I'm Sorry!
Cheonryu Swordsmanship lived up to its name of "a thousand flows." Geom-seong's swordsmanship was softer than anyone's. Using flow to deflect, drawing power like following waves—the essence of Cheonryu Swordsmanship was smoothly redirecting the enemy's force. At its pinnacle, one could deflect an attack and counter using that very force. Geom-seong had mastered every aspect of it, deflecting massive monster assaults with just a single sword. Of course, it wouldn't have been possible without his active skill, the pinnacle of swordsmanship. A cheat-level active skill unique to Geom-seong that helped anyone learning swordsmanship reach that pinnacle. He had ascended to the ranks of the strongest through the perfect harmony of his skills and compatible sword arts.
In the past, Geom-seong had told me, "If you master Cheonryu Swordsmanship to its pinnacle, you can match others even without an active skill." It was meant to give hope to someone like me, who only had passive skills back then. But those words only made me feel more pathetic. The idea that grasping the pinnacle of the sword art that made Geom-seong the strongest would barely put me on par with everyone else.
I set aside the swordsmanship I was learning from him. That was what Cheonryu Swordsmanship meant to me. But to Lee Hye-ri, it was different. With this technique to deflect enemy attacks without taking hits, she could solidly hold the front line for her party. Not as a half-baked tank, but a complete one.
The memories I'd learned from him and the copy of Cheonryu Swordsmanship now in my hands. These two would be enough to teach her. What she needed was enough to fulfill her role as an evasion tank. She didn't need to reach the pinnacle. Unlike me, she had talent, and she had an active skill to withstand monster strength.
Just teach her the basics, and she'd handle the rest well.
"Got it?"
"Yes. Reading the enemy's power and smoothly deflecting it—that's the most important part."
"The manual you're looking at assumes a sword wielder, but with your spear, you can definitely pull it off."
"……."
Lee Hye-ri stared silently at the swordsmanship manual.
"I think I can do it." Her voice brimmed with confidence.
"Then let's start right away."
"Yes."
I stood in front of Lee Hye-ri, who gripped her spear.
"Hold on a sec."
Switching to Practice Mode.
Lee Hye-ri pressed the button, and the room expanded once more through magical power. Ridiculously spacious. Not bad at all for two people training. S-grade really was top-tier.
"Ten times. Succeed even once, and no punishment today. Fail all, and...?"
"I pick one from those punishments?"
"Right."
I gripped a wooden sword. No mana infusion today. The goal was to train her.
"Here I come."
I faced Lee Hye-ri, who held her spear with both hands.
"Come at me. I'm ready."
Unlike before, her face was resolute—a warrior prepared for battle. I thrust my sword toward her.
"Kyaaak!"
"Ten. All done."
My wooden sword poked Lee Hye-ri's chest. The soft fabric of her bra covering her plush breasts slid aside under the blade.
"Uuuu……."
She glared at me with a teary face. Ten attacks. But disappointingly, she hadn't deflected a single one properly. Her soft breasts had been ravaged by my wooden sword, and the result...
"Wh-what the hell was that?!"
Her clothes were all torn, revealing a cute frilly bra.
"Wearing such girly underwear, huh."
"U-uuuk!"
Finally dropping her spear, Lee Hye-ri covered her chest and glared daggers at me.
"Y-you aimed for it on purpose!"
"No way. Just teaching you enemies on the battlefield can target anywhere."
"……Liar."
Not entirely a lie. Lee Hye-ri had no resistance to lewd stuff—her focus crumbled at the slightest naughty gesture. What she needed was to get used to it. Specifically, lewd situations. So I'd targeted her chest on purpose, and it worked perfectly.
"You gonna fight that passively in real combat too? Just because your bra shows a bit?"
"Th-that's not it, but……."
"Anything can happen in battle. Don't get embarrassed over a little exposed underwear. Enemies won't hold back because you're shy."
Lee Hye-ri bit her lip. My words rang true. After her chest cover tore, her movements had grown unstable.
"Stay calm. Settle your mind to wield Cheonryu Swordsmanship properly. Focus. Always. No letting your guard down."
"O-okay."
"Then……."
