Newbie Monster

Su Wu deliberately tested the material used for the training room walls before throwing a punch. He pressed his fingers against the wall, but even with a little force, he left no mark.

That meant he didn't have to worry about accidentally punching a hole through the airship.

It was time to bet on Black Flash again. Hopefully, these guys would help him land one.

Of course, he also had to hold back and avoid killing his opponent on the spot. Otherwise, he'd lose his eligibility for the exam.

That was a little troublesome...

It was their fault for being so weak. He could kill them by accident without even trying.

"Kid, what are you feeling the wall for? Come on." The muscular man, his biceps bulging, had no idea that the kid he was taunting was thinking about how not to kill him on the spot. He just kept urging him on.

"I'll let you have the first move..." He thumped his chest twice with his fist, the blows making a dull sound.

It wasn't hard to imagine how rock-solid his pecs must be.

The meat would definitely be tough and unpleasant to eat.

Not the kind of meat Sukuna would like.

"Why, thank you..." Su Wu raised an eyebrow. Dark blue energy coiled around his palm. Before he could finish speaking, he had already vanished from where he stood.

No one had time to see what happened. They only heard a tremendous crash.

The once-sturdy man was embedded deep in the training room wall. Fine cracks spread across the entire surface like a spiderweb, radiating from where he was stuck.

Damn, looks like I hit the jackpot.

"You... You're really too lucky, aren't you?" Su Wu looked at his fist, then at the figure hanging on the wall, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

He'd sparred with Sid so many times without landing a Black Flash, but the moment he hit this guy, he'd pulled it off...

What should have been an ordinary punch had turned into a critical hit...

The training room walls were pretty good, though. They'd held up and hadn't been punched through.

"Hang in there. Don't you dare stop breathing." Su Wu walked up to the man, sounding a little concerned.

If he died on the spot, Su Wu would have made the trip here for nothing.

He pulled the man out of the hole. The Six Eyes showed him that the man's life energy was gradually fading.

Unless he received treatment, the man would be gone for good in ten minutes.

Would anyone believe him if he said he really hadn't meant to kill the guy?

It wasn't like he was some kind of murderer who killed everyone he met.

"This is a pain..." Su Wu sighed, then turned to the other examinees. "You..." Go get the examiner.

At his gaze, the people who'd been ready to watch the show all retreated several steps in unison, until their heels hit the wall and they had nowhere left to go.

Even the others who'd been training nearby had stopped and stood frozen in place.

Someone was quietly opening the training room door, clearly treating the boy who'd nearly punched through the wall as a monster.

"Trying to run?" Su Wu smiled at the figure nearest the door.

A deep slash appeared on the door, just five centimeters from the person's face.

It was so close that it sliced off a lock of their hair and left a bleeding cut on their cheek.

It was hard to tell whether he'd done it by accident or on purpose.

"N-no, I wasn't..." The person immediately lowered the hand they'd been using to push the door and shook their head nervously.

"I'm telling you, I really didn't mean to kill him. Do you believe me?" The white-haired, blue-eyed boy stood up, leaving the man who was close to death on the floor. He looked at the other examinees with an air of helplessness.

"You believe me, right?" he asked with a smile.

No one dared argue, so they could only nod in silence.

Of course they believed him. Who'd dare not? Did they want to end up hanging on the wall next?

The crowd glared at the floor, furious but afraid to speak.

"All right. Someone go get the examiner. Maybe he can still be saved..." The white-haired, blue-eyed boy seemed to have suddenly found some compassion.

The person nearest the door pushed it open without a moment's hesitation and ran.

Examiner! Help!!

There's a monster in here!!

The man lay on the floor, covered in blood and hovering between life and death. Beside him, the white-haired boy sat cross-legged, looking weary and utterly bored.

Across from the boy, the other examinees huddled together, too afraid to move. They were as obedient as a pack of dogs.

→

The atmosphere was eerie, and the silence was absolute.

Even breathing too loudly felt like a crime.

In the corner of the training room, the golden-haired boy with a bowl cut lay facedown, his face covered in blood. He watched the scene with shining eyes.

So strong...

As expected, how could he possibly be friends with someone that powerful?

He'd be too weak even to serve as his underling.

Bindo and Rogov, professional Hunters and this year's examiners, arrived at the training room to find this bizarre scene.

Even after all their years as Hunters, they'd never seen anything like it.

A boy of twelve or thirteen had managed to cow everyone else through sheer presence.

Even Bindo had felt intimidated when he first stepped into the training room.

Was this really the kind of presence a kid should have? It was as if all the air had been sucked from the room.

When he saw the examiners, Su Wu stood up and casually brushed off his pants. He pointed at the man on the floor. "He's still breathing. Hurry up and treat him."

As the boy spoke, the inexplicably oppressive atmosphere finally loosened. It even seemed as if the air began to flow again.

Bindo noticed the cracked wall. Before he could say anything, he crouched down to examine the injured examinee.

The results made his expression turn grave.

Every rib was broken, his internal organs had been crushed, and even his spine was shattered. A touch would reveal that his body was limp, like a creature with no bones.

His injuries were extremely severe.

"I'll take care of it." Rogov crouched beside the man as well and placed a hand on his body.

The Six Eyes could see green energy entering the man's body.

The man's life energy had been steadily falling and was on the verge of disappearing, but the green energy stabilized it.

"He can't continue with the rest of the exam." Rogov withdrew his hand and announced the verdict calmly.

He'd kept the man alive for now, but in this condition, even if he didn't die, he'd be crippled.

Bindo heard the verdict and turned to look at the white-haired boy.

Under the examiner's gaze, Su Wu remained unruffled. He pointed at a figure lying in the nearby corner who also looked close to death.

"Oh, and while you're taking him to the infirmary, take that guy too."

"He's so weak. It's annoying to look at him." The white-haired, blue-eyed boy spoke calmly, his tone full of arrogant superiority.

Bindo and Rogov carried both injured examinees to the infirmary. Su Wu stayed in the training room, gazing at the others as if he hadn't had enough.

"Anyone else want to play with me?" Wherever his gaze passed, everyone lowered their heads, afraid of being picked.

"I'll go even lighter this time," Su Wu sighed.

He'd already memorized the feeling of landing a Black Flash. He was sure his chances of landing another had gone up, but that didn't mean he'd immediately land a second one.

Unless the next person was as "lucky" as the last guy with the bulging biceps.

Still, no one looked up.

Not one of all these people had the courage to fight him.

Sid really was the best.

A week after leaving Meteor City, he already missed Sid.

"Anyone want to play cards?" he asked, without much hope.

They'd been on the airship for so many days. He needed something to pass the time.

The crowd heard that they wouldn't have to stay in the training room and immediately scrambled to speak up.

"Me, me, me..."

"I'll play cards with you."

"Let's go, let's go. To the recreation room."

"Playing cards is way more fun than training."

So they did know how to read the room.

They could've just agreed to play cards earlier.

An hour later.

Su Wu sat at the card table, looking at yet another terrible hand in his grip without changing his expression.

Maybe the training room had been more fun after all.

Su Wu: Sor~ry~!

P.S. Everyone, please read along and support the story! I'm begging you!

By the way, I posted Su Wu's portrait in the bonus section and the readers' community, hehehe.