The Weapon Genius: Anything I Hold Can Kill-Chapter 72: Preparation for War

The school came into view as they walked down the empty street, its sturdy walls and reinforced gates standing tall against the dimming evening light.

Jin's boots hit the pavement in steady, even strides, his mind still replaying the conversation they had just left behind. Aestros. The Qi Sha. The system's reach.

Every story is real. Every legend exists.

He had heard the words. He had processed them.

But accepting them was something else entirely.

Echo let out a long sigh beside him, rubbing his temples. "I don't know about you guys, but I could use a minute to just sit the hell down after all that."

"Not happening," Jin muttered, stepping past him toward the gates. "We need to talk to the others."

Haneul glanced at the sky, gripping his staff with one hand. "Feels like we just got back."

"We did," Jin said. "But we're not done yet."

As they reached the gate, Seul was already there, standing with her arms crossed, watching the recruits go through drills in the courtyard. The sight was surreal.

Less than forty-eight hours ago, this place was barely more than an empty building. Now, people were training. Watching over the walls. Learning to fight.

When Seul noticed them, her brow arched slightly. "Took you long enough."

"Yeah, my bad," Echo muttered. "Had a nice, long chat with a fire spirit."

Joon, who had been messing with one of his Magnetron Spheres near the entrance, perked up. "Wait—you're serious?"

Jin ignored the conversation. He didn't feel like explaining twice.

Instead, he turned toward Seul. "Get everyone inside," he said. "We need to talk."

Seul studied his expression for half a second before nodding. "Got it."

She turned back toward the courtyard, her voice cutting through the noise. "Meeting in the cafeteria. Move."

There was no hesitation.

One by one, the recruits dropped what they were doing and made their way inside.

Jin exhaled slowly, stepping through the front doors after them. He wasn't sure what he was about to say would make anyone feel better.

But they needed to hear it.

The cafeteria was full, but no one was eating.

Jin stood at the front, arms crossed, scanning the room. The main fighters—Seul, Joon, and Echo—were positioned near him, while the strongest recruits sat up front.

Everyone else watched, waiting.

Jin took a breath.

Then, he spoke.

"We ran into something today," he said. "Something… not human."

He didn't sugarcoat it. He didn't soften the words.

And from the way the room's atmosphere shifted, he knew he didn't need to.

"We found a firehouse," he continued. "At first, it looked abandoned. But it wasn't. There was something there—a being, one that called itself Aestros."

Seul's expression remained unreadable, but her fingers curled slightly against the table.

Joon leaned forward, his usual grin absent. "A being?"

Jin nodded. "It spoke to us. Not out loud, but through writing—writing that appeared and changed as it wanted. It told us that the system isn't just something affecting us. It's taken from everywhere. Every world. Every story, every myth we've ever heard…" He exhaled. "They exist. And a lot of them have been pulled into this."

A murmur ran through the recruits.

Some of them glanced at each other, uncertain. Others looked… almost relieved. Like something had finally confirmed what they already feared.

"Wait," Haneul said. "You're saying… everything? Like gods? Legends?"

Jin's jaw tightened. "Yes."

Daehyun scoffed, shaking his head. "What the hell is this, some kind of cosmic joke?"

"If it is," Echo muttered, "we're not the ones laughing."

The silence stretched.

Seul finally broke it. "And what does this Aestros want?"

Jin hesitated before answering. "To protect its territory."

Seul frowned. "From what?"

Jin exhaled. "Us."

Another murmur spread through the room, this time laced with tension.

"Let me guess," Joon said. "It gave you some ominous warning about our world being doomed?"

Jin's eyes darkened slightly. "Something like that."

He repeated what Aestros had told them—that the system wasn't going all out yet. That humanity was still weak.

That eventually, it wouldn't be.

And when that happened…

The system would push back harder.

The room was silent.

Then, finally, Jin shifted gears.

"This is important," he said, "but it's not our most immediate problem."

The tension in the room shifted.

Because everyone knew what he was about to bring up.

Jin pulled up the map, letting it hover in the air for them to see.

"Yesterday," he said. "We were attacked."

