episode_0100

*****

“Up to here. Anything more than this will be hard on your body.”

“… Thank you for your hard work.”

haha. The sound of heavy breathing rings in my ears as if it were someone else’s. I looked at the clock and it already said 4 PM. Even taking lunch time into account, I ran for over 6 hours.

There is still more we can do. I forcibly stopped that stubbornness from rising. As Jun-seok said, I am close to my limit now.

“Why are you so nervous? Take some time to relax.”

Even Junseok is breathing a little fast. What I did now was that level of hard training. So much so that I could see a lot of worry in Junseok’s eyes when he looked at me.

I’m nervous, d. I was definitely feeling quite anxious.

The cause is simple. Because training isn’t going well. In particular, the lack of final blows cannot be corrected.

In fact, it is a problem that can be solved immediately if you use concept manipulation. If you use it, you will also use the dragon’s power. When I remembered the image of the priestess when we broke up, I didn’t want to ignore her advice.

“Destructive power. It’s not increasing.”

“… Were you really thinking about that?”

Junseok says this as if it’s absurd, but to me, it’s just unfair. Wasn’t Jun-seok the one who pointed out my destructive power as my problem when I started special training?

When I stuck out my mouth in protest, Junseok made an excuse while stroking his unkempt beard.

“No, I shouldn’t have been that intelligent. I told you, right? Those things can’t be fixed overnight.”

“But it’s still an exchange game. Results must be achieved by then… .”

“I didn’t mean it that way.”

Suddenly, as if without thinking, Junseok’s arm rose and then stopped. According to Changhyuk’s official statement, that action appears to be an attempt to pat his head.

I don’t really have any intention of refusing that much. Junseok flinched for a moment and then crossed his arms. Could it be that he thinks it was natural?

“You are already strong enough. What I mentioned back then was only an idealistic theory, not a suggestion to put it into practice right away.”

“Anyway, if you can do it, you’ll become stronger, right?”

“I told you, it won’t happen overnight. If you keep pushing yourself like that, you will end up going back further. A style change is enough for now.”

That’s enough. If you look at it by ordinary standards, it may be so.

But I already heard about China’s deterioration from So Baek-hyang. If it is because of Genesis, I feel uneasy with its current level of power.

“Once again, take your time. You just have to be strong in your own way. Because you are not Kwon Seong.”

From Jun-seok’s perspective, it would have seemed like he wanted to follow the methods of his teacher, Kwon-seong. That’s why I’m telling you that there’s no need to push yourself to become that strong.

Unfortunately, I was right.

“… yes. I will.”

Still, I agreed with Junseok’s words. It’s true that I’ve been overdoing things recently due to lack of results. I am aware that I am anxious and cling to things that are not very effective.

I think I need to cool my head a bit.

Anyway, that’s how the day’s training ended. Now, if I wash up and head towards the training ground, my work for the day will be over.

With that in mind, I went to the training ground and found it half empty. Now that I think about it, was today the day of the preliminaries?

“Why are you looking so blankly?”

“Reflecting on the importance of the sense of date.”

In response to my answer, Kang Seo-yoon shook her head. Gray short hair soaked in sweat shakes heavily along with it. Looks like he was training too.

However, right now, he was sitting in a corner of the training ground looking at his smartphone as if he was resting. If it’s horizontal, does that mean you’re watching a video?

“What are you looking at?”

“Can you please stop coming too close? It smells like sweat.”

“I washed it properly!?”

“It’s not about you.”

Oh, I see. The line ‘I smell’ suited Kang Seo-yoon so well that I thought she had inadvertently said it to me.

But it doesn’t smell as strange as you say. I approached the nape of my neck and smelled it, but it actually smelled rather nice.

“It’s okay, it doesn’t smell much.”

“You really… .”

“… ? Why?”

“No, it’s okay. Because I was foolish for expecting delicacy from you.”

Kang Seo-yoon, whose cold expression more than doubled, repeatedly told Shin-ah, or the trainer, not to do that. First of all, I nodded, but what are you telling me not to do?

Anyway, I succeeded in sitting next to Kang Seo-yoon. So what Kang Seo-yoon was watching was a video of awakened people fighting each other 1:1.

“You fight pretty well. Is this a textbook video?”

“Has your sense of date disappeared again? Today is the competition day.”

“Wow, that was broadcast!?”

“No way. Our company collects it separately.”

aha. Well, since this is a competition where people who are confident in their skills will come out, it will be useful in many ways if you keep a record of it. There is a risk that it may turn into a gore video, so it cannot be released to the public.

Every time Kang Seo-yoon touches the screen, the match shown on the video changes. Even though I was pressing it quite quickly, there was no overlap whatsoever.

“There are so many people.”

