Chapter 41
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Practice (6)
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Crackle... pop...
The crackling of the burning firewood echoed gently through the cave.
Lost in that dry warmth, I stared blankly at the flames before suddenly shifting my gaze to Jin Seo-won sitting beside me.
"......"
Changed into her pajamas, she hugged her knees with her roughly dried hair loose, staring vacantly into the fire.
'To master the breathing technique on the first day...'
Jin Seo-won had shown far greater talent than I'd anticipated.
Of course, I'd used a little trick to help her focus easily, but it was an undeniable fact that she'd learned the breathing method at an unbelievably fast pace.
'It took Seol Ju-hee almost a week... Is talent really talent, huh?'
Though Seol Ju-hee had started her training brute-force style from scratch, midway through she'd trained under my guidance just like now.
Even excluding the forgotten time, it had taken her a total of two days...
So mastering it perfectly in just one day put Jin Seo-won on the extremely fast side.
"......"
A sudden thought crossed my mind.
'Could Jin Seo-won become the protagonist?'
Seol Ju-hee, the protagonist of the original novel Supreme Expert, had become the story's center thanks to her immense potential.
Even accounting for protagonist correction, she'd saved the world with nothing but her fists—no common cheats like regression, possession, or reincarnation.
Well, the author went insane at the end and slapped on a trash ending.
Anyway, looking at Seol Ju-hee's path in the novel, there was no reason Jin Seo-won couldn't be a protagonist.
Her talent was outstanding, she had a fundamentally good nature, and reliable allies.
I, the half-baked fake protagonist, was left as a side character...
But maybe Jin Seo-won could pull it off?
"...Producer."
At that moment, noticing my gaze, Jin Seo-won spoke up softly.
She hesitated, eyes darting around, then met my eyes as if she'd made up her mind and asked indirectly.
"...How long did it take Seol Ju-hee?"
"...Uh, what?"
Caught off guard by the abrupt question, I forced myself to stay calm and asked back...
"Why Seol Ju-hee all of a sudden?"
"...A photo."
"Photo...?"
"...Saw it in one we took together. Over there."
"Ah."
Only then did I piece together what happened.
"Well..."
Pretending like I couldn't quite remember, I carefully chose my words and gave a vague answer.
"Something like that, I think?"
Then.
"...How long?"
Jin Seo-won pressed with an oddly persistent tone.
She was clearly seeing Seol Ju-hee as a rival.
'What should I do about this...'
If we went by facts alone, Jin Seo-won was currently superior.
There was a difference in my experience as a tutor and the curriculum, but fast was fast.
But...
Was it right to tell her the truth?
The reason we'd come here was to accelerate Jin Seo-won's growth.
Saying Seol Ju-hee was faster might give her stronger motivation,
or it could crush her budding sprout.
This one sentence could shape her future path.
"Hmm... How long was it again?"
Averting my gaze subtly, I recalled her background while feeling her piercing stare.
She'd lived a life of scarcity until now.
Nothing in abundance—everything had been lacking.
Maybe that's why she'd always seemed disinterested in everything...
But she showed real curiosity about becoming a 'proud adult with a proper job.'
In other words, she wasn't truly disinterested in everything—it just hadn't sparked because she didn't know about it.
So if she was showing interest in competing with Seol Ju-hee...
I should fan those flames properly.
"A week?"
"...A week?"
"She trained alone without any help for nearly five days... Even excluding that, it took about two days."
Jin Seo-won withdrew her gaze, lost in thought, staring intently at the crackling firewood.
I glanced at her slyly from the corner of my eye.
"......"
Her cute lips pursed tight, curving slightly upward bit by bit.
She was clearly pleased to learn she'd been faster.
'So cute.'
Excited by her rare smile, I feigned ignorance and added,
"But the next training will be tougher."
I was subtly stoking her to boost her motivation.
"...What is it?"
As expected, she fell for it—wiping the smile away instantly and asking.
I suppressed my twitching lips and dropped a hint about the next training.
Day 2 of training at the Peach Blossom Haven.
Fired up by her rivalry with Seol Ju-hee from the past, Jin Seo-won burned with motivation, making the training go smoothly.
"Today's training is lightness skills, like I mentioned yesterday."
In the original novel Supreme Expert, lightness skills were depicted as an active skill that boosted speed in bursts.
They were divided into detailed stages like Grass Flying Technique, Snow-without-Trace Step, Dragonfly Touching Water, Void Treading, and Phantom Shift.
Today's goal was the most basic stage: the Grass Flying Technique, allowing one to run across grass blades.
"You know tag?"
"...Tag?"
There were many ways to train lightness skills, but from experience, nothing beat tag.
Tag was the simplest, most direct way to express one's will through speed.
"Wear this sandbag and catch me. If you do, training's over. If not... we keep going till you do. Easy, right?"
"...How long did it take Seol Ju-hee?"
Jin Seo-won cared more about beating Seol Ju-hee than the training's difficulty...
Unfortunately, this one would be hard to top.
Seol Ju-hee had mastered it in exactly six hours and caught me.
Back then, freshly grasping carrot-and-stick principles, I'd offered a 'wish' as a reward. For some reason, she went all out, and I struggled quite a bit.
'We went to an amusement park for her wish, I think?'
