Explosive Strike. A technique that penetrates internal energy into the target, overturning their insides and causing massive damage.

Unless they could manipulate mana, most monsters were extremely vulnerable to such attacks. The F-ranked 'Gnoll' was no exception.

"Krek—"

A short cry. Along with its death throes, the Gnoll hit by the force of Explosive Strike crumpled instantly as its side was torn apart in a single blow.

"Huh—"

At the unexpectedly graphic scene, a small sigh escaped from Sungshik's lips. The destructive power was far stronger than he had anticipated.

Ding. The Gnoll has been eliminated. With all designated monsters defeated, augmented reality simulation will now terminate.

A notification sound indicated the end of the augmented reality simulation.

"Impressive."

It was more than he expected. Although he thought the technique had executed cleanly, the successful implementation of Explosive Strike surpassed even his expectations.

The destructive power was stronger than imagined. Even more surprising was the fact that his body felt almost no fatigue despite releasing such force.

'Usually, exceeding the limits of what the body can handle leads to physical strain.'

Sungshik’s physical stats were currently at 1-star rank, with both physical and magical stats at a lowly F. A pitiful state, to say the least. Despite that, his body had successfully executed a high-level technique like Explosive Strike without feeling much strain.

That was strange.

Before his regression, Sungshik’s body certainly didn’t possess such remarkable potential. Such physical aptitude was typically seen only in a few of the 11 constellation or monsters with unique constitutions.

Yin-Yang Constitution, Heavenly Demon Constitution, and similar traits. These innate or acquired exceptional traits were said to allow similar levels of performance in the early stages. However, such unique constitutions were exceedingly rare.

Moreover,

'I was definitely ordinary.'

His constitution had been mediocre, if not downright poor. Yet something had undeniably changed.

'In any case, it’s a good sign. I’ll figure it out with time.'

If this was due to a unique constitution, it would likely manifest and appear in his status window as he grew stronger. For now, he decided to remain patient until he discovered the nature of this change.

"Whew."

Sungshik stared at his open palms for a moment before clenching them into fists. A confident smile crept onto his face.

The scholarship selection program. Such programs have existed in educational institutions since ancient times.

The superhuman academies that emerged after the Great Cataclysm were no exception. Among the various scholarship programs, the superhuman academy had one known as the International Exchange Scholarship.

"Hey, but what’s so great about that international exchange scholarship?"

"Well, for one, you get to interact with local students and learn from renowned superhumans in that country."

The exchange period was usually around a month. Though brief, the program allowed students to interact with and learn from their counterparts abroad.

Hearing Sungshik’s explanation, Jihwan blinked and then yawned.

"Yawn. Doesn’t sound that interesting to me, especially not with Japan."

This time, the international exchange program was set in Japan. Even now, remnants of rivalry and hostility toward Japan persisted in South Korea from past conflicts.

"Honestly, I’m not that into Japan either."

"Really? But haven’t you been dying to join this exchange program with Japan?"

"That’s because I’ve got some personal business there."

"Oh, right. Something about the shrine at Tenri Academy, right?"

That’s right. Sungshik’s true goal was the shrine at Tenri Academy. One of the artifacts stored in the shrine was the reason for this visit.

"Yeah. I’ve got something very important to do there."

"Man, you’re making me curious. What, is there honey smeared all over that place? Just tell me why you’re going."

"Hmm… If you score higher than me on the exams, I’ll tell you."

"Ugh, you’re so annoying. When I first met you, I thought you were cute and pure."

Feigning annoyance, Jihwan pouted. Watching him, Sungshik let out a small chuckle and continued.

"I’ll tell you why I’m going after I get back."

"Alright. So, what category are you applying for in the exchange? Academic or combat?"

Jihwan’s curiosity was natural. Ever since the day Sungshik subdued Kim Hoyun, the perception of him had completely changed. Some believed he had been hiding his strength all along, while others dismissed it as a lucky fluke.

Rumors abounded. Some claimed he had used a special skill, others argued it was an item or sorcery. Regardless of the specifics, one thing was clear: people’s perceptions of Sungshik had shifted. Some dismissed it as sheer luck, but the buzz about him was undeniable.

That’s why Jihwan was curious. Was Sungshik applying for the academic track or the combat track?

"I told you, I’m bad at physical stuff. Of course, I’m using my brilliant mind."

True to his words, Sungshik’s physical abilities were still lacking. Despite his newfound potential, from the perspective of his future knowledge, his current body was far too underdeveloped.

"You’re seriously putting Hoyun in his coffin a second time, huh?"

Jihwan squinted at Sungshik. Kim Hoyun was a second-year student reputed to be one of the strongest, yet Sungshik had defeated him in a single blow. If Hoyun heard Sungshik calling himself “bad at physical stuff,” he’d probably be on the verge of a breakdown.

"Well, believe what you want."

"Hmph… Fine, whatever. But you’ve definitely changed a lot lately."

To Jihwan, Sungshik seemed far more relaxed than before. After sniffing once, Jihwan added,

"Bring back some nice gifts when you go to Japan. I heard they have this amazing foaming cleanser."

"And you want me to buy a ton of gifts from that country in this day and age?"

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

Jihwan frowned, puzzled by Sungshik’s cryptic remark.

"Ah, never mind. Anyway, I just hope I don’t drink kimchi soup and end up not even getting selected."

"Come on, no way. You showed off your performance during the last hearing. You’re definitely getting picked."

"There’s an old saying: ‘Pride goes before a fall.’"