Crack! I cracked my knuckles.
"Which punishment do you want?"
Impact resistance training punishment. Burn resistance training punishment. Laceration resistance training punishment. Weak point resistance training punishment.
"Pick one."
Lee Hye-ri's face flushed crimson. Hearing the list, her mind was already swirling with imaginations. Impacts with palms, lacerations with whips, burns with wax, and unknown weak points.
"What'll it be?"
Eyes squeezed shut, Hye-ri tremblingly pointed at impact.
"At least you've seen something like this? Chose palm spanking."
"S-see what?! Wh-what are you talking about? I have no idea what you mean!"
She reacted strongly to "seen." Why not just say outright she'd secretly watched Ara get it?
"Strip."
"H-how far...?"
"All the way, obviously."
"……."
"If you don't wanna be a tank, say so. You can quit anytime."
At that, Lee Hye-ri squeezed her eyes shut and stripped. Her face burned red as her clothes slipped off. Even removing her underwear herself, she covered her chest and crotch with her hands. Biting her lower lip, her flushed face carried an inexplicable allure. Probably unintentional, but her beauty, shyness, and status as Lee Kang-san's sister created this seductive vibe. Was this injected sex appeal?
Before the punishment, I checked her conquest progress.
Minus 8%. Compared to the last check at minus 34%, that's a whopping 26% rise. Even amid this humiliation.
'As expected, it went up after confirming I have the skills.'
I had a sense now of how to conquer her. Skill and results. Those were the key words for Lee Hye-ri. Punishment might drop the progress again, but it didn't matter. This was necessary for her growth.
"Lie face-down here with your belly on my thigh."
I pointed to my thigh.
"O-on your lap...?"
"Yeah. You came this far—gonna chicken out from embarrassment?"
"Eek……."
After hesitating, Lee Hye-ri clenched her fists and draped her belly over my thigh, lying prone. Her sweat-slicked back and ass were fully exposed. Her hands shyly covered her ass, but I swatted them away.
Smack!
"Kyaaak!"
"Don't cover. This is punishment. No dirty thoughts."
"Wh-who's thinking dirty...? Don't you think that way."
"Why? Scared I'll fall head over heels for your body?"
"Of course!"
"Who'd get excited over a flat body like yours?"
"Wh-who's flat? Me?!"
"Yeah."
"I'm G-cup, you know?"
"Bragging."
Smack!
"Kyaaak!"
I smacked her cheeky ass. A red handprint bloomed clearly.
"Don't forget—this is punishment time."
"……."
"Every time I hit, shout 'I'm sorry.'"
"Got it."
"And confess loudly why you're getting hit."
"That much?"
"Yes. So you know your mistakes."
Perfect hierarchy through punishment. Her confessing faults and humbling herself built our relationship. Little by little, she'd depend on me more.
I lightly coated my palm in mana. Harsher than with Yoo Ara. This was punishment, not caress.
"Starting."
I smacked the ass of Lee Hye-ri sprawled over my thigh with my mana-clad hand.
Smack!
"Kgh! S-sorry."
Smack!
"I'm sorry!"
"Say why you're sorry."
"F-for not deflecting Teacher's attack properly, I'm sorry."
Smack!
"Again!"
"F-for not deflecting Teacher's attack, I'm sorry!"
Lee Hye-ri's ass jiggled.
Smack!
"I'm sorry! I couldn't deflect Teacher's attack!"
"Again!"
Smack!
With each palm strike, her ass reddened more.
Smack!
"I'm sorry!"
Her voice trembled faintly.
Smack!
"Kyaaat!"
She forgot self-reflection this time.
"Say it quick. Why you're getting hit."
"F-for not deflecting Teacher's attack, s-sorry."
Sniffling, tears edged her voice.
Smack!
No mercy. This was clear punishment. Public and private must be distinct.
Smack!
"I'm sor-ry……."
Lee Hye-ri squeezed out apologies, sprawled over my thigh.
Smack!
My palm stung too. Her ass had been red for ages. The stimulated flesh swelled beyond bright red.
"Uuuk……. It huuurts……."
I felt her skin trembling against my thigh.
Smack!
