Chapter 102

“Heh... ” “Heh... Heh... ” Unable to hold it, Baek Do-Jin held his stomach and exploded with laughter. “Puhaha!” Da-Hee looked at him like he was pathetic. “Are you really that happy about this?” “Of course! I won against Roh Jun-Yeop! Up until yesterday, he’s been saying, ‘wait and see who gives up first’. And now he ran away!” The thunder tribulation response training, from the standpoint of those subjected to it, was not training at all but torture. The pain of those thunderbolts was indescribable. These days, even Baek Do-Jin, a mad dog who didn’t surrender to anything, couldn’t help but startle whenever he heard the sound of toilets flushing; it sounded like thunder. Chae Da-Hee’s situation was similar. She was so talented and persistent that she took second place among the freshmen. But she just couldn’t adapt to the thunder tribulation training. Every time she was struck, her skin peeled and her organs fried. She could use a lot of potions to recover, but her mind was scarred by the excruciating experience. Of course, Jae-Hyeok’s earnest attitude shook their mindset even more. -Look, this is training to avoid the thunder. If it hurts, you just have to avoid it and not get hit, right? And his words of encouragement only left them feeling colder than ever. -Don't worry, you guys are improving! It’s just that the thunderbolts are faster and stronger than before, so it’s hard to tell. The power of a Skill was usually proportional to the user’s stats. The thunderbolts had grown stronger and faster because Jae-Hyeok himself had grown stronger. In other words... Even if we succeed in avoiding today’s thunderbolt... I-it is all for nothing if Jae-Hyeok gets stronger, right? No one could blame Roh Jun-Yeop for running away. I should run away now as well. Do-Jin crept backward. In any case, he’d won his bet with Roh Jun-Yeop. It was time to escape this hell. If he continued training his reaction against the thunderbolts, he would train his concentration, Insight, and quickness. In addition, he would gain the courage to no longer fear Flash Steps, and he could also be lucky enough to gain lightning resistance along the way. But so what? Was any of that worth being struck even once more? Don’t make me laugh! Baek Do-Jin suddenly turned around and started running away. “Ridiculous.” Jae-Hyeok clicked his tongue. He was surprised to see the guy who’d been laughing moments ago suddenly turn silent before running away. He seriously questioned Do-Jin’s mental state. “You should be grateful to me, right?” Thunder tribulation response training should be a dream for every player in the world. Moreover, Jae-Hyeok’s teammates and the Shooting Club members even received potions for free. “Running away when you should be worshipping me as your benefactor for generations?” Jae-Hyeok gritted his teeth before chasing after Do-Jin and using a Skill to trigger a thunderbolt. “No!” Seeing this, Do-Jin screamed for his life as he used Flash steps. “Uwack!” “......!” “......!” Everyone in the hall, including Jae-Hyeok, froze with wide eyes. The remnants of the lightning energy dispersed, and the ground between Jae-Hyeok and Do-Jin was blackened. “H-he avoided it!” Da-Hee shouted excitedly. The Shooting Club members started cheering and clapping. Baek Do-Jin. He was a boy who’d only been showing shortcomings since joining the Shooting Club. His level was low for a second-year student, which often kept him from doing well, yet he was the first to dodge a thunderbolt. Many people were enthusiastic about this unexpected twist. “U-uh?” However, Baek Do-Jin himself looked lost. He didn’t seem to believe that he’d actually done it. “Good job.” It wasn’t until Do-Jin heard Jae-Hyeok’s compliment that he came to his senses. “I... I really did it!” Do-Jin’s normally hostile expression shattered as a beaming smile spread across his face. It was like watching a wolf cub turn into a puppy. Do-jin’s eyes turned red as he remembered the pain and sorrow he had experienced while being tortured by thunderbolts for the past few days. He roared. “I did it!” Seeing his joy, the members of the Shooting Club were also happy. They remembered how Do-Jin had been just as happy the first time he’d hit a target with his bow. He was so happy back then as well.He’s clearly serious about archery. That his results with the bow are what they are, is surprising. So Do-Jin didn’t take the bow lightly. It’s just that his talent is low... He must’ve been trying his best when learning archery. The members' misunderstandings were secretly resolved, and they developed an even greater liking toward him. “Amazing! You dodged that demon’s Skill!” “That’s right, Baek Do-Jin! You’re the best!” Shooting Range Two was filled with a friendly atmosphere, and soon the members of the Shooting Club began tossing Baek Do-Jin into the air while cheering. Da-Hee watched anxiously as Baek Do-Jin nearly scraped the top of the ceiling. Isn’t he getting thrown too high up? Maybe it was that he was so small and light. Baek Do-Jin laughed out of excitement. Ah, this is the first. Baek Do-Jin’s eyes became even redder. It was his first time being ahead of others. As a child, he’d always fallen behind Loren’s talent, and after entering Lion’s Castle, Flash steps had held him back from getting ahead of others. The experience of avoiding Jae-Hyeok’s thunder tribulation before anyone else gave