Ch.8080. New Assault

Actually, I had planned to casually join the first-year students. My expectation was to greet everyone and naturally take a seat.

But these guys wouldn’t leave me alone.

“The celebrity has arrived. Let’s give him a round of applause~”

When Min-jung Shin prompted with a laugh, an awkward applause erupted.

I need to endure this.

No matter what Dong-guk Baek says, I just need to bear with it.

It’s all forced anyway.

To be honest, when someone’s picking on you, justification doesn’t matter.

It’s just a question of whether they have an excuse or not, and right now, I’m a very tasty prey.

Second-year Dong-guk Baek approached me.

“Well, look who’s late?”

His tone was clearly mocking. I assessed the situation and considered my options.

I might be in the right, but in this forced situation, that doesn’t matter.

“I’m sorry.”

Rather than giving a “justified but annoying” answer about how it was because of the instructor, I simply apologized and tried to join the dinner.

But Dong-guk blocked my way.

“Are you making fun of me?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then why are you acting like that? Being late and all.”

This is pointless harassment.

Honestly, if I followed my instincts, I’d just charge at him.

But thinking about my future school life, I need to hold back.

“I’ll do better next time.”

“Seriously…”

If I could just sit down and blend in, things might get better. But these guys are going beyond just being annoying—they’re being downright stupid.

“So you think you can just join our dinner? We were having a good time.”

Min-jung Shin was mocking me.

“Because of you, Jung-ryul Gu and others couldn’t even come to the dinner. Wouldn’t it be better if you hadn’t shown up at all?”

“Isn’t this happening because you’re usually so disrespectful?”

Dong-guk joined in again. This is driving me crazy.

“What’s with that expression? Got a problem?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Shit, want to fight? Are you going to report me again?”

Dong-guk pushed his face close to mine. I really want to punch him. The anger gauge inside me is about to overflow.

Just then, someone appeared in front of me.

“That’s enough.”

When I heard that deep, heavy voice, my body instinctively flinched.

It was Han Min-woo’s voice, which is truly rare to hear.

“If he’s late, just leave it at that. There’s no need to humiliate him like this.”

“Min-woo.”

Is he standing up for me as a friend? Han Min-woo’s build is similar to Dong-guk’s. They’re both big guys, but Han Min-woo’s skills are superior.

“Han Min-woo, you…”

Dong-guk seemed to have his pride hurt and was about to say something, but Seok-cheon Bang stepped in.

“He’s right. He’s right. Listen to your junior. You’re needlessly picking on him. It’s not reasonable.”

“Hey, Bang Seok-cheon…”

“It’s true. Is this how a senior should act, bullying like that?”

At that moment, I saw Seok-cheon nudge Dong-guk’s side. Dong-guk backed off with a reddened face, and the dinner proceeded normally.

“Thanks.”

“You’re getting criticized unfairly. It seems deliberate.”

Han Min-woo said only what needed to be said and then fell back into silence.

It’s been a while since Min-woo spoke this much.

The dinner itself ended without much trouble. Since I attended, things should get better, right?

Friday came, and for once, there was no dinner, so everyone was free.

But the atmosphere had changed. The lower-class students wanted to practice on their own.

Min-gu was the first to suggest it.

“Honestly, being in the lower class puts us at a disadvantage. Let’s practice more among ourselves.”

“If we’re going to practice, let’s all go to the gate together.”

The others agreed with my suggestion, and we decided to go to the gate together.

But Gi refused.

“Why don’t we go learn from the second-year seniors instead? It’s pointless to practice just among ourselves. The second-year seniors teach well.”

“Sh-should we?”

As the opinion shifted in that direction, I could feel everyone looking at me.

Why? Because I’m the one who’s been told not to come.

Going there would be almost like picking a fight.

“No, if you want to go, go ahead. I don’t mind.”

Then Hyun-cheol chimed in.

“Doesn’t it seem wrong to leave Jong-hyun behind? Let’s ask the seniors first.”

“Yeah, Jong-hyun came to the dinner and apologized too.”

If they’re willing to stand up for me, I’m grateful. So I was waiting when Se-rin Eun called me.

“Got nothing to do? Want to test the prototype of the prototype?”

“Hmm. Just a moment.”

I sent a message on my smartwatch saying I was caught by Eun Se-rin.

“Did you have plans with friends?”

“Work comes first, right?”

Testing the enhancement suit is a legitimate excuse since it’s assigned by the school.

My friends would understand, of course.

I followed Eun Se-rin to go out.

*

[Sorry, guys. Instructor Eun Se-rin is calling me for enhancement suit testing. You don’t need to ask on my behalf, just train among yourselves.]

Seeing the message from Do Jong-hyun, complete with emoticons, Bang Seok-hyun snickered.

“Hehehe! Amazing. Amazing. Whatever happens, the faculty staff surrounds him? But that’s fine. He’s good at what he does.”

He saw the lower-class students bowing their heads before him.

“Why are you asking this busy person for help? I have many people calling for me too. Why does it seem like your friend is being ostracized by us?”

