Chapter 85

“I heard there’s a loud sound coming from Shooting Range Two these days, and some Shooting Club members have been seen carrying away door fragments.” “What? You’re talking nonsense. There’s a limit to how much you can lie.” The shooting ranges were famous for being quiet compared to other training areas. In particular, Shooting Range Two was a space dedicated to the Shooting Club; Roh Jun-Yeop had a pathological dislike for loud noises, so it was hard to hear anything except the sound of shooting. And what was this nonsense about broken doors? Who would believe such rumors... Baaaaaaang! The students who had been walking past the shooting range building froze. “Was... that the sound of a door breaking?” “Uh, that sounded like thunder?” “Thunder in the shooting range?” “We... must’ve misheard.” “Right? Ha... haha... ” They stared at Shooting Range Two, which had fallen silent again, before quickly leaving the scene with awkward laughs. *** Meanwhile, inside Shooting Range Two. “G-grrrrrrk... ” Baek Do-Jin’s whole body was burned black as he foamed at the mouth. He slowly closed his eyes. Jae-Hyeok was running his very own thunder-tribulation response training using Traces of Thunder Tribulation. It was a rare opportunity. Training of this kind could help even S-class players greatly. The thunderbolt summoned by Jae-Hyeok was less powerful than one from an actual tribulation, but there were still many similarities, such as speed, timing, the path of the thunderbolt, and optical variables caused by the refraction of light. His training provided an opportunity to train one’s reflexes and get used to the fear of the thunder tribulation, so anyone would welcome it with open arms. Jae-Hyeok glanced at Do-Jin, who made a strange gurgling sound from his place on the floor. Unfortunately... It seemed his training was too difficult for students. Thunderbolts are serious business without lightning resistance. Unlike him, Do-Jin lacked the ability to resist lightning, so he was seriously injured after one thunderbolt. It was already amazing that he survived for a few seconds without fainting. “U-uh? Hiccup!” Da-Hee’s face paled. She was a girl who dreamed of becoming the second Yaksha. But in hoping to become an ideal aristocrat, she was destined to walk a thorny path. Like a sapling facing cold days ahead, whether it blossomed was uncertain. Knowing this, she was used to enduring all types of trials and tribulations with a positive attitude, viewing them as an opportunity for improvement. However, this time was different. “Was... that a thunderbolt?” Da-Hee’s eyebrows were scrunched into two worried squiggles as she looked between the charred Do-Jin and the high ceiling of the shooting range. That wasn’t some lightning bolt from the clouds. It had struck indoors, and it was also bright yellow. “...The thunder tribulation?” Hae-Rin spoke on behalf of Da-Hee, who couldn’t bring herself to utter those frightening words. Hae-Rin also had a blank expression. She stumbled back with eyes wide like a frightened cat’s. Jae-Hyeok cleared up the team’s misunderstanding. “No, no. Of course not. A thunder tribulation summons at least fifteen thunderbolts in a row. This isn’t the thunder tribulation. It’s just a normal thunderbolt.” The number of thunderbolts in a thunder tribulation was proportional to the target’s level. Players from levels 151 to 159 received fifteen thunderbolts, players from levels 160 to 169 received sixteen, and so on. At the time of his re-examination, the reason Jae-Hyeok’s thunder tribulation hadn’t become a big topic was that there was only one thunderbolt. “I-I see! I’m glad it’s an ordinary thunderbolt! I was so surprised that I thought it was the thunder tribulation!” After listening to Jae-Hyeok’s explanation, Da-Hee’s misunderstanding cleared up, and she laughed. Hae-Rin found her reaction a bit strange but said nothing. Like a cat, she intuitively avoided troublesome things. Jae-Hyeok observed her with interest as she retreated even further. Then he poured two bottles of potion on Do-Jin’s body. I really need to meet Seong-Hyeon this weekend. In order to continue training with the thunder tribulation, he needed a large amount of potions. And it just so happened that Jae-Hyeok had a connection with Cho Seong-Hyeon—the son of the chairman of Jaegyeong Pharmaceuticals, who visited Lion’s Castle every week to collect medicinal herbs. “A-aren’t you using potions a little too freely?” Seeing him empty two potions in an instant, Da-Hee was surprised. Students were given