Yeong-ryeok Reinforcement (1)
Inside a single-occupancy room in the school infirmary. Do-gyeol stood there with his arms crossed, staring at his summoned spirit.
"Shut up. I want to get used to it as soon as possible."
He'd felt it clearly this time. How ridiculously weak he was.
Since entering the academy, he'd seen way too many monster-level guys. At the end, there was Kang Hak's movements he couldn't even track with his eyes, Baek Seo-rin's spearwork overwhelming him with one hand. He didn't even need to think that far. Just his own teammate Seo Tae-yun had instantly burst dozens of Gashin-grade spirit eyes all by himself.
And that blue marlin from yesterday...
That alone was enough to stir up inferiority, but then there was that sorcerer who'd toyed with even Seo Tae-yun.
I need to train against Seo Tae-yun.
At that moment, the infirmary door opened.
"You're awake?"
Yun Ga-eun came in holding a fruit basket. Behind her trailed Seo Tae-yun with his impassive face.
"Oh, what's with the fruit basket?"
"It's nothing fancy, so don't feel burdened. More importantly, how's your body? You collapsed so dramatically yesterday—you have no idea how shocked we were."
Yun Ga-eun set the basket on the bedside table, her face full of worry.
"I'm fine. Feels like I just took a really good nap."
Do-gyeol shrugged and glanced at Seo Tae-yun. The guy who'd been bleeding yesterday looked pristine now, without a single scratch.
"What about you? You got launched pretty hard yesterday. Your recovery speed is insane."
"Sorcerers naturally have accelerated basic natural healing as long as they have enough yeong-ryeok in their bodies."
"Tae-yun's right. You're overflowing with yeong-ryeok right now too, so that's why you bounced back quick."
Do-gyeol nodded, then his eyes lit up as if a great idea had struck him. He turned to Seo Tae-yun.
"Class prez. I'm so stressed out right now I can't take it. Let's do that thing we did in my room last time—one more time."
"Here?"
"This place isn't bad either. I wanna practice a new technique, and honestly, no one's a better partner than you."
"If it's a painful technique, pass."
Yun Ga-eun, who'd been quietly listening to the exchange, started blushing from her ears.
"That's 'cause it was your first time. You'll get used to it and it won't hurt if you do it more. I'll lead you gently."
Do-gyeol smirked, like he was making a secretive proposition.
"In return, help me practice the new technique, and next time I'll bottom. Don't you wanna try switching roles too?"
"...Well, yeah."
Yun Ga-eun's ears were practically steaming now.
Wh-what the hell are these two talking about since last time!
Then Seo Tae-yun's gaze shifted to Yun Ga-eun.
"You don't have to practice with me. She's here too."
"Wha-what?! I-I'm not mentally prepared yet...! No! Why aren't you asking my opinion!"
Caught in the sudden splash zone, Yun Ga-eun jumped back in shock.
"Yeah, she's not ready, but you came to my room on your own 'cause you wanted to, right? So you're good."
"...That was pure curiosity."
Yun Ga-eun's pupils shook violently at the conversation.
Wha? Seo Tae-yun wanted to...?
Her face finally exploded red. Steam practically rose from Yun Ga-eun's head as she clutched her burning cheeks with both hands.
"Why's your face like that? Fever? If you're sick, go rest in your room instead of hanging here."
Yun Ga-eun grabbed Do-gyeol's shoulder and forcibly shoved him onto the bed.
"Y-you're the one who should stop thrashing around and rest properly! Lie down!"
"No, I'm fine, seriously?"
"Patients talk too much! You get better care if you look more sick. Keep flopping around like this and they'll discharge you right away, got it? Pretend to be sick and stay put!"
Yun Ga-eun yanked the blanket up to his chin.
"You could discharge yourself anyway. I just wanna try more stuff quick."
As he mumbled from under the covers.
"Is student Do-gyeol here?!"
The infirmary door burst open, and a bearded teacher barged in with a booming voice. He took one look at the mummy-like Do-gyeol and shook his head gravely.
"You look in rough shape."
He hurried to the bedside, then suddenly glanced around furtively and lowered his voice. Leaning in close to Do-gyeol's ear, he whispered secretly.
"Once you're better, come find me quietly."
"Pardon?"
"This is a secret, but... I'm giving you a special chance to study alchemy."
Do-gyeol's eyes went wide, and he blurted out in disbelief.
"What?! Alchemy?!"
"You idiot, I said it's a secret!"
BAM!
