Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 104
>Chapter Title: Misunderstanding (4)
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Il-mok, completely unaware that Baek Cheon thought of him as dog shit, wore a face that somehow looked pleased.
"Your master, you say?"
It seemed to be because of the word "master."
'As expected of someone with potential.'
When given attention and assigned a role, he looked utterly delighted.
"That's right. It's not the same archery, but you've learned covert arts that require fighting from a distance, haven't you? Your skills surpass even Officer Baek's, so you'll be a great help."
"Hahaha! Young Master Il-mok has judged me perfectly! Just trust in me!"
As Baek Cheon accepted the role of master, Il-mok turned his head again to look at Jeong-hyeon.
"We can start now."
Under the blank stares of Il-mok and Baek Cheon fixed on him, Jeong-hyeon moved like a jiangshi.
His limbs creaked awkwardly, and his right arm and right leg moved together in a bizarre motion.
But even as Jeong-hyeon displayed these strange movements, Il-mok and Baek Cheon simply watched with straight faces, devoid of any amusement.
And as Jeong-hyeon began nocking and shooting arrows onto his bow with awkward motions, Il-mok subtly turned his body and whispered to Baek Cheon.
"When giving guidance to Officer Jeong as his master, there's one thing you must absolutely pay attention to."
"???"
"Always start with praise and end with praise."
In Il-mok's view, one of the biggest reasons people struggled to step forward in front of others was a lack of confidence.
"Even if you notice something lacking while watching, don't say 'it's mediocre' or 'it's no good.' Start with praise first, then teach in the vein of 'if you fix this part, it'll get even better.' Understand?"
"I get what you're saying, but why do it that way?"
"People gain more strength when they receive praise. Hasn't Officer Baek ever felt that?"
"Ah!"
Baek Cheon let out a soft exclamation as if gaining enlightenment.
True to form as a man starved for people's praise and attention, he had plenty of experiences where praise lifted his spirits.
While the two exchanged whispers like that, Jeong-hyeon's awkward archery continued.
After she clumsily finished all the forms of the Spectral Spirit Divine Bow she had learned and let out a deep sigh, applause suddenly poured in.
Clap clap clap!
"What superb skill!"
"Hahaha. I believed in you, Officer Jeong!"
Not content with that, Il-mok and Baek Cheon showered her with fervent cheers and words of praise.
'What? What did I do well!?'
Jeong-hyeon wanted to crawl into a mouse hole.
Even after that, every time Jeong-hyeon completed a full set of forms, praise and applause from Il-mok and Baek Cheon rained down.
Even while she was picking up the arrows she had shot, whether from the target or where they had flown off to.
Clap clap clap!
"Hahaha. That meticulousness in collecting the arrows is excellent too!"
Clap clap clap!
"Indeed. Look at the crisp motion in picking up those arrows! It's full of sharp angles, isn't it?"
The praise and applause from the two men behind her kept coming nonstop.
Naturally, Jeong-hyeon's hands trembled violently as she picked up the arrows.
Jeong-hyeon was convinced.
This was a new form of torment.
* * *
The next day afternoon.
Instead of heading to the clearing to help Jeong-hyeon as usual, he went to the training grounds first.
To recruit one more spectator who would watch Jeong-hyeon's training alongside them and help her get used to being observed.
It might be risky to bring one more person when she was still shaking with just two, but there was a reason.
'As expected, auto-hunting is the best form of hunting.'
The plan was to bring one more, teach them the Jeong-hyeon cheering method, and then step back appropriately.
And the new spectator I had in mind was none other than Joo Seo-yeon.
"Young Master Il-mok!"
She, who had been diligently training alone at the training grounds, greeted me warmly.
But her affectionate greeting didn't feel all that welcome.
In truth, not long after returning to the Demonic Path Academy, I had run into Joo Seo-yeon and exchanged words.
"When I heard you'd gone missing, I was utterly shocked, Young Master!"
She had greeted me very happily back then.
"Worried a lot?"
"Yes. If you were to pass away, Young Master, wouldn't I have to look for another path alongside Lady Jin Ha-yeon?"
"......"
Her following words had left me speechless with intense emotion.
I couldn't decide if I should admire her blunt honesty or dislike her lack of tact. I just couldn't get a read on it.
In any case, after that day, we occasionally exchanged greetings in passing.
I just didn't want to get close to such an excessively frank madwoman.
But now, thanks to Baek Cheon, I had gained a great realization, so I boldly sought her out.
"I think we need to go somewhere together."
Having realized that even dog shit could be used as medicine.
As I turned and headed toward the clearing where Jeong-hyeon and Baek Cheon were, Dog Shit Unit 2 followed behind me.
Right after guiding Joo Seo-yeon to the clearing, I told her.
"Since you were in the same E-Class, you're familiar with each other's names and faces. From now on, Officer Joo, just watch Officer Jeong shoot her bow together with us."
"???"
Joo Seo-yeon looked at me with a face that showed she didn't understand.
"Young Master? Didn't you say you'd only accept me as a maidservant once I reach top rank? I'm short on training time too, Young Master."
I had expected her to say something like that.
It saddened me that I could predict a madman's actions, but somehow, it was predictable.
"Don't worry. It won't just be spectating; we'll alternate between watching and sparring."
"!?, Y-Young Master?"
This time, Jeong-hyeon looked at me with a surprised expression, but there was no need to mind it much.
"Watch Officer Jeong's Spectral Spirit Divine Bow, think of ways to counter it, then demonstrate your martial arts in sparring. After sparring, watch Officer Jeong's archery again and reflect on how to handle an opponent better. Wouldn't that be great training?"
