IGOS 06

Chapter: 06

 Rival? (2)

There’s no rule saying a healer has to look holy, but still… isn’t that a bit much?

Every time he spoke, his muscles rippled, giving him a seemingly superhuman appearance. And yet, a healer? Every trainee couldn’t believe it.

Even Ji Yu-chan, who usually remained calm at all times, was so surprised that he gaped.

It was only natural—if Do-hyeon, who could analyze Choi Pil’s status through his analysis, couldn’t believe it, who could?

Anyway, in front of Do-hyeon, who successfully completed his analysis, text appeared again.

It was a message he had already expected.

[『Choi Pil』’s skills have been 『Analyzed』.]
[This is a target above standard level.]
[You can consume 『AP』 to acquire the target’s skills.]
[Select from the list to acquire.]
[List]
▶「Muscle Healing Technique [C]」: 300 AP
▶「Boxing Technique [C]」: 300 AP
▶「Intimidation [D]」: 200 AP
▶「Vitality [D]」: 150 AP
▶「Haste [E]」: 100 AP
……
(truncated)

There were quite a few skills, but apart from basic skills, only five were useful.

However, Do-hyeon focused more on the message than the skills.

‘A target above standard level?’

When he analyzed Jeong Min-woo, it was called a skill below the standard, and he could acquire it freely.

When he analyzed Ji Yu-chan, the Sword King’s Intuition he obtained was classified as a skill above the standard.

But now, when analyzing Choi Pil, the message said it was a target above standard level, not just a skill.

In other words, Choi Pil was strong enough that Do-hyeon had to pay AP to acquire his skills. From this, he could infer:

‘Maybe E or D-grade skills can be obtained without spending AP if the target is weaker.’

To be safe, it was better to exclude E and D-grade skills.

Basic skills were excluded, naturally. After this, only C-grade remained—and even then, there were only two usable skills, leaving no real choice.

『Muscle Healing Technique [C]』
▶ Uses mana to heal muscles.
▶ Useful for increasing physical ability stats.

Analyzing its effect made it even clearer.

‘Martial arts skills can be obtained anytime…’

But when would he get another healing skill?

He had to combine the 150 AP he got from analyzing Choi Pil with the 150 AP he already had, but it didn’t feel like a waste at all.

Still, he wanted to avoid turning into a muscle monster; maybe using it moderately would be fine.

Do-hyeon thought this and immediately selected it.

[Skill 「Muscle Healing Technique [C]」 acquired.]
[This skill is above current ability.]
[Stat increases are minimal compared to normal.]
[MP permanently increases by +4 due to the acquired skill.]
[Cannot use the skill at its full power.]

As his mana increased again, Do-hyeon felt a strange sensation.

A warm, fulfilling sense enveloped him, but he couldn’t focus on it.

“06:00 AM! From now until 08:00 AM breakfast, everyone runs the training grounds to the limit! Begin!”

Choi Pil’s sudden shout might have shocked everyone, but his fierce expression and booming voice made them instinctively start running around the outdoor training ground.

Do-hyeon ran along with the other trainees.

Maybe it was because of the increased stats? At first, he could easily stay in the lead group.

The lead group consisted of Ji Yu-chan, Jeong Min-woo, and Do-hyeon, all physically capable.

How long had they been running?

As Jeong Min-woo began to feel his limits and slowly fell back, Do-hyeon, whose stats were similar, almost fell behind too.

At this point, he expected Choi Pil to use healing, but he didn’t. That meant there was a way for him.

‘I have it too!’

Since Choi Pil wasn’t helping, Do-hyeon used the skill himself.

Feeling a slight drain of mana, a strange strength filled his body, and a message appeared.

[Tired muscles are healed.]

‘Huh? This is easier than I thought.’

He hadn’t expected an immediate effect, but his fatigue clearly eased. Whenever he began to tire, he used his newly acquired skill.

After a while, the message appeared again:

[The body grows.]
[Stamina permanently increases by +1.]

‘Oh.’

He was just running and using the skill, yet it had immediate results. Feeling a game-like sensation, Do-hyeon smiled and ran further. Soon, another message appeared:

[The body grows.]
[Strength permanently increases by +1.]

Seeing his stats increase again, he happily ran on.

For Ji Yu-chan, who also considered himself a good runner, it was hard to believe.

He remembered the Hunter Association saying that few trainees had better physical ability than him. He couldn’t understand this.

‘Am I falling behind?’

Even though they were in the lead, Choi Pil seemed to value Do-hyeon more, focusing his attention on him. Clearly, it felt like he was being surpassed.

Annoyed by this, Ji Yu-chan ran even harder.

Running with a fierce gaze, teeth gritted, Do-hyeon noticed him beside him.

‘What? Why is he glaring like that?’

It didn’t matter. Do-hyeon continued running casually, his steps gradually lightening as he moved further ahead.

‘I, I can’t believe this.’

Even with his pace faltering, Do-hyeon pulled ahead with ease. Feeling he might be overtaken, Ji Yu-chan pushed himself, but his exhausted body couldn’t keep up. Overpacing, he lost his rhythm and was overtaken by Do-hyeon, now following behind him.

‘I… I lost?’

