CHAPTER 112

“You... How?”

“How? This is how it should be.”

“‘How it should be’? Did you not understand my question?” Gu Suk-Jeong’s bronzed muscles twitched as he raised his sharp-looking eyes. “Tell me how you moved faster than me, even if it was only for a moment?”

Do-Jin tilted his head. “Like I said, that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

“How is that a fucking answer!?” Gu Suk-Jeong’s reached his limit as his mana surged, causing his long black hair to scatter.

His aura, ghostly-looking eyes, and flying hair made him look more vicious than a monster.

The surrounding area suddenly became quiet.

Their surrounding students suddenly turned quiet under Gu Suk-Jeong’s overwhelming presence,. However, Do-Jin remained indifferent.

Do-Jin turned to Roh Jun-Yeop and curiously asked, “Is that bastard stupid? He can’t understand what I’m saying at all.”

Roh Jun-Yeop came to his senses and nodded. “He sure is. Worse than a dog.”

His answer angered both Do-Jin and Gu Suk-Jeong.

“Why are you bringing up dogs, bastard? You didn’t even thank me for helping you!”

“Hah! You dare say I’m worse than this little boy?”

“Who the fuck are you calling little? Kuaaaack!”

Meaningful conversation was a product of intelligence. In that sense, Do-Jin, Roh Jun-Yeop, and Gu Suk-Jeong were a cursed combination.

However, thanks to Do-Jin’s appearance, Scatter Stars was finally ready.

Bang!

The arrows of light around Roh Jun-Yeop suddenly flared bright and shot toward Gu Suk-Jeong like a shower of falling stars.

Gu Suk-Jeong panicked and immediately launched himself to the side.

Bang!

Crusher was a Profession that used one’s body as a weapon to crush opponents. For such a class, Speed was a crucial element, as a Crusher’s power could only be unleashed after closing the distance—which was why Gu Suk-Jeong had filled both his second- and third Skill slots with charge Skills.

“Fast!”

Gu Suk-Jeong accurately calculated the cooldown of his Skills, linking them together to achieve even greater speed.

To a third party, it seemed like he was repeatedly disappearing and appearing in different places.

Bang!

However, it wasn’t fast enough to defeat Scatter Stars.

Scatter Stars was the Skill that allowed Roh Jun-Yeop to dare dream of becoming the Bow Saint.

There were many restrictions since it was a type of Skill that required time to charge its mana, but the result was unquestionable.

“Kuek...!”

Gu Suk-Jeong was swept away by the explosions of Scatter Stars. He swallowed a scream. Was half his body gone? Gu Suk-Jeon’s shock was so great that he momentarily had this misunderstanding.

He had no feeling in the lower half of his body. However, he was still standing, and the distance between himself and Do-Jin had narrowed to a few steps.

"Hup!”

Gu Suk-Jeong let out a rough snort as he reached out to grab Do-Jin by the hair.

I got you! A smile spread across Gu Suk-Jeong’s face.

He was seriously injured after being hit by Scatter Stars, but that was a minor issue. Roh Jun-Yeop was exhausted after using that Skill, so Gu Suk-Jeong’s priority had been to eliminate the variable first by closing in with blinding speed and smashing Do-Jin before he could blink.

Moreover, wounds can be healed with potions, but they don’t recover mana, so I’m at an advantage. I’ll just drink a potion to heal after I crush Baek Do-Jin. Gu Suk-Jeong’s smile deepened as he made this judgment, only for his expression to harden.

The red hair he was about to grab suddenly disappeared.

It’s not some fluke. He did it again!

The frightened Gu Suk-Jeong turned his head left and right, looking for Do-Jin’s trail. However, his wounds from Scatter Stars bled freely, and the blood clouded his eyes.

He struggled to find any trace of Baek Do-Jin.

Goosebumps appeared on the back of Gu Suk-Jeong’s neck, and an instant later, Do-Jin’s voice came from behind.

“Too slow.”

It was as if Do-Jin had ignored the laws of physics and appeared behind him like a ghost.

Do-Jin slashed with his greatsword, and Gu Suk-Jeong flopped to the ground, half stunned as the pain spread across his back.

“What? What is that speed?”

From the time he’d awakened his Initial Skill and received the Crusher Profession, there had never been any barriers in Gu Suk-Jeong’s life.

Having received the support of both an elder of the Guardian Guild and the Association, he had grown up feeling as if he was speeding on a smooth, obstacle-free road with the accelerator fully pressed.

“Is it Flash Steps? Did you use Flash Steps against me?”

However, at this moment, Gu Suk-Jeong felt as if he was blocked by a huge wall. It was similar to the times he’d witnessed Jeong Ru-Han living an envious life just for being the son of the sub-master—but worse. This time, the difference felt insurmountable.

What was Flash Steps?

In theory, it was the most powerful movement Skill. But in reality, it was a Skill that was difficult for any human to control. All the players who had awakened Flash Steps in the past had failed to master it and met a miserable end.

Flash Steps was a Skill that could move its user to any location within their field of view. From the description, it sounded simple to use, but the reality was completely different.

The visual information humans received at any given moment was much more than most people imagined.

Contrast, light, depth, distance—human vision perceived objects according to a wide range of properties. Moreover, under certain conditions, people would experience all types of optical illusions, both large and small.

When executing Flash Steps, it wasn’t easy to decipher the real from the fake and maintain perfect, uninterrupted eye contact on a single point, especially not without coming to a dead halt in the middle of a fight.

Just now, what would’ve happened if Baek Do-Jin’s vision had captured a part of Gu Suk-Jeong’s body while moving behind him?

