It was sudden, but Kim Joohyuk's physical condition wasn't exactly good.
He hadn't engaged in proper physical training while searching for information over the past few days, but just by using this body for a few days, Kim Joohyuk quickly grasped its condition.
Weak like an invalid, and frail to boot.
Of course, it was better than a civilian.
However, saying it was better than a civilian conversely meant that the physical condition of a Contractor, who had to beat up monsters, was comparable to a civilian.
Honestly, it's hard to do anything with this body.
Kim Joohyuk cleanly admitted the fact.
He couldn't exert the same power as before with this body.
But.
Just because I became weaker doesn't mean other riffraff became stronger.
Even in Kim Joohyuk's eyes, the physical ability of Oh Se-hyuk, who was rushing at him in a frenzy, looked good.
At least among the freshmen he had faced so far, there was no one with better physical abilities than Oh Se-hyuk.
However, combat wasn't something that could be ended with overwhelming physical ability alone.
Overwhelming physical ability, martial arts to support it, and above all, observation of the opponent were necessary.
But what if those three elements weren't balanced?
[Crack!]
It ends up like this.
Kim Joohyuk smirked, watching Oh Se-hyuk rolling his eyes back along with two teeth flying refreshingly through the air.
Certainly, Oh Se-hyuk's physical ability was good, but that was it.
He didn't even try to grasp the opponent, and above all, he didn't possess martial arts worthy of utilizing that good physical ability properly.
So he goes down with a single counter.
Kim Joohyuk actually did nothing.
He just threw a counter nicely when Oh Se-hyuk rushed in and extended his fist.
"There isn't a single one who isn't frail."
[Winner: Kim Joohyuk.]
Checking his name appearing on the upper hologram not long after, Kim Joohyuk left the quieted stadium behind and returned to the waiting room.
❋ ❋ ❋
Oh Cheol-shin, the Head of the Oseon Family, Guild Master of the Oseon Guild, and known to the public by the title Battle King, possessed a cool-headed personality unlike his alias.
He was the type to move by calculating rationally rather than thinking instinctively when fighting.
A man who started fighting in earnest only after analyzing and re-analyzing the opponent's movements to raise the maximum probability of winning.
That was the iron rule and combat style of the man named Oh Cheol-shin.
Of course, in a way, his personality seemed contradictory to the alias Battle King.
However, undeniably, Oh Cheol-shin did not doubt that receiving the alias Battle King was due to his iron rule.
In short, he trusted his philosophy and trusted his analytical skills.
And from that perspective, Oh Cheol-shin certainly thought that although his son Oh Se-hyuk might be arrogant, his talent was exceptional.
Especially, his physical ability that grew without knowing limits unlike others was in the realm of something beyond talent by Oh Cheol-shin's standards.
Of course, perhaps because he was born with such overwhelming talent, Oh Se-hyuk's personality was arrogant, but considering his stats compared to peers, he judged that he could be arrogant enough.
Unlike other families, he thought his son was strong without needing packaging brought from media or various hypes.
But.
"...."
Oh Cheol-shin looked at his son.
The sight of his son sprawled out uglily enough to be called the family's disgrace, with two front teeth missing.
However, truly regretfully, Oh Cheol-shin's emotions showed no particular agitation.
Because he wasn't angry?
That wasn't it.
Because he wasn't ashamed?
That wasn't it.
The reason he wasn't agitated even after seeing his son's ugly appearance, and further, the appearance dropping the family's prestige, wasn't because he was cool-headed, nor because he didn't love his son.
"Ha...."
The reason he showed no emotional agitation was simple.
His mind wasn't in a relaxed situation to show emotional agitation over such a thing.
"Ha, a counter punch went in with one shot. I thought he was doing well until now, but to think he'd break like this."
"Honestly, I didn't know Oh Se-hyuk would end with a simple punch like this."
Oh Cheol-shin sneered hearing the stories of scouts muttering in front of him.
Idiots, that's a simple counter punch?
No, it wasn't.
It might have looked like that in others' eyes, but at least to him, the Battle King, the counter punch Kim Joohyuk showed wasn't the ordinary punching others spoke of.
That was an unavoidable punch...!
Oh Se-hyuk wasn't stupid.
Even if he hardly practiced fist techniques because his physical ability was outstanding, that was by the standards of the Oseon Family's eldest son; compared to other peers, he had sufficient skill.
Such a son couldn't dodge a simple counter punch?
Ridiculous.
Oh Se-hyuk didn't fail to dodge the counter punch.
Kim Joohyuk had thrown an absurd, unavoidable punch.
Oh Cheol-shin recalled the moment that happened just a while ago once again.
The fist extended exquisitely the moment Oh Se-hyuk rushed in, and the sight of Oh Se-hyuk's face stiffening with an expression saying it made no sense.
Oh Se-hyuk extended his fist first.
Oh Se-hyuk also had overwhelming physical superiority.
Oh Se-hyuk even used mana, which Kim Joohyuk didn't use.
But, the freshman named Kim Joohyuk effortlessly broke those three overwhelming, perhaps situational advantages that seemed impossible to narrow down.
With just a single punch.
The result.
Monster...!
Oh Cheol-shin evaluated Kim Joohyuk like that.
No, he had no choice but to evaluate him like that.
