episode_0068

*****

‘Why are you coming now, everyone is already dead… .’

‘You’re a hero, right? It’s called the Four Heroes! Then do something!’

‘Just go, please! If we save those people, we will all die! If we all die because of you, will you take responsibility!?’

‘Don’t you think so? If they had killed me properly back then, those people would have been alive and well by now, or something like that. ‘Why did I do that? Why did I spare the psychotic woman in front of me?’

‘I think I’d be really happy if I was regretting it.’

***

A strong and strong morning!

I looked at the clock and saw that it was about 30 minutes earlier than the time I set the alarm. … Well, sometimes things like this happen. I got out of bed without any regrets.

Just put on your favorite sweats, tie up your long hair, and you’re ready.

At first, the positions where they were tied were all mixed up, but now I think the angles are pretty set. I do it almost every day, so it would be natural.

I leave the house carefully, avoiding presence, so as not to disturb my neighbors. From the cold air and dark dawn sky, I could feel that it was winter now.

Now, let’s try running lightly.

Jogging is a routine I do every morning, but it doesn’t actually have much effect. Because it is difficult for this body to see the effects of exercise. Even though it’s been two months, I still quickly run out of breath without magical energy.

Still, I’ve become somewhat accustomed to that feeling now. When you feel like you can’t run, just a little more. Afterwards, magical energy flows little by little only to the lungs and heart.

This is my own design to run with less horsepower. For the average person, the limit of cardiorespiratory endurance comes before the body gets tired. At least not having muscle pain would be salvation.

“Whoo… .”

Stops after traveling a few kilometers. Maybe it’s because my physical state doesn’t change, but I always end up in the same place.

After jogging is over, the next step is to practice simple basic movements. Originally, I did things like push-ups, but I changed to this because I wanted to go back to the basics a little bit if there was no physical change anyway.

Still, I miss it again. In the past, we have done the same thing 10,000 times by imposing a regime of gratitude. Although Baeksik Kannon did not appear, he was able to throw a punch at the speed of sound, so I think he was halfway successful.

“Oh, army hi.”

It’s a surprise. I was a little surprised because I knew someone was coming, but I didn’t expect them to talk to me. The person walking from the other side of the clearing was Brunhild──Hyeran.

“You also exercise early in the morning? Is it originally done here?”

“After coming here. You too?”

“No, I run as much as I want depending on how I feel each day. I never thought I’d meet you. Should I run this way too?”

I was surprised at first, but if you think about it, it’s not that strange. If you exercise before school, the times will overlap to some extent. Maybe I passed by another Cheonmyeong High School student without my knowledge.

“This is my first time seeing you with your hair tied up. It suits you well!”

“Uh… , yes.”

I was a little embarrassed because the compliment came out so casually. I just tied it because if I run without magical power, my head won’t be fixed and it will shake.

Maybe it’s like a greeting to girls? Should I give it back just because it looks good on me? But Hyeran knows that I am a man. I don’t know about women, but I think it would be strange for a man to say something like that because it seems like he’s trying to do something.

My mind was spinning, but Hyeran didn’t seem to care and continued with her next words. I’m really glad I didn’t say anything… .

“Do you want to practice like we’ve already met?”

“I like it.”

“Good, I was bored doing it alone all the time. Even if you ask Hyeji to run with you, she’s stuck in the bed and won’t come out.”

Because it is difficult for an awakened person to maintain more than basic strength. Even if the awakened person’s natural physical strength is low, he or she can become stronger depending on the amount or control of magical power. Unless you have the potential to strengthen your body, increasing your natural strength is less efficient over time.

Of course, it is not in vain. Strength is created by layering these simple efforts. The Brünnhild in front of us probably has this kind of diligence, which is why she has achieved such achievements that Junseok sometimes gives her guidance.

It’s funny, but I felt a little envious of that. In my case, no matter how hard I try, I don’t get much results. My morning routine is practically like a hobby now.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll do some stretching first.”

“I’m just starting too. Let’s do it together.”

Stretch first before light sparring. At first we did it separately, but as we did it, we ended up doing the same movements. Stretching becomes difficult if you go too hard.

“Wow, Army, your flexibility is no joke.”

While looking at each other’s posture, an exclamation of exclamation came from Hyeran’s side. Raise one leg from a standing position. It may seem simple, but the level of difficulty increases dramatically when the leg you are lifting rises above your chest.

As Hyeran said, the flexibility of the body is currently at an excellent level. The lifted leg, body, and supporting leg draw an almost perfect straight line.

This innate flexibility was one of the big factors that allowed me to use my old skills, even if only to a limited extent. I can’t keep it up for very long because I don’t have enough strength.

“Hye-ran, you are pretty too.”

Flexibility is an essential element in most martial arts. Of course, Hyeran’s flexibility was also excellent. If you add magical power to it, there won’t be much difference from me.

Of course, in this case, the basic physics of my body make no sense.

