Chapter 257. To Become Stronger (4)
Byeok Ran-Eum was the name of the examiner who trained heroes and judged whether they were worthy to go onto the next stage of their careers in the Celestial Realm. The way she was recruited was also very special, perhaps even more so than Ru Amuh, who distinguished himself from other heroes by achieving a great feat before becoming a Celestial hero.
There were countless planets in the universe, and thus countless planets were home to lives as well as developed civilizations and cultures. As these planets aged, the majority of them faced at least one crisis big enough to cause their extinction. But as there were exceptions to every case, there were a selected few that maintained peace without the threat of extinction.
And perhaps the fact that one of the Celestial Managers noticed this one planet was a stroke of fate. It didn’t face any significant dangers, but boasted a record number of heroes coming from it. And when the Celestial Manager carefully studied the planet to find out what was special about it, they were astonished. It was a planet just like any other—with wars and different creatures living together. Except for one thing. When residents of the planet detected danger, they all gathered their forces to defeat the enemy. As if they had made each other a vow that could never be broken, they followed this rule even if they were each other’s worst enemies.
But what really shocked the Celestial Manager was this particular planet’s way of extinguishing an enemy or resolving a problem. The common rule was that whatever era a world was in, there was only one hero. When a crisis arose, a person was chosen to be a Saintess, and the Saintess designated one person to be a hero. However, that was not the case for this planet. There were not just a couple nor tens of heroes, but hundreds of heroes ready for service. Thus, if a demon lord suddenly appeared, high-level heroes who were already trained from various countries all swarmed forth like locusts and killed the threat. And given such things happened every time a threat arose, it was difficult for a crisis that threatened the lives of all the creatures on the planet to arise.
But how was this possible? Wondering this, the Celestial Manager was able to find out one surprising fact. On the planet in question, the hero-fostering system was already well-established throughout the world to the point that it could basically be called a small Celestial Realm. And it was all thanks to one person who possessed an ability so great that it could even ignore the laws of the universe and create a system that could foster heroes. And that person was…
***
[There’s nothing more for me to say if she already came, but…I think it would be good for you to be careful.]
[Her character is always a bit…I should say that she has a very strong conviction. Once she sees that a hero is reaching their limit while she is teaching, she immediately washes her hands of caring for them.]
[If you really want to become strong, you should clutch onto even the edges of her pants without sparing any methods or means.]
[It’s not like you have no connection to her, and she’s someone who knows how to repay a favor… She might show you some leeway. You should leverage that to your advantage.]
After Noel left, Chi-Woo went through what she told him thoroughly. ‘I want to become stronger,’ he thought. ‘I have to become stronger. But I don’t know how.’ That was when Chi-Woo realized what he was missing. He needed to become stronger as fast as possible.
At first, Chi-Woo didn’t know—no, he knew, but pretended otherwise. And without considering the real situation he was in, he talked about saving and preserving his merits for as long as possible to reap the benefits. He now understood why his brother had shaken his head and sighed when hearing about his plan. Yes, he knew what he needed to do.
‘The progress system.’ Without using this system, would he be able to quickly become as strong as he wished to? Chi-Woo knew he wouldn’t. He needed to accept reality and be harsher on himself. And like Noel said, he needed to use all means possible to become stronger. Thus, in that instance, Chi-Woo tapped on his left wrist. He turned on the Celestial device and called forth his fostering system.
[Merits that user Choi Chi-Woo possesses: 7,729,316]
He had an astonishing amount of merits—almost 8 million in total. It was because he hadn’t used any since Zepar’s expedition. Furthermore, he was acknowledged for his efforts in the latest war and earned a couple hundred thousand more. However, Chi-Woo didn’t immediately move. It seemed he was still hesitating as he glared at the air in front of him. Then, after doing that for a while, he slowly raised his index finger like he had made his decision.
***
Chi-Woo went outside again after washing himself, and he saw that Byeok had returned to her previous position. She was still lying on the backyard porch and reading, and sometimes she exhaled through her pipe. Byeok raised her head when a shadow suddenly cast over her and saw Chi-Woo looking down at her.
“What is it?” Byeok asked. “No way you’re going to claim that you met the swing count while I was gone. Or did you give up already?” Byeok was about to say, ‘Okay, it’s good that you realized your limits early on’ when Chi-Woo spoke up.
