Chapter 71
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: A Lesson in Sparring
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As they were exchanging greetings, a shout came from the entrance.
“Hey, you brute! I told you to take it easy, didn't I? See this? You almost put a hole in me!”
Turning toward the voice, they saw Neung So-mil holding a tiger and scolding it.
“Huh? It's only because it's me that I'm going easy on you. If it were anyone else, you'd be nothing but a pelt by now. Got it?”
Neung So-mil grabbed a bear that was trying to sneak away, dragged it back, and made it sit. He then continued his lecture for quite some time.
Judging by the shifting eyes of the beasts, this seemed to be a common occurrence.
Sa Mu-sim was dumbfounded by Neung So-mil's earnest demeanor.
“I wonder if animals can even understand human words like that.”
But an unexpected reply came back.
“They seem to.”
Surprised by Cho Ak-ryang's words, Sa Mu-sim asked again.
“Are you saying he can communicate with beasts?”
“I suppose they've grown fond of each other through all their bickering.”
The others didn't seem to pay it much mind, but Sa Mu-sim's thoughts were different.
The Myriad Beast Manor, which had built an absolute stronghold in the Nanman region through its communion with wild beasts.
Neung So-mil was accomplishing something thought impossible for anyone but them.
“Today, since the General Manager is back, I'll let you off this easy! Now get going!”
Thwack! Thwack!
The stick in Neung So-mil's hand struck the heads of the beasts.
As the beasts tucked their tails and scurried into the mountains, Neung So-mil puffed out his chest proudly.
“These punks. Wouldn't it be so much better if they just listened when I talk? It would save us both the trouble.”
At a glance, Neung So-mil gave off the air of a king of the mountain.
Watching him, Sa Mu-sim couldn't hide his look of amazement.
That evening.
Sa Mu-sim sat around a campfire with Neung So-mil, catching up on everything they had missed.
Neung So-mil was the one pouring out stories nonstop, while Sa Mu-sim listened with a kind smile.
However, he didn't forget to glance over at Dan Ak-seon from time to time.
In a wide clearing about twenty paces away.
Dan Ak-seon was in the middle of it, practicing his Seizing Arts under Cho Ak-ryang's guidance.
His movements were not only fluid and controlled, but the flow connecting his forms was also perfectly natural.
It was a level of skill unbelievable for someone who had trained for only half a year.
A peculiar light flickered in Sa Mu-sim's eyes.
Following Sa Mu-sim's gaze, Neung So-mil smiled.
“Impressive, isn't he?”
Sa Mu-sim nodded.
“If someone had told me about this, I would never have believed them. His rate of progress is truly astonishing.”
“That's because he trains relentlessly. To the point where even I get tired of watching.”
“So it seems.”
It was then.
“Ah! That form shouldn't be executed like that...”
At Beom Gye-wi's regretful sigh, Han Seol-hwa, who was standing opposite him, also sighed and shook her head.
“When the enemy is rushed, I remain calm and wait... Know the rhythm, and let the opponent fight as he will...”
“What are you talking about?”
Han Seol-hwa glared at Beom Gye-wi as if he were pathetic, then let out another sigh.
“It's... a thing.”
It was a core principle: when the opponent rushes, you wait, and no matter who you fight, you must know how to strike. But Beom Gye-wi wasn't the type to understand even if she explained.
It was easier to give up than to waste her breath.
Watching the two of them, Neung So-mil lowered his voice.
“They also interfere with each other mercilessly.”
“Heh heh.”
“It's not a laughing matter. The three of them fight almost daily over the Valley Lord's training methods. A few days ago, they had a real, proper fight.”
Neung So-mil pointed to a part of the valley.
“See those two pavilions over there? They're newly built. They completely destroyed the old ones.”
“Hahaha. Isn't that part of the fun here? Honestly, it looks like you're enjoying it quite a bit yourself.”
“Enjoying it? I just live with it because I'm not strong enough to stop them.”
Meanwhile, Dan Ak-seon finished his training. He glanced at Cho Ak-ryang with a look of disappointment, as if something was left unfinished.
Noticing this, Cho Ak-ryang shook his head firmly.
