The Footwork's Melody
Raon opened his eyes, bathed in the sunlight streaming through the spotlessly clean window.
Refreshing.
Thanks to Wrath's curse, there was no drowsiness, and vitality surged through his entire body.
As expected, this guy isn't the Demon King but a tree that gives without reservation.
Extreme improvement in sleep quality has enhanced the efficiency of .
All stats have increased.
Thanks to , he had slept well and all stats had risen.
“Ah, now that I think about it…”
When he closed his eyes, Raon remembered Wrath cursing at Sloth. It seemed the Demon King had anticipated this effect and caused a commotion.
-Krru!
Wrath popped out from the bracelet with a scowl.
-I knew it would be like this. This filthy, vulgar scam ability!
The Demon King gnashed his teeth while staring at the message that all stats had increased.
-I only slept a little, yet all stats are rising? This King can't even have such ridiculous abilities!
Sometimes he does that.
-What do you mean sometimes? Even though the stats are rising every single day, no matter how tiny the amount!
Wrath's shoulders began to emit a cold aura of fury.
-This King will never forget it. I will make that stupid Sloth unable to sleep for the rest of his life.
But aren't you the one getting beaten by Sloth because your strength was taken away from me?
-What kind of nonsense is that?! Do you think this King would lose to that sleeping bastard just because I took some of my strength?
Wrath twisted his face and told Raon not to speak nonsense, though his voice trembled slightly.
-Hmph. Even if something like that happens, it doesn't matter. If I run away and prevent him from sleeping, I'll accept the defeat!
The Demon King grinned as if he had already won no matter what.
Ah…
Raon opened his mouth wide. Imagining Raon running away from Sloth while being pushed by his strength, he suddenly felt sorry for the Demon King.
“Would you like some bead ice cream?”
Feeling a bit guilty, Raon took out the ice cream box from the drawer.
-Yes, what are you scheming?! What are you trying to do to this King?!
Wrath raised his hand defensively and smacked his lips.
Seeing the Demon King torn between wanting the ice cream and fearing what Raon might demand, Raon felt even more sorry.
After eating, I'll eat all the ice cream inside.
-I don't believe it! Reveal your scheme!
There is no scheme.
Raon sighed and opened the door. As he headed to the washroom to freshen up, he ran into Yua in the hallway.
“Ah, Raon-nim!”
Yua was wearing a bright-colored outfit for the outing, unlike her usual attire.
“Where are you going?”
“Today, Rimer-nim is going to teach me music and unarmed combat.”
Her twin braids bounced with excitement.
“Then I’ll go too. Just wait a moment.”
“No, no. You can go alone. Raon-nim should rest…”
“I slept well, so it’s fine. I’ll get ready quickly.”
Raon waved his hand and quickly entered the washroom.
-Huhu, I knew it. You wouldn’t eat the ice cream willingly.
Wrath landed on Yua’s head and laughed coldly.
-I knew it. But why does my stomach hurt…
Sniff.
***
A check-in restaurant near the Fifth Training Ground.
It was originally a restaurant only for trainees, but since the Fifth Training Ground became the headquarters of the Light Wind Squad and fewer people came, it was now open to everyone.
However, because it was located near the Fifth Training Ground and the facility management office, most users were from the Light Wind Squad and technicians.
“What?”
A loud voice came from the serving counter of that restaurant.
“You got hit by lightning?”
Burren looked at Dorian with a frown.
“That’s what they say. It happened twice a day.”
“That makes sense?”
“It’s true. That’s why the squad leader has been in the infirmary since two days ago.”
“No, it’s been clear lately. How can you get hit by lightning?”
“I don’t know either. There’s such a thing as dry lightning in the sky.”
Dorian shrugged while holding his tray.
“Even though vacation ended, I thought he was missing, so I went to the gambling hall. Lightning? The squad leader is really something.”
Burren scooped stew onto his tray and let out a dry laugh.