Recalling an old adage, Sungshik feigned unease.

"Hey, don’t jinx it…."

[List of Selected International Exchange Scholarship Students for the Second Half of 2120]

Selected students: Kang Hyun-joon, Kwon Bit-na, Kim Subin, Kim So-ra, Choi Moon-guk, Kim Ho-yeon … Heo Sungshik. A total of 30 students have been selected as international exchange (Japan) scholarship recipients for the second half of 2120.

The list of exchange scholarship recipients. Thankfully, Sungshik's name was included on it.

“Wow, they really put your name at the end to make it suspenseful. I almost freaked out when I didn’t see your name for a moment.”

“What’s the big deal? I figured it would be there anyway.”

Sungshik spoke in a nonchalant tone. Despite his casual words, a bead of cold sweat trickled down his back.

‘Damn, I thought I didn’t make it. That was close. Who the heck wrote this list?’

“Sungshik, for someone who’s so confident, you sure looked pale for a second there.”

“…My face is naturally pale, idiot.”

As he sighed in relief and exchanged banter with Jihwan, a voice interrupted them.

“Sungshik, you got the scholarship this time? We’re going to Japan together!”

A girl suddenly appeared, accompanied by a refreshing scent. She was a beautiful girl with an innocent, youthful charm, and her fair skin stood out. It was Kim Subin.

“Oh? Subin, you’re going too?”

“Yeah, yeah. I applied this time as well.”

For a moment, something felt off.

‘Kim Subin… didn’t she never go to Japan during the academy days?’

It was strange. If memory served, Kim Subin had never been selected as a scholarship student during her academy years.

‘I’m pretty sure Subin didn’t do much until her second year. Then, in her third year, she joined one of the top ten guilds, the Shine Clan, and graduated early.’

Kim Subin, he Moonlight Holder. She had saved humanity with a self-sacrifice spell during the first trial of the night and disappeared afterward. For a time, she was mourned as a hero worldwide. Her past was later reexamined and highlighted.

That’s why he knew. Kim Subin had never been selected as a scholarship student during her academy years.

“Subin, why are you suddenly going as a scholarship student?”

The question carried a hint of confusion. As the future he knew started to change, an inexplicable sense of unease began to settle in.

“Huh? Suddenly? I’ve always wanted to visit the Japanese academy,” she replied with a bright smile. Her radiant grin seemed to light up the surroundings, but it didn’t register with the bewildered Sungshik.

“Sungshik, you don’t look so good. Is something wrong?”

Kim Subin leaned closer, her face filled with concern. Seeing her worried expression, he felt a tickling sensation in his chest.

‘Well, this isn’t the outcome I expected, but… I did brace myself for changes in the future.’

From the moment Yun Gardes visited Korea and came to the academy hearing, things had already started to change significantly.

‘No, the biggest change was me in the first place.’

Indeed, the butterfly effect had likely started when Sungshik ranked first in the theory exam and drew attention during the hearing.

‘The end result is the same anyway. For now, let’s stick to the plan and focus on what I need to gain from this trip to Japan.’

No matter the path, the destination remained the same. He reaffirmed the purpose of the trip to Japan in his mind.

“No, I was just lost in thought for a moment. By the way, Subin, do you know Jihwan?”

Next to them, Jihwan, who had been awkwardly standing and sneaking glances at Subin, flinched when he was mentioned.

“Oh, yeah. I’ve seen him around with you a few times. So, your name is Jihwan? Hello, I’m Kim Subin.”

“Ah, yeah, hi! I’m Sungshik’s best friend and unofficial caretaker, Sung Jihwan. Nice to meet you!”

Jihwan greeted her with an overly enthusiastic smile.

“Oh, caretaker? Sungshik seems like the type who can handle everything on his own.”

“Ah~ no, no. Sungshik might look like a nobleman, but he’s actually really clumsy. He’s such a scatterbrain that I have to take care of him. Like, the other day—”

When Subin played along, Jihwan became overly talkative, rattling off stories in excitement. Watching him, Sungshik couldn’t help but chuckle.

“By the way, Jihwan, aren’t you going to Japan?”

“Ah… Well, I don’t really like Japan, so I decided not to go.”

The two had grown closer in no time, casually dropping formalities. Jihwan’s innate sociability was undeniable, Sungshik thought.

“It’s not that you decided not to go, but that you couldn’t go, right?”

“Hey, hey, what’s that supposed to mean? If I had wanted to, I would’ve studied hard for the exam!”

Jihwan bristled at Sungshik’s remark.

“Huh? What rank did Jihwan get on this exam?”

“Ah… Subin, well… uh…”

“Didn’t you have a seven at the start of your rank?”

“Hey, hey, why are you bringing that up!”

Flustered, Jihwan scrambled to respond, much to Sungshik’s amusement.

“Seven? Did you rank 70th?”

“Try adding another zero to that.”

“700th?! Wow… Jihwan, you’re really bad at studying.”

“Hey, it’s just because I wasn’t focused this time.”

“If I remember right, you stayed up all night with nosebleeds to prepare, didn’t you?”

“Ugh, fine. I’m bad at studying! So, Subin, what rank did you get?”

“I got 5th place this time.”

“Ugh, this rotten world!”

“Hahaha―”

Laughter filled the air as the three of them joked around. However, someone watching them from afar ground their teeth in anger.

Grit—

‘Heo Sungshik… just you wait.’

The boy, consumed by thoughts of revenge against Sungshik, glared at them with fiery red eyes.