Chapter 7

7. Leopard and Buffalo - 2

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Lee Hyun-wook reflects on his past life dozens of times a day.

Every time he does, the emotion he feels is one and only one: regret.

'This time, I have to become a true genius.'

In other words, he had been called a 'genius' in his past life as well.

'Even if I was just a failed genius...'

He relaxed his shoulders and pulled out the voice of a man from his memories of his past life.

'Lee Hyun-wook! You pathetic bastard, aren't you ashamed? How many years have you wasted with that incredible talent?'

The voice that scolded Lee Hyun-wook like this belonged to a man who would later be called the 'Sword Saint,' currently a sergeant, Choi Young-joon.

'Have you ever thought about how many lives you could have saved if you had just pulled yourself together?'

His voice was a scolding, but the underlying meaning was a significant compliment.

'Lee Hyun-wook, to be honest... you're much better than me. I mean it.'

Better than the Sword Saint... At the time, Lee Hyun-wook didn't believe it. He thought it was just exaggerated encouragement.

But Choi Young-joon's expression was always serious.

'So, even now, pull yourself together and do your best to protect us. Somehow. You have that talent.'

A natural talent specialized in combat, the Sword Saint Choi Young-joon called it the 'Warrior's Heart.'

In the modern age, where it's unnecessary to take someone's life to protect oneself and one's family, it's a primitive talent that doesn't easily show itself... Choi Young-joon said that such a talent was latent in Lee Hyun-wook's DNA.

'It seems that was almost true...'

However, having such a talent is useless if you don't use it properly. Lee Hyun-wook, branded with the stigma of F-rank, wasted that talent for quite a long time and...

failed miserably.

'But not this time.'

He once again dredged up his past filled with regret and reflected on it.

A collapsing city, fallen comrades, a powerless conclusion...

'I will grow in every aspect to ensure that such a thing never happens again.'

Beep-

As the signal indicating one minute before the duel started, Lee Hyun-wook lifted his head and faced his opponent.

"Heh, Private First Class Lee Hyun-wook? Are you really okay with this?"

A muscular figure stood there, holding a plastic training sword.

Barbarian Lee Won-seok, he had already stepped forward with his right foot and placed his center of gravity significantly forward.

'That stance means he's going to charge.'

It was the preparatory stance of a predator stalking its prey.

But, he had chosen the wrong target.

Lee Hyun-wook was also a predator.

A seasoned one.

'His elbow is raised, and his shoulder is tense. As soon as he charges, a large slashing attack will come.'

His innate sense and considerable combat experience allowed him to read his opponent's intentions.

Whether he knew it or not, Lee Won-seok was grinning and swinging his training sword around in his right hand.

In contrast, Lee Hyun-wook was unarmed.

According to the rules of the duel training, only plastic training weapons could be used, and there was no suitable weapon for Lee Hyun-wook, so he simply stepped into the combat box bare-handed.

"I didn't really intend for this, but a lot of spectators have gathered. Heh heh..."

Even without a response from Lee Hyun-wook, Lee Won-seok continued to talk to himself.

When Lee Hyun-wook looked around, he saw that, as Lee Won-seok had said, quite a few spectators had gathered.

Not only soldiers from his own company but also many from the neighboring company, easily thirty or so.

They were gathered in small groups, betting on how long it would take the private to turn the corporal into a bloody mess.

'Not intended?'

Contrary to what this guy was saying, this situation was clearly the result of someone's intention. It seemed they had conspired to embarrass Lee Hyun-wook and spread the word to gather spectators.

After all, in the monotonous military life, such a duel training session was a special spectacle.

Especially a match between a promising junior and an incompetent senior was quite an interesting issue.

"Still, I'll go easy on you. It would be too embarrassing for a junior to get beaten up badly, right?"

Beep- Beep- Beep-

The signal, now beeping rapidly, made Lee Won-seok grin with confidence.

Ding!

The bell signaling the start of the duel rang, and the magical barrier that had been blocking the center disappeared.

Lee Hyun-wook relaxed his body, stepped back with his right foot, and...

"Ugh-aaah!"

Lee Won-seok charged in roughly like a wild bear.

'As expected.'

It was as he had predicted.

Without any particular movement, Lee Hyun-wook simply extended his right hand forward and sensed a 'small metal' object.

Then, he pulled it in the opposite direction of the opponent's movement.

Then...

"Ugh?"

The charging opponent suddenly stumbled.

It felt as if someone had grabbed his pants and pulled them back.

"Ugh! What, what is this?"

The metal zipper on his combat boots. Lee Hyun-wook had applied 2,558 grams of force to that small point, but the effect of force varies greatly depending on where it is applied.

'While I can't push him back or stop him, I can disrupt his balance.'

