Chapter 292

Words : 2765 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

Chapter 292 A heavy silence fell over the training ground. The three just stood there, watching Se-Hoon, visibly unsettled by the sudden challenge. There was a palpable tension; they had quickly realized he was being serious. “...I guess it is about time for us to duel it out,” murmured Sung-Ha, uncrossing his arms and pulling out two spears from his void pocket. He then locked his gaze on Se-Hoon. “Who are you going to start with?” From Sung-Ha’s fiery gaze, it was clear he was ready to jump in at any moment. His motivation brought out a slight smirk from Se-Hoon, who was amused at how Sung-Ha had reacted the exact way he expected. He’s the first to step up, just as I thought. While Luize was taken aback by the unexpected challenge and Amir was trying to figure out the reason behind it, Sung-Ha had accepted without the slightest bit of questioning. He had an innate drive to fight and win—which was the essence of Mad Dog Yeom Sung-Ha. Though it isn’t necessarily a good thing. Thinking it was about time to tame Sung-Ha a bit, Se-Hoon looked at the other two. “It’ll take too long if I fight you guys one at a time, so come at me all at once.” “...You’re planning to take us all on by yourself?” “Yes. You don’t think I can?” Se-Hoon’s confidence left Sung-Ha speechless, just staring in silence. If Se-Hoon had said such a thing at the beginning of the semester, Sung-Ha would have dismissed him as a clueless blacksmith. But Sung-Ha knew well that Se-Hoon wasn’t the same anymore. He can probably fight me evenly, even if it’s only in terms of strength. If he went all-out, I’d be crushed. Well aware of Se-Hoon’s strength, Sung-Ha accepted the situation calmly. “Suit yourself. I’ll be doing the same.” With that, Sung-Ha walked to the far left of the arena to prepare. At that moment, Amir, who had been lost in thought until now, finally spoke up. “Are you going to go all out?” “That depends on whether you guys deserve that much effort.” “Hmm...” Instead of replying, Amir subtly glanced around the training ground, as though trying to indicate something. Catching on to what that was, Se-Hoon chuckled softly. “Don’t worry. At your level, you won’t even get close to hurting me.” “...” Amir’s expression soured. While he was glad Se-Hoon understood his point, being disregarded so easily stung his pride. I guess I’ll just have to show him how much I’ve improved. Determined, Amir headed toward Sung-Ha to prepare as well. With him gone, Se-Hoon finally turned to Luize, who was still lingering nearby. “Do you have anything to say, like those two?” At his words, Luize just silently blinked at him for a moment before shooting a quick glance at Li Fei, who was watching them eagerly from behind Se-Hoon. Then, with some hesitation, she quietly asked, “Is she... your niece?” “Huh?” “That girl over there.” “Oh, no. She’s actually the granddaughter of someone I know. Why?” He couldn’t tell why Li Fei’s identity would matter to her right now, so Se-Hoon shot Luize a questioning look. “...Well, she’s glued to you but doesn’t look similar to you at all, so I was just curious,” Luize tried to explain, giving him an awkward shrug. “She’s just here to watch, so don’t worry. Anything else you’d like to ask?” With her curiosity satisfied, Luize glanced over at Sung-Ha and Amir, who were getting ready. “Are we supposed to just... go at it as usual?” She suspected that Se-Hoon had something in mind, seeing as how he was so confidently telling them to come at him all at once. “Just think of it as a real battle. I’ll take care of the rest.” “Hm. Got it.” Nodding lightly, Luize headed to the left side of the training ground where the other two were. Focusing on the three finally gathered together over there, Se-Hoon watched as they warmed themselves up for the fight, each stretching in silence and getting into the right mindset. This is going just as I expected. Turning his head to look back at Li Fei, who was hiding behind him, Se-Hoon thought it was a good thing that he had asked those three to fight him. “Stay put and try to watch carefully, alright?” “Okay!” Li Fei replied, clearly excited to see the sparring match. Smiling at her enthusiasm, Se-Hoon made his way to the right side of the training grounds. “Let’s see...” Standing opposite of the three, Se-Hoon tapped a holographic panel in the air to activate the arena, activating a black shroud that flashed around the perimeter of the arena before vanishing. Immediately after, Se-Hoon could feel a faint protective barrier settle over his body. It seemed the defense mechanism of the training ground was similar to the one at Babel, but with a twist—it drew its power directly from the Netherworld. If the barrier is linked directly to the Netherworld, I shouldn’t have to worry about any accidents. As long a S-rank hero or a Perfect One wasn’t striking him with full force, he wouldn’t have to worry about dying. Satisfied, he was assessing Valhalla’s facility while stretching his body slightly when a countdown appeared on a screen in the center of the arena. [10] Seeing the timer which would declare the start of the sparring match the moment it hit zero, the three challengers prepared themselves, ready for the impending clash. Meanwhile, Se-Hoon just stood there