Bang Seok-hyun grabbed Kim Cheon-gi’s chin and shook it.

“Wake up, junior. This guy is so good that even if he misses a day, he still practices excellently with the seniors. He’s recognized by even the third-year seniors for his skills without needing to learn. Are you asking him to join because you want to embarrass yourselves? Honestly, is he on the same level as you? There’s a difference in skill, isn’t there?”

Bang Seok-cheon was explaining the undeniable truth to the lower-class students.

“To be honest, that guy will likely be in the middle class next year at minimum, and he could even aim for the upper class. Didn’t you see him practicing with the third-year seniors? He did well without any discomfort, right? He’s not the same as you. Why try to include him? If anything, you’re a burden to him.”

At the word “burden,” Cheon-gi and the other lower-class students couldn’t lift their heads.

“You know? That’s why others are interested in him. So your concern is just like a chrysalis trying to show off in front of a butterfly. Honestly, don’t you think Jong-hyun would find it ridiculous? Wouldn’t he laugh at you and tell you to focus on improving yourselves?”

“…”

To the students who had fallen silent, Bang Seok-cheon was trying to conclude.

“So just focus on yourselves. Jong-hyun is doing well right now. In the end, he’s relying on enhancement suits without a summoning spirit. If you just do well, it doesn’t matter. Jong-hyun’s destination is already set, but you can go beyond that.”

Alternating between harsh words and praise, the first-year students were being swayed by the atmosphere.

“Now, there’s only one rule for learning from us: listen well to what your seniors say. That’s all. Let’s begin.”

The number of first-year students was growing considerably. Rumors were spreading, and their influence was expanding.

Bang Seok-cheon smiled along with Baek Dong-guk and Shin Min-jung.

“Let’s start in October. By then, the third-years won’t be able to interfere even if they want to.”

“Jong-hyun seemed quite unlucky. Why can’t we pressure him more?”

Shin Min-jung expressed her dissatisfaction while fixing her short hair.

“We can’t push too hard. Even if he’s disrespectful, he’s like a company employee who does his job well. It’s not time yet.”

Bang Seok-cheon glanced at the first-year students.

“Just a little more. We need to stimulate their inferiority complex, and there are students like Yoo Deok-min who follow well. If we manipulate them properly, we can make his life hell without lifting a finger. Right now, let’s focus on winning public opinion.”

Their plan hadn’t even begun yet. This was just the preparation phase. For now, they were just offering carrots to the rabbits. It wasn’t time for the whip yet.

*

In front of a C-rank gate located in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do. We got off beyond the rural road.

“Real-world data from gates is the best, isn’t it?”

“Of course. Where else can you get practical data so easily? This is nice.”

The body I stepped out of the vehicle with wasn’t just my regular body. It was a blue prototype enhancement suit. It used special new materials derived from monsters to allow flexible joint movement, stretching like rubber but quickly returning to its original form.

On top of that flexible material, scales from a C-rank monster, the Armor Fish, were processed with magical power and attached.

Like all enhancement suits, it responds to subtle magical power to protect the user’s body.

“But you stopped at D-rank before, how did you manage to reach C-rank? I heard there were limitations.”

“When combining monster body parts, they often have conditions that cause them to destroy each other. Plus, Jaegers exist up to SS-rank, so developing beyond D-rank lacks productivity. It’s a money issue. And even after all that effort, it’s still significantly inferior to a Jaeger’s magical power.”

“But for someone like me without a summoning spirit, even a small improvement is welcome.”

It’s burdensome to say this in front of Eun Se-rin, but as I mentioned before, paradoxically, being alone with her makes it easier to prove my innocence.

Conversely, she could be framed as the culprit.

In situations like this, it’s unlikely for anything unusual to happen.

“Jong-hyun, let’s start with basic magical power response tests and then move on to strength. We’ll take it slow.”

“Yes. But facing a C-rank feels burdensome.”

“It’s okay. I’ll protect you. Just trust this noona.”

“Yes. I’m counting on you, noona.”

“Ah~ Calling me noona, that sounds nice.”

Leaving behind Eun Se-rin, who was showing an unexpectedly sentimental side, I began with the basic magical power response tests.

We needed to check if the basic magical power matched their target values, and how much strength it provided when fighting actual monsters.

Besides the enhancement suit, strange rod-like attachments were fixed to my body.

“This is really cumbersome.”

“It’s for testing. Now, I’ll catch one monster at a time.”

After a moment, Eun Se-rin forcibly grabbed one monster in each hand and brought them before me.

Maybe because they’re C-rank, she’s capturing them like wild animals.

“We’re not going directly to their lair?”

“Of course not. We don’t know where they might pop up. Let’s safely handle them one by one at the entrance.”

An Earth Bear, a C-grade monster known for its strength, was thrown in front of me.

Earth Bear’s weakness… no, this is just a strength contest, isn’t it?

A test is a test.

I abandoned my usual tactics and charged straight at it with this enhancement suit.

But this is different from my usual approach. Normally, I’d dodge to the side, but head-on?

