IGOS 09

Chapter: 9

 Backseat Coaching? (1)

Although Do-hyun had defeated Ji Yu-chan, the trainees still stood there blankly, staring at the place where the sparring had just happened.

That was understandable.

They had only blinked once, and somehow Ji Yu-chan was already on the ground.

They hadn’t even seen what Do-hyun had done.

“What… what just passed by?”

“Y-Yu-chan lost?”

“N-no, how?”

“D-Do-hyun won, right?”

“I-it looks like it…?”

“Damn it, I didn’t even see anything…!”

Out of the eight people besides Do-hyun and Ji Yu-chan, not a single one had properly seen what happened.

That was how unbelievably fast Do-hyun had been.

At first, they couldn’t understand it.
But seeing Ji Yu-chan collapsed and Do-hyun still standing, the result was obvious.

Only then did it hit them, and the members of Team 1 (except Do-hyun) erupted into cheers.

“Waaaaaah!”

“Do-hyun oppa is the best!”

“He’s insanely fast! I didn’t see anything!”

“Hyung, you’re amazing!”

They cheered loudly for Do-hyun, but ironically, Do-hyun himself looked slightly wronged as he glanced at Kang Ji-hoon.

Thanks to Kang Ji-hoon using a skill on him, Do-hyun had been able to analyze it and gain a free “Ambush” skill without spending AP—so in a way, he had been lucky.

[You have analyzed Kang Ji-hoon’s skill “Ambush [D]”.]
[You gain 100 AP.]
[You successfully analyzed the skill of an opponent with a higher level.]
[You gain an additional 100 AP.]
[This skill exceeds the standard threshold.]
[You successfully predicted and avoided the attack path.]
[You acquire the skill without consuming AP (Analysis Points).]
[You have learned the skill “Ambush [D]”.]
[Due to learning this skill, Agility permanently increases by +3.]

Getting a skill for free was definitely great.

But after learning Ambush, Do-hyun couldn’t help but feel a bit unfair about Kang Ji-hoon’s earlier words.

‘Even if it’s not exactly Ambush, wouldn’t most people be able to imitate something similar if they learned mana control…?’

In the end, Ambush was just a skill that pushed the body to extreme speed.
With proper mana control, it wasn’t impossible to replicate something similar.

So why call him some crazy monster?

‘Well… whatever. More importantly, what other skill should I pick?’

Anyway, Do-hyun ignored Kang Ji-hoon—who clearly wasn’t going to correct himself—and focused on the fact that he still had another chance to gain a skill.

If he got Ambush by barely dodging an attack, then this time he would earn one by analyzing a status window.

After briefly checking Kang Ji-hoon’s status, Do-hyun thought for a moment and made his choice.

[You have analyzed Kang Ji-hoon’s skill “Stealth [E]”.]
[This skill is below the standard threshold.]
[You acquire the skill without consuming AP.]
[You have learned the skill “Stealth [E]”.]
[Due to learning this skill, Agility permanently increases by +2.]

‘Nice.’

He had considered choosing Dagger Mastery, but since it was already close to upgrading from F-rank to E-rank, he decided to pick a different skill instead.

After all, it was better to gain a new skill than to slightly improve one that was about to rank up anyway.

So he chose Stealth.

But then, an unexpected message appeared.

[Analyzing Kang Ji-hoon’s skill “Dagger Mastery [D]”.]

‘Huh?’

At first, he thought it was some kind of bonus, but more messages followed.

[This is a higher-tier version of a skill you already possess.]
[The proficiency of “Dagger Mastery [F]” increases.]
[The proficiency of “Dagger Mastery [F]” is now full.]
[The skill rank increases.]
[“Dagger Mastery [F]” → “Dagger Mastery [E]”]
[Due to the rank-up, Agility permanently increases by +2.]

‘What the hell?’

This was possible too?

Just by observing a higher-tier skill, proficiency increased automatically?

This game really had everything a god-tier game should have.

As Do-hyun blinked, his increased agility made the world feel slower, and he felt his body moving with greater precision than before.

Well, it made sense.

He had just gained a total of +7 Agility.

That was equal to what he originally had—essentially doubling his stat—so of course the difference was noticeable.

‘This is insane.’

Earlier, when Kang Ji-hoon called him a crazy monster, he felt it was unfair.

But now—

‘Yeah… I’m a crazy monster.’

Do-hyun’s mindset flipped instantly.

Though honestly, wouldn’t anyone react the same?

…Or maybe not.

Smiling to himself, Do-hyun stood there.

Meanwhile, leaving behind a now self-proclaimed “monster,” Kang Ji-hoon wore a serious expression, lost in thought.

Hwang Hana and Choi Pil had said Do-hyun was impressive, but he hadn’t expected this level.

He was beyond abnormal—he was something outside the standard entirely.

This wasn’t about being a genius anymore.

‘I saw it with my own eyes, and I still can’t believe it.’

A talent that could replicate a technique just by seeing it once, without even a manual—

Did such a thing even exist in the hunter world… or among any species?

A genius far beyond comprehension.

After thinking that far, Kang Ji-hoon shook his head and looked at the unconscious Ji Yu-chan.

Honestly, Ji Yu-chan was also very talented.

He had instinctively tried to dodge Do-hyun’s Ambush just now.

That alone proved he was exceptional.

He might even surpass Hwang Hana someday.

But what did it matter?

He had become a peer to someone who completely overshadowed even geniuses.

Would he even be able to grow properly?