“Then why isn’t Raon coming?”
“He’s exhausted.”
“Exhausted? Why?”
“He said he trained for two days straight. I don’t know if that’s possible…”
Dorian shook his head and muttered that it was terrible.
“Two days…”
Burren swallowed hard.
That guy can do it.
If it were anyone else, he would have said not to lie, but Raon, that bastard, could definitely pull it off.
“The squad leader got hit by lightning and hospitalized, the vice-squad leader is exhausted from training. The family is really doing well.”
Burren let out a sigh and turned his body.
“Still, Raon-nim will return tomorrow… eek!”
Dorian, who had been walking ahead, lost his balance and fell. The food on his tray flew and landed on the uniform of a tall swordsman sitting at the next table.
“Aah! S-sorry! I’ll wash it immediately…”
“This bastard.”
When Dorian tried to take out a handkerchief from his belly pouch, the swordsman stood up with a grinding teeth.
“Do you know what kind of uniform this is?!”
The tall swordsman ignored Dorian’s apology and swung his clenched fist.
“Kuhk!”
Dorian, who had been careless, got his chin hit and the table beside him flipped over.
“What are you doing?!”
“You started the fight, right?”
“Hey, step on him!”
The swordsmen sitting at the table began punching Dorian and stomping on him, as if they had hit the jackpot.
“That’s enough.”
Burren placed his empty tray on a table and raised his momentum. The swordsmen who had been hitting Dorian turned to him with scowls.
“You used aura to lose balance after stepping on his leg. What kind of trick is this? These are guys we haven’t seen around here. Did you come to pick a fight with the Light Wind Squad?”
“I wouldn’t pick a fight.”
“Huk!”
Suddenly, a voice from behind made Burren turn around hurriedly. There was no one there, but a tall, lean man was smiling behind him.
“G-Garon Zieghart.”
He was the second son of Balder Zieghart and the squad leader of the Gold Peak Squad under the True Martial Hall.
“Garon Zieghart-nim.”
“G-Garon-nim. Sorry.”
“Yes. Yes. I understand that much. However…”
Garon smiled faintly and lifted his chin.
“You said something irritating.”
“What?”
“You started a fight. Why did our kids start a fight? Look at this.”
He pointed at the uniforms of the swordsmen who had been stomping on Dorian.
“You spilled dirty food on a uniform made with the highest quality yarn and materials, one that hadn’t even been properly started yet. Isn’t it strange that they’re just standing there?”
“If it was truly Dorian’s mistake, then yes. But this time, he stepped on my leg first and used aura to press down, causing me to lose balance.”
Burren pointed at the dirty swordsman who had stepped on Dorian’s leg.
“Do you have evidence that our vice-squad leader did that?”
“What?”
“Evidence that he stepped on the leg and moved the aura?”
“It was right in front of my eyes, but such coercion…”
“Coercion? You’re the one using it now. There’s no one else here.”
Garon raised his arm and pointed around. The technicians eating had run outside to avoid flying sparks, and the cooks and staff had hidden in the kitchen.
Seeing this blatant situation, it was clear they had come to pick a fight.
“Are you aiming for Raon?”
The reason the Gold Peak Squad, a military unit under the True Martial Hall, was picking a fight with the Light Wind Squad was obvious. Raon had previously beaten Raven and caused the True Martial Hall’s activities to be suspended for a year.
“Raon? Why is that guy here?”
Garon shook his head firmly.
“Why would I target that kid who might become the pride of our family?”
He grinned and sat on the table.
“Stand up.”
“T-thank you.”
Burren stared at Garon and helped the fallen Dorian to his feet. His face and body were bruised from the aura-infused punches.
Although he didn’t usually like Dorian much, he was furious at such a dirty method.
“Then what do you want?”
“If I say it like that, I sound like a villain. It really happened by chance.”
“You don’t need to put on such a show after coming this far. Tell me clearly.”
