It wasn’t like Chi-Woo had gone through anything special or awakened in a risky situation. The message came abruptly without warning while Chi-Woo continued his daily activities—so naturally, like how one climbed the stairs and got to the next floor.
[User Chi-Woo’s strength increases in rank.]
His strength rose from rank D to C. The physical attribute that hadn’t risen no matter what finally advanced, and he reached the limit of a human. While squatting with a barbell, Chi-Woo stared at the message hovering over him in a daze. It was so sudden that he couldn’t believe it. Chi-Woo finished the set he was doing and quickly checked his user information.
“Wow…” A bright smile bloomed on his face; Chi-Woo looked extremely proud of himself.
“Ha!” Chi-Woo flicked his hair around excitedly, but for some reason, he couldn’t see his brother, Philip, nor bun today of all days. He needed to quickly show off his progress—where were they?
“Heh…it does go up though.” All the training he had gone through passed through Chi-Woo’s head, and thinking of each and every one of them gave him a strange feeling. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he became overwhelmed with emotions.
“Ah, damn it… Why am I crying?” Chi-Woo wiped his tears away with his fist and sniffed before breaking into a wide smile. “Hahaha. I’m so happy.”
His heart felt ready to jump out of his chest in happiness, but Chi-Woo picked up his barbell again. He could always celebrate later. His muscles might weaken in the time he cried in joy. Then his strength could fall to rank D again. He thus immediately dived back into doing his squats.
“Kuh~ It’s nothing.” He really felt different now that he was rank C. Lifting the barbell had been incredibly tiring, but it wasn’t as heavy now. That didn’t last long, of course. As if reading his mind, the barbell increased in weight again.
It was like this space was telling him, ‘Huh? So you became rank C? Then you must be able to do this much.’
Chi-Woo’s face scrunched up as he strained himself, but there was still a smile tugging at his lips. The bitter pain felt sweet today. This space, created through image representation, tested the limits of its user every moment. In this sense, it tested Chi-Woo even after he reached his limit as a human, and that meant there was still room for Chi-Woo to progress through pure training. The realization allowed Chi-Woo to continue on joyfully despite how painful it was.
* * *
The rank up of his strength was only the beginning. With further training, more messages popped up.
[User Chi-Woo’s durability increases in rank.]
[User Chi-Woo’s agility increases in rank.]
[User Chi-Woo’s stamina increases in rank.]
Like sausages in a string, his other physical abilities followed suit and increased in ranks. The first one to recognize Chi-Woo’s change was Chi-Hyun. He didn’t even need to check Chi-Woo’s user information; he simply knew because of the time required for Chi-Woo to finish his training.
Chi-Woo usually spent half a day finishing his daily course, but now, he returned in a quarter of a day. He had basically shortened his finishing time by half. Of course, this space was adjusting in real time and increasing the difficulty level of the training according to Chi-Woo’s current abilities, but Chi-Woo’s increased efficiency showed how well he had adapted.
Chi-Hyun stared intently at his brother for a while. Chi-Woo was fervently swimming across the ocean toward him. “…” A pleased smile curved his lips. He was proud of his brother. Chi-Hyun felt awkward to admit this, but…he was grateful. Chi-Hyun was sure that Chi-Woo must have had days when he didn’t want to train; he might even feel lost as to why he had to train in the first place. Chi-Hyun knew better than anyone else how hard it was to endure pain and difficulties alone, feeling like there was no one around for him.
Perhaps Chi-Woo had expected something more special and innovative than this boring, repetitive training, and at times, even Chi-Hyun wanted that for Chi-Woo. Chi-Woo’s progress was so impressive that it made Chi-Hyun wonder things like ‘what would happen if I taught him something other than the basics?’ Every time he had such thoughts, Chi-Hyun couldn’t help but look forward to how explosive Chi-Woo’s progress would be, and he had a great urge to immediately carry his thoughts into action. However, Chi-Hyun always stopped himself. He had to repress these urges because he saw a future for Chi-Woo. Chi-Woo must not get sloppy with his training or take shortcuts. He needed to nail the foundations even harder; as long as Chi-Woo took one step forward at a time, Chi-Hyun knew that his brother would become the best of the best, an existence that could even surpass him in the future.
[The ultimate martial arts? The secret to my wins? I wouldn’t know something like that.]
[All I did was grip my sword and slice, pierce, and swing without missing a day. That’s all. And as I did that, one day, people began to call me the god of war.]
This was the conversation he had had with the god of war in the past, which made Chi-Hyun realize the importance of basics. Thus, Chi-Hyun knew that Chi-Woo shouldn’t skip the stage of building a foundation, nor end it rashly; and Chi-Woo followed his instructions more faithfully than he could wish for.
While dwelling on these thoughts, Chi-Hyun smiled bitterly. ‘What am I doing?’ This wasn’t what he was supposed to do. Even if he helped Chi-Woo develop his skills enough to protect himself, he needed to restrict Chi-Woo’s dormant potential as much as possible. And yet Chi-Hyun was doing the opposite. He was leading Chi-Woo directly to the path of rising to his full potential; it was akin to teaching a succubus a special enchanting skill.
