"Sorcery?"
Soohyeok recalled one of the arcane techniques from the Hwan Continent.
She called herself a witch, so it had to be a type of curse. But it was far too late to avoid it now.
The range was massive. She might have seemed clumsy and over-sensitive, but she hadn't earned the rank of instructor for nothing.
"There's no turning back now."
Shahar waved her hand.
A colossal gust of wind erupted, and in the blink of an eye, Soohyeok, Jin Changhyuk, and Baek Iyeon were hurled outside the boundary of the curse.
Shahar herself ascended into the air, like a bird taking flight.
Jeon Sujeong's gaze wavered momentarily.
She had always sensed the difference.
But now, the gap in power that she had tried to ignore struck her like a revelation.
Distant.
She clenched her teeth. But she had come too far to retreat now.
'That bitch can't kill me anyway.'
She was part of Imugi—one of the top three guilds in South Korea.
Shahar, who upheld order and discipline above all else, would avoid creating friction with such a major guild. And her current public position would make it even more difficult to act rashly.
"Squad 3! Squad 8! Kill th—…"
No, killing would be crossing the line.
"Break them! Break something—arms, legs, I don't care!"
"B-but…"
Jin Chaeyeon, Kim Cheolik, and Lee Junwook stammered, clearly caught off guard by the sudden escalation.
"Don't you want to join Imugi?"
Jeon Sujeong said coldly to them.
Imugi. As mentioned, one of Korea's top three guilds.
Its leader, Park Mugi, was one of the rare Rank-12 Hunters in Korea, with considerable global influence. Rumor had it that he favored Jeon Sujeong quite a bit. Whether it was a romantic relationship or not, it was said among Awakeners that Park Mugi often granted her requests.
And these three—well, they wanted into that guild.
To join a massive guild and run wild, just like Jeon Sujeong.
They only had to look away this once.
It wasn't even killing.
"Just an arm or a leg will do."
Bring back results.
That was the command given by the general—Jeon Sujeong.
And the three foot soldiers leapt to obey.
Poisonous intent flashed in their eyes.
They didn't hesitate to harm others in pursuit of their own goals or ideals.
Shahar crossed her arms and watched the conversation unfold. Then, she watched them charge.
Was it confidence?
Jeon Sujeong sneered.
"You're going to regret this. Not because they're my trainees—but because they're actually good. Especially that one… more special than you'd think."
She shot a glimmering gaze at Shahar and laughed.
Her goal was simply to tie Shahar down for a while.
She never thought a witch like her could win in a one-on-one against a warrior like Shahar.
She was just shocked by how much larger the gap actually was.
"How does it feel watching your handpicked trainees fall apart? Come to think of it, I've never seen you really angry before. Guess that might change soon?"
Jeon Sujeong taunted.
Shahar, floating midair, looked down calmly—and smiled.
"Who knows. I suppose that depends on whether things go your way."
"Bitch!"
Again, the power of the curse burst forth like an explosion.
***
As Shahar and Jeon Sujeong lit the fuse of battle, Soohyeok, Jin Changhyuk, and Baek Iyeon were also watching the approaching trio.
Soohyeok quickly assessed the situation.
Kim Cheolik, armed with a spear, was clearly a warrior-type fighter.
For Soohyeok, he was the easiest target.
Jin Chaeyeon, with a bow, was clearly an archer-type.
Theoretically, she should be taken down first.
So what about Lee Junwook?
Like the others from Squad 8, he wasn't holding any visible weapon.
Judging from his awkward, wobbling run, he didn't seem to be a physical-type either.
'Maybe a healer like Iyeon? Or a mage?'
That assumption shattered the moment Junwook's clothes ripped apart and his body ballooned grotesquely into a monstrous form.
"Transformation-type!"
Baek Iyeon screamed.
The transformation class was based on altering one's body or tools. Among them, physical-transformers like Junwook were notoriously powerful—especially when compared to other Awakeners below Rank 5.
Take Jin Changhyuk, for instance—he could pull swords from his fists. Wild, but strong for his tier.
The problem was, Junwook seemed to have a strong mana base.
His body, which had appeared chunky, now felt like a living wall.
In terms of raw talent as an Awakener, he even surpassed Jin Changhyuk.
Worse still, to reach the threatening long-range attacker Jin Chaeyeon, they'd have to get past this living juggernaut.
"Shit."
Changhyuk cursed under his breath.
Even his blade-fist probably couldn't pierce that thick, solid flesh.
"I'll take care of the pig and the archer."
At that moment, Soohyeok finished his mental calculation.
Unexpected powers, but nothing he couldn't handle.
"How?"
Baek Iyeon asked, but there was no time.
"Just hold off the spear guy for a second. I'll be right back."
Soohyeok charged forward.
Lee Junwook's speed increased with each step.
The impact of a collision depends on speed and weight. And Soohyeok, who still lacked internal power, had no intention of crashing into that massive, charging wall.
"Kahahaha! Come on! Come at me! I'll grind you into paste!"
Junwook roared with laughter.
