It was a really unexpected and dumbfounding sight…

    Just a moment ago, the cadets were listening to the warm evacuation manual from their instructor and were overwhelmed with emotion after meeting Sir Lake, one of the best knights in the kingdom.

    But now…

    Booom-!

    “!!?”

    “T-They aren’t even blocking?!”

    “I-Is this really the kind of sound you’d hear when someone’s getting punched in the face?”

    Their moods changed, in a forceful way too. Then again, anyone who saw what they saw would. It was just surprise after surprise, and each of the surprises was for a different reason. The shock was evident on their faces.

    Boom-!

    Indiscriminate strikes.

    All those strikes were aimed at the other’s face—who didn’t even bother to put up a defense.

    Moreover, no one could ever call those strikes half-hearted.

    “…That’s definitely not the sound that can be produced by half-hearted attacks…”

    The sound that came out reminded the cadets of the sound that a hammer made when it hit an armor. Every time it echoed, the cadets’ bodies flinched, as chill ran through their spines.

    After all, they knew that if it was them who got hit in the face by those punches, their noses would just break and their jaws would just shatter.

    That was how powerful those strikes were. And the two knights kept up with this sort of exchange until…

    -Ding.

    “Five minutes have passed.”

    …The bell finally rang.

    Hearing the high-pitched sound of the bell, both of them froze in their tracks, even though they were clearly ready to strike each other.

    Trickle-!

    Blood was flowing from their faces—from their noses, and mouth—and from their reddened face, it was clear that they were feeling those blows. But, what was shocking was the fact that they looked relatively fine despite having taken all those punches willingly.

    The cadets knew that their cheekbones would crumble if they were to take even a single hit, and yet the two knights only got light bruises from multiple.

    However…

    “Phew, I could finally feel my blood flowing out of my body.”

    “You arrogant thug, you’re doing it half-heartedly!”

    “If I didn’t, your head would’ve flown away.”

    “You bastard…!”

    ─What did he say?

    The cadets didn’t believe what they had just heard.

    Half-heartedly…?

    Those strikes are half-hearted attacks?

    …It wasn’t something new, but now the cadets genuinely began to doubt whether their instructor was actually a human.

    Although, if he really was just a normal human…

    Scary…!

    It would be scary in its own way.

    **** * ****

    This guy got a spicy punch.

    Trickle-!

    Lee Han felt that the guy had also grown a lot compared to the first time they met.

    Back then, he was just a guy who had sharp punches, and overall, a quite skilled guy, but it was different now. His punches weren’t just sharp but also heavy.

    Thanks to that…

    It’s a little shocking.

    Thanks to his unique resilience, Lee Han quickly recovered from his bruises, but the shock from the blows still hadn’t completely disappeared, leaving him particularly impressed. Of course, it was the case partly because he ‘consciously tried’ not to use his [Vajra Body], or else he’d have a little easier time relieving those blows.

    As for why, he felt the need to do that at the moment.

    But…

    “Are you trying to insult me, you punk? You’re not even using that weird technique-!”

    “What? It’s only fair. You’re also not using your killing intent.”

    “…”

    This fucker is doing the same thing as me.

    Lee Han snorted.

    Why is he even complaining when we’re both doing the same thing?

    “Just as I consciously tried to not use my Vajra Body and hold back my strength, you also suppressed your spirit and skills, didn’t you?”

    “…A-Ahem.”

    Lee Han was well aware that the guy in front of him was a born technician. He had hundreds of defensive and blocking techniques, and he mastered all of them. As long as he put his mind to it, he could block Lee Han’s attacks no matter how hard he threw them.

    In martial arts novels’ terms, he would be a master of ‘Softness Overcoming Hardness’.

    The reason why a guy with such a weak endurance like him could still stand up even after getting hit so many times by magic in a fight with the magic freaks was because he used his amazing skills to compensate for it.

    He’s a talented guy.

    In addition, he had an innate killing intent, making him leagues above even those who were called geniuses.

    That was how Lee Han knew that the guy was fighting him half-heartedly in that first round. However, he also knew that the guy wasn’t doing it out of consideration for him, or because he wanted a fair fight.

    It was because the guy, just like himself…

    “You can’t control your strength, right?”

    “…”

    “I knew it. That’s why you broke your character and came over when I called you.”

    “…The Blessing is much more troublesome than I thought.”

    Lake had no choice but to admit it. He wasn’t shameless enough to hide things after being caught red-handedly like that, so he just frowned and clicked his tongue.

    “Your personality is rotten.”

    Swish-!

    After having that short conversation, the two of them took their stances again.

    The conversation was good and all, but…

    Ding!

    A minute had passed since they stopped fighting. It was time for them to start another round.

    And so, the two knights swung their fists again.

    **** * ****

    If Lee Han were to put his current state into words…

    It’s like a locomotive without brakes?

    That would be it.

    It’s not like I’m a malfunctioning locomotive… What the hell is this…?

    People who met him for the first time would usually think that he was someone who fought without thinking, but that couldn’t be further away from the truth. In fact, he was actually the type of person who’d subdue his opponents by controlling his strength while using the appropriate techniques.