"Hngh!"
"Say it."
"I'm sorry……."
"Sorry for what?"
"F-for not withstanding Teacher's teachings……."
Sniffling. Even her ears were red. I couldn't see her face, ass presented over my thigh, but I knew. What expression she wore.
"Say it again."
"S-sorry."
"Why?"
"For not learning properly……. Sorry."
"Right. If you don't learn it with your body, you can't become the tank you want. You wanna be like your brother, right?"
"Yes."
"Then ingrain it in your body. Make every technique I taught you yours."
"Yes……."
"And show it. The new Hye-ri. Stand at the party's front as a tank no one can ignore."
"Yes……."
"Today's training for that. Overcome this pain, and you'll make it. Got it?"
"Yes……."
"Good. One more smack. No complaints?"
She nodded vigorously.
"Well said."
A carrot between whips. That alone would ease her mind.
Smack!
"Hngh!! S-sorry!"
Lee Hye-ri shuddered.
"Sorry for not blocking Teacher's attack!"
"It's the path to becoming the ultimate tank. Endure."
"……Yes."
No time to think. Keep reminding her why she's hit, implant suggestions to obey me more. This method will make you grow. Only this will make you a tank. I'm your teacher. The teacher who'll make you a tank as you wished.
Smack!
"I'm sorry!"
Tears mixed in her apologetic voice. Now she couldn't even say why—just repeating "sorry."
Smack!
"I'm sorry!"
She no longer thought to cover her chest or ass. Just sobbing, wiping tears.
Enough whips. Time for the carrot.
Training needed balanced carrot and whip. Too harsh whip or too sweet carrot ruined it. Tease to the limit with perfect balance—that was key. Pushed to the brink, even mild praise would taste heavenly. And this praise would fuel her drive.
"Good girl."
I pulled out ointment made from high-grade potions and applied it to her still-prone ass.
"Hnnngh!!"
Her fiery, swollen ass met the cool ointment, drawing a moan. I saw it cooling rapidly. Not full pain relief, but enough to sit and study.
"Just endure a bit. Ointment's going on."
"It huuurts……."
"Hurt?"
"Yes……."
"The attacks you'll take for your team later will hurt more. Gotta adapt. Even as evasion tank, times you can't dodge will come."
"Yes……."
"Can't deflect? You get hit. Keep that in your head."
"I'll remember."
"Good."
After applying, I gently stroked the head of Lee Hye-ri still draped over my thigh.
"Get up. Punishment's over."
"O-over...?"
"Yeah."
"N-not a big deal then."
Standing casually, she avoided my eyes. Didn't want to show her tear-streaked face. I didn't look.
"I'll leave the swordsmanship manual. Study it, make it yours. Homework. Keep endurance practice too."
"Punishment if I fail again?"
"Yes. Succeed, and I'll praise you."
"……."
I placed the leftover ointment on the sofa and stood.
"Apply to your ass every night before bed. It'll ease the pain."
"Th-thanks."
Still avoiding my gaze.
"And I still believe you can become a tank rivaling Lee Kang-san."
"But I failed today."
"Yeah. Failed today."
I turned, stroked her head one last time.
"You'll succeed tomorrow, right?"
I gave a light smile. Sincere. I believed in her—even failing today, she'd win tomorrow. Why? My student. One I resolved to raise. Gotta believe.
"Heading out. Train hard. No 'sorry' from me. Would've done the same to any student."
"……."
I left without a reply. Class over for today.
Lee Hye-ri's face burned. Not from exposing herself naked. Not from the ass pain.
The last thing Kim Siu said.
"Yeah. Failed today. You'll succeed tomorrow, right?"
She'd seen his face then. He probably hadn't noticed, but through the mirror ahead, Lee Hye-ri caught Kim Siu's expression.
He was smiling. A warm smile. Just like the one Lee Kang-san had flashed protecting her in the gate long ago.
"No injuries? Good."
Beaming despite his wounds, just because she was unhurt. The smile from her brother when she resolved to become a tank.
They resembled each other. That day's Lee Kang-san smile.
"Smiling like that's cheating."
Lee Hye-ri bit her lip.