Chapter 68
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Endurance
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“Hyped it up so much, and it’s just the horse stance?”
I was holding a horse stance, just like Jackie Chan in Drunken Master, with weights stacked on my arms and knees.
“What do you mean ‘just’? And you! Is that how you talk to your master?”
“Tch! I thought some amazing secret technique was coming…….”
“Secret techniques are never even shared with daughters-in-law.”
“Nu-ue. Nu-ue.”
“You little punk……. Hey, basics account for half the battle.”
“But it’s still just basics.”
“Eighty percent of guys give up because they can’t stick to the basics. Mastering the fundamentals is the hardest part of anything.”
“Aah, so how long do I have to do this?”
“Until it’s ingrained in your body.”
“Huh?”
“Until your muscles remember it and it’s etched into your bones.”
“That sounds familiar……. Oh, right, that’s what I said.”
Who would’ve thought I’d end up suffering the exact same training method I put the goblins through?
“No way it’s the same thing again tomorrow, right?”
“Why not? Tomorrow’s horse stance endurance too. But to keep it interesting, you’ll strap four or five 20kg plates to your waist.”
“Huh? What if my back gives out? You gonna take responsibility, Master?”
“It won’t snap from that. I know you’ve already hit 2-star level.”
My stats put me at 4-star, but I kept my mouth shut tight. No need to give him ideas about piling on more weight.
‘Is it okay to be messing around like this? I’d be better off hunting centaurs instead.’
But leveling up wasn’t a fundamental fix either.
To face Minos, I needed rock-solid legs that wouldn’t budge from shockwaves and fast, precise spearwork.
The method was old-school, but since it came from my master’s own experience, I had no choice. Time to trust it.
‘It’s a little suspicious, though…….’
Still, I’d believe in it.
‘I don’t want to get gored by those horns again.’
Honestly, that hurt way too much.
By the end of the day, my lower body felt firmer, and my center of gravity had dropped noticeably.
From then on, I started swinging the spear while holding the stance.
At first, even the slightest movement sent my center wobbling wildly from the plate weights.
But after about three days, I could swing the spear in horse stance without my legs shaking at all.
‘Huh? This feels different somehow.’
It was an odd sensation.
I’d never stuck in place like this, rooted and swinging my weapon.
Dart-throwing while running was basic, and even with axes, I’d always maximized mobility for speed.
Lately, I’d been leaping high with jumps too.
Suddenly standing still loaded with heavy plates felt strangely profound.
Like I could feel the ground pushing back through my soles?
Pushing against that force made my feet stick to the ground like an octopus’s suckers.
‘What is this? Am I turning into the Octopus Man or something?’
I eyed my master’s thinning hair with unease.
* * *
‘Hmm. His learning speed is impressive. Top-tier physical ability even among 2-stars.’
Park Byung-su watched Cha In-hyeok’s movements, inwardly marveling.
Just three days after learning the form, Cha In-hyeok’s body was already adapting to the horse stance.
‘And today, his mana’s faintly activating too.’
The mana in Cha In-hyeok’s body right now was probably straining to grip gravity and repulsion with its power.
Once that mana flow etched into him, he’d be able to use Thousand Jin Thrust—sticking to the ground by leveraging gravity and repulsion.
Though it was called Thousand Jin Thrust, its real name was just Endurance.
Endurance let you maintain perfect posture unshaken by any external force.
“Your progress is fast, so let’s move on. Follow me with all that gear, disciple.”
“Huh? Where to now?”
“No backtalk. Time’s short.”
The place Park Byung-su led him to was his private training ground—a pool filled with water like a swimming pool.
“Now climb up there and hold horse stance.”
Park Byung-su’s finger pointed to a small buoy bobbing in the center of the pool.
“Start bare. We’ll add plates once you adapt.”
“This…… is some new form of torture, right?”
“It’s training.”
“Master. Be honest. You like manga, don’t you?”
“Quit the nonsense and get up there.”
“But why’d you even build a place like this?”
“This? To practice it.”
Park Byung-su confirmed Cha In-hyeok atop the buoy, then plunged his trident into the pool. A whirlpool erupted from the depths.
“Like riding waves?”
“Huh? What do you…….”
“Watch out, big one’s coming.”
“Huh? Wha—huh?”
Cha In-hyeok, tilting his head on the buoy, met a massive wave that flipped it over. He tumbled into the water.
“Pfft! What the hell!”
“Wave pool. Fun, right? Just balancing on water’s boring. Life needs rough waves to be interesting.”
“Ugh. Fine, I’ll keep going, but I don’t trust this one bit.”
“Trust me. I won’t even ask to borrow money no matter what.”
Cha In-hyeok hopped out of the water like a penguin and landed back on the buoy.
A naga skill, Underwater Movement, made the trick possible—but Park Byung-su had no way of knowing.
‘What’s this? Ex-swimmer? How’s he so good in the water? Lucky he’s comfortable, but seriously, what’s his deal?’
Normally, you’d spend a month on solid ground mastering horse stance and squats before hitting the pool.
