I Became a Transcendent-Level Genius Trainer - Chapter 146

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Transcendent Genius Trainer 146

MiTube—a platform where countless videos streamed relentlessly, each vying for attention.
Channels covering all manner of issues had no choice but to use sensational titles and thumbnails to draw viewers in.

“The content itself is so explosive, you’d think the headline would look ordinary by comparison.”

Yet this story felt extraordinary no matter what title one gave it.
The fact that Kang Yu-jun had trained the Hero was simply that momentous.

“This is going to embarrass Han Gyu-jin.”
“Didn’t he do an interview not long ago? He said training a Hero was impossible for anyone at this point.”
“Yeah. But he went and did it anyway.”

Many content creators were now weaving Han Gyu-jin’s words into their videos.

-There’s nothing to be done about this, I suppose. Time for a Trainer Kang Yu-jun appreciation segment. Thanks to him, I can eat.
-Kang Yu-jun: savior of the trainer industry.
-He’s even saving MiTube.

***

Incheon Airport.
Overseas Awakeners and trainers continued streaming through immigration.
The moment they arrived in South Korea, they grabbed officials and searched for Yujun.

“Nothing.”

Most of them had arrived the moment word spread that Yujun had trained the Hero, yet they still hadn’t managed to make contact.

“We haven’t been able to reach him either.”
“Does he not have an agent?”
“He operates solo, so no.”
“I’ve heard he has an office somewhere.”
“It doesn’t seem like he’s running it officially yet. We’re sorry.”

And that was when the Hero training news exploded.

“We came to get in early.”
“Why can’t we reach him? Why!”

They voiced their frustration.
They’d arrived in Korea before his reputation could climb higher, but their inability to make contact meant his value had only soared further.

“Damn it. I did my homework before coming…”
“What is this? Hero training? This doesn’t make any sense.”

The overseas Awakeners and trainers had been given explanations—through analogies—of just how extraordinary this Hero training was.
Their expressions all hardened.

“Does this mean we can’t get his training?”
“Then…”
“Looks like we’re just tourists.”

But these people had all come to Korea with such desperate hope.
Most of them refused to give up, pressing harder to make contact.

“We’ll try reaching him through the Management Bureau however we can.”
“Just wait a little longer!”

They too were in considerable hurry.

* * *

Awakened Management Bureau.
Director Lee Ji-tae had powered off his phone entirely, overwhelmed by incoming calls.
Beside him, Aide Yun Yu-jeong watched the satisfied smile on the Director’s face and broke into a quiet smile of her own.

“The best day in recent memory. The Hero has returned, and Trainer Kang Yu-jun has finally received complete recognition. No one’s spouting off about S-rank licenses anymore.”
“I’d like to receive his training myself.”
“…You too? Me as well. I’d love to ask him, but I have my pride, you know. What should we do?”
“Why don’t we use my excuse as a pretext and ask him once?”

Aide Yun Yu-jeong spoke with a sly grin.

Bang—!
Just then the door burst open, and Vice Director Seo Kang-cheol strode in.

“Sir—!”
“It’s Director, not ‘sir’! And did you already leave? This is a workplace.”
“I’m serious… My phone is about to explode. Everyone’s asking me to connect them with Trainer Kang.”
“That’s why you should’ve turned yours off like me. At least keep your work phone on.”
“They’re calling the work phone too.”
“Block them all. Permanently.”
“It’s… my mother.”
“…Handle your mother tactfully.”

Vice Director Seo Kang-cheol spoke with barely contained excitement.
It was the first time the Bureau’s mood had been this good since he’d become Deputy Director.

“What should we give him as a reward?”

Baek Hyun-jin’s training deserved substantial recognition at the Bureau level.

“Well, as for that…”

Director Lee Ji-tae had actually prepared quite a bit in terms of rewards for Yujun.
But some of it had become impossible to give as rewards.

“I was trying to arrange something with the Kim family, but it seems they’ve already made contact?”

The matter of the Kilo Gauntlet was to be handled directly by the Kim family.

“And then the President called directly.”

The Hero’s training—Baek Hyun-jin’s training—had elevated South Korea’s military capability dramatically.
The return of the nation’s strongest Awakener, who had been evaluated as coming closest to SSS-rank.
It was an event that could shift every nation’s assessment of South Korea’s power.
For that reason, the President had called directly.

