A Player Who Eats Metal

Chapter 7: The Tiger and the Buffalo

< Chapter 7: The Tiger and the Buffalo – 2 >

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Lee Hyunwook reflects on his past life dozens of times a day.

Each time, the one emotion he feels is regret.

‘I must become a true genius in this life.’

In other words, he had heard the word ‘genius’ even in his past life.

‘Although I was nothing more than a failed genius…’

He relaxed his shoulders and recalled the voice of a man from his past life’s memories.

‘Lee Hyunwook! You pathetic guy, aren’t you ashamed? How many years have you wasted with such insane talent?’

The voice berating Lee Hyunwook belonged to a man who would later be called the ‘Sword Saint,’ who is currently a Sergeant, Choi Young-jun.

‘Have you ever thought about how many lives could have been saved if you had your act together?’

Although his tone was scolding, the underlying meaning was a high appraisal.

‘Honestly, Lee Hyunwook… you’re much better than I am. I mean it.’

‘Better than the Sword Saint…’ the Lee Hyunwook of that time didn’t believe it.

He thought it was an exaggerated compliment.

But Choi Young-jun’s expression was always serious.

‘So, get your act together now and do your best in whatever you can do… protect us. Somehow. You have the talent for it.’

A natural sense specialized in combat, Sword Saint Choi Young-jun called it ‘the heart of a warrior.’

In an age where it’s unnecessary to take someone’s life to protect oneself and family, it’s a primal genius that doesn’t easily reveal itself—Choi Young-jun said that it’s latent in Lee Hyunwook’s DNA.

‘It almost seemed true…’

However, having such a talent but not using it properly is useless. This Lee Hyunwook rotted away his talent for quite some time under the stigma of being ‘F-grade’ and failed miserably.

‘But it’s not the case in this life.’

He once again reflected on his past filled with regret.

A collapsing city, fallen comrades, a helpless ending…

‘I will grow in every aspect so that such things never happen again.’

Beep—

The signal for one minute before the duel started sounded, and Lee Hyunwook raised his head to face his opponent.

“Hehe, Corporal Lee Hyunwook? Are you really sure about this?”

A muscular figure stood there, wielding a training sword made of plastic material.

Barbarian Lee Won-seok, his right foot was already out in front, and his upper body’s center of gravity was considerably forward.

‘That posture means he’s going to charge.’

It was the preparatory posture of a predator eyeing its prey.

However, he had grossly misjudged his target.

Lee Hyunwook was also a predator.

And an experienced one at that.

‘His elbow is lifted, and there’s strength in his shoulder. As he charges, a big slashing attack will come.’

His innate senses and considerable combat experience allowed him to read the enemy’s intentions.

Unaware of this, Lee Won-seok was waving the training sword he held in his right hand with a sly grin.

In contrast, Lee Hyunwook was unarmed.

According to the rules of duel training, only training weapons made of plastic could be used.

Since there wasn’t a weapon that suited Lee Hyunwook, he just stepped into the combat box barehanded.

“I didn’t intend for this to happen, but a lot of spectators have gathered. Hehehe…”

Even though Lee Hyunwook didn’t respond, Lee Won-seok kept on talking by himself.

When Lee Hyunwook looked around, just as Lee Won-seok had said, quite a lot of spectators had gathered.

Not just soldiers from his own unit, but also those from adjacent units had gathered, easily amounting to around thirty people.

They had gathered in small groups, betting on whether the Private would turn the Corporal into a pulp within a few minutes.

‘What do you mean, “didn’t intend”?’

Contrary to this guy’s words, the situation seemed very much orchestrated by someone.

It was as if someone had planned to disgrace Lee Hyunwook, spread rumors, and thus gathered the spectators.

Well, in the monotonous military life, such a duel training is a special spectacle.

Especially if it was a duel between a promising junior and an incompetent senior, it was quite an interesting issue.

“I will go easy on you as much as I can. It would be too cruel if a senior got beaten up too harshly, wouldn’t it?”

Beep- Beep- Beep-

Soon, a rapid signal sound rang out. Lee Won-seok grinned, a face full of confidence.

Ding!

The bell announcing the start of the duel rang, and the magical barrier that had been blocking the center disappeared.

Lee Hyunwook relaxed his body and subtly stepped back with his right foot,

“Woo-ahhhh!”

Lee Won-seok charged in roughly, like a raging bear.

‘As expected.’

It was just as Lee Hyunwook had anticipated.

Without any special movements, Lee Hyunwook merely extended his right hand slightly forward and sensed ‘a small piece of metal’.

And he pulled it, in the opposite direction of the guy’s movement.

Then…

“…Ugh?”

The guy, who had been charging head-on, suddenly flinched.

It was as if he felt resistance like someone had grabbed and stretched the hem of his clothes.

“Uh! What, what is this!”

The metal zipper on the combat boots.

Lee Hyunwook applied only 2,558g of force to that small point, but depending on where you focus the force of the same weight, the effect varies greatly.

‘I may not be able to push him back or stop him, but I can certainly shake his balance.’

