Upon entering that deeply traditional ancient temple, Seo-yul was required to change into a formal robe. He curiously asked whether he had truly become a direct disciple now, or whether this whole setup was just a temporary test to motivate the rest of the crew.
The master confirmed that it was official, but sternly warned him not to let it go to his head, as there were still two senior disciples ranked above him. Furthermore, the sheer volume of grueling training waiting ahead of him was absolutely monumental.
The master gave him a tour to introduce the facility, and Seo-yul was formally greeted by Gun-su, who was obviously glaring at him with heavy suspicion. And honestly, it made perfect sense, since this new guy had just dropped out of thin air and taken a coveted spot.
Later on, Master Kang Tae-san pulled out the severed head of a creature and explained that it was the jawbone of an iron demon, a highly unique variant monster. He revealed that this specific beast was the very first thing that had ever come close to killing him.
Seo-yul's initial task was deceptively simple. Utilizing immense raw strength, the master demonstrated by effortlessly forcing the creature's iron jaw wide open. And when he finally let go, the massive jaw snapped back together with an incredibly violent thud.
Gun-su chimed in immediately, exclaiming that, as expected of the master, he truly was an unbelievable martial arts god.
Meanwhile Seo-yul silently thought to himself that the old man was on a completely different level and possessed an absurd amount of strength.
The master then turned to him and said it was now Seo-yul's turn to give it a shot.
Seo-yul thought that he should at least be able to pry it open by a single centimeter. After all, he had recently reached the power level of a B-rank hunter.
He strained with every single ounce of muscle in his body, but the master looked completely unimpressed, because the heavy mechanism didn't budge even a fraction of a millimeter.
Kang Tae-san calmly explained that this specific training was designed to build up his fundamental strength, and that he simply had to keep trying, day in and day out, until he succeeded.
But no matter how hard Seo-yul stood there straining, the object refused to move even a single inch.
Watching this pathetic display, Gun-su thought to himself that his suspicions were entirely correct. The kid had clearly crawled his way into the temple through pure, unadulterated nepotism, which was an absolute shame for their legacy.
Bright and early the very next morning, Gun-su found himself reflecting on his journey.
It had been two long years since he first joined the martial arts association. He had worked significantly harder than anyone else in the building just to prove he was worthy of becoming a direct disciple. Yet in the end, some random guy walks in from the street and snatches the position away. No matter how he looked at the situation, he just couldn't see it as fair.
But the moment he walked into the main hall, the rookie, Seo-yul, was already there, training intensely in the dim morning light.
Seo-yul warmly welcomed his senior, bowing deeply to show proper respect.
Gun-su noted dryly that he was up incredibly early for a newcomer.
He responded that even on his days off he felt the need to stay on top of his routines, and kindly added that the veteran should feel free to speak casually with him from now on.
Gun-su wasn't entirely convinced by the friendly act, but he suddenly noticed that the wooden floorboards were practically glowing. He asked whether Seo-yul was the one who had cleaned the entire dojo.
Seo-yul smiled, still holding a mop in his hand, and replied that the place had looked a bit dusty, so he figured he would clean it up.
Gun-su told him to stop doing that immediately, commenting that it made the rest of them look incredibly lazy when a direct disciple was running around doing basic household chores.
Seo-yul tilted his head and asked whether it was truly necessary to maintain a rigid hierarchy for simple things like this, explaining that he merely had some free time and wanted to be productive. He stated that just because he held the title of a direct disciple, it didn't mean he was above doing service chores for the community. They were all there for the exact same purpose — to become stronger — and that was the only thing that truly mattered. He added that fulfilling chores was simply the mark of a diligent person, and he deeply desired to be diligent.
But to Gun-su, this humble attitude made him seem extremely annoying.
Over the course of the next two weeks, Seo-yul returned every single day, arriving before dawn and staying until late into the night to train. He continuously attempted to pry open the demon's jaw, and failed every single time.
Despite holding the prestigious rank of direct disciple, he never once abused his authority, never looked down on a single person, and genuinely got along with absolutely everyone in the temple. On top of that, he trained like an absolute madman.
That reality left Gun-su feeling even more infuriated, because when it came down to it, Seo-yul was exactly the kind of person he had always desperately wished he could be.
And on that day, Seo-yul almost managed to open the jaw mechanism, and the guys cheered him on.
Gun-su himself showed up with a water bottle, telling him not to overdo it.
Seo-yul replied that it had taken quite a while just to drop the formalities with him.
Suddenly an alarm blared through the area.
Gun-su explained that it was the mobilization signal for the Overcross Guild, since they were heading to a nearby dungeon, and it had to be today.
Seo-yul asked whether it really had to be right at that moment.
Gun-su replied that Overcross works around the clock, and that they are extremely dedicated. He mentioned that he used to work for them, so he knew exactly how things operated.
Meanwhile, inside the portal, the Overcross mobilization team had already wrapped everything up with extreme speed. They had managed to capture the Steel Blood Orc.