“If you say it like that…”
Garon smiled faintly and tapped his sword sheath.
“Let’s have a duel.”
“What?”
“Let’s have a team duel between our Light Wind Squad and your Gold Peak Squad.”
“Suddenly…”
Burren narrowed his eyes. He had expected Raon to be demanded or a fight about Raon, but not a duel.
“Thinking about it, it seems a bit unreasonable.”
Garon stood from the table and approached Burren.
“Think about it. I became the squad leader of the Gold Peak Squad and successfully completed my first mission, but the True Martial Hall was suspended from activities. I completed the mission but received no reward, and no one acknowledged it.”
His eyes sparkled red.
“Yet I can’t do other missions. The True Martial Hall, the upper echelon of the Gold Peak Squad, has stopped! For over a year, I’ve been doing nothing like a NEET, and now I wanted to move again, but you guys completed your first mission and are being praised? Isn’t this ridiculous?”
“That’s because Raven from the True Martial Hall caused the problem…”
“Raven-hyung, right?”
“I don’t want to call someone who disgraces the Zieghart name ‘hyung’.”
“Hmm, I like that determination. I also don’t treat that bastard as my brother.”
Garon nodded with a grin. His emotions changed rapidly. A dangerous aura was emanating from him.
“Anyway, I hope our Gold Peak Squad, which has been stuck in a mess, has a team duel with the great Light Wind Squad. Can you arrange it?”
“That’s not something I can decide.”
Burren shook his head. He now understood Garon’s goal. He had come here to settle the grudge of being suspended from activities for a year and to take the Light Wind Squad’s reputation.
Unlike the stupid Raven, he was using a very troublesome method.
“Really? Then we should rest here a bit too.”
Garon kicked the tilted table and sat on an empty chair. The Gold Peak Squad swordsmen who followed him pushed the tables or sat on them, creating an intimidating atmosphere.
“Bring some roasted ribs and pig’s trotter stew.”
“And some fried chicken!”
“And some alcohol!”
They ordered dishes with ingredients that were hard to find here and chatted casually.
“T-that’s impossible right now…”
“Impossible? Where is impossible! If I say do it, you have to do it!”
“Huuuuk!”
When the swordsmen shouted, the kitchen staff’s groans could be heard. They were trembling in fear.
“Please stop. The technicians and staff are scared.”
“Huh? You’re scared, so stop?”
“Aren’t you all afraid? As a Zieghart swordsman, you should protect the weak…”
“Ah, you’re all afraid? I see. The cook shouldn’t be afraid. If the cook is afraid, he can’t cook. Ah, I made a mistake. I was about to make a huge mistake! As the head of the Zieghart direct lineage and the Gold Peak Squad leader, I was about to scare the cook!”
He bared his teeth and kicked the table in front of him.
KWAAANG!
The table flew and crashed into the wall. It didn’t break or crumble, only stuck to the wall, showing Garon’s overwhelming power.
“Hey! Don’t eat! Our cook and technicians are scared! Everyone starve!”
“Yes!”
The Gold Peak Squad swordsmen grumbled and glared at them. They wanted to end this situation by challenging them.
“Haa…”
Burren glared at all of them and took a deep breath. If he didn’t calm his mind, he would curse them.
“I will ask the squad leader and vice-squad leader for their opinion. Please return for today.”
“Hmm.”
Garon spun his eyes and nodded.
“It seems business isn’t being done here today, so it’s better to go somewhere else. Let’s go, guys.”
“Yes!”
The Gold Peak Squad swordsmen rose in unison and stood behind Garon.
“If that proposal isn’t accepted, I’ll come back here again. You know, right?”
Burren nodded without answering. He no longer wanted to talk to this schemer.
“Good. See you later.”
He waved his hand and left the restaurant.
Clang! Crash!
A sound of something falling came from the kitchen. The staff who had relaxed seemed to have dropped their dishes.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah, I’m fine.”
