*
Brain-Crusher Choi Tae-soo, a name given because he crushed the skulls of so many Villains.
The first time I met him, he suddenly swung his fist at me under the guise of sparring, showing me the overwhelming difference in martial prowess.
After I told him about Kang Ju-ji's condition in response to Choi Tae-soo's question, he dragged me to the training hall.
To be honest, I thought he would attack me like a raging fire the moment I entered the training hall, but contrary to my expectations, he just stood there quietly.
'Has his personality mellowed out these days?'
Choi Tae-soo silently scanned my body and then burst into exclamation by himself.
"Hoo."
Then, after seeming to contemplate for a moment, he began to gather Mana in his right fist.
'Figures.'
As expected of a personality who throws a punch first, it seemed like he was going to do the same this time.
Even so, to make me spar without a sword, isn't this too disadvantageous for me?
Well, not that I can do anything about it.
The moment I prepared to move my Mana, Choi Tae-soo lightly took a step forward and threw a punch.
Compared to his usual destructive attacks, the power was somewhat weaker, but when he comes in so suddenly like this, I couldn't help but be nervous.
__Kkaang..!
The Mana surrounding the surface of my arm collided with Choi Tae-soo's fist, and a heavy impact came through.
He must have reduced the power to some extent, because I was able to block it somehow. The moment I prepared for the next attack, Choi Tae-soo lowered his arm.
"?"
Was he trying to induce carelessness? I stared at the old man with a very nervous expression.
Choi Tae-soo was just standing there, in the same state as when he attacked me earlier.
"Then. Do you also know about the criteria for classifying Monsters' ranks?"
"Ranks, you mean?"
Generally, the rank of a Monster was classified by the minimum rank that could effectively attack that Monster.
In other words, a C-Rank Monster can only be fought by a Hunter with C-Rank or higher Mana.
Sizes like small and medium usually refer to the number of people needed.
After hearing my answer, Choi Tae-soo didn't say anything and quietly moved his head.
"Attack me with Mana."
Since the old man has been through a lot, I didn't particularly question it and raised my Mana into my fist.
Watching the Mana rapidly circulate and gather into my fist, I fell into contemplation for a moment.
'Should I hit him with all my might?'
The old man adjusted his strength, so shouldn't I adjust mine too?
If I hit him too hard, he might get angry and a fist might fly at me.
'That's probably highly likely.'
Thinking that way, the moment I extended my fist, Choi Tae-soo caught my fist without a single tremor.
As expected, he defended easily.
Unlike Min-ji, I'm not particularly good at using my fists.
"What do you think is the reason why your attack didn't work?"
"Isn't it because I'm weaker than you, Choi Tae-soo-nim?"
"Is the standard of 'weak' based on Mana?"
"Isn't it?"
Even though my Mana has increased a lot, it's not enough to compare with Choi Tae-soo, who is an S-Rank Hunter.
I was about to answer, thinking I was stating the obvious, when I felt something strange.
There was no flow of Mana felt on the outside of Choi Tae-soo's fist.
When strengthening the body, it was common to use Mana with the feeling of enveloping the entire area.
However, Choi Tae-soo blocked my fist without Mana.
'It seems similar to Kang Ju-ji?'
As I stared at Choi Tae-soo with a questioning expression, Choi Tae-soo raised the corners of his lips.
"Are you curious about how I did it?"
"...Yes."
"Diamond Body."
"...?"
If it's Diamond Body, does that mean a martial art that hardens the body to neutralize the opponent's attacks?
"There are two ways for a close-range Hunter to block an opponent's attack. The first is the Aura Barrier you used to block my attack earlier."
Before Choi Tae-soo could finish speaking, a thin layer of Mana was enveloping his fist.
He called it an Aura Barrier, but it didn't seem much different from a normal barrier.
'Well... is it just a little sturdier?'
As if reading my expression, Choi Tae-soo cleared his throat a few times.
"Well. It's generally called a barrier... but it's not really that important."
It was a commonly used technique. I also used it to block Choi Tae-soo's fist earlier.
He said there were two ways, so is the other one the technique I used earlier?
"And Diamond Body."
"Diamond Body, you say?"
Choi Tae-soo is explaining with martial arts terms like an old geezer. I don't know much about that, but isn't it just about having a strong body?
"You probably know that Mana strengthens the body."
"Isn't that why Awakened people are stronger than ordinary people?"
The reason why Awakened people are superior to ordinary people is because Mana affects and changes their bodies.
That's why they can exert faster and stronger power.
But that couldn't be called a technique. It's just something that happens naturally when there's a lot of Mana in the body.
"I can see what you're thinking."
Saying that, he began to gather Mana in his fist.
I could feel a Mana flow that seemed different from simply gathering it.
Choi Tae-soo silently held out his hand.
