Heart Power (2)
Do-gyeol was grinning like an idiot when the chat exploded.
By then, class had ended, and Pi Yu-jun's gaze turned to Do-gyeol.
"Do-gyeol, come with me."
Do-gyeol stood up from his seat with a baffled look. As he followed Pi Yu-jun out of the classroom, the kids in Team 4 started buzzing.
"Why's he suddenly calling Do-gyeol?"
"Maybe he's gonna grill him about hiding his power from yesterday's practical?"
"Nah, if it was that, he'd have called him right away yesterday."
"Still, it makes sense. Do-gyeol ranking lower than you doesn't add up."
At that, Jo Min-je, Team 4's 11th placer, shot back with an incredulous face.
"Why drag me into this out of nowhere?"
"Everyone knows you're the real dead last."
Another teammate chimed in. "That's true. If Do-gyeol had been on our team instead, we wouldn't have lost the team match so pathetically."
"Maybe we suggest giving Seo Tae-yun a bit more of the 1st place benefit to snag 11th, and we take 12th place Do-gyeol?"
Jo Min-je's face visibly darkened. Seeing that, his teammates chuckled and patted his shoulders.
"Hey, just kidding, kidding. You pissed?"
"The dead last getting pissy in front of 4th and 5th? Lighten up."
"...I'm not pissed."
The Team 4 leader slung an arm over Jo Min-je's shoulder. Thud. It carried more weight than usual.
"Right? We're teammates—if you get butt-hurt over a joke like this, that's no good."
"I said I'm not."
Jo Min-je forced the corners of his mouth up.
*
"What do you think I called you here for?"
Pi Yu-jun slouched in the counseling room chair, peeling a candy wrapper as he added, "It's because of those three things you showed."
In truth, there were way more reasons if he nitpicked, but sticking to what tied into today's lesson, three stood out.
"The red dragon you unleashed in the second entrance exam gate. The talisman explosion in the time attack. And the yeong-ryeok you materialized yesterday in the training ground."
Pi Yu-jun popped the candy in his mouth and continued. "The first two are straight-up heart imagery manifestation."
Do-gyeol tilted his head. 'Heart imagery manifestation?'
He'd heard it tossed around in the chat during the second gate, and it popped up now and then. But what was the big deal?
"I mentioned in class earlier, right? Emotions directed at others are easy to draw out, but they sweep you away just as easily."
"Yeah."
"On the flip side, fully internalizing emotions with no trace of others—pure heart imagery stripped of any external feelings—that's heart imagery manifestation."
Pi Yu-jun's eyes sharpened. "Only those who can reach the pinnacle of sorcery pull that off."
"You saying I've reached the pinnacle?"
"No. That you can. It's still just potential."
Pi Yu-jun's voice softened a bit. "I didn't believe it at first, either. What I saw in the second gate? Probably a fluke."
Then it grew heavy again. "But seeing you slap a talisman on your foot, blow it up, and fly in the time attack? That sealed it. You can manifest heart imagery exactly as you envision."
The corners of Do-gyeol's mouth started creeping upward.
"That big a deal?"
"Huge deal. And damn hard to pull off. Insanely hard."
Pi Yu-jun stared him down. "Most people burn their emotions on others and neglect themselves. They're so obsessed with outside eyes they don't even know what they truly want."
Do-gyeol still struggled to grasp it. Pi Yu-jun knew, so he simplified.
"They tie their necks to reputation, comparing to others. Even that 'social success' drive? Dig deep, and it's just craving validation from people."
Do-gyeol started getting it dimly. No matter how much you claim self-love, where does your deep inner desire point? That's what he meant.
"But you're completely detached. Screw reputation—you're immersed purely in what you want, like a kid."
"A kid?"
"Yeah. Pure curiosity and craving, no good or ill toward others. That's you right now."
The chat lit up with smug grins at that.
Do-gyeol waved dismissively at the chat window.
"What're you doing?"
"Ah, bug."
He brushed it off casually, and the chat scrolled even faster.
'God, these guys know I didn't mean it and still act like kids.'
As Do-gyeol ignored them, Pi Yu-jun spoke up again.
"Of course, hard doesn't mean good. Imprinting with pure heart power guzzles it, so efficiency-focused sorcerers could but won't."
"Huh? Why?"
"Why? Using a medium like jusa ink or blood on talismans is way easier. Just burns yeong-ryeok instead."
