Chapter 034: “Storm’s Trainee (3)”
No matter how unfamiliar something is, with time it becomes familiar, and know-how accumulates.
“Besides, Kim Taekyoon, Suho’s father, is a veteran Hunter—he’s been a Hunter for 17 years.”
He had learned the weaknesses of monsters that once seemed invincible.
He could use mana to lift heavy equipment with ease, and had discovered ways to use skills more efficiently.
Knowledge gained over years in the chaotic age of monsters—sometimes from others, sometimes from personal experience.
“No matter how advanced the internet gets, outsiders can’t easily access this kind of knowledge.”
It was knowledge passed from field to field, from parent to child—a kind of “secret tradition.”
This was why Shinwoo was eager for the chance to train with Suho.
Of course, the truly crucial secrets wouldn’t be shared. Suho wouldn’t show them, and even if he did, the difference in their professions would make some knowledge inaccessible.
But even a fragment of that experience was invaluable for Shinwoo, who had never undergone Hunter training.
“Besides, there are probably tons of people here who’ve undergone this training. It’s good to know some things in advance, right?”
Shinwoo felt a surge of pride at his own clever thought and patted his head.
“Didn’t you wash your hair?”
“That’s not it!”
“Haha, of course I’m joking.”
“You’re not joking, you’re insulting… Fine, I won’t make cheap jokes, so don’t look at me like that.”
He shivered at Suho’s glare, which really did resemble a bear’s. Luckily, Suho didn’t have a beard like his father.
“Otherwise, anyone might think he escaped from a zoo and shoot him with a tranquilizer dart.”
Hmm, Suho’s exact class was unknown, but he seemed to be a tank type—so maybe he could survive a tranquilizer dart? Tank classes necessarily have skills to resist or recover from status effects.
“I’ll have to keep that in mind when facing him.”
Just as Shinwoo was pondering how to deal with a tank or sturdy monster…
“We’re here. This is the place.”
“It’s hard to compare this with a training center.”
“Well, expecting that much is greedy.”
“That’s true. Even this is amazing. And there are twenty training rooms here.”
There were twenty separate training rooms in one building. Each was large enough for an awakened individual to move freely.
“But training with just the two of us seems cramped. How do we do it?”
“Hmm… It’s faster if you see it for yourself.”
Suho stepped outside the training room and returned with a chair.
“A chair?”
“Why not sit here for now?”
“Okay.”
Shinwoo sat, feeling the hardness of the stainless steel through his backside.
“How does this relate to training?”
As Shinwoo looked at Suho with that question, Suho exhaled.
A deep rumble—
Steel-colored mana burst from Suho’s forearm, forming a massive rectangular shield.
A classic tower shield.
Shinwoo immediately recognized the skill:
“Iron Wall…”
It was the signature skill of Kim Taekyoon, Suho’s father. Suho had inherited it.
“But he shouldn’t be using it like that.”
Normally, the skill wrapped actual shields or the body in mana to increase strength, but Suho shaped the shield using only mana.
“This seems more like a mage’s method than a warrior’s.”
And Shinwoo’s intuition proved correct.
“People often think warrior-class Hunters don’t need precise mana control. But the truth is, our superhuman abilities rely on mana.”
“So this is your training, Suho?”
“Exactly. And if I’ve made a shield, I have to use it. So, feel free to attack me.”
“Eh?”
Shinwoo’s jaw dropped. Using abilities on another person, especially right before the exam…
“What if you get hurt?”
“There’s a healer in the infirmary, so it’s fine. Of course, major injuries are a problem—”
Thwack!
Suho lightly struck his shield and smiled.
“You just have to block it.”
“Hah, so confident. Then this chair…”
“It’ll be tiring to stand all the time. You might need it to match my pace.”
“Oh?”
Even having trained under Kim Taekyoon, this was overly confident.
“The more infuriating part is that he’s not even trying to belittle me.”
Suho’s casual tone, as if stating a simple fact, ignited Shinwoo’s pride.
He had planned to take it easy during training…
“Fine, if you want that, I’ll give it my all.”
“Ha… yes, please…”
But Suho’s eyes widened as he smiled.
The chair Shinwoo sat on floated in midair. Not just that—
When Shinwoo twitched his fingers, blue mana bullets appeared in the air, more than twenty of them.
“Uh…?”
Suho was momentarily stunned. Shinwoo smiled slightly, as if weaving stars across the training room.
“I won’t use elemental magic to avoid serious injury.”
“Sh-Shinwoo? Can’t we… talk this out?”
“You’re going to try and block them, right?”
Though playful, Shinwoo’s eyes did not smile as he lowered his hand.
“Fall.”