“Because general participation was allowed.”

I knew about that news. There are five people from China participating in the exchange, and there are five people from Cheonmyeong High School. I heard that six more people will be added to play in the round of 16, and those six will be selected through a separate preliminary round.

Of course, participation is not unlimited, so there was an age limit of 25. It was said that it was based on the oldest among the Chinese participants.

“But no matter how you look at that person over there, he looks like he’s over 30. Why are there so many foreigners there?”

“The addition of six people was a trick for our country to benefit from the number of people. So, China randomly gave them identity and put them in.”

So, it means that they were actively doing despicable things to each other. Patriotism is rising quickly.

Even so, it would not have been possible to include a strong person with a known face, that is, an A-level hero in our country. Of course, even B-class opponents are not easy and there are cases of disguise, so you can’t let down your guard.

“So did you find your classmates?”

“Not yet. … I found it.”

“Oh, it’s Jeongyoung.”

On the screen, Jeongyoung, wearing an all-black hero suit, was fighting. I used the same thing I rented during my experiential learning experience last time.

Not only is it difficult to recognize because it blends in with the shadows, but it is probably also subject to a weak camouflage spell. The opponent was unable to respond at all to the movements of Jeong Young, who had come and gone, and was being toyed with.

“If you look at it this way, Jabberwock is also quite strong.”

“Right?”

“Because we formed a team with a protection inspector, we would have been scouted by the company a long time ago. And I’m not complimenting you, so don’t be puffed up.”

Hwa-in’s growth is incredible, but Jeong-young has also become considerably stronger. During experiential learning, I even kept pace with Hyeran. In addition, most of the Cheonmyeong High School students who applied for the preliminaries were doing well.

Well, graduates of Cheonmyeong High School are usually judged as B-class heroes. Children who stand out at this point will have the same or higher level of power as the graduates, so they will most likely have the upper hand.

And it was the same for Chinese people.

“Okay, nice!”

Hwain’s sword accurately cut through the opponent’s magic cannon. This is an excellent example of not seeing a magic cannon, but understanding the flow just before launch.

The opponent tried to increase the distance, but the path was already occupied by the flame. The other person, who was cornered even though it wasn’t a corner, shouted surrender as Hwa-in’s sword was thrust at his neck.

Is this the painter who was begging in the early days? The real Hwain is a legend… .

“How did you do it?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“He was a protection inspector until not long ago. But I heard that you blocked the lich’s magic from the front not long ago.”

As I was impressed by Hwain’s growth, Kang Seo-yoon asked me that. It was at that time that Hwain started to dabble in concept manipulation. Actually, I was very disappointed that it didn’t work out when I tried to do it again.

“I didn’t do anything in particular.”

“Lie. Surtur became that strong after you taught him. I heard everything from Cheol-gu.”

“No, it’s true.”

Of course, I helped Hwain get stronger faster, but that’s because Hwain’s original talent is enormous. Especially when it comes to the eyes of the mind, he has more talent than I do.

The only people I can say I taught are Junseok and Hwain. Among them, Hwa-in is a cheat who knows everything from his growth process to his complete body, and Jun-seok also knew about his potential in advance.

In other words, the reason those two became stronger was because they became what they should be, not because I taught them.

“… Yes.”

When Jun-seok left out Woon-woon, Kang Seo-yoon let out a small sigh. I thought you asked simply because you were curious. It seems like he’s more discouraged than he thought.

“Is it because you were selected for this exchange match?”

“Yes. I’m not confident that I can do as well as you guys.”

“Well, it’s just an exchange match. Take it easy.”

“Thank you for the comfort, but we have a lot at stake.”

Now that I think about it, I thought Changhyuk was important to the company. I feel a bit embarrassed because I feel like I said something pointless.

For reference, there are five participants on our side, including Seol-ah, Hye-ran, Cheol-gu, Kang Seo-yoon and me. Considering that Kang Seo-yoon’s potential is in the support direction, unlike the other four, it will definitely not be easy.

It’s not that the support potential is particularly bad. Rather, the demand is very high. However, working as a member of a conglomerate family also highlights aspects other than usefulness.

“It would have been nice if I were as strong as you and Eonryeongsa.”

As Kang Seo-yoon said that, a bitter smile typical of a resigned person appeared on her face.

“Okay, let’s train!”

“Even a sparrow won’t forget what it said before it takes three steps. Did you even run in place?”

“Just say new head… .”

“I don’t like it because it looks vulgar.”

I wondered what they were talking about, but now that I understand it, I hope they know how I felt when I sold it. Why is he so cold to me?

“Why don’t we train together? It may be impossible to grow to the level of a painter, but I am confident that I can be of some help.”

