Chapter 66

Why couldn’t he train on nights when the full moon was filling?

I couldn’t understand it.

Was there some reason?

Either way, I needed to see Hwang Jinhyeok’s skill first.

“Use everything you know and attack me.”

At my words, Hwang Jinhyeok nodded.

“Then I’m coming.”

“Yeah. Come.”

He crossed both arms, drew his energy in—

Then kicked off the floor and shot toward me.

WHOOSH—.

He was faster than I expected.

Before I knew it, his right foot was already flying at my face.

FWOOM—.

It sliced past my cheek with the sound of wind tearing—

And his other leg snapped in immediately from the opposite side.

“Shadowless Whirlwind Kick!”

SHHHRAAASH—.

Wind surged.

His feet blurred like they’d multiplied into dozens, flashing and spinning as they drove in.

PAP-PAP-PAP—!

His legs weren’t moving at random.

They were coming in fast, clean, and precise—straight for vital points.

His internal energy was weak, but his martial arts weren’t bad.

BOOM—!

His kick missed me and smashed into the floor.

In that opening, I drove a fist into his abdomen.

THUD—.

“GHHK!”

He took the impact, slid back—

Then grit his teeth, kicked off again, and charged.

I hadn’t hit him lightly. And he still endured it and came right back in.

His willpower wasn’t bad either.

This time, he curled his fingers into hooks and dropped so low he was practically lying down, skimming across the ground like a skipping stone as he closed on me.

“Shatterstone Dragon-Claw Beast!”

SKRRRCH—.

Every time his hand moved, sharp claw marks carved into the floor.

He looked soft and pretty—

But the art he used had the feel of a beast.

“Ascending Dragon Claw!”

SKRAAASH—!

He whipped his arm up from low to high in a rising sweep.

I slipped it by a hair—

And planted my fist into his face.

CRACK—.

THUD-THUD—.

He lost his center and rolled backward.

Blood smeared the corner of his mouth.

“You okay?”

Hwang Jinhyeok grinned and nodded.

“This is fun. Again.”

Huh?

His tone felt... different.

Was I imagining it?

“Yeah. Come.”

He didn’t answer.

He kicked off and rushed me.

And this time—

The speed I felt was clearly different from before.

Maybe it was just the feel, but his nails looked like they were sticking out more, too.

While I watched him, his hand drew a curve through the air—already aimed at my face.

“Diamond Shattering!”

SKRRAAACK—!

I dodged, and four long gouges tore straight through the spot I’d been standing.

For how he acted, his attacks were vicious.

It was hard to believe he was the same kid who’d been tearing up earlier because he’d “made a friend.”

“This is fun! This is fun!”

Hwang Jinhyeok looked at me with a deep smile at his lips.

“Hey—your eyes—”

Before I could finish, he sprinted in.

The way he moved felt like an animal charging.

“Rib-Armor Break-Claw!”

The sight of him unleashing that art with an animal’s gaze—

He looked like a beast itself.

KWOOM—!

The impact of his Rib-Armor Break-Claw blew out one side of the wall.

And unlike before, his internal energy had become unbelievably strong.

It was still getting stronger.

His power was definitely amplifying.

Only then did I realize something was wrong.

I muttered a chant and checked his body.

‘Oh?’

It was shocking.

A brutally violent force had been sleeping inside Hwang Jinhyeok—

And it was erupting now.

“GRRRR!”

A real beast’s sound came out of his mouth.

I was dumbfounded.

“Are you making beast noises on purpose?”

No answer.

“What is this? Don’t tell me—did you get eaten?”

I looked up at the sky.

A bright full moon hung there.

He’d said, never go out when it’s a full moon.

Was it because that force goes berserk when the full moon comes?

“GRAAAWWRRR!”

Looks like it.

What stood in front of me now wasn’t Hwang Jinhyeok.

It was a mindless, rampaging beast.

“This is fun. This is really fun.”

There were so many fun things in the world—

And I’d lived on a mountain all that time.

What a waste.

Hwang Jinhyeok came at me again—at a speed on a different level from everything before.

SKRAAASH—!

Every time his hand moved, deep grooves ripped into the floor.

If he could carve that deep into a floor made of Blue Steelstone, it meant his power wasn’t just “pretty good.”

It was beyond normal internal energy and strength.

And he was doing it like it was nothing.

Of course, it wasn’t really him—

It was the beast’s power using his body.

If Hwang Jinhyeok could properly use that power, he’d become a terrifying expert.

How do I make him control it?

First...

Do I try pain?

I threw a fist at Hwang Jinhyeok as he charged in, spilling killing pressure.

CRACK—.

Same strength as before.

“Huh?”

FWIP—.

His attack came through it like my fist hadn’t mattered, and it startled me.

“Wow.”

That was a first.

An attack still coming in after taking my punch.

It was fresh.

And it made it more fun.

It wasn’t even that strong of a punch, and he still forced his way through.

A deep smile formed at my lips.

“Let’s see how much you can take.”

I put more force into it and threw my fist again.

WHAM—!

“KKEUGH!”

There’s a reaction.

Stronger.

CRUNCH—!

“KIIEKK!”

An even stronger reaction.

So he definitely feels pain.

Then do I beat him until he wakes up?

I licked my lips, smiling like I was enjoying myself—

And for the first time, Hwang Jinhyeok’s movement stopped.

