Chapter 003 - Martial Arts Initiation (2)
After wrapping up a major raid the day before, he'd been granted three days off.
Normally, when his schedule cleared up, Kim Sun-woo would jump on support gigs at other sites or pick up day labor jobs.
But this time, for the first time, he decided to invest that time in himself.
"Ugh, the stench is still brutal."
Even after cycling his qi several times, filth and waste kept seeping out.
So all this crap was piled up inside me, huh.
The Huashan Sect staffer who'd counseled him had said he'd need help from a senior expert or to use their Expelling Impurities capsule. But apparently, this worked too?
"Might as well keep at it."
Each cycle left his body feeling lighter, so it couldn't be a bad thing.
A single full circuit took about an hour.
Kim Sun-woo straight-up moved to the bathroom, stripped naked, and got to circulating.
Soon even that wasn't enough—he cranked the shower to a full torrent, mimicking training under a waterfall so the gunk pouring out of him could wash straight down the drain.
Shwooo...
He must've spent the whole day like that, just circulating.
With three days to spare anyway, he skipped sleep entirely—circulate, eat, circulate, eat—holed up in the bathroom on repeat.
After roughly twenty cycles...
"Oh?"
No more foul waste came out.
After a final rinse, the change stood out starkly compared to before.
"Skin's all clean now. Tone's brighter too... and did I grow taller?"
Flab was gone, muscles firmer and more defined.
To think basic circulation alone could do this. No wonder they kept this power to themselves—it was cheating.
"The smell, though... no helping that."
Stepping out of the bathroom, Kim Sun-woo pinched his nose and glanced back.
So much filth had poured out, the place reeked like a sewer.
He dumped a whole bottle of air freshener down the drain and lined up every deodorizer he had along the walls.
That should keep the stink from spreading.
Good thing he'd relocated to the bathroom—his room was safe.
"...Time to crash."
After washing up, exhaustion hit like a truck.
Maybe from barely sleeping twenty hours straight post-raid?
Stomach was rumbling, but scarfing more before bed would just bloat him. He flopped onto the mattress as-is.
He'd planned to catch the next lecture after waking...
"...Two days?"
5 a.m.
He blinked at his phone screen in disbelief as dawn light filtered through the window.
One of his three vacation days had gone to circulation.
He'd meant to dive back into training after some solid sleep, but he'd conked out for two straight days instead.
"Heh."
What could he do? Time wasted was wasted.
Smacking his lips, he headed to the now stink-free bathroom and resumed circulating.
"Mm."
One hour and a full circuit later, a satisfied hum escaped him.
The drowsiness from moments ago was gone. He felt refreshingly clear-headed, incomparable to before.
"If someone told me to go back to pre-Dantian days, I'd refuse flat-out."
It was like moving with weights strapped all over his body before.
How the hell had he hunted and lived day-to-day in that sludge?
"And this is just from learning basic circulation. Once I master real martial arts..."
His heart raced with anticipation.
He wanted to take another day off and binge lectures, but martial arts were one thing—livelihood another.
For an F-rank like him, skipping even one raid was disastrous. He had to clock in.
"Good morning."
"Oh, Sun-woo, morning."
Arriving at the Mugung Guild, Kim Sun-woo exchanged greetings with the already-busy morning staff and headed to the office.
Today's schedule featured a massive raid.
Over eighty hunters participating—that meant tackling a dungeon of serious scale.
As he checked his gear, his teammates trickled in one by one.
The smokers came reeking of cigs after their guild lounge puff session.
Light hellos all around—until one hunter did a double-take at Kim Sun-woo.
"Huh? Who...?"
"Hold up, that's Sun-woo."
"Sun-woo? My eyes going bad or what."
"...Pardon?"
Kim Sun-woo paused mid-wipe of his sword, puzzled by the stares.
"Sun-woo, hit up a dermatologist on your day off? You're glowing, man."
"Makeup or something? Looks like a whole new guy."
"Damn, youth in its prime suits you. Looking good, our little Sun-woo."
"Haha..."
Kim Sun-woo let out an awkward chuckle.
Probably the circulation smoothing and brightening his skin.
No real excuse, so he laughed it off—but the uncles weren't done prying.
"Debt all cleared, so now you're primping?"
"Time to settle down, Sun-woo. Thirty-two already—find a nice girl before midlife hits."
"Got your eye on someone at the guild? I can hook you up."