And in a fight, the collapse of balance means the emergence of a fatal ‘opening.’ Lee Hyunwook pushed against the metal material on the ground and used the recoil to lunge forward.

Crack!

His left fist, a quick jab, hit Lee Won-seok’s face, and his head was jerked backward.

“Damn it! You son of a—”

The guy spat out curses and swung his practice broadsword horizontally with great force.

Whoosh!

It was a strike that was neither precise nor restrained, but one that carried a great deal of power.

Lee Hyunwook bent his upper body and dodged it easily.

‘As expected, he relies solely on brute force when charging. I just have to be careful of his unexpected, powerful strikes.’

Whoosh- Whoosh-

Lee Won-seok’s attacks only sliced through empty air. Such reckless movements inevitably exposed openings.

And Lee Hyunwook waited for that time.

‘Now is the time.’

The moment the large attack missed, he ducked his head and lunged at the guy’s lower body.

“…Huh?”

With both hands, he grabbed the guy’s left leg and pulled it while using ‘Metal Control,’ pushing the metal zipper on the right combat boot outward.

Then again, the balance was lost…

“Ugh!”

Both of the thick, sturdy legs were lifted into the air.

Thud!

With a heavy sound, the hulk fell backward.

It was a perfect Single-Leg Takedown timing.

However, Lee Hyunwook deliberately did not mount him and quickly put distance between them.

If he got caught by that giant, he might not be able to move.

Even so, shouts of surprise and awe erupted from all sides.

“Wow!”

“Huh? No, no way!”

“What just happened? How did he do that?”

It was a scene that no one had expected.

“Damn it… the floor of the combat box seems too slippery.”

Lee Won-seok yelled as if to make everyone hear and quickly got up. There was no damage from falling over just once.

However, his face began to turn red.

‘Shit, to get hit like this by an F-rank…’

The humiliation surged. He had thought he would easily win, but he got hit instead.

In other words, he was angry. He readjusted his grip on the practice broadsword.

“Well, I was going to go easy on you because you’re my senior, but…”

Veins popped out on his forehead.

Squeak-

And the practice broadsword he was holding twisted. It was the Barbarian’s unique ‘Body Strengthening’ skill.

“…Looks like going easy on you won’t work. I’ll have to nearly kill you.”

Then, even fiercer attacks began.

* * *

As soon as the battle began, Lee Hyunwook’s attack landed, but after that, Lee Won-seok had the upper hand.

Whoom! Whoom!

“Man, if you get hit just once by that, you’re out cold!”

“He’s dodging well, but he’s no match…”

Smiles returned to the faces of Oh Sang-guk and Kwak Jin-cheol amidst the changed atmosphere.

“See? What did I tell you?”

“True, I guess I worried for nothing.”

When the tackle followed the facial strike, Kwak Jin-cheol had involuntarily gasped.

Lee Hyunwook had, surprisingly, landed an effective attack right before their eyes, so their astonishment was justified.

But it seemed that was all.

“I think this will end in less than a minute. If he gets hit once, he’ll be knocked out.”

Oh Sang-guk folded his arms and confidently predicted.

Just then, someone approached them from behind.

“Hey, Oh Sang-guk.”

“…Huh? Salute! Good to see you.”

It was Staff Sergeant Kang Seong-chun, who was on duty today. Next to him was a middle-aged man in a black uniform with a ‘Lieutenant’ rank…

“Look over there!”

For some reason, the eyes of the soldiers watching the training shifted toward them.

And then, as if witnessing a celebrity, they started to murmur.

“Isn’t that the Black Tiger Unit’s insignia?”

“Really! It’s the Black Tiger Unit!”

Everyone was reacting to the black tiger-shaped insignia attached to the Lieutenant’s uniform.

Black Tiger; The name represented the elite special forces unit under AMT.

“Oh Sang-guk, what’s all this gathering about?”

“Well… It’s a combat training session. Interest seems to have peaked since Won-seok is participating.”

Oh Sang-guk answered nervously to Staff Sergeant Kang Seong-chun’s question. If the officers were around, they wouldn’t be able to push Lee Won-seok as hard.

But then…

“Ah! Won-seok? Perfect timing!”

For some reason, Kang Seong-chun looked thrilled.

“Senior, that big guy over there is the Barbarian I was talking about earlier. The one who tore a goblin apart in his first operation. Not as much as Corporal Choi Young-jun, but he’s a promising talent.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Yes, just watch. You’ll be intrigued.”

Lieutenant Cheon Myung-ho of the Black Tiger Unit folded his arms as if interested.

Whoom! Whoom!

The situation remained one-sided in favor of Lee Won-seok. His opponent was busy dodging his powerful strikes.

“The kid’s definitely got some power! What do you think? Seems pretty promising, doesn’t he?”

“Hmm… the barbarian used the ‘Brawl’ skill, it seems.”

“He’s tearing through the air with such intensity, isn’t he?”

“What good is tearing through the air?”

“That guy, even with a low batting average, is a home run hitter. He’s about to hit a grand slam soon.”

