Ch.98I’d Like to Face You

“I’m looking forward to it… Quake’s combat guidance.”

“I even switched from villain to hero because of this.”

“Allowing anyone who’s a superhuman or hero to attend classes even if they’re not students—Cage is definitely something else.”

“Technically, wouldn’t it be Meister? The very necessity of such facilities…”

Murmurs filled the corridor as superhumans moved through it.

Red-dyed hair, bodies occasionally shooting sparks due to poor control, hands covered in hard carapaces, a man about my height.

Here, even I appear to be an ordinary superhuman.

Yeo Un-jae, who had gone ahead into the corridor, walked with A-rank heroes flanking him on both sides.

Like bodyguards, the heroes maintained their vigilance toward ordinary superhumans who were neither heroes nor students.

Shortly after, Yeo Un-jae arrived at a spacious room labeled “Combat Training Room” and sat down on a chair placed in one corner.

“Well then, shall we first see the abilities of our students?”

“Please guide us!”

The students stepped forward before the superhumans and demonstrated their abilities one by one in front of Yeo Un-jae.

Those who appeared older than the students outside displayed C-rank level powerful abilities.

Telekinesis aimed at empty space, ice blades, lightning branches spreading in multiple directions, and simple punches.

“Hmm, I’ve seen enough. Next, would our heroes and superhumans please demonstrate?”

“Hehe, I never thought I’d get to show my ability in front of Quake.”

This time, B-rank abilities, barely short of A-rank.

Each ability’s resonance and intense explosions shook the auditorium.

Among them, someone who appeared to be an ordinary superhuman pretended to make a mistake and directed his ability toward Yeo Un-jae.

“Ah, I apologize.”

“…Please be more careful next time.”

The wind blade that flew secretly was blocked not by Yeo Un-jae, but by the two A-rank heroes standing beside him.

The man who had shot his ability at Yeo Un-jae returned to his seat with a snicker.

“Seems like the has-been really is a has-been. He couldn’t even react.”

As the man mocked the aging Yeo Un-jae, the students frowned, while the heroes looked on with interest.

Though Yeo Un-jae clearly seemed to be their idol, they showed no particular hostility.

Is that really okay?

“Next, A-rank superhuman, Park Deun-deun.”

“Park Deun-deun…?”

“Is that really someone’s name?”

“An A-rank superhuman?”

Called by name, I walked from among the people to the auditorium.

In the empty space, I briefly locked eyes with Yeo Un-jae, then raised my fist to head height.

And then, one very light punch.

Bang! A shockwave flew out with the sound of air bursting.

“You bastard!”

“What are you doing!”

“It’s fine.”

The A-rank heroes, slow to react, barely managed to block my shockwave just in front of Yeo Un-jae.

For some reason, the heroes who had only frowned earlier but hadn’t gotten angry were now furious.

Yeo Un-jae raised his prosthetic arm to calm them down between them, and added a comment he hadn’t made for the other superhumans.

“Pure physical strength… interesting. Next.”

As I returned to the crowd of superhumans, I directed my senses toward Yeo Un-jae.

Just now, Yeo Un-jae had reacted to my attack.

His quickly moving gaze, widened eyes, the faint ripple of ability spreading—

He didn’t dodge because he judged the A-rank heroes could block it sufficiently.

He could have dodged if he wanted to.

“Now, I’ll pair you with others of similar skill levels.”

During the subsequent sparring session, drones that had been flying around returned to their owner and guided participants to suitable opponents.

“Let’s proceed with the matches in order. Remember that killing your opponent is not the objective.”

The people guided by the drones demonstrated their abilities in front of Yeo Un-jae and the A-rank heroes.

Regardless of their level, all superhumans exchanged attacks that could inflict fatal wounds on each other.

The superhumans here were at least Homicide-rank if compared to monsters.

Every attack could cause instant death if it landed wrong.

However, just before attacks connected, the heroes beside Yeo Un-jae intervened to stop the fights and prevent injuries.

“Your attack method is good. However, you lack power in your footwork.”

“Try targeting blind spots more. Your ability’s strength is its stealth.”

“Your idea to compensate for your ability’s output is good, but your attacks are too monotonous.”

“Th-thank you!”

Yeo Un-jae shared his observations with each student and hero after their matches, pointing out areas for improvement.