Do-gyeol slammed straight into the infirmary ceiling in an instant.
"Hey, not on a sick kid!"
Yun Ga-eun shrieked in horror.
Do-gyeol, now back on the bed somehow, glared at the bearded teacher.
I'm never coming to find you. You crazy bastard.
The crazy bastard—no, the bearded teacher—dusted off Do-gyeol's body and spoke up.
"Sorry about that. I panicked..."
Then he smoothly plucked a plump apple from the fruit basket and offered it to Do-gyeol.
"If I was too rough, let me apologize."
"That's the fruit we bought, you psycho!"
CRASH!
Under a barrage of kicks from Seo Tae-yun and Yun Ga-eun, the bearded teacher flew out the infirmary door in a perfect parabolic arc.
Do-gyeol blinked vacantly.
"Who was that old guy anyway?"
"No idea. First time seeing his face."
As Seo Tae-yun replied, Yun Ga-eun scooped up the scattered fruit and added,
"I don't know why he came, but he's a teacher."
"That much I figured."
Yun Ga-eun shot back at Do-gyeol's retort.
"What're you talking about? Sometimes you can't tell if they're teachers or students just by looking, or vice versa."
That reminded Do-gyeol of Pi Yu-jun.
"Speaking of, what happened to that sorcerer we saw yesterday?"
BRIEFING: Suspect Sorcerer Profile
The teachers' gazes in the room were fixed on the screen.
"Name, age, identity—all fake. Hasn't even been working as a secretary for a full year. No prior history or records in the sorcery world registry."
"A sorcerer operating in secrecy, then."
The teachers' expressions darkened.
"And he knew exactly that the kids were from Cheongram?"
"Falsified the approval chain too. This was all planned..."
The teachers' eyes turned to Pi Yu-jun.
"Teacher Pi. Anything you've found out?"
"Nothing."
"Pardon?"
"Couldn't interrogate him."
Pi Yu-jun added with a chilling glint in his eyes.
"The bastard had a sorcerer's oath on him."
A heavy silence fell over the meeting room.
"Sorcerer's oath..."
"Yes. A prohibition spell. Won't get direct answers out of him. Push too hard, and he'll choose suicide."
Grave shadows crossed the teachers' faces.
"Looks like they're targeting the Je-ryeong Class kids. Teacher Pi, what's your plan going forward?"
"Halting all external field missions for first-years for the time being. We'll stick to on-campus training until safety's secured."
Pi Yu-jun peeled a candy wrapper and continued.
"And the theory classes I was planning to ease into? Starting today."
As Do-gyeol opened the door to the Je-ryeong Class classroom, a few kids whispered.
"Heard they almost died yesterday?"
"But he's the only one from Team 1 who got hospitalized. Seo Tae-yun and Yun Ga-eun were fine."
"Guess the dead last really took the hit."
At the ignorant jeers, the 10th-place kid who'd passed out from Do-gyeol draining his yeong-ryeok trembled.
You morons! Shut your traps! Don't mess with him! And if you call him dead last, what does that make me who got dogpiled—dog larva?!
Kang Hak and Baek Seo-rin clicked their tongues inwardly too.
Saying crap like that even after seeing the team match. Blind idiots.
Then the front door opened, and Pi Yu-jun entered.
"Sit down. Theory class today."
"What?!"
Reflexive complaints erupted from the students.
What kind of class was Je-ryeong Class? The battle-hardened elites who hated stuffy theory lectures.
"Teacher! We've been good so far! Why theory all of a sudden?"
"We already finished all the advanced prep!"
Pi Yu-jun's eyes chilled.
"Want me to handle you like day one?"
The classroom went dead silent in an instant.
"Why do you think I prioritized practicals over theory?"
No one answered.
"One reason is you're all decently knowledgeable just sitting here. But that's not all. Some of you got in on raw instinct and talent without proper theory training."
Pi Yu-jun's gaze flicked past Do-gyeol.
"Even so, I put theory on the back burner. You need to experience it yourself first, crash into walls with your body, to desperately realize what's missing. You learn more desperately when you feel the need."
Pi Yu-jun wrote "Survival" on the blackboard.
"Beasts don't teach cubs to climb cliffs or fly first. They shove 'em out of the nest to make 'em fly."
He scanned the students and added,
"Theory learned safe in a classroom breeds fatal illusions and overconfidence that it'll work in real combat. Could teach theory first and let 'em fail in practice, but then you gotta unlearn bad habits. Way harder and more painful than drawing on a blank slate—it's like painting over and fixing."
