Suho had been training in the Novice Training Facility since 5:30 AM in the morning.
Because of that, he was one of the first inside, and had the opportunity to watch the place fill up with his peers as they went about fulfilling the individual training hour quota.
Of course, Suho didn't mind that quota. He was spending his free time training anyway, so the fact that he could get credit for doing so was a plus.
Not only that, but he was inspired after the duel with Lee the other day.
'That level of focus and concentration...'
It was unnatural.
Not alarming. No, definitely not that.
But it was definitely far above the other cadets in their peer group.
Rather than the light-hearted teenaged demeanor that surrounded them all, Lee could immediately lock-in when combat unfolded.
And not only that, that guy could maintain a clear heart when he fought as well, not letting frustration, impatience, or haste cloud his actions.
Suho had tried, after all.
If it had just been mechanical, it would be one thing.
But Lee's fighting style was absolutely deliberate.
And the reason WHY he was able to focus that hard...
An alarm went off.
The gravitation training room's. The one that indicated when a cadet was too reckless with their training and the gravity was forcibly reset.
Needless to say, the packed training facility all turned as one to look at the person responsible.
And out walked Lee, a blood-stained towel around his neck while the faint smell of ozone and iron drifted from him. Although his ears were slightly red from embarrassment, he walked out like nothing happened.
Seeing that, Suho couldn't help but laugh. "...Yeah. No wonder."
A guy who danced along the edge of death for just another inch. Someone who knew his limitations required stealing potential from the jaws of destruction...
Suho walked over to the leg press machine and cranked up the weights. "Leg strength is important for speed, right? I almost got that guy last time with my speed, so if I get a little faster..."
Keeping the image of Lee walking out with that blood-stained towel from his training in mind, Suho continued his training with enhanced vigor.
Because if a former knight like him from another world lost out to a teenager who hadn't even reached majority, then what the heck was his past life for?
===
[Lee Shin's Observation Group]
> Nayun: Alright! I figured out how to make groupchats! ^_^
> Yeonha: Seriously, Nayun?
> Rachel: Is this... just for us?
> Nayun: Well, DUH. We're teammates, right? And we're all definitely invested in Lee.
> Yeonha: True... Our teammate IS someone worth investing in.
> Rachel: >:(
> Nayun: Oh my gosh, is THE Lady Rachel pouting?
> Rachel: Lee isn't an investment.
> Yeonha: Of course he isn't... Hajin is. Lee is simply someone worth knowing.
> Nayun: Hajin, huh~?
> Yeonha: It isn't like that. I've simply assessed his future potential and found it worthwhile.
> Rachel: ?
> Nayun: Future potential~?
> Yeonha: You...! I'm serious! If that Hajin is properly equipped, he could clear out hordes of monsters in an instant! Imagine the profit!
> Nayun: XD I'm just teasing, Yeonha. But I can see that. He could definitely rake in a lot of profit for the Essence of Strait in the future, right?
> Yeonha: Exactly. It's strictly professional. Nothing more.
> Rachel: ...I've read that line in a few romance novels before. ^_^
> Yeonha: Wha-
> Nayun: Oh my gosh! THE Lady Rachel, princess of England... are you teasing our Yeonha?
> Yeonha: What do you mean OUR Yeonha! I'm not yours or anyone's!
> Rachel: Mhm... >.>
> Yeonha: And what does THAT mean, Lady Rachel?
> Nayun: It means that you aren't anyone's, but you DID claim Hajin~
> Yeonha: I did NOT! I mean, technically... but it's not like that!
> Yeonha: Aaaargh...! You and your glib tongue!
> Rachel: LOL
> Nayun: XD
> Yeonha: Hmph. At least it's better than Rachel and Lee. It's strictly business with Hajin, but THAT is clearly NOT business.
> Rachel: !!!
> Nayun: Oh right! You missed it, Yeonha!
> Rachel: Nayun! Don't you dare!
> Yeonha: Oh? What did I miss?
> Rachel: Nayun, no!
> Nayun: Yesterday, while you were having your private tryst with Hajin...
> Yeonha: It was NOT a tryst!
> Nayun: ...Lee called Rachel his future girlfriend. No teasing, no hinting. Just flat out~
> Rachel: (@_@)
> Yeonha: ...Well. I suppose that's an American for you. How bold.
> Nayun: Right? It was so romantic! And he even teased Rachel that she could be like Princess Diana~
> Yeonha: Isn't that the famous princess whose husband cheated on her and it was thought that she cheated on him with a commoner?
> Rachel: Lee would never do that!
> Nayun: Hoh?
> Yeonha: Oho~? That's an interesting response, Lady Rachel...
> Rachel: !!!
> Rachel: ...
> Rachel: I'm muting you.
> Nayun: Don't be like that~!
> Yeonha: Yes, Lady Rachel. Aren't we friends?
> Rachel: Hmph... I'm going to study.
> Nayun: XD
> Yeonha: I should study as well, come to think of it...
> Nayun: I already did my training~
> Yeonha: Of course you did, you blockhead. You must have been addicted to the feeling of improving after breaking the wall, right?