only five potions every week. It was rumored that if they ran out of potions during training, they could ask for additional potions from teachers or instructors, but doing so would have a negative impact on their grades. Besides, potions were akin to extra lives. No matter what, saving up and having as many as possible on hand was reassuring. “Why? Is it a waste to use potions on Do-Jin?” “That isn’t what I mean... ” The sooner Do-Jin recovers, the sooner my turn will come, right? She couldn’t bear to say those words. Jae-Hyeok spared her from the dilemma, saying, “Actually, they belong to Baek Do-Jin anyway, so there’s no need to save them.” Jae-Hyeok had already squandered his potions a long time ago while training to slash thunderbolts. He had nothing to give to others. “......” Da-Hee copied Hae-Rin and backed away. She’d already been wondering why she needed to endure the horrible experience of being struck by thunder. Now, having learned that she would have to waste her own potions, her motivation plummeted further. However, she had no right to refuse. Jae-Hyeok needed to gauge his teammates’ limits. “Sorry,” He apologized even as he took a step. Jae-Hyeok had reached level 32 on the last day of the snowfield training and had 102 points in Agility— Bang! —So his movements were like the wind. He quickly closed the distance with Da-Hee and used Two Scythes Block a Cart. Sizzle! The white gauntlets on his hands shone with a faint golden light as if releasing thunder energy. Flash! A bright yellow thunderbolt fell toward the overlapping bodies of Jae-Hyeok and Da-Hee. * When using a Skill, there is a very high chance of Traces of Thunder Tribulation becoming excited and summoning a thunderbolt. Naturally, the thunderbolt summoned by the white gauntlets had aimed at Jae-Hyeok. However, he had already left his position. “Hiik!” Da-Hee reflexively swung her sword just as Jae-Hyeok casually passed her, but it was too late. A thunderbolt struck her in the back. “A... ” She didn’t scream, having fainted instantly. The corners of Jae-Hyeok’s mouth twitched as he searched her pockets for potions. The two of them are better than expected. Da-Hee had reacted and moved her rapier before the thunderbolt had arrived, and Do-Jin had only fallen unconscious seconds after being struck squarely on top of his head. Clearly, their Agility- and Stamina stats were as good as their Strength. It was just as he’d expected after having dozens of sparring sessions with them. They both had two main stats instead of one. Flash Steps is a high-grade Initial Skill, and Da-Hee got the position of runner-up freshman for a reason. They indeed had high potential. A smile spread across Jae-Hyeok's face as he poured the potion over Da-Hee. “Are you actually worse than Jeong Ru-Han?” Hae-Rin’s eyes were wide, staring at Jae-Hyeok warily. She armed herself with a sword and shield before she knew it. It occurred to Jae-Hyeok that he should’ve tested Park Hae-Rin first since she was the one who trusted him the least... “Who knows,” he said before quickly regretting his choice of words. He amended, “You have to experience and judge for yourself what type of person I am, right?” “......” Experience and judge for yourself. Jae-Hyeok’s insignificant words resonated strangely in Hae-Rin’s chest. Her eyes sparkled and she nodded in an unusually vigorous manner. “I understand. I will judge and decide.” Clang! This time, Jae-Hyeok didn’t summon the thunderbolt straight away. He wanted to experience Hae-Rin’s skills firsthand, so he exchanged a few blows with her. She’s surprisingly similar to Baek Do-Jin. Do-Jin had a wild feel to him. He might lack skills, but he ran rampant like a beast and put a lot of pressure on Jae-Hyeok. On the other hand, Hae-Rin gave him a glimpse of a famous family’s great history. She used systematic techniques to fight but implemented them with perfect timing. Despite her systematic techniques, Hae-Rin’s style felt raw like Do-Jin’s because she made good use of the sharpened senses gained from her high Insight stat. She understood intuitively the limits and intricacies of every technique she used, allowing her to employ them in surprising and unorthodox ways. It was a nuisance from the perspective of her opponent. I can’t believe she’s already at this level without relying on her Initial Skill. He never thought he would feel the same emotion he had when he first met Baek Do-Jin. Jae-Hyeok decided that was enough, so he grabbed Hae-Rin’s shield and pulled her in. He held her firmly to prevent her