Rather than behind, Do-Jin could’ve appeared partially inside Gu Suk-Jeong’s body, and they both would’ve exploded from the pressure.

That was why Gu Suk-Jeong got goosebumps.

“You crazy bastard! Did you use Flash Steps to pass right next to me?”

It was clearly attempted murder. If Do-Jin had made the slightest mistake, he would’ve died miserably. That he dared risk it caused sweat to bead on Gu Suk-Jeong’s brow.

Gulp!

Gu Suk-Jeong’s subordinates also realized the situation and felt a chill. They gulped nervously and stared at Baek Do-Jin in shock.

This isn’t a matter of courage.He’s just plain crazy.

“He’s... called a mad dog for a reason,” someone whispered.

Gu Suk-Jeong couldn’t calm down at all. “Shit, shit! If you want to die, go die alone! Go bury yourself in the ground or a wall, just like the previous Flash Steps users, you crazy son of a bitch!”

Gu Suk-Jeong’s subordinates turned paler by the moment. They realized that Flash Steps was a Skill that was no different from a bomb. Do-Jin wasn’t some pitiful inferior student but an object of fear.

They thought it wasn’t good to provoke him.

Even Roh Jun-Yeop tried to calm Gu Suk-Jeong. “Hey, calm down. What are you going to do if he suddenly snaps?”

However, Gu Suk-Jeong had already lost his sense of reason. “Ha! This bastard is already crazy! If he snaps again, maybe he’ll even return to normal. He needs to be put in his place! If he stays like this, he’ll cause trouble for everyone!”

“What a bunch of nonsense. From your words, any third person could tell you’re the one causing trouble.” Do-Jin snorted. He tried not to show it, but he was enduring the cost of repeatedly activating Flash Steps. His limbs were faintly trembling, and it felt like he would collapse right then if he didn’t tense up his body.

However, his sense of accomplishment was greater than his fear. From the day he had first met Kang Jae-Hyeok until now, how fiercely had he struggled while dreaming of the moment he could use Flash Steps in actual combat?

The Initial Skill was the backbone of a player. From the moment they awakened, other players could rely on their Initial Skill in combat. Today, Do-Jin had been able to experience what that felt like for himself. He was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.

He definitely wasn’t going to let this emotional moment be ruined by the rude bastard barking next to him. “My power threatens people’s lives and causes trouble? Don’t talk nonsense. I’m working hard every day to avoid making it that way.”

“An inferior student wants to talk about working hard? If you were a kid who worked hard, would you have maintained the lowest grades for an entire year? Huh? From the moment you arrived at this school until now, you’re a guy who hasn’t shown any promise. How dare you talk casually about hard work... Cough!”

Gu Suk-Jeong was glaring at Do-Jin—only for his vision to shake and his mind to go blank.

Do-Jin had appeared before Gu Suk-Jeong with his greatsword and struck him in the jaw with a rising slash.

Teeth flew everywhere.

“T-this fucker used Flash Steps again!”

“Hey, Baek Do-Jin. Calm down.”

Even Roh Jun-Yeop and the Shooting Club members tried to stop Do-Jin.

After three consecutive uses of Flash Steps, Do-Jin was clearly exhausted. He was sweating profusely and gasping for breath. It wouldn’t be strange if he collapsed soon.

To continue using Flash Steps in his condition could result in a terrible outcome for everyone.

“I understand, so let’s stop here.”

Do-Jin shook off Roh Jun-Yeop’s hand and glared at Gu Suk-Jeong.

“You’ve seen my training progress over the past year without the help of my Initial Skill. You’re someone who’s depended on Skills more than anyone else, so now that I can use my Initial Skill, you should know well what this means.”

“Keep this in mind, Gu Suk-Jeong. The next time you touch my teammates or the Shooting Club again, I’ll throw my greatsword and use Flash Steps to make it appear inside your head.”

Do-Jin’s red eyes evoked the image of a wounded beast in Gu Suk-Jeong’s mind, which made it all the more threatening. This was someone who had risen despite great failures and pain, and he wouldn’t allow himself to be wounded again.

Do-Jin was no longer an inferior student. He was qualified to send a chill down the spine of Gu Suk-Jeong, who was part of Second Year Class A.

“Fuck!”

The impact of Flash Steps was too intense.

Gu Suk-Jeong regained his senses and backed away, not daring to make eye contact with Do-Jin. However, he didn’t completely abandon his pride. He warned, “Next time, I’ll target you first.”

“Hmph, try as many times as you want.”

“Shit! Let’s go back.”

Gu Suk-Jeong’s group obediently left the scene. Once they disappeared, the members of the Shooting Club approached Do-Jin.

“‘If you don’t want a greatsword stuck in your head, stay away from the Shooting Club from now on. Don’t touch them,’” a member imitated in a teasing manner.

“Did I say that? I don’t remember.”

“Well, you said something like that. In any case, we know you cherish the Shooting Club since you stood up for us as our manager. You’ve really grown up.”

“You’re saying I wasn’t a grown-up before? Huh? Kuaaaak!"

The Shooting Club remained in turmoil after Gu Suk-Jeong left.

The members were working hard to shake off Do-Jin, who was barking like a dog and attacking people.

Da-Hee and Hae-Rin soon arrived at the scene. When they realized the source of the commotion in front of the Shooting Club, they smiled with relief.

***

That evening.

“So at that time, Hae-Rin... ”

-This is the fifth time I’m hearing about it.

“Then, Baek Do-Jin again... ”

-I’m also hearing this for the seventh time, you!Did you drink alcohol?

The lion statue suffered all night as Jae-Hyeok constantly bragged about his teammates.