“He said he’d present a reward himself.”
“What sort of reward…?”

At those words, Vice Director Seo Kang-cheol’s expression grew expectant.

“The Taegeuk Ilwol Medal, he said.”
“…!”

It was a reward beyond expectation.
The Taegeuk Ilwol Medal was the highest honor bestowed upon an Awakener or trainer.
No trainer had ever received it before.

“Isn’t that what the Hero received!”

The Hero—Baek Hyun-jin—was the prime example of someone who’d received this medal.

“If you receive the Taegeuk Ilwol Medal…”
“You get priority access to the Tower. Soon he’ll be able to enter just about any Tower.”

Beyond that came numerous other benefits.
Far more benefits than what came with an S-rank License.

“Priority negotiation rights with Guilds. Authority to mobilize Guilds.”

It contained all manner of benefits that defied monetary valuation.

“This will stir things up even more.”
“It’ll be absolute chaos.”

Especially in the trainer industry—that much was certain.

* * *

-The Trainer Association extends unlimited congratulations on Trainer Kang Yu-jun’s acquisition of an S-rank License! Henceforth, as an officially certified trainer of our association, Trainer Kang Yu-jun has demonstrated excellence, and the association pledges to provide steadfast support going forward.

The Trainer Association released an official statement.
The statement reflected the association’s trust in Yujun, who had obtained an S-rank License at an unusually rapid pace.

-Wasn’t the association worried?
-The association recognized him immediately.
-I heard the association actually observed the Hero training in person. Looks like after seeing it directly, they gave their full recognition.
-I mean, he trained the Hero. There’s nothing more to recognize.
-“Unlimited support” is surprising though. He’s an association-certified trainer, not an association member.
-If I were association chair, I’d do the same. It’s been over two months—look at his track record. The guy’s insane.

The results Yujun had achieved in just over two months matched nothing any other trainer in the country could approach.

-Looks like he’s almost conquered the domestic scene.
-Not quite. He hasn’t directly faced Do Kang-myeong, Yeon Da-seul, or Han Gyu-jin.
-But he accomplished what those three top trainers couldn’t?
-Still, he hasn’t fought them.
-He’s already surpassed them by far.
-How can you even compare?
-Shouldn’t there be a proper training exchange?
-We can prove it through a training exchange. That’s how Trainer Baek Do-gyun conceded defeat, isn’t it?
-No. To do this properly, we’d start with the current three top trainers.
-The top three? He’s already past that level.

On Hunternet, Awakeners debated hotly.
There were still some who downplayed Yujun’s abilities, but it was different from before.
Then, the mainstream opinion had been to wait longer and to avoid comparing him with the three top trainers, but now people had begun comparing him to South Korea’s representative trainers.

-This much is certain though: there’s no trainer in the country as dominant as Kang Yu-jun seems to be.
-It’s good to have international competitiveness emerging.
-They were talking about it on MiTube too.
-This level basically confirms him as a representative trainer.
-Do Kang-myeong, Yeon Da-seul, Han Gyu-jin, and now Kang Yu-jun. So it’s splitting into four factions now.
-Wow. Kang Yu-jun rising solo is crazy.
-He’s not solo though. There’s Kim Gyu-cheol.

And with that, talk of Kim Gyu-cheol began in earnest.

-I heard he was expelled from the Kim family.
-How does someone like that make artifacts like that?
-Kang Yu-jun revives even expelled trainers.
-Truly the hand of salvation.
-But surely he’ll rest now?
-In my opinion, he’ll take a break now. He’s been running too hard.
-Any faster and he dies.

Everyone believed Yujun would take an extended hiatus this time.

* * *

But at that very moment.
Cheongwadae.

Yujun, having finished the Taegeuk Ilwol Medal ceremony, gazed contentedly at the ornate medal in his hands.

“I never imagined I’d receive South Korea’s highest honor.”

He’d need to display it properly at home.
Contrary to what everyone expected, Yujun naturally had no intention of resting.
He’d already scheduled a meeting with the association chair for tomorrow.

‘I’ve got time today, at least.’

And having received the medal today, he had time to spare, so he immediately began preparing for training.

“The Awakeners I’ve trained recently don’t need further training just yet.”

