Those Who Have Internal Energy and Those Who Do Not
Dan-ryang hated Seo-ah. It wasn't that they had ever had a specific, explosive conflict. Seo-ah hadn't done anything particularly irritating, either. So, to be more precise: Dan-ryang needed someone who was inferior to her, someone who was lacking, someone who was hated by everyone—someone who deserved to be hated. This wasn't a problem with anyone else; it was a problem with Dan-ryang herself.
Sometimes, when Dan-ryang dreamt, her childhood memories would surface with vivid clarity.
"Can I become a sharp sword of the Cult?"
"Don't worry. You resemble us, so you will surely become a fine martial artist."
In her dreams, her younger self asked her respected parents, who were True Cultists. But as it turned out, far from becoming a fine martial artist, she couldn't even cultivate internal energy. She was a half-wit.
"Hey, you guys?"
"Where does a half-wit who can't even cultivate martial arts dare to..."
Her younger self looked at the children who insulted her with desperate eyes. Unfortunately, they never turned to look at her.
"You're cultivating martial arts? You?"
"Yeah! How is it? Am I amazing, Sister?!"
Her innocent younger sibling, not even eight years old yet, said this to her. Instead of offering congratulations, I hid in my room with a pale face. The sound of my parents praising my sibling through the closed door made me feel even more miserable.
'I didn't ask for much...'
I just wanted enough talent to not be an embarrassment to my parents. Enough talent to not be abandoned by my friends. Enough talent to be able to offer praise to my sibling's achievements without being crushed by inferiority. Was I asking for something so difficult? No. At least, everyone around me, except for me, possessed such talent.
After a long time spent consumed by that inferiority, clinging to martial arts that showed no progress, and eating to relieve the stress, she had gained weight. When a long time had passed, Dan-ryang thought she couldn't go on like this.
'But how?'
What could she possibly do now? The image reflected in the mirror was far more pathetic than in the past. She couldn't catch a good man to help her family. Having spent her whole life avoiding studies, it was out of the question for her to enter the Law Hall or the Military Department through academics.
What about a maid in the Inner Hall, who manages the internal affairs of the Cult? Even someone like her, without talent for martial arts, could easily enter. Depending on the situation, couldn't she build connections with the upper echelons and climb quite high with just her body?
The hesitation didn't last long. 'There are no other options anyway...'
Dan-ryang adapted to the work of a maid faster than expected. Although she was just an ordinary cultist, perhaps it was because she had lived her whole life like a True Cultist. She received favors from those who knew her family background, and she received even more affection by fawning over her seniors who had also started as ordinary cultists. Above all, the fact was that here, she wasn't a half-wit. No, for the first time, she could be the most outstanding child. Unlike herself, who had True Cultist parents, her peers were lowly outsiders. That made it even more so.
'More... I have to stand out more.'
She needed people who were inferior to her, lacking, and hated by everyone. So that she could stand out even more. And for the first time, a faint crack began to form in Dan-ryang's world.
Watching Seo-ah talk to the Head Maid, she thought, 'You are trying to ruin my world.'
Waking up from that dream, Dan-ryang saw Seo-ah heading out of the tent. It would be troublesome if she continued to show such remarkable activity. A little warning... wouldn't that be fine? Even though she had no internal energy, the forms she had learned as a child remained in her body. And she was much larger in build.
Finishing her brief deliberation, Dan-ryang hurriedly got up and followed Seo-ah. In a narrow clearing a little away from the campsite, Seo-ah was looking at Dan-ryang with a guarded expression. The words that came out of her mouth were quite nonsensical, though.
"By any chance, did you come to see the 'pee' too?"
Dan-ryang silently took her stance. It was her parents' fist technique, which she hadn't practiced in a very long time.
Seo-ah said, "I don't understand. I haven't done anything to you, so why are you so desperate to eat me alive?"
"..."
"Are you not going to answer? This is truly absurd. I've endured it when you humiliated me in front of the seniors, and I've taken it well when you framed me with ridiculous lies, haven't I?"
"Today... you caught the Head Maid's eye."
After that short sentence, Seo-ah waited for what would follow, but Dan-ryang added nothing more. Seo-ah scoffed.
"Ah... what. Was it that? You want to succeed, but you don't want to put in the effort. So you thought that if you borrowed your parents' influence and belittled other children, you would become special?"
"What?"
"Why, is it not? But you thought wrong. I talked to the Head Maid today, and she didn't even really remember the disciplinary action you raised. You didn't become special at all, Dan-ryang. Actually, you know it too, don't you? I can tell by the way your face turns red whenever the Head Maid's name comes up."