In a fight, the collapse of balance means a critical 'opening.' Lee Hyun-wook pushed off the metal floor, using the reaction to lunge forward.

Crack!

His left fist, a quick jab, hit Lee Won-seok's face, causing his head to snap back.

"Ugh! Damn it!"

The guy spat out curses and swung his training sword in a large vertical arc.

Whoosh!

It was a poorly controlled and overly powerful strike.

Lee Hyun-wook easily dodged by ducking his upper body.

'As expected, he relies on brute force and charges in. Just be careful of any unexpected moves.'

Thud- Thud-

Lee Won-seok's attacks cut through the air in vain. Such reckless movements inevitably exposed openings. Lee Hyun-wook waited for the right moment.

'Right now.'

The moment the large strike missed, he ducked and charged at the opponent's lower body.

"Huh?"

He grabbed the guy's left leg with both hands, used his 'metal control' to push the metal zipper on the right combat boot outward. This caused the opponent to lose balance again...

"Ugh!"

The thick legs, like old tree trunks, lifted off the ground simultaneously.

Thud!

With a heavy sound, the massive body fell backward.

It was a perfect single-leg tackle timing.

However, Lee Hyun-wook didn't climb on top of the guy but quickly backed away. If he were caught by that massive body, he might not be able to move at all.

Even so, cheers mixed with surprise erupted from all around.

"Wow!"

"What? No way!"

"What just happened? How did he do that?"

No one had expected such a scene.

"Ugh, damn... The floor of the combat box is too slippery."

Lee Won-seok shouted as if for everyone to hear and got up. One fall didn't cause any damage.

However, his face was starting to turn red.

'Damn, to be taken down by an F-rank like this...'

The humiliation of being hit by an opponent he thought would be easy to beat sparked a sense of humiliation, or rather, anger. He growled and adjusted his grip on the training sword.

"Huh, even so, as a senior, I was going to go easy on you..."

The veins on his forehead were popping out.

Crack-

The training sword he was holding bent. It was the 'Body Enhancement' skill unique to Barbarians.

"Can't stand it anymore. I'll have to half-kill you."

The attacks became even more brutal.

***

Although Lee Hyun-wook's attack landed at the start of the fight, after that, Lee Won-seok had the upper hand.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

"Uh, uh, if he lands just one of those, he'll be out, right?"

"He's dodging well, but he can't keep up... He's no match..."

The atmosphere of the reversed situation brought smiles back to Oh Sang-guk and Kwak Jin-cheol's faces.

"See, I told you."

"Well, I guess I worried for nothing."

When the tackle hit after the facial strike, Kwak Jin-cheol had involuntarily gasped.

It was understandable to be surprised, seeing Lee Hyun-wook land an effective hit right in front of them.

However, it seemed to end there.

"I think it'll be over in a minute. One hit and he'll be out, that guy."

Oh Sang-guk crossed his arms and confidently predicted.

At that moment, someone approached from behind them.

"Hey, Oh Sang-guk."

"Uh? Yes, sir! Good work, sir."

It was Sergeant Kang Sung-chun, the duty officer for the day. And next to him was a middle-aged man in a black combat uniform with the rank of 'Warrant Officer'...

"Wow! Look over there!"

For some reason, the soldiers watching the duel training began to turn their attention to that direction. They started to murmur as if they had spotted a celebrity.

"Is that the Black Tiger unit's emblem?"

"Really? It is! The Black Tiger unit!"

The black tiger-shaped emblem on the warrant officer's combat uniform, everyone was reacting to it.

Black Tiger, the name referred to the elite special forces unit under the AMT.

"Hey, Oh Sang-guk, what's going on here?"

"It's a duel training session. Won-seok is up, so there's quite a bit of interest."

In response to Sergeant Kang Sung-chun's question, Oh Sang-guk answered reluctantly. He had instructed Lee Won-seok to beat the crap out of the opponent, but with an officer present, he couldn't push it that far.

However...

"Oh! Won-seok? Perfect timing!"

For some reason, Kang Sung-chun looked excited.

"Sir, that big guy over there is the Barbarian I mentioned earlier. He tore apart a goblin on his first mission. He's a promising junior, not quite at the level of Sergeant Choi Young-joon, but with a bright future."

"Hmm, is that so?"

"Yes, sir, watch him. You'll be interested."

Warrant Officer Jeon Myung-ho, of the Black Tiger unit, folded his arms with interest.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The situation was still a one-sided assault by Lee Won-seok. The opponent was struggling to dodge his powerful attacks.

"Damn, he's got good strength! What do you think? He's quite a catch, isn't he?"

"Hmm... The Barbarian is using the 'Brawl' skill."

"Isn't he tearing through the air?"

"...What good is that if it only tears through the air?"