“Let’s play a light game.”

“Do it gently.”

Hyeran took out a wooden sword from her pocket and I took a pose with my bare hands. Since neither of them uses magical power, they stop the attack appropriately in front of the body.

The first move was Hyeran’s diagonal cut. Compared to usual, it’s a slow attack that makes you yawn, but my body’s performance is worse than that. If you don’t predict the move in advance, you can’t even dream of evasion.

In other words, if you predict the action in advance, it also means that something will happen just in the nick of time. I dodged the attack and burrowed into Hyeran’s arms.

As if Hyeran had expected this, her knee flew into the dug-in area. If it were a real fight, I would have attacked with the intention of breaking that knee, but now it’s just practice. I reached forward and blocked my knees.

──No, wait. It’s not blocked, but this is it.

“Pfft!”

“Huh?”

As my posture collapsed due to the slightly extended checkerboard, Hyeran’s expression turned into embarrassment. But that was it, Hyeran’s wooden sword was chasing me, whose posture had collapsed, without mercy.

If things continue like this, you’ll get hit on the head and it’s game over. In a situation where your posture has collapsed, you probably thought it could not be reversed. I could feel Hyeran putting more effort into her sword.

The moment when there was no room to change the path. I quickly swung my arm.

“!?”

“Okay, the end of this round.”

Before I knew it, the wooden sword had gone a long way, and my fist was stuck in front of Hyeran’s eyes. Hyeran was blank for a moment, but then she grabbed my outstretched hand and ran away.

“Awesome! How did you just do that!? RBI vertically? No, that alone is not enough to kill the momentum.”

“It was cut diagonally, not vertically.”

I briefly explained the theory. At first, Hyeran had a question mark above her head, but she soon seemed to understand and was seen swinging her sword a few times.

Although it was a simple downward motion, I was able to see that the meaning of the movement changed slightly. I heard he definitely has talent.

“Let’s do it a few more times, okay?”

“Okay. Because there was something I wanted to test too.”

The short sparring without using magical power continued several more times.

After sparring, Hyeran looked very refreshed, but I couldn’t help it. In the end, this is because we have reaffirmed the physical limitations of this body.

The height difference between Hyeran and I is about 20cm. Moreover, looking at Hyeran’s exposed arms and legs, you can see that she has quite a bit of muscle. On the other hand, no matter where I touch it, it only feels soft, not solid.

After Hyeran noticed the difference, she trusted her physical strength and attacked more boldly. If I had done it a few more times, I probably wouldn’t have lost.

This is a big deal when dealing with enemies that affect magical power. Of course, I have a fairly high understanding of magical power, so I won’t be easily neutralized, but if the cases and conditions overlap, I may face a quite dangerous situation.

I guess there is no proper solution.

“I really deserve to be called the teacher’s favorite student──Oh, sorry. Stop without even realizing it.”

Hye-ran hurriedly covered her mouth, perhaps because the words came out while she was trying to praise them. I don’t really care. Still, to react like that… .

“Do I look like I care that much about rumors?”

“Huh? Well, okay? It’s okay, if something like that gets out, anyone will care.”

That’s not the part I care about. Still, that’s right. At least from the side, I seemed to pay quite a bit of attention to the rumors.

Actually, the answer was there. A dream I had this morning. I was feeling offended by it.

I felt that such a dream was a ‘nightmare’, and after struggling to escape, I woke up early.

Wouldn’t it be impossible to still claim that there is nothing wrong with such a topic? Hyeran’s words are nothing more than one more piece of evidence to that fact.

However, how to accept it was another matter.

“See you later at school!”

“Okay, see you later.”

Since we were going in different directions with Hyeran, we parted ways in an empty lot. From now on, we may often do morning exercise together. I watched Hyeran walking away and slowly ran in the opposite direction.

In fact, it is common for people to change. It’s like coming to hate the food you liked as a child, or like the villain in a story changing his mind.

And the change isn’t a bad thing. Didn’t Hyeran say that too? Everyone cares about bad rumors about themselves. Rather, it could be said that the old days of being indifferent to such things were an abnormality.

It would be something to celebrate if the emotions that were unusual became closer to normal.

Why can’t this anxiety go away in my heart?

[Don’t be caught up in that feeling.]

Another voice was engraved in my mind. My intuition told me that these worries were meaningless.

Just accept yourself as you have changed.

But this time, I couldn’t just accept those words. Intuition basically suggests the optimal choice, but the optimal choice is not synonymous with the choice without regret. In the end, the outcome and what I feel about the process are up to me.

If you can’t come up with an answer even after thinking about it, just hold off. Even though the emotions I feel have changed, it does not mean that what I have done has changed.

What I will do will not change either.

Because I am a hero.

***

“Heroes don’t do things like this… .”

“ARMY is broken.”

“That guy was the weakest among our Four Heavenly Kings.”

“Jungyoung’s concept also went back to the old days.”

