Chapter 106
Chapter 106: Training
[Go Mina: Really? Are you okay?]
[Yoo Ji-han: Yes.]
Yoo Ji-han received a notification that he was invited to a new chat room from Go Mina.
He clicked on the notification.
[Please set a nickname for the chat room.]
Before entering the chat room, he could choose any nickname, just like in an anonymous chat room.
After a brief moment of thought, Yoo Ji-han set his real name as his nickname.
[Yoo Ji-han has entered the chat room.]
[Krurung: ?]
As soon as the entry message appeared in the chat room,
someone typed a single question mark in the chat.
Then, a moment of silence followed where no one sent a message.
[Cheong-ryong: What? Yoo Ji-han?]
[Ottodu: Is it really you?]
[Peru: Who invited that person?]
Eventually, the existing people in the chat, who were previously gossiping about Yoo Ji-han, expressed their doubts.
Their skepticism grew since they were just badmouthing him a moment ago.
[Ottodu: Is it really Yoo Ji-han?]
[Cheong-ryong: The new person who just joined. Say something.]
[Apple: Did he actually come in himself?]
As more people began to doubt Yoo Ji-han’s presence,
the number of observers started to outnumber the few sending direct messages.
Watching their reactions with interest, Yoo Ji-han tapped on his mobile phone’s keyboard.
[Yoo Ji-han: It’s Yoo Ji-han from the Sweet Fun guild.]
[Cheong-ryong: Are you really Yoo Ji-han?]
[Yoo Ji-han: Yes. Should I prove it?]
When he positively responded to the questions, a silence fell once more in the chat room.
They hadn’t expected him to show up himself.
[Apple: It really seems like he came in.]
[Cheong-ryong: This isn’t a chat room for you, you know.]
[Cheong-ryong: Please leave.]
Among the existing chat members, some wanted to kick Yoo Ji-han out.
But Yoo Ji-han wasn’t bothered by that and wrote another message.
[Yoo Ji-han: I heard my name comes up a lot here.]
[Peru: Good timing then. Since you’re here, can I ask you one thing? Is it true that you bullied passing citizens?]
[Yoo Ji-han: I’ve never done that.]
[Peru: I heard there are witnesses too, you know?]
[Yoo Ji-han: Then bring that so-called witness in front of me. I doubt you’ll be able to.]
Yoo Ji-han was in a position to talk face-to-face instead of in the chat room.
That way, he could prove anything he needed to.
But he was sure the people spreading the rumors wouldn’t be able to do so.
It’s easy to spread baseless rumors through chat or speech,
but keeping up a lie face-to-face is a very difficult task.
[Blue: I have a question too. There are rumors that you bribed officials at the Hero Academy to pass.]
[Yoo Ji-han: My guild has no intention or money for that. To bribe someone, you’d need pretty high ranks, and they’d likely be earning far more than I do right now.]
[Cloud: There’s a rumor that the video used in the last feedback training was the result of a professional editing company.]
[Yoo Ji-han: That wasn’t by a company, it was edited by the Hero Department. I believe some scenes were cut for security reasons.]
[Cloud: So you’re saying the footage had no manipulation?]
[Yoo Ji-han: Of course. If you’re really suspicious, you can ask the instructors or the Hero Department.]
He faced the rumorous disrespect with an unwavering attitude.
Yoo Ji-han continued to respond assertively against the poor rumors.
[Blue: So what about the rumors floating around here?]
[Peru: Are you saying they were all lies?]
Seeing his demeanor, some users who had entered the chat room grew uneasy.
But the atmosphere remained one where most didn’t believe his words.
[Krurung: You killed an innocent person!]
[Yoo Ji-han: That never happened.]
[Krurung: Don’t lie. This was confirmed through Moon Kyung-jin’s party.]
[Yoo Ji-han: What makes Moon Kyung-jin’s party some kind of divine authority? Does checking with them turn lies into truth?]
[Cheong-ryong: Quit your nonsense.]
[Yoo Ji-han: The nonsense is coming from you.]
[Meat: You’re just a lousy hero.]
[Yoo Ji-han: 😒]
As Yoo Ji-han faced the endless insults hurled at him, he merely chuckled lightly.
The conversation in the chat room was precisely at the level he had anticipated,
and no matter how many insults were tossed, he didn’t pay them any mind.
[Yoo Ji-han: Everyone! If you have something to say to me, come directly in front of me instead of this chat room.]
[Yoo Ji-han: Stop being like rats talking behind my back.]
[Ottodu: Rats, huh?]
[Cheong-ryong: Who do you think you are, speaking back to us?]
[Yoo Ji-han: LOL, got a problem? If you have issues, come to me directly. I’ll gladly take you on.]
[Yoo Ji-han: Of course, the one getting embarrassed then won’t be me, but you guys.]
[Yoo Ji-han: Oh, and I’m starting to guess who created this chat room.]
[Yoo Ji-han: I wonder if they’re doing okay with their health?]
[Yoo Ji-han: (cat licking paw emoticon)]
[Meat: You crazy bastard.]
Following that, more aggressive comments came from the users,
but Yoo Ji-han had no intention of continuing the conversation any longer.
[Yoo Ji-han: TTYL.]
After saying what he needed, Yoo Ji-han left the chat room.
And shortly after, a new message from Go Mina arrived.
[Go Mina: Good!]
[Go Mina: I also just left the chat room.]
She notified him that she had also exited the chat room.
Yoo Ji-han expressed his gratitude to her for the information.
[Yoo Ji-han: Thank you for your help.]
[Go Mina: Oh, it was nothing ^^*]
[Go Mina: But, Ji-han!
[Go Mina: If you have some time next time, would you like to eat together…?]