“Give me a hint. Tell me how I can reproduce that swing from yesterday.”
Chi-Woo felt the way Byeok looked at him changed. Her indifferent eyes changed to ones that gave Chi-Woo an indescribable sense of discomfort. She looked up at Chi-Woo like she was baffled, but let out a long sigh in the end.
“I should hold it in…” Byeok murmured to herself for a while. “I should remember how cute he was when he was young…and he also has a connection to the Choi family…”
Usually, she wouldn’t have even responded to a request like Chi-Woo’s, but looking like she was making a special case this time, she said, “Did you even think about why I gave you this mission?”
“Sorry?”
“And why I did the snapping technique?”
Chi-Woo blinked hard like he had no clue what she was saying.
“Even your response to my question is a problem.” Byeok chided him with scowling eyes. “Think about why I mentioned the snapping technique just now. If you actually thought for a bit, you should’ve come to a realization.” She clicked her tongue with the pipe in her mouth. Chi-Woo thought she looked very irritating as she did this, but remembering what Noel told him, he endured.
“Why did you learn the snapping technique?” she asked.
“It’s to maximize destructive power when hitting an opponent.”
“Is that all?”
“…And to minimize any resistance against the energy I expel and exert the most forceful and speedy attack against my opponent.”
“That’s right, you twerp.” It appeared Byeok liked this response better as her voice became more relaxed. “Why would you ask for a clue when you already know everything?”
Chi-Woo asked her to explain it in more detail, but she shook her head and sighed again.
“…I get it now. It seems you are a guy who doesn’t think at all. Or is it that you can’t?”
Philip nodded to these words, but when he met Chi-Woo’s eyes, he waved his hands, looking startled. Now that Chi-Woo thought about it, Philip had constantly asked him to please ‘think’. But this was something that Chi-Woo couldn’t fix. He couldn’t find the answer even though he tried. What more could he do?
“…You are a human,” Byeok said while licking her lips. “Besides your dormant potential, you are a human with no great physical abilities.”
Chi-Woo felt irked by her tone, but since there was nothing false about what she said, he kept his mouth sealed. She continued, “But even a human experiences once or twice when they are able to display superhuman strength.” Those were when humans showed abilities and energy that superseded their species’ limit.
“Do you know how that happens?” Byeok asked. Then, with the remembrance of one specific memory, she continued with a smile, “If you must know, your brother had such an experience when he was very young and while he was tumbling. He was just jumping up and down excitedly when he suddenly jumped up twice the height than usual.”
This was news to Chi-Woo. But he had heard and seen events similar to what Byeok mentioned on Earth—including stories where a father safely caught his son falling from a high building with only a little scratch, or an old miner survived past two weeks in a collapsed cave and eventually being rescued. People sometimes experienced or witnessed unbelievable things during their lives. It was like how one professional racer claimed that he felt time stop when his opponent was passing him, or a baseball player saw a baseball become as big as a watermelon at one point.
And Byeok said the reason why such impossible things became possible was…
“The answer is posture.” Since it was an important point, she repeated, “Every time you do something, you have to maintain the correct and optimal posture, which was identified through studious research and efforts.” For example, runners started their race in a contorted posture called the ‘Crouching Start’, and as soon as the race began, they sprang out to maximize momentum.
“Do I really need to go on? You said it yourself.” Having an optimal posture minimized energy loss while maximizing the efficiency of one’s ability. The snapping technique was based on the same logic. After hearing Byeok Ran-Eum’s explanation, Chi-Woo understood why she told him he hadn’t been thinking. Still, Chi-Woo had a lasting question: how come he successfully learned the snapping technique but couldn’t do what she had shown him?
Byeok answered, “All you did was learn one technique. But you didn’t complete it.” Then she continued in a chirp, “You just did what you were told and followed a set list of instructions. You acted no differently from a machine. But like that, you would only be able to reach 80% mastery of the technique with constant repetition, but never able to master it completely.” If one solved a problem continuously like a machine, they would be able to get the hang of it and reach a moderate score, but as soon as a problem tested their thinking process, they would be stuck. They needed to completely understand the concept, or else they would be stagnant.
“How is it? Do you think you understand after the explanation?”
