By Zephyria 
When the long joint training ended, the world outside the window was already pitch black.
As it was a once-a-month event, they were far past the expected quitting time.
Jin Mu-hae washed away all the sweat in the shower room attached to the annex before preparing to leave Central.
Joo-oh, who had only been watching, hurriedly followed, saying he would shower too, so he chased him back to the office, telling him to shower or splash around when he got back.
He had no intention of exposing him naked in a space where the guards were walking around.
“Only Jin Mu-hae gets to shower.”
“Usually, I have to nag him to wash up, and he barely gets wet.”
“I wanted to shower with Jin Mu-hae too.”
“Don’t think strange things and pack your things. If you leave those damn Tinkle Friends or whatever they are in the office, they’ll use them as assistants instead of you.”
If someone came into the empty office and saw a set of childish Tinkle Friends figures, they would be too embarrassed to show their face.
The threat worked, and Joo-oh’s lips protruded as he packed the plastic toys into his bag.
“It’s okay, though. Jin Mu-hae was cool today, so I’m not upset.”
“Are you even capable of being upset?”
“Hmph.”
“Let’s go. The sooner we get back, the sooner you can stuff your late-night feast into your mouth.”
He regretted saying harsh words and stroked his head, and Joo-oh’s sullen face melted away.
Only after rubbing his forehead and cheeks against his palm a few times as if trying to curry favor did he return to his normal expression and sling his bag over his shoulder.
“Let’s go, Instructor Jin.”
He had kept his word not to let anyone touch him, and Joo-oh had not had any contact with anyone today.
When Instructor Cha asked for a handshake, he had looked back at Mu-hae with such a blank expression that he had almost wanted to pull his ear and massage it.
“You can shake hands.”
“We’re holding hands?”
“Yeah. Patting on the shoulder is okay too. As long as they’re not doing anything weird like groping.”
As he explained the appropriate boundaries one by one, he felt a sense of satisfaction as if he had him completely under his control.
Mu-hae clenched and unclenched his hands, which still held the heat of battle, and stepped out onto the street lined with streetlights.
According to the schedule, there would be lectures for junior guards starting the very next day. After seeing their movements today, he had a better idea of what to teach.
They were clearly more trained than the mercenary scraps, but there was knowledge to be gained from butting heads with the ground, so to speak…
“I’m looking forward to Instructor’s class.”
“Looking forward to it.”
Whether they listened or not, Mu-hae would have something to teach them.
The guards’ commuting hours were relatively flexible.
They worked four days a week in four shifts, so they could take their leisure time as they pleased.
However, that was only a privilege for the guards. As an instructor, Mu-hae was stuck with nine hours of work from morning to afternoon.
To accommodate the new instructor’s schedule, the junior guards’ arrival time was also adjusted to sunrise. Two hours before lunch, Mu-hae walked to the small lecture room in the annex.
“I’m Jin Mu-hae. As you already know, I’m a 7-year… no, almost 8-year mercenary.”
“There are only a few people in Goryeo City who take on dangerous requests for this long. Instructor Jin is a famous mercenary in this industry.”
Joo-oh chimed in with Mu-hae’s greeting, adding unnecessary flowery words.
It wasn’t wrong, but it felt a little embarrassing to be gilding the lily of a despised profession.
“How many years is it usually?”
A guard, who was sitting in a circle with space in the center, asked without permission.
Even if Mu-hae didn’t react, Joo-oh answered clearly with his mouth covered by a tight mask.
“Two to three years. Even if they last longer, they usually get injured or their skills decline after five years and retire. This is only for low-level exploration requests, so there are almost no people as reliable and necessary to Goryeo City as Instructor Jin, who saves people and prevents terrorism…”
“…Enough.”
He was trying to maintain a serious demeanor, but he couldn’t take it. Especially after hearing that damn word ‘reliable,’ he felt his face burning even though his expression was dry.
Thinking about how he had given Instructor Cha a kind smile yesterday in a pathetic attempt to curry favor made him want to twist his lips even more, as it was an action that didn’t suit his temperament.
“Let’s stop with the introductions and talk about the class. I’m sorry to say, but I don’t really intend to strictly follow the guards’ basic tactics manual. I don’t mean to disregard the rules here, but there will be a considerable difference between practical training and theory.”
He had read the hundreds of pages of the tactics manual until it was ingrained in his head all night. It was a tiring but quite beneficial time, as it clearly organized various methods of combat that Mu-hae had not known before.
However, the guards probably already knew that kind of content by heart. The fact that accidents kept happening meant that mistakes were occurring due to situations not described there.
They were so desperate that they invited a mercenary they had ignored as an instructor. What they wanted from Mu-hae was something other than theory.
Clap. Mu-hae made a loud noise with a single clap, instantly gathering the scattered attention of the others.
“Without further ado, let’s pick someone to demonstrate.”
Mu-hae’s fingertip pointed to a guard who had been in the same group yesterday. Park Young-chan, a 2-year guard.
He was the one who had set up the net and subdued the hologram Aberrant as instructed by the instructor, even with a displeased expression.
“…Please take care of me.”
“Likewise. Stand in front of me.”
Mu-hae had never received any training since he was a clueless kid. After his skills matured, he had been on his own, and he had no memory of passing on his know-how to anyone, so this position was terribly unfamiliar.
Nevertheless, as he stood in front of everyone, it became clear as if it were imprinted in his genes how to lead the class.