Briefly nostalgic, I flashed a playful smile and answered Jin Seo-won.
"I'll tell you Seol Ju-hee's record after you finish each training. No point stressing now—it'd just distract you."
She nodded silently, understanding, and I stretched my waist lightly before casually bringing up the reward.
"This training has a reward."
"...What?"
"One Do Ji-hyeok Free Use Coupon. A wish-granting ticket—as long as it's not impossible."
Unlike Seol Ju-hee, whose eyes had lit up at the mention of a wish, Jin Seo-won showed no reaction.
I considered changing the reward at her indifference...
But good is good, so I stuck with the wish coupon.
"Use internal energy however—move fast and catch me. Go!"
Whoosh—!
Jin Seo-won was slightly startled as Do Ji-hyeok sped away in an instant.
'Fast.'
Do Ji-hyeok's level was Dragonfly Touching Water—skimming across water like a dragonfly on leaves.
Having spent ages with Seol Ju-hee and perfectly copied her abilities, he already had considerable skill.
Whoosh—!
Jin Seo-won leaped after him to catch up.
But.
"Over here!"
"...Ngh...!"
Unable to use even basic lightness skills, catching Do Ji-hyeok in one go was no easy feat.
Whoosh—! Whoosh—whoosh—!
'Too fast...!'
"Three hours in."
"...Hah... hah...!"
Gasping for breath after relentless pursuit, Jin Seo-won glared at Do Ji-hyeok.
Meanwhile, he squatted on a nearby rock, looking fresh as ever, watching her intently before speaking up.
"Seo-won. What do you think 'ability' is?"
"...?"
"I see our 'abilities' as package gifts. Ones that unpack one by one as levels rise."
Jin Seo-won didn't fully grasp his words but listened quietly, knowing he wasn't speaking idly.
"My phrasing might be off. Point is, the 'abilities' we have don't grow themselves. They're already complete in your head—you just recall more of them to get stronger."
'My ability is already complete...?'
Jin Seo-won recalled the ability she'd first awakened to.
The eerie-sounding Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Then she thought of Seol Ju-hee's famed Ice Jade Divine Art and asked Do Ji-hyeok,
"...So, between Heavenly Demon Divine Art and Ice Jade Divine Art, which is stronger?"
Then.
"Well..."
Do Ji-hyeok tilted his head thoughtfully, then answered softly as if he'd found the words.
"Usually, Heavenly Demon Divine Art's stronger."
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art, pursuing ultimate destructive power and supreme martial prowess, topped all arts.
Jin Seo-won glanced down at her palm absentmindedly.
"......"
And suddenly realized one fact anew.
How strong the ability Do Ji-hyeok believed in was...
Swish—
Lowering her stance, Jin Seo-won faced him and drew out her deeply slumbering power.
Crackle—! Crackle-crackle—!
Uncontained internal energy erupted as black sparks across her body.
"!"
Do Ji-hyeok flinched at her sudden shift in aura and slowly stood.
'Gonna catch him.'
Ability manifests will.
The Heavenly Demon's power, seeking strength, activates purely on the desire for strength.
The original 'Heavenly Demon' drew power through revenge against the world,
but Jin Seo-won summoned it with pure will to be acknowledged by Do Ji-hyeok.
Fwosh—!!!
Closing in instantly, Jin Seo-won swung her hand.
"...!"
Do Ji-hyeok barely dodged, startled by her unreal speed, and threw himself aside desperately.
Whoosh—!
Fwosh—!
Jin Seo-won charging with terrifying momentum was the Heavenly Demon incarnate.
'Fast!'
Do Ji-hyeok swallowed hard instinctively, relying on experience to narrowly evade.
However...
Running on a body unfit for combat had limits.
"Ugh..."
Stunned momentarily by phantom pain from successive shocks, Do Ji-hyeok faltered.
Grab—!
Thud—
And the pouncing Jin Seo-won caught him, pinning him beneath her.
"Ah... Caught me."
Amazed inwardly by her growth in that short time, Do Ji-hyeok checked his wristwatch.
Exactly three hours and twenty minutes had passed.
'My god...'
Tongue-tied by her overwhelming progress, Do Ji-hyeok lay flat and looked up at Jin Seo-won straddling his stomach.
"Three hours faster than Seol Ju-hee. Impressive."
But...
"...Hah... hah..."
Jin Seo-won's condition seemed off.
"...Seo-won?"
"...Hah... hah..."
Her breaths came in uncontrollable gasps, eyes unfocused and darting.
She was intoxicated by extreme exhilaration.
'...I... I caught him...!'
"Seo-won... Ngh...!"
Jin Seo-won planted her hands on the ground and stared down at him.
"S-Seo-won...?"
"...Hah... hah...!"
His usually composed face twisted in uncharacteristic panic,
and realizing that panic stemmed from her, she began seeing Do Ji-hyeok as 'prey' now that she knew who was dominant.
'...I... I caught him, so...!'
That instant.
Snap—!
"Ow...!"
A flick to the forehead snapped Jin Seo-won back to reality. She sat up, rubbing it, and looked down at Do Ji-hyeok.
"Snap out of it?"
"...Ugh..."
"Let me up."
She gave a brief apology and meekly moved aside,
and Do Ji-hyeok, looking a decade older, stood casually, straightening his clothes firmly.
It was day 2 of training.