It did make him waver at times, but in the end, he couldn’t help it. Firstly, it would be a waste. And secondly, it was something he couldn’t do to Chi-Woo as his brother. In fact, the die had already been cast the moment Chi-Woo entered Liber. Nobody could anticipate the result. The only thing Chi-Hyun could do now was to stop others from bothering or breaking the die before it finished rolling… Yes, that was all there was.
“Huff! Huff!” Just in time, Chi-Woo finished swimming and reached land. Chi-Hyun tipped his head up. The sun was still high up in the sky.
* * *
Chi-Woo breathed in deeply, and when he saw a shadow cast over him, he looked up.
“It seems your physical ability has improved.” The edge of Chi-Hyun’s lips twitched upwards.
“Huh? Ah hah. Uh, well, yeah,” Chi-Woo said nonchalantly. “It ranked up as I kept training,” Chi-Woo spoke like nothing much had happened, but the corners of his mouth were stretched to the ends of his ears.
“Good work.”
These were the simple words Chi-Woo had yearned to hear.
“Good job. You went through a lot.” As Chi-Hyun continued to compliment him, Chi-Woo raised his chin, and his nose was high in the sky.
“You are only going to talk?” In his good mood, Chi-Woo joked. “There’s no congratulation gift?”
“Of course there is.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Don’t you think it’s about time for a new training?”
“Ohhhhhhhh!” Chi-Woo cheered with his eyes wide open. Hands balling into fists, he yelled, “Finally! New training! Awesome! What is it?”
“Well…”
“Yeah? Tell me already. I want to hear it now!”
Chi-Hyun thought Chi-Woo had really become a training addict now. But regardless, since Chi-Woo had become used to the current training, he needed to give Chi-Woo something new.
“Last time I saw your user information, I noticed that you had a blunt attack ability among your basic abilities.”
“Yeah, since I mostly used a club.”
“A club…”
“My mentor gave it to me, and it’s super effective.”
“Anyways, are you going to use the club as your main weapon? Or do you have something else in mind? Was there a kind of weapon you had always wanted to use?”
“Um…” Chi-Woo was about to say something, but he paused and glanced at Chi-Hyun.
“What is it? It’s fine. Just tell me.”
Encouraged by his brother’s words, Chi-Woo carefully opened his mouth. Then he told Chi-Hyun his own thoughts on weapon use—more exactly, the theory he had developed in his mind under Ru Amuh’s influence. Philip had laughed at his face and mocked him when he told him.
“Weapon fighting as an extension of martial arts…”
Surprisingly, Chi-Hyun didn’t mock him or get angry. “Well, that’s fine. If that’s what you want, let’s try it together.”
“For real!?”
“You aren’t completely wrong anyway. Even though you’re overlooking a significant process.” Chi-Hyun told him to grab the club while they were on the topic.
“Reach out while holding the club.”
Chi-Woo extended his right arm while holding the ghost-busting club. Then he frowned and blinked because his brother had created a rope and wrapped it around his right hand in an instant.
“Done.”
Chi-Hyun wrapped it around so tightly that Chi-Woo couldn’t even stretch his hand. He glanced down at his right hand before staring at his brother.
Chi-Hyun continued, “You’re going to live in this state from now on. Training is no exception, of course, and you are to hold onto your club while you eat, sleep, wash up, and rest.”
“…Even when I poop?”
“Of course. When you’re cooking as well.”
“Wait, you’re telling me to cook in this state?” Chi-Woo looked at Chi-Hyun as if he was out of his mind.
Chi-Hyun snorted. “Weren’t you the one who wanted to use your weapon as an extension of your body?”
“That’s true, but—”
“Then do it. Don’t just pay lip service, but actually show it with your action. Use the club as your hand.”
“But—”
“Quiet. I’m not done talking.” Chi-Hyun paused. “One more thing. Use your exorcism mana from now on in this training.”
“?”
“I’m telling you to put exorcism mana into your club rather than keeping it in your body.”
Chi-Woo immediately drew his mana and slowly redirected it into the club, sending it to the tip of the club before making it take a U-turn to return the mana to his body. “…Oh.” After creating a nonstop cycle, Chi-Woo felt as if the separate reserve of energy inside his body and the one he pushed into the club had become one. He was so close to getting the hang of it. Then Chi-Woo realized something and asked, “This too…?”
“Yes, you have to maintain this state. If you run out of exorcism mana, move your own energy to create a circuit and make sure to include the club as part of it.”
“…No way.” Chi-Woo slightly gaped. He stared at his right hand with a dubious expression on his face, wondering if this really was the right training for him.
* * *
The next day.
“…What are you doing?” Chi-Hyun asked while looking at Chi-Woo, who had attached a spoon to the end of his club.
Chi-Woo answered, “You told me to hold onto the club even when I’m eating.”
“But.”
“So that’s what I’m doing. Since I’m holding onto this club, I can’t even lift the bowl to drink it.”
