Special Training Again?!

Ro-un spoke to the white-clad bastards without putting any emotion into his voice.
Because that would hurt them more.

“Other places come to me with things far better than this and say they want to work with me, so if I say I’m joining a mere group of snot-nosed brats, I’ll have to explain to them why I chose you. But no matter how much I explain, I don’t think they’ll understand. No. Maybe they’ll tell me to enjoy my youth and wait a few years? They might understand club activities, at least.”
“What? Club activities?”
“You’re saying we’re only at the level of club activities?”
“No more. Provocation. Cannot tolerate.”

Unlike Tae Seong-ho, who was Ro-un’s fan, they couldn’t tolerate Ro-un looking down on their level.
Hwang Yu-na, the least patient of the four, shouted without holding back her anger.

“Where exactly are these places?”
“The World Awakener Association.”
“What?”

Hwang Yu-na, who had flared up, faltered.
It was far too massive a name to compare to a mere academy social group.
Seeing Hwang Yu-na’s reaction, Ro-un sneered inwardly.

‘Why? Is it because it’s too much for Seongjin Group, which can only act arrogant in a small country in Asia, to deal with? What a shame. I haven’t even started yet.’

He would show them just how narrow their well was starting now.
Ro-un opened his mouth again.

“The Vatican.”
“T-the Vatican?”
“Europe’s Olympus, America’s Gods, China’s Nine Dragons Society, Japan’s Susanoo, and India’s Shivarta.”

The names of guilds representing each country flowed one after another from Ro-un’s mouth.
The mouths of the academy city residents watching as spectators slowly fell open as well.

‘What in the world are all those?’
‘Right. Our Saint isn’t someone who should be trapped inside Korea.’
‘No wonder we’ve been seeing so many foreigners lately.’

Only then did the people realize it.
Lee Ro-un was the owner of the SSS-rank trait <Caller of Miracles>, and an extraordinary talent who had been acknowledged as the ‘future Saint’ by the “Saintess,” an SS-rank Awakener of Europe and the idol of healers all over the world.

Lee Ro-un truly was an Awakener qualified to become a pillar of the world in the future.

However, the four young men and women trapped inside a well far too small flared up at the fact that they were frogs in a well.

“If you don’t want to, just say you don’t want to! You don’t have to bring up such grand places! Lee Ro-un. You’re trying to look down on us, aren’t you?!”
“Lee Ro-un. There’s nothing good about provoking us like this. Why are you trying to have a power struggle with us?”
“Provocation? A power struggle?”

Ro-un’s head tilted crookedly.

“Why would I go through the trouble of provoking you?”
“I understand that our group feels burdensome to you. It’s full of children from famous places, after all. But Lee Ro-un. We intended to treat you as fully equal to us. That means you could have obtained what you wanted without provoking us like this.”

In other words, that meant the bitter reality Ro-un had told them looked to them like nothing more than a move to seize superiority in the relationship.
They still placed too much faith in the authority of their group and the backgrounds behind them.
How pathetic.

“Superiority. When you still can’t even fulfill your duties as Awakeners?”
“…It feels strange to say this, but we’ve been educated since we were young to become pro Awakeners. All of us also have A-rank or higher traits. In addition, we’ve trained under the excellent teaching staff at the academy. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we are guaranteed to become high-ranking Awakeners in the future. Honestly, if we could just enter passages, I think our skills would be proven quickly.”

The others beside him also nodded as if agreeing with Kim Jun-tae’s words.
So, without knowing how many people who looked down on passages had died, and without knowing how terrifying the coming calamity would be, all they wanted was.

‘They want to show off their own strength.’

Now he understood why they were trying to drag him in.
They wanted the title of ‘juvenile Awakeners with skills just as outstanding as an SSS-rank trait Awakener.’
That was why they wanted to stand beside him.

“How absurd.”
“Huh?”
“That’s all you have for why you’re amazing? High-rank traits? Good skills? Good backgrounds?”

The four young men and women heard Ro-un’s words and made faces showing they could not understand.
So you think you can measure an Awakener’s ability with just that.

‘Only that. Just that much. They don’t know anything about clearing otherworld passages, or what it means to live as Awakeners.’

Ro-un’s eyes sank coldly as he looked at the four young men and women in white uniforms.
It was a terrible waste to deal with those guys, but he could not move on without repaying them for making him feel the anger from right before his regression for the first time in a while.

“Fine. I’ll show you just how worthless the ideas you have are.”

Ro-un operated his D-Watch and checked the date.

“Let’s settle this. Let’s see who really is the more ‘excellent’ Awakener. For reference, our side will face you with the four here. That’s fine, right?”

At Ro-un’s words that they should just fight and settle this, the Bukhan students accepted the proposal while pretending not to be pleased.
Then they soon realized one thing and asked back with puzzled faces.

“Four?”
“Where’s the fourth?”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to team up with that Joo Hee-jun and face us?”
“Wait. Still not enough. That makes three.”
[Woof!]

