The Weapon Genius: Anything I Hold Can Kill-Chapter 18: Preparation for the Unknown

Jin woke up feeling like shit.

His body was stiff, his ribs ached, and when he tried to sit up, a deep soreness burned through his muscles.

How long had he been out?

His eyes flicked to the system's interface.

🕒 [Time Remaining Until Next Phase: 3 Hours, 42 Minutes]

Jin stared at the numbers.

He had slept for more than ten hours?

No wonder his body felt worse. Sleeping too long did that.

But more than that—he hadn't meant to sleep that long.

His jaw clenched slightly. He had just knocked out completely. No control. No awareness.

If something had happened while he was asleep, he would've never known.

Jin stretched, rolling his shoulders. His ribs protested, but he pushed through it.

Something felt... off.

Not wrong, exactly.

Just different.

The station was quieter than before. Too quiet.

His gaze flicked around the room.

People were missing.

Not a lot, but enough that he noticed.

Some blankets were left empty. A couple of survivors whispered in hushed tones near the corner.

Some had probably left to find their families.

Others might have just decided to leave.

Jin exhaled. He couldn't blame them.

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He shifted again, trying to ignore the lingering stiffness in his muscles—then his eyes landed on something else.

They were still asleep.

Seul-ki had her arm draped over Chul, holding onto him like she was afraid he'd disappear.

Her breathing was steady.

And for the first time, Chul looked at peace.

Jin's eyes lingered for a second.

Then he exhaled and pushed himself upright.

He didn't know what was coming next.

But he knew they had to be ready.

Footsteps approached. Steady. Purposeful.

Jin didn't need to look.

He already knew who it was.

"Get up."

Ryu's voice was firm, cutting through the quiet.

Jin glanced up, meeting his sharp gaze.

The officer stood tall, fully alert. He hadn't slept much, if at all.

A few survivors stirred. Some groaned.

Ryu didn't care.

"If you're staying here," he said, "then you're training."

Jin blinked, still trying to shake off the sluggishness in his body.

Ryu's gaze settled on him, then shifted to Echo and Joon-seok.

"You three," he said. "Are you staying or leaving?"

Jin frowned, confused.

"Leaving?" Echo scoffed, still rubbing sleep from his face. "What do you mean leaving?"

Ryu exhaled sharply, glancing around the station.

"Some people already left," he said. "They wanted to find their families. Others didn't want to be stuck here when the timer runs out."

Jin hadn't noticed before, but now that Ryu said it, he realized the room was emptier than before.

People had really left?

In this chaos?

Joon-seok clicked his tongue. "Idiots."

"Not really," Ryu said. "Everyone has their own priorities." His gaze flicked back to them. "So I'll ask again. Are you staying or leaving?"

Jin glanced at Echo and Joon.

Echo stretched, cracking his neck. "Nah. Not like I had anywhere else to be."

Joon just sighed. "Same."

Jin thought for a second longer.

He could leave. The system hadn't forced them to stay here.

But where would he go?

He exhaled slowly.

"We're staying."

Ryu gave a small nod.

"Good," he said. Then, casually—"Then get up."

Jin frowned. "Why?"

Ryu raised a brow. "Because you're training."

Echo groaned. "The hell does that mean?"

Ryu crossed his arms. "It means if you're staying, you're pulling your weight."

Joon narrowed his eyes. "You mean guard duty?"

"No," Ryu said flatly. "I mean training. Physically. If something breaks in here again, do you plan on swinging wildly and hoping for the best?"

Jin tensed.

He had done exactly that.

And he had barely made it out alive.

Echo scowled. "Come on, man. We already have skills. You think a couple push-ups are gonna help us survive this?"

Ryu stared at him. "Do you even know how to use your skill properly?"

Echo opened his mouth—then hesitated.

Jin looked at Joon, who also didn't say anything.

Ryu exhaled. "That's what I thought."

He gestured to the scattered survivors in the room.

"Everyone here has a skill," he said. "Some of them might be useful. Some might not. But even if the system gave you abilities, it didn't give you the instinct to fight."

His voice was firm, steady.

"If you can't use what you have properly, it won't matter. And if you're too weak to act when it counts, you're as good as dead."

Jin clenched his jaw.

Ryu wasn't wrong.

He had seen it already—people hesitating. People panicking.

If he had done that during the fight with the prisoner girl, he'd be dead right now.

Ryu kept going.

"The system isn't done with us," he said. "We don't know what happens when the timer hits zero. But if you think it's going to get easier, you're delusional."

No one spoke.

Echo exhaled through his nose. "So what, we're doing full-on military boot camp now?"

Ryu gave him a flat look. "I don't have time to babysit. You either get stronger, or you don't. Your choice."

Jin took a slow breath.

Ryu had a point. A good one.

And deep down, Jin knew—if he wanted to survive, he couldn't rely on instincts alone.

He stood up.

Joon followed.

Echo sighed. "Fuck it." He got up, rolling his shoulders. "This better not be some dumb cop training montage."

Ryu didn't smile.

"Move it," he said.

And just like that, training began.

Jin followed Ryu and the officers outside.

The air was crisp and cold, a sharp contrast to the stiffness still clinging to his body. The station's parking lot had been cleared overnight, leaving an open space big enough for a group to move freely.

Jin glanced around.

