The Focus Talisman
The outskirts of the Tower of Trials 1st Floor Residential Zone lay quiet and remote.
“Can’t you focus a little more?”
Yeon Cheong spoke gently to Jin Hong.
She was currently receiving training from him. Since her physical conditioning had reached a decent level, the goal now was to build the concentration needed to wield martial arts.
“It’s too hard. How am I supposed to focus in a situation like this?”
They stood at the very edge of the residential zone, a place where not even a single ant could be seen. Monsters occasionally appeared here, yet because Yeon Cheong was monitoring the area with Yeongdeung, nowhere was safer for training.
“Usually, the quieter it is, the easier meditation becomes.”
“Cheong! It’s way too quiet. I can’t live without everyday noise!”
“You really have a unique constitution.”
Yeon Cheong shook his head at her words. He could clearly sense that Jin Hong’s concentration was slipping badly. To use martial arts, one first had to arm oneself with at least a minimum of mental strength, yet even that proved difficult for her.
Pouring mental energy into something and sustaining focus simply didn’t suit someone as endlessly curious as Jin Hong, who always wanted to try everything at once. In other words, her aptitude for the very technique of martial arts was likely poor.
“Do other deliverymen do this kind of training too? How do they manage it?”
“I’ve heard most don’t. They figure it’s better to run laps around the training ground and build stamina than to carve out time for meditation.”
“Then can’t I just do that?”
“If you do, you’ll never learn martial arts. Considering that most deliverymen—the ones regarded as the Tower’s main fighting force—don’t possess any martial arts at all, it’s still worth learning.”
At Jin Hong’s age, she wasn’t starting particularly late. It was the right time to receive the benefits that came with the unique nature of martial arts—while her mind was still soft enough to absorb everything like a sponge. That period was ideal for forming martial arts through concentration.
Of course, Yeongdeung’s training method consumes an enormous amount of mental energy.
The mental and vital energy drain that came with Yeongdeung, along with the crushing fatigue that followed each use, made it unsuitable as a first step for beginners. Even Yeon Cheong had needed a proper teacher and a long time to grasp it.
Meeting the old men in the desert outside the Tower carries too much risk anyway.
Reaching the outside of the Tower was impossible to begin with. The desert elders were the only group of martial artists Yeon Cheong knew, and reaching them required passing through multiple towers.
“At this rate, even if she manages Yeongdeung, I doubt she’ll be able to learn other martial arts.”
“...”
At Yeon Cheong’s cold assessment, Jin Hong’s expression fell. No matter how hard one tried, some fields simply didn’t suit a person. It was said that effort could overcome a lack of talent, yet clinging to something impossible was the height of foolishness.
“Still, you’ve improved compared to the beginning. That much is true.”
It wasn’t that she was incapable. She simply wasn’t suited for Yeongdeung. So Yeon Cheong decided to change direction.
There’s no need for Jin Hong to learn Yeongdeung. I’ve heard there are all kinds of martial arts in the world.
Yeon Cheong himself knew three or four different styles, including Yeongdeung, sword techniques, staff techniques, and even body-based arts. All he had to do was find the training that matched Jin Hong.
First, I should lay down the basics.
What Yeon Cheong wanted to establish was a mental foundation so that Jin Hong could accept any martial art at any time. Once that foundation was in place, she would be able to use whatever she learned from future teachers without delay.
The Focus Talisman.
Yeon Cheong quietly untied the talisman wrapped around his wrist. It granted its wearer three to four extra seconds of thought compared to others. Using it would multiply the efficiency of concentration training by three or four times. If one hour of meditation normally produced a certain effect, the talisman would let her achieve the result of at least three hours.
Yeon Cheong had steadily built his own Yeongdeung this way and had reaped clear benefits from the few days he had possessed it.
“This is an emergency measure.”
He handed the talisman to her and continued.
“It’s a talisman that makes you think three or four times more than other people.”
“...That sounds awful. Even thinking for one second is hard enough.”
“That’s exactly why you need it—especially someone who can’t focus even for that one second.”
“Now I’m starting to feel depressed.”
When gloom clouded her usually bright face, Yeon Cheong smiled instead and gave her back a firm pat.
“Why get so worked up over nothing? I already told you—if there was zero possibility, I wouldn’t have even tried.”
“Really?”
At the sight of Jin Hong’s expression brightening again, he nodded vigorously. She had talent. Even if she lacked sharp intuition, her thinking speed and judgment were solid. He could tell from the way she had charged at Kim Tae-gil to help him. In a rapidly changing crisis, she had done exactly what she could. Few things were harder than that. And Jin Hong possessed that gift—the ability to throw herself precisely where she was needed.
...
That very action had led to her “sacrifice” during their first outing. Yet there had been no helping it. Sacrifice had been the best judgment he could make at the time.
“By the way, Cheong.”
While Yeon Cheong was lost in thought, Jin Hong grasped the string dangling from the talisman and spoke. Seeing the talisman sway, he answered.