“Why don’t you use your left hand?”
Chi-Woo paused.
“Are you going to make soup?”
“…” Chi-Woo stopped what he was doing and quietly switched the spoon to his left hand, but it was still awkward for him to eat. Then he asked, “By the way, why did you leave my left hand alone?”
“Because you’re not used to using your left hand as much as your right hand.”
“So you’re telling me that I should be able to freely use both of my hands.”
“Not just both hands, but both your feet too.”
Chi-Woo, who had been carefully moving his spoon for every gulp, turned to stare at his brother. “Are you going to do the same thing to my left hand?”
Chi-Hyun shrugged without replying, and Chi-Woo smacked his lips.
Chi-Hyun then said, “When you’re finished eating, start training and don’t forget what I told you yesterday.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Chi-Woo finished his meal and got up. Today was his first day entering a new phase of training. Chi-Woo got to experience firsthand how difficult and ridiculous Ru Amuh’s theory was. First of all, it was very uncomfortable to have his hands tied together with a club. His right hand bothered him whenever he did something and stole all of his attention. Moreover, since only one of his arms was lengthened, his balance was off. What flustered Chi-Woo the most, though, was his brother’s second condition—to maintain a flow of exorcism mana in his club.
After Chi-Woo barely managed to finish lifting the barbell, he began running towards the peak of the mountain and suddenly felt intense fatigue less than a few hours in. ‘Uh…?’ He usually ran at full speed during this time, but he was already running out of strength. Chi-Woo only realized the reason when he collapsed before reaching the mountain peak. Chi-Hyun’s second condition had significantly increased the difficulty level of his training. Chi-Woo felt exhausted not only physically, but also in spirit.
After assessing his physical condition, he intuitively realized, ‘This won’t be easy to adjust.’ However, Chi-Woo didn’t question his brother’s judgment or fall into despair anymore. His brother had made this place for him and himself; he knew and trusted in the fact. He was sure that his brother had assigned him this training because he could do it, so Chi-Woo was going to meet his expectations. Even if it was hard right now, he was going to endure. The greater the difficulty, the greater the joy of overcoming it.
“Huff-!” Chi-Woo pushed himself up and stomped on the ground with all his might, moving toward the mountain peak that looked closer than before.
* * *
Humans were masters of adaptation. A few months after he began his new training, Chi-Woo managed to get used to his new life. He could now fold his sleeping bag and cook with ease after waking up. His left hand could now also write as well as his right hand.
Moreover… Chi-Woo gently placed the bowl on the tip of his club and ladled the stew he had been simmering for a day with his left hand. After transferring the stew into his bowl, he slightly rotated the club and lowered it. The bowl spun and accurately landed in front of Chi-Hyun.
—Woahhhhh!
“Pyu! Pyuuu!”
Philip and steamed bun energetically applauded as if they just witnessed a cool stunt. Chi-Woo put his left hand on his chest and bowed at them both. Then he looked back at his brother and spread out his arms.
Chi-Hyun said, “I guess you can now get a job at a circus. You can at least be an apprentice.”
“What do you mean apprentice? I’ll definitely be the star of the circus.” Chi-Woo snorted and got a bowl for himself before sitting down. “By the way, how long do I have to stay like this?”
“You have a long way to go.”
“I don’t mind, but do you have any skills to teach me?”
“?”
“You know, ways to use a club while making two different movements at once. It’s a common trope in martial arts stories.”
“Martial arts stories, hah.” Chi-Hyun smiled flatly. “Why don’t you ask me to teach you how to beat evil villains with a club …” Chi-Hyun suddenly stopped talking and became quiet.
“No, I’m serious,” Chi-Woo grumbled while eating his stew. “Doing this made me realize how arrogant I was. If I learn how to use the club in a fight, I think I can at least get a rough understanding.” He puffed his cheek and waited for his brother’s answer. However, his brother did not reply no matter how long he waited. “Hyung?”
Chi-Hyun looked away.
“What are you doing?” asked Chi-Woo.
Chi-Hyun was glaring at the air while slightly raising his right wrist. It seemed that he had received a notification; his user information was turned on. Chi-Woo was about to call out to him again, but Chi-Hyun gave him a look that silenced him; he knew that his brother was telling him to wait and not disturb him. Chi-Hyun was staring at the air with an extremely intense face.
After a while, Chi-Hyun put down his bowl and immediately stood up. “I have to go out for a bit.”
“Why?”
“I think it’ll take a day or two. You stay here and train.” After saying this, he turned and left without another word.
“What the—? Something urgent must have happened.” Chi-Woo murmured to himself as he saw his brother’s back quickly getting further and further away. Then he spat out the words, “What do you mean a day or two? You’re going to be late again. It’s so obvious.” If there was one thing he realized while staying here, it was that his brother never kept his word about the time he would return. Chi-Hyun had said he would return in a day and only returned after ten days. Chi-Woo hoped it would be different this time in the back of his mind, but it wasn’t.
Chi-Hyun returned about three weeks later—with another person beside him.