"Nah, nothing like that. When would I even have time for dating?"
Kim Sun-woo sweated bullets fending them off.
By 10 a.m., the waiting hunters finished prepping and mobilized for the raid.
"Alright, let's roll out."
"Fight on, everyone."
"No injuries, no overdoing it, no showing off~"
Large guilds like Mugung had teams divided by role and rank.
With hundreds of affiliated hunters, tons of teams made sense.
Kim Sun-woo belonged to Defense Team 3, packed with F-ranks.
Their job: mop up low-rank mobs—aka trash—the main assault team missed.
Trash mobs that could still kill a human easy.
F-ranks had to risk life and limb, but the pay and hazard bonuses were juicy.
That's why Kim Sun-woo picked Defense Team 3 over safer mining or logistics.
Boarded the bus, rode to the raid site.
Final gear checks at the gate portal—then Defense Team 3 leader Park Gwan-sik slung an arm around Kim Sun-woo's shoulder.
"Heard about it."
"Pardon?"
"Some girl at the guild's caught your eye? That's why the face paint?"
"...It spread like that?"
Kim Sun-woo gaped; Park Gwan-sik roared with laughter, clapping his shoulder hard.
"So who is it? Spill to your big bro. Our maknae's smitten—I'll push hard."
"It's not like that. Never had time or cash for dating anyway..."
"That's why start now, dummy. Blushing already."
Park Gwan-sik flashed a sleazy grin, patted once more, and wandered off.
He knew it was BS but teased anyway.
Old guys loved gossiping about young folks' romances.
"..."
Kim Sun-woo managed a wry smile.
Truth was, he'd never considered romance or family in this life.
He knew the bone-deep loneliness of the left-behind too well.
In a world where scraping by for one was tough, how could his meager skills shoulder another?
"Alright, let's give it our all today!"
12:30 p.m.
Eighty-four Mugung Guild hunters entered the C-rank mega-dungeon, Stragglers' Forest.
Fwaaah!
Crossing the portal flipped the scenery in a blink.
No matter how many gates, the naked, filthy exposure never got easier.
'Hm?'
Holding position with Defense Team 3, Kim Sun-woo cocked his head.
His senses were sharp even normally—spotting hidden traps or ambushing monsters like a ghost, serving as the team's scout.
But today, they felt razor-keen.
Like someone had honed them on a whetstone...
"Incoming!!!"
Even before the vanguard scout yelled, he sensed the monsters.
Glancing sidelong at the horde emerging from the forest center, Kim Sun-woo frowned in confusion.
'The martial arts?'
Just forming a Dantian shouldn't sharpen things this much.
Whatever—good was good.
No downside to a gain.
Kwaaaang!
The main assault team clashed head-on with the monster main force.
Tanks held the front with shields; rear mages and dealers rained ranged fire, shattering enemy momentum.
Warriors exploited gaps, launching into merciless swings right after.
"Kya. They fight like pros. Where do they recruit these monsters?"
An F-rank holding the line with him whistled in awe.
Kim Sun-woo agreed.
Main teams were standard D-rank elites or average C-ranks.
Monsters beyond an F-rank like him.
Usually, he just saw flashes and sparks from afar...
'...But today, I see it.'
Every move of the frontline hunters etched into his eyes.
Block, dodge, thrust, slash.
How they shifted feet and torso, when to evade or parry.
Like slow-motion replay, imprinting effortlessly.
'No waste.'
That's why he saw the brutality hidden in the flashy chaos.
Cautious measure-for-measure, anticipating counters, optimal actions.
Everyone fighting at peak efficiency.
"Ours incoming! Get ready!"
"Roger!"
Mobs spilling from the main team flooded toward Defense Team 3.
But Kim Sun-woo's gaze lingered on the assault...
Shyaaak!
Only the razor wind of claws right in his face snapped him back—he barely dodged.
"Whoa! Sun-woo, watch it!"
"...Sorry!"
Grinding his teeth, Kim Sun-woo kicked off to reform the line.
Pathetic compared to the assault team's grace.
Hell, comparing was insulting them.
'If I hadn't slept two days, I'd have learned sword and footwork by now...!'
He clenched his jaw.
But no lectures, no choice.
He'd hit sword and footwork vids first thing back—vowing that...
'...Right.'
'All these perfect teaching materials right in front of me.'
Why not learn?