Chapter 66

Chapter 66
## Chapter 66: Eggshell Precision Training

The following morning, I made my way to the training facility allocated by the Association. The air was thick with a pungent, medicinal aroma that stung my nostrils.

“Jeong O-hun.”

“You called for me? Reporting for duty!”

The man barked his response, thrusting a cup toward me with an eager grin.

“What exactly is this?”

“My personal morning concoction. I’ve had it for breakfast every day for three years. Science says a consistent morning routine is the secret to longevity.”

I looked down at the dark, steaming liquid. An egg yolk bobbed on the surface. I felt a wave of complicated emotions washing over me.

I thought Han Sang-ah was a handful, but this new recruit was clearly playing in the same league of eccentricity. Still, I wasn’t about to turn down a free meal.

“So, tell me. What do you perceive as my flaws? I’m dying to hear some wisdom from the legendary, elite Hunter Yoo Chan-seok.”

“Hmm. If I were using a medical diagnosis? Multiple organ failure.”

Jeong O-hun let out a confused “Eh?” before pulling out his smartphone. He scrolled frantically for a moment, then looked back at me with a look of utter bewilderment.

“Hey, Chan-seok. That’s basically saying there isn’t a single healthy part left in my entire body.”

He went from Yoo Chan-seok Hunter to just Chan-seok? The guy was certainly fast at making friends. I couldn’t exactly just stand there after being addressed so casually.

“Jeong, you’ve interpreted that perfectly. Chug your… meal—no, your drink—and get inside.”

Stepping into the training hall, I found Han Sang-ah already deep into her sword drills.

“Take the coat off.”

The coat Han Sang-ah wore was part of the specialized fridge stock. Practicing while wearing something that offered that much of an advantage wouldn’t result in genuine growth.

Without a word of protest, Han Sang-ah shed the garment.

“Wow. I noticed it yesterday too, but your beauty is truly staggering.”

Jeong O-hun made the observation as he watched Han Sang-ah. This brat was using informal speech with me, yet he maintained polite honorifics with her.

“I am told that on occasion.”

That was Han Sang-ah’s blunt reply. Jeong O-hun could only manage a stunned “Uh…” in response. Meanwhile, Han Sang-ah began arranging dozens of egg cartons across the floor of the room.

“What’s the point of all that?”

“Doesn’t Hunter Jeong O-hun need to participate as well?”

I let out a soft “Ah” at her question.

“Yes, he certainly does.”

Han Sang-ah turned her attention toward Jeong O-hun.

“You will need to apply yourself. However, with sufficient dedication and time, you can become a partner we can trust to watch our backs.”

“I’m looking forward to that.”

Han Sang-ah tilted her head to the side, her expression neutral.

“It would be preferable if we never had to watch each other’s backs. That would imply our lives are in immediate peril.”

“That’s not the only circumstance where we can rely on one another.”

Han Sang-ah looked at him with what could only be described as pity.

“I can tell without even checking that Hunter Jeong O-hun is taller than I am.”

“….”

While the two of them spent time getting acquainted—which served as a lesson for Jeong O-hun to understand Han Sang-ah’s unique personality—I finished the preparations for his training.

“Jeong, quit the smooth talking and get over here.”

“Smooth talking?!”

It was definitely smooth talking. Honestly, knowing she belonged to the family that owned the Geumyang Group and still pursuing her with that much vigor? I had to respect the audacity.

“Smooth talk, sweet talk, whatever it is—just get over here now.”

Jeong O-hun obeyed. I gestured toward the massive pile of egg cartons and laid out the requirements for his next task.

“This has to be a joke, right?”

I didn’t bother answering. Instead, I signaled Han Sang-ah. She stepped forward and lightly tapped thirty eggs in a single carton with her index finger.

Once she had cracked all thirty, a perfectly blended stream of egg liquid poured out—ready to be cooked into an omelet immediately.

“See? I’m not joking.”

“You—you’re serious!”

I answered his exclamation by driving my own palm down onto a different carton of eggs. The result was instantaneous.

“Damn.”

Jeong O-hun fell silent, though Han Sang-ah looked slightly miffed by the display. She repeated her technique, and the well-incorporated yolks spilled out with mechanical precision.

“….”

“Start. We have an endless supply of eggs. I’ll order more if you run out.”

The resulting egg mixture was being donated to the Association’s cafeteria. Ever since witnessing those horrific scenes back in Europe, I had become far more disciplined about not wasting food.

“What about the two of you?”

“We have our own regimen. Until you can match Han Sang-ah’s precision, you should consider yourself married to those eggs.”

I had already provided him with the necessary pointers and techniques. The rest was a matter of his own natural ability, his investment of time, and his internal drive.

Han Sang-ah unsheathed her blade. I stood opposite her, spear in hand, and addressed her.

“You have successfully grasped two of the fundamental pillars.”

Observation and control. Han Sang-ah was now capable of moving without falling into subconscious patterns and could dictate her body’s physical output with pinpoint accuracy.

“There is one pillar remaining.”

Prediction. To put it simply: setting the stage and laying the board.

“You have to progress beyond merely noticing what your opponent is doing.”

I needed her to learn how to intentionally guide an enemy’s movements to a desired location. More specifically, she had to force them into a corner where they had no alternative moves.

“As we always do.”

I gave my spear a quick rotation. Han Sang-ah’s posture adjusted instantly.

“Sparring will eventually give you a vague intuition for it.”

With those words, I slid across the training room floor, swinging the shaft of my spear toward Han Sang-ah.

“….”

