Failed Strategy

"Hmph! No matter how good he is, he's still not as good as my oppa." Baek Sooji said haughtily, crossing her arms as if to emphasize her chest.

Hearing her words, Kim Wonwoong and Yoo Jiseok simply smiled wryly, choosing not to refute her. After all, they knew she wasn't wrong.

"Well, the second and third years can't interfere in the first years' business." Yoo Jiseok reminded.

Geumryong High School was one of the most well-known schools in Daejeon, standing as one of the city's two powerhouses. The only school that could rival it was Bongeun Technical High School.

However, ever since a figure named Baek Soohyeok appeared, Bongeun had stopped challenging Geumryong. This was due to an incident a few years ago—when Baek Soohyeok and the Four Heavenly Kings of Geumryong annihilated the organization backing Bongeun after one of its members dared to target his younger sister.

"Hey, Yang Jinmo! Come here." Kim Wonwoong shouted across the classroom, calling over the stocky figure standing nearby.

Yang Jinmo was quite strong, but he was still a step below Kim Wonwoong. Just yesterday, he had attempted to challenge him, only to be swiftly defeated within a few moves.

A grin spread across Kim Wonwoong's face—he had already devised a plan to make the leader of Class 1 fall.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

╔══════════════════════╗

[Quest Completed] – Class 1-2 Leader + Class 1-3 Leader

Reward:

Attack Card [Boxing - Straight]

Attack Card [Boxing - Hook]

Attack Card [Boxing - Uppercut]

Attack Card [Taekwondo - Side Kick]

Attack Card [Taekwondo - Axe Kick]

Attack Card [Judo - Mountain Storm]

Attack Card [Judo - Shoulder Throw]

Attack Card [Muay Thai - Spinning Elbow Strike]

Attack Card [Muay Thai - Flying Knee Strike]

Attack Card [Muay Thai - Superman Punch]

Special Card [Sense Presence]

1x Middle-Grade Level Up Card [Power]

2x Low-Grade Level Up Card [Power]

New Quests Generated!

• Class 1-5 Leader (Common Quest)

Description: Defeat the selected target to become the leader of Class 1-5.

Target: Yoo Jiseok

• Class 1-6 Leader (Common Quest)

Description: Defeat the selected target to become the leader of Class 1-6.

Target: Kim Wonwoong and Yang Jinmo

╚══════════════════════╝

"Not bad." Ryongho muttered as he examined the rewards he had obtained after defeating Sim Sangbo and Kim Myeongjoong.

Not only did he receive numerous new attack cards, but he also obtained several level-up cards. What interested him the most was the Middle-Grade Level Up Card, as he could no longer use Low-Grade Level Up Cards since his rank had already reached C.

The Level Up Card [Power] didn't just increase strength—it also enhanced speed and endurance. Essentially, using one Middle-Grade Level Up Card [Power] was equivalent to applying separate Middle-Grade Level Up Cards to each attribute.

What made this card even more valuable was its ability to bypass the standard rank restrictions. For example, Woo Jongmin had already reached C-Rank in speed, but his strength and endurance were still at D+ Rank.

Normally, advancing a C-Rank attribute would require a Middle-Grade Level Up Card, but with the Low-Grade Level Up Card [Power], his speed could still be boosted to C+ despite the system's usual limitations.

Without hesitation, Ryongho used the Middle-Grade Level Up Card [Power] on himself.

At last, he had reached Rank B.

╔══════════════════════╗

Name: Kim Ryongho

Rank: B

Strength: B+

Speed: B

Potential: SSS

Intelligence: S

Endurance: B

Specialization: Mixed Martial Arts

╚══════════════════════╝

He then proceeded to use one Level Up Card [Power] on both Bang Hojong and Woo Jongmin. Unfortunately, he had only obtained a single Middle-Grade Level Up Card [Power].

Now, Bang Hojong and Woo Jongmin's strength should be on par with Noh Manho and Kim Myeongjoong.

If he managed to acquire more Middle-Grade Level Up Cards [Power], he would prioritize using them on his executives. As team leaders, they couldn't afford to be on the same level as regular executives—hierarchy had to be established through strength.

Moreover, he had also obtained a new type of card: the Special Card. Checking its details, he discovered that the Special Card [Sense Presence] allowed him to detect all living beings within a 100-meter radius.

This ability was incredibly useful, as it could penetrate walls and steel to sense hidden targets. With this, he no longer had to worry about being ambushed from his blind spots.

'After defeating Yoo Jiseok, Yang Jinmo, and Kim Wonwoong, the rewards should be even greater.' Ryongho thought.

After all, if he could recruit Yoo Jiseok and Kim Wonwoong into his crew, he would also complete the Elite Quest of gathering five C-Rank members.