Everyone’s gaze turned toward Ro-un’s arms.

“For reference, my team includes my Hyung too.”
[Wooof! Pant pant pant pant.]

The gazes of both the Bukhan students and the people who had come to watch the fight turned toward the white puppy in Ro-un’s arms, who was innocently sticking out his tongue and wagging his tail.

“Wow. We unintentionally saw something good, didn’t we?”
“Bukhan Academy has wanted to bring you in as chairman for a long time, Chairman.”

Baek Ho-yeon and his secretary, who had followed Lee Ro-un from the moment he left the academy, looked at Lee Ro-un with beaming faces.

“I didn’t like the way those pale-white bastards talked, but as expected, our princess’s benefactor is different. No matter how young they are, brats should know how the world works.”

The secretary’s gaze briefly turned toward Baek Ho-yeon’s head, then returned to its original place.

“But those kids. Did they really come here of their own will?”
“Chairman, do you think someone pushed those students from behind?”
“Well. Obviously. From what I’ve seen until now, bastards with that kind of class ideology stuck in their heads don’t come to a world where people different from them live without a reason.”

From ancient times, those kinds of bastards avoided places where lower-class people were as if a plague was spreading there.
Unless they had no choice but to go, there was no way those heavy-assed bastards would bother coming to such a quiet place.
On top of that, the timing of their appearance was too convenient.
After the Seocho-dong incident was widely reported, the child of that district’s assemblyman came to Lee Ro-un to suggest a transfer. Wasn’t that suspicious?

“It’s suspicious. They said they wanted to bring him into their group, but they didn’t bring any bait to take Lee Ro-un with them. Well, one of them seems to know our Saint well, but the others clearly don’t.”

Baek Ho-yeon’s gaze turned toward Tae Seong-ho, whose mouth had been covered by An Mi-ru.
Baek Ho-yeon’s gaze as he looked at the other three was cold.
The secretary listened to Baek Ho-yeon’s words, thought for a moment, then spoke.

“It is suspicious. In particular, the fact that all of them are children of high-ranking figures bothers me. Because of what they did to Lee Ro-un. I will look into it immediately.”
“Yes. I’ll leave it to you.”

Baek Ho-yeon rose.
It was as if a great mountain were rising.

“By the way, humans never seem to stop fighting, no matter the era.”
“That is because they are human.”

Just then, Lee Ro-un’s declaration could be heard from below.

“Three days from now, let’s fight four-on-four at the Reed Field. In reality.”
“W-what?”
“You’re saying we should fight in reality, not in a virtual world?”
“Why? Are you scared?”
“Lee Ro-un. Surely you know that Awakeners fighting each other in reality is tacitly forbidden?”

Oh dear, that guy. He should at least hide the corner of his mouth before saying that.
At the immature display of the young human, Baek Ho-yeon bared his teeth.

“It’s fine if there’s a legal reason. You came here for an ‘exchange’ with us, didn’t you?”

Clap clap clap!

“Wow. I thought our Saint was only good at running his mouth, but he’s good at packaging things too.”
“As expected of our benefactor.”

The muscle-bound brat full of bravado answered Ro-un’s words.

“Fine. Three days from now. We’ll see you at the Reed Field. As you know, injuries can happen in real combat sparring. That’s fine, right?”
“Who do you think I am? I can make injuries of that level look like they never happened.”
“Right. Lee Ro-un. You were the Saint.”

Kim Jun-tae said the word Saint as if chewing on it.

“Three days from now. See you at the Reed Field.”
“Fine.”

Lee Ro-un and Kim Jun-tae’s gazes collided in the air.

“Woon Ho. It’s in three days. It’s been a while since we had an exchange spar with students from another academy, so as chairman, I can’t stay still, can I?”
“I will send an official cooperation letter to the local government regarding the Reed Field location immediately.”
“Yeah. Do that. And prepare so we can clearly inform other people too. How dare they try to take the Saint from my territory.”
“I will prepare a broadcast and recording so we can make it clear that student Lee Ro-un is a Jiri Academy student.”
“Yes, yes. It’s a relief that you understand how the human world works, Woon Ho. Please take care of training the others too. We need to deploy them as soon as they get their teaching licenses.”
“Yes, Chairman.”

Ho-yeon, who was standing leisurely on the rooftop railing, looked down with his hands behind his back at Lee Ro-un as he took care of the students and returned to the academy.
Our student council president is working that hard for the academy, so the chairman cannot stay still.
I should move diligently too.

Long ago.
The White Tiger, who once moved like the wind and protected this land, took action.

After deciding to have a match with the Bukhan bastards, Ro-un headed toward the academy with the guys who had been caught.
They were too detestable for him to heal them, so the guys with their miserable appearances silently followed behind Ro-un.
The senior bastards hesitated, then began opening their mouths as if voluntarily paying their dues.