“He said he already took a shower. You’re sorry if you sweat because of me.”

“You have to take a shower again. I can do this much for my friend.”

“Who is your friend anyway?”

Awesome. I tried to sneak past it, but it cut me like a knife. How high is Kang Seo-yoon’s friend’s hurdle?

“Then, if you lose to China, I will help you because you will be in trouble. Is this enough?”

“… That’s it.”

Only then did Kang Seo-yoon put away her cell phone and stand up. For some reason, I feel exhausted even before I start training.

If I think about it carefully, even during the last exam, I placed emphasis on contracts and always offered compensation when I did something. Am I the type of person who cannot accept favor without reason?

Fortunately, the training went smoothly. Since the special training with Jun-seok left her physically weak, I watched Kang Seo-yoon’s movements and gave her tips, and she absorbed everything she taught her like a sponge.

Clearly, Kang Seo-yoon is also an excellent talent. The people around me are literally kids straight out of a novel, so I’m just relatively pushed out.

I enjoyed teaching, so the time passed quickly as I taught various things. I was about to finish it, but Kang Seo-yoon was looking at me as if I was dumbfounded.

“How do you know this?”

“… A successor to Kwon Seong?”

“Assuming you have the know-how to stack buffs, you can do that. But what about differentiating buffs for each muscle? Did Kwon Seong teach you that too?”

It’s not particularly strange that Kwon Seong knows that. When I was on active duty, I often received buffs from priestesses. So, those little tips and know-how are literally engraved on your body.

But whether Kwon Seong taught it to his students was a slightly different matter, right… ?

As I was hesitating and unable to answer, Kang Seo-yoon let out a small sigh and took a step closer.

“Okay, I’ll just do it like that this time. So don’t be so upset.”

“No? You’re so relaxed, right?”

“If you talk nonsense, I will braid your hair.”

That’s a novel threat again.

In order to avoid the disaster of having my hair made up pretty, I fully accepted Kang Seo-yoon’s request. So, I hope you will stop looking at my hair as if you regret it.

“You know what? I said I would braid your hair if you talked nonsense, but I didn’t say I would leave your hair alone if you stopped talking nonsense.”

“That’s a scam! Oh, wait, if I really touch it… .”

“No?”

“It’s not impossible, but you might be wet with sweat… .”

“Then it’s teacher.”

What the heck is teacher!

I even felt a strange spirit from Kang Seo-yoon, who was determined to decorate me. Will I end up leaving school with a fancy hairstyle like this again? The moment you fall into despair,

It rattled. The door to the training center opened like a savior.

“Wow, it’s empty.”

“Permission to use this facility has been received. Today, I will personally check the performance of that training barrier… .”

correction. What came was not a savior, but an enemy.

Three of the people from China—a large man, a girl in flashy clothes, and a gloomy boy—frozen as they looked at us. The first two are the only ones frozen, and the boy seems to be just dazed, but whatever.

Right now, Kang Seo-yoon is staying close to me, braiding my hair. So what do we look like from the angle of those three people? I don’t want to know, but I think I’ll find out.

“Now, wait a minute. Seoyoon.”

“Why? Those people don’t care, right?”

“I’ll let you touch me freely later. Huh?”

“… I can’t help it.”

Kang Seo-yoon took a step back with the brightest smile she had ever seen. I have an uneasy feeling that I’ve cut off a blank check that shouldn’t be paid, but this is the priority right now.

“What’s going on here?”

“Hmm. I’m truly sorry for unintentionally disturbing you──”

“That is a mistake!”

“You seem to have a lot of misunderstandings.”

Come to think of it, did something similar happen last time? I don’t know why they keep showing up at strange times.

“So, are you going to start a fight again?”

“Amitabha Buddha. I simply wanted to use this training ground. I heard that there are very few people using it today. Permission was obtained properly, but… .”

The giant’s expression becomes slightly subtle. They probably thought we were there to cheer them on too. If you use this training ground, you will want to try something drastic that goes beyond the scope of practice, but it will be uncomfortable if you have us as your opponent.

It wouldn’t be impossible to keep sitting here and interrupting.

“Good training. Because we will go.”

“Oh, is that okay?”

“The training just ended. You have to practice well and bring something amazing? I will break it from the front.”

“Haha! You are so generous.”

While doing this, I tried to lightly provoke him by sticking out my fist. Well, this is probably a joke.

In fact, if we continue to stay, it will only get worse. Kang Seo-yoon knew that too, so she followed me without saying anything.

… You know, so you’re not saying anything, right? I believe that it’s not because I’m so full of thoughts about decorating my hair that I don’t have time to think about other things.

“Wait… .”

I thought the only thing left to do was get out of the training ground. The sullen boy who had never spoken before spoke for the first time.