What if that guy trains his physical strength right now and gains decent physical ability?
What if that guy spends a little more time and completely blooms his talent?
"Haha...."
Feeling a chill down his spine the more he thought about it, Oh Cheol-shin unknowingly smiled and scanned the stadium once.
He faintly sensed that a few people here had already recognized Kim Joohyuk's value and sighed.
It would have been better if there were only idiots.
However, gems were bound to shine sooner or later.
I will bring him to our family no matter what.
Oh Cheol-shin vowed so and looked at the waiting room Kim Joohyuk entered.
❋ ❋ ❋
"Huaaa~ Choi Ah-rin Noona-"
"Noona! I love you, Noona!"
"Damn crazy bastards! Guys who've been to the army are sitting there calling a 17-year-old Noona."
Hearing the voices coming from one side of the stadium, Kim Joohyuk raised his gaze to look at the hologram, then looked at Choi Ah-rin facing him.
[Round 5]
[Final Match]
[Choi Ah-rin vs. Kim Joohyuk]
Choi Ah-rin stood without moving a single step from her spot, holding a Batto (drawing sword) stance.
Kim Joohyuk smirked looking at her.
At least there's one kid who actually thinks.
Today, Kim Joohyuk fought a total of four opponents including Oh Se-hyuk.
Among them, there were exactly two who were better than other freshmen.
The very first opponent Oh Se-hyuk, and the descendant of the Jangsan Family whom he fought next.
Well, even that was just better than other freshmen; honestly, they were worse than Yoo So-yeon whom Kim Joohyuk fought on the first day.
But the girl in front of him right now was the best among the freshmen he met so far in Kim Joohyuk's eyes.
At least she grasps the situation.
Actually, Choi Ah-rin hadn't moved once during the 30 seconds since the match started.
Just waiting for Kim Joohyuk to come first.
Honestly, that was a not-bad choice, even if not the best.
Since Kim Joohyuk hadn't moved his body once while fighting until now, he hadn't revealed his information to the point where it could be said to be zero.
So, the intention of 'I will face him with my maximum technique rather than rushing in rashly' was clearly visible.
However, truly regretfully, there was one thing Choi Ah-rin overlooked.
That was the fact that Kim Joohyuk's skill was outside the norm compared to what Choi Ah-rin thought.
[Thud- Thud-]
Kim Joohyuk started walking.
He didn't leap instantly, nor did he run diligently.
[Thud- Thud-]
Just walking.
Of course, that didn't mean he took a boxing-specific rhythm or stance either.
Literally, Kim Joohyuk was just moving his steps.
Every time he took a step, the distance between Kim Joohyuk and Choi Ah-rin closed, and accordingly, Choi Ah-rin contracted her body preparing to draw her sword.
However, even so, Kim Joohyuk narrowed the steps with Choi Ah-rin without a single pause, rather even smiling.
[Thud- Thud-]
Now the remaining distance between the two was less than nine steps.
Accordingly, Choi Ah-rin hardened her face and burst her mana as if she had been waiting.
[Crackle, Crackle!]
"Lightning!?"
"She already mastered the Choijin Family's elemental change at 17?"
"Most of the children of the Five Great Families who came out in this entrance ceremony are outstanding...!"
Exclamations popping out from the surroundings.
However, Choi Ah-rin focused only on Kim Joohyuk walking in front of her.
Now!
The moment Kim Joohyuk entered her range, she drew her sword toward Kim Joohyuk with a thought close to absolute certainty.
[Crackle!]
Along with that, the blade drawn at a speed not easily caught by anyone's eyes aimed for Kim Joohyuk's neck.
And the next moment.
"If you tell me exactly where you're going to attack with your eyes like that, isn't it too easy to dodge?"
"Wh-!"
[Whack!]
Kim Joohyuk struck Choi Ah-rin's solar plexus just like that, blowing her away, and looked at her bouncing off with a strange expression for a moment.
Of course, that action wasn't because Kim Joohyuk was surprised by Choi Ah-rin's skill.
Choi Ah-rin was just not as frail as others; ultimately, she just looked like one of the frail freshmen from his perspective.
However, the reason Kim Joohyuk was looking at her despite that was.
...That draw. It's eerily familiar. Where have I seen that stance before?
Because the draw Choi Ah-rin showed at the end was very similar to something Kim Joohyuk knew.
I think the stance was definitely different.
[Winner: Kim Joohyuk.]
However, Kim Joohyuk, who checked the hologram rising above soon, shrugged his shoulders and turned around.
There was no need to pay attention to that.
And.
❋ ❋ ❋
[Valhalla TOP 10]
Kim Yun-won9. Oh Se-hyuk8. Marlene Rotiya...3. Jang Ju-on2. Choi Ah-rin1. Kim Joohyuk
Kim Joohyuk entered Valhalla as 1st place, shattering all expectations of the Five Great Families and scouts before the entrance ceremony—
"Mr. Kim Joohyuk! Let's talk for a moment!"
"Student Kim Joohyuk! Join our Cheongmyeong! We won't spare any support!"
"Mr. Kim Joohyuk. Speaking of us, we are a guild with tradition even in Korea with 30 years of history-"
"Piss off, all of you!"
—And began creating spectacular controversies even before the entrance ceremony.
(End of Chapter 3)
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