"?"
As I looked at him with a questioning expression, Choi Tae-soo told me to touch it directly.
I don't want to touch a man's hand, but this isn't the time to be picky.
Reluctantly, I grabbed his hand, and the feeling I got was that his skin felt like steel.
It wasn't just because he had a lot of calluses; his skin itself was hard.
"By isolating Mana in the Mana circuit and synchronizing it with the body like this, you can instantaneously increase durability."
"So..."
"On top of that, in this state, there's also the effect of dispersing impact."
I've never seen Kang Ju-ji release Mana, so maybe he's unintentionally using the Diamond Body that Choi Tae-soo is talking about.
Considering the amount of Mana he has, I could understand his ridiculous durability.
'He even disperses the impact.'
If he's already tough and even disperses the impact, I could understand why attacks don't work.
"Hmm? It's not a particularly efficient technique. It's a technique for defense rather than attack."
He said that it's not effective unless it exceeds a certain level of Mana, and there are more disadvantages because Mana cannot be released.
Choi Tae-soo himself seemed to prefer the Aura Barrier, but for Kang Ju-ji, those disadvantages wouldn't be a big problem.
"Then how should I deal with him?"
"Wouldn't it be obvious that you have to attack with stronger Mana? A B-Rank Hunter can't catch an A-Rank Monster."
Attack with stronger Mana.
Kang Ju-ji's Mana seemed endless, is that even a possible option?
'It's impossible right now.'
"Is there any other way?"
Still, he's an ultimate master who has experienced all sorts of hardships.
Wouldn't Choi Tae-soo probably know a way?
"Not without something in return, eh?"
"..."
Choi Tae-soo quietly raised the corners of his lips; his eyes seemed full of competitiveness.
"It would be faster to experience it directly."
Mana began to gather in Choi Tae-soo's fist, and its momentum seemed unusual.
"You better go all out!"
And so, Choi Tae-soo's ignorant education began.
*
[Save point loaded.]
Are all people who use fists the same?
It was definitely before I loaded, but I still felt a throbbing sensation.
'The speed wasn't fast...'
Yet, Choi Tae-soo's one punch shattered the Mana barrier I created.
Mana, commonly called an Aura Blade, was simply enveloping Choi Tae-soo's fist.
It looked similar to a normal Aura, but Choi Tae-soo's Aura easily shattered my Mana shield to an unusual degree.
'But it didn't look particularly special.'
"Hehe, are you spacing out in front of me?"
[Danger detected.]
No sooner had he spoken than Choi Tae-soo's fist, as big as a pot lid, passed over my head.
If I had been a little late, I would have lost consciousness again. I took a deep breath and glared at Choi Tae-soo.
'There's no point in defending anyway.'
Taking Choi Tae-soo's attack with my body like Kang Ju-ji is out of the question.
It suited my personality better to just clash head-on.
[Anti-Magic: Activated]
A blue haze began to rise.
It's a fraudulent ability that can gain an advantage over all Mana, but it probably won't mean anything if the opponent is Choi Tae-soo.
'He's adjusting his strength anyway.'
I extended my right fist to meet Choi Tae-soo's fist.
__Pajijijijijik!!!!!!
Sparks rose between our fists, along with a strong pain that made my bones resonate.
Despite the name value of Anti-Magic, Choi Tae-soo's fist was gradually approaching, grinding down my Mana.
It was a spar to give me a lesson, so he was using a similar level of strength to me.
On top of that, Choi Tae-soo was deliberately fighting using less Mana than me.
'His Mana is less than mine... why isn't he being pushed back?'
If the amount of Mana was the same, it would be normal for him to be devoured by my Anti-Magic, but his Mana was ignoring that and grinding down my Mana.
"Hehe! You mustn't be so flustered during battle!!"
"Keueok..."
[Danger detected.]
Choi Tae-soo's fist pierced my side while I was distracted.
The shock that resonated throughout my entire body made me dizzy.
"Hehe. You brat. I also recently obtained this technique with difficulty, did you think I would tell you so easily!"
We don't have to be so stingy with each other.
I could see Choi Tae-soo raising the corners of his lips as I lost consciousness.
"...Re...venge..."
"Oops. It seems I made a mistake in adjusting my strength..."
...
[Save point loaded.]
"It would be faster to experience it directly."
"..."
"Hmm? Why are you looking at me with those eyes?"
"It's nothing."
"That's quite a challenging look. I also..."
"Opening!!!"
The moment I rushed in, angry from being beaten up continuously, Choi Tae-soo instinctively extended his fist.
Because it was a reflexive punch, it contained an unusual amount of Mana.
__Kwagaagwag!!!
"No... why are you suddenly rushing at me?"
Choi Tae-soo scratched his head as he looked at Kim Si-woo, who had been knocked out by one punch.