At my explanation, Joo Seo-yeon somehow looked moved.
"As expected! You were planning to take me as your maidservant, Young Master! I won't betray that expectation—I'll definitely reach top rank, Young Master!"
It was a serious misunderstanding, but I decided not to correct it.
Soon after, I, Baek Cheon, and Joo Seo-yeon sat cross-legged in place, and Jeong-hyeon's Spectral Spirit Divine Bow demonstration began.
Perhaps because she believed she had received my expectations, Joo Seo-yeon's eyes sparkled brightly and purely.
Just like Baek Cheon's.
'...Do all mad people's eyes look like that?'
At this rate, I felt like I'd figure out how to identify mad folks just by their eyes.
But that wasn't important right now.
'Time to set up auto-hunting.'
Once the auto-hunting system was in place, I wouldn't have to tangle with these mad bastards for a while.
"Listen well, Officer Joo. From now on, you have to keep praising Officer Jeong."
* * *
"Huu."
Letting out a deep sigh, Jeong-hyeon thought.
'Why? How did it come to this?'
As if backing up her bewilderment, the moment she shot an arrow toward the target, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from behind.
"Hahaha! What superb skill!"
"This time you aimed outside the target on purpose! Almost got fooled there."
"As expected, that's what it was! Officer Jeong, you're amazing!"
Her face flushed red—practically about to burst—from the relentless praise and applause from Baek Cheon, Il-mok, and Joo Seo-yeon, and her body trembled all over.
She couldn't concentrate at all, so the arrow flew off strangely, yet now they were praising it as intentional.
'I-I'm gonna die. No, I w-want to die.'
At this rate, she'd really fall into heart demon madness and die, or shoot an arrow into the sky and pierce her own crown point in suicide.
But whether dying or killing herself, the cause of death would be the same: death by shame.
As she kept trembling like that, Il-mok pondered for a moment.
'Hmm? Is praise not working?'
While Il-mok debated whether to stop the praise.
In the crossroads between life and death, she thought.
Why on earth was Young Master Il-mok dragging in others to praise her like this?
'No way...? Revenge for avoiding him back then?'
Only then did Jeong-hyeon finally understand why this was happening.
But even having grasped Il-mok's intent, nothing changed.
At this rate, she'd really die or commit suicide.
'Please. If only I didn't have to hear that praise...'
Setting aside the stares, her mind was filled with the thought that if only she didn't have to hear that praise, it'd be fine.
It was miraculous. Just a little while ago, even meeting Il-mok's eyes made her lose her mind, but now his gaze didn't matter.
No matter what happened with the stares, she just wanted her hearing blocked right now.
But that was impossible.
The effect of the Spectral Spirit Divine Bow she had learned was the maximization of senses.
This allowed an archer not only to keenly respond to an enemy's threats but also to perform precise, intricate archery targeting distant foes.
In other words, dulling the senses was impossible.
'...Not dulling them, but redirecting them?'
In the crisis of life, a thought she hadn't considered before suddenly surfaced.
Trembling and blushing as she nocked an arrow, she abruptly closed her eyes and focused her mind.
Concentrating inward, she channeled her internal energy according to the intricacies of the Spectral Spirit Divine Bow.
Even with her eyes closed, in her maximized senses, she could feel everything within a zhang.
'This is my nest.'
Confirming her domain where she could fully sense everything, she twisted the flow of internal energy according to the Spectral Spirit Divine Bow's essentials.
Perhaps because it went against the flow she had repeated for years, a pain like her meridians twisting hit her, and unbeknownst to her, blood surged from her stomach, filling her throat with a metallic taste.
At the crossroads between demonic deviation and enlightenment, Jeong-hyeon boldly chose the daring path unlike herself.
She kept twisting the flow of internal energy.
She had nothing to lose anyway—at this rate, her future held only death by shame.
Her internal energy rebelled continuously against her will.
Whiiiiiing.
But she was certain. That her choice was right.
A change occurred in the spherical domain enveloping everything within a zhang.
Subtly, the sphere distorted—narrowing in some places, widening in others.
"Huu."
Repeating deep breaths, she refined her domain like a sculptor crafting a work.
'So the sounds from behind don't reach me.'
She drastically shaped her territory, which had spread evenly in all directions, into an extreme form—like a needle.
She was the eye of the needle, and the long, pointed end of the extended domain was the needle's tip.
She eliminated the domains to the sides, above, below, and behind, creating one that stretched extremely long only forward.
Unlike the war-like changes raging inside her from this completely different flow, externally, she simply stood motionless with eyes closed, aiming her bow.
But Il-mok, watching her, noticed the change.
It wasn't just because cold sweat kept streaming down Jeong-hyeon's forehead despite her unmoving form.
Responding to the changes inside Jeong-hyeon, fierce energy waves swirled violently around her.
Jeong-hyeon, standing utterly still amid the raging energy waves, looked just like she was in the eye of a typhoon.
And Il-mok recalled seeing a similar sight before.
'It's like with Jin Ha-yeon!'
It reminded him of Jin Ha-yeon's appearance when she gained enlightenment in the Bare Hand Demon Art.
Having thought that far, Il-mok hurriedly gestured to Baek Cheon and Joo Seo-yeon to cover their mouths.
"She seems to have gained enlightenment, so stay completely quiet like dead mice."
As Il-mok whispered, Joo Seo-yeon and Baek Cheon nodded with uncharacteristically serious faces.
Having warned them to prevent the two mad ones from causing trouble, Il-mok looked at Jeong-hyeon with a satisfied expression.
'As expected. They say even whales dance to praise.'
Il-mok believed his method had worked perfectly.