Learning Martial Arts 4
"I didn't show such sloppy forms! Do it again!"
No way, even if it's a low-grade martial art, you expect me to nail the form perfectly after seeing it just once? I'm not some heavenly martial prodigy born with a Cheonmu Jiche body or anything. How the hell am I supposed to get it right on the spot?
"Yes, sir!"
Still, you gotta answer without backtalk in moments like this. Let's try it properly one more time. Legs spread just like he showed before.
"Hah!"
The moment I shouted and unleashed the first and second forms of the Samjae Geombeop,
"That's not it!"
"Ack."
Another roar came down.
"Like this!"
The totally fired-up senior brother stepped right in front of me and started demonstrating the Samjae Geombeop forms again.
Shwaak!
"Ooh!"
Damn, he's impressive! A perfectly clean form without a single wasted motion! If you let a strike like that land, getting split in half would be the least of your worries.
I watched in awe, etching his form deep into my eyes once more. Yeah, when you think about it, the guys who yell like this out of frustration are the ones who teach well. They keep barking until it looks right to them. Just follow along, and you'll get the basics down. Teachers gotta have some grit, after all.
"I'll show you again, so watch closely!"
"Got it!"
I scrutinized senior brother's form and crammed it into my head as best I could. Not a baseball bat, but a long blade with an edge... swinging it around. Not hitting with the flat side, but slicing with the edge.
"Now you try!"
"Yes!"
Good! Let's recreate exactly what I just saw.
"Raaah!"
This time, I bellowed even louder, focusing on slicing with the edge instead of smacking with the flat, and unleashed the first form.
Whoosh!
Hm, the wind sound feels a bit cleaner this time.
"Next form!"
"Hah!"
I flowed right into the next one, slashing at the air.
"Next!"
"Yah!"
Then I stepped forward, thrusting into empty space. Even I thought it was a clean stab. Wonder what the verdict is?
"Good! Now you're finally getting the stance!"
Ooh, praise for doing well.
"Of course, that's just basic level, but it's enough to start with!"
"Thank you!"
"Then keep doing it just like that for the rest of today! Again!"
"Yes!"
And so, I kept practicing the Samjae Geombeop exactly as senior brother instructed. The form wasn't perfect, but for the first day, it seemed decent enough. I'll keep showing up to the hall and punching the time card, so it'll improve bit by bit.
Senior brother left midway, and I kept drilling the forms right there.
"Hoo."
Man, my arms are sore more than I thought. But swinging this wooden sword feels like my martial arts experience is ticking up, so it's actually pretty fun. Finding joy in training? I'm a total prodigy...
Yeah. From today, I'm Kim Geun-hyeop, Divine Sword of the World. Time to charge toward the pinnacle of the blade! At this rate, I might actually become a divine sword.
"Stop!"
Training wrapped up right at quitting time. The group class students were packing up and heading out one by one. Guess I should go too. I tidied my spot and slipped out with the crowd.
"Heh heh heh."
Practicing martial arts in the murim world like this. Even if it's basic low-grade stuff, it was super fulfilling for me. Guess I'll have to juggle work and training from now on? Save me, please!
Next class day.
"Hup!"
"Hoo...!"
"Hup!"
I trained external arts with the group. With limited equipment, we rotated between bodyweight exercises and gear-assisted ones.
"..."
Reading the vibe, it seemed like just going to the same hall didn't make everyone buddies. Close ones stuck together, and there wasn't much sense of camaraderie overall. In typical wuxia novels, folks from the same sect or clan are tight-knit. They call it kwanxi or whatever? People here value belonging above all—backing your side no matter what to survive this brutal world. Like animals forming packs.
But this is just a neighborhood dojo, so no real bonds. Kinda disappointing. If I could buddy up with everyone here, murim life would feel safer. That'll sort itself when I level up and join a real faction with clout.
"Hoo...!"
Finished squats and waited for deadlifts. Me? I've got a modern gym body—basically Mabo Segeun Gyeong unlocked already. I can take it easy.
"Your form's wrong! Like that, your knees'll blow out!"
"Sorry!"
Some students got chewed out, of course. I ignored it and focused on mine. My Mabo Segeun Gyeong progress was impressively high.
"Good! External training ends here! Sit and cultivate with the Wonki Simbeop while adjusting your breath!"
Next up: inner art training. Everyone stowed gear, lined up, and sat cross-legged. I did the same and started breath adjustment.
"Hoo... ha."
Deep abdominal breathing to gather natural qi in the lower dantian. Normally, you'd circulate inner energy through your meridians, but low-grade arts like this don't know from that. Just do what I can for now. They say it helps recover muscles damaged from external training, so newbies should do it often.
"Good. Slowly. Build inner energy with abdominal breaths."
Senior brother patrolled, checking our states.
"Rise. Time for Yukhapgwon."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Breath adjustment done, we stood and took stances.
"Begin!"
First-rate master Hong Sa-hyeok on the platform up front unleashed Yukhapgwon forms, and we all followed.
"Hah!"
"Hup!"
Punches and kicks. As we mimicked Instructor Hong, senior brother scouted for bad forms and gave feedback.
That wrapped fist training, and finally, the sword practice I'd been waiting for arrived.
"Now, Samjae Geombeop! Grab wooden swords!"
"Yes!"
This is AlphaGo Omega right here. We snagged hall wooden swords and followed Instructor Hong's motions like with the fists, drilling the sword forms.
Shwaak!
Slash, advance and upward slash, advance and slash again, then horizontal slice positioning the hand at the waist, thrust while advancing. Relentless assault and checks. Basic forms.
Lots of openings, sure—high-level arts break it easy. But murim ain't full of masters. Most are third- or second-rate. Those guys fear this barrage. Real blades coming at you? Unless you're a pro, you flinch. Victim shrinks in terror, attacker gets hyped and pours on power. For newbies, strike first and overwhelm. Better than calmly blocking. Beginners suck at defense anyway. Just attack well.
"Haaaap!"
Thinking that, I tried keeping precise form. They say sloppy brawls wreck your stance and forms, but drilling proper basics now lets you learn better arts later. High-level truth: start with stance. Follow the teachings.
"Mind your footwork!"
"Yes!"
Steps got tangled? Wanna learn footwork separate, but that costs extra. Figures. Focus on what's at hand.
"Class dismissed! Pack up and go!"
"Kha!"
"Thank you!"
Today's session over. Wanted more, but mid-level class pays big and comes next. Interrupt that? You'd get wrecked. Better clear out.
"Solid day again."
Lately, juggling work and training. Mornings with jobs? Work then evening group class. Night yokai hunts? Morning training, rest, then job. Body aches, but training keeps me healthy instead of breaking down. Eating decent too.
"Ah."
Still, flipping day-night sucks. But exhaustion knocks me out fast—deep sleep, no fatigue buildup. Lucky.
I lived my murim daily grind like that.
"Urgh."
No alarm, but eyes pop open. Laziness leads to doom, so I got up and stretched. Early morning. Quick wash, hit Dahoebang for work.
Got there prepared, but...
"Hm?"
Rarely, no jobs today. No manual labor, no yokai hunts. What? Days without work exist? Recession? Asked around—happens sometimes. Only skilled gigs left, like high-up construction on pillars. Not for me.
"Day off, I guess."
No choice. Hall's only four days a week anyway—today's rest. First real holiday in murim.
"..."
But what to do? No clue on holidays. Wander and think? Scout local spots. Check shops. Famous stuff? Gawk.
Cash: 370 mun coins. Enough for snacks and fun.
Thud.
Walking along, then...
"KyaAAAAH!"
A scream echoed from somewhere.
"Hm?"