"What the hell…? A trainee… no, is he even human?"
His eyes trembled, and his heart pounded like drums from the shock.
He felt sorry for Jin Changhyuk and Baek Iyeon, who were locked in a fierce battle, but his eyes had been completely stolen away.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was mesmerized.
"This is insane. A human I actually want to take to Elvenheim…"
As an instructor on Earth, he never expected such a desire to arise. Everyone would be stunned. That Shahar, the first finger of the honorable Sword Eluriate, would harbor such blasphemous thoughts.
But Soohyeok was keenly aware of Shahar's gaze.
Ping-!
Level up!
The voice rang clearly in his head the moment he took down the last Naro.
But that, too, was buried deep in his subconscious.
"Hoo…"
He let out a long breath and quickly checked his condition.
"This is easy."
It was completely different from when he first learned martial arts.
Though awkward, his body was now keeping up with what his mind remembered.
His senses, sharpened by countless wars and battles, guided him like a blade.
A keen instinct had returned.
"I can get even stronger."
Soohyeok's idea of getting stronger wasn't about the present.
It harked back to the past—when he had been called the Martial Emperor of the Illusory Continent.
And also toward the future—a realm he would one day reach again.
He could surpass that version of himself.
You could say Soohyeok had crossed worlds, buying experience and time in exchange for youth.
He hadn't realized this fact until his first real fight.
That delightful truth made him smile.
Thump, thump.
His heart beat loudly.
His eyes searched for the next Naro like a predator enjoying the hunt.
"Graaah—!"
Jin Changhyuk screamed, sacrificing one arm, while the blade that shot from his other fist pierced through the Naro's skull.
As the Naro went limp and fell, Jin Changhyuk kicked its body away and gasped, his face pale.
"Heal!"
Baek Iyeon's voice rang out.
To everyone's surprise, the mangled arm that had been bitten and torn by the Naro began returning to its original form.
Even his pale face slowly regained color.
Only one Naro remained.
It was more like a straggler, glancing around nervously, its allies defeated.
But the monster couldn't suppress its innate hostility toward humans—it continued to burn with killing intent.
"Grrr…"
The Naro growled, and Jin Changhyuk slowly approached it.
His steps were unsteady, but his fighting spirit was clear.
Watching his back, Soohyeok began to calm the heat inside himself.
"That's enough."
He had already confirmed just how powerful he was in this world through real combat.
Stepping in now would just be flaunting his excitement—it would be reckless showboating.
Given the purpose of this fight was training and gaining experience, he knew it was right to step back now.
The last Naro was Jin Changhyuk and Baek Iyeon's to handle.
And as if they understood that as well, neither looked to Soohyeok for help.
Shortly after, Jin Changhyuk let out a triumphant roar as he drove blades from both fists into the final Naro's chest.
"Raaah!"
Their first battle. Their first victory.
Everything after that went smoothly.
Having adapted to fighting the Naros, the three of them swept through the portal like outlaws.
Shahar didn't have to intervene with any advice or help.
Not just Soohyeok, but the other two began adapting to combat as if they were remembering something they'd already known.
"So this is what people meant when they said Earth's Awakened are a little… special."
Shahar couldn't help but admire the sight.
One month of training.
It's not a short time.
But for preparing for actual combat, it's not long either.
In fact, after just two weeks of theory, they were thrown into real fights.
They were given the weapons of their choice—that was it.
No martial arts or combat training.
Yet they instinctively used their powers, naturally learning how to fight. As if they were moving by instinct.
Nowhere in Elvenheim or any other dimension Shahar knew were there beings who wielded power like this.
That's why Earth's Awakened were called slightly special.
But even so, their growth ceiling was low. Hence only slightly special.
"Fascinating."
Shahar muttered to himself as the three wrapped up another battle.
"But the most special one… is still that man."
Yang Soohyeok.
The look in Shahar's eyes as he watched Soohyeok was complicated.
If Jin Changhyuk and Baek Iyeon fought like wild beasts following instinct, Soohyeok was clearly different.
Much more refined. Technical.
He assessed each moment, moved precisely when needed, and swiftly subdued monsters.
As mentioned before, it felt like he no longer needed any training.
"And… his abilities feel different from other Awakened. Almost like he's using well-polished martial arts…"
When he fought, a certain energy seemed to bolster Soohyeok's body significantly.
Could that be his ability?
No one could say for sure.
Awakened abilities usually show up clearly under their class name.
In Soohyeok's case, it just said "Warrior."
Far too vague for an Awakened class title.
