The Underground Arena
Kim Ilshin watched Baek Ha-yeon approach him and thought, "She doesn't look like she's in a normal state of mind." Her attire was as neat and tidy as ever, but the look in her eyes as she stared at him was deeply unsettling. Her blue irises were clouded, and her gaze kept flickering, unable to find a proper focal point. Her energy, too, was unstable, rippling in an unnatural, chaotic rhythm. Overall, she looked incredibly precarious.
"Did something happen while I was away?" While Kim Ilshin pondered this, Baek Ha-yeon reached him and stopped right in front of him. The distance between them was less than a single step. After hesitating for a moment while looking down at the floor, she finally opened her mouth.
"Kim Ilshin, I have something to tell you."
"What is it?"
"...If it's not too much trouble, could you help me? I know how shameless this is. But... I am desperate for your help."
Her posture was so low it could be considered servile. Her expression was equally desperate. Kim Ilshin felt that if he turned her down flatly right here, she would likely crumble on the spot—and that was not something he wanted to happen.
"Let's hear it first."
"...I need your advice."
"Advice?" Kim Ilshin asked, his expression puzzled. Just hearing that much didn't give him a clear idea of what she was talking about. "What kind of advice are you looking for?"
"I want you to tell me what I must do to become stronger."
Kim Ilshin recalled the events of a few days ago. To help manage her mental state after her defeat in their sparring match, he had given her a piece of advice: to reinterpret the advice he had given her previously in her own way. Seeing her now, it seemed that advice had certainly been effective. However, that alone couldn't explain this desperate expression.
"Is there a reason you specifically need me? You could get that kind of help from plenty of other people."
"It has to be you! ...I, I'm sorry."
Baek Ha-yeon shouted loudly, then flinched and dropped her head. Kim Ilshin looked around. It was the perfect situation to be misunderstood if anyone had heard them. Fortunately, there was no one passing by.
"...I am a fool who only knows how to choose the path to failure. I have been that way until now, and I won't change in the future. ...Unless the person making the choices changes."
Baek Ha-yeon lifted her head and met Kim Ilshin’s eyes. Her lightless blue pupils were trembling violently.
"Kim Ilshin, I need you. You are the only person who has ever told me the absolute truth. I will follow you. I will do whatever you tell me to do...! So, please!"
Short of breath, Baek Ha-yeon stopped speaking and took a deep, ragged inhale. Then, as if letting out a sigh, she continued.
"So please... give me your advice. Lead me away from the path of failure....”
A single tear fell from Baek Ha-yeon's eye. It was the first time she had shed tears since she was five years old. Seeing that, Kim Ilshin understood what had happened to her.
"Is it a Mind Demon?"
It seemed that Baek Ha-yeon had moved past mere self-loathing and reached the point of doubting her own existence. It wasn't just that she feared failure; she was now avoiding the very act of making choices that could lead to such a result. She had been firmly captured by a Mind Demon. There was no telling which direction such a powerful Mind Demon would develop. If things went wrong, she could become a broken shell, or as he had feared, she could end up walking the path of a criminal. But there was no way to solve it instantly, either. A Mind Demon had to be overcome by one's own power.
"For now, it's better to give her what she wants."
If he refused her here, the Mind Demon rooted in her heart would surely grow even larger. It wasn't a difficult request, so it was the right choice to accept.
"Fine. I'll help you."
"Th, thank you...!"
Baek Ha-yeon’s expression brightened noticeably. She looked like someone who had just grabbed onto a lifeline.
"But I will only give you advice regarding your training. You'll have to handle everything else yourself."
"That alone is enough. Thank you so much..."
Baek Ha-yeon seemed to secretly want to entrust every single choice to him. However, Kim Ilshin had no intention of doing that. Helping others would only be done to the extent that it didn't interfere with his own path.
"When you come to school tomorrow, I'll give you a week's worth of instructions at once, so just go back and rest for today."
"Understood. Then I will take my leave. ...Thank you."
After offering her final greeting, Baek Ha-yeon walked out of the building without a moment's hesitation.
"Hoo..."
