Chapter 715: Hidden piece (7)
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Even before the worldly collisions, and after, Korea had a recruitment system.
Cadets who graduate from military academy high school are obligated to become soldiers and complete a certain period of service.
Although there’s a mandatory service period for graduated cadets, they were treated as privates.
A cadet who dropped out and didn’t graduate, or one who changes their mind after becoming a soldier, wouldn’t know.
There was no cadet who endured the hardships at the military academy and refused to leave.
But there were exceptions.
Im Yeonhwa graduated from the Player Military Academy.
After completing only the compulsory service period, Im Yeonhwa gave up her military status and worked at Eungwang High as a teacher.
Kwaaaa!
Im Yeonhwa immediately threw a fist towards Hwangho’s solar plexus when he told her to attack.
She only took a few steps and moved her hands, but the air around her fluctuated and a loud sound was heard.
It sounded like the air was screaming from Im Yeonhwa’s power.
Fwoook!
However, Im Yeonhwa’s power didn’t reach Hwangho’s solar plexus.
She squinted over her glasses and looked at what hit her fist.
What she saw was, as Woo Kihwan phrased it, a free weapon from the school.
‘The head of the Hwangmyeong Group can easily get UR-rank items, but he’s holding an R-rank.’
Kwiiik…! Fwaat!
Im Yeonhwa quickly tried to smash the iron bar with her fist, but it didn’t budge.
Hwangho immediately covered the iron rod with golden energy waves.
Im Yeonhwa admired innocently that the rod was neither destroyed nor pushed, an incredible display of energy wave control.
“It’s a ‘Beginner’s Iron Rod,’ an R-rank item provided by the school. You use this kind of weapon, Chairman?”
“Don’t you use guards given by the school too?”
Hwangho’s words were mixed with admiration and sarcasm.
It was a well-known fact that Im Yeonhwa was fond of Eungwang High’s provided supplies.
Most of the sportswear, miscellaneous goods, and items that she usually wears were embedded with the logo of the school.
It was both an expression of cuteness and a lifestyle of Im Yeonhwa to control her overly strong power.
She smiled wide.
“Haha, that’s true.”
“It’s the same for me,”
Hwangho replied in a relaxed tone.
Im Yeonhwa, who has lived as a “strong dongsaeng,” “strong teacher,” and “strong cadet,” knew that it wasn’t a bluff.
It was a composure that only fellow strong people could see.
Im Yeonhwa didn’t like it.
‘If he had such a strong power, then why did he…’
Im Yeonhwa was strong but she had many weaknesses.
If she had Hwangho’s wealth and power, she could’ve cleared the darkness of Eungwang HIgh earlier.
The thought briefly blurred her concentration, but Im Yeonhwa soon changed her mind.
‘The chairman must have his own grievances. I’ll fight and understand it! For the sake of the kids!’
Im Yeonhwa’s strength wasn’t only physical, her skills and energy waves were excellent as well.
Her sound and simple thinking process was also a source of strength.
Her hesitation disappeared and she jumped back and changed her posture before running toward the chairman again.
This time, instead of clenched fists, her hands were straight.
She aimed at Hwangho with a single-handed blade.
Hwangho stood still and moved the iron rod flexibly to the counter.
Shwik! Kwaang!
It was a hand blade and an iron rod, but the sound could strike anyone’s ear.
Hwangho tried to deal with Im Yeonhwa with just the plain rod, but he had to use his energy waves.
Immediately, Hwangho changed his mind and squeezed the rod obliquely, taking away Im Yeonhwa’s blade.
Hwangho launched a strike to her abdomen.
Hit!
However, it was a knee pad with the logo of Eungwang High that he hit.
Im Yeonhwa smiled when Hwangho’s shoe and the guard collided with a dull sound.
She knew this move.
‘It’s Taehokwon. It would’ve been difficult to stop if I hadn’t dealt with Gong Cheonghwon before.’
She’s seen it before so she knew how to hit and defend.
Im Yeonhwa tried to break Hwangho’s balance by stamping her knee, but Hwangho swung the rod wide and stepped back.
“I’ve never seen anyone run to cut a rod instead of breaking it.’
Hwangho saw Im Yeonhwa checking the surroundings with a thorough posture.
With this short moment, the ground, which couldn’t handle the strength and speed of the two, dug deep and turned over.
The aftermath of the separation of Class 3-0 had large and small earthen peaks and pits.
Im Yeonhwa was only looking at Hwangho.
“Chairman, wouldn’t it be better to use a sharp weapon than a blunt instrument?”
“Are you thinking of your body as a weapon? Well, considering your light skill, it’s not wrong.”
Im Yeonhwa blinked at the mention of light skill.
Hwangho seems to be taunting her to use it.