"That guy is a home run hitter with a low batting average. He'll hit a grand slam soon."

Kang Sung-chun was excited, and Jeon Myung-ho slightly raised the corners of his mouth. He smiled meaningfully and placed his hand on Kang Sung-chun's shoulder, then sighed.

"Ha, Sung-chun..."

"Yes, sir, what is it?"

"It's because of you that you're still a C-rank."

"Uh?"

Kang Sung-chun's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected comment.

"Why are you suddenly embarrassing me, sir?"

"Watch. That big guy is about to be properly taken down."

"What? What do you mean...?"

Not only Kang Sung-chun, but also Oh Sang-guk and Kwak Jin-cheol, who were standing next to him, turned their heads reflexively. Even if he was an officer from the Black Tiger unit, it was an incomprehensible judgment.

"Excuse me, sir... Lee Won-seok is an F-rank player."

Oh Sang-guk, momentarily flustered, interjected without thinking.

Worried that he might have been rude, but the warrant officer only looked at the duel training with a kind expression, not even glancing at Oh Sang-guk as he replied.

"Look at the overall movement, not just the outward appearance."

Overall movement... In fact, these three didn't even know what that meant.

Still, they looked at the situation again. Lee Won-seok was still aggressively pressing forward, and Lee Hyun-wook was busy dodging with his bare hands.

There was nothing different to see.

"What exactly...?"

The three looked puzzled, and the warrant officer smiled.

"To put it simply, they're on different levels."

"Yes, they are different. An F-rank and a D-rank who might become a C-rank soon."

"No, not those ranks."

"What kind of rank is that?"

Jeon Myung-ho's eyes were already scanning the F-rank soldier, Lee Hyun-wook, with great interest.

"Level of talent."

Crack!

At the heavy sound, everyone turned their heads.

Lee Won-seok had thrown his training sword and swung his right fist, which Lee Hyun-wook blocked with a guard.

But the force was so strong that his body seemed to momentarily lift off the ground.

"Wow!"

"Damn, what kind of strength is that?"

Cheers erupted from all around.

"Sir, look at that. Even if he dodges well, one or two hits will knock him out."

"Sung-chun, open your eyes and look again. A home run hitter who can't hit a home run will eventually strike out."

"Hmm..."

Crack!

This time, a louder sound echoed.

"Uh?"

This time, it was an attack from the F-rank corporal. A 'outside leg kick' hit as he turned to the right.

In the next moment, the Barbarian's leg wobbled.

"What... Was that just a kick? What kind of sound was that..."

"I thought the wall of the arena was going to break."

If the people listening felt that way, the person who was hit...

"Ugh, damn! What the hell was that?"

It was a level of fear.

'Why does a simple kick hurt so much?'

Lee Won-seok involuntarily took a step back.

The moment he was hit by the leg kick, which came like a whip from the right, the strength in his leg drained away. It felt as if a blade had cut through and the blood had drained out.

'Is this the attack of an F-rank?'

As he couldn't hide his shock, Lee Hyun-wook stepped forward again, and Lee Won-seok, flustered, retreated.

But even that was an 'opening' in Lee Hyun-wook's eyes.

'It's open again. He doesn't know how to defend against kicks.'

Lee Hyun-wook aimed for the same spot again.

Crack!

"Ouch!"

In the end, a shrill scream erupted.

Lee Won-seok reflexively swung both fists, but Lee Hyun-wook stepped back and easily dodged.

'As expected, his movements are too predictable.'

Moreover, after taking effective damage to his leg, his movements became much slower.

- Mana (25/30)

Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook's 'mana' was decreasing. In other words, he was using a skill.

'Physical enhancement attack, impossible to withstand with bare hands.'

He had wrapped the physical enhancement skill he had just obtained around his right leg and delivered the leg kick.

'It must have felt like being hit by a piece of metal.'

Lee Hyun-wook smiled and looked into Lee Won-seok's eyes.

At first, they were filled with the ferocity of a predator, but soon they changed to the madness of an excited ape.

But now, they were like...

'The eyes of a frightened deer.'

Thud- Thud-

Now, Lee Hyun-wook walked straight forward without even stepping.

But...

"Ugh, ugh..."

Lee Won-seok, the large Barbarian, was limping and stepping back.

"..."

The training ground fell silent in the face of this unexpected situation.

Amidst the silence, the voice of the Black Tiger unit's warrant officer echoed softly.

"If a leopard only relies on strength against a buffalo, it will naturally be crushed miserably..."

He smiled and raised his index finger, pointing at Lee Hyun-wook.

"...In the end, the leopard eats the buffalo. The difference in strength is not important in their confrontation."

In Jeon Myung-ho's eyes, he saw a leopard, suppressing its age-old instincts, ready to hunt.