Chapter 25: Go Earn Money (1) |
Vol 2 Chapter 25. Go Earn Money (1)
Training Day 1.
My name is Mun Yul.