Now that he was a beast, he understood instinctively.

How strong I was.

And what he’d done.

He hesitated, backing away.

“GRRRR!”

He was even warning me not to come.

But when I ignored that warning and stepped in, he tried to pull away.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“GRAWWRRR!”

He flailed and struck wildly, trying to tear himself free from me.

SKRRRTCH—.

Every hit landed.

And I just laughed like it didn’t matter.

Hwang Jinhyeok flinched.

He’d realized something was wrong—wrong in a big way.

“Done? Good. Then now you can get hit until you behave.”

“GRAWWRRR!”

He bared his teeth and lunged—

So I casually grabbed him by the collar and grinned.

“For a beast that won’t listen, a beating is the cure.”

THUD-THUD-WHAM—!

I started pounding him without mercy as he thrashed.

“KRAAAH!”

All night, the screams of a beast writhing in pain echoed through the Martial Star Hall.

“Uuugh!”

Hwang Jinhyeok groaned as he came to.

“What... what is it? Why does it hurt this much?”

“You awake?”

“Ghh. What happened? I remember using Blood-Armor Break-Claw, but...”

“You really don’t remember anything?”

“Huh? Why? What happened?”

“There’s a beast inside you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“A beast’s energy is sleeping inside you. It got the hell beaten out of it by me and ran off.”

“A beast’s energy... inside me?”

“Yeah. Looks like it wakes up when you see the full moon, or when you use more than seventy percent of your power.”

“T-then me losing my memory...”

“You got eaten by that power. All of it.”

“If I leave it like this...”

“Someday, you might get completely eaten. You could lose your self entirely.”

At my words, Hwang Jinhyeok spoke with a terrified face.

“My self disappears? Then... then that’s the same as dying.”

“Right.”

“I don’t want to die! I finally made a friend.”

“Then you have to overcome the beast’s power.”

“How?”

I remembered that beastly force running from my fists.

“Starting tomorrow, when you train with me, come at me at full power.”

“Huh? But then the beast’s power comes out.”

“It has to come out. That way I can read it and figure out what to do.”

“Ah... right.”

“Trust me. I’ll make it so you can use the beast’s power completely.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah. That power’s seriously strong. If you get it, you can actually become strong.”

“Okay. I’ll trust you.”

“Good. Then we start tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah!”

The next day.

The moment he woke up, he started eating breakfast—

And Hwang Jinhyeok was shoveling down rice and stir-fried bok choy like he was possessed, stuff he’d normally have picked at.

Watching him, I let out a small snort.

“Weren’t you the one saying you can’t eat stuff like this?”

“I tried it and it’s good. Mmph.”

He answered, then shoved more rice into his mouth with his chopsticks.

After filling our stomachs, we headed to the training ground.

At the Room Seven private training ground, the two of us faced each other.

“Alright. Want to start?”

“Yeah.”

“You know, right? Full power.”

“Got it.”

“Come right in.”

“Yeah!”

PAP-PAP—!

He took his Opening Stance, then immediately pulled up every bit of internal energy he had.

“I’m coming!”

WHOOSH—.

I dodged his attack back and forth.

After attacking for a while, Hwang Jinhyeok stopped.

“Huff... huff! W-wait a second.”

“Why?”

“I’m tired. I’ve never attacked at full power before. It feels like my body can’t adapt.”

That made sense.

“But I’ve been attacking at full power for this long. Why isn’t the beast’s power coming out?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Should we keep going?”

“You need to get used to attacking at full power anyway. Let’s keep going.”

“Yeah!”

“I— I can’t anymore.”

THUD—.

Hwang Jinhyeok dropped onto the floor, breathing hard.

“My internal energy’s completely empty.”

I stood there and watched him.

Something was off.

Does it only come out when there’s a full moon?

No. That wouldn’t be it.

His grandfather’s obsession with “never go past seventy percent”—

That had to mean the beast’s power comes out if he goes over.

But even after all this time attacking at full power, it still hadn’t appeared.

What is it?

Why won’t it come out?

Does it... choose people?

“Let me take a closer look at your body.”

“Huh? O-okay. What do I do?”

“Just give me your wrist.”

“Okay.”

When Hwang Jinhyeok held out his wrist, I murmured the chant.

“Muscle and bone answer the qi, meridians harmonize, energy center examined, martial path suited.”

Then I started to see inside his body.

I already knew where that power was hiding, so I turned my gaze there.

Sure enough, it was still in the same place I’d seen yesterday.

‘Hmm. Why the hell won’t you move?’

How do I poke it?

Fine.

I’ll wake it up by force.

“Can I put my hand on your energy center?”

For a martial artist, that was the most important place.

Putting a hand there without permission was something you could get your head taken off for.

“Huh? Sure.”

He agreed without even hesitating.

That firm trust in his voice put me in a good mood.

It felt like I’d gotten a real friend.

With permission, I reached straight for his lower abdomen and murmured again.

A white light flared from my hand and wrapped around his energy center.

Then I closed my eyes and focused on the beast’s power.

—Scary. Scary. Scary human.

It was like I could hear a voice.

The beast was trembling in fear.

Like it could instinctively tell exactly who the predator was—

The one stronger than itself.

It had a self.

A sleeping potential with a self...

I’d never even heard of such a thing.

It didn’t feel like it was something he’d been born with.

More like someone had forcibly stuffed this power inside him.