He looked brimming with confidence, but unfortunately, he'd picked the wrong opponent.
Soohyeok barely dodged the brute's rush, and his fist curled slightly.
Now at close range—close enough to smell the sweat-laced flesh—he channeled his qi from his lower abdomen, up through his shoulder, to his arm like a stampeding horse.
Just as it reached his lightly clenched fist…
WHAM!
Using the power from his waist and his entire body, Soohyeok landed a devastating blow to Junwook's side.
Paecheol Fist Style: Boongkwon
Boongkwon was a high-difficulty technique within the Paecheol school.
The theory was simple: approach softly, and unleash all your power at point-blank range.
It sounded easy. But compressing and detonating your full-body power in a split second was incredibly difficult.
Yet, if executed properly, its raw strength was said to carve stone with bare fists—even without qi.
This was the legendary inch-punch technique.
And Soohyeok had just pulled it off—with qi.
BOOM!
A thunderous crack rang out, like a powerful punch against a gym sandbag.
"Uwoah?"
At the same time, a bizarre groan escaped Lee Junwook's mouth as his massive body stumbled and collapsed sideways.
"Aaargh—!"
With a scream, his now-flushed face gushed blood from the nose.
His once-swollen body shriveled like a deflating balloon.
"It hurts, it hurts! Aagh!"
Ignoring Lee Junwook writhing on the ground in agony, Soohyeok turned toward Jin Chaeyeon, who stood wide-eyed, her bowstring pulled tight.
Fwoosh!
An arrow fired in panic.
It wasn't aimed at a limb or a shoulder.
It was headed straight for the center of Soohyeok's forehead—a killing shot. And he saw it coming with his own two eyes.
'Fast, but predictable.'
As he'd noted before, attacks that moved in a single direction posed no threat to him.
Just a single step.
With that narrow movement, he watched the arrow graze just past his face.
Then Soohyeok channeled his internal energy into his legs.
CRACK—!
With a crunch of the ground beneath him, he launched forward.
"Kyaaah—!"
Jin Chaeyeon shrieked in terror as Soohyeok shot toward her like an arrow himself.
She scrambled to pull another arrow, but only ended up fumbling through her quiver in a panic.
"That's already your third shot, isn't it?"
Soohyeok's voice whispered by her ear.
He knew exactly how many arrows she'd fired at his team.
But she shook her head in denial.
"N-no… that's not true."
Maybe she thought denying it would earn forgiveness.
Wishing that what happened could just… disappear.
But Soohyeok had no intention of going easy just because she was a woman.
On the Hwan Continent, there's a saying: "Beware most of women, children, and the elderly."
They're the most dangerous foes. How could he afford to take her lightly?
"This one's for Changhyuk."
Soohyeok spun halfway on the spot, like a gust of wind curling through the air.
'Tailwind Kick—Gale Step.'
Jin Chaeyeon, still moving to dodge and rummaging her quiver, let out a sharp cry as her right shoulder blade crunched.
"Aaaaagh—!"
She screamed.
Still, desperation drove her to crawl away from Soohyeok, but it was futile.
Like a snake slithering through the air, Soohyeok's hand snatched the hem of her clothes and slammed her down to the ground.
It wasn't even a formal martial technique.
It was Geumnasu (Snatch-and-Restrain)—a basic grappling move for seizing and subduing a target in an instant.
Flattened to the ground, Jin Chaeyeon tried to raise herself despite the pain—but Soohyeok was already there.
"N-no, it wasn't what I meant to do…"
Sitting on the ground, her voice trembled, her eyes welled with tears as she shook her head.
Still trying to deny it.
"You were trying to kill me."
"It—it was an accident…"
Sure, maybe it was.
After all, anyone could just accidentally shoot an arrow directly between someone's eyebrows, right?
But Soohyeok wasn't a saint who thought that way.
"This is called 'Pahgong' (Wave Break)."
He approached Jin Chaeyeon, who trembled, curled into herself, and gently placed his palm against her abdomen.
As the Pahgong technique from the Paecheol school struck, her insides twisted violently in reverse.
"Uuuuurk—!"
She bent over and began vomiting.
Then she rolled across the floor, sobbing in pain.
"Uhhhk, it hurts, it hurts, it huuuurts! Waaaah…"
Soohyeok walked up to the weeping girl, tears and mucus streaming down her face, and raised his arm. Jin Chaeyeon flinched instinctively and cried out,
"P-please don't kill me! Please! I'll do anything, just don't kill me!"
SMACK—! A crisp slap rang out as he struck her cheek—and she passed out cold, still crying.
"I'm not gonna kill you. Relax. It's not like I'm some kind of serial killer."
Soohyeok clicked his tongue lightly as he looked down at the unconscious Jin Chaeyeon.
Then his gaze shifted to the last one standing—Kim Cheolik.
A 2-on-1 fight had already been bad, but with both of his teammates down, Cheolik's hands and feet moved clumsily, clearly panicking.
Jin Changhyuk saw the opening and moved in to drive his blade straight into the man's heart.
But Soohyeok rushed in and pushed his hand away just in time.