from escaping and triggered his Skill in the air. Flash! “......!” With her sharp senses, Hae-Rin sensed the thunderbolt earlier than the others, but the problem was that she couldn’t move as fast as Da-Hee, and she wasn’t as sturdy as Do-Jin. The thunderbolt struck and she instantly collapsed. Not bad. Once they gain lightning attribute resistance, I think this training will be good for all three of them. Of course, the three of them couldn't escape or break through a thunderbolt—that was hard even for Jae-Hyeok—but he decided that trying to respond to the thunderbolt would be good training in itself. How exciting. He had the ability to summon thunderbolts, a place to do it, and teammates skilled enough to benefit. This opportunity was like a blessing from heaven. The only problem is that it will be hard to increase their lightning resistance. There were only a limited number of ways to increase elemental resistance. Unless they got a special profession or made a special achievement, they could only rely on items. In addition, lightning resistance was the most valued resistance type, thanks to the existence of thunder tribulations. This made finding items with lightning resistance harder than finding a needle in the desert unless they had major defects like Traces of Thunder Tribulation. And even if they did find a good item, there were so many competitors that a huge amount of money would be needed. In conclusion, this meant the team members’ thunderbolt response training would realistically remain limited to one time a day. “Crazy bastard... ” Roh Jun-Yeop arrived at the scene and immediately started cursing Jae-Hyeok. He could handle losing his manager position and having to take on boring tasks. But what was this? He was disgusted to see the three lumps of coal lying side by side at Jae-Hyeok’s feet. It was only at this moment that Jae-Hyeok felt guilty. His team’s condition hadn’t improved even after he’d watered each of them with two potions. Uh, I guess if they continue to train like this, they might die. Faced with reality, he calmed down and carried his teammates on his shoulders to the infirmary. *** First Year Class B Kim Jin-Rae, the filial boy he was, had been searching different club sites every night after receiving a call from his father. He honestly wondered what the point of doing this alone was. Still, he tried to find the club responsible for hunting the black tuna so he could ask them to be considerate of Ocean Shipping's position. Yes, Kim Jin-Rae could only count on a stroke of luck to find them. Then, it really happened. After hearing a sudden clap of thunder, he ran over, curious, and happened to catch a group of Shooting Club members setting down a large number of iceboxes near the building. Iceboxes?Don’t tell me! Arrows and ammunition couldn’t be stored in an icebox. As expected, after the Shooting Club members entered the building, Kim Jin-Rae opened an icebox and found a huge black tuna inside. The culprit who obstructed the chain-store business of Ocean Shipping and put his father in an embarrassing situation was revealed. So it’s the Shooting Club. The Shooting Club was one level lower than the major clubs. However, it was rumored that the manager’s personality was harsh, and his authority was unquestionable. This wasn’t a good place for a freshman to ask for favors. Even so, I can’t stay still. Kim Jin-Rae recalled his father’s face and mustered his courage. He arrived at the shooting range’s entrance, took a breath, and prepared to go in. Suddenly, an unexpected figure booted the door open. “Kim Jin-Rae?” “J-Jae-Hyeok? A-ahhhhh!” Kim Jin-Rae trembled. Why did everyone in class follow Jae-Hyeok like he was the leader? He had thought it was simply because of his strength. In fact, Jin-Rae also had a slight liking for Jae-Hyeok after being inspired by his strength and determination. But now, he saw that there was another, even more touching reason. “Jae-Hyeok, you... Did you know about my situation and come to help me behind the scenes?” “......?” “I see. The other must’ve noticed your personality a long time ago. No wonder they treat you like that...” The boy had entirely misunderstood the sight of Kang Jae-Hyeok carrying three corpses on his shoulders and was moved to tears. Jae-Hyeok was baffled. He’s a bit of a weirdo, huh. What was with Lion’s Castle? Were these the students who would be responsible for the future of South Korea? Where the hell did they find them? He sighed and gestured to Jin-Rae with his chin. “Follow me. Let me hear your story.”