As I trembled slightly, I heard an encouraging voice from behind.

“Jong-hyun, you can do it! Don’t be afraid!”

With Eun Se-rin’s encouragement, I leaped at the Earth Bear with both hands.

I grabbed the Earth Bear’s wrists, blocking it preemptively.

And then an unavoidable strength contest unfolded. Huh? I’m holding up? Can this enhancement suit really withstand an Earth Bear?

“Ugh!”

But it was only for a brief moment. Under the monster’s strength, my grip on its wrists was gradually lowering. Each time the Earth Bear’s shoulders twitched, my wrists went down.

“Instructor!”

“I told you to call me noona when we’re alone, didn’t I?”

“No, noona. What should I do in this situation?”

“Keep fighting! I’ve checked it.”

With her command to keep fighting, I newly appreciated the performance of this enhancement suit. This monster is C-rank, yet I’m holding my ground.

Though I was losing in terms of strength, I quickly ducked.

The Earth Bear’s teeth moved above me.

I knew its pattern.

As I retreated with ghost-like speed, the distance between us widened considerably. The enhancement suit’s performance is killer.

But soon, Eun Se-rin killed one monster outright.

“Next is speed. Try to escape from this monster.”

In this way, we checked individual metrics one by one and then conducted various tests.

Honestly, I didn’t expect anything unusual to happen here either.

The testing equipment was running, and everything was being done professionally.

But as expected, an accident did occur.

Just before the comprehensive combat test, monsters suddenly began charging at us.

They appeared to be Armored Lizards, but what was unusual was their different color.

“Armored Lizards with different colors? Amazing, Jong-hyun!”

The appearance of these differently colored Armored Lizards didn’t really excite me.

Both Eun Se-rin and I saw them as just test subjects. But this one was strange.

It moved jerkily like a toy soldier, then collapsed on its own.

Wait, I’ve seen this somewhere before.

As it struggled on the ground, a red powder-like substance spread from its mouth.

Red powder?

At that moment, the body of what should have been a simple C-grade Armored Lizard began to transform.

The quadrupedal monster’s body was rapidly growing.

“No way!”

With the sudden growth, the metal covering its body began to break.

That wasn’t all.

Other nearby lizards were being absorbed into that Armored Lizard.

“Jong-hyun, stay still.”

Eun Se-rin stepped forward.

She disappeared with the wind before my eyes, and in that instant, the Armored Lizard was literally split in half.

I couldn’t even see what she did.

Spewing blood, the Armored Lizard stopped moving.

Eun Se-rin smiled at me.

“What is this, a cartoon? Who would just stand by and watch them combine?”

“Haha, exactly. Just attack while they’re combining, right?”

But combining?

I recalled the Lizardman I had seen before. It’s similar, but the fact that it combined…

“Noona! Watch out!”

Suddenly, a white slime from the lizard’s corpse lunged at Eun Se-rin.

But I heard an explosion in front of me, and the slime simply vanished.

“That was nothing. Today is strange. Shall we call it quits?”

Come to think of it, Eun Se-rin might not be SS-class, but she’s extremely strong by S-class standards.

The situation was resolved without much issue, but the atmosphere feels off.

It might be expected, but for something like this to happen suddenly?

Did Eun Se-rin set this up?

But she handled everything herself? When I turned my head, Eun Se-rin’s expression had become very fierce.

So frightening that I could barely move.

She suddenly rushed forward.

“Wh-what?”

“Get back!”

Eun Se-rin pushed me away. Not understanding what was happening, I watched as a black shadow pierced through her body.

“Ah!”

It happened in an instant. Blood was pouring from Eun Se-rin’s abdomen.

“Noona! Noona!”

As I was in shock, the black shadow stood before me.

“Saving a child? How disgusting.”

I saw a short-haired woman with an eye patch. Moderate muscles and tanned skin. A possessor of the White Eyes.

I know who she is. One of the executives of the Goegeopdan, Myung-hyun Lee.

Isn’t she on the same side as Eun Se-rin? They’re both from Goegeopdan, right?

Eun Se-rin stood up in front of me and positioned herself between us.

“Jong-hyun, run as far as you can.”

“Yes!”

In situations like this, you should flee without argument. Or at least pretend to flee.

I was about to watch the two of them face off.

Sparks flew as movements too fast for the eye unfolded.

What’s happening? I can’t see anything!

The exchange ended quickly. When the two faced each other on the ground, it was Myung-hyun Lee who was bleeding, indicating that Eun Se-rin had the upper hand despite being injured.

But my heart was uneasy.

Unfortunately, Myung-hyun Lee is a monster. Which means…

“Hahahahaha!”

Myung-hyun Lee began transforming into a monster. Yes, this is where the real battle begins.

[Main Card]

-Dragon Asura

As I touched the card, I sensed a presence from another direction. Masked figures revealed themselves, laughing.

“Our goal is to take you down too. Sorry, but we’ll finish this quickly.”

“Why did you stop running? Given up?”

Without hesitation, I attempted to transform using the card in response to the Goegeopdan’s voices.