Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Was I a Talent Monster?
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I quickly slipped out of An Young Sister's house at dawn. If anyone caught me, it would've been a disaster.
Of course, I'd left a note beforehand, so she wouldn't freak out or anything.
Was it because it was so early?
Thankfully, there wasn't a soul outside. Talk about lucky.
I grabbed a taxi and headed home.
And just like that, I made it back safely.
'Phew, I shouldn't crash here again next time.'
Between the booze and the intense sex, I'd passed out alongside An Young Sister without thinking.
Guess I'll have to be more careful from now on.
I got home, took a shower, and flopped onto the bed.
Thud.
"Phew, nothing beats your own bed."
Her place was spacious and all, but home sweet home was still the best. I stretched out and savored the comfort.
Something felt off, though. Like I'd forgotten something.
'What is it? Feels like I overlooked something important...'
I lay there pondering for a bit, then bolted upright.
"Oh yeah! Morning training!"
I rushed to the computer and hit play on the video.
Ever since getting Fist King Fist, I hadn't skipped a single day of practice. And I usually trained in the mornings.
Put simply, it was go-time.
Soon, the grizzled old man with the scruffy beard appeared on screen.
[From today, this old master will teach you the heart method of Fist King Fist.]
'Oh! The heart method!'
My eyes lit up.
As I'd mentioned before, there were plenty of forms-only martial arts on Newtube, but none came with a proper heart method.
So, I had to focus hard.
The old man's explanation continued.
[The heart method that gathers the world's energy into your dantian after aligning the Twelve Standard Meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians is called Fist King Heart Method. To begin, start at the dantian, then move to the Gate of Life, Spinal Center, Body Pillar, Great Vertebra...]
Not a single word made sense. For a second, I thought it was alien gibberish.
No wonder heart methods were so tough to learn.
But didn't I say it before?
The old man explained things as simply as any online instructor.
[Of course, you won't get it right away.]
I nodded at the monitor. Spot on.
[First things first: sense your qi. Visualize a virtual dantian just below your navel. Imagine gathering warm qi there.]
I paused the video, sat cross-legged on the bed, and rested my hands on my knees.
Soon, my eyes drifted shut.
'Sense qi, huh?'
No clue what that meant, but I followed my master's instructions.
'This world's different from my old one. Overflowing with qi, they say.'
Stuff like that popped up on TV or the net sometimes. Probably the key difference between my old world and this one.
I sat still, trying to feel the qi.
'Like this?'
I knew where the dantian was—right below the navel.
I pictured warm qi pooling there.
Of course, it wasn't easy.
I felt absolutely nothing.
But I didn't give up.
'Keep at it till it works.'
My master wouldn't spout nonsense. There had to be something to feel.
About two hours later?
'Hm?!'
Suddenly, I felt something warm settle below my navel.
At first, I thought I'd imagined it.
But it was real.
Focus, and there it was—a tiny, rice-grain-sized warmth.
'This is qi!!'
Just like master described.
What a master. Doing exactly as he said, and boom—qi. No wonder he bragged about his teaching.
I jumped up and resumed the video. Eager for the next step.
But my face went blank pretty quick.
Couldn't be helped.
[...But these days, sensing qi that way is nearly impossible. The natural energies have faded. So head to the nearest acupuncture clinic and get needles in the spots this old master describes. You'll sense qi within a month.]
'Wait, go to an acupuncturist?'
Yeah.
I'd sensed qi his way, sweating it out for two hours straight.
But apparently, that's not feasible anymore. Needles for a month minimum.
No wonder I was stunned.
'I did it solo in two hours?'
For a sec, I thought I'd messed up. Got scared.
But nah, that didn't add up.
Only one conclusion.
'Am I a genius?'
Thinking back, I'd picked up the old man's arts effortlessly. Never hit a wall once.
I'd chalked it up to his great teaching.
But now? Doubt it.
'I was a talent monster?!'
I shot to my feet. Huge realization.
Truth was, I'd always thought I had zero talent. Sucked at studies, no athletic or artistic gifts.
Streaming talent? Recent discovery.
Now martial arts too?
I plopped down at the computer and fast-forwarded.
[Good. Once you've gathered that warm qi over a month of hard work, I'll teach you how to move it. Won't be easy. Don't quit. A month of diligent practice, and it'll budge.]
The rest covered manipulating the qi.
I watched plenty, then sat cross-legged again, working the qi.
'Imagination's key again. Picture the warm qi in your body moving.'
About an hour later?
'Got it, got it!'