calmly, making no preparations at all. [8] Despite the countdown continuing, Se-Hoon didn’t move to draw out a weapon or set up any defenses around him. [6] He was standing there so relaxed and unconcerned, yet that only made the three narrowed their eyes, keeping their guard up. [4] They knew well by now that Se-Hoon’s strength was on another level. So, rather than think his calm demeanor was offensive, they focused fully on their preparations. [2] I’ll crush him directly without leaving any openings. I’m going to assess his moves and respond accordingly. I should secure the surrounding mana first. Each of them fine-tuned their strategies, drawing on their individual strength for what was to come. [0] “...Found it.” The moment the match began, Se-Hoon’s eyes lit up, and he brought forth the power of Boundaries. Whoosh! Three undead creatures emerged from the shadows of the Netherworld, catching the three challengers off-guard. Startled, they quickly spread out, each moving with precision. Boom! Sung-Ha lunged forward, his twin spears wreathed in dark red flames, while Amir kept his distance, throwing ice projectiles at Se-Hoon. Seeing the two closing in on him, Se-Hoon commanded the undead warriors—Wurgen’s high-ranking guardians—who responded instantly. Thoom-! Two moved to intercept Sung-Ha and Amir. One wielded a sword with a blue flame; the other bore a spear suffused with darkness mana. Assessing the undead blocking his path, Sung-Ha’s eyes gleamed. They don’t seem too strong. The undead were perhaps A-rank at best. Their skills seemed to be focused on firepower, as the clumsiness in their movements was quite apparent. Determined to crush the undead in one blow, Sung-Ha swung his spears with full force, using Amir’s projectiles as support. Woong-! The weapons clashed with a fierce, resonant sound. Crash! The impact shattered not only the ice daggers Amir had thrown, but also the twin daggers he had created in his hands. It flung Sung-Ha’s spear backward as well, the recoil so powerful that, if he hadn’t held on firmly, he might have completely lost his grip on it. And that made Sung-Ha’s expression twist. The recoil had been far more than expected. It countered using my own strength... The darkness mana from the undead’s spear had disrupted the mana balance in the Inferno Ring, which was infused with both fire and darkness mana. Then, when the flames had been forcibly scattered, the darkness mana from the undead’s spear resonated with the mix of mana inside the Inferno Ring, making it spiral out of control and sweep through the battlefield indiscriminately. Clang! “Urgh...!” Not spared from the backlash, the undead also staggered back but quickly regained their balance, charging forward again. Seeing that, Sung-Ha urgently swung his spear to fight back. However, now that he knew his power could be turned against him, he struggled to execute his skills. Furthermore, with his darkness mana reserves emptied, the battle was slipping out of his control. If someone could just hold one of them down...! If even one ally came to support him, they might be able to turn things around—but Amir had no room to spare, either. Whoosh! “Ugh...!” The other undead was swinging its four long arms like weapons, forcing Amir to dodge quickly. If he’d had his daggers, he wouldn’t be dodging so awkwardly, but currently, even trying to summon his ice alchemy weapons was difficult. The mana inside his body was just simply not cooperating. The resonance dug too deep... It was like a faint echo that lingered after a bell had rung, disrupting the flow of mana within him. Gritting his teeth, Amir struggled to stabilize his scattered mana flow. If I can just buy a little more time... With even the slightest bit of time, he could suppress the clumsy undead in front of him, help Sung-Ha, and regain the upper hand in the battle. Desperate, Amir was searching for an opening when he suddenly detected a familiar sensation through his Winter Sky Eyes. Not hesitating, he instantly threw himself to the side, making way for Luize, who was poised to strike. “Vapour Mark.” With a soft pop, a burst of steam erupted in midair, leaving droplets that clung to the undead like markers. Her eyes shining blue, Luize whispered her next incantation. “Chain Lightning.” Crack! A brilliant chain of lightning tore through the air, striking each marked undead in rapid succession. The powerful Incantation Magic was swift and unyielding, passing through each of the undead instantly. Certain she’d chosen the right spell, Luize prepared her next move without wasting a second. There’s no point in just hitting them, as they’ll just regenerate. What I need to target is... While the undead were paralyzed from her spell, she focused her next spell on Se-Hoon himself. “Set-” Red magic arrays enveloped Se-Hoon’s body, a sign that he was the target of the next attack. However, Se-Hoon knew that too. His eyes widened slightly, realizing she was targeting him. “Death Bite.” A deafening metallic clang echoed across the training ground, as though steel jaws had slammed shut. Luize’s incantation had been unleashed with full force, strong enough to incapacitate even an A-rank hero, possibly even being fatal if aimed at a vital point. Here, though, the protective barrier ensured no real injuries, only allowing a trace of