“Ah!?”
The mana bullets rained down like a meteor shower.
In truth, Suho had quietly sighed with relief when Shinwoo accepted his challenge.
‘I haven’t lost to Shinwoo often… but he’s a good guy.’
Especially since Professor Kim Chulsoo, known for his strictness, had praised Shinwoo’s talent and ability.
‘But he’s been awakened for less than a month.’
Honestly, Suho was skeptical about Shinwoo’s chances in the Hunter exam. Many candidates had been preparing for a long time, including geniuses and promising talents.
‘What matters more: talent or effort?’
A timeless debate. Suho sided with effort, valuing the principle that those who work harder win—a belief reinforced by seeing his father, Kim Taekyoon, climb to a top Hunter position despite a C-class job.
“Suho, in this world, there are geniuses who defy common sense.”
‘But Shinwoo isn’t one of them.’
If he were, the industry would already be in chaos. Coldly speaking, Shinwoo’s chance of passing was low. That was why Suho wanted him to gain as much experience as possible through training.
‘That was the plan…’
Clang!
“Ugh!”
The meteor-like mana bullets struck the shield violently. Each impact felt like an adult swinging a hammer, making Suho’s arms tremble.
Nothing behaved as expected—unpredictable.
“An incomprehensible being.”
Seeing Shinwoo seated in midair, Suho thought the same. Was this the same person who had been making cheap jokes moments ago?
Yet the training from Kim Taekyoon guided Suho’s movements:
“Don’t try to understand the monster. Just observe and think about how to survive. That’s a tank’s role.”
‘Fortunately, Shinwoo isn’t controlling all the mana bullets.’
Most simply fell in straight paths, easy to block or dodge.
“I only need to focus on the few that he controls directly.”
When Suho rushed toward the straight-falling bullets…
Whish!
“Kya!”
A curving mana bullet aimed at his side was deflected by hand, a skillful technique enhanced by the mana gloves, not a formal skill.
“Combined with Iron Wall, this works too!”
Suho leapt back, dissolving Iron Wall while the bullets continued to fall. It was suicidal, yet he ignored the danger, letting the mana shield cloak his body like armor as he charged forward.
Clang! Clang!
The mana bullets pounded against him, but he pushed on stubbornly, like a red-flagged bull charging Shinwoo—the source of the magic.
“Suho! It’s scary when you come at me like that!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Perhaps from all the hits, Suho’s head felt warm, yet he silently grabbed the chair legs, preparing to bring Shinwoo down to the ground.
“Phew, scary.”
A magical circle lit up beneath Shinwoo, and before Suho could react, a large mana projectile, the size of an adult’s head, struck his abdomen.
“Eh?”
The force was reduced, so the impact wasn’t severe. But it exploded again, pushing the massive Suho backward.
He landed safely and laughed at Shinwoo’s muttered comment.
“You didn’t use elemental magic.”
‘Even this isn’t full power…’
Suho glanced at the broken chair leg, still in Shinwoo’s hand.
“Who… what are you really?”
“Then you’re the one—what are you really? Definitely not human, it seems.”
“…I am human.”
“Put down the leg and tell me.”
Clang!
The crushed chair leg hit the floor. Clearly, too much force was used during the explosion.
For a while, they stared at each other like monsters—training leaving only injuries and astonishment behind.
Finally, the long-awaited announcement came:
“Attention, trainees. The January 2025 Hunter exam ability evaluation is about to begin. Please gather in the auditorium.”
“Ugh.”
Shinwoo rose, legs stiff from resting after his impromptu training with Suho.
‘Tearing stainless steel with pure grip… unreal.’
Had he not resisted with telekinesis, the chair would have flown away entirely. Despite that, the training was useful.
‘Transforming Iron Wall into armor was impressive. Maybe I could adapt it for frost mist or mist armor.’
‘And Suho is a monster beyond expectations.’
Facing a level-5 golem for thirty minutes—it was because he was a tank.
Shinwoo adjusted his pride and headed to the auditorium. Fewer people remained than initially.
“Why are there so few?”
“Oh, probably people who fought each other, broke the rules, or failed the written exam badly.”
“Huh, why pay expensive fees just to fail?”
Clearly, many underestimated the Hunter exam.
Among the judges, one man stood out—a large Hunter wearing a comical dog mask.
The trainees murmured, but Shinwoo’s hands shook.
Next to the masked man was a status window:
“Moon Kyung-sik (A+)” Description: Head of the Suwon branch. He became “Mr. Puppy” to observe the candidates. Trait: “Interest” Weakness: “Reveal your identity loudly, though it likely won’t have much effect.”
“Eh?”
An unimaginable powerhouse had appeared.
