"Hey, look at that."
The gym rats who saw Su-hyeon's workout detected sothing unusual in the reps and weight he was handling, as well as his excellent form.
But.
"Huh."
"Tsk tsk."
Their brows soon furrowed in a judgntal manner.
Irrational weight, irrational repetitions, irrational sets.......
Su-hyeon was deliberately choosing thods that contradicted all the common sense of weight training they knew.
'This will lead to muscle tears rather than muscle growth.'
Eventually, unable to stand by any longer, so cadets stepped forward, burning with a sense of justice.
"Hey hey, junior! You're overworking your ATP too much! This is self-harm!"
"You're cute. A freshman, right? Should noona teach you about upper body too? Don't just work your lower body......"
"Get lost. A man's body is best understood by another man!"
"What are you saying, you can't even deadlift more than ."
"Hmm. My squat is better."
Countless gym rats offered advice to the cute newbie, but.
"......Thank you, but I'll do it my way."
Annoyed, Su-hyeon cut off their ddling in one stroke.
"Hey, you freshman there!"
Then Park Gangjeong, the top physical specin among the third-years and last year's champion of the EFAC Physique Competition (prize: 10 boxes of protein), stepped forward majestically.
"It's Senior Park Gangjeong."
"Ooooh."
"Look at that harmony between his rhomboid and erector spinae muscles, as solid as a rock."
"Like Mount Tai."
"Huh-huh."
After enjoying the admiration of his juniors, he spoke with dignity.
"My na is Park Gangjeong. It's a na my grandfather gave , aning to be strong and righteous."
'How can soone's na be Park Gangjeong.......'
Hiding such inner thoughts, Su-hyeon nodded.
"I see."
"From what I've observed, your muscle structure, quality, and performance are already excellent. If we make just a few adjustnts, it would be nearly flawless. What do you think?"
"......I'm fine."
But Su-hyeon cut that off in one word too.
'I'm not on the sa wavelength as these folks.'
It was also Su-hyeon's personality not to add any unnecessary explanations.
"Aing, tsk tsk."
"Kids these days......"
The offended gym veterans clicked their tongues and dispersed back to their routines.
But that didn't last long either.
"Wait?"
The cadets who had been glancing at Su-hyeon with irrepressible curiosity soon erupted in exclamations.
"How many sets has he done now?"
"What's he doing? It's inefficient!"
Su-hyeon was performing like a madman, maintaining his form as much as possible while repeating weights that looked heavy even at a glance.
Though it was a dangerous practice according to their common sense, they couldn't help but acknowledge his determination.
"Amazing."
"Insane muscular endurance."
"Does that guy not have a failure point?"
"No. I think he passed the failure point long ago, but he keeps lifting over and over. Is that even possible?"
"I don't sense any flow of mana, though."
The cadets gradually began to pay attention to Su-hyeon's body.
"Wait a minute. Look at that guy's skeletal structure. His ribcage is so......"
"Ssseup."
"His thorax is thick too? Perfect for exerting strength......"
"Look at those thin ankles. Exactly like a basketball player's physique. That's a body with good athletic ability."
"That fra, oh my."
One common question arose in their minds.
'What if we applied proper routines to that skeletal structure and strength?'
"Slurp."
Saliva pooled in their mouths.
'This guy must beco a gym rat!'
The cadets began to empty their pockets, stuffing items into Su-hyeon's arms.
"Hey freshman. Do you need protein by any chance?"
Their tone had suddenly beco extrely caring.
"This is a booster I got with great difficulty. Just once......"
"Do you have all the equipnt you need? If you use this strap......"
"Thank you. I'll put them to good use."
While Su-hyeon had ignored all their ddling, in this case, he eagerly accepted all the items like a cute newbie.
'That guy.'
And there was soone watching this scene from a distance.
'The more I look, the more his exercise style is to my taste.'
Kwon Seung-yeon, who had quietly entered the strength training room following Su-hyeon and was observing him while doing full-body strength-focused exercises, had her eyes gleaming.
'Should I suggest we work out together?'
