No Way I Can Fight! (But Turns Out I Could?!)
"You, how the hell are you gonna compensate for this?"
"No, that's not... I didn't do it on purpose. I was just putting Senior's teachings into practice. I'm a victim here too. If it's compensation, my family will handle it..."
"Shut your trap. You're getting on my nerves."
！.. !... ......
"Yes, ma'am."
Kim Taejin stared at the rock precisely bisected in half. A special rock that even a decent B-rank hunter would struggle to break. And he'd done it in one clean strike?
And there wasn't even any weapon involved.
That meant he'd shattered it with pure strength. What kind of freakish body was this kid packing? Did they feed him millennium ginseng with every meal back at Heukcheon or something?
I figured this dopey-looking punk needed a light lesson before I sent him packing. But that's off the table now.
Talent like this was a rare sight, even for Kim Taejin. A hero through and through, she'd spent her life honing her edge. Letting a gem like this walk away? Her pride wouldn't allow it.
"Hey, kiddo. What was your name again?"
"Kim Yujin."
"Right, Yujin. Too common a name for my taste. Guess I'll stick to calling you kiddo."
"Then why'd you ask?"
"Don't talk back to me. It's my call."
"That's harsh..."
How glorious was it for her to even ask his name? Did this punk have any clue? The more she looked at him, the more he seemed utterly pure—nothing like Heukcheon stock.
Well, if he ever goes astray, it'll give me the perfect excuse to smash Heukcheon. Not a bad deal.
If her disciple veered toward evil, correcting him was the master's duty. And who could blame her then? With such flimsy excuses swirling in her head, she resolved to train him.
"You know this rock's valuable, right?"
"I-Is it that special?"
"Damn expensive. Anything that passes through my hands skyrockets in price."
Yujin's shoulders slumped. He'd been enjoying a nice break, and now he'd screwed up again. Kim Taejin chuckled silently at the sight.
"Anyway, you mess up, you own it."
"Yes, ma'am..."
"Don't sweat it. Not that tough."
She nudged the rock with her foot.
"Chop it into smaller pieces and dump 'em in the nearby woods. Bare hands only, obviously."
"Wait, carry this by hand?"
He wasn't some Egyptian pyramid slave. Hauling this thing? Overkill much?
"What, breaking it was easy, but cleanup's too hard?"
"No, that's not—"
"Finish by tonight, or no dinner."
Whoa, what kind of demon was this? Cute as a button on the outside, pure evil underneath. And she even cooked herself!
"Tomorrow, real training starts. Got it?"
Grumbling tsundere-style, Kim Taejin walked off. Her mind was already sketching out how to toughen the kid up.
…*
-What? Training under that woman?! Are you insane?!
As he laid out his bedding, the slime in his soul piped up. No one else to chat with in these mountains besides the girl. Real-life outcasts got lonely faster than you'd think. Yujin was talking to the slime more than usual.
She offered out of the blue. Beats being bored, right?
-You have no idea how strong she is.
The slime was floored by his nonchalance. Dumb? Naive? Both?
That strong?
-Strong enough to squash a loser like you with a flick.
Whoa, she was just a kid, and already that level? S-rank heroes' disciples were no joke. If the disciple was this tough, how insane was the master?
Ugh, can't stand that Kim Taejin lady anymore.
No doubt about it—she had the personality of a total jerk. But entrusting him to her for training meant his family had some faith in her, right? Yujin spun his happy delusions hard.
-A hero training Heukcheon's heir? She's gotta have ulterior motives.
Like what?
-Using 'training' as cover to slit your throat!
Nah, no way~
Yujin chuckled. What would she gain from offing him? If she wanted him dead, she'd have done it already. Plus, for all her tough act, the girl had looked out for him plenty.
She's not that bad.
-Sigh, you naive idiot. The world's kill or be killed! Gullible fools like you always lose!
The slime launched into a rant about humanity's evils. Yujin, being human, didn't buy it much.
So what? Too late to back out now. Got free meals out of it.
-True, running now would be pointless. She'd catch you easy.
She had the skills for it. The slime pondered, then spoke gravely.
-She's investing this much, so outright murder's off the table. Too much backlash from Heukcheon.
See? Not killing me.
-Shut up and listen! If you die, I die too!
At first, the slime was fine with the half-forced symbiosis—Heukcheon's heir was safe enough. But after all this time with Yujin, anxiety crept in. Could this airheaded moron survive Heukcheon's shadows? One careless stab, and they'd both be goners. Shit, this was bad. Time for the slime to step up.
-Heroes can't ignore public eyes completely. She won't kill openly, but expect sabotage disguised as training.
How? Training doesn't kill.
-Plenty ways. Dangerous chores, poison in your food. Sparring? 100% fake mistake to off you. She might dodge full blame as an active S-rank hero. No witnesses here. Her word against nothing.
You'd vanish quietly.
-So stay sharp! Don't die sneaky like a rat!
Ugh, chill. You my mom or something?
-I'm saving your ass! Tense up!
Relax. She's not as bad as you think.
-What've you heard?! Don't trust people easy, dumbass!
Yeah, glad I met you. Night.
Yujin burrowed into his blankets. Rock-hauling had worn him out. True outcasts crashed early.
-Argh, seriously! Idiot, jellyfish, trash! Heukcheon's shame!
The slime sighed inwardly. How was this pure-hearted fool the heir? If its life wasn't on the line, it'd bail.
-Guess I'll protect him myself.
Gazing at the moonlit sky, the slime vowed it.
…*
Kim Taejin's training kicked off the next day. Problem was, it felt more like slime boot camp than Yujin conditioning.
-Head! 12 o'clock!
Huh?
Yujin, shoveling multigrain rice, reflexively raised his arm. Not conscious—just slime's request.
-Thwack!
But it blocked Kim Taejin's strike. Her eyes gleamed.
Blocked that too?
Not a one-off. From wake-up wash to now, her surprise attacks kept coming. Yujin parried them all—thanks to the slime, unknown to her.
What reflexes... No, he's habitually guarding.
She'd timed that one perfectly. Didn't expect a block. Constant vigilance, even in daily life?
Guess he earned his spot at Heukcheon.
Heukcheon didn't coddle heirs without skills. Ambitious execs lurked everywhere. Assassination threats galore.
That environment honed his survival instincts.
Daily life as a kill zone. Kinda tragic.
Look at him now—taking hits like nothing, chowing down. Mental game's S-rank hero level, at least.
"Ah, Senior. They say even dogs get a pass at mealtime."
"Dogs bark, so they get a pass."
"I can bark too. Woof woof!"
"Finish your rice. Noisy."
Her ambushes didn't stop. Soon, they weren't even surprises. She unleashed merciless strikes.
-Head! Head! Chest! Gut! Legs! Head! Side! Legs! Throat! Head again!
Eeeeek! Too fast! Can't keep up! Can't I just take one hit?
-That's what she's waiting for! Assume every blow's lethal!
Sparring a live S-rank hero had Yujin dying inside. She was pulling punches, sure, but still.
Ha! Blocking my attacks? Real maniac. This level at his age!
How many rounds? Unbeknownst to him, Yujin grew stronger.
Cheon-gong Shin-gwon
In a way no one could've imagined.
Heukcheon's heir learning Cheon-gong Shin-gwon? The ripples would be massive. Yujin had no clue.
A week slipped by like that.