About a dozen people stood in the open lot—some officers, others survivors who had either agreed to train... or hadn't realized they could say no.

Ryu turned to face them, his expression unreadable.

"This isn't complicated," he said. "We're not turning you into special forces. We're building the basics. If you can't even run for five minutes, how do you expect to survive a chase?"

Jin felt his ribs ache at that.

He had barely lasted in the last fight.

He hadn't thought about it much before, but now that his body had finally slowed down, the truth was clear.

He wasn't built for this.

None of them were.

"Start running."

Ryu didn't wait for a response—he just turned and took off at a steady pace.

The officers followed without hesitation.

Jin hesitated for half a second before moving. Echo groaned immediately.

"Are you serious?"

"Shut up and run," Joon muttered, already jogging.

Jin pushed forward, forcing his body to follow. His legs were stiff, sore, and already complaining.

They ran the perimeter of the parking lot, a simple loop around the station.

At first, it wasn't too bad.

By the second lap, Jin could feel the burn in his legs.

By the third lap, his lungs were tight.

By the fourth—

"Fuck this," Echo gasped. "We're gonna die before the system even kills us."

Jin gritted his teeth, pushing through it.

Ryu and the officers? Barely looked winded.

Jin hated that.

After running, Ryu slowed to a stop and turned to face them.

Some of the survivors were bent over, hands on their knees, sucking in air.

Jin was one of them.

Echo was on the ground, lying flat.

Joon was still standing, but his arms were crossed, breathing heavily.

Ryu's expression didn't change.

"You see it now, don't you?"

No one answered.

Ryu exhaled, shaking his head.

"The system gave us abilities," he said. "But it didn't make us stronger."

He glanced around the group.

"You can have the best skill in the world, but if your body gives out in five minutes, it won't matter. You'll die before you can even use it."

Jin felt that.

The officers weren't out of breath. Ryu wasn't out of breath.

And the difference between them and the people who were dying out there...

It was becoming obvious.

Ryu didn't waste time.

After giving them a few minutes to catch their breath, he moved on.

"Alright," he said. "Some of you might have abilities that'll save your life. Some of you might not. Either way, you need to know how to throw a punch and not break your hand."

Jin rolled his shoulders, shaking out his arms.

"Form a line," Ryu instructed. "We start simple."

Jin stood in line beside Echo and Joon, waiting.

The lesson wasn't anything fancy.

Ryu demonstrated the basics—proper stance, how to make a fist without hurting yourself, how to throw a punch without losing balance.

Then, they repeated it.

Again.

And again.

At first, it was awkward.

Jin wasn't a fighter. Neither was Echo.

Joon? He caught on a little quicker, but even he wasn't fluid.

The officers moved through the line, correcting postures.

Jin adjusted. Echo muttered curses under his breath.

Joon stayed silent, focused.

Jin's arms burned.

The first few strikes were nothing.

By the fiftieth, his muscles were screaming.

After a while, Ryu called for a stop.

Jin's arms still ached.

His breathing was still heavy, his legs felt like dead weight, and his knuckles were sore from throwing punches he wasn't used to.

And yet—

The officers? Still fine.

Jin clenched his jaw, watching as Ryu moved back toward them, scanning the group with his usual sharp gaze.

"This is just the start," he said. "You're not going to get stronger in a day. But this?" He gestured at the exhausted, winded survivors in front of him. "This isn't going to cut it."

Jin exhaled slowly, stretching his arms.

Yeah.

He already knew that.

Echo wiped sweat from his forehead, groaning. "Okay, so we suck at this. Not exactly breaking news. Can we at least get a gun or something to balance things out?"

Ryu turned to him, expression unreadable.

"No."

Echo scoffed. "What do you mean no?"

"I mean we're not handing out guns," Ryu said simply. "We have a limited supply, and the officers need them for defense. If we start passing them around, we're one bad moment away from a massacre."

Jin could already see Echo gearing up to argue, but surprisingly, Joon spoke first.

"He's right."

Echo blinked. "Huh?"

Joon exhaled, rubbing his temples. "You really think handing firearms to random survivors is a good idea? After the purge quest? People are already paranoid enough."

Echo opened his mouth. Closed it.

Jin just stayed quiet.

Because deep down—he agreed.

They had seen what people were willing to do for a single system reward.

Giving them guns?

That was just asking for disaster.

"Then what can we use?" Jin asked.

Ryu tilted his head slightly, then nodded toward the station entrance.

"There's some riot gear in storage. A few batons, maybe some armor. That's the best we can offer."

Jin exhaled. Not great, but better than nothing.

Echo groaned. "So we get sticks while the monsters get claws and teeth. Love that for us."

Jin ignored him.

Because something else had settled in his mind.

A realization.

Jin had been fighting with scraps.

A random pipe. A dull cutting knife.

And he had still held his own.

His skill had let him bring out the full potential of whatever he used as a weapon.

So what would happen if he actually had a real weapon?

Jin's fingers twitched slightly.

He needed to find out.0

Jin looked back at Ryu.

"We'll take whatever we can get," he said.

Ryu nodded. "Good. Check the storage room. See what's left."

Jin exhaled. Finally.

Echo muttered something under his breath, but still followed as they moved back toward the station.

The training was over.

Now?

It was time to arm themselves.