Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees on the training field. Cui Ming stood in front of a sycamore tree as thick as a bowl, beckoning to Daigu behind him: "Come on, Daigu, watch carefully! The power should come from your waist and abdomen, then swing it out along your arm. That's Rider's Fist!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cui Ming's fist slammed into the tree trunk with a whooshing sound. With a muffled "thud," bark fragments flew everywhere, leaving a clear fist mark on the trunk. The dent in the mark made Da Gu's eyelids twitch.

“It’s your turn. Follow my movements from before. Don’t worry about the power; just find the right feeling of exertion.” Cui Ming withdrew his hand and stepped aside to make room for Daigu.

Daigo took a deep breath, recalling Choi Myeong's posture: feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, power concentrated in the waist and abdomen, then forcefully transmitted through the arms to the fists. He stared at the tree trunk, silently reciting the key points of the movement, then shouted: "Knight's Fist!!!!"

The fist slammed heavily onto the tree trunk. Although it didn't have the loud "bang" of Cui Ming's punch, a clear sound of impact was still heard. When Daigo withdrew his hand, a faint but distinct fist mark appeared on the tree trunk. It was much shallower than the one left by Cui Ming, but it had indeed pierced through the outer bark.

"Not bad," Cui Ming stepped forward, touching the fist mark left by Daigo with his fingertips, a hint of satisfaction on his face. He had originally thought that Daigo's first attempt would be good enough if he could break the bark, but he hadn't expected him to leave a clear mark, which was much better than he had anticipated.

After all, we can't be too demanding—his own body has long since broken through the normal limits of humanity after countless battles and special training, while Daigo is just an ordinary team member who has just started high-intensity special training. It is already very difficult for him to achieve this in a short period of time.

Choi Myung looked at Daigo, who was still panting, and softened his tone: "Don't compare yourself to me. What you need to train now is not 'hundreds of tons of power,' but the ability to save your life in dangerous situations. For example, if you encounter a small alien creature that attacks you, you can push it away with one punch; or if you are caught in the aftershocks of a monster, you can use your own strength to quickly dodge it. That's enough."

Daigo nodded, feeling relieved. He had been worried that Cui Ming would require him to develop the ability to "break steel pipes" and "dent tree trunks," but now he understood that the instructor's goal was never to turn him into a "non-human," but to give him the confidence to protect himself before transforming.

"Understood, Instructor!" Daigo straightened his back, his eyes full of seriousness. Although that punch had been strenuous, it had made him truly feel his progress—before, he could only avoid danger by running, but now he could leave a mark with his fist. This growth motivated him more than any encouragement.

Cui Ming patted him on the shoulder: "Ten-minute rest. We'll practice dodging later. When we encounter monsters, being fast is sometimes more useful than having a hard fist."

Daigo smiled and agreed, then walked to the stone steps beside him and sat down. Looking at the two fist marks on the tree trunk, he couldn't help but smile. He knew he was one step closer to his goal of "being able to save his life."

During the break, Daigo sat on the stone steps, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his knuckles, which were red from punching earlier. His mind was filled with images of the previous battle—Golza digging and destroying things, Melba attacking the statues. But then Cui Ming said, "Not all monsters need to be eliminated." He couldn't help but turn to look at Cui Ming beside him.

"Speaking of which, do we have to eliminate all the monsters, instructors?" Daigo's voice was somewhat hesitant. After all, in his understanding, monsters were mostly beings that destroyed the Earth, but Cui Ming's words raised new questions for him.

Choi Myung-jung was leaning against a tree trunk drinking water when he heard this. He raised an eyebrow and handed the water bottle back to Daigo: "Who said that? It depends on the situation." He paused and pointed to the distant mountains and forests. "You think all the monsters on Earth are like Golza and Melba? In fact, most of the native monsters on Earth are allies with humans."

"Allies?" Daigo was stunned, almost dropping his water bottle. "But they sometimes destroy cities too." "That's because their habitats are destroyed, or they're interfered with by alien forces," Cui Ming explained, his tone revealing a certain understanding of Earth's monsters. "Haven't you noticed? Whenever aliens come to Earth to cause trouble, the first to appear are often Earth's monsters—they're fighting against the invaders, but sometimes they can't control their power, which causes destruction."

He recalled a subterranean monster he had encountered before. It had been quietly staying underground until an alien wanted to build a base there. The monster immediately rushed out and attacked the alien's spaceship. Although it eventually destroyed a nearby road, it also thwarted the alien's plan.

"And they genuinely dislike those country bumpkins from outer space," Cui Ming said, a smile playing on his lips. "Earth is their home, and just as humans protect the Earth, they also protect their habitat. Those aliens come here wanting to plunder resources and destroy the environment, so naturally the Earth monsters won't welcome them."

Daigo was stunned, forgetting to drink from his water bottle. He had never imagined that monsters could have a side that "protects the Earth," always thinking that all monsters were enemies.

"So, when we encounter monsters in the future, do we need to first distinguish whether they are Earth monsters or space monsters?" Daigo asked, his understanding being overturned.

“Yes.” Cui Ming nodded, his tone becoming more serious. “We should try to communicate with those we can, like Gomora before. It’s actually quite docile; it only attacks people when it’s provoked. Only those monsters that actively cause destruction and cannot be communicated with, or alien cosmic monsters, need to be eliminated.”

Daigo nodded, seemingly understanding, but his mind had become much clearer. He realized that dealing with threats wasn't just about "elimination"; sometimes, understanding and communication were more important than force.

"Alright, break time." Cui Ming stood up and patted Daigo on the shoulder. "Don't overthink it. I'll teach you how to discern situations later. Now, continue practicing dodging!"

Daigo quickly stood up. Although he still had many questions in his mind, he knew that by following Choi Myung-hak, he would eventually find the answers. He also understood that to protect the Earth, he needed not only strength but also the ability to "discern"—to distinguish between enemies and friends, between destruction and protection.

"Of course, you don't need to worry about the battle between humans and monsters. In fact, it's also a matter of the survival of the fittest."

"what"

"That's right, the Earth can fight itself however it wants, but those guys from outer space don't deserve to be on the table."

"."

What a wild answer! (End of Chapter)