So Yujun remembered the very beginning.

“There was a reason I’d put this off.”

Yujun made contact immediately.

-Min-seok. It’s me. The thing is…

Kim Min-seok.
Yujun’s first training subject and the close friend who had enabled him to reach where he was today.

‘This should prove my skills are ready.’

Beyond that, he wanted to test something.
He wanted to test Ability Enhancement, the new skill he’d learned alongside Awakener Training System Lv.5.

Ding—!
Kim Min-seok’s reply came as if he’d been waiting.

-I’m available!

* * *

Kim Min-seok was shocked upon receiving the message.

“But you must be so busy…”

When Yujun had first said he was transitioning to become a trainer, Min-seok had felt a pang of regret.
Of course, simultaneously, he’d believed Yujun would do well.
If he worked diligently as a trainer and steadily built results, maybe he could even reach S-rank trainer status, he’d thought.
But that had been a vast miscalculation on his part.

S-rank in just two months.
And then training the Hero.
All of South Korea was now consumed by talk of Kang Yu-jun.

His standing had changed entirely.
So naturally, Min-seok had assumed Yujun had forgotten about him.
But Min-seok held no resentment about it.
He was simply grateful for the fact that he’d received training from Yujun multiple times.
Yet Yujun was still Yujun.

“Thanks for thinking of me.”
“You were my first trainee. How could I forget?”

Yujun spoke with a slight grin.

“You’ve been training hard?”

Yujun’s eyes gleamed the moment he saw Min-seok.
Crackle, crackle.

‘You really have been working hard.’

Kim Min-seok’s physical condition had changed visibly.
There was more blue light than before, but also more red light and more cracks.

‘This is something he can’t fix himself.’

This was a balance issue beyond Min-seok’s control.
So actually, Yujun was delighted.

‘More problems mean more fun.’

What to fix.
How to fix it.
Yujun now possessed countless methods to solve this and the ability to do so.

“I… I’m not sure I’m worthy of your training.”

Kim Min-seok scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.
Yujun had become a legendary trainer who’d trained the Hero himself.
Min-seok was merely standing on the threshold of his A-rank evaluation.

“I thought you’d reach a higher level quickly, but…”

It had been far faster than anticipated.
From A-rank License to S-rank.
And now, having successfully trained the Hero Baek Hyun-jin, he’d become the trainer everyone wanted to recruit.

Of course, the top three trainers still held slightly higher standing.
Though Yujun had accomplished what they couldn’t and received recognition for it, that didn’t make him higher-ranked than them in absolute terms.

Each trainer had distinct strengths and equally distinct limitations.
Yet Hero training had still received overwhelmingly positive evaluation domestically.
By now, no one would object to Yujun becoming an S-rank trainer in fifty-seven days.

“Can I really receive your training?”
“Don’t want to?”
“No, no! It’s not that—ugh. It just feels like I’m getting all the help.”
“You helped me first. Without that, I wouldn’t be here.”
“Really? Is that so?”

Kim Min-seok broke into a grin.

“Can you get me to A-rank, or even S-rank?”

A joke mixed with genuine hope.
Standing on the threshold of A-rank, Min-seok was newly aware of how difficult and extraordinary S-rank truly was.
But Yujun smiled with evident satisfaction.

“Your resolve seems solid. Alright, let’s give it a shot.”

Yujun nodded.
In that moment, Kim Min-seok’s pupils trembled severely.

“W-wait, I was joking…”
“You want training to reach S-rank, that’s what you’re saying? Roger. Received. Because training the Hero let me realize quite a lot. Training is fundamentally painful, so if it’s going to hurt anyway, making it hurt more just improves the results. That’s what I learned.”
“Y-Yujun?”

Kim Min-seok stared in shock at the wild-eyed Yujun.
But Yujun paid no attention to Min-seok’s words.

“You’re my benefactor. Of course I’m going to make you S-rank.”

Whoooosh—!
And there rose the Mana Aura.

“You won’t regret this?”
“R-regret…”

But it was too late.
Yujun gripped the Crystal Staff tightly.
Whoooosh—.
Crackle-crackle-crackle-crackle—!

“Bear the pain.”

Screeeeeech—!
Yujun’s Crystal Staff moved with devastating speed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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