At that, Dan Ak-seon stepped aside with a disappointed face and began his cooldown exercises.
Shaking, tapping, stretching, pulling.
It was a finishing routine that used various movements to loosen the joints, muscles, and ligaments while stimulating acupoints to aid the circulation of qi and blood throughout the body.
Leaving Dan Ak-seon behind, Cho Ak-ryang approached Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa.
“It's about time he experienced some real combat sparring.”
Beom Gye-wi looked puzzled at Cho Ak-ryang's words.
“Sparring? I spar with him every day.”
Cho Ak-ryang frowned.
“I mean *real* combat sparring! Doctor Dan doesn't feel any threat when he spars with you!”
“Well, am I the only one?”
Receiving Beom Gye-wi's gaze, Han Seol-hwa subtly turned her head away.
“What is the most essential thing in a life-or-death battle?”
Han Seol-hwa and Beom Gye-wi answered Cho Ak-ryang's question.
“Distance and breathing.”
“What are you talking about? A fight is all about momentum!”
Cho Ak-ryang shook his head.
“No.”
“...?”
“...?”
Cho Ak-ryang spoke to the two puzzled individuals.
“It's nerve.”
“Nerve?”
“Yes. In other words, guts or boldness.”
Cho Ak-ryang continued.
“No matter how skilled you are in martial arts, if you lack nerve, you can't display your full abilities.”
The fear of death or injury.
If you lack nerve, you become seized by fear even in a small crisis, and when fear takes hold, your senses dull.
The information gathered through your senses becomes limited, and ultimately, your means of dealing with actual danger diminish.
“Fear is ultimately something born from one's own mind. There is only one way to overcome it.”
By repeatedly and constantly fighting against threatening opponents.
“If you spar with difficult opponents, you won't be intimidated when facing a strong enemy in a real situation and can fully utilize your skills.”
That's why there's nothing better than real combat sparring.
“For that, you'd need someone really vicious, wouldn't you?”
At Beom Gye-wi's casual remark, Cho Ak-ryang's eyes unconsciously settled on one person.
“Wouldn't he do?”
Following Cho Ak-ryang's gaze, Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa soon agreed.
When it came to sheer tenacity, there was no better opponent.
Unaware of the situation, Neung So-mil was cheerfully chatting away.
A moment later.
Neung So-mil, summoned by Cho Ak-ryang, was aghast to hear he had been chosen as Dan Ak-seon's sparring partner. The skill gap aside, what would he do if Dan Ak-seon got hurt? How could he handle the aftermath!
Dan Ak-seon, on the other hand, couldn't hide his anticipation.
“Can I really spar with him?”
“But there's a condition.”
Cho Ak-ryang's gaze turned to Neung So-mil.
“You are not to use any internal energy whatsoever.”
“What?”
“Huh?”
Both Dan Ak-seon and Neung So-mil asked back with surprised faces.
Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa were no different.
“Isn't that a bit too much, though? It would be far too advantageous for Doctor Dan.”
In response to Beom Gye-wi's objection, Cho Ak-ryang gave a meaningful smile.
“Will it really?”
Cho Ak-ryang said to Neung So-mil.
“Instead, you can do anything you want.”
“Anything?”
“Yes. You don't have to hold back any means or methods to win.”
At those words, Neung So-mil grinned.
Because Cho Ak-ryang was the only one who knew the true nature of Neung So-mil, a man brimming with tenacious grit.
And now, he was openly encouraging him to use every means at his disposal to fight.
Neung So-mil wasn't so dense as to not understand the meaning behind it.
And so, Dan Ak-seon and Neung So-mil.
Their sparring match was set.
“Watch closely. See how the overprotectiveness of you two is ruining Doctor Dan.”
Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa scoffed at Cho Ak-ryang's words, but their faces soon hardened.
“You cheap trickster!”
Beom Gye-wi roared, glaring at Neung So-mil.
The moment Dan Ak-seon closed the distance, Neung So-mil, as if he had been waiting, threw a handful of dirt and sand.
As Dan Ak-seon, flustered by the sand in his eyes, retreated in surprise, Neung So-mil seized the opportunity and charged.