While Ji Yu-chan was filled with defeat, Do-hyeon ran on, smiling.

‘I never imagined running could be this fun.’

It felt almost like a game—so enjoyable. As he ran more, another message appeared:

[The body grows.]
[Stamina permanently increases by +1.]

Addicted to his growth, Do-hyeon laughed and continued running.

Thus began the hellish running session.

How long had it been?

Everyone was slowly getting tired.

The first to tire were the female trainees.

The male trainees held out a bit longer, but it wasn’t easy. Modern city-dwellers weren’t accustomed to sudden long-distance running.

“Huff… huff… what is this early morning… pain… huff huff.”
“You’ll lose more strength if you talk, Dong-wook hyung.”
“Huff… huff.”
“Ha… ha…”

Amid the exhaustion of everyone, two were overtaking the rest: Ji Yu-chan and Do-hyeon.

“Are… are those two not getting tired?”
“How many laps have they overtaken already?”
“Min-woo dongsaeng tried to catch up, but failed, right?”
“Unbelievable…”
“Do-hyeon oppa doesn’t even look like that, but he’s amazing.”

As they murmured, Choi Pil shouted:

“No chit-chat!”

His sharp gaze swept across the trainees, then focused curiously on the lead runners: Ji Yu-chan and Do-hyeon.

He knew Ji Yu-chan’s physical ability from the paperwork, but Do-hyeon’s performance exceeded expectations. Compared to Ji Yu-chan, Do-hyeon’s physical stats were pitiful on paper.

‘Exceeded expectations.’

Even after an hour, he remained in the lead without tiring. Choi Pil narrowed his eyes, noticing the difference from before.

The gap between Ji Yu-chan and Do-hyeon was slowly widening.

Do-hyeon wasn’t just maintaining his pace; his speed was gradually increasing. Ji Yu-chan might have thought their pace was equal, but Choi Pil saw through it—and was impressed.

‘Impressive.’

As Ji Yu-chan gradually fell behind, Do-hyeon ran on with a smile, unconcerned.

Choi Pil muttered to himself in disbelief:

‘He seems made to be a true hunter.’

Running with a smile, he had not lost his composure. His body was amazing, and his mental fortitude was admirable.

Other trainees were already exhausted, walking or barely moving, yet Do-hyeon kept accelerating.

It was impressive. Several trainees watching also reacted with surprise.

“Y- Yu-chan dongsaeng fell behind? That’s impossible.”
“Yu-chan oppa… what?”
“Really.”
“What is going on…?”

Trainees who entered with Ji Yu-chan were shocked, while those with Do-hyeon murmured in agreement:

‘As expected, he’s not ordinary.’
‘Do-hyeon oppa is awesome too!’
‘Seriously, Do-hyeon is amazing.’
‘Huff… huff… I can’t keep up.’

A subtle tension formed between the groups. Among Ji Yu-chan’s group, Park Dong-wook reacted most strongly:

“Huh! What are you talking about? Yu-chan dongsaeng is much better. Do-hyeon dongsaeng must be a marathon specialist. In other areas, Yu-chan dongsaeng dominates.”
“That’s true.”
“We’ll see.”
“Yu-chan oppa might still be better, right? His mana is higher too.”
“Exactly.”
“Running alone doesn’t make him amazing…”
“Anyway, Do-hyeon oppa has more stamina.”
“Huh, really.”

Choi Pil watched this intrigued. What started as a minor psychological game was becoming a competition. Rather than intervening, he encouraged them:

“Trainee Lee Do-hyeon! Well done! Keep it up!”

Hearing this, Do-hyeon’s group beamed, while Ji Yu-chan’s group frowned.

Choi Pil thought such a competitive setup would encourage growth, so he subtly pushed them.

When the early morning training ended, everyone was exhausted, yet the atmosphere had shifted: a sense of rivalry flowed. Not true malice, but fierce gazes.

Choi Pil smiled and said:

“Hahaha! Everyone! You’ve worked hard during the early morning training. I’ll heal you, so enjoy a good breakfast! Breakfast is from 08:00 to 09:00, and be in Lecture Room 201 by 09:00. That’s all!”

Choi Pil applied Muscle Healing Technique to everyone.

Do-hyeon felt something odd.

‘Hmm, doesn’t feel like it’s really healing.’

Although he received the healing, the effect felt minimal. He shrugged it off.

After Choi Pil allowed them to go to the dining hall, the trainees, their bodies slightly healed, headed there.

When Do-hyeon finally got his tray and looked around, several people who had already secured seats waved him over.

“Do-hyeon oppa, come here~.”
“Here, hyung.”
“This way!”

He went to the spots they called him to without much thought but tilted his head at the strange tension.

‘Huh?’

The five who arrived earlier, including himself, and the five who joined later, including Ji Yu-chan, deliberately sat separately.

Noticing this odd psychological standoff, Do-hyeon smirked:

‘It’s not even a team event, why are they acting like this?’

Thinking nothing of it, he finished his meal and headed to the lecture room, where he heard unexpected news:

“There are too many people, so we’ll divide into groups.”

‘Huh?’

Turning his head, he saw Ji Yu-chan staring at him with burning eyes once again.