Then Do-gyeol piped up curiously. "But the red dragon. I wasn't really angry then? It was more Garados's rage..."
Pi Yu-jun chuckled. "Probably anger at yourself for not being like others—or the drive to make it happen."
"Drive and anger aren't the same."
"Think of it as pulling the image and energy of imagined rage using heart power."
Do-gyeol nodded like he got it. Finally, Pi Yu-jun got to the point.
"The key is the third one—the yeong-ryeok you pulled out yesterday in the training ground. That's different."
"Wasn't that manifesting an image too?"
"I was confused at first. It had heart power mixed in. But it was yeong-ryeok-based materialization, with heart power secondary. Totally different."
Do-gyeol's eyes sparkled. Extra lesson incoming!
"How's it different?"
"Heart imagery manifests your imagination as-is. Yeong-ryeok materialization hinges on your yeong-ryeok's wavelength and quality."
Pi Yu-jun explained simply. "Even if you imagine a vibrant landscape, if your palette's just black paint, you get a black picture."
Things clicked in Do-gyeol's head. 'That's what the chat meant about not copying Seo Tae-yun's pretty tropical fish exactly!'
Pi Yu-jun's tone grew heavier. "That's why I called you. A warning."
"Warning?"
"Yeah. Don't get cocky just 'cause you handle pure inward heart imagery. Your heart power isn't infinite."
He locked eyes with Do-gyeol. "Watch for burnout."
Sincere advice laced his voice. "Successful tycoons or great artists? Their heart power chases their own ideals, not validation. Sustain it, reach the top. But most shatter once, never recover. Heart burns out."
Pi Yu-jun's gaze deepened. "Especially geniuses like you, breezing through everything—first failure hits hardest. No scars, no toughness."
Beginner's luck demands caution. He worried Do-gyeol's rocket rise would crash into oblivion on one big flop.
"So how do you train heart power?"
Do-gyeol asked seriously, and Pi Yu-jun smirked, tossing back, "Simple. Keep questioning why you use sorcery, what your true ideal you wanna protect is. Find that anchor beyond your flimsy curiosity. That's what holds you in the storm."
Pi Yu-jun clapped Do-gyeol's shoulder. "Session over. Go."
*
"Kang Hak. Talk for a sec."
Baek Seo-rin's voice came from behind Kang Hak as he grabbed a drink from the vending machine. He ignored it, cracking the can and walking off.
Baek Seo-rin didn't follow, just spoke again. "Looked like you were really trying to kill me in the team match? Didn't know you were that stupid."
Stop.
Kang Hak halted, whipping around with a murderous glare. "What'd you just say?"
"Didn't know you were that stupid."
Baek Seo-rin's smirk lacked its usual mischief. "You really think my bro did that on purpose?"
"You little—!"
Plasma flames coiled up Kang Hak's arm. But Baek Seo-rin didn't budge.
"Snoozed in class? Teacher just warned about heart power. Guess with your IQ, that's how you see it."
The air around them crackled and boiled.
"You wanna die for real?"
"Yeah, kill me. But think that'll feel good? You believe that?"
"..."
"Well, your family'd love it. Or did your parents order it? Kill off a Baek girl under 'training' pretense?"
"Shut up!"
Boom!
Kang Hak kicked off the floor, lunging. His killing-intent fist rocketed at Baek Seo-rin's face.
She didn't flinch. A light hop, midair flip, out of sight—landing behind him.
"Too bad. Even in the finals, you couldn't have killed me."
She whispered coldly from his back. "Emotions flare too easy—you'd drop before me. Watch yourself."
Kang Hak spun, grinding his teeth. Amid the tension, Baek Seo-rin showed zero shake.
"I wanna kill and be killed, sure."
She strolled off casually, back turned. Kang Hak's fists trembled, but he didn't charge.
*
Back in the dormitory, Do-gyeol beamed, pulling out his familiar spirit.
"Alright, time for the familiar spirit self-realization project."
"Calm down, calm down. I got a plan."
"Manual control! Auto control! Hybrid realization! That's my ideal!"
As the chat recoiled in horror, a few showed positivity.
Do-gyeol grinned in satisfaction. He turned to the familiar spirit.
"Naming it helps, right? Hit me with name ideas."
"Even so, calling my precious familiar spirit 'madman' feels off..."