Now, he needed to decide on a suitable name for his crew and the type of business they would run. He already had an idea in mind, but it wasn't finalized yet.

For now, their primary source of income would come from collecting protection money.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

After school, Bang Hojong, Woo Jongmin, and Noh Manho were on their way to the arcade to play some games together.

"Hey, I feel like I've somehow gotten stronger today." Bang Hojong said, clenching his fist as he walked.

That afternoon, he had a strange feeling—as if he had become noticeably stronger than before.

"Really? I feel the same way." Woo Jongmin replied, raising an eyebrow. It turned out he wasn't the only one experiencing this sensation.

"I don't feel anything. Maybe you guys just got stronger after watching Ryongho fight." Noh Manho said matter-of-factly.

"Maybe." Woo Jongmin and Bang Hojong nodded in agreement.

It made sense. Watching Ryongho dominate his opponents might have awakened their own desire to become stronger.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

"So? Who are you?" Ryongho asked, gripping the man's neck in his palm.

Here's what happened—while walking home, Ryongho had passively used Sense Presence and noticed that someone seemed to be following him.

To confirm his suspicion, he made a few random turns, and sure enough, the man wearing the same school uniform as him was still trailing behind.

Without hesitation, Ryongho suddenly spun around, caught the man from behind, and lifted him off the ground with one hand, choking him in the process.

"Ugh! Yang… Jin… mo…" the man gasped, struggling to speak.

Hearing the name, Ryongho released his grip, letting Yang Jinmo drop to the ground. Jinmo coughed violently, gasping for air as he tried to fill his lungs.

╔══════════════════════╗

Name: Yang Jinmo

Rank: D

Strength: C

Speed: D

Potential: E

Intelligence: D

Endurance: D+

Specialization: None

╚══════════════════════╝

"Why are you following me? Who sent you?" Ryongho asked coldly, his sharp gaze fixed on the man beneath him.

"Ugh…" Yang Jinmo hesitated, unsure of how to respond. He didn't dare to fight Ryongho—he had already felt the sheer strength of the man before him. But at the same time, he couldn't afford to offend Kim Wonwoong either.

"It's Kim Wonwoong, isn't it?" Ryongho asked bluntly.

Yang Jinmo's eyes widened in shock.

"H-How do you know?!" he stammered, unable to believe it.

"There's nothing I don't know." Ryongho scoffed. "Now, get lost. Tell Kim Wonwoong to be ready for a beating tomorrow."

He turned to leave but suddenly stopped.

"And don't ever follow me again."

Without warning, Ryongho delivered a powerful back kick to Yang Jinmo, sending him flying.

"Gahh!" Yang Jinmo gasped in pain, his body crashing onto the ground. As he clutched his stomach, he watched Ryongho's retreating figure with terror.

Ryongho's strength was monstrous. Yang Jinmo was massive—tall, heavy, and built like a wall—yet Ryongho had lifted him effortlessly, choked him with one hand, and sent him flying with a single kick.

At that moment, he knew—he would never dare to fight Ryongho again.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

"What the fuck did you just say?!" Kim Wonwoong shouted into the phone, his face twisted in fury.

During lunch break, he had ordered Yang Jinmo to follow Ryongho and provoke him—to test his strength. He never expected that Ryongho would be this powerful or, worse, that he would figure out who was behind it.

The plan was simple: Ryongho wasn't supposed to know it was him. That way, if Yang Jinmo ever spilled the truth, he could just frame it as slander. But for Ryongho to have already figured it out…

'Does this mean he keeps tabs on the other classes too?' Kim Wonwoong thought grimly.

"Wonwoong, just a heads-up." Yang Jinmo said, his voice laced with fear. "Kim Ryongho's kick is way stronger than yours. I swear, I almost vomited my entire lunch from just one hit."

Then, as if the memory itself terrified him, Yang Jinmo abruptly ended the call.

Kim Wonwoong clenched his jaw. He specialized in kickboxing and had easily defeated Yang Jinmo on the first day of school with his kicks. If Yang Jinmo was saying that Ryongho's kicks were even stronger…

"Fuck!" Kim Wonwoong roared in frustration and slammed his fist into the wall beside him.

"Don't worry. If he dares to come, we'll take him on together." Yoo Jiseok said, patting Kim Wonwoong's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.

"I don't believe he can take both of us at once."

"Fine." Kim Wonwoong exhaled sharply, forcing himself to relax.

Yes, Ryongho had already taken down the leaders of Class 2 and 3. But the Class 2 leader had no martial arts training, and the Class 3 leader only knew boxing.

He, on the other hand, was trained in wrestling, and Kim Wonwoong was a kickboxer. Their combined skills should be more than enough to pin Ryongho down and beat the shit out of him.

At least, that's what they thought.

Tomorrow, they would learn the hard way—before overwhelming power, no amount of martial arts could do a damn thing.