Inhumane Training
The stainless steel plate you requested has arrived.
Three days later.
At Dowol's feet, guided by a government official, lay the very metal plate she had ordered. A perfectly clean, flawlessly circular disc, exactly as specified. It was ready to be moved at any moment but had not yet departed.
“Now we’ll mobilize a helicopter to transport this…”
“No, I plan to move it myself. From now on, we can handle it, so there’s no need for you all to go through the trouble.”
The officials looked visibly flustered. No matter how light one claimed it to be, metal was still metal. A solid steel disc three meters in diameter and three centimeters thick. It had to weigh at least several dozen kilograms.
“It’s fine. I have my ways.”
Dowol pulled out a talisman, joined its ends together, and formed it into a loop. The resulting ring was roughly the size of a bus handgrip. She attached it to the metal plate and lifted it with ease.
Clang.
That’s right. She had simply attached a single handle and then lifted the massive plate as if it weighed nothing. Even a gorilla would have struggled with such a feat. The ordinary civil servants stood there with their mouths hanging open.
“Whoa, that’s incredible. Is this some kind of sorcery too?”
And while the officials were stunned, even Yuseong let out a gasp of admiration.
“The handle’s just for show. The rest is pure strength. You can do it too.”
Dowol beckoned Yuseong over, and of course the boy approached, eager to show off his power.
“Listen. It’s not just wrapping energy around your body. Start from your danjeon, move it up through your chest, then into your arms and hands… feel it flowing along your muscles. And obviously, the same goes for your lower body.”
“Ah… ha.”
Dowol’s hand pressed against the spot just below Yuseong’s navel and slowly traveled upward, sweeping across his chest before sliding down from shoulder to fingertips. Yuseong felt a mix of embarrassment and ticklishness. Yet that ticklish sensation wasn’t mere physical feeling; it was guiding his mana. It was different from anything before. If previously he had simply soaked his body in mana like water, now it felt like he was being marinated thoroughly in oil, letting the energy seep deep into every fiber.
In reality, his muscles were heating up, and his body temperature was gradually rising.
“Don’t get tense. Even if our body temperature rises or drops a bit, we can handle it. Hmm… want to give it a try?”
Clang.
“Ooooh!”
Yuseong hoisted the metal plate high overhead, beaming with joy at his own growth. It was far lighter than he had expected. At this rate, he felt like he could do squats while holding up a passenger car.
“Honestly, it’s not even worth calling growth. This is more about correcting your posture. The bodies of us Awakened who started as players have already reached a certain level of refinement.”
“Heee… oh, but this is pretty hard to keep up—huh? Huh?”
Yet Yuseong soon felt the plate growing heavier by the second. No wonder; he had attached the handle at the very edge and was holding it perfectly horizontal. Far from being an advantageous lifting position, it was the worst possible stance.
Thud.
In the end, the plate came crashing down, kicking up a dusty wind. The weight itself wasn’t beyond what he could lift. It was simply a bad grip, and everyone present knew it.
“Yuseong, if you lift this plate from underneath, you could manage it without that trick, right?”
“O-of course! I could even squat with it!”
Yuseong answered energetically, trying to salvage his mistake.
“Then what if we added weight on top of it, and you had to keep it balanced so nothing fell while also moving?”
“How much weight?”
“Well, several times what it is now?”
“…Wouldn’t that be pretty difficult?”
Yuseong couldn’t help but picture it: himself walking while balancing a round boulder on the plate he carried, making sure it didn’t roll off.
“In my personal opinion, we already possess a certain degree of raw strength. So what do we need next?”
“…Even greater power?”
“No. Balance, endurance, and flexibility. Now… you understand what I’m about to make you do, right?”
Dowol spoke in a chilling tone, and the officials, noticing Yuseong’s slightly trembling shoulders, felt a pang of sympathy for the boy.
“Hnnngh!”
“Tsk tsk, it’s tilting again.”
“Even if you say that—!”
“Breathing is crucial. This isn’t a situation where something’s chasing you, so stop for a moment and steady your breath. Or… shall we take a short break on that rock over there?”
At the suggestion of rest, the balance that had barely been holding on began to collapse from the strain of pushing forward. I anchored myself in place with my own energy while simultaneously pressing down on Yuseong. The weight was probably measured in tons. As long as I didn’t let go, there was no chance of me falling.
“Tou… chdown!”