“From now on, I am an Aberrant. I have been captured after about 20 minutes of confrontation, but I have not reached a state of combat disability. Proceed with the necessary finishing touches with explanations.”
As he finished speaking, Mu-hae brought his shoulders together and grabbed his elbows. The guard, who seemed flustered and looked around, nodded.
“…I check the radar. After confirming that there are no approaching life forms… is this an Aberrant with a kill order?”
“That’s right.”
“I must aim the firearm at a vital point and cut off its breath in one go.”
As the guard pretended to shoulder his weapon, Mu-hae tilted his head slightly to the side. Tick. Tick. Joo-oh, who was watching the scene, had a chilling smile in his eyes for some reason.
Thwack!
Before the guard’s finger could even bend, Mu-hae reached out and pushed his chest. The guard stumbled back a few steps and protested with a bewildered face.
“Wasn’t I in a captured state?”
“There was an opening.”
“If you change your words like that, it’s impossible to cope!”
“Do you think there are Aberrants with all their limbs intact who are quietly tied up?”
Even though it sounded like a wordplay, Mu-hae’s expression was stiff. An Aberrant with minor injuries shaking its head and waiting for a human to approach?
Whether the restraints were loose or it had the strength to tear them off, it was ready to escape and tear off the opponent’s head by any means.
Sorry, but this is also in the tactics manual. Don’t let your guard down until the end and make sure to finish it off. The guard’s protests subsided as he realized his mistake.
“Again.”
This time, he shook and trembled, covering his elbows. The writhing was so vivid that it looked like a truly captured wild Beast, and the onlookers’ faces showed disgust.
The guard gritted his teeth and pretended to aim his gun again. This time, he moved quickly, judging that there was really no way to escape.
Then, ptoo-!
Mu-hae spat saliva between his teeth and sprayed it on the guard’s face. The face of the insulted man immediately turned red and blue.
“What are you doing!”
“You’re too close. Aberrant hides often have toxicity, so you must be careful not to let secretions touch bare skin. Your eyes are covered with the goggles provided, but other areas are still exposed. Even if you subdue the Aberrant, you will be injured in the face.”
“That’s such a stretch…!”
He was clearly agitated at being spat on, but he seemed to be inwardly acknowledging it, considering his anger.
High-level Aberrants also have a certain level of intelligence. It means they have a head that can come up with all sorts of ways to harm the enemy.
“Again.”
The guard, who shuddered and wiped away the saliva, now looked like he wanted to run away. But even if he was a hateful mercenary bastard, he was still an instructor until his position was revoked.
The guard gritted his teeth and maintained a safe distance while shouldering the imaginary firearm. And just before firing, Mu-hae scratched his neck and let out a clumsy cry.
“Kerrrr!”
At the same time, Joo-oh, who had been sitting and watching, darted out nimbly. The guard, who was pushed back greatly with just a light touch, fell to the floor as if collapsing.
“Radar.”
He had deliberately spat saliva to cloud his judgment in order to create this situation. Wasn’t the reason he had made the ridiculous Aberrant imitation to induce carelessness?
After training that bordered on harassment, Mu-hae finally released his posture and helped him up.
“Thank you for your help.”
The guard didn’t even acknowledge the greeting and went back to his seat. His panting breath showed that he was trying to suppress his anger.
“Does this demonstration seem forced? Do you think it’s too contrived?”
Mu-hae asked everyone in a calm tone. Well, it’s true that it’s not common for an Aberrant to be this lively even after being captured.
However, no one refuted. The atmosphere immediately became heavy as the giant man calmly scanned the surroundings.
Mu-hae maintained his cold gaze and this time picked up a folding chair and applied force in the opposite direction of the seam.
Crack, crunch.
The chair, which was hollow but made of a fairly solid material, broke in half at once and fell to the floor.
It was buried by Joo-oh’s superhuman strength, which was logically impossible, but Jin Mu-hae was also someone who had never been pushed back in terms of strength.
The air, which had already sunk due to the person who had imitated the Aberrant showing off his superhuman strength in front of them, was now ominously turbulent.
“All of the guards here have been with the company for at least half a year, so they must have witnessed an Aberrant at least once. The other instructors must have also explained what a monster with both strength and intelligence does when cornered.”
However, the situation that they had heard and the situation that they had directly seen and experienced were worlds apart for those with little experience.
In simulation battles, situations such as Aberrants spitting saliva and cutting off their legs to escape are not staged, so minor accidents must be occurring between the vacancies in the veteran positions.
“This instructor will cowardly, dirtily, and wretchedly interfere with the guards’ training. What you will learn will not be systematized combat or equipment usage, but rather how to deal with emergencies.”
Occasionally, when a large sum of money is at stake, mercenaries go all over the place to catch Aberrants or Beasts despite the danger.
Next to the Aberrant that has been subjugated, there is usually the corpse of the guy who came to attack first and died.
Only a few mercenaries who witnessed the scene know how they fell in such extraordinary ways and return.
Most of them disappear due to injury or death within a few years at most, and only the surviving mercenaries accumulate data in a patchwork manner and have proper survival methods.
That’s how Jin Mu-hae was made. A famous person who single-handedly completes high-risk Company requests.
It was still unknown how he could approach the Vegan Society of Central as an instructor of the guards, but Mu-hae was confident that he could at least turn the rookie guards into amateur survival experts.