Woojin followed every instruction perfectly.
He kept his eyes fixed on the dragon flying above and slowly pulled the spear back. Perhaps this was the first time he had used this technique. But there was no option of failing.
Gangchu said the last step was simple. Release the spear with complete confidence.
Woojin exhaled slowly and let the spear go.
The weapon cut through the air like lightning, and the next moment it went straight into the dragon's neck. The thick hide burst with terrible accuracy. The dragon's head separated from its body as if something had exploded inside it. The huge head fell from the sky, and within moments the body came down on the ground.
The attack was so clean, as if he had done it a hundred times before.
The truth about S rank demonic dragons was simple. Their fire attacks were very powerful, but their bodies were not completely indestructible.
Woojin and the instructor both watched the huge carcass falling out of the sky.
After a while Woojin explained calmly. To deal with fire-breathing dragons you only have to target the flame conversion point on the neck. By injecting a small quantity of flammable substance at that point, the dragon can be forced to destroy itself.
At that same moment a metal can fell to the ground nearby. Inside it was a special fuel, containing ether and other substances, which combined with flammable material could create a far more powerful flame in an instant.
Woojin glanced briefly at the instructor beside him and said he should pay attention to this. It was a special challenger's secret technique, from someone who was an expert at hunting fire-breathing dragons.
Nobody present there knew the truth. The challenger who had created that technique was standing right in front of them. Yan Hanu himself, disguised as Woojin.
The huge carcass of the dragon lay on the ground, and for a moment the entire arena was plunged into silence.
Then Gangchu remembered a moment when Yan Hanu had been asked which skill he relied on. He had said that he knew a method. That he had a special secret technique for killing fire-breathing dragons.
Those were the same words Woojin had just spoken.
Hearing it, the instructor immediately remembered a face. That sentence of Woojin's was almost exactly what Hanu used to say.
The rest of the students around him were still staring in shock. They had just seen Woojin beat an S rank demonic dragon with a single strike.
Someone shouted that he was a genius. Another student said loudly that he was definitely more talented than Yan Hanu. Someone said he had heard about a counter-method against fire-breathing dragons. But even so, what Woojin had done still looked very over the top.
While everyone was talking in disbelief, the Divine Rhino members were standing at a nearby spot.
Samo quietly asked Yanshi what he thought about what had just happened. It was clear from her voice that she was waiting for her new captain's decision.
The situation in the arena had not completely settled yet. Some B rank demonic dragons were still flying, and instructors and challengers went on fighting them. Some students came forward as well, to help deal with the remaining monsters. Although Kajun and a tall student with golden hair stood there, telling the others that this work was best left to the instructors. How many show-offs there are, the girl said.
After some time, Woojin helped the injured Gangchu get up and asked him calmly whether he could still stand, or whether he needed to lie down for a while.
The instructor steadied himself and said he could stand. The drug injected earlier seemed to have only a short-term effect, so his strength was slowly coming back.
But standing there, Gangchu could not forget what Woojin had said. He kept wondering whether it had really only been a coincidence.
Then the Divine Rhino Corps began walking towards them.
Stopping a few steps away from Woojin and Gangchu, Yanshi slowly clapped his hands, as if Woojin's performance deserved appreciation. He said that this was exactly what justified the reason for which they had arranged all of it, since it had brought forward such an extraordinary talented youngster. He was clearly talking about Woojin.
Woojin looked at them with cold eyes. There was anger in those eyes, but he held himself back.
Then Yanshi turned to the instructor and apologised. Explaining what had happened earlier, he said it had been done on his orders. At the behest of senior officers, he had joined this competition. They had wanted to test the adaptability of the participating challengers. That was why arrangements had been made for the sudden arrival of the demonic dragons, and for this plan, some measures had also had to be taken to prevent the instructors from interfering.
Gangchu responded with suspicious eyes and a cold voice. So these so-called senior officers had given orders to test a group of fifteen-year-old challengers by including an S rank demonic dragon. You really are some special people.
Yanshi replied that after Yan Hanu's death it had become urgently necessary to establish new battle-ready forces. So he hoped everyone would understand the reason for his decision.
At that very moment Woojin suddenly spoke. He addressed Yanshi directly as senior, and both of them turned to see what he wanted to say.
Woojin asked a simple question. Had Captain Yan Hanu said anything to them before he died?
Yanshi replied that his captain had indeed spoken some last words. Samo was about to come in. She began to say that the captain had not done this at that time. But before she could finish speaking, Yanshi interrupted and stopped her right away. He quickly said that Captain Hanu had simply told them not to carry any guilt, and that only by living a good life could they make his sacrifice meaningful.
Woojin listened in silence, and in his mind he almost laughed.
Yanshi and the rest of the Divine Rhino Corps members kept talking. They said they had never told these things to the journalists, because they had not been able to bring themselves to speak of it, and because they carried a constant guilt for their captain.
From the outside it all sounded very genuine, but in fact most of them were simply performing. Some of the Corps members themselves were tired of the drama.
Woojin simply said that he understood. Gangchu quietly watched the reaction.
Then Woojin added something more. If it was like this, then from the heart he wished them all well. They should enjoy this new life of theirs to the fullest. They should live as long as they could.
Woojin looked directly at the Corps members. There was a clear threat in the words. But there was complete calm on his face.
Yanshi simply said, we will.
After this, Woojin left. As he walked away, Yanshi called from behind that the competition was over, so he should go and enjoy the star treatment now.
Woojin did not respond. In his heart he cursed them. A shameless group of people.