Terraforming

"Long time no see, Bennett."

"You crazy bitch? Don't you know any manners? You think you can just call your instructor by her first name like that?"

"Hehe! I already heard all about it from the seniors, you know? That speech and those mannerisms are all just an act... Kyaa!"

Thwack!

One of the combat trainees who'd come as reinforcements got clocked in the side while chatting with Gwangnyeon-i. Naturally, it was Gwangnyeon-i who threw the punch. True to form, she treated men and women equally when it came to beatings. To strike the side of a woman with such innocent-looking eyes without a second thought...

The woman who'd been scolded by Gwangnyeon-i broke out in a cold sweat and glanced my way. What? Why's she looking at me?

"Ah... right. The trainee watching from over there... Ahem! Sorry about that."

"If you know, then shut that damn mouth of yours!! Huh? Huh?!"

"Ugh... sor... sorry..."

"This is why I can't stand clueless idiots...!"

- Blah blah blah...

It didn't sound like anything important, but I had no idea what they found so entertaining about their conversation.

The reinforcements brought by young staffer Tom numbered a whopping fifteen—apparently, everyone except the bare minimum needed to hold the fort. They'd arrived after the rebels had already fled...

Too late. If they'd come just five minutes earlier, I could've taken every last one of those bastards down.

"Why the hell were you so slow? If you'd come just five minutes earlier, we could've chopped all those fuckers' heads off!"

...Whoa. I jumped because the thought in my head came out of Gwangnyeon-i's mouth almost verbatim.

...Wait, isn't this dangerous? Does this mean that psycho and I are thinking alike? No way—did my pure, blank-slate heart get corrupted by that black-hearted witch? This won't do. I need to go back to my innocent, pristine days...

Did the fleeing rebels finally escape beyond the Shelter's perimeter? The quest was complete. Wow... we actually pulled it off. A Hard Mode quest. Honestly, I thought failure was more likely, but Lee Kangin held strong, and we got a bit of luck too.

Huh?

Then, something strange started happening in my mind. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The first acquisition of a martial arts skill—not a passive one, but one requiring theoretical understanding. Memories that weren't mine began ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠surfacing one by one. Just like the first day of the body swap, when Baby Angel implanted Park Chanyoung's memories into me.

Philosophy of Thousand Fists One Kick, its characteristics, its techniques... A flood of information filled my head.

"Ah..."

There's one thing common to all the standout martial arts in wuxia or fantasy novels. They're always loaded with grandiose modifiers like Martial God, Heavenly Demon, Heaven-Defying, Sky-Shattering—stuff that makes your chest swell just reading the name, right?

So I figured this Thousand Fists One Kick wasn't anything special. From the name alone—a thousand punches and one kick—it seemed like the perfect early-game disposable technique.

...But I was underestimating the reward for a Hard Mode quest.

Think about it: the quest I got was brutally tough, where one slip-up meant instant failure. If even a single trainee got kidnapped, it was over. And our enemies? Even if all fifty of us charged head-on, victory wasn't guaranteed.

The first Hard Mode quest—with no life threats, time limits, or failure penalties—gave a 25% boost over normal rewards. So of course this one would be better. I'd just overlooked it because of the lame name.

What a delightful twist.

This skill was a lifetime keeper. Thousand Fists One Kick. Each level up unlocks one fist technique. Master all thousand... and you gain the qualifications of a demigod.

Well, Lv 1000 seems impossible, but the fact that the skill caps at least at 1000 means it outclasses most martial arts already.

I want to test the fist ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠techniques right now...

With Gwangnyeon-i and Brack safe, I had no reason to stick around. Plus, staying meant explaining the whole mess to them while they patched up their wounds.

Alright. Time to bail.

Step step.

I slipped quietly away from the commotion toward the open clearing. The one from a few days ago, where we'd done the head-tap punishment and planted those wooden posts.

"Swinging at empty air is harder to visualize than aiming for a wooden post, right?"

Swish...

I arrived at the clearing and stood before a post. I slowly loosened my wrists with some light stretches.

- Hoo...

Thud!

I threw a punch using only raw muscle power, no mana. The post, buried a meter deep, barely budged.

This time with mana...

Splat-!

The post shook noticeably. Some bark was crushed under my fist. Up until now, that had been my max power, my strongest strike.

But not anymore.

- Hup!