the damage to be felt. “Urgh...” “Agh...” Ugh... What...? What just happened...? Confused, Luize looked up. It wasn’t Se-Hoon, but them who had been struck? She was certain she’d aimed at Se-Hoon, so why had it hit them instead? It was at that moment that she noticed something she hadn’t seen before. “Is that...?” The third of the undead stood nearby, its four arms crossed, distorting the surrounding space. Now, Luize knew exactly what had happened. That thing redirected my magic array with spatial magic. If Se-Hoon had attempted to block her incantation outright, she would have adapted her approach. And he knew that, which was why he used the undead to displace her target areas just before the incantation landed, redirecting the magic arrays to her allies instead. “Hm...” Se-Hoon surveyed the three sprawled on the ground, finally settling his gaze on Luize. “Your incantations are fast, but your control needs work. You should also be ready for enemies to turn your spells against you.” “Ugh...” “As for you, Amir, your mana control is sloppy, and you don’t have nearly enough of a variety of spells. Your ability to craft ice-alchemy weapons on demand is a powerful advantage, but what good is it if you can’t even use it?” “...You’re right.” Not batting an eye, Se-Hoon addressed the two’s weak points one by one. “Being strong doesn’t mean anything if you can’t use your abilities effectively. In fact, not only does it only hinder you in that case, but it drags down everyone around you as well.” Letting the words sink in, he turned his gaze to Sung-Ha, who knelt in silence, acknowledging his flaws without protest. “Just like you, Sung-Ha.” “...” There was nothing he could say in his defense. “The undead I summoned were all A-rank, and purely by specs, you three outclass them. So, how did things end up like this?” “...” “It’s because I know your strengths, but you don’t understand your own. And on top of that, you guys were acting like an uncoordinated bunch of amateurs.” Even if they didn’t have perfect synergy, a team that somewhat understood each other's strengths wouldn’t have been defeated so easily. The three looked down, feeling a fresh wave of humiliation at the realization. They had expected a tough fight, but not such a decisive loss. Was I always this incompetent...? I couldn’t even get him to use his full power, and I couldn’t even use mine properly either... I ended up wiping out my own team because I couldn’t control my magic... ugh. The defeat stung, but keenly aware of their shortcomings, the three began picking themselves up. They already knew what they had to do next. “Don’t think the same trick will work next time.” “I’ll fix everything you pointed out.” “I’ll make sure I’m ready next time.” They all resolved to address their weaknesses before finally retaliating against the arrogant man standing before them. However, Se-Hoon responded to their resolve with a puzzled look. “What are you all talking about? Why do you guys sound like today is already over?” Confused, Luize asked, “Aren’t you telling us to fix these issues by next time?” “Yes, I am. But I didn’t mean some other day—I meant today.” “...What?” “Every single thing that I just said. We’re fixing it all before we’re done today.” “...” Luize, Sung-Ha, and Amir could only gape at him, flabbergasted by Se-Hoon’s proposal. For one to fully grasp their own abilities meant revisiting every skill, testing and refining them one by one—something that typically took months, if not years. How could he expect them to achieve that in a single day? “Look, I get that it sounds absurd. I also acknowledge that there’s no real shortcut to this,” Se-Hoon said, understanding their reluctance. True mastery came from time and countless small experiences, something Se-Hoon understood intimately, having met countless heroes before. “Then are we just doing a brief run-through today?” Amir asked, trying to rationalize Se-Hoon’s words. But Se-Hoon shook his head. “I said we’re going to finish it today. How many times do I have to repeat myself?” “But you literally just said there were no shortcuts.” The three gave him dubious looks, prompting Se-Hoon to flash a sly smile. “There are no shortcuts, sure. But I do have a way to accelerate the process.” “...Huh?” “We’re not in the dark ages here. Why waste our time on foot when you can ride a bike or take a motorcycle?” Darkness spread out around Se-Hoon, and from within, dozens—no, hundreds—of undead began materializing one by one. “I’ve developed hundreds of scenarios to knock you three down. I’ll cram them all into you guys today and give you the ride of your lives.” Before the regression, he had devised countless countermeasures after studying the Three Dogs’ techniques, just in case. However, back then, the three had been full-fledged heroes, making their counters have little impact. But now, with their current inexperience, those would serve as the most ideal learning opportunities. “Now then... Who should I start with...?” Humming a tune, Se-Hoon surveyed the horde of undead. And upon seeing that, the three exchanged glances, silently arriving at the same conclusion. “We’re doomed.” “Yeah, totally doomed.” “Absolutely.” For the first time today, the three of them were in perfect agreement.

Chapter 292

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