episode_0126

[Episode 126: Three Stages]

“The utilization of Seonki, excluding innate abilities, can be broadly divided into three stages.”

“Yes.”

“The first is enhancing one’s own body, the most fundamental ability.”

With those words, Elder Dongbangsak suddenly rolled up the sleeve of one arm and showed me his muscular forearm.

“Take a look at this arm. Do I seem stronger to you? Like I could easily lift that huge rock over there?”

“…Honestly?”

“Haha! Judging by your response, there’s no need to hear more.”

“Well… um… Of course, compared to the frail old man I knew before, you do appear robust…”

Although he didn’t exude the ruggedness of a wrestler, his appearance was far from feeble, with fresh white hair, long white beard, and a long robe in a scholarly style.

Despite the significant disparity between my image of a scholar and his actual appearance as a middle-aged man with black hair and beard, he couldn’t quite shake off the scholarly look, so his physical strength wasn’t readily apparent.

“Look closely. Even with a body like mine, using Seonki, I can easily manage this much.”

Saying that, he walked confidently towards a large rock in the garden.

“Whoa…? Master, be careful! If you lift that heavy thing like that…!”

Lifting something heavy like that without bending your knees will hurt your back!

Despite my warning, the master paid no heed, bending his waist like a farmer pulling weeds and effortlessly lifting the massive rock.

“Heave-ho! Hah, why are you so worried? I’m a Seonki user, after all! Well… this old man only picked up a stone that fell on the ground…”

No, Master! You had no choice!

You did call it a ‘rock’ at first, but then you called it a ‘stone’! Even though you insist it’s fine…

Seeing the huge rock perched on his fragile arm, the contrast was so stark that it seemed like his arm would snap like a twig at any moment, making me anxious.

“Whoa…! Master, you’re in danger…!”

Was my startled reaction amusing to him?

Now he was doing arm exercises with the rock…

“Ugh… Master? Well, we’ve seen enough for now, so how about putting that down and talking?”

“Haha, humans are always so fussy…”

Even as I urgently asked him to put the rock down, he just chuckled and lightly placed it back where it belonged, smiling mischievously.

“Well… what do you think? Isn’t it amazing that this old man’s feeble arms can do this?”

“Oh, when did I ever disrespect you, Master? It’s just that when lifting heavy things, muscle mass matters, and you use more than just the muscles in your arms… That rock is almost the size of a boulder you’d see at a market…”

“Haha! Just kidding! Kidding! Seems like you have a timid side, don’t you?”

“….”

I can’t deny that. I do have a timid side.

But I had to set the record straight!

On the first day of officially becoming his disciple, even if it was a joke, how could I let the accusation of disrespecting such a revered master stand unchallenged!

“Alright, now that you’ve seen the example, you should understand better, right? By using Seonki like this, you can maximize your inherent physical abilities. It’s not just about strength; it also includes endurance, reaction speed, regeneration, and vision… Well, there are limits to it, but we’ll explain that gradually. For now, let’s focus on explaining the remaining steps.”

“Okay.”

“In the first step, we transformed our internal bodies. So, what do you think the second step involves?”

“Um… probably something external?”

“That’s right. Starting with things in contact with your hands and gradually expanding the range, you’ll be able to transform external objects with Seonki. For example-”

Whoosh!

A sudden gust of wind interrupted the master mid-sentence, making him disappear out of nowhere.

“Oh…”

It seems like today is going to be full of surprises.

“Hey! I’m here, over here!”

At that moment, the voice of the master could be heard from a distance.

Bounding energetically from the edge of the garden, waving his hands excitedly…

‘Wow… How did he do that? Was that teleportation or something?’

Whoosh!

As the wind blew again, the master returned to his original spot seemingly out of thin air.

Enhanced physical abilities didn’t seem particularly impressive, but this was truly astonishing.

“Wow… Master, what was that exactly? It looked like you were taking a step forward, and then suddenly you were right in front of me… Did you move so fast that my eyes couldn’t follow?”

“Haha… Did you see me take a step from that distance?”

“Well, yeah… I did. But how… Can I learn to do that too?”

“Whether you can learn it or not, it might take some time, but it’s possible. This is a form of Seonsul called Chukji.”

“Chukji?”

That Chukji technique?

I know this! It’s like in the Hong Gil-dong story! Flashing from east to west!

Is this really possible?

“You didn’t move quickly; if you had, I would have used that as an example in the first step. You simply folded the ground with Seonsul to take a step.”

