The Power of Goblins(4)

Shin-yeon’s teaching method of learning strength control through fighting.

When she was first hit by a fist and flew away, Neon thought this was an extremely foolish education, but shortly after some time passed, Neon’s thoughts had to gradually change.

Thwack–! Thud–!

“Good, you’re doing well kiddo! Keep blocking and running away like that!!”

“Wah?! Ugh!”

Shin-yeon’s fists that were very threatening but extended at just the speed Neon herself could react to.

But as the fists were full of strength, Neon also had no choice but to move with all her might.

The fear that had been binding her movements due to the incident at the tower earlier was long gone.

All that remained for Neon was the thought that she had to block the fists somehow and the fear that she had to avoid them.

“If you’re even one step late, you’ll get hit!”

“Eek?!”

Whoosh—!!

After all, if she took those fists Shin-yeon was swinging head-on, it really seemed like it would hurt quite a bit.

Therefore, completely forgetting the thought that she had to maintain a fixed posture, as she moved her body with all her might, her head gradually became accustomed to the faster moving field of vision.

With each fist she blocked, she could realize how much strength she should put in and release from her arms and legs that had been stiffly frozen, and after about 30 minutes passed, Neon was able to get quite a good feel for her changed body.

And as she started to become accustomed to handling her body like that, words other than screams or frightened sounds began to come out of Neon’s mouth.

“Watch your head, kiddo! You need to properly know how much strength you have!”

“Eek… You’ve been saying kiddo, kiddo since earlier! I’m 16 years old, so don’t call me kiddo!”

“Oh ho? Seems like you’ve gained some composure now? Even running your mouth?”

Was it because her head had heated up from fighting, or because of Baek-jin’s advice she had heard earlier in the day?

Whichever it was, the words that came out of Neon’s mouth instead of screams were her original way of speaking that had been created when living in the slums.

Not the ‘speech wrapped in polite language and awkwardness’ that she had fallen into self-loathing in an atmosphere that didn’t suit her after being picked up by Shin-yeon, the ancestor of the General Management Team, but her ‘original slightly cheeky and rough way of speaking’.

If Neon had heard it before the fight started, she probably would have been flustered and slapped her own cheeks at such behavior, but the current Neon in the midst of fighting was too absorbed in the situation to realize it.

“If you’ve gained some composure, does that mean I can push harder? Kid-do?”

“Hey… Again?! Don’t pronounce it so clearly like that! You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?!”

“Did you just realize something so obvious?”

“Grrrr…!”

Neon gritted her teeth at Shin-yeon’s provocation, even sticking out her tongue.

And at the barrage of fists that began to speed up even more, Neon moved her guard more precisely and delicately in shock, and the appearance of those two broke various parts of the dungeon, even leaving afterimages.

A splendid dungeon overturning that would make the members of the Punishment Team clap their foreheads and admire if they saw it.

Not just uttering admiration, but terrible curses would follow as well, but at least Yeon-ah here was not the Punishment Team that had to clean up this aftermath, so she just purely admired and appreciated the exchange between the two.

“As expected of the Ancestor…!”

No sooner had Yeon-ah’s admiration ended than the sound of fists echoed once again and the ground overturned.

It seemed a few more hours would be needed for this rough education to end.

---

“I’m sorry!”

“…What’s this all of a sudden?”

A few hours later, as soon as the exchange between the two overturning the dungeon ended, Neon bowed her waist and shouted those words of apology.

And Shin-yeon tilted her head as if not understanding the reason for that sudden apology.

At Shin-yeon’s question of what the apology was for, Neon sweated profusely and then, as if resolved, bit her lip and said:

“That…! I’m apologizing for speaking roughly during the training! For me to dare speak to Shin-yeon, the Ancestor, like that…”

“Ah, because of that? I actually preferred that way of speaking from earlier. Just speak like that.”

But even at Neon’s words spoken with resolve after explaining the reason, Shin-yeon just tilted her head again as if asking what the big deal was.

Moreover, Shin-yeon’s answer telling her to just speak casually like during the exchange earlier.

It was truly Shin-yeon’s words without a shred of falsehood, but of course, there was no way Neon could accept those words nonchalantly.

“H-h-how could I dare speak casually to you, Shin-yeon?!”

“You did it well earlier, didn’t you? That seemed more comfortable. If it’s because of Yeon-ah, you don’t need to worry. Right?”

“Yes, as the Ancestor said. Neon, since the Ancestor has allowed it, I have no intention of saying anything about you speaking comfortably to the Ancestor. So wouldn’t it be good to do as the Ancestor says?”

“What? B-but still…”

Even Yeon-ah, who could be called the leader of the General Management Team except for Shin-yeon the ancestor, agreed with Shin-yeon’s words.

In other words, this was something permitted by the decision-makers of the General Management Team.

In normal cases, being told to speak casually to the ancestor was something that should be immediately refused without question, but in the current situation, Neon let out a burdened sigh at a situation where she couldn’t refuse.

And in the end, the choice Neon made was one that could be called relatively docile.