‘He knows my power but he wants me to use it?’
Like the other teachers, Im Yeonhwa revealed her powers to Hwangho during the final interview for the position.
She wanted to teach but no school accepted her.
No school was willing to accept a famous human weapon in the player army as a teacher.
But Hwangho gave her a chance.
The last test for the position was a one-on-one interview with Hwangho where Im Yeonhwa revealed her skills.
Excited, Hwangho immediately hired her.
‘I thought he was a good person at that time. He’s become increasingly negligent though. But not now.’
IM Yeonhwa thought as they exchanged more blows.
In the meantime, the constant attacks turned the R-rank weapon into waste.
Hwangho wrapped energy waves, but there was a limit to how much it could handle Im Yeonhwa’s fists.
Drop.
Hwangho threw the tattered iron rod to the floor.
When the golden energy waves disappeared, the completely worn iron rod was revealed.
“I see physical attacks alone won’t work.”
“Chairman Hwang Myeongho, are you surrendering?”
“No way. This body has a special skill.”
Hwangho’s attitude wasn’t fitting for someone who just lost their weapon.
Rather, Hwangho was smiling as if he was enjoying the fight.
“So you’ll use your special ability.”
Hwangho’s eyes began to fill with gold.
As soon as she saw his eye, Im Yeonhwa realized it.
‘Royal lineage…! As expected, the chairman is of royal lineage.’
Im Yeonhwa is in charge of teaching subjects related to royal lineage and she’s well aware of their characteristics.
It was common for people of royal lineage who mixed with humans to hide their true eyes and hair colors and only reveal them when they used their powers.
Im Yeonhwa has been in Eungwang High for a long time, and as a teacher sensitive to energy waves, she guessed the chairman’s identity to some extent.
But of course, it was the first time she saw direct evidence.
‘He must be a Tiger Clan. Probably one who has to do with the Myth of Gaecheon.’
The conclusion was inevitable considering Eungwang High’s location.
Most people knew that Eungwang High was built because “the Tiger Clan allowed it.”
However, in the face of such an intense presence and power, it was inevitable to think otherwise.
The Tiger Clan has been staying in the Eungwang District.
And the chairman is someone who manages the school too.
Im Yeonhwa had a lot of questions, but there was no time for that.
Besides, Hwangho didn’t look like he had any intention of answering any.
Fwaaa…!
As Hwangho raised his hand and drew something horizontally, some golden magic floated.
At first, the magic circle, which seemed to be concentrated in the powder of light, gave off an intense light that hurt her eyes.
Between the golden lights, Hwang Jiho spoke.
“Go on and use your light skill.”
Kwaaang!
Following Hwangho’s urging, the magic circle exploded with light.
A golden boundary stretched out through the exploded debris and tried to swallow Im Yeonhwa.
The latter stared straight into the light and gathered strength in her fists.
“Ha!”
She shouted as the energy waves and the surrounding air swirled and stretched toward the boundary.
The collision between the swirl and gold erupted with light.
However, she only managed to break one magic circle.
Soon after, a second and third aimed at her, the size bigger than the one before.
It seemed difficult to break them with just her fist.
‘It’s hard to control my light skill because someone might get hurt. The chairman is a royal lineage, so I guess it’s okay to use it!’
Against another strong person, she wouldn’t have to hold back.
Im Yeonhwa’s hesitation was short.
“As you wish, chairman!”
Gwagwagwa!
The power that Im Yeonhwa suppressed for a long time has been opened up.
Hwangho gathered his boundary to block the energy waves that could numb his skin.
Im Yeonhwa had just activated her light skill, but the magic circle that he launched couldn’t endure and broke down.
When the energy wave explosion subsided, between the deep-cut lands…
Im Yeonhwa, wrapped in dark red armor, stood alone.
“Even some people of royal lineage can’t stand up to you,”
Hwangho commented as he watched Im Yeonhwa from a distance.
Im Yeonhwa seemed to be in the form of human concentrated strength.
That is, Im Yeonhwa’s light skill is her power.
To transform her body into a weapon.
“My light skill is controlled to some extent in response to the strength of my opponent… but it’s the first time that I transformed into full armor.”
“Is that so? You must be against weaklings until now.”
“You must be a strong royal lineage then, Chairman.”
“Of course.”
Hwangho released his strength and his eyes and hair were colored gold.
Im Yeonhwa felt her fingertips numb at the concentration of energy waves that she felt from a distance.
Her hands warped in red armor shook a little.
Perhaps from fear, perhaps from excitement.
“Here I go!”
Instead of responding, Hwangho sprinkled golden energy waves in the air.
When Im Yeonhwa jumped into it, her eyes flashed as if red lighting was shooting through the fog of gold.
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