Incredibly, the qi started inching from my dantian. Crazy. Faster than before—exactly one hour.
'Others take a month, and I nail it in an hour?'
This wasn't ordinary talent.
Top-tier in the country, maybe?
I paced excitedly. Couldn't calm down.
After ten minutes of that?
A thought hit me.
'Don't get cocky.'
No arrogance.
I was a genius, sure.
That much was clear.
But I started late. Way late. Kids in the martial world began in kindergarten. Huge gap.
I sat back at the computer.
Knowing my talent made practice fun.
'Still not as fun as streaming, though.'
Streaming was priority one.
No change there.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ That afternoon.
I fired up the stream like usual. Martial talent or not, streaming came first.
One difference: 3 PM. Later than normal.
Goal was shifting gradually to prime time evenings.
Daytime streams had limits.
To go big corp, land the golden hours—9 PM to midnight.
Viewers piled in quick anyway.
Thanks to my grind? Hit 1,000 before long.
Insane for daytime. I grinned and spoke.
"Hey everyone."
-Jaeha!
> -Hi
>
-Yesterday's stream legendary lmao
>
-9k viewers kek
>
-Ocon what?
>
-Oppa hi
>
-(waving bear emoji)
Viewers welcomed me warmly.
Yesterday's collab with An Young probably helped big time.
'Yeah, 9k watchers...'
I smiled happily.
"Thanks for tuning into yesterday's stream, everyone."
-Yesterday legendary af lmao
> -Anyone miss An Young's Zero-Two? lol
>
-An Young was legend yesterday. Must watch lololol
>
-An Young's face when you groped her ass ㅗㅜㅑ lmao
>
-An Young MC'd great lol surprised me.
>
-Doonggni was mad sexy too lol
Rave reviews for yesterday. Loved it.
Notably more An Young mentions. Chat flooded with her now.
'Heyni spam to An Young spam?'
I gave up. Could handle it fine.
"What, her face was that good?"
-Oh right! You were blindfolded lololol
> -Best ever lololol
>
-But spill, how'd her ass feel?
Then, a video donation popped up.
*Ding.*
[Check it out yourself.]
A video played.
Familiar setup: An Young Sister's streaming room.
Inside? Steamy scene.
An Young bent over, ass out. Me groping it.
[Squeeze squeeze]
[Eek!]
I was pretty blatant. Her flustered face showed—hands over mouth, blushing hard, eyes glazed. Super lewd.
'Yeah, pretty hot.'
But not the time.
I killed the vid quick.
"Hey! No 19+ rating here. Don't send stuff like that."
-ㅗㅜㅑ
> -Huehuehue!
>
-Play it again quick!
>
-Legendary! Brb rewatching!
Even a glimpse caused chaos. Leave it on, and it'd dominate chat.
I pivoted fast. Change topics now.
"Anyway, what content today?"
Had one planned, but this was bait.
Chat exploded.
-Keep the vid donations? lol
> -Newtube An Young sexy dance go go
>
-Heyni did a new dance. Let's see that
>
-Yesterday stream rerun!
No real help. All An Young or Heyni.
Then, a donation.
*Ding.*
[Heyni♥Love has donated 100,000 won.]
I jumped up, bowed deep.
"Whoa!!"
Normally, no big reaction for 100k.
Park Jae-ho here.
Not the type to bow for peanuts.
But this time?
"Chairman’s here?!"
Yup.
Since discovering Heyni, Heyni♥Love donated steadily. Even yesterday.
Enough for room chairman title.
Heyni's stream? No chairman yet. Funny—I got it first.
'Over 5 mil won from chairman alone. Gotta treat right.'
5 mil? Anyone's chairman.
Even Ma-sam would.
Chairman typed.
-Heyni♥Love: Thanks always for the warm welcome. No need to go overboard every time...
"No worries. Don't feel burdened."
Even typed politely. Why I treated with respect.
"Any content you'd like?"
Polite ask. If lame, skip it. Streaming was sacred.
-Heyni♥Love: Nothing big, but how about female streamer tours?
"Female streamer tours?!"
I feigned surprise. Not novel—lots did it.
Matched my plan exactly.
'Weird.'
Vibed with chairman somehow.
I nodded eagerly.
"Was gonna do something else, but your idea's way better! Female streamer tours—let's go!"
Total lie. Planned it all along.
No need to say so.
Makes 'em feel good.
Spot on.
Thrilled chairman donated big.
*Ding.*
[Heyni♥Love has donated 300,000 won.]
"Chairman!!"
Words matter most, huh.
Felt it streaming for sure.