Chapter 124

After that, Kang Yuseong continued his training with Kim Do-jin.

It was training to absorb Kim Do-jin’s powerful fire damage and make it his own.

“Alright, here it comes!”

Kim Do-jin unleashed the full power of a Stage 6 Flame Arrow, firing it relentlessly at Kang Yuseong.

Boom!

Crash—

The Flame Arrow, tearing through the air, slammed directly into Kang Yuseong.

At that moment, Kang Yuseong gritted his teeth, feeling the scorching flames trying to pierce his body.

If he lost this fight, his body would be utterly consumed.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, an immense surge of energy burst from Kang Yuseong’s body.

Pyromancer’s Deception.

Rumble—

The flames trembled.

And the Flame Arrow, which had been attempting to pierce Kang Yuseong’s body, slowly lost its power.

‘Ugh!’

The power of a Stage 6 Flame Arrow was immense.

It was natural, considering one Flame Arrow was twenty times stronger than a Fireball.

Stage 6, in particular, represented the Flame Arrow’s maximum attack power.

To withstand that with his body…

“Haaat!”

Suddenly, Kang Yuseong stretched both hands forward.

Bang—

At the same time, immense power erupted from his hands.

Thump!

A Fireball launched from his hands mercilessly destroyed a distant building before vanishing.

“Haah, haah!”

Kang Yuseong gasped for breath, his mouth wide open.

Then, he shook his head and let out a single remark.

“Not easy.”

Sweat dripped from his forehead like raindrops.

His entire body was also completely scorched and a mess.

Kim Do-jin sighed softly as he looked at him.

He truly was a monster.

To endure the power of a Flame Arrow directly, even with Pyromancer’s Deception.

‘Damn… he’s terrifying.’

He shook his head and said to Kang Yuseong,

“Say, aren’t you hurt anywhere? Like a broken bone, or a ruptured organ…”

Kang Yuseong glared at him.

“You bastard, is that what you wanted?”

Kim Do-jin shrugged.

“If possible. Well, the more I do this, the more I feel like I’m at a disadvantage.”

Kang Yuseong chuckled.

“You really don’t give an inch. Thanks to you, you bastard, I was able to train incredibly hard. Thank you.”

“Damn it, instead of ‘thank you,’ couldn’t you say something like ‘save me,’ or ‘please spare me’? It’s no fun at all.”

“Get that from someone else. Anyway, good work.”

Kim Do-jin clicked his tongue, a bitter taste in his mouth, and nodded slightly.

“Whew, by the way, are you doing any special training too? It’s getting harder and harder to take your hits.”

At Kang Yuseong’s question, Kim Do-jin finally grinned.

He adjusted his fedora slightly and said,

“Did you… notice?”

“Really?”

Kim Do-jin nodded.

“Isn’t it obvious? If I’m going to meet that guy, Yoshii, I can’t be unprepared…”

He curled his lips into a cold smile.

“Because then I wouldn’t be able to properly enjoy it.”

Kang Yuseong stared at him intently.

That was Kim Do-jin for you.

He surely knew how formidable Yoshii was, yet he showed no fear.

Instead, he pushed himself even harder, growing stronger, as if such an opportunity only made things more exciting.

After training with Kim Do-jin for several days, Kang Yuseong was once again astonished by the extent of his potential.

He was growing day by day.

‘A terrifying fellow…’

It was truly fortunate that he wasn’t an enemy.

“Alright, then, train with all your might. The fight begins in three days.”

Kang Yuseong also grinned as he spoke.

Kim Do-jin nodded with a faint smile.

“Well then, let’s part ways here for today. I’m a bit busy.”

“Don’t get lost on your way back.”

Kim Do-jin chuckled and walked off somewhere.

Left alone, Kang Yuseong let out a small sigh.

Then, he pressed hard on his side.

Throb—

As Kim Do-jin had said, Kang Yuseong had a cracked rib.

The Flame Arrow was an incredible skill, and by forcing himself to endure it, Kang Yuseong had sustained a serious injury—a fractured rib.

Kang Yuseong frowned, shaking his head.

“That terrifying bastard…”

Just as he turned to leave.

“Are you alright?”

At that moment, someone’s voice reached him.

Kang Yuseong looked to see Gil Hyeok-jun staring at him, two axes tucked into his waist.

Kang Yuseong gave a bitter smile and said,

“Well, as you can see.”

Gil Hyeok-jun opened his mouth with a look of regret.

“What a shame. I was hoping for a spar.”

Kang Yuseong saw his expression and realized he wasn’t joking at all.

And he wasn’t carrying his greatsword now.

His weapons were two axes.

That was an expression of his determination to fight with all his might.

He seemed to have genuinely come seeking a proper fight with Kang Yuseong.

‘Hmm.’

Kang Yuseong looked into his eyes, which held both deep regret and strong competitive spirit, and remained silent for a moment.

He, too, felt a twinge of regret.

With an opponent like Gil Hyeok-jun, Kang Yuseong’s close-quarters combat skills could develop considerably, and he found that truly regrettable.

But he soon shook his head.

‘There will be other opportunities.’

His current rib injury was not something a Healing Potion could easily fix.

While Healing Potions instantly healed most wounds and injuries, serious injuries like broken or fractured bones took a bit more time.

“Let’s do it another time. I’ll give it my all then.”

Gil Hyeok-jun nodded.

“Alright. Can you walk?”

“Yes, I can manage.”

“Then let’s go.”

Gil Hyeok-jun and Kang Yuseong walked side by side towards Star Pharma.