But sadly, he didn’t have much time left. Two weeks at most. Maybe less.
‘Labyrinth raid starts soon. He’ll join the team at least two weeks early for drills.’
This labyrinth raid had higher odds of death or maiming than survival.
So he had to teach Thousand Jin Thrust as fast as possible before leaving.
‘He called me master, so I’ve gotta impart something.’
Park Byung-su’s eyes gleamed as he gazed at Cha In-hyeok, who might be his last disciple.
Misfortune or fortune, Cha In-hyeok’s talent outshone any student he’d ever taught.
‘Maybe it’s for the best he never joined Black Bears…….’
Park Byung-su gave a wry smile and stirred up another wave.
* * *
The buoy rocked endlessly, and each time, my heavy, plate-laden body swayed wildly.
I desperately tensed to hold balance, but my master timed trident strikes perfectly to throw me off again.
“Urk!”
I barely stayed upright dodging the trident, then thrust back in counterattack.
“Not bad. Now you’re countering too?”
But my master parried effortlessly and whipped up waves to shatter my balance once more.
‘Ugh! Hold! Hold on!’
In that desperate prayer, the strange sensation from before returned.
My wet, slippery soles stuck fast to the buoy. Even the surging pool water beyond felt tangible.
A message chimed in.
[You have acquired a new skill.]
[Endurance (F-rank): Grip the earth with mana’s power. Works on non-solid surfaces too, but effect diminishes with fluidity.]
“Huh! Endurance? What’s this?”
“What, you already learned the skill? Fast as expected. I knew you had talent, but mastering Thousand Jin Thrust in a week…….”
My master marveled at my growth, though he smacked his lips in faint regret.
“I’d love to keep teaching you here, but unfortunately, the call-up’s soon.”
“The labyrinth raid, right?”
“Yeah. Gotta sync up with the guild ahead of the boss fight.”
“You gonna be okay? Labyrinth’s no joke…….”
“We make it work. If we fail, civilians take the hit.”
My master’s face hardened with resolve. Feeling that determination, my own expression tightened.
Thinking back, my impression of him had changed a lot.
I’d pegged him as a shady thug recruiter at first, but now I saw he was protecting people in his own way.
‘I’ll solve the labyrinth issue my way too.’
Time to restart the labyrinth raid. Minos’s shockwaves still worried me, but with Endurance, I could hold out somewhat.
‘Before I go…… maybe squeeze in one more anime?’
* * *
Nearly a year since I last bought booze on the way home.
Last time I got gored by Minos’s horn, teetering between life and death, I’d regretted not seeing Dad’s face one last time.
So today, I made time to come home. Using the new Crayon Shin-chan movie as an excuse.
“Aw, still just a kid, huh.”
Dad said it, but he grinned happily.
I focused on the TV like a child, munching ssam wraps he fed me.
Today, I wanted to act spoiled for some reason. Lean on someone?
‘Long way to adulthood, like Dad says.’
Suddenly, I noticed the liver spots on Dad’s face. They’d spread to blacken his temples—who knew?
I was far from mature, but Dad’s face was etched with wrinkles from life’s storms.
“Dad.”
“Yeah?”
“……Nothing. The meat’s just so good. You eat some too.”
I wrapped a big one and fed it to him. He complained it was too big but stuffed it in, beaming.
“Dad. How’d you get through the tough, hard times?”
“Me? Hm…….”
Dad furrowed his brow, pondered, then snorted with a wry smile.
“Just endured. Thought of you to endure, dreamed of seeing your mom again to endure. Believed the one who outlasts to the end wins.”
“So enduring all those hard things makes you an adult?”
“Nah. Looking back, it had nothing to do with growing up.”
Dad gazed at the TV with distant eyes. Crayon Shin-chan’s dad was dueling Butt Emperor to protect his son.
“You become an adult the moment you resolve to protect someone precious. Process doesn’t matter.”
“Ah…….”
* * *
‘The moment you resolve to protect someone precious, you’re an adult.’
The next day, I repeated Dad’s words as I entered the labyrinth.
In two weeks, Black Bears would head out to raid it.
If they failed, Gangwon Province would be a wasteland.
‘I won’t let that happen.’
Dad, Hye-rin noona, Master, Huh Min-ah, O Deok-hun—even my life-size Magical Girl Lilia figure.
‘I…… I’ll protect them!’
I’d fight to safeguard what mattered.
“Moooo!!”
A Minos welcomed me, attacking with a shockwave like it’d been waiting.
‘Endure.’
The ground-shaking blast hit. But with Endurance, my legs rooted like ancient trees.
‘To protect those precious to me.’
The charging Minos. I raised my spear against it. The coiled tension surged into the tip.
The blade shot out at light speed. Just before it pierced Minos’s crown, I whispered inwardly.
‘Shockwave!’
The new technique I’d gained killing Minos unleashed through the steel spear.
BOOM!!
Minos’s head exploded outward. Aside from scraped palms, I was fine.
I’d endured perfectly.
‘Phew. Does this mean I’m a little more adult now?’