Do-Jin unimaginable motivation. Flash Steps. Jae-Hyeok’s expression as he looked at Do-Jin was strange. To be honest, ninety percent of the reason Do-Jin had avoided the thunderbolt was due to luck. His escape had resulted from the accidental overlap between Do-Jin activating Flash Steps and Jae-Hyeok triggering a Skill. However, luck was also part of one's skillset, and Do-Jin wouldn’t have gotten lucky today if not for his luck in awakening Flash Steps in the first place. No matter what, he avoided it. Although Do-Jin hadn’t consciously reacted to the thunderbolt, he had still avoided it by using Flash Steps at the same moment the thunderbolt had fallen. In other words, Do-Jin hadn’t fallen behind in speed. Flash Steps was indeed a Skill that surpassed space. Jae-Hyeok thought, I’m not surprised no one has ever mastered Flash Steps before. The Skill’s performance was too overwhelming, so normal methods and talent were naturally insufficient to control it. Do your best, Do-Jin— “Kuock!” You have the potential to become great. With gleaming eyes, Jae-Hyeok watched Do-Jin, who was currently falling in the pose of a dying frog after clipping his head on the ceiling. I believe in you. *** “He isn’t in his dormitory either?” No one in the club had seen Roh Jun-Yeop all day. At first, the torture... no, at first, they thought he was running away from the training. But something was wrong. They searched all the places he could be, but there were no traces of him. “There’s no record of him leaving the school.” “Did he really go to a danger zone?” “The one who constantly complains that being a solo long-range attacker is hard? I don’t think so.” If it were a few weeks ago, the Shooting Club members wouldn’t have been interested in whether Roh Jun-Yeop had disappeared or not. In fact, many people would’ve enjoyed not seeing him. However, the current Shooting Club was different. Due to the solidarity they’d developed across various incidents, the number of people who worried about Roh Jun-Yeop naturally increased. It was a feeling that could be described as comradeship or friendship. Crack. Jang Yeon-Ju bit into her candy. She hadn’t realized how full of strength she felt, watching the club members worrying about the missing Roh Jun-Yeop and discussing countermeasures. If only Roh Jun-Yeop could see this. Who would’ve imagined that the club would change like this? At the very least, she hadn’t thought it possible, and the club seniors were the same. She could still remember how the seniors worried about Roh Jun-Yeop taking over as manager. I’m really glad. Jang Yeon-Ju’s eyes as she looked at Jae-Hyeok were so sweet that they practically dripped honey. She had something to brag about when the seniors came back. “Hey, look at this.” Suddenly, one of the club members rushed over, holding a piece of paper soaked in blood. -We will keep your manager for the time being. The words on the paper were concise, but it was enough for everyone to immediately realize what had happened to Roh Jun-Yeop: he had been kidnapped. The members of the Shooting Club were in turmoil after learning of this sudden development. “He’s the manager? When was he kidnapped? I thought I was the manager?” Do-Jin tilted his head as if he didn’t understand the situation at all. “I’m going to sleep.” Hae-Rin, who had been dozing off since the end of training, got up as soon as the hour hand pointed to 10 o’clock. “L-let’s go to rescue him now!” Da-Hee drew her rapier, but it trembled in her small hand. She looked very nervous, perhaps because she imagined something bad after seeing the bloody note. “First, report it to the Student Council and investigate the sender,” Jang Yeon-Ju said. Her voice was fierce as she gave instructions to the members. She was furious that someone dared to kidnap one of their own on campus. “This is chicken blood.” Jae-Hyeok calmed the mood with his words. His expression was grim as he looked at the paper soaked in blood. “H-how do you know that? It must be Jun-Yeop’s blood!” Chae Da-Hee reacted with disbelief. It wasn’t just her, but everyone in the room—well, except for Baek Do-Jin and Park Hae-Rin. “If Kang Jae-Hyeok says it’s like that, then it’s like that.” “I’m sleepy.” Jae-Hyeok explained, “People use chicken or pig blood to write on the walls of my house. I’ve cleaned it up many times, so I know how to tell them apart.” “......” Do-Jin straightened his posture, and Hae-Rin sat quietly in her chair. The sudden heavy reminder of Jae-Hyeok’s history turned everyone silent. Jae-Hyeok said, “In any case, Roh Jun-Yeop will be safe. The kidnappers won’t want things to get any bigger.” If Roh Jun-Yeop’s situation had been similar to his own, he would’ve taken it seriously. However, this case was completely different. Jae-Hyeok had some insight into the motives of this incident. They must think our ranking will drop if they block Roh Jun-Yeop from taking on commissions. “Let’s go to work. We won’t be sleeping well for the next few days.” Jae-Hyeok said. In his hand, he held dozens of commissions personally sent to the Shooting Club. *** The next afternoon. Noble checked the Club Earnings Ranking and was in turmoil. “...What? The Shooting Club made more money?” “We’ve already got Roh Jun-Yeop. So why? Wasn’t Roh Jun-Yeop the Shooting Club’s one-man team?” Roh Jun-Yeop, whose limbs were tied up tightly, watched the situation with blank eyes.