By the time I had yawned about eleven times from boredom, it was the turn of the superhuman who had secretly directed his ability at Yeo Un-jae earlier.

The man, who introduced himself as B-rank superhuman Kang Chi-su, covered his body in wind armor and pummeled his hero opponent.

“Hey, I came to this class because I heard it was Yeo Un-jae’s class, not some joke session.”

“Ugh, urk…”

“I heard rumors that I could even fight Yeo Un-jae himself, but do you not even have the strength to fight anymore? Washed-up old man.”

Combat-focused ability utilization that deflected attacks directed at him while enhancing the power of his own attacks.

As the man made bang, bang sounds by clashing his fists wrapped in spinning wind, the heroes and students around me murmured.

“What’s with him? Is he in his right mind?”

“As expected of a former villain. How rude.”

“I heard there was someone like this last time too.”

“In the end, even if they registered as superhumans, villains are still villains. Their way of thinking is fundamentally different from ours.”

“The villain’s thinking is obvious—they imagine that if they defeat the aging Yeo Un-jae, they’ll be in the spotlight as the person who beat Quake.”

“Heh heh…”

Amid the superhumans’ whispers, Yeo Un-jae laughed casually and nodded to the A-rank hero beside him.

“Of course, if you wish, sparring with me is possible. However, you must first defeat my disciples.”

“Disciples?”

“As you said, my body isn’t in good condition, so I limit my sparring sessions… I only spar once a day with those strong enough to defeat my disciples.”

“Ha, aren’t you just scared to fight me? I understand you’re old and weak, but don’t hide behind your disciples—fight me directly.”

“…A-rank hero Vibe. Her ability is ultra-vibration.”

A woman with tightly bound hair interrupted in response to the disrespectful words toward Yeo Un-jae.

She pulled out a three-section staff from her practical pants pocket and swung it.

With a whoosh, the staff extended, and transparent blade-like projections formed along it with the ripple of her ability.

“Hey, wait. You want me to fight an A-rank hero? Are you trying to kill me?”

“Mr. Kang Chi-su, this is merely sparring. We don’t kill.”

The man, now facing an A-rank hero, wrapped rapidly spinning wind blades around both arms and took a defensive stance.

The woman sighed, approached by sliding across the ground, and slashed the man’s arm with her staff.

With a quiet cutting sound, blood spurted from the man’s arm as the ability deeply cut through his arm and ability.

“Argh!”

“Mr. Kang Chi-su, your ability output is insufficient for your rank. Your control and stealth are excellent, but… in that state, you’ll lose to even a lower-ranked opponent in a direct confrontation.”

“B-but you said this was sparring! Is it okay to cut this deep?!”

“A superhuman won’t die from that much. Now, try to focus your ability more in one spot to block attacks. If you can interfere properly, you can reduce the damage.”

As the man collapsed covered in blood from the one-sided attack, medical staff rushed from the corner.

They poured healing solution on the wound and quickly loaded the man onto a stretcher to transport him.

After the man disappeared, the superhumans all applauded.

The woman called Vibe bowed politely.

The superhumans seemed accustomed to seeing blood, not even minding the black blood splattered on the floor.

“Well then… next is A-rank superhuman, Mr. Park Deun-deun.”

It was my turn next. I stepped forward at the call.

“A-rank superhuman…?”

“If he’s a superhuman, that means he’s not affiliated with any organization yet, right?”

“There’s an A-rank superhuman?”

“Is his name really Park Deun-deun?”

The superhumans, heroes, and students murmured.

Among them, one hero stepped forward and stood before me.

“B-rank hero, Gravity.”

“Park Deun-deun.”

Gulp. The man swallowed and drew up his ability, pressuring my surroundings.

I sensed the taste of the ability around me and recognized what kind it was.

Weight manipulation—a unique telekinesis specialized in one direction.

“Haap!”

The man reduced his body weight in an instant to move quickly across the ground, then increased his weight as he threw a punch in front of me.

An attack at close range, utilizing the principle that ability output is stronger closer to the core.

Not a bad use of ability. I raised one hand to block the punch.

“Eh, eh… ugh, ack, ah!”

Crunch, crunch. I grabbed the telekinesis covering his fist and lightly swung the man down to the floor.

Crash! The man, who had been increasing his weight, received that much stronger impact throughout his body and twitched.