“I-I’ll speak like earlier when I get more used to it later. So for now, if you could first teach me how to control my strength…”

“Hmm… Well, do as you like. Certainly, what’s important now is learning to control your strength.”

“Yes!”

Shin-yeon snorted as if not entirely satisfied with Neon’s evasive answer.

However, seeing Neon continue to avoid her gaze, Shin-yeon soon stepped back as if telling her to decide on her own.

At Shin-yeon’s consideration that was nothing but welcome from Neon’s position, Neon couldn’t help but inwardly shed tears.

If Shin-yeon had unnecessarily forced her to use her original way of speaking, it would have been very burdensome and pressuring for Neon in many ways.

But Shin-yeon was considerate of Neon herself and agreed with her words that strength control was the priority, and soon, after tapping her feet a few times, she looked straight at Neon and said:

“For now… You’ve gotten used to moving with full power in your changed body, right?”

“What? Ah, yes. I think I’m okay with moving at full power now.”

“Then that’s good. Try moving weakly on your own. That’s what strength control is.”

“…Pardon?”

When Neon, who didn’t understand, asked back what that meant, Shin-yeon made a slightly frustrated expression.

And Shin-yeon moved her arms and legs around and said to Neon:

“If you have no trouble moving at maximum, now you just need to move while gradually reducing from that maximum, right? You’ve moved at full power, is it difficult to move weaker than that?”

“Ah…!”

An exclamation burst out unknowingly at Shin-yeon’s perfect analogy.

Certainly, if she had become able to move properly even at such fast speeds, what would be scary about moving at slower speeds than that?

Following Shin-yeon’s words, Neon slowly began to pull down the strength of her body to the floor and attempted to control the strength she had only used at full power.

“Mmm…!”

Controlling strength that required much more concentration mentally than when exchanging blows with Shin-yeon earlier, although her body was much more comfortable.

At that mental fatigue, grunts that shook her vocal cords continued to flow from Neon’s mouth.

And as the strength control that seemed like it would be grasped soon but wasn’t easily grasped deepened Neon’s concentration even more.

It was after several more days had passed that Neon perfectly mastered strength control.

---

“Nngh…!”

“You’re doing well.”

Neon practicing strength control while concentrating her mind on her own flesh.

And looking at Neon, who was not paying any attention to this side because she was focused on controlling her strength, I turned to Yeon-ah standing beside me.

“Yeon-ah, did you bring what I asked for?”

“Yes, here is the information on the Hyeonhwa organization led by Cha Baek-gi that you requested, Ancestor.”

“Thank you.”

What I had asked Yeon-ah for was none other than information on the organization led by Neon’s father, Cha Baek-gi.

Yeon-ah handed me a bundle of papers of moderate thickness, adding that she had sent infiltrators to organize it, and I received it and began to read it carefully.

Starting with Cha Baek-gi, the boss of the Hyeonhwa organization, on the very first page, detailed information on subordinate members continued.

As I read through it, while continuing to speed read, I asked Yeon-ah, who had handed me the data collection and was waiting, once again:

“You saw earlier how much physical ability Neon has, right? Is there anyone among these that would be too much for Neon to handle?”

“There is one person.”

“…Who is it?”

“The woman named Raje on the fourth page.”

Flip—

At Yeon-ah’s words, I opened the fourth page and examined the photo and detailed information written there.

A human with impressive red hair and green eyes, probably a mixed-race like Neon.

She was a woman born with ‘precognition’ as an innate ability and implanted with a spirit clan’s gene mana stone.

“As she has received a spirit clan’s gene mana stone implant, she is skilled at using various natural elements in combat. The leader Cha Baek-gi would rather be easy for Neon to handle, but I think it’s almost impossible for Neon to defeat Raje with her strength.”

“I see…”

I don’t know how they smuggled it, but she had implanted a spirit clan’s gene mana stone that competed for the top 10 in world rankings.

And Yeon-ah’s cold judgment that the odds of winning were close to impossible.

Therefore, I tapped the paper while looking at the photo of the woman named Raje, and then made a decision and let out a nasal sound.

“Hmm, if that’s the case, there’s no helping it.”

“Do you plan to kill her?”

“Isn’t it too much for the revenge she’s been harboring all this time to be ruined because of just one slightly stronger person? At least I can’t stand to see such a sight.”

To Yeon-ah’s question if I would kill her, I gave an answer containing an affirmative meaning.

As she had the same revenge cultivated over several years like me, I wanted Neon to succeed in her revenge, unlike me.

I wanted to watch Neon’s revenge end successfully from the side.

So if there was something that would be an obstacle to that, shouldn’t it be removed?

“I’ll have to kill her when following Neon.”

“Since she’s a person from the slums, there shouldn’t be any repercussions even if you kill her.”

“Yes, thank you for the words I wanted to hear, Yeon-ah.”

Neon’s revenge that would begin soon.

For the sake of revenge that must succeed, I steeled my heart as I resolved to take a life after a long time, and hummed as I imagined Neon’s revenge that would come soon.

“Hmm… I’m looking forward to it.”

Since I’m already looking forward to it this much, I hope that day comes quickly.

I earnestly wished and quietly muttered inwardly.