Excitement filled the air as hearts raced.

Enhancing night vision with Seonki? Lifting a large rock like it’s nothing for someone with average strength?

Impressive, but less shocking compared to folding the ground and running on it.

It’s one thing to brighten the night with night vision goggles, and while it may be challenging, with training and management, someone talented in strength could easily lift that rock.

But folding the ground to run… That’s a whole different level of ability!

It’s almost like a superpower from a hero movie, isn’t it?

No, maybe more like space-time distortion from a sci-fi movie?

Folding the ground is similar to passing through a wormhole.

Like in Interstellar…

Wait… Was Hong Gil-dong actually science fiction?

“So, in the second step, you can manipulate not only your own body but also objects. From demonstrating Chukji to planting seeds in dry soil or summoning a storm. Oh! Cloning techniques and camouflage also fall under this second step.”

“Wow… Cloning and camouflage too… If the second step is this amazing, what about the third step… Huh? But Master, aren’t cloning and camouflage about altering one’s own body, not external objects? Wouldn’t that be closer to the first step…”

“What? Haha!”

Did my question sound strange?

The master burst into laughter loudly.

“It’s a truly fresh and curious thought you have there! Yes, I too had similar questions when I first studied Seonki. Memories from long ago are coming back to me… Haha… Oh! To answer your question, cloning and camouflage indeed differ from the first step. They involve transforming concepts.”

“Oh…”

“Quite challenging, isn’t it? It’s understandable if it seems that way at first. Nonetheless, it’s alright; you don’t necessarily need to grasp this right now.”

“Yes, Master.”

Hmm… Well, the initial phase was about further developing the abilities inherent in the physical body, but projection and disguise are capabilities that humans typically lack…

I’m not entirely sure if my thoughts are accurate, but it seems like a rough understanding should suffice for now.

“The third ability is related to a person’s mind.”

“The mind?”

“(Yes. That’s precisely the nature of this ability.)”

“Huh?”

“Fascinating, isn’t it?”

This… The way Hyeongdan speaks to me after projecting himself is somewhat similar, resonating not through the ears but within the mind…

Hyeongdan mentioned I could learn this too. So, that was the third stage?

“At this stage, one can convey their inner voice to others and even easily discern aspects of others’ inner selves. It’s the most challenging and difficult stage to master. Imagination is crucial here. Once proficient in this third stage, one can even seduce and captivate people with their aura.”

“Oh… That sounds a bit scary. It implies the ability to manipulate someone’s mind.”

“Haha, it’s not as coercive an ability as that. It merely distracts momentarily.”

Continuously reminded by Master’s words, Hyeongdan keeps coming to mind.

Hyeongdan also mentioned captivating people, so is he familiar with the third stage?

But Hyeongdan is a goblin, does he use projection like this? Does projection have a similar third stage?

Well… I’ll have to ask about this later.

“To conclude, our disciples refer to these three stages collectively as Cheonil (天一), Jiil (地一), and Taiil (太一). The first Cheonil signifies harmonizing all creation, the second Jiil means nurturing all creation, and the third Taiil represents governing all creation.”

“Phew… It’s somewhat complex to understand, isn’t it?”

“Haha, as I mentioned earlier, it’s not essential to comprehend everything immediately. Now, a rough explanation of the three stages has concluded. It’s time to start training diligently from the first stage. Are you prepared?”

“Yes! Of course! I’m full of enthusiasm right now!”

“Is that so? That’s great. Well then, start by lifting that boulder over there.”

Uh… Excuse me?

“Master… Is that thing you just consumed what you’re referring to? Are you talking about that huge rock?”

“What else would it be? Where else do you see a boulder around here? Oh, perhaps this size doesn’t impress you? Haha… Don’t be too greedy. Greed tends to lead to downfall. Let’s start slowly with something small.”

No way…! Master… That’s small? You really think it’s small? How am I supposed to lift that with strength when I don’t even know how to use aura yet…

Are you serious?

“What’s wrong? Stop overthinking and just do it. Everyone starts like this. Haha, at least you’ve been blessed. Where in heaven would you find a master who jumps straight into training like this? When I was learning, I started with cooking and laundry. You’re lucky… Those were good times…”

“……”

He was dead serious.

With no choice, I continue to move towards the massive rock ahead, listening to Master’s ongoing anecdotes as if they were background music, trudging along towards the imposing boulder…