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Just as I was about to lose my mind at Hayan’s words telling me not to kill, Kim Min-ji charged at me recklessly.

“Dead!”

Even though this was supposed to be a sparring match, she’s talking about killing me… That’s way too harsh.

I calculated Kim Min-ji’s speed and distance as she charged at me without hesitation.

The calculation, done subconsciously rather than consciously, felt like moving on pure instinct.

At the right moment, I extended my right foot diagonally and used it as a pivot to shift sideways.

With a smooth pivot turn, I dodged Kim Min-ji’s attack.

*Whoosh—*

“Kyaaak!”

At the same time, I threw a light body hook.

The rotational force gathered from my foot was transferred into my fist.

Maybe it was thanks to following Instructor Yoo Soo-gap’s plyometric exercises.

The punch came out much stronger than usual.

My fist seemed to lift Kim Min-ji’s body slightly.

A sound similar to hitting a mat was heard.

Considering the sound of bones cracking… it was almost certain that her lower ribs were broken.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been abusing villains’ ribs since I was young…

Somehow, my attacks always end up targeting ribs.

Kim Min-ji knelt down, clutching her side in pain.

But… that crazy wild boar was getting up again.

‘Again?’

Is she some kind of immortal Jang Gil-yong or an apostle of the Satan Church?

I realized that just knocking her down wasn’t enough.

It feels like it’ll never end.

In fact, she seems to get a little stronger every time she falls.

I’ll either have to kill her… no, I can’t kill her.

Knocking her out seems to be the only option.

While the wild boar… I mean, Kim Min-ji was trembling, clutching her side.

I closed the distance again and lightly extended my left hand.

Even though the left hand itself was light, the force behind it wasn’t.

A jab with weight shifted forward, powering through the front thigh.

Even when I or Jeong Ha-yul throw a light jab, it has the power to burst a sandbag.

Retracting the jab, I followed up with a right straight.

Since I had already measured the distance with the jab, the optimal striking point was clear.

*Whoosh—*

Not a *bang bang* sound.

A strange *whoosh* sound came out.

Kim Min-ji raised both hands to block the punch.

But it was useless.

Kim Min-ji’s body was pushed back, flying toward the wall, but the assistant instructor moved to catch her.

Even though the assistant instructor used magic power to stop her, he still took a few steps back.

‘I’m still lacking a lot.’

If I had used magic power, I would’ve sent the assistant instructor flying and broken through the wall.

My body is still too weak in many ways.

Even then, I could feel Kim Min-ji’s body twitching.

‘Is she a zombie or something?’

Even a zombie would’ve been knocked out by now.

Just as I frowned and was about to rush in to finish Kim Min-ji.

The assistant instructor waved one arm in front of me.

Instructor Yoo Soo-gap also stepped in front of me.

“That’s enough, the spar is over.”

“Yes.”

Did they think I was going to go on a rampage in my excitement?

Seeing me return to my seat without any resistance, Instructor Yoo Soo-gap let out a sigh of relief.

“Gyeoul did well!”

“You didn’t think I’d lose, did you?”

“Huh? No, I meant you did well not to kill her.”

Even though I talk about killing or saving people, I’ve never actually killed anyone.

So why does Hayan keep acting like I’m going to kill someone?

Hayan is definitely the main culprit behind my declining social image and reputation.

“Assistant instructor, take Kim Min-ji to the infirmary.”

“Yes.”

Even though only three matches have ended, two students have already been taken to the infirmary.

“…This year’s first-years are tougher than I thought.”

“Thank you!”

Instructor Yoo Soo-gap suddenly complimented us.

I thought he might be mocking us, but Hayan twisted her body in excitement.

My friend is so embarrassing…

“Since you’re being praised, Gyeoul, loosen up your expression.”

“…Yes.”

So it was a compliment.

My twisted personality must’ve made me unable to accept direct compliments as compliments.

Wait…

Does that mean I’m even more twisted than Hayan?

Sigh, my life is messed up.

***

Time flew by, and it’s already Saturday.

I was supposed to leave after classes ended on Friday evening…

But I stayed up all night because of the gaming club… no, the monster food club activities, and only left for home on Saturday morning.

Sipping tea, I told my family about the events of the week.

When I mentioned the club, Jeong Ha-yul seemed a bit surprised.

“…What’s wrong, sis?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

For a moment, I thought it might’ve been the club she was in, but that was impossible.

The club was founded by 10th-grade seniors, after all.

“What is it? Tell me.”

“…I made something similar once.”

“…What did you make?”

What kind of club is similar to monster food?

“Monster cooking club.”

“…?”

When she was young, Jeong Ha-yul felt it was a waste to throw away monster corpses.

So she started cooking to try and eat them.

She got so into it that she started a club, and the instructor at the time was the current president, Kim Bong-du.