Dorian muttered that he was fine with a troubled expression.
“T-then what will you do? They’re not coming again, are they?”
“Yes. They will definitely come.”
Those who would keep coming if he delayed or refused an answer.
“So I need to find someone to resolve it.”
***
The small courtyard of the Zieghart main estate. Rimer was smiling while matching Yua’s height.
“We’ve met before. I’m Rimer.”
“Yua!”
Rimer and Yua greeted each other with mutual respect and smiled.
“Will the young master be there?”
“I wanted to see how he teaches.”
Raon nodded. He had come to observe the first few lessons in case Rimer taught Yua assassination techniques.
“It’s a bit embarrassing, but I understand. Please sit there.”
“Thank you.”
Raon nodded and sat on a white garden chair.
“Miss Yua. Could you sing a song you like?”
“Yes!”
Yua nodded and stepped back. She began singing while flicking her twin braids.
“The blood-soaked walls and the snow dyed at night are the winter castle…”
Yua was not singing a normal song but the anthem of Habun Castle. Because Yua was singing it, it felt so grand and elegant that it seemed like a song for a play.
“Even at dawn when green rain and red rain wet the earth…”
The song made the heart race. It felt like the horn of the high castle and the endless arrows were echoing in the ears. Raon wanted to draw his sword and stand on the wall fighting monsters.
“Haa!”
As Yua’s song ended, Rimer let out a dry laugh and clapped.
“The only word that comes out is ‘amazing’.”
His eyes sparkled like he had seen a masterpiece.
“The timbre and emotion are wonderful. You properly melted the sorrowful emotion into the powerful anthem. May I hear another song?”
“Of course!”
Yua, who had gained confidence from the praise, clenched her small fist and started another song.
The second was a song whispering love, and the third was a song filled with the joy of autumn leaves.
“It’s a bit awkward to say this, but I understand why Eden targeted Yua.”
Rimer approached Raon and whispered softly while listening to Yua’s song.
“Yua’s voice has a divine presence, and her talent for music is overflowing. If Yua entered Eden, a monster capable of massive massacres beyond imagination would be born.”
He nodded, saying he had done a great thing.
“Then, is there nothing to teach in music?”
“That’s not true. While learning music alone, there’s a slight regret.”
“Regret?”
Raon tilted his head. He thought Yua’s singing was perfect, but he didn’t understand what was lacking.
“The part about rhythm or cadence is slightly lacking.”
“Ah…”
“Even if the song changes, the rhythm flows almost the same. So there’s a slightly awkward part. If that is adjusted, it would be truly perfect.”
“I see.”
“Good. If it was perfect, there would be nothing for me to do.”
He smiled faintly and approached Yua again.
“Miss Yua, do you know about rhythm?”
“E-eh, I know…”
“Everything in the world has rhythm. The heartbeat of the heart that makes us live, the song of the mountain birds chirping, even the voices of gardeners trimming the garden have rhythm.”
Rimer pointed in order to the examples he had given for rhythm.
“Rhythm is one of the most important elements in music. It makes repeated phrases more lively, happier, or sadder. For example…”
He began singing the song Yua had sung. He couldn’t sing better than Yua, but the lyrics and melody were deeply embedded, and the meaning in the song was felt much better.
“How is it?”
“It’s good!”
Yua jumped and raised her hands.
“Didn’t it feel easier to listen to?”
“It felt easy, and the emotion came better!”
Yua nodded, as if she had the same thought.
“That is the power of rhythm. If you sing with the appropriate rhythm for each song, it will fit musically, emotionally, or offensively.”
Rimer said so and added several stories.
“Rhythm…”
Raon recalled Yua’s song and Rimer’s song and narrowed his eyes.
Appropriate rhythm…
Indeed, Yua hadn’t paid much attention to the rhythm or cadence part when singing, and Rimer used a rhythm that fit like gears.
Although Yua sang the song better, it was easier to listen to and matched Rimer’s side.