But judging by the situation, it didn't seem like a direct approach would work.
'Wait a minute. I should try talking while giving him sothing.......'
A little later.
Kwon Seung-yeon waited for Su-hyeon to finish his workout and approached him.
"Hey, you."
"What is it?"
Su-hyeon asked, brushing back his wet bangs after showering.
"Here."
Kwon Seung-yeon handed him four neatly peeled boiled eggs.
"Spring eggs are the tastiest."
"......."
'Is she Jeomsun-i?'
[ TN: Character archetype or drawing a parallel to soone with traits similar to Jeomsun—perhaps innocent, traditional, or entangled in humorous situations. ]
"You know you need to replenish a lot of protein after working out, right?"
"Uh...... thanks."
"Oh, no need to thank . Between us."
"What's between us?"
'Oops.'
Realizing she'd acted too familiar in her eagerness, Kwon Seung-yeon slapped her own mouth.
"I an, we're workout partners from the sa gym."
"......Right."
The look in a gym rat's eyes when finding a workout partner was not just gleaming but even persistent.
"By the way, sorry, but can I feel your shoulder once?"
Having received a protein source, it was hard to coldly refuse.
"Go ahead."
"Thank you."
Kwon Seung-yeon nodded with satisfaction after touching his shoulder.
"As expected, those traps, whew."
"......."
It was a completely objective gym rat perspective without any personal interest.
"Heheheh. See you tomorrow~. Do your stretches properly!"
Satisfied, Kwon Seung-yeon waved goodbye and disappeared.
"What's all that?"
Nam Tae-hoon stuck out his tongue at Su-hyeon, who returned with a sports bag full of gifted equipnt and protein.
"Where did all that co from?"
"......I received it on my way back."
"......What exactly are you doing out there?"
"Hmm."
Su-hyeon rubbed his chin.
"Just collected so tributes from the seniors."
??????°??☆????°??????
The next day.
After finishing the morning roll call, Instructor Kim Cheol-han spoke to the Class 1 cadets who were barely moving their trembling limbs to sit down.
"Today, we'll hold a Class President election before starting daily activities."
"Ooh!"
"First, I'll take nominations. Either recomndations or volunteers are fine. For reference, the Class President receives bonus points."
"!"
Scrape scrape.
The cadets' eyes busily darted left and right.
But Su-hyeon was indifferent.
'A position with many obligations and ambiguous rewards is not worth taking.'
Similar examples included being a group project leader or a squad leader in reserve forces training.
'No achievent points either.'
Since the related sub-events weren't particularly impressive, Su-hyeon was turning his head toward the window, thinking it would be better to do individual training than waste ti on miscellaneous duties, when.
"I recomnd Su-hyeon."
Lee Yu-jin, who had been looking around cautiously, suddenly recomnded Su-hyeon.
"!"
When Su-hyeon looked at her with a "why?" expression, Lee Yu-jin quickly turned her head away.
'From the entrance exam too. Su-hyeon is the most suitable.'
It was a judgnt mixed with a sense of debt and suitability, but.
"I recomnd Lee Yu-jin."
Su-hyeon imdiately reflected the recomndation back.
"Just looking at her leadership during the entrance exam, I think she's a friend who can lead our class well enough."
Glare!
Lee Yu-jin glared at Su-hyeon with slightly offended eyes.
'He still calls
Lee Yu-jin.'
......Her focus was slightly off.
'What are those two doing?'
Nam Tae-hoon, who was watching the scene with a giggle, raised his hand.
"I recomnd Seo Jun-seong. In every aspect, I believe he's worthy to represent Class 1."
"Jeong Su-hyeon, Lee Yu-jin, Seo Jun-seong. No more?"
Kim Cheol-han asked after writing the three nas on the blackboard.
"I'd like to run too."
Hwang Ji-su raised her hand and volunteered.
'I can't stand to see Seo Jun-seong or Lee Yu-jin beco Class President.'
"Hmm. Good enthusiasm."
Kim Cheol-han nodded.