*
“…”
Moon Kyung-jin, staring down at his mobile phone, immediately clenched his fists.
On his phone screen was the anonymous chat room Yoo Ji-han had just left.
Unbeknownst to him, it was a chat room where he had gathered some of the classmates from the Hero Academy.
Due to its anonymity, many heroes could join without hesitation.
[Meat: Guys! You’re not believing what Yoo Ji-han said, are you?]
[Apple: No way. How could we believe the words of a hero who’s on such a low level?]
People were criticizing Yoo Ji-han, who had left the chat room after saying what he wanted to say.
Some among them were Moon Kyung-jin’s party members, as well as heroes who had been pre-recruited like hype men.
But…
[Ilu Nyeong: I’m out of here.]
[Raccoon: Zooming out.]
[Raccoon has left the chat room.]
[aww: That person left without saying a word.]
[Epe: I’m leaving too. I don’t want to be a rat like them.]
After Yoo Ji-han stirred up chaos in the chat room, people started leaving one by one.
It didn’t take even five minutes for the number of people to drop from over twenty to around ten.
If someone entered the chat room now, they’d find even fewer people.
“Damn it!”
Bang!
Unable to contain his anger, Moon Kyung-jin pounded the nearby sofa with his fist.
The leather of the sofa couldn’t withstand the strength of a hero and was ripped apart instantly.
‘That Yoo Ji-han…!’
He had aimed to foster negative opinions against Yoo Ji-han’s party.
Spreading rumors among the classmates at the Hero Academy, hoping they would reach the instructors or related personnel.
But looking at how things were going now, it seemed nothing would go as planned.
Crunch!
Moon Kyung-jin gritted his teeth,
seeing the cat emoticon Yoo Ji-han sent brought back painful memories of his left leg being bitten by giant cat monsters in the apartment.
Including the prosthetic leg on his left side and artificial fingers.
He shouldn’t have any pain since his overall recovery had completed, but those memories kept resurfacing.
“…I can’t let this go on.”
Look at the attitude Yoo Ji-han showed in the chat room.
He was overflowing with arrogance, even to the point of being obnoxiously rude.
He couldn’t just let that guy keep running rampant as he is now.
‘How can I possibly hinder that punk?’
Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!
Moon Kyung-jin bit his thumbnail and rolled his eyes.
He wanted to make the other heroes insult him.
He wished to somehow block Yoo Ji-han’s path!
With eyes filled with rage, he looked down at his mobile phone.
*
[A message to the students of the Hero Academy is being sent. Special training is scheduled for each position, so ranged damage dealers receiving this message are requested to gather in the basement training room by 2 PM on the day.]
Receiving the message from the Hero Academy, Min Yu-ri was moving towards the underground training center.
Today was a day for new training at the Hero Academy.
Special training corresponding to each hero’s position, including ranged dealers, tankers, warriors, and mages, was planned.
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu from the same party would also be undergoing training in different locations.
‘Who will show up?’
The hero leading today’s training was said to be a senior hero who had graduated from the Hero Academy.
Having previously looked up seniors from the first and second batches of the Hero Academy, Min Yu-ri wondered who would be present today.
‘There they are.’
Around 1:55 PM, she arrived at the area where her classmates from the Hero Academy were gathered.
She waited with them for the instructor to arrive.
And just as it struck 2 PM, a woman appeared waving her hand in the training room.
“Hey guys!”
“Whoa!”
“Is that Instructor Lee Soo-ji?!”
Hero Lee Soo-ji.
The heroes present immediately recognized her face in surprise.
She was a well-known hero serving as a ranged damage dealer in the Rank 2 party of the Ice Bowl.
Though not as famous as Jin Seok-woo, she sometimes made appearances in the entertainment industry as well.
“Today, I’ll be leading the training… Do you all know me? If so, I don’t need to introduce myself again, right?”
“Yes!”
“C-could I ask for your autograph?”
“As long as you keep up in class, no problem.”
Instructor Lee Soo-ji was kind to her fans.
The male hero requesting the autograph had a hopeful expression on his face.
“Let’s get right to it!”
As soon as she arrived, she led the ranged dealers to the magic training area within the training center.
It was a space structured to resemble a shooting range.
The only thing they could use instead of guns was a hero’s magical power.
“Everyone, take your positions.”
Lee Soo-ji lined up more than thirty individuals in the training area.
“From now, shoot the targets using your magic until I tell you to stop.”
“Huh?”
Lee Soo-ji scanned the rookie heroes with a smiled grin.
Those gathered here were precious gems overflowing with potential even among the Rank 4s.
Today, she planned to test their limits.
“I’ve said I’ll be using this training hall all day today, so don’t worry.”
“Is it just shooting?”
“Yep. Let’s start right away!”
Not far away, the targets appeared.
The heroes unleashed their attacks in their own individual ways.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Swoosh!
Arrows, shurikens, and magic projectiles of various forms crashed into the targets.
Everyone wore bewildered expressions as they followed Lee Soo-ji’s instructions, trying to impress her by pouring in their full efforts from the start.
“Ugh, ugh…”
“Phew!”
After about 40 minutes since the abrupt beginning of the training,
sweat was pouring down many heroes’ foreheads.
Continuous usage of their magic had drained not only their magic reserves but also their stamina considerably.
“There! Don’t take breaks for over five seconds; keep shooting!”
Lee Soo-ji reprimanded the heroes slacking off from behind like a supervisor.
And as time went by, when one or two heroes began to tire or run out of strength…
‘So boring.’
Unlike the other heroes, Min Yu-ri, who hadn’t broken a single sweat, was starting to feel bored.
Instructor Lee Soo-ji’s gaze lingered on her for a while.