After Baek Ha-yeon disappeared, Kim Ilshin let out a sigh and headed toward the training ground. He intended to practice the Ilshin Pacheon-gong's Mad Wave Strike as he had planned earlier.
"As for the training schedule... I'll just make it grueling."
The more comfortable the body was, the more idle thoughts would grow, so he planned to work her without a moment's break. If he gradually gave her more abstract training instructions during that time, a moment would eventually come when she would have to make her own choices. If she could do that, she would be able to shake off the Mind Demon. But if her condition didn't improve and she continued to head in the direction he feared, he would have to cut her off decisively.
Boom!
Mana surged forward, accompanied by a powerful stomp. It traveled up his body and was channeled into the straight-edged Hyeonwol sword. The compressed mana vibrated the air and exploded along the trajectory of his downward swing. The Ilshin Pacheon-gong's Mad Wave Strike was unleashed not through a fist, but through a blade.
Kwang!
This time, the sound and the movement occurred simultaneously. Compared to the one he had unleashed in the ruins, it contained less power. Even so, the momentary destructive force created by the sword strike was by no means negligible.
"Clean."
Kim Ilshin looked at the training scarecrow sprawled out in front of him. The scarecrow’s body, split vertically, was covered in deep, irregular scars. The ground nearby bore similar marks. The interior of the training ground was built to be incredibly sturdy, to the point where it wouldn't even be scratched by most impacts. Yet, the ground had been ruined by the vortex that accompanied the strike, even though it hadn't been hit directly.
"At this level, I can certainly use it in actual combat."
The limit-breaking Mad Wave Strike he had used in the ruins was something his current body couldn't withstand. Unlike internal aspects where rapid growth was possible, the growth of the physical body had a set limit, no matter how hard one tried. Therefore, Kim Ilshin had to find a threshold that wouldn't put a strain on his body, and after several trials and errors, he had discovered it.
"Is it ten percent?"
Ten percent of his limit. At that level, he could use it without any restrictions on the number of times. Of course, even at that level, the lethality was sufficient. He would be able to pierce through most things head-on. If necessary, he could increase the power further—though it would put a burden on his body.
"Still, it's not enough."
However, there were many aspects that left him wanting more than to be satisfied here. He wanted to test its operation in more situations, things he couldn't do in the training ground. In short, he needed actual combat. And Kim Ilshin already knew where to go for that.
A place where only the truth of survival of the fittest existed, and where those who craved battle flocked endlessly. The underground arena.
"It was a place I had to go anyway."
There was an item he could obtain at this time, so he had been wondering when to go, and that day was today. Kim Ilshin checked the time and headed out. Since the underground arena started late at night, leaving now would be just right. Kim Ilshin set off immediately, taking only his Hyeonwol sword. There was nothing else he needed to prepare. It was a place where one could solve everything with raw power alone.
The underground arena located on the outskirts of Itaewon was operating actively again today.
"Yeah! That's it! Kill him!"
"Damn it, what are you doing! Get up! I bet my entire fortune on you!"
The cage had been specially treated so it wouldn't break even during the fights of superhumans. While a fierce bloodbath was unfolding inside, the people surrounding the cage were cheering—or perhaps cursing—with bloodshot eyes. Dozens of such cages were spread out at regular intervals, and the heat never cooled down as fights continued without a moment's pause.
"Hey, Johnson, did any decent guys come today?"
Chu Gyeong-seok, sitting at a bar a little away from the main stage, asked the waiter, Johnson. He was a regular at the underground arena who visited to watch interesting fights.
"I checked a moment ago, and they said Trevor the Giant has arrived. How about him?"
"He's no good. It's obvious he only faces guys weaker than himself. He's all flash on the outside, but inside, he's just a coward."
Recently, however, Chu Gyeong-seok had been falling into boredom. It was because there was no one who could show him the fight he wanted. He kept coming out of habit, but after looking around once, it seemed today would end in a wasted trip as well.
"...Huh? I haven't seen that guy before. Who is he?"
"Let's see... they say his name is Kim Ilshin. He's a student at the Academy."
"Ho-ho..."
Chu Gyeong-seok watched Kim Ilshin carefully. He was someone who looked special in some way, and such people usually showed fights that were just as special.