Dan Ak-seon tried to counter with his Seizing Arts, but by then, Neung So-mil already had the branch he was holding pressed against Dan Ak-seon's throat.
Facing Beom Gye-wi's murderous aura and Han Seol-hwa's deadly glare, Neung So-mil put on an aggrieved expression.
“I was just doing as I was told...”
On behalf of the teary-faced Neung So-mil, Cho Ak-ryang spoke calmly.
“If this had been a real fight, Doctor Dan would be dead.”
“...!”
“...!”
While Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa were speechless, Cho Ak-ryang spoke to Dan Ak-seon and Neung So-mil.
“Continue.”
This time, Dan Ak-seon also picked up his Eyebrow Staff.
They stood at a distance, steadying their breathing for a moment.
Dan Ak-seon's eyes flashed sharply.
He had found a thread-like opening in Neung So-mil's defensive stance.
“Hah!”
With a short cry, Dan Ak-seon's figure rushed forward, closing the distance to Neung So-mil. Simultaneously, his Eyebrow Staff shot sharply toward the opening.
But in that instant.
“Ah!”
A startled cry escaped Dan Ak-seon's lips.
It was because Neung So-mil was looking somewhere else entirely.
Was he lost in thought at a time like this?
He didn't even seem to notice the Eyebrow Staff flying toward his side. Dan Ak-seon hastily relaxed his grip.
Smirk.
It was then that Neung So-mil curled his lips into a smile.
Realizing too late that it was an act, Dan Ak-seon gritted his teeth and tried to continue his attack.
But it is incredibly difficult to reapply force once it has been withdrawn.
He had completely given away the momentary gap between breaths.
Neung So-mil exquisitely slipped into that opening and poked Dan Ak-seon under the chin with his branch.
Feeling wronged and indignant, Dan Ak-seon puffed out his cheeks.
Even so, Cho Ak-ryang didn't spare his harsh words.
“A common mistake for martial world newcomers. Confident only in their own martial skill, they overlook the fact that they can lose their life to a simple trick at any moment. Just like Doctor Dan right now.”
Cho Ak-ryang said to Dan Ak-seon.
“If this had been a real fight, you would have died twice already.”
“But...”
“You feel it's unfair?”
Cho Ak-ryang clicked his tongue.
“To whom is death ever fair?”
Dan Ak-seon had nothing to say.
Because he had finally realized what Cho Ak-ryang was trying to teach him through this spar.
It was the same for Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa.
Cho Ak-ryang spoke to the two, who couldn't hide their discomfort.
“Now do you see the problem?”
“...”
“...”
Cho Ak-ryang smiled faintly.
“For Doctor Dan's sake, we have no choice but to increase the intensity of the sparring.”
It was agonizing and painful, but absolutely necessary.
“Tch, fine.”
Beom Gye-wi glared at Neung So-mil for no reason.
“Our Doctor Dan can't be losing to a despicable trickster like him.”
Han Seol-hwa also stared intently at Neung So-mil. Suddenly on the receiving end of their terrifying glares, Neung So-mil could only fidget with a face that looked like he was about to cry.
It was then that Dan Ak-seon smiled and spoke.
“You could have just told me.”
“Hm?”
“Even if the process is difficult and painful, I can handle it. Surely you don't think I would have started this without that much resolve?”
Cho Ak-ryang smiled, pleased.
“That is an excellent mindset.”
Cho Ak-ryang, about to continue his praise, suddenly paused.
“Doctor Dan?”
“Yes?”
“By any chance, is that a Demonic Spirit Needle... in your hand?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you have that all of a sudden?”
“I'm just checking it beforehand. I'll be using it for your treatment tomorrow morning.”
Cho Ak-ryang's gaze wavered.
“There was no mention of that, was there?”
“Just like there was no mention of me sparring with Uncle Neung like this, right?”
“...!”
Dan Ak-seon smiled brightly.
But in that moment, his smile felt incredibly terrifying.
*He's sulking.*
*A lot.*
After exchanging telepathic messages, Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa glared at Cho Ak-ryang.
Ignoring their resentful glares, Cho Ak-ryang let out a sigh so deep it felt like the ground would collapse.