"In any case, the experience of leading peers with strong personalities will be a great asset for your future in the Execution Force."
'That makes sense.'
Su-hyeon thought.
He just didn't need to gain such experience anew.
'Anyway, I'm not popular enough for kids to vote for
yet.'
During the entrance exam, he avoided attention by putting Lee Yu-jin at the forefront.
After enrollnt, though he gained so attention through the sparring with Kang Jun-man, the altercation with Park Chang-jun, and the morning roll call, it was all just in the realm of curiosity.
'Seo Jun-seong, Hwang Ji-su, Lee Yu-jin. The fa these three had before enrollnt and the strength of their characteristics are so deeply ingrained in everyone's mind.'
Therefore, Su-hyeon wasn't worried about becoming Class President.
'So the question is who to support.'
Seo Jun-seong was the acknowledged representative of this year's class.
Lee Yu-jin also made a deep impression on everyone by demonstrating her ability as a leader during the entrance exam.
'As for Hwang Ji-su, she gives off a sowhat prickly and haughty impression, so other kids might find her difficult to approach.'
There might be no such wall after becoming friends, but for now, it existed.
'Actually, the Class President is just in charge of miscellaneous duties anyway, so putting soone like Kim Ho-su in charge would work out well.'
Of course, in playthroughs where that actually happened, the class often got out of control due to his frivolousness, resulting in being marked by instructors.
'If one of the three becos President, the other two will feel uncomfortable too.'
Su-hyeon thought, recalling previous playthroughs.
Hwang Ji-su tends to show the strongest opposition, but if she becos President, Seo Jun-seong doesn't like to follow orders.
'They're incompatible with Seo Jun-seong too, checking each other so much.'
Considering all this, Su-hyeon rubbed his chin, thinking Lee Yu-jin would be the most reasonable choice.
'The issue is that she tends to be a bit timid.'
She performs well when Su-hyeon pushes and helps her from the side, but struggles when left alone.
'Thinking about that, Seo Jun-seong might be better. Whatever you entrust to him, he handles well on his own.......'
After much deliberation, Su-hyeon wrote down one person's na.
"The results are in."
Kim Cheol-han announced after completing the count.
"The cadet who will serve as Class 1's President for this year is Lee Yu-jin."
She won first place, three votes ahead of second-place Seo Jun-seong.
Clap clap clap clap.
Kang Geon-woo and Go Do-il, whose faces clearly showed they had cast their votes for her, clapped the loudest.
"Then for the Vice President......."
Kim Cheol-han grinned.
"Lee Yu-jin. You designate."
"What?"
Lee Yu-jin opened her eyes wide in surprise.
"Isn't it Jun-seong, who ca in second?"
"Why are you so surprised?"
Kim Cheol-han asked.
"If the Class President is the Commander, then the Vice President is the Staff Officer. The discernnt to know who is compatible with oneself and can provide appropriate advice is also a quality of a commander."
"Compatibility......?"
Lee Yu-jin's gaze flew directly to Su-hyeon as she muttered.
"Then I designate Su-hyeon as Vice President."
"That was quick. Good."
Nodding, Instructor Kim Cheol-han wrote sothing in the attendance book.
"The President and Vice President should co see
after school today."
'I need to do my routine.'
Seeing Su-hyeon's slightly furrowed expression, Lee Yu-jin whispered quietly.
"Sorry for deciding on my own......."
"It's fine."
Su-hyeon shook his head.
'Well, as Vice President, I can delegate annoying tasks and just collect the bonus points.'
The two's differing inner thoughts showed no signs of ending.
"Tch."
As Hwang Ji-su quietly clicked her tongue, Kwon Seung-yeon whispered in her ear.
"You would have hated it even if Yu-jin had made you Vice President, right?"
"That's true."
Hwang Ji-su relaxed her expression, convinced.
"But what did you do with Jeong Su-hyeon yesterday?"
"Just, you know."
Kwon Seung-yeon scratched her head, saying she just showed so sincerity.
??????°??☆????°??????
"Long ti no see, chicks!"
During the afternoon major practical class.