Pi Yu-jun set the chalk down with a clack.
"Sports start with basic conditioning. But you're sorcerers. Rule-less, life-or-death fighters. If you don't awaken instinct first, learn crisis response with your body, your narrow vision gets you killed early."
Do-gyeol's eyes sparkled. Whatever, it was theory class!
"Follow today's lesson well, and your real-combat death odds halve. Today's theory: 'Yeong-ryeok Body Reinforcement.' Straight-up using yeong-ryeok to push your body's limits."
Pi Yu-jun gathered yeong-ryeok on his fingertip and continued.
"Simpler than you think. Recall day one's yeong-ryeok circulation. Instead of whole-body, concentrate it on impact zones or spots needing power. Of course, dumping it into specific cells burns yeong-ryeok twice or thrice as fast."
Pi Yu-jun tapped his forearm.
"Master this, and you get muscle-swelling defense. Buff bodybuilders squeeze out mosquito stings with flexes or block blades deep. Same principle as thick fat stopping knives from organs."
A few swallowed yawns inwardly.
"But remember: Circulating yeong-ryeok along internal blood vessels and muscles for reinforcement is worlds apart from aura-wrapping externally."
Pi Yu-jun warned.
"Maintaining emitted yeong-ryeok's shape and density drains massively. That's talent territory—sloppy attempts exhaust you in under a minute."
He glanced alternately at Do-gyeol and Kang Hak.
"Focus on basic internal reinforcement first. Master that, dodge lethal hits, and in close-quarters brawls, unleash several times normal power."
Pi Yu-jun finished explaining and scanned the room. Sure enough, some kids were already dozing off.
"Bored faces as expected."
Pi Yu-jun chuckled, rolling his candy.
"Changing venue. Assemble at Yeonmu-jang."
Dozens of massive cubic stone pillars, human-height, dotted the Yeonmu-jang.
"Impact practice one by one based on what you just learned."
Pi Yu-jun tapped a pillar.
"Density way higher than normal walls, obvious from thickness. Punch without proper reinforcement, and your wrist shatters first. Give it your all."
Students gulped.
"Team leaders first for demo like skilled TA. Starting with Team 4 leader."
The male Team 4 leader stepped up tensely. Deep breath, stomped ground firm, lowered stance.
"Hup!"
His right arm muscles bulged, yeong-ryeok visibly concentrating. Thud! Dull impact—a clear fist mark cratered the thick stone. Dust rained.
"Ooh..."
Students gasped. No broken bones, dented stone. Superhuman for sure.
"Good. Next."
Next, Team 3 leader Baek Seo-rin. As she sauntered to a fresh pillar casually, Pi Yu-jun added firmly.
"No juggu. Pure body reinforcement this class."
Hearing that, Kang Hak behind her smirked slyly.
"No juggu? She's done for. Spear-one-trick pony, what can she do with fists."
Baek Seo-rin said nothing. Just pulled her right arm back, then exploded forward.
BOOM!
Explosion rocked—a huge crater in the pillar's center. She blew dust off her knuckles and shrugged at Kang Hak.
"Sorry. Went easy not to steal anyone's rice bowl, didn't expect it to crumble like that."
Kang Hak's face twitched at the snide taunt.
"Bitch."
Foxy wench. She'd obviously charged full power, faking casual.
"Next."
Kang Hak strode forward without hesitation. His fist glowed red-hot, plasma boiling.
KABOOM!!
Pillar shattered like meteor-hit, fragments hailing everywhere.
"Whoa, insane. Total obliteration!"
"Kang Hak's destructive power is unbeatable."
As kids buzzed, Kang Hak emerged through dust, smirking at Baek Seo-rin.
"Take the rice bowl—I went easy too, didn't know it'd powder."
"Ugh, so childish."
"You said it first!"
Kang Hak veins bulged in retort, but Baek Seo-rin just shrugged, ignoring him. Fuming at empty air, he fumed harder.
"Next."
As Seo Tae-yun moved forward stoically.
"Ah, Seo Tae-yun, stand by. Skipping."
Students looked baffled. Why block the top rank demo?
"Not just Seo Tae-yun—whole Team 1 sits out. Recovered fast from field mission internals, but for now..."
"Teacher!"
A hand shot up from the back row, cutting Pi Yu-jun off.
"I still wanna try."
All eyes turned. Do-gyeol grinned, eyes sparkling.