    Since he was stronger than others, he had to learn how to control his own power. Moreover, the effort he invested to learn how to do exactly that was enormous. He had been putting in the work since his days as an assassin. Even back when he was living as a mercenary, controlling his strength was an essential task for him.

    But now, his brake was broken, making all his efforts meaningless.

    The gift the Fairy gave me is quite tricky…

    Of course, he had expected that his body would change somehow after undergoing that kind of complete transformation. It was just, he never expected it would be this bad.

    Bang-!

    Damn, my senses are all messed up.

    His control was a problem, but the bigger problem was that his senses had turned erratic. It was as if a puppy that had been listening to him well suddenly bared its teeth to him after going through puberty.

    It was literally…

    Heartbreaking. I felt like crying.

    Lee Han let out a bitter laugh.

    However, there was a reason why he couldn’t just think of this as a bad thing.

    Booom-!

    “Did you just destroy my technique?”

    “I’m not. My body did.”

    “…What are you even blabbering about? Are you finally losing your mind?”

    “I felt it everytime I met you, but your mouth really doesn’t have any filter.”

    “You bastard!”

    After all, he had gained a new [Skill], there was no way that he’d kept on fixating on the bad parts.

    Just now, it seemed like Lake was trying to use the ‘Softness Overcoming Hardness’, but Lee Han’s blow cut its flow entirely.

    This wasn’t something he could do originally. After all, what Lee Han used was a technique that only a genius could attempt. However, Lee Han’s physical ability and senses, which had undergone a complete transformation, showed their potential to destroy his opponent’s techniques.

    It felt as if his body had improved so much that he no longer needed to use his head.

    However, Lee Han was not at all pleased with this gift.

    What good does an uncomfortable gun serve?

    An uncontrollable gun was no different from a malfunctioning gun. Even if it was powerful, only Gods know when or how it would cause trouble.

    I have regressed.

    He might be able to crush those who were weaker than him, but this would be a fatal flaw if he were to face someone with a similar or higher skill level than him.

    His control was all over the place and his senses were completely out of sync. It felt like he had to learn how to use chopsticks or ride a bicycle all over again even though he knew how to do both.

    But again, there was a positive aspect of it.

    If I forget, I just have to learn it again.

    Just like how one’s body would never forget once someone learned how to use chopsticks or ride a bicycle, the first thing he had to do was to adapt to his newly changed body and senses, and make an effort so that he could move them as he wished.

    He was sure that if he put in the effort and worked as hard as he could for a month or two, he’d be able to  get a feel for it to some extent.

    …But, the problem here was that he didn’t have time to relax for two months.

    Who knows when another fanatic, or crazy magic freak would show up.

    He had to adjust his physical abilities and senses in a short period of time. That was why he came up with this idea of sparring.

    Of course, it wasn’t just a simple sparring. He’d need to spar with an opponent who was of similar level of skills to his own, whom he had to fight with all his might.

    Boom-!

    “Your blows have gotten lighter. You’re better off not doing it if you rein in your strength to that extent.”

    “Then what about you? Are you about to fall down with a nosebleed because you couldn’t handle this light thing?”

    “…I’m gonna kill you for real this time.”

    “Try me.”

    Crackle-!

    Boom-!

    Sure enough, through the sparring, he felt his body’s condition getting better and better.

    In addition, as the fighting spirit of ‘I don’t want to lose to this guy!’ boiled over, Lee Han forcibly adjusted the discomfort in his body and senses.

    There was a saying that said that one experience was more valuable than hundreds of pieces of advice.

    The fistfight that was reminiscent of actual combat managed to help him quickly overcome the strangeness in his body—a process that normally would take months.

    Bang-!

    At some point, the two knights stopped fighting with just their fists.

    They used more dangerous parts of their bodies like feet, knees, and elbows, and even used techniques like locking technique to their heart’s content.

    Crackle-!

    Bang-!

    The way they fought kept changing, and every time they used a technique, the surroundings turned into a wasteland.

    Rumble-!

    Every time Lee Han struck, the ground shook and dust rose up.

    Bang-!

    In Lake’s case, every time he struck, a sharp wind swept around the surroundings, leaving clear marks on the rocks and trees.

    It was a fierce battle where it wouldn’t have been strange if either of them died.

    The moment they were about to decide who was the winner…

    Ding-!

    “…5 minutes has passed.”

    “━━.”

    “Also, it’s been over 10 rounds already. How long do you two plan on doing this?”

    The bell rang again.

    Crackle-! Crackle-!

    Then, the thick dust settled, revealing Lee Han, taking on the mounting position, and Lake, aiming his dagger at Lee Han’s neck.

    If Lee Han’s hammer-like fist had hit Lake’s face, his brain would have been crushed, and if Lake’s blade-like dagger had touched his neck, his carotid artery would have been cut.

    Thankfully, the regressor stopped them in time.

    “Stop fighting. If you continue, one of you will die.”

    “This is not enough to kill me.”

    “True.”

    “This would kill any normal person, you know…?”

    “?”

    “?”

    “…Please, don’t go around saying that you’re humans, you two.”

    Sometimes, the regressor found himself doubting whether these two were really humans.


    0 Comments

    Heads up! Your comment will be invisible to other guests and subscribers (except for replies), including you after a grace period.
    Note
    // Script to navigate with arrow keys