At this moment, the atmosphere in the class was largely divided into three types. Those who are satisfied with the results they have achieved with a small smile, and those who are purely happy that one big ordeal is over, regardless of the result.

And those who despair at the results of their ordeal.

“I, I don’t know… . What on earth does this mean? .”

“Why don’t the villains attack during exam time?”

“Someone write a meteor spell for the school… .”

Looking again, I found that the third case was a bit much.

“It looks good, haha! That’s what happens when you make a bet or something. Say goodbye to your wallet!”

“Bye bye, my pretty allowance.”

“Fafnir, you probably don’t have time to shout out loud.”

I was dealing damage to guys who seemed to have lower scores than me, but I got hit back. When I turned around, clutching my pounding chest, I saw Cheolgu sighing and looking at me.

“My, how do you know whether I did well on the test or not? Is there proof that you didn’t see it right, huh!?”

“I would like to say that the reaction itself is proof. Since I was in the first four seats, I took a quick look at the answer sheet as I was putting it away. Special is okay, but regular is… .”

Cheol-gu sighed and shook his head. Uh, what is it? Am I that serious?

“You didn’t see it properly, so don’t look so lost. But I will definitely lose to Kang Seo-yoon.”

“… Are you that good?”

“In the first place, having a high status in the corporate world means being the successor to the company. Everyone is receiving that much education. This school’s exam is not that difficult by the standards of a liberal arts high school, so you won’t get more than one mistake.”

The only thing wrong with it is when you make a mistake. What are these talented guys?

“Then there was no chance of winning from the beginning?”

“Looking at it now, it’s like that. I was curious as to what kind of person he was betting on, but I never thought he had any idea… .”

“There are times when ARMYs secretly bump into each other, right?”

“It’s okay, just look at the practical skills!”

There is still a chance to make up for it. The practical portion of the test is greater, so you can make a difference there.

Of course, if the practical skills come out easily, it’s a big deal.

“So in the end, what is it, are you here to tease me? You used it as a pitching machine for training? The boy is so upset!”

“That was the result of losing the bet, so I have no complaints. Rather, just as I faithfully carried out the price I lost in the bet, you must also carry out faithfully.”

“Ah─, ah─. I can’t hear you~.”

“Hey… . Anyway, what I want to say is this. It’s important, so listen carefully.”

It’s a bit of a joke to say something like that. I also stopped shaking my head and got ready to listen properly.

As if responding to my attitude, Cheolgu pushed up his glasses and opened his mouth with a serious expression.

“I did well on the test.”

“… You’re so dead today, huh!?”

“I don’t really understand what the idiot is saying.”

Cheol-gu shook his head like I had just done and returned to his seat. I even used my magic power on the back of the angry person’s head to bundle up the test papers and throw them to him. It was deflected by telekinesis and missed.

“He also secretly hates losing.”

“Until Ami came, there had never been a major defeat other than Eonryeongsa Temple.”

“It’s not over yet. There are still a lot of test papers──”

“Everyone, please take your seats.”

As I was preparing to stuff all the remaining test papers into the back of Cheol-gu’s head, Jun-seok came into the classroom. I had no choice but to put the test paper, which had been rolled up sharply, back under the desk.

Afterwards, I had a hard time taking the exam and was constantly encouraged to do well in the practical exam. It was an obvious story, except that the person speaking seemed to have no intention of encouraging anything.

However, everyone could not help but prick up their ears at the story that came after that.

“And this final practical exam. Teams were randomly selected. ”

It seemed like there would be more explanation, but Junseok instead explained by handing out printouts. The kids in the class, including me, had become accustomed to Junseok’s style, so instead of expecting further explanation, we quickly scanned the print with our eyes.

The test method was the same, but everyone seemed to be concerned about who they were on a team with. I also looked for that part first.

And as soon as I confirmed that part, I ran out of the seat.

“Now, wait a minute, teacher!”

As soon as Junseok handed out the printouts, he said it was the end of the funeral and went out, so I followed him in a huff. Even the word ‘teacher’, which I normally force myself to say, comes out spontaneously because the situation is so desperate.

Fortunately, I was stopped when I was told that I was being treated as a student and that I was a teacher.

“I’m sorry, but how can I change this team arrangement?”

“No. It has already been submitted to superiors. There is no change.”

“Actually, things are not going well with him right now──”

“I am fully aware that such a thing exists. So, let’s try to get along better with each other through this practical session.”

──I was rejected with this feeling.

You don’t really think that camaraderie will grow if you fight on the same team, right? I wanted to believe it wasn’t the case, but Junseok’s face as he turned around showed a sense of pride as if he had done his job as a teacher properly.

The print slips out of my hands as I am dumbfounded by my student’s old-fashioned power. One of the teams listed there was composed like this.

[Kim A-mi, Kang Seo-yoon]

… Okay, let’s think about how to put a big bow in advance.

*****