The reason he is said to be gloomy is because his long bangs cover his eyes. Last time I saw it, the gaze itself felt like potential, but I couldn’t see the face properly.

Still, at this distance, you can see the face to some extent. And I realized why his gaze bothered me so much.

The more I look at it, the more I think I’ve seen it somewhere else. That sense of déjà vu continues to ring like an alarm bell.

“You are that person’s daughter, right… ?”

I didn’t even think about correcting the expression “daughter.” When he said ‘that person’ in his voice, I felt a faint heat that felt as if my spine was freezing.

But even then, I felt nothing from his gaze. No, I feel like I can feel something, but I can’t seem to catch it.

I’m embarrassed because this is the first time I’ve experienced something like this since I became able to feel the other person’s gaze and emotions. Surprisingly, I may have relied quite heavily on this potential to understand people.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I missed the opportunity to reply, but the other person didn’t seem to mind at all. No, on the contrary, he slowly reached out his hand to me.

It’s too slow to start a fight like last time. However, it was hard to even call it a handshake; the hand was coming towards where my face was. If you continue like this, you will touch my cheek.

Of course, I have no hobby of having my cheek touched by a man I don’t know. I grabbed his wrist and stopped him from moving.

“What should we do now──Huh?”

At that moment, I felt a strange sense of discomfort. At the same time, the surrounding reactions also became noisy.

But even if you put it all together, it didn’t reach the change that was right before your eyes. I felt a burning desire in the boy’s eyes looking at me.

“You can see it?”

“What on earth is that──”

“You can see it, you can see it! Ahaha! Yes, you can see it too!”

The boy, who had been laughing as if he had lost his mind, continued giggling and mumbling something after that. Most of them were words related to ‘being seen’.

see? what? … Mind’s eye?

Suddenly I realized one thing. He wasn’t really looking at me until just now. Although the gaze was directed.

It was after I stopped his hand that he truly ‘saw’ me.

“Hwi.”

Stand tall. The boy’s movements stopped. The pose remains as if time has stopped.

The woman in fancy clothes smiled heartily and stepped forward as if to hide the boy.

“Sorry~! Because our Hwi is a sick child. I caused trouble.”

“Ah, yes… .”

If the term “sick child” is actually used as a condescending language, you will not be able to say anything. I answered her question, trying my best not to reveal my true feelings.

“It’s okay, I was just a little surprised.”

“That’s a good thing~. But is there anything you can guess about this name ‘Hwi’?”

“… Not at all.”

After seeing that boy and feeling a sense of déjà vu, I felt strange being asked this question. What does it really have to do with me?

But no matter how much I search through my memories, there is no one like that among the people I know. Be it appearance or name.

I’m not that good at remembering people, so I’m not confident… .

Sigh.

I felt Kang Seo-yoon pulling on my sleeve behind me. Thanks to that, I came to my senses and quickly said hello and hurried out of the training ground.

“Wow, I was surprised.”

“What on earth is this… ?”

“That’s right. What on earth is China thinking?”

“That side, no, that side is strange too. Anyway, that’s not what I’m trying to say.”

No? Could anything be more impressive than that from our previous encounter?

Surprisingly, there was.

“I was surprised by you too. How did you stop that hand?”

“How did you stop it? I just caught what was coming slowly?”

“That was slow?”

It seems that there was a huge difference between my perception and other people’s perception. According to what Kang Seo-yoon told me, the moment he looked at me, I was suddenly holding his hand.

“I thought time had stopped. I was even more surprised that you were blocking it.”

“What about the other two?”

“Both seemed surprised. I’m not sure, but.”

In other words, it means that it was seen that way by other people as well. If you think about it a little more, I think you can figure out what happened.

As I pondered what that meant, I realized one thing. Now the only thing left to do was to go home, but somehow we ended up in the direction of the main school building.

Could it be the enemy’s trap… !

“Don’t make a stupid face and come quickly. I’ll finish it in 30 minutes.”

It’s just that Kang Seo-yoon came here. I was so lost in my thoughts that I just followed Kang Seo-yoon and didn’t notice.

“But finishing it, what?”

“You promised, right? They let me touch them as much as I want.”

oh. Now that I think about it, I said that because I was in a hurry.

The sun is already setting outside. Isn’t it too late? Just before I said that, I could barely keep my mouth shut.

The moment Kang Seo-yoon says it’s late, she unconditionally makes an appointment for later. Because I felt that way.

It’s better to get hit early, and it’s better to finish it in 30 minutes than to be held for several hours.

As a side note, today was dumpling head. I had to take a proof photo at home after school and send it to her, but Kang Seo-yoon seemed satisfied, so let’s say it went well.

Incline tax, ramp tax.

*****