I leaped down onto the rock where we would rest, carrying Dohwa with me. A beat later, Yuseong collapsed. He ended up pinned beneath the very plate he had been carrying, but compared to the pressure he had endured until now, this seemed light. He didn’t appear particularly bothered.
“…If you’re going to rest, rest properly.”
Still, it looked like he needed to learn a thing or two about how to actually take a break.
I set the plate aside, sat the sweat-drenched Yuseong on the rock, brushed the dirt from his face, and reached for a talisman… only to stop. Come to think of it, it was winter. The mountain’s cold air was already more than enough. Instead, I handed him some medicinal water brewed from talismans. He began gulping it down desperately.
Gulp. Gulp.
He drank with such gusto. Lately Dohwa had been eating too many snacks and seemed to have lost her appetite for proper meals. Watching Yuseong, I wondered what it would be like if she ate rice with that same enthusiasm.
But… he really was a mess.
“Pwah!”
“You should drink more carefully so you don’t choke.”
“Ahaha…”
Yuseong replied with an awkward smile. As expected of an elf and a beauty, even his smile was breathtaking.
“First of all, the last attempt was a complete failure. Your spine curved too much. Weightlifters don’t bend their spines when lifting a barbell, do they? You have to keep it straight so the load is distributed evenly and you can exert proper force. Actually, I was going to tell you that if you collapsed midway… but since you reached the designated spot without resting even once, I didn’t bother saying anything.”
“Yay!”
“…Which means you just powered through with brute force.”
Thump!
I gave him a chestnut flick on the forehead—painful even by Awakened standards. Yuseong shrank back like a scolded puppy.
“Still, your physical ability was better than I expected, so take some pride in that. Of course, arrogance is forbidden. Safety first, safety second. Your body is your greatest asset, so unless absolutely necessary, you must take care of it.”
“But if the vanguard doesn’t step forward, the monsters will…”
“Then imagine what happens if the vanguard collapses. A warrior’s virtue isn’t only killing the enemy before them. Enduring for a long time is also a virtue. To do that, you must first build up your lacking endurance. This is essential not just for tanks, but for anyone standing at the front swinging a weapon. Balance is equally important. You’ll have to swing your sword not on a perfectly flat training floor, but on uneven dirt, rocks, or even in mid-air… and you’re not listening!”
I delivered a slightly harder chestnut flick toward Yuseong, whose eyes had gone glassy.
Smack!
…My hand actually hurt a little. It was strong enough to crack most rocks, yet my hand was the one that ached. This proved his physical durability really was exceptional.
Anyway, I felt like I had done too much explaining and not enough practical training.
“…I’m teaching you the basics that athletes learn from the beginning. Next, I’ll teach you proper stance and footwork, so work hard.”
“Footwork?”
“Yes. In close combat, distance control is everything. You slip out of an incoming slash in an instant, then close in and cut. Naturally, controlling that distance relies on footwork.”
One of the common misconceptions among ordinary people is thinking that swordsmanship is only about how you swing the blade and that raw strength is all that matters.
“Well, we’re almost at the summit anyway. Let’s end the training here.”
After saying that, I stood up, shouldering the metal plate. To be honest, people would be gathering soon, and I had no intention of showing off this inhumane palanquin-like contraption.
Thus, Yuseong and I climbed the rest of the way to the half-destroyed Baengnokdam with light steps.
“Wait here and rest. Or… do you want to come along and watch?”
“…Ah, that’s right. You’re a shaman, aren’t you?”
The kid had even forgotten what I did for a living, yet he still asked to become my disciple. I had to wonder what he was thinking.
“Now, watch the flow of energy. Feel it. Shamans and similar classes can predict the scale of a spell based on the amount of energy in motion. You can also use that in reverse—feint with it and launch a surprise attack.”
Since both she and the mayor had given permission, I planned to keep her as a temporary sub-party member, teaching her various things. Once she could wander around on her own, I would release her back into the wild.
And just in case, I only half-sealed the rift and waited a moment. Soon, Awakened government officials came struggling up the mountain, carrying filming equipment.
“They look like they’re from a broadcasting station.”
“At least for now, they’re not affiliated with any station. They belong to the government.”
Watching them, I suddenly grew curious about what kind of mindset had brought them all the way up here. Since they had even signed confidentiality documents, they must have realized this filming was anything but ordinary.