A flicker of frustration rippled through the recruits. Some of them still had bruises from the fight.

"The ones who came for us weren't random scavengers," Jin continued. "They had structure. Orders. They were part of a group—and that group is still out there."

Joon spun one of his spheres absently. "So, we're thinking what? Payback?"

Jin's eyes were cold. "I'm thinking survival."

He zoomed in on the map, tracing the direction the attackers had fled when they dragged their leader away.

"We don't know exactly where they're based, but we can make an educated guess," he said. "This is the area they headed toward. It's occupied. Which means if we want answers, we need to go get them."

Seul nodded. "We're hitting them first."

"Before they hit us again," Jin confirmed.

Joon leaned back. "Finally," he muttered. "I was getting tired of waiting for a real fight."

Jin ignored him, scanning the recruits. "Not everyone is coming," he said. "We need some people here to defend the school in case things go sideways."

He glanced toward Seul. "You, Joon, Echo—you're with me."

Seul nodded once. Joon grinned. Echo just sighed.

"Figured," Echo muttered.

Then, Jin turned to the recruits.

"Haneul," he said. "You're coming."

Haneul straightened immediately, gripping his staff. "Understood."

"Areum, too."

Areum blinked, looking slightly surprised—but then she nodded. This was her chance to prove she had control.

Jin scanned the room for the last fighter. They needed someone strong—someone versatile.

"Doyun," he decided. "We need ranged support."

Doyun's brow twitched slightly, but he nodded. "I won't slow you down."

Jin nodded. "We leave at dawn."

The room was silent.

Then—slowly, the tension shifted.

Not to fear.

To anticipation.

Because for the first time, they weren't waiting for an attack.

They were making the first move.

The cafeteria slowly emptied as the meeting ended, recruits scattering in different directions. Some stayed behind, talking in low voices, still processing everything. Others moved toward the dorms, likely trying to get rest before dawn.

Jin didn't follow any of them.

Instead, he walked.

The school hallways were quiet at this time, the only sounds coming from the distant shuffle of footsteps and the faint creaking of old doors. The sun was just starting to dip lower, casting long, slanting shadows across the tile floor.

He wasn't tired.

He probably should have been—the past two days had been nothing but fighting, scouting, and planning. But instead of exhaustion, his mind was restless. Turning over thoughts he couldn't shake.

The system. The Qi Sha. The fact that his world wasn't the only one under its control.

And most importantly—the battle they were choosing to walk into tomorrow.

Jin stepped through the open doorway leading outside, the cool evening air brushing against his skin. The sky was bleeding into darker shades of blue, the first signs of night creeping in.

He stopped near the edge of the courtyard, scanning the area.

The school had changed so much in just two days. The reinforced walls, the people training, the growing stockpile of supplies.

Two days ago, they barely had enough food to last a week.

Now, they were planning a raid.

Jin exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. His gaze flickered to the weapon shop option in his interface. Should he buy something?

He had given his staff to Haneul. Not that he regretted it. The kid had taken to it naturally, and Jin had seen firsthand how much confidence it gave him.

But it did leave Jin with nothing in hand.

And for the first time in a while, he felt it.

A strange sense of… vulnerability.

Not because he wasn't strong enough without a weapon. But because he had started to rely on them.

Jin closed his interface with a slow exhale.

Wasn't that missing the whole point of his ability?

His fingers brushed against his pocket absently.

Then, he paused.

The strap.

Jin pulled it out, running his thumb along the worn material. It wasn't anything special. Just an old, weathered strip of fabric. Something that had once belonged to a firefighter. Something Aestros' presence had left behind.

He turned it over in his hands.

It was sturdy, despite its age. Worn, but not weak.

Jin tightened his grip slightly.

Could he use this?

Not just as a tool. Not just as a makeshift weapon.

But as a test.

To see if his ability truly had no limits.

His mind flickered back to his fights—the way he'd adapted, the way his body adjusted to whatever he held.

But what about something like this?

Something not even meant for combat?

He exhaled, rolling the strap between his fingers. Then, he turned on his heel, heading toward the recruits still training outside.

It was time to push his ability further.

And he'd do it with this.