Tch… poor guy.’

After silently sympathizing with Ji Yu-chan, Kang Ji-hoon checked him briefly, confirmed there were no major injuries, and laid him to the side.

Soon, Team 2 gathered around him.

“Instructor, i-is Yu-chan oppa okay?”

“Did Yu-chan really lose?”

“He didn’t just collapse suddenly, right?”

“That guy… Lee Do-hyun… he won?”

Rather than worrying about Ji Yu-chan, they seemed more shocked that he had lost.

Kang Ji-hoon glared at them coldly, and they immediately shut their mouths.

‘Instead of worrying about their leader collapsing, they’re fixated on his loss… What terrible teammates.’

He felt even more pity for Ji Yu-chan.

But the class wasn’t over yet.

“The sparring isn’t finished. We’ll move on to the next round. I forgot to mention earlier—you can choose your weapons over there. Since specialties aren’t assigned yet, pick freely.”

Do-hyun and Ji Yu-chan had shown higher levels than the others, so they hadn’t been allowed to choose weapons.

But the rest were different.

Their level was so low that he needed to at least see how they handled weapons.

At his words, everyone swallowed nervously.

The weapons were wooden, not metal—but still, getting hit would hurt.

Their hesitation was natural for modern people, but unacceptable for hunters.

Just as Kang Ji-hoon frowned—

“I-I’ll take this…”

“Ha! A man uses a spear!”

“I’ll take a longsword.”

“I guess… sword and shield?”

Team 1 began choosing weapons first.

Seeing Do-hyun win had clearly ignited something in them.

Kang Ji-hoon nodded slightly.

‘It’s having an effect.’

After all, their leader was Do-hyun.

If he could win so confidently, they couldn’t just cower in fear.

And seeing Ji Yu-chan collapse made them realize—even if they fell, it wasn’t the end.

Soon, Team 2 followed.

“I-I’ll choose too.”

“M-me too!”

“Ahem, I’ll take a sword…”

“I’ll take a shield…”

As both teams picked weapons, Kang Ji-hoon paired them up and continued the sparring.

But only Do-hyun frowned at his teammates.

‘…Why are they picking those weapons with those traits?’

From Do-hyun’s perspective—someone with Analysis—it was frustrating.

But without the system, they just picked what they liked.

• Park Ye-seul (F-rank Warrior) chose a longsword instead of a mace or shield.
• Kim Yong-chan (F-rank Swordsman) chose a spear instead of a sword.
• Gu Min-ah (Mage) hadn’t learned magic yet, so sword and shield worked fine.
• Jung Min-woo (E-rank Assassin) chose a longsword instead of a dagger.

Except for Min-ah, it was a complete mess.

Still, it was better than the other team.

‘At least they have a buffer and a mage…’

Without the system, trial and error was inevitable.

But to Do-hyun, it was painfully frustrating.

‘Should I tell them?’

He didn’t want to stand out more than necessary…

But this? He couldn’t ignore it.

How could he not give advice when they were so obviously wrong?

As the sparring was about to begin, Do-hyun stepped forward.

“Wait a moment.”

“…What is it?”

Kang Ji-hoon asked cautiously.

“I want to give my teammates a few tips. Is that okay?”

“Tips?”

“Yes.”

“…Hmm.”

Kang Ji-hoon looked at him curiously.

Do-hyun was clearly a monster—but that didn’t mean he could teach others.

Geniuses often struggled to teach ordinary people.

Still…

‘Maybe he just cares about his teammates… Or maybe it’s arrogance.’

Either way, Kang Ji-hoon nodded.

“Do as you like.”

He didn’t expect much.

The gap between geniuses and ordinary people was too vast.

“Thank you.”

Do-hyun approached his teammates and spoke quickly.

At first, Kang Ji-hoon ignored it—but curiosity got the better of him.

He enhanced his hearing to listen.

“Yong-chan hyung, you should use a sword instead of a spear. Spears are easy, but your arms are longer than average, so a sword would suit your balance better.
Min-ah, your choice is good—focus on defense with the shield and counterattack.
Ye-seul, since you’re shorter, a longsword isn’t ideal. Use a short blunt weapon with a shield—block and strike hard.
And Min-woo, ditch the longsword. Your speed suits a dagger more—fight like an out-boxer.”

“…?”

Kang Ji-hoon was stunned.

The reasoning sounded thin—

But when he actually observed them, Do-hyun was right.

Everything matched.

It was like he had the answer sheet.

‘Can a beginner give advice like that?’

No matter how talented, this was beyond intuition.

What kind of monster was he?

“Why are you staring like that?”

“…Your advice just now—no, never mind.”

Kang Ji-hoon almost asked—but stopped.

He felt like Do-hyun would just say, “I just said what I saw.”

The sparring resumed.

And just as expected—

Team 1 won every match.

“Whoa! This is insane! Changing weapons like Do-hyun said—it feels natural!”

“Y-yeah! I didn’t get it at first, but it fits perfectly!”

“Glad we all won.”

“…Hyung, you’re amazing. I’ll follow you forever.”

“…Haha.”

Team 1 was celebrating.

Team 2 lay defeated.

But their misfortune wasn’t over.

“Team 1 gets free time. Team 2 will undergo training.”

“Ughhh…”

“P-please spare us!”

“Yu-chan isn’t even awake yet, c-can we wait…?”

“Sniff…”

At Kang Ji-hoon’s words, the fates of the two teams split completely.