A momentary blackout. When the man opened his eyes again and reflexively tried to throw another punch out of fear, another A-rank hero rushed in to block the attack.

“…Changing weight instantaneously to increase destructive power. Body protected by telekinesis… excellent. If used at the right timing, you could deliver a powerful blow by multiplying speed and weight several times.”

Yeo Un-jae, who had stopped the instantly concluded match, offered advice to the man.

“However, if your power is insufficient as it is now, or if your timing is read by your opponent, your ability can become your weakness. Your ability seems to have higher utility when used more defensively. Consider ways to reduce the power of your opponent’s attacks.”

“Th-thank you…”

As the hero who had faced me stood up and bowed his head, the heroes and students murmured again.

“His ability usage seemed good, but I guess that’s what an A-rank is like.”

“The output itself is so different that the fight looks boring.”

“But… why is he still standing there?”

I remained standing still even after easily defeating one opponent, not returning to the crowd of superhumans.

As Yeo Un-jae and the A-rank heroes focused their attention on me, Yeo Un-jae’s assessment followed.

“Hmm… Mr. Park Deun-deun, very impressive. You seem to possess a special ability… purely enhancing physical strength.”

“Skip the advice.”

As I clenched my fist, the woman who had defeated the other superhuman earlier pulled out her three-section staff again.

With a look that suggested she had anticipated this, Yeo Un-jae quietly smiled and said:

“So, Mr. Park Deun-deun, you also want to test yourself against me.”

“That’s right.”

“Still, you’re much more polite than the previous person… very well. My disciples first.”

“Whoa! What’s that?!”

“Wind?!”

Before Yeo Un-jae finished speaking, boom! I threw a proper punch into the air, and a fist-shaped shockwave took clear form and flew toward the woman.

The woman sliced through the shockwave with her blade-tipped staff and charged at me.

With light movements, I dodged the woman’s blade and grabbed her head as she crossed paths with me.

“Ugh… kyaa!”

I slammed her head, which fit perfectly in my hand, straight into the ground, creating a crater with a cracking sound.

When I released my hand, the woman was staring blankly with a nosebleed.

In the stunned training room, Yeo Un-jae burst into laughter and applauded.

“Did you see that? An A-rank hero in an instant.”

“Park Deun-deun, was it? Who is this superhuman?”

“Excellent. Powerful strength and speed, courage that doesn’t fear blades at all. And using the moment of attack as an opportunity for counterattack—wild and clever.”

“Ugh…”

The woman staggered to her feet, put away her staff, and bowed her head.

Among the quiet heroes, another hero who had been beside Yeo Un-jae stepped forward.

Short hair and small build… I thought it was a man, but sniffing, I realized this one was a woman too.

“Wave. Ability is wavelength.”

“A woman.”

“…Shut your mouth.”

Does she dislike being identified as female?

The other female hero stomped the ground with a thud, and a wave of ability spread from her feet, creating a strange pressure.

Immediately after, the surrounding sounds disappeared.

Distorting vision—not by manipulating the brain, but by manipulating light itself to create illusions.

The woman approached silently and thrust her palm toward my waist.

“What…?!”

Using my monster-specific senses to locate the woman, I met her palm with my hand.

Waves burst from her small hand, about half the size of mine, making my insides throb.

This feels refreshing.

An attack that would have been fatal to an unguarded human—if it hit properly, it would be considerably powerful even against monsters.

I grabbed the woman’s hand and was about to swing her around.

“That’s enough.”

At that moment, Yeo Un-jae clapped his hands and stopped the fight.

I stopped mid-swing and spun the woman in the air.

As the woman ended up in my arms, she pressed her palm against my body and released her ability.

“Let, let go!”

A considerable impact, but at a level that caused me no damage at all.

I wanted to feel more of that refreshing sensation, but reluctantly put the woman down.

Meanwhile, Yeo Un-jae had removed his top and approached me, moving his prosthetic arm.

“Excellent. Now, as you wish, shall we spar?”

Giiing, the wrist of the prosthetic arm rotated once, and with chik, chik sounds, each joint opened.

With a limping gait but relaxed attitude, Yeo Un-jae stood before me, extended one hand forward, and took a peculiar stance.

A stance I had never seen from heroes who faced monsters.

“This should also serve as good teaching material for the students.”

Yeo Un-jae, taking the same stance I had seen on TV as a child, drew up his ability.