Kang Seong-chun was speaking excitedly, and Cheon Myung-ho slightly lifted the corners of his mouth. He then laid his hand on Kang Seong-chun’s shoulder and let out a sigh.

“Ah, Seong-chun…”

“Yes, senior, why are you acting like this?”

“It’s because you act this way that you’re still at a C-rank.”

“…What?”

Caught off guard, Kang Seong-chun’s eyes widened.

“Why are you suddenly criticizing me, senior?”

“Take a closer look. That hulking figure is going to get crushed soon.”

“What does that mean…?”

The surprise wasn’t just on Kang Seong-chun’s face.

Standing next to him, Oh Sang-guk and Kwak Jin-cheol instinctively turned their heads.

Even though the high-ranking within the Black Tiger unit was saying this, they couldn’t understand the judgment.

“Excuse me, but the opponent of Private Lee Won-seok is an F-rank player.”

Oh Sang-guk inadvertently interrupted, flustered for a moment.

Worried that he might have been rude, but the lieutenant simply watched the duel training with a kind face, without even looking at Oh Sang-guk as he responded.

“It’s not about the visible bravado; look at the overall movements, the momentum.”

Momentum? None of the three actually knew what that word meant in this context.

Anyway, upon examining the situation again, Lee Won-seok was still aggressively pushing forward, and Lee Hyunwook was busy dodging with his bare hands.

Nothing else seemed to be different.

“Where exactly…?”

The three people wore puzzled expressions, and the lieutenant chuckled.

“In simple terms, they’re in different leagues to begin with.”

“Sure, they are different. One is F-rank and the other is possibly going to be C-rank soon, currently D-rank.”

“No, not that kind of rank.”

“Then what kind of rank are you talking about?”

Cheon Myung-ho’s eyes were already scanning the F-rank soldier, Lee Hyunwook as if he found it very amusing.

“The rank of talent.”

Thud!

At the heavy sound, everyone turned their heads.

Suddenly, Lee Won-seok who had thrown away his practice sword and clenched his fist, swung his right hand, and Lee Hyunwook raised his guard to block it.

Yet, the force was so strong that despite blocking it, his body seemed to momentarily float in the air.

“Wow!”

“Crazy, what kind of strength is that?”

Exclamations erupted from all directions.

“Senior, look at that. Even if he dodges well, if he takes one or two hits like that, he’ll be done for.”

“Seong-chun, open your eyes and look again. If a home-run hitter can’t hit a home run, he eventually strikes out.”

“Hmm…”

Crack!

This time an even louder noise resonated.

“…What?”

This time, it was the F-rank corporal’s attack. An ‘outside leg kick’ swung around from the right hit its mark.

The next moment, the Barbarian’s leg wobbled.

“What the… Was that just a kick? What was that sound…?”

“I thought for a moment the wall of the arena had shattered.”

If even the spectators felt such a sense of incongruity, what about the person who took the hit directly?

“Gah, shi-, shit! What, what just happened?”

The fear was palpable.

‘Why does just a kick hurt so much?’

Lee Won-seok involuntarily staggered back.

The moment he took the leg kick that flew in like a whip from the right, the strength in his leg drained away.

It felt as if a blade had sliced him and his blood was draining out.

‘This is an F-rank attack?’

Lee Hyunwook took another step forward and approached, causing Lee Won-seok to hesitate in confusion.

But even that was seen as an ‘opening’ in Lee Hyunwook’s eyes.

‘He opens up again. He doesn’t know how to defend against kicks.’

Lee Hyunwook aimed for the same spot once more.

Crack!

“Agh!”

In the end, a primal scream erupted.

Lee Won-seok swung his fists reflexively, but Lee Hyunwook easily dodged by stepping back.

‘As expected, his movements are too predictable.’

Moreover, after inflicting effective damage to the leg, his movements had slowed down considerably.

[ Mana (25/30) ]

On the other hand, Lee Hyunwook’s ‘Mana’ was decreasing. In other words, he was using a skill.

‘Reinforced attack; it’s impossible to withstand it with just the body.’

He had applied the recently acquired ‘Hardening skill’ to his right leg and then delivered the kick.

‘It’ll hurt like being hit by a chunk of metal.’

Lee Hyunwook looked into Lee Won-seok’s eyes with a smile.

At first, there was a predatory fervor in them, but it soon turned into the mania of an excited ape.

But now it was as if…

‘His eyes have become those of a frightened deer.’

Step by step…

Now, Lee Hyunwook walked in straightforwardly, without any evasive steps.

But then…

“Ah, ahhh…”

Lee Won-seok, that large Barbarian, could only stagger back.

“…”

An unexpected turn of events left the training ground silent.

In the midst of it, only the subdued voice of the Black Tiger Unit’s lieutenant rang out.

“If a tiger and a buffalo go head-to-head with strength alone, the tiger would naturally be crushed. But…”

He raised his finger, pointing at Lee Hyunwook with a smile.

“…in the end, the tiger eats the buffalo. The difference in strength doesn’t matter in their clash.”

In Cheon Myung-ho’s eyes, he saw a tiger that had suppressed its age-weariness and set out to hunt.