearly half of the Internal Energy he had drawn up, disappeared, he had to take down every last senior.
“I’m coming at you for real now.”
Having grasped the situation, Hyuk-min kicked off at high speed toward the group of seniors.
The first place Hyuk-min charged was Sergeant Gwak.
That was only natural.
At this very moment, he was the greatest threat to Hyuk-min, who was wrapped in Body Protection Hardened Energy.
Tadak!
Leaping high enough to brush the corridor ceiling, he landed right in the middle of Sergeant Gwak’s group in a single bound.
As he descended, fists and kicks flew in from all directions, but once again they did nothing more than pound uselessly against his Body Protection Hardened Energy.
Not a single one landed a proper hit.
The moment he completed his landing, he planted both hands on the floor and spun his body a full three hundred and sixty degrees.
Lowering himself as much as possible, the sweeping low kick he unleashed in that full spin instantly sent seven nearby seniors into the air.
“Heup!”
The seven seniors, their balance broken, floated helplessly in the air.
Hyuk-min glared at them and clenched his jaw.
Then, gathering twice the amount of Blood Demon Energy he had used in the first detonation…
he detonated it with all his might.
BOOM!!
It was on an entirely different level from before.
Knowing that their Barriers and individual [Stats] might still block it, Hyuk-min showed even less mercy in his attack on the seniors.
“Kuaaaargh!”
Along with a deafening roar, a violent shockwave powerful enough to fill the entire corridor burst outward.
Barriers shattered here and there, and the seven seniors who had been lifted into the air, along with the other nearby seniors, were all hurled in every direction and smashed hard into the walls.
The [Supporter] seniors in the rear had to cover their ears as all of their [Skills] were canceled.
The sound was so overwhelming and the pressure of the shockwave so intense that several of the [Supporters], their ears covered, collapsed unconscious on the spot.
Thwack!
A kick from somewhere unknown struck Hyuk-min’s Body Protection Hardened Energy.
The combat boot, along with the Mana wrapped around it, that had aimed for the side of Hyuk-min’s head, shattered against the Body Protection Hardened Energy and scattered into fragments.
“….?!”
But this attack was completely different from the previous ones, which had not even been able to leave a scratch.
Crack.
Three long cracks spread across the hard shell of the Body Protection Hardened Energy, making Hyuk-min immediately check who had attacked him.
Grit.
It was Sergeant Gwak.
‘I knew I had to deal with him first.’
Since his Immortal Demon Art was only at the third stage, using Body Protection Hardened Energy had been a gamble from the start.
Not only was it incomplete, but it had also consumed half of his Internal Energy, making this entire fight a gamble.
A gamble where he won if the Body Protection Hardened Energy held, and lost if it broke.
‘I have no choice. If I hold back after coming this far, I’m the one who’s going to get hurt.’
The atmosphere had already reached its peak.
If he went easy on them now, Hyuk-min would be the one to suffer.
The moment he saw Sergeant Gwak’s combat boot, Hyuk-min, without even glancing at the cracked Body Protection Hardened Energy, seized Sergeant Gwak’s left foot without hesitation.
Thwack!
The moment his left foot was caught, Sergeant Gwak, before gravity could drag him to the ground, slammed his right foot down onto Hyuk-min’s Body Protection Hardened Energy with all his might.
Cra-crack.
The cracks in the Body Protection Hardened Energy began to widen, and what had started as three cracks had weakened to the point where one more strike would shatter it completely.
For a moment, a deep frown formed on Hyuk-min’s face.
He could not just let that happen.
As he watched Sergeant Gwak’s hands touch the floor and his right foot rise again for a third kick.
‘This guy… I can’t let this continue.’
At that instant!
Hyuk-min drew up a different kind of energy, not the Blood Demon Energy he had used until now.
Whoosh!
Sergeant Gwak’s heel missed the Body Protection Hardened Energy as he was yanked away so quickly it felt as though his neck might snap.
“Ugh!”
Overwhelmed by that absurd speed, Sergeant Gwak struggled to raise his head.
In that instant, the black smoke pouring from Hyuk-min’s body streaked past the group of unit members and raced along the wall.
The sheer speed was so overwhelming that it stirred up a violent gust through the corridor.
“Hoo-eup!”
The black smoke dragging Sergeant Gwak dispersed with a pak! right in front of the main entrance.
Having released his [Spirit Materialization], Hyuk-min immediately gritted his teeth and twisted his body with all the speed and momentum he had built up.
With both feet planted firmly on the floor as though rooted there, he rotated his upper body two hundred and seventy degrees and swung Sergeant Gwak in a wide arc before hurling him with all his might toward the group of seniors.
PANG!
He threw him so hard that the air itself burst.
Crack!
The force was so immense that the sound of something breaking came from Sergeant Gwak’s ankle, which until then had endured every attack.
Sergeant Gwak, flying like a bullet, slammed into the bewildered group of seniors and completely destroyed their formation.
“Hoo-wook… hoo-wook… hoo-wook…”
Hyuk-min gasped roughly for breath.
“That hurts… Hey! You crushed people!”
“Sergeant Gwak! Are you alright!?”
The ones at the front of the collapsed group of seniors could not even get back up.
The ones behind them, who had toppled over like bowling pins, only then began trying to tend to Sergeant Gwak.
“Guh, guuuh! My foot!! My foot!!”
He truly had an absurdly sturdy body.
To think that after being hit with that kind of force, the only injury he suffered was the ankle Hyuk-min had grabbed.
“This bastard!”
“Grab him and beat him to a pulp!”
Was it because Sergeant Gwak had been taken down?
A few of the seniors, seemingly even more enraged, activated their [Skills] and charged at Hyuk-min.
In response, Hyuk-min glanced at his crumbling Body Protection Hardened Energy and grinned.
Then, just before colliding with the seniors’ Mana.
Cra-crack. PANG!!
He deliberately shattered his Body Protection Hardened Energy, sending the charging seniors flying in every direction.
Clunk.
At that moment, the door opened, and he made eye contact with someone he had never seen before.
“Unit Commander, sir…”
“Aish, I should have told you earlier. That new recruit who just came in… he’s no ordinary guy.”
And shortly after that, a familiar face appeared from beyond the entrance.
The commander of the Divine Power Unit, Wi Gwakdu.
He ran a hand through the hair at the back of his head with a look that clearly said, ‘What a mess,’ and scrunched up his face.
The battered and injured members of the Divine Power Unit…
And Hyuk-min, standing between them and Wi Gwakdu, breathing heavily.
And so, Hyuk-min went through the Divine Power Unit’s hazing ritual in a blazing hot and flashy fashion, properly engraving himself into the minds of all the unit members.
Grit.
All except for one person.
“You… are so dead…”
That was, of course, except for Sergeant Gwak, who was clutching his ankle and grinding his teeth.