“What?”
“Where did you get this?”
It was a natural question. She had never seen him wear a talisman before. He had only started carrying it after the black-market raid, so she hadn’t had time to notice.
“I picked it up while walking.”
“Huh? A talisman like this?”
“I’ve got good eyes.”
Jin Hong stared at the talisman with wonder at his answer.
It’s a shame she has no ability to detect lies.
If he spoke with a playful expression, Jin Hong would believe him outright. Anyone would believe him if he asked seriously, but Jin Hong took it to an extreme. She might be quick-witted in other ways, yet when it came to this sort of thing, her intuition seemed to have been swallowed along with her bread.
Still, the real question is whether she can reach the stage where she can actually use martial arts with this talisman.
The fundamental problem remained. If Jin Hong still couldn’t concentrate even with the talisman, all these measures would be for nothing. So he could only hope she would put in the effort.
“Don’t worry. I was ready to do whatever it takes to become a deliveryman anyway.”
Perhaps catching the concern on Yeon Cheong’s face, Jin Hong snorted loudly and declared,
“...You’re pretty sharp when it comes to this kind of thing.”
She tilted her head at his words, but Yeon Cheong brushed it off and began explaining how to train with the Focus Talisman.
“Meditate with the talisman whether you’re walking, sleeping, or eating.”
“...”
“And since I’ll only get in the way, I won’t be around for a while.”
“I don’t like that.”
“Do you want to fail as a deliveryman?”
“...Fine.”
At her resolve, Yeon Cheong nodded. Blood-and-sweat effort always produced results. If she worked at it consistently, she might be able to change her constitution. With the talisman, that change could come even faster.
“Don’t worry. A day or two should be enough.”
It might have been too short a timeframe, but the goal wasn’t to master Yeongdeung. It was simply to reshape her so she could accept other martial arts. Changing one’s mindset and forming the habit of concentration was something that could be achieved in a day or two.
Of course, the results would need to be observed over more than a month, yet with the examination approaching, time itself was extremely tight.
“Good luck.”
“...Yeah.”
Her voice trembled and her face scrunched up, yet her expression carried clear determination—the resolve to see it through no matter what.
Yeon Cheong patted her head and said,
“Don’t cry. You never act spoiled normally, so why today?”
“Because I’m thinking of you as my teacher, I guess.”
“That can happen when you’re immersed.”
He was hardly a real teacher, but since he was leading the training, he could be considered a temporary one.
“Anyway, I’m going.”
“Already?”
“You can’t focus if I’m here.”
With those words, Yeon Cheong vanished. Jin Hong stared blankly at the spot where he had stood moments ago.
“What the—? He just disappeared.”
She was so startled that goosebumps rose on her skin. Anyone would be shocked if the person right in front of them disappeared after a single greeting.
“So that’s martial arts...”
Clutching the talisman, Jin Hong nodded. She would keep her promise to Yeon Cheong and focus as hard as she could.
*
The 1st Floor Residential Zone of the Tower of Trials.
Yeon Cheong rested briefly on a building rooftop. With the Focus Talisman gone from his side, he would have to work twice as hard.
“At least there’s this.”
The time artifact in his pants pocket. The moment he obtained the equipment, a message had appeared clearly before his eyes. Even now, a few glances were enough to summon the message log instantly.
“I thought I roughly understood how to use it.”
He had worried that handing over the talisman might prevent him from using the artifact, but that didn’t seem to be the case. The artifact’s abilities were unlocked in stages; losing or transferring equipment didn’t strip him of the power. Still, it was better to confirm.
“That’s not the real problem, though.”
There were unknown message windows and various texts. When he first obtained the artifact, there had been almost no content—just a single message that popped up in the bottom right after he returned from death. Then, after obtaining the Focus Talisman in the black market, new messages had appeared again.
“The unlocking condition is growth, but I can’t figure out what kind of growth it means.”
All he knew about the artifact was that its abilities were tied to reversal and that they unlocked according to growth.
Reversal could be useful depending on the situation, but the moment I use it, everyone will know I have an artifact. And I still don’t know its range.
The biggest issue was that he couldn’t determine the ability’s range or time limit. If he could use it freely, he might attempt to overthrow the Tower immediately, but because its limits were unclear, he couldn’t afford to reveal his teeth carelessly. If anyone saw him activate it, they would instantly recognize it as an artifact. He had to be extremely cautious. The upper floors weren’t desperately searching for artifacts for no reason.
The power to overthrow the Tower. The power to indirectly experience a god’s strength. That was why those above had always kept watch over and controlled “power.”
“I’ll set this aside for now.”
The artifact wasn’t what he needed to focus on right now. Jin Hong’s growth mattered more. Before their first outing, he had to raise her to a level where she could at least protect herself.
“...Looks like she got dragged into something.”
Yeon Cheong rose, brushing dust from his pants. Through Yeongdeung, he sensed that she was fighting someone.