'I'll tell everyone that you didn't believe the Head Maid's words. I'll tell them!'
Dan-ryang felt as if her past shouts, which had relied on a fake closeness with the Head Maid, were flashing through her mind. The first emotion she felt was embarrassment. It was because this wasn't the child she knew, who always acted affably and tried to gloss over whatever was said. The next emotion was anger. That she didn't put in effort? That she only relied on her parents' influence? Without knowing anything about how much effort she had put in! How dare she say such things to 'me'?! Dan-ryang's face turned beet red with rage.
"H-how dare you! What do you know!"
Seo-ah laughed at Dan-ryang's appearance. "I don't know. But do I really need to know your miserable past? You don't know anything about me either. From the moment you came to harm me, that means I'm done putting up with the inferiority complex of a half-wit who couldn't become a True Cultist."
"You! You...!"
Dan-ryang didn't want to hear those sharp words anymore. Before she knew it, she found herself lunging at Seo-ah. Seo-ah stood her ground and didn't dodge. She simply raised her left hand calmly and slapped Dan-ryang across the face.
— Thwack!
Dan-ryang's heavy frame flew through the air.
-10 HP
Dan-ryang, who had been slammed into the ground, didn't realize what had happened to her for a moment. 'Did I just get countered? By that lowly outsider? No, that's not important.'
'More than that, she... cultivated internal energy?'
Dan-ryang stood up and raised her voice. "You! How..."
— Slap!
Though she was stopped immediately.
"You'll wake people up. Keep your voice down?"
"Do you think you'll be safe after doing this..."
— Slap!
"How dare you...!"
— Slap!
"Do you think only you know how to raise your voice? Do you think only you know how to get angry? Haven't you thought that other people are just enduring it?"
"..."
Dan-ryang didn't dare open her mouth, fearing Seo-ah's hand would fly again if she spoke carelessly.
"Right. It'll be troublesome if people come."
"You... do you think you'll be safe after this?"
Dan-ryang lowered her voice as much as possible and threatened Seo-ah. However, Seo-ah just laughed at her as if she didn't care.
"Yeah."
"What?"
"I think I'll be safe. Do you think anyone would believe that I made you like this?"
It was as Seo-ah said. The reason her past lies had worked was because they weren't absurd. But if someone were told about what happened today, who would believe Dan-ryang? That an ordinary outsider who hadn't even cultivated internal energy had beaten up Dan-ryang, who had once learned martial arts? Unilaterally? Dan-ryang realized this fact before long.
"Ah..."
"But do you know, Dan-ryang?"
"..."
"I don't have any intention of threatening your position. No, in the first place, your position didn't even exist, so how could I threaten it? You haven't built up anything at all."
Dan-ryang was still silent. Seo-ah continued without caring. "Let's just keep going as we are. Like today. Just don't make things overly difficult for me."
Just... keep relying on your parents' influence like you do now. Fawn over the seniors, and grab a decent spot. "Got it?"
Seo-ah's words pierced Dan-ryang's heart like a dagger. "If you got it, nod your head."
Dan-ryang nodded her head powerlessly, as if her soul had been drained.
Seo-ah smiled faintly as if satisfied, then turned her back.
***
Despite turning her back coolly, Seo-ah was swallowing her regret inside. 'I wanted to hit her a few more times.'
The reason was none other than the fact that she had used up all of her tiny bit of internal energy when she slapped Dan-ryang. Today's event proved it: the gap between those who have cultivated internal energy and those who haven't is as vast as heaven and earth. However, that was only true as long as she actually had internal energy. If she had provoked her further and Dan-ryang had lunged at her with a "if I die, you die" mentality, Seo-ah would have had no way to deal with it. Of course, considering she had such worries, she had provoked her a bit too much...
'Well... I've endured quite a lot until now.'
When she lived in the village, she didn't need to endure when she was insulted like this. She would immediately lead the children, broom in hand, and beat them until the dust flew, making the saying "beating until dust flies" seem like an understatement. In the Cult, she hadn't been able to do that and had only been suppressing it until now. It was because she had quite a lot of pent-up frustration.
Seo-ah headed back to the tent with a much lighter step. Until she looked toward the bushes where she heard a sound.
— Rustle.
'A person?'
If someone had just witnessed these scenes, it could be quite dangerous. The only reason she was able to slap Dan-ryang so refreshingly was because there was no one who would believe the absurd claim that she had beaten Dan-ryang. But, if there was a witness, even if it was just one person...?
Seo-ah approached the bushes and said, "Who... is it?"
Then, So-so emerged from the bushes, scratching her head. "So... So-so didn't see anything."
"So-so?"
Why are you coming out of there?