For example, Jin Changhyuk was listed as Blade Warrior, and Baek Iyeon as Healer.
Their powers matched their class names perfectly.
Soohyeok's name fit, but still felt… off.
"Is it the result of the Warrior class merging with innate talent?"
Talent.
It is a word—"genius"—handed down to living beings by the gods, as if to remind the world of its fundamental unfairness.
But right now, is there truly any better word to describe Soohyeok than that?
Once again, Shahar's memory retraced Soohyeok's history.
"Wasn't he in a near-vegetative state until recently after the portal incident?"
A rare case of recovery from a condition not unlike being comatose.
Too quiet a life to suspect any hidden secret.
"So… he's a genius, then."
Eventually giving up on analyzing Soohyeok any further, Shahar shook her head.
There was no need for deep thought to begin with.
What she saw with her own eyes now—that was enough.
He wasn't just strong—he was honorable.
Even during combat, he subtly showed consideration for his teammates, Jin Changhyuk and Baek Iyeon.
He tried not to show it, but not even Soohyeok could deceive Shahar's eyes.
In the end, Shahar reached one simple conclusion about Soohyeok.
"A remarkable man."
The smile on her lips grew wider.
***
For three days, Soohyeok and Team 8 cleared numerous Grade B-2 dungeons alongside Shahar, keeping them open rather than closing them off.
They made money by selling the byproducts gathered during that process.
Monster corpses, surprisingly, were worth quite a bit.
Claws, fangs, teeth, even leather—like animals on Earth, every part had its value.
As a result, Soohyeok earned around 1.5 million won just from selling those materials over the three days.
With simple math, he could easily make over 10 million won a month just by continuing like this.
And with some luck, they even obtained a mana stone.
Rare enough to replace modern energy sources, mana stones had enormous value. Even one from a mere Grade-2 portal was worth over 10 million won.
Just like with the other byproducts, Shahar declined her share and told the three of them to divide it among themselves. She hadn't participated in the battles, after all.
In other teams, it was said instructors occasionally had to intervene, but that was never the case for Team 8.
Whenever things got dangerous, Soohyeok handled it.
So Shahar had no grounds to shamelessly claim rights to the mana stone.
Not that she needed Earth money in the first place.
Soohyeok deposited all his earnings into his bank account.
Giving it to his family right away would only raise too many questions—so he chose to keep it hidden for now.
"Once training ends, and I'm in a situation they can understand, I'll give it to them then. I just need to hold out until that point."
The only issue was setting the right moment—but he felt confident he could manage that.
Even during the practical training period, Soohyeok kept growing stronger.
No, he had gotten far stronger than even he expected.
At the heart of it was the system exclusive to Awakened: leveling up.
"I really didn't expect this…"
Soohyeok had initially thought of the Force Interface as nothing more than a reference chart.
A way to objectively measure how strong he was, and what abilities he possessed.
Nothing more.
But he had been completely mistaken.
On the third day of training—
Ding—!
You have leveled up.
The moment he heard that alert, he felt the power surge through his body—and he understood immediately.
"Just leveling up is making me stronger."
Soohyeok opened his Force Status Window and examined his updated stats:
***
[Force Status]
Name: Yang SoohyeokAge: 27Gender: MaleLevel: 6Class: Martial WarriorAlignment: Chaotic NeutralKarma: Sin
Stats:
Strength: 23Agility: 25Vitality: 29Wisdom: 22Willpower: 42
Notable Traits:
Karma level is abnormally high compared to age and race.Body Purification: 40%. Increases the effectiveness of martial techniques.Ren and Du meridians are open. Internal energy regeneration and efficiency are doubled relative to baseline.
***
He hadn't undergone any particular training—yet his stats increased just from leveling up.
And those stats directly translated into physical strength, technique precision, or internal energy enhancement.
Even without rigorous training, an Awakened could grow stronger.
And the fastest way to level up? Monster hunting.
He became convinced during these recent battles—killing monsters advanced his level far faster than any training regimen.
A powerful realization struck Soohyeok like a hammer.
He had already seen his journey across time and dimensions as a huge gain.
But now he realized—there was an even greater hidden benefit.
"So I grow stronger through martial training… and also from leveling up?"
And if he were to combine that with some of Earth's modern supplements—products that enhance physical performance—the effects would multiply severalfold.
"What the hell is this…?
If I was the Martial Emperor of the Illusory Continent…
Is this world asking me to become a god?"
"Heh…"
Soohyeok let out a quiet, incredulous laugh.