But… it was disbanded within three months.

“Why?”

“Only me and Bong-du could eat it.”

“…?”

Among monsters, there are rare edible ones.

Like the armored boar meat Kim Gae-soo brought recently.

But most monsters have poison in their meat, and it’s so toxic that even most Awakened Ones can’t detoxify it.

Not knowing this, Jeong Ha-yul caught monsters and cooked them.

Only she and Kim Bong-du were fine, while the other club members kept getting hospitalized.

Eventually, the president at the time forcibly disbanded the club.

…

There was a club even crazier than the monster food club.

“Let’s stop talking about that.”

“…Okay.”

After that, I told them about the villain capture techniques class.

“…Are you two really sisters or mother and daughter? You’ve been acting more and more alike, and now you’re even in a club similar to Ha-yul’s. What you do at school is almost the same too.”

“Should we do a DNA test again? I think there was a mistake last time.”

While Eun-chae and Kang-woo were talking nonsense, Jeong Ha-yul seemed a bit displeased.

“You threw a punch with all your strength?”

“Yeah, but the assistant instructor blocked it, so I didn’t get hurt.”

“That wasn’t your full strength, Gyeoul.”

“…?”

The Demon King Punch isn’t something an assistant instructor can block, whether I use magic power or not.

Even if Instructor Yoo Soo-gap stepped in, he wouldn’t be able to stop it and would’ve been sent flying out of the building…

Isn’t that just abnormal?

How do you do that without magic power?

“Your brain has set a limit that you haven’t released yet.”

“…?”

Nonsense I’ve never heard before came out of Jeong Ha-yul’s mouth.

“Whether it’s plyometrics, passive abilities, or the brain’s limit… why do you keep so much from me?”

“At your level, you’re already far ahead of your peers. What’s the rush? I’ll make you one of the world’s top powerhouses before you become an adult, so don’t be so impatient.”

Even though she was giving me a disapproving look for calling that punch a Demon King Punch, she tells me not to be impatient?

There’s always a contradiction in Jeong Ha-yul’s words.

And another contradiction.

“My peers can’t catch up? I’d lose to Hayan, though.”

Jeong Ha-yul shook her head in disbelief.

“Your standards are too high. Hayan is S-Class. In the beginning, she couldn’t control her magic power properly, so she was on par with you.”

Even in the early stages of being an S-Class Awakened, being on par with me is thanks to my talent.

She added that no matter how much you can’t control your magic power, an S-Class can overpower you with strength.

I didn’t know that.

“…What can I do? Everyone around me is either S-Class or crazy A-Class.”

Right now, there’s a woman in front of me who can flick me harder than my full-powered punch.

A woman who walks casually but is faster than my full speed just came out of the bathroom.

“Gyeoul, why? Do you need to use the bathroom?”

“No…”

Even though we’re both A-Class now, I can’t run like Jo Se-hee.

Not to mention Park Seol-hwa, Heinz, Lin Hazel, and Lee Ha-yoon.

Just listing my close friends, that’s already a lot.

People who others might never even get a chance to meet in their lifetime are all close sisters and grandfathers to me.

How can I be satisfied with being stronger than my peers in such a situation…

“I roughly know why you’re obsessed with strength. But you don’t need to go that far, we’re here now.”

…How does Jeong Ha-yul know the reason I’m obsessed with strength?

She must be misunderstanding something.

But I didn’t say it out loud.

I should at least act touched in situations like this, so I can get something out of it.

“Thanks, sis…”

“Speaking of which, let’s go out for a bit.”

“Where to?”

“The auction.”

See?

You have to be quick-witted to get treats even while sleeping.

This time, only Jeong Ha-yul and I went, without Kang-woo and Eun-chae.

It was an unavoidable choice since only Awakened Ones could enter the auction house.

I entrusted myself to the car Jeong Ha-yul was driving.

I had no idea where we arrived.

“Where is this?”

“A town destroyed by monsters. Now it’s just abandoned land.”

“…They hold auctions here?”

“Yeah.”

Jeong Ha-yul gave a simple answer and led me underground by the hand.

‘This isn’t some kind of trap to fatten me up and eat me, is it…?’

While imagining the worst, we went underground together.

Surprisingly, it was quite sophisticated.

“Welcome. We’ll prepare masks for you.”

“No need.”

“…Yes.”

It’s a rule to wear masks when entering the auction house.

But… the rule-breaking Demon King Jeong Ha-yul said masks were unnecessary and just walked in.

“…A place like this, underground, with masks…”

“That’s right, it’s illegal.”

“…?”

I don’t know why she’s so confident.

Jo Se-hee is probably hiding somewhere, following us.

Is it okay for an A-Class hero and an S-Class hero from the Association to come and go from a place like this?

 

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