Then, Gil Hyeok-jun suddenly spoke softly to Kang Yuseong.

“Captain Kang.”

“Yes.”

As Kang Yuseong looked at him, Gil Hyeok-jun continued.

“It’s about Ji-yeon.”

Gil Hyeok-jun’s daughter, Gil Ji-yeon.

Why was he suddenly bringing her up?

“How is she, as a Hunter?”

It was an unexpected question.

Kang Yuseong furrowed his brow slightly, and Gil Hyeok-jun looked at him.

“The atmosphere lately has been too unsettling, you see. Shouldn’t she also have the power to protect herself?”

Only then did Kang Yuseong slowly nod.

He had understood Gil Hyeok-jun’s intention.

He was likely thinking of the ability Gil Ji-yeon had displayed last time.

That formidable power that had utterly destroyed all the monsters in a single blow.

Kang Yuseong looked at him and said,

“Her ability… it should be enough to protect herself. No, it might be even more than that.”

Gil Hyeok-jun nodded heavily.

“Is that so? Then, may I ask a favor?”

“Please say it.”

Gil Hyeok-jun’s eyes shone brightly as he looked directly at Kang Yuseong.

“I believe you’re the only one who can awaken that child, Captain Kang. I’ve observed you closely, and it seems you possess similar abilities to her. Would you take her under your wing?”

Kang Yuseong flinched.

Gil Hyeok-jun already knew about his abilities.

In truth, that ability wasn’t overtly visible, so it would have been difficult for anyone to notice, but Gil Hyeok-jun’s intuition was indeed excellent.

‘Hmm…’

In fact, Gil Ji-yeon’s potential was so exceptional that even Kang Yuseong had been surprised by it once before.

With such potential, she would undoubtedly become a tremendous asset to their forces.

‘Something that has to be done eventually…’

In the past, he would have avoided wasting time in a situation like this, with the decisive battle against Yoshii looming.

But now, it was different.

Perhaps it was an aftereffect of Ability Plunderer, but whenever he encountered other ability users with similar powers, an opportunity for ‘evolution’ arose. Until now, it had been focused on Kim Do-jin, but perhaps such an opportunity would present itself again if he helped Gil Ji-yeon grow.

Since the Brain Chain was an almost unprecedented awakening, Kang Yuseong actually thought it was for the best.

He nodded.

“I will.”

At his answer, Gil Hyeok-jun smiled broadly.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Gil Hyeok-jun and Kang Yuseong smiled at each other and then resumed their walk.

Kang Yuseong lifted his head, gazing at the myriad stars in the night sky, lost in thought.

Unlike before, the stars were now clearly visible even in Seoul.

Kang Yuseong loved to look at the stars, as he found his mind calming down when he did so.

‘A comrade…’

Soon, Gil Ji-yeon would likely become a new comrade through her awakening as an ability user.

And her abilities would probably overturn all previous research results on ability users. Neither a Chakra User, nor a Magic User, nor a Psychic User—but another type of user entirely.

Kang Yuseong possessed the same ability as her, but her potential was completely different from his. In fact, she, who could focus on one aspect, would grow much faster.

Therefore, Kang Yuseong felt a sense of anticipation.

For the day he could seize another opportunity and rise tall, compared to his past, which had been a complete mess.

The Monarch.

Now, he would reclaim that name.

* * * * *

Training with Gil Ji-yeon began quickly.

In fact, Kang Yuseong didn’t need to be present for this type of training continuously, so he planned to teach her a certain amount before D-Day. After that, Gil Ji-yeon would have to master it on her own.

“Ji-yeon, it’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while, too… Captain.”

Her complexion had completely returned, and with her long, straight hair and gentle smile, she was dazzlingly beautiful. How could Gil Hyeok-jun have such a daughter!

Kang Yuseong smiled and sat in the chair opposite her.

“How have you been?”

Gil Ji-yeon nodded.

“Yes. I’ve been eating well… and sleeping well…”

She still had a childish side to her. No one would likely believe that such terrifying potential was hidden within her.

“I see. I came to check in on you, wondering how you were doing.”

At his words, Gil Ji-yeon gave him a coy look and said,

“Pfft—You don’t have any other motives, do you? Dad told me… to learn well from the Captain.”

Kang Yuseong gave a wry smile.

“Team Leader Gil already told you? Haha.”

As he scratched his head, Gil Ji-yeon giggled.

“I’m just kidding. But what will you teach me? I hope I can learn…”

At her words, Kang Yuseong realized that Gil Hyeok-jun hadn’t told her everything yet.

Perhaps he had deliberately held back, fearing that the memory of that time might remain a trauma for Gil Ji-yeon.

Kang Yuseong met her gaze and spoke gently.

“Um, Ji-yeon.”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember that time? When you were surrounded by monsters…”

Gil Ji-yeon nodded heavily.

“Yes… I remember.”

Kang Yuseong smiled.

“How did you feel then?”

Gil Ji-yeon’s expression stiffened slightly.

Then, she answered softly,

“I was just… so scared… and terrified. More than what would happen to me, I was worried about Dad…”

It had been like that then.

Gil Hyeok-jun had been in danger, and she had experienced an unconscious awakening.

“Do you want to become stronger?”

Kang Yuseong’s eyes were calmly fixed on her.

Gil Ji-yeon met his gaze, then slowly nodded.

“Yes. I want to become stronger. I don’t want to… experience something like that ever again.”

Kang Yuseong nodded.

“Then, I’ll help you.”