Well Begun is Half Done
Seon Ga-hee, the director, tilted her head.
"Dogeza? What's that? Tell me, and I'll do it."
"It's..."
I was about to explain when—
"No...! I mean, absolutely not!"
The voice came from beside us. Seon Ga-hee and I turned our heads in unison.
"Director. That is the one thing we cannot allow. Please, do not listen to this employee."
The Mask Chairman's fists were clenched tight, trembling visibly as she spoke.
Seon Ga-hee furrowed her brow.
"Mask. Didn't I tell you not to interfere? Is my memory faulty, or are your ears deaf?"
"But dogeza is absolutely not allowed!"
Mask whirled toward me and shouted.
"How could a department head demand that she kneel and bow her head to some lowly employee from another department?!"
Her voice began to shake. She clearly knew what dogeza was.
Ah, it's coming back to me now. About Mask.
Her ability weakens when her emotions fluctuate. That's why she always wears that mask to hide her expressions and speaks in an extremely calm tone.
But she couldn't tolerate the director kneeling to me. It wasn't even her own affair, yet her loyalty was impressive.
In any case, I kept my mouth shut. I simply crossed my arms and waited for Seon Ga-hee's decision.
She, on the other hand, stood tall.
"Fine. Just like Mask said, right? Some kind of kowtow ritual. I'll do it."
But Mask showed no sign of backing down.
"Demand something else instead! What do you want? A position on the Employee Review Committee?"
"I'm with the Safety Planning Department, though."
"We can create a spot. I'll propose it to the higher-ups under the pretext of inter-departmental cooperation."
"I'm not really into titles. And that name sounds like a huge hassle."
"Profit...!"
I could almost see the fury behind her mask.
"Then I'll do it in her place!"
Thud!
Mask Chairman dropped to her knees on the spot, clasped her hands in front like a prayer, and slammed her forehead to the floor.
"This will..."
Thwack!
Seon Ga-hee blurred forward at invisible speed and struck the back of Mask's neck with a precise hand chop.
"Hngh..."
Mask collapsed face-down toward me, unconscious before she could finish her words.
Seon Ga-hee lifted Mask's body and laid her on the sofa.
"Sigh. Mask is stubborn and sometimes goes overboard with her loyalty."
"You've got a reliable subordinate."
"Makes things annoying sometimes."
Even as she said it, there was no displeasure in Seon Ga-hee's tone.
"Anyway, let's get started."
Seon Ga-hee took a deep breath. She bit her lower lip hard and avoided my eyes—she clearly found it humiliating too.
Well, no matter the world or culture, kneeling carries the same weight everywhere. A child to a parent. A disciple to a master. A knight to a lord. A criminal to a judge. It's always the inferior to the superior.
And Seon Ga-hee, the director, was about to do it to me.
"Look me in the eyes. That's how I'll see your sincerity."
"...Fine."
Thud.
She dropped both knees to the floor. Her gaze trembled as she looked up at me. Then she placed her palms on the ground. Her arms began to shake faintly.
Just as she leaned forward to bow—
I stepped up, grasped her shoulders, and lifted her.
Seon Ga-hee looked at me with confusion.
"That's enough."
"But then it's not a proper apology."
"It's fine. I wouldn't feel right either. I've seen enough of your sincerity."
"I wouldn't feel right either."
Truth be told, I had no desire for dogeza. Seeing her resolve was plenty.
It was just a momentary humiliation with nothing left behind. Not like a grand public apology in front of all the employees.
"If you're that insistent, teach me that tracking spell you tried to use on me."
That was what I really wanted.
Seon Ga-hee wore a complicated expression, unsure whether to be angry or apologetic.
"You wanted that from the start, huh."
"I won't deny it."
"Isn't this unfair?"
I narrowed my eyes at that.
"Unfair? That hurts. I risked my life for your HR department colleagues."
Yes. My tussle with Seon Ga-hee wasn't just about the tracking spell.
It was the subtle war of nerves since entering Floor 14, with the spell as the final punctuation.
"...You're right."
Seon Ga-hee admitted it readily. She brushed off her knees and stood.
"Sorry. And thanks, Employee Kim Jeongha."
I smiled and nodded.
"Yes, Director Seon Ga-hee. Thank you too. For remembering my name."
"Yeah."
Now, the rift between Director Seon Ga-hee and me was cleanly resolved.
"By the way. If you want to learn sorcery, shouldn't I receive the kowtow ritual now?"
I dropped to my knees and bowed my head.
"I offer full prostration to my master!"
Seon Ga-hee burst out laughing with a "Pfft!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Ahem. Jeongha of the Fallen Sword. Must you really do this?"
Lee Gun grumbled at me, visibly displeased.
"We agreed to spar right after your meeting with the director."
"My apologies. But I trust you understand I must fulfill my master's command. Plum Blossom Sword Scholar Lee Gun."
"Ahem!"
Lee Gun, being from a righteous sect, knew the gravity of master-disciple bonds.
"But why did the director suddenly become your master?"
"Long story short, things happened."
"Hmph... I won't pry."
