Swings in the Whirlpool Depths
“Thrusting requires precision, but swinging is different. Agility is more important than accuracy here, so focus on that.”
With those final words, Si-woo fell silent.
After completing his thrusting training, Woo-gang was brimming with confidence.
He had expected swinging to be just as difficult as the grueling thrusting exercises, but he wasn't worried.
It would certainly be painful, but after everything he had endured, he was confident that he could push through it.
That confidence was shattered on his very first day in the second pool.
For starters, the water was colder than that of the first pool.
The pool itself was also roughly four times larger.
It looked spacious even from the outside, but once he went underwater, it seemed even larger, with more than enough room to swing his staff.
But the depth was another matter entirely.
It was absurdly deep.
Woo-gang panicked.
His head had already disappeared beneath the surface, yet his feet still hadn't touched the bottom.
From above, the water had merely appeared somewhat turbulent. Inside, however, it was complete chaos.
Fierce, unpredictable whirlpools tossed his body around like a leaf caught in a storm.
The depth alone was daunting, but the currents swirling in from every direction threw him completely off balance.
After struggling desperately against the deep water and the violent currents, Woo-gang finally broke through the surface.
His face was pale as he looked toward Si-woo.
But Si-woo merely stared back at him with an impassive expression.
His eyes revealed nothing.
It was as though the outcome didn't matter to him, whether Woo-gang succeeded or failed.
This version of Si-woo felt completely unfamiliar to Woo-gang.
Still, he quickly shook off the thought, steeled himself, and looked back at the pool.
I'll be fine.
There was no way Si-woo would actually let him drown if things became dangerous. He had saved Woo-gang from certain death before and had even given him a reason to keep living.
That trust gave Woo-gang a small measure of confidence.
The training might be dangerous, but it wouldn't be fatal.
“Hoo….”
Woo-gang took a deep breath before diving back into the water.
This time, he left his staff behind.
He needed to adapt to the water first. The swinging could come later.
He still struggled to keep himself steady, but at least he wasn't flailing as desperately as before.
Si-woo watched him dive into the pool.
His gaze lingered on Woo-gang for a moment before he finally turned away.
Splash!
Woo-gang plunged into the water.
Several days had passed, yet the violent whirlpools still threw his balance into disarray.
He kicked downward, trying to reach the bottom.
But the harder he struggled, the more violently the currents swept him back upward.
Moving so much also caused him to burn through his breath faster, making it impossible to remain underwater for long.
After several minutes, he had no choice but to give up.
“Pha!”
Woo-gang gasped as he expelled the air he had been holding and leaned against the edge of the pool, desperately catching his breath.
Once his breathing had stabilized, he went back in.
Down. I have to get down, no matter what.
He clenched his teeth.
“Kuh!”
The whirlpools battered his body once again.
But this time, Woo-gang focused his mind and tensed his body.
He was still shaking, but little by little, he began to sink.
It was progress, but painfully slow progress.
At this rate, he would run out of breath before reaching the bottom—or perhaps immediately after.
And sure enough, his breath was already running short.
Fighting against the currents consumed what little strength he had left.
Dizzy and battered, with his consciousness beginning to blur, Woo-gang clung to a single thought.
Down.
I have to do something.
He clenched his teeth.
Then, without him consciously commanding it, his qi began to move on its own.
Whoosh!
First, it flowed toward his chest, soothing his burning lungs.
The pain eased, allowing him to endure a little longer.
So Woo-gang guided the qi downward.
It was simple.
He directed it toward his feet.
And then—
Sink!
His body suddenly dropped straight downward as though an invisible magnet had pulled him toward the bottom.
His feet touched sand.
Woo-gang blinked in astonishment.
The bottom… pulled me down?
He replayed the sensation in his mind.
It had happened by accident, but there was no mistaking it.
It contained the essence of Thousand-Jin Drop.
If he could completely master the technique, he would be able to remain firmly planted even in a violent maelstrom.
He wasn't there yet.
It had merely been a lucky breakthrough.
He would need to practice it repeatedly before he could truly make it his own.
But he had no time to celebrate.
“Ugh!”
His descent had taken too long, and he had already run out of breath.
Woo-gang immediately kicked off the bottom and rushed toward the surface.
When he finally emerged, he was panting heavily.
But he was smiling.
Reaching the bottom was the first step.
Now he needed to learn how to stay there.
It was progress.
And he had accomplished it entirely on his own.
A surge of pride welled up inside him.
Once he had caught his breath, Woo-gang dove back in with renewed enthusiasm.
Slash! Slash!
Woo-gang's staff cut fiercely through the water.
The resistance of the water slowed the weapon despite the tremendous force behind his swings.