Is the footwork the same?
The difference between himself and Glenn before exhaustion might be that.
Now that I think about it, the timing for the first step and second step was slightly different…
Glenn’s footsteps and the depth of his footprints differed between the first step and the second step.
Is that rhythm too?
Different rhythms for different situations. Glenn had clearly used the most appropriate breathing when using Taehwa Footwork.
Chiiing!
Realizing that there was rhythm in the footwork, his head exploded and opened.
That night. The Taehwa Footwork Glenn had shown replayed like a water flow, and his movements felt as if they could be grasped in his hands one by one.
Raon, without realizing, stood from the chair. He lowered his posture and extended his left foot forward.
Twuung!
A majestic flow that seemed to reach the entire world gathered at his toes and merged with the earth.
***
“And now, the aura cultivation method I will teach you…”
Rimer, who was about to teach Yua the aura cultivation method, turned his head sharply.
Raon, who had been sitting on the right, slowly stood up. His eyes were like those of someone possessed by a ghost as he began stepping the footwork.
Twuung!
The first step that brushed the grass and extended was Taehwa Footwork of Glenn.
Taehwa Ilbo?
However, it was different from the first step Raon had shown not long ago. Shedding the shell of clumsiness, it spewed out the same mystery and grandeur as Glenn.
Next, he advanced the second step. Extreme swiftness. The speed at which the assassin who had lived was amazed reached the opposite side in one breath. It was a speed that seemed like magic.
“Rao…”
Yua, startled, tried to call Raon and watched the third step. Raon’s body shook like the tip of a sword, then split into two figures and merged.
Kugugugugu!
The fourth step was slow. A slow step like a snail crawling carried the Path of Supremacy and oppression. A strong grasping power spread through the footprints that crushed the earth.
“Ah…”
Rimer opened his mouth wide. Raon had begun to display Taehwa Footwork with true intention after only a few days.
If the previous Raon was a crawling baby, now he was starting to walk and advancing step by step.
Mad.
It was shocking that he had learned such a peerless footwork so quickly, and no words came out.
Even though Rimer had said Raon was a vessel for a king many times, he hadn’t taken it seriously. He knew the kid was great but there were still many things to watch.
But seeing the hint he had received from his words and the one who was rising, Rimer realized that his words were not false.
“Haa.”
Rimer turned his head at the sound of a breath from the side. The leader of the Heavenly Sword Squad was watching Raon with arms crossed. Her face was full of irritation.
“What the hell is that guy.”
“What?”
“He woke up from the trance and immediately entered the trance again.”
The Heavenly Sword Squad leader made wrinkles on her forehead and turned her head.
“What kind of bastard walks in and out of the trance like it’s his own house!”
“I heard that person say something like that.”
Rimer smiled with gentle eyes while looking at Raon.
“He is someone who will become the head of this family in the future.”
***
While in the state of self-absorption, Raon realized what he was doing.
When stepping Taehwa Ilbo, he thought about the world he was advancing to and the heartbeat of the heart; when extending Taehwa Ibo, he contained the lightning that fell in an instant; the third step spread the light of the sun through the spear; the fourth step contained the dignity of Glenn Zieghart.
As the breathing and rhythm he had seen and felt became part of Taehwa Footwork, a footwork of a different level was born. He could extend it faster, slower, or more grandly.
Raon unfolded all nine steps of Taehwa Footwork until he was exhausted and lifted his head.
“Haa…”
His fingertips trembled with excitement. Realizing that this was truly Taehwa Footwork, a tremor ran through his entire body.
He could say it. Although the achievement itself was incomparable, he had stepped onto the same path as Glenn’s Taehwa Footwork.
If he continued to work hard, he might one day catch up to his footwork.
“Huu!”
When his heart was greatly pounding with emotion at having mastered the footwork, a message appeared before his eyes.
You have achieved an impossible feat in the current realm.
All stats have increased by 5 points.