> Nayun: XD Okay, okay. I might be a LITTLE bit of a blockhead. If I knew this was all it took to get better, I would have strangled my past self for wasting so much time.
> Rachel: Lee IS keen at pointing out places to improve.
> Yeonha: Nobody was talking about him~
> Rachel: !!!
> Rachel: ...I'm leaving.
> Nayun: Pft. She has it bad for him, huh?
> Yeonha: Well, Lee IS a good catch. The only flaw is his ranking, really. I've looked into our teammate a bit, and his only weakpoints are magic and magic power. Otherwise, his academics are top notch.
> Nayun: Yeah. I looked back at the yearbooks in the Agent Military Academy and he always placed around the top in theory back then too. But he really was held back by his magic power, huh?
> Yeonha: That reminds me. Kim Suho said something interesting.
> Nayun: Really? That guy? What'd he say?
> Yeonha: He said that Lee has potential in the sword. And that he's probably a swordsman at heart, but chose polearms for practicality.
> Nayun: Huh. You know, that would explain a lot... Like the fact that he could read every single one of Suho's moves. He must be REALLY good at a sword.
> Yeonha: It must have been soulcrushing to become enlightened to a Gift suited to a spear instead...
> Nayun: Hm... I don't think so.
> Yeonha: Really? Why not?
> Nayun: Well. It's a gut feeling of mine... but Lee seems like a tricky sort of guy when it comes to fighting. Didn't he pick out a halberd for the weapon selection? But he also has a spear too, right?
> Yeonha: ...Ah. You think he's deliberately spreading misinformation.
> Nayun: Yeah. His Gift is <Lightning Thrust> right? That's definitely something you could do with a sword too. And probably a rapier, like Rachel.
> Yeonha: ...And it's clear that he can manipulate mana well enough to utilize sword ki from how he wreathed it on that arrow...
> Nayun: Right? So I wouldn't count him out. XD
> Nayun: Lee's Rank 999. But to be with Rachel, he has to get up there and quick.
> Nayun: The best way is to take out people from the top during exams, right? And the easiest way to do that is to show up with a trump card or three.
> Yeonha: ...To think I would see the day that our Nayun uses her brain...
> Nayun: Hey! I might be a bit dim at times, but I'm not dumb!
> Yeonha: Same thing~
> Nayun: Ugh. I'm leaving. I have to prep for the trip this weekend anyway.
> Yeonha: Trip? With who?
> Rachel: Nayun, Lee, and I are going to Gangwondo Wonju to hunt.
> Yeonha: You're going to Wonju? When?
> Nayun: Sorry, Yeonha~ You're not invited~
> Rachel: ^_^ What Nayun said.
> Yeonha: You...! Fine! I'll go with my own group!
> Nayun: You mean Hajin~?
> Yeonha: I'm leaving.
> Nayun: XD
===
[Cube Community Forums]
TOPIC: The Bloodstained Maniac
> Did anyone else see the crazy guy walk out of the Novice Training Facility this morning?
> DUDE. That was ridiculous!
> I did! That towel was CAKED with blood. What kind of training was he doing?!
> I was there when it happened. The alarms went off for the gravitation training room.
> Yep. I was there too. And those alarms only go off when an idiot almost offs their own self with high gravity.
> But the guy walked out like nothing happened...?
> Man, that's not showing off, that's hunger...
> Well, isn't he the crazy guy flirting with Rachel?
> LADY Rachel.
> Lady Rachel, whatever. That's him, right?
> Makes sense. If he wants to be with Rank 1 when he's Rank 999, he has to work like he's going to die~
> I think he's smurfing. Didn't anyone see Kim Suho spar with him?
> OH YEAH! That was crazy!
> I forgot about that. I was distracted by the gun-guy biting the instructor's hair.
> LOL. I forgot that happened. But yeah. That Lee Shin definitely looks like he has experience.
> Isn't he American? I heard it's pretty dangerous there, right?
> True... They must have Djinn attacks all the time.
> I mean, Korea's pretty dangerous because of monsters, but isn't America where villains and actual bad humans thrive?
> For real. I've read Batman...
> Batman isn't real, idiot.
> I mean, he's not wrong though. I heard New York's pretty close to Gotham these days.
> That's racist.
> Isn't it 'nationalist'?
> Oi. Shut up.
> Pft.
> Either way... the exams are going to be interesting, aren't they?
> Yeah. I saw Chae Nayun doing some training late last night... Rachel might lose Number 1 soon.
> Unless Chae Nayun got better at studying, I doubt it...
> Shin Jonghak is definitely gonna hunt you down for saying that...
> Grk.
> Anyway~ Who wants to run a betting pool? I bet Lee Shin's gonna knock out Shin Jonghak and Kim Suho at the exams~
> Type sh*t. I'll put down 10,000 won on that.
> Count me in~ 1,000,000 won that Lee floors them.
> Sucker bet. 2,000,000 won that Lee loses before he even gets to either.
> Wait. Since Lee's with Rachel, won't her fanclub like bribe cadets to use their mandatory duels during the exams to take him out?
> ...
> ...I sense profit.
> BET.