“I still…don’t know well.” Chi-Woo slowly shook his head.
“Hmph, I like that you are honest.” Byeok snorted like she’d expected Chi-Woo’s answer. “But don’t be too down. There are just people who can do it and those who can’t. And there are many more in the second category.” In other words, she was saying that Chi-Woo wasn’t a special case, but actually the normal one.
“Anyways, if you don’t think you can do it, you should give up early on—”
But Chi-Woo interjected, “Still, I think I can do it if you let me experience the skill one more time.”
Byeok’s face hardened at Chi-Woo’s unexpected response.
“You think you can do it?”
“I will do it,” Chi-Woo said in a firmer voice when he saw her eyebrow rise. But Byeok’s expression didn’t become any better.
“You must think you are some main character of a novel.” Instead of getting angry, Byeok Ran-Eum said with pitiful eyes. “If you were a guy who could come to a realization after a couple of words, you should’ve succeeded in your first attempt.”
Chi-Woo didn’t realize it in the beginning, but after conversing with her for a bit, he found out that Byeok was a very realistic person. But that meant he needed to prove himself even more.
“Just once. Just one more time.”
“You really have a hard time understanding. This isn’t something you can whine and insist about like when you were a child.” Then she asked like she was tired of the conversation, “In the first place, is there any reason why I should go through the trouble of demonstrating that for you again?”
Hearing this, Chi-Woo gathered his thoughts for a bit and said, “I will make sure that you don't waste your time.”
Byeok’s eyes flickered for a moment. It seemed her curiosity had been sparked somewhat. Chi-Woo didn’t look desperate considering he was the one requesting a favor. Instead, he seemed confident that he would be able to accomplish what he set out to do with one more demonstration. But where did this confidence come from? She was curious, and there was the deal with Chi-Hyun’s request and her attachment to him—and above all, she was quite satisfied with Chi-Woo’s response. If he had responded like one more demonstration was no big deal when she already did it, she would’ve immediately turned around. But Chi-Woo didn’t, and he knew very well the value of her time.
“Good.” Byeok lowered her jaw. “But since I’m demonstrating one more time for you, I will place a condition.” Of course, she didn’t accept Chi-Woo’s offer easily. “If you don’t succeed in ten attempts after I demonstrated the technique for you, I will count that as you failing. Fair?” she asked.
“That’s a bit…too much.”
“Quit it if you aren’t confident.”
“…I will do it.”
Chi-Woo gritted his teeth as Byeok flicked her head around. ‘So this was how she was going to play?’ he thought.
“Then I will also place a condition, and if you allow it, I will accept everything.”
“What?”
“If I manage to succeed within ten attempts, you have to teach me for as long as I want.”
Byeok blinked hard at Chi-Woo’s firm tone before bursting into laughter. She already came after being requested to teach Chi-Woo, if Chi-Woo did what was expected of him, it wouldn't be a bad deal.
“Okay, fine.” Byeok surprisingly accepted the conditions and got up before walking to the backyard.
“Relax and loosen up…good.” After fixing Chi-Woo’s posture, she grabbed onto the hand Chi-Woo was holding the club with and pulled it downward.
Spliiiit!
The sound of air splitting rang, and Chi-Woo closed his eyes. He didn’t move for a while with his club lowered. It was as if he was slowly savoring a feeling he just tasted. How much time had passed? Chi-Woo slowly opened his eyes.
“Try now.” After backing away and waiting patiently, Byeok said. The way she crossed her arms and smirked seemed to indicate she already expected a certain result. Not long afterward, Chi-Woo raised his arm.
Fwish! Eventually, he swung his ghost-busting club downward. The club cut through the wind, but was a meaningless swing. It was still not over though. He still had nine more chances, and Chi-Woo didn’t stop. He fixed his posture little by little and swung his club.
Two, four, eight times…
On his ninth swing, there was a hint of disappointment on Byeok’s face. She had thought that perhaps things would go differently; he was from his family after all.
‘…But no blame should be placed on this baby. He has been raised and grown accustomed to his life on Earth for over twenty years…’ She was about to turn around when she heard the sound of his tenth swing. She thought she had heard wrong for a moment, but then she clearly saw Chi-Woo smirking at her with his club down.