“P-president. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, President.”
“Sorry, Lee Ro-un.”
“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”

Stop!

Ro-un, who had been walking in front, stopped.
Ro-un turned his body at an angle and glared at them with a cold impression.

‘I, I almost pissed myself.’
‘Scary scary scary scary!’
‘I was crazy. I should’ve just stayed at school.’
‘Mama.’

The students, who were inwardly repenting for their past mistakes, shed a few tears.
At that moment, Ro-un’s voice sounded as if saving them.

“For what?”
“Huh?”
“What are you sorry for?”

The students who had their heads lowered raised them at Ro-un’s words.

“I’m asking what you did wrong.”
“Well, that is.”
“Coming down here?”

Ro-un sighed as if they were pathetic.
The students, who felt guilty in advance at that sight, hunched their shoulders.

“The people told me everything. They said you were the ones who had a fight picked with you.”
“H-huh?”
“Really?”
“The people took our side?”

Even if they were dissatisfied with them, this city had been together with Jiri Academy for many years.
Who would like seeing outsiders oppress the people they had lived alongside?
No matter how pathetic someone is, they already get halfway there in their own home.

“Don’t apologize even for things you didn’t do wrong. People will always hold a cold standard against us, so I’m saying don’t give them an excuse.”

Ro-un, who had shown his face here and there as a figurehead, spoke based on his own experience.

“More importantly, you heard it, right? Three days from now.”
“Y-yeah!”
“We heard!”
“Yeah, yeah!”
“But why?”
“There’s a typhoon soon.”

At the single word “typhoon,” the Jiri Academy students immediately realized Ro-un’s intention.
Deep smiles bloomed on everyone’s faces.

“When those Seoul bumpkins go back, shouldn’t we send them off soaked to the bone by the typhoon?”

Ro-un bared his teeth and smiled coldly.
The students trembled for a moment at the terrifying president’s smile, but once they realized the smile was not aimed at them, their hearts grew reassured.

‘The president took our side!’
‘The president was always on our side!’
‘Though he raised his fists a lot too.’
‘Don’t talk about that here!’

Knowing that Ro-un was behind them made them feel as if their courage had increased a hundredfold.
Just as the students regained their energy and clenched their fists, Ro-un’s gaze fixed on them.
Ro-un spoke, openly wearing a look of contempt, as if he had seen right through what they were thinking.

“On the day the typhoon hits, don’t do anything stupid and stay stuck inside the academy. Don’t even think of following us. You understood me, right?”
“O-okay.”
“Sorry.”
“I’m sorry too.”
“We won’t go out no matter what!”

Their swollen courage shriveled in front of Lee Ro-un like a deflated balloon.
The students nodded heavily and made their promise.

‘Separate from how reassuring he is, the president is scary after all!’

They had to stay quiet and not fall further out of his favor!
Meanwhile, Ro-un didn’t place even the slightest expectation in them as they firmly resolved themselves.
Still, surely they would not stupidly wander outside on the day a typhoon came.
After the Otherworld Upheaval, just like the mountains and seas that had become higher and deeper, natural phenomena such as typhoons and hurricanes had also intensified to disaster level.

‘If they go out, they’ll be the only ones suffering.’

Ro-un took the lead again and walked toward the academy.
Cheon Su-ho came up beside him and asked.

“But Lee Ro-un. Aren’t they our seniors? Is it all right to speak so casually to them like that?”
“It’s fine.”
“I see!”

At Ro-un’s words, Cheon Su-ho had no doubts at all.
Soon, after they crossed the main gate, the students sat down on the ground as if their tension had finally loosened.

“Don’t block the road here. Go back to the dorms. Wash up and get treated.”
“Y-yeah!”
“Got it!”
“I’ll go right now!”
“I’ll crawl there if I have to.”

If you have time to say that crap, then go.
Ro-un looked at the seniors trudging toward the dormitory as if they were pathetic.

“Joo Hee-jun. Where are you trying to go?”

Flinch!

Joo Hee-jun, who had tried to secretly run away while Ro-un’s gaze was elsewhere, stopped at Lee Ro-un’s words.

“Joo Hee-jun. You follow me. Cheon Su-ho. Make sure you bring Joo Hee-jun properly.”
“Hahahahaha. Bomb Freak, let’s go together!”

When Ro-un spoke while looking back at Joo Hee-jun, who had not said a single word since the Bukhan Academy guys appeared, Joo Hee-jun creakily nodded.
Cheon Su-ho’s arm was placed over his shoulder as if he had been handcuffed.
The place they headed to was familiar.

“Um, Lee Ro-un. Why… are we here?”

He desperately hoped it was not the case, but Lee Ro-un’s answer was merciless.

“Special training.”

The word special training stimulated something buried in Joo Hee-jun’s memories.

‘Come to think of it, I think I heard those words before I was dragged off to field training too!’

At the strangely familiar situation, Joo Hee-jun’s body trembled.