His feet were firmly planted in the sand, half-buried beneath the surface as he used his qi to anchor himself.
His toes clamped around a protruding rock beneath him, while his qi held his body firmly in place.
The cramps and instability he had suffered during his early attempts had gradually become manageable as he adapted.
Slash!
Woo-gang swung the staff with all his strength.
His abdominal muscles tightened, his chest expanded, and the muscles in his arms rippled beneath his skin.
Then—
Plop! Plop!
Something fell from above.
Stones?
At first, the whirlpool's murky water made it difficult to see.
But as the objects drew closer, their shapes became clear.
Rocks were flying through the water.
Whoosh!
One of the rocks, caught in the swirling current nearby, suddenly shot toward him.
Woo-gang instinctively swung his staff, but the water's resistance slowed the movement.
The strike came too late.
He twisted his head aside, narrowly avoiding the rock, his heart pounding.
Was he waiting for this?
There had been no rocks before.
It was obvious that this was Si-woo's doing.
He had waited until Woo-gang had adapted to the water before introducing another variable.
Swinging is all about agility.
Whoosh!
Splash-crack!
Thwack!
Another rock came flying toward him.
Woo-gang swung his staff, but once again, it failed to reach the target in time.
He couldn't dodge completely either, and the rock grazed his shoulder.
Woo-gang gritted his teeth.
If one of these hits my head, I'm dead.
He couldn't afford to lose focus.
But his breath was already reaching its limit.
With rocks flying unpredictably from every direction, remaining underwater any longer would be too dangerous.
Gurgle!
A bubble escaped from his mouth.
He had reached his limit.
Woo-gang kicked off the bottom and rushed upward.
Thwack! Thwack!
Two stones struck his ribs and legs as he ascended.
“Pha!”
His head broke through the surface, and he scrambled toward the edge of the pool.
“Kuhhh!”
He collapsed onto the ground with a groan.
His entire body was covered in bruises.
He hadn't even lasted very long.
The muscle aches and blisters from his thrusting training were nothing compared to this.
Woo-gang lay still with his eyes tightly shut, gritting his teeth as wave after wave of pain washed over him.
Clatter!
Even as he groaned in pain, the sound of stones colliding echoed throughout the pool.
After finally gathering enough strength to move, Woo-gang tried to stand, only to wince from the pain.
He was too sore to walk properly.
So he crawled toward the first pool instead.
I'll train again tomorrow.
He needed to recover as quickly as possible.
Nothing could match the first pool when it came to healing his injuries.
He slipped into the water, his aching limbs screaming in protest, then crossed his legs and began to meditate.
The days that followed were filled with agony.
Whenever he emerged from the water, his body was covered in bruises. Sometimes, his skin was even torn and bleeding.
Si-woo's golden salve and qi-based healing helped him recover, but diving into the second pool every day continued to slow the healing process.
Ordinary people would have taken days off to recover.
Woo-gang did not.
The pain followed him into every dive, yet he continued training.
Splash!
He circulated his qi rapidly, directing it toward his legs to accelerate his descent while maintaining a balanced distribution throughout his body.
The resistance of the water meant that he had to swing his staff quickly to block the incoming stones.
Whoosh!
A rock came flying from the side, exactly as expected.
Splash-slash!
Clang!
The staff struck it dead-on, sending the rock ricocheting in the opposite direction.
Woo-gang twisted his body and launched a powerful backswing.
Whoosh!
He was a fraction too slow and barely managed to dodge the next rock.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The rocks kept coming.
Every time he missed one, even more seemed to swarm toward him as though taking revenge.
Clang! Clang!
His swings became faster, and his reactions began chaining together more smoothly.
But it still wasn't enough to deal with attacks coming from every direction.
Thwack! Thwack!
A stone struck his thigh, another his forearm.
Pain flared through his body as his strength continued to drain.
Splash-slash!
He ignored the pain.
His eyes remained fixed on the incoming rocks and the movements of his staff.
Gurgle!
His breath was running out.
Even so, he maintained his concentration.
The thought of surfacing never crossed his mind.
Splash-slash!
Clang!
He deflected the final rock.
Then everything went black.
Woo-gang's body went limp and was immediately swept along by the currents, carried toward the swarm of stones.
Thwack!
A stone grazed his temple.
Then—
His body sank before suddenly being swept upward by the current.
Splash!
Si-woo reached into the water and hauled him out.
He laid Woo-gang down and circulated his qi through his body, forcing the water from his airway.
“Kuhk!”
Water burst from Woo-gang's mouth, and he finally began breathing again.
He was still unconscious, so Si-woo carried him away from the pool.