I took a deep breath. Mana flowed from my right arm, through my waist, thighs, calves, to my toes. Iljeonggwon (One Proper Fist) didn't teach some advanced mana application. True to its name, it simply showed how to use the fist properly

Correct posture, correct angle, correct power transmission. That was all there was to Iljeonggwon.

No startup pose needed, obviously. Just infuse mana and punch. My body already knew the "correct posture" perfectly. Huge advantage—even in chaotic situations where balance breaks, I could still deliver full power.

I punched toward the post.

BOOM—!!

A massive sound echoed through the empty clearing. Vibrations tickled my soles. The post had pushed back some dirt and was humming with resonance. It was tilted slightly from the impact. That much power.

"Whoa..."

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mark on the post was terrifying. Dented in the exact shape of my fist, caved in about a centimeter.

"It actually worked..."

This was straight out of a comic. I stared dumbly at the imprint left by my fist.

The most ridiculous part...

"Mana cost is insanely low, isn't it?"

That Iljeonggwon used the bare minimum mana. At this rate, I could fire it off at least thirty times. It was my only active skill so far, but it guzzled almost no mana. The description said power scales with mana input, so dumping everything in might shatter this post.

"Breaking it would be a pain to explain, so better not..."

Too bad Saneomgak (Evil Thought Kick) needed a target. For now, confirming Iljeonggwon's power was enough.

*

"Welcome back! Chanyoung!"

"But Anzelli, by Earth's standards, aren't you greeting me every thirty minutes?"

"Yeah, that's right?"

"Not tired?"

"It's just a greeting—what's tiring about it? Hehe."

My Anzelli had a kind heart, a beautiful face, a pretty face, an alluring face, and just a really nice face to look at. Seeing her in my house somehow made my heart feel secure.

"Oh, right. I've been so busy I skipped introducing the house. Let me do it now."

The place was unnecessarily huge, so a guide was in order. She wouldn't get lost inside, but with so many unused rooms, explanations helped.

I led Anzelli around the house.

Step step.

"...Next up is the storage room over there. No idea what's in it."

"Really? I'll sort it out when I have time!"

"Whoa, you don't have to go that far..."

"Truth is... sitting around gets boring... You always just sleep or rest when you come to Earth, and barely talk to me?"

Anzelli looked at me with hurt eyes. Oof... Guess brief chats on Earth visits weren't enough.

"We can talk all you want today. Let's grab some tea later and chat."

"Yay! Awesome!"

"Continuing the tour... That's the bath over there, and this is the toilet. Weird having them separate, huh?"

"Uh... I guess? Angels don't use toilets, so I'm not sure..."

Angels don't use toilets? That's not right, is it?

I stared at her in surprise. She averted her eyes, and I realized it.

She's lying.

Anzelli was terrible at lying. Impossible to miss.

"Do angels eat?"

"Yeah!"

"But no toilets?"

"Uh... yeah! Nope!"

Hmm... No way she'd admit it. A gentleman would let it slide, but mischief stirred. Why did I always want to tease angels?

"Oh yeah, when I visited Heaven."

"Yeah?"

"Pretty sure I saw a toilet in the hallway... If angels don't use them, why have them at all?"

"Th-that's... um... well..."

That's how I knew angels used toilets. Anzelli hadn't thought that far and panicked hard.

"Uh... ugh..."

...Her eyes welled up with tears. I pitied her and decided to give her an out. No way I'd actually make her cry—that'd make me trash.

"Hmm... Oh! Maybe it's for visitors like me?"

"...! Yes! That's it! Angels don't need them, but humans do! It's consideration!"

"Aha! So thoughtful. Building toilets for humans who visit once every few centuries!"

Nod nod! No matter how you slice it, she didn't seem like a smart angel. What? Her and Baby Angel are some elite duo in Heaven? I'd never buy it.

"Anyway, just so you know—that little door in the corner of your room? Opens to a private toilet. Handy tip."

"Wha?! Why tell me that? It's totally irrelevant to me!!"

"No need to trek from your room to the living room every time. Use the one in there."

"Oh! Aha! Washing up! Got it!"

"Oh! Soundproofing's great too—no worries. You won't hear a thing!"

"......Chanyoung, you're teasing me right now, aren't you?"

Ah, busted. Anzelli was smarter than Baby Angel, at least.