Oh Chang-seong, standing at the podium in gym clothes, laughed heartily.
"We're already acquainted, aren't we?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Hey hey, don't answer so stiffly. Relax."
He waved his hands, showing a deanor quite different from his dignified atmosphere during the entrance exam.
'This is his real personality.'
Originally, that laid-back, easy-going uncle-like attitude was Oh Chang-seong's true character.
'And a demon when fighting.'
Among lycanthropes, three types are considered to have top-tier combat power: weretiger, werelion, and werebear.
Among them, Oh Chang-seong had awakened as a weretiger, equipped with overwhelming athletic ability and flexibility.
He was also a specialist who had deeply mastered boxing, regardless of his characteristic.
'If he brings out his claws, he doesn't just subdue Ma-in but tears them apart, so he can't use them on just anyone.'
In a way, it could be called a desperate asure, but Oh Chang-seong and boxing were a very good match.
'A tiger's front paw strike isn't a powerful attack technique for nothing.'
The pawing punches of feline animals are always excellent fighting tools.
"Alright, let's talk about class."
Oh Chang-seong clapped to refocus attention.
"EFAC cadets must learn at least one martial art during their three years. Why is that?"
"To face the Ma-in, sir."
"Correct. But honestly, that question was too easy, right?"
"Hahaha."
'This is the first ti I've seen them laugh in front of an instructor.'
I thought.
"To generalize a bit, Hunters typically don't delve deeply into martial arts because they face demonic beasts. Martial arts were basically created assuming human-versus-human combat."
'Hunters just need to know how to attack and handle weapons, and then they can develop their own style for their fights.'
That was also true for most Ma-in, who were created through mutation of Hunters.
"On the other hand, the Ma-in we face all have human forms. Therefore, by training in martial arts, we can engage in more efficient combat."
Oh Chang-seong finished writing briefly on the blackboard, glancing at a small cheat sheet hidden in his palm.
"......Alright! So you understand, right? Even if you're the type to fight from a distance, and especially if your ability assus close combat, you must learn at least one martial art."
"What martial arts can we learn, sir?"
When martial arts were ntioned, Kang Geon-woo rarely spoke up first.
"Many. Boxing, judo, wrestling, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, Taekwondo, Taekkyeon, Lethwei, Pencak Silat...... you can learn almost any unard combat style."
"Can we learn martial arts like Lethwei too?"
"Yes. Providing diverse options is a core part of our academy's education. Of course, there are many weapon arts too. Swordsmanship, shooting, spearmanship, staff techniques, dagger techniques, whip techniques, and such."
"For , it's absolutely spear!"
Jeremy McGarr shouted.
"Of course, you can learn spearmanship from the best instructors."
Oh Chang-seong nodded.
"Among them, what I'm going to teach today is boxing, the most specialized combat sport for fistfighting, which forms the basis of all combat."
"Ooh!"
"Boxing is not only the foundation of modern combat sports, having established most of the theories that form the core of modern fighting, but it remains a pinnacle martial art."
Oh Chang-seong said with a face full of pride.
"Footwork, guard, distance sense, punching, rhythm, hand gas, counters....... Boxing, which has concretized and developed to the extre these once abstract fighting concepts, is an incredibly complex and sophisticated martial art despite the restriction of using only two fists."
Unlike earlier, Oh Chang-seong didn't look at his cheat sheet when explaining boxing.
"Even famous standing striking martial arts like karate or Muay Thai have all been influenced by boxing in their punching techniques. Of course, boxing itself has also actively absorbed techniques, such as adopting footwork from fencing."
Such flexibility and rationality was exactly why boxing is an indispensable combat sport in the history of modern fighting and is still considered tier 1.
"Good. Now you all understand the greatness of boxing, right?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then from now on, we'll move to the gymnasium."
"Ooh!"
Oh Chang-seong was infusing the cadets with enthusiasm through his unique tension.
"So. Excited?"
"Yes, sir!"
"What will we be doing?"
"Good question."
Oh Chang-seong nodded and answered.
"From now on, you just beat each other up."
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