Lee Gun had changed into training clothes and waited outside Seon Ga-hee's office for our duel. He must be disappointed to miss seeing the sword of someone at a higher realm.
"I'll keep my promise, Lee Gun."
He was the Plum Blossom Sword Scholar of Mount Hua, second to none with the blade. I wanted to cross swords with him too.
"Forget it. Don't sweat it. We'll see each other tomorrow anyway— we can do it then. Haha!"
Lee Gun matched the image of a righteous sect's later-generation disciple perfectly.
"Then I'll be off."
"See you tomorrow afternoon."
For some reason, I'd be meeting Lee Gun again tomorrow. Not for sparring, but because learning Seon Ga-hee's tracking spell required two conditions. I was heading out to fulfill the first.
I arrived at my quarters and sat on the bed, murmuring what Seon Ga-hee had taught me.
"Thunder clouds' steam vies with ice crystals for unity, separating yang qi; as yin qi gathers in duality..." gathers, gathers, and gathers..."
—Releasing tremendous power.
Zhuque finished the incantation.
"Ah! That's what I was about to remember."
—Kekekeke.
What I'd just memorized was the incantation for the Thunder Cloud Heart Knot. It was the basic sorcery that Thunder Human Seon Family sorcerers learned first, akin to an internal energy cultivation method.
This was essential. Without it, no tracking spell or anything.
I recalled my conversation with Seon Ga-hee.
'I'm already using Blood Cycle. Can I learn Thunder Cloud Heart Knot?'
'Sorcery uses energy from the middle dantian. Yours is lower dantian yin energy cultivation—no clash.'
She was realms above me, so I accepted it. And there was evidence: Hunter Stock Company mages gathered mana in their hearts, the middle dantian.
If sorcery and magic worked similarly, it made sense.
"Can I even learn sorcery?"
I was a total dunce with mana too. But I shoved the worry aside. Similar didn't mean identical. My goal was just the tracking spell—no need to overthink.
Once decided, I charged ahead.
I recalled Seon Ga-hee's words again.
'It takes mundanes five years to master Thunder Cloud Heart Knot.'
'...Pardon?'
'Your middle dantian is open, so you'll skip that.'
'Phew.'
I can't say how relieved that made me.
—Mana: E (1/32)
Thanks to the Jade Legged Blood Hand's inner core boosting my mana to E-rank. A once-in-a-lifetime stroke of fortune!
"But what do I do with this incantation?"
Zhuque replied to my question.
—It's like explaining how lightning forms. Quite scientific.
"Hm... Ice crystals are ice particles in clouds, yang qi positive charges, yin qi negative?"
—Oh ho. You figured that out already? Impressive. You sounded like a prodigy just now, master.
I scowled.
"That's basic school stuff."
—Then you must come from a world where science advanced far.
"Ah."
Worlds differ. I'd forgotten momentarily. Lightning formation was just physics 101 to me.
If I explained the incantation scientifically to Seon Ga-hee? She wouldn't get it. Such a simple gap.
Still, science and sorcery aren't the same. Interpretation is just that. I aimed to harness supernatural qi, not physics.
But modern knowledge greatly aided comprehending Thunder Cloud Heart Knot.
"Rub yang and yin qi in the heart, huh."
That stumps most novice disciples. But I solved it easily.
Blood Cycle held potent yin qi—fitting for a vampire founder who was female.
I also had yang energy. Instinctively, the faint mana in my heart felt yang-like, probably because I'm male.
Heart as cloud, middle dantian.
"Hup!"
I held my breath. Drew lower dantian energy up to clash with heart mana.
Zzt, zzt.
Something inside me sparked faintly. A stinging pain near my heart—tolerable. It turned to prickling.
I squeezed out max mana.
Zzzap, crackle!
"Oh!"
A small static spark danced near my chest.
—You've gained a new power. Congratulations, master.
I pictured Angelica clapping dryly.
"Heh heh heh."
—Isn't it too early to be this pleased? It's just the start.
"Well begun is half done."
—Hmph.
Of course, as Angelica said, it was feeble. My mana was toddler-level mage.
"Shall I boost the yang qi a bit?"
I had a way.
"Zhuque. Lend me some power."
—Got it.
No hesitation. I had a barrier.
Whirr—tick, tick, tick...
Barrier up, I repeated the process.
Crackle—
This time, electricity palm-sized sparked in my hand.
—Kekeke. See that, master? Fire Spirit Divine Essence is the answer.
Zhuque pitched eagerly, riding the momentum.
I didn't deny it.
"Yeah. Got it."
I'd mentioned it to Robert anyway—worth trying.
Though when she warned against chasing other powers beyond heart-mind-body unity, now she flips to hype elevating Thunder Cloud Heart Knot with Fire Spirit Divine Essence.
Zhuque's an opportunist at heart.
"Today, practice getting used to Thunder Cloud Heart Knot."
I set my evening plan.
Thunder Cloud Heart Knot has six stages. Me, just sensing thunder qi: stage 1. Generating and holding palm-sized electricity like now: stage 2.
Need at least stage 4 for tracking spell.
But I won't stop at 4. At stage 6, infuse artifacts with sorcery power.
Might even increase Cromwell Key uses.