There was no requirement for extreme speed here. This wasn’t a full-contact duel, and the objective wasn’t to overwhelm her with raw mana. Using almost zero magical energy, Han Sang-ah and I began to trade strikes.

Clack, clack—the rhythmic percussion of wood hitting steel filled the room.

After roughly ten exchanges, the tip of my spear was resting against Han Sang-ah’s throat.

“Tell me.”

“My available options are shrinking.”

“Excellent.”

I gave a firm nod. If Han Sang-ah were still fighting on pure instinct or reflex, she wouldn’t have been able to articulate that.

She would have said something like, “I blinked and it was over.”

“It’s like chess, go, or shogi.”

The goal was to layer offensive and defensive maneuvers to slowly choke out the opponent’s choices.

“But that seems like a strategy for an endurance fight. How does that help me?”

I nodded at Han Sang-ah’s inquiry.

“For those who specialize in one-strike kills, you must drive the enemy into a state where a hit is unavoidable. At the very least, make the act of dodging so difficult that you can land the killing blow.”

“I understand.”

“Go beyond simple observation—try to anticipate their next action. It’s fine if you’re wrong. This isn’t a life-or-death situation yet.”

In a real battle, errors lead to death. Therefore, make them here. Those failures will eventually accumulate into your greatest assets.

“Initially, you’re going to get hit far more often than before.”

With that final warning, I resumed the session with Han Sang-ah. Five hours later, her skin was mottled with purple bruises.

“Jeong, stop being a spectator and focus on your eggs.”

In the corner, Jeong O-hun had been staring blankly at our exchange.

“Ah, my bad. It wasn’t on purpose. My eyes were just enjoying the show…”

He turned back to the eggs after his apology. I looked at the battered Han Sang-ah and spoke.

“That’s enough for today.”

Of course, her primary focus among the basics remained output control. For a combatant like Han Sang-ah, who thrived on the “one-hit kill” philosophy, mastering her own strength was the ultimate key.

I stole a glance at Jeong O-hun, who was currently struggling with a needle and the eggs. Interestingly, the training Han Sang-ah and I were doing was actually the highest priority for someone like him.

A long-range sniper’s role is to attack from a distance without ever being touched.

It is a position that requires the ability to predict movements, suppress the target, and land the shot.

Egg training didn’t require Han Sang-ah’s level of perfection for him. Once he reached a specific threshold, its importance would diminish.

However, if I trained Jeong O-hun alongside Han Sang-ah, my expectations for him would naturally be set much higher.

“What’s that you’ve got?”

Jeong O-hun spoke up as I pulled out another container.

“Time for my medication.”

These were elixirs provided by the Geumyang Group. Jeong O-hun leaned in, looking skeptical.

“You actually consume that stuff? Those are more like health tonics than true elixirs. Hunters at your rank wouldn’t get any real benefit from them.”

“That might be true for other hunters at my rank.”

But they were incredibly helpful to me. I downed the fluid from the small glass vial. The minuscule amount of mana within these elixirs didn’t actually integrate into my own reserves.

Instead, it served to accelerate the flow of the mana rivers coursing through my body. Jeong O-hun watched me for a moment, then grabbed another handful of eggs and let out a grunt of frustration.

“….”

Time was passing, and I was evaluating his talent. He wasn’t without skill, but compared to Han Sang-ah, his natural aptitude was significantly lower.

At least he looked serious now—that was a small mercy.

Three hours passed, and Jeong O-hun remained perfectly still, staring at the eggs. He had spent the last three hours in total silence.

“Hey.”

“It’s alright.”

I held up a hand to stop Han Sang-ah from interrupting him. He wasn’t falling asleep while standing.

“Just leave him be.”

For people who train with that specific mindset, this is the best way. His mind was likely filled with images of hundreds of shattered eggshells right now.

After several more hours, Jeong O-hun finally moved his hand.

“A failure, in my estimation.”

“Agreed,” I replied simply to Han Sang-ah. “The mind understood, but the body failed to execute.”

He had visualized the act of piercing the eggs hundreds of times in his head. His mental preparations were enough to fill a warehouse, but his physical attempts? He had barely made any.

Now, it was just a matter of making the body catch up to the mind.

“Jeong, do you want to eat and then continue?”

“Give me a minute. I’ll go grab something in a bit.”

I stood up without further argument. As I made my way toward the exit, a man was dragging a large crate toward me.

“Daebak Scrap Dealers reporting in. Hunter Yoo Chan-seok, your damaged equipment has been fully restored.”

“Oh.”

I pulled the gear out and began my inspection. It had been repaired flawlessly. The pieces had been quite battered before this.

“What’s the damage for the repairs?”

The man gave a nervous, awkward laugh.

“As you are aware, the plate material used in this gear is of an extraordinary grade.”

I never anticipated a bargain. It was constructed from the plated armor of Korea’s secret weapon.

“It was completely crushed, so we had to melt it down and re-plate it. Performance typically suffers during that process.”

To compensate, they had integrated additional materials for reinforcement. I let out a soft sigh as I looked at the total on the receipt.

“This is incredibly expensive.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

It was a small price to pay for something that saves your life, though. I couldn’t have pulled off a Bratzkrieg without the protection of this armor.

I pulled out my phone. Regardless of the cost, I had to pay.

“Ah, and… don’t worry about it too much.”

“Excuse me?”

Don’t worry about what?

“Didn’t you hear? The news is absolutely exploding right now.”

I stared at the video he held up. It was a platform that looked much like the old YouTube.

And there, the headline read:

📰 Breaking News
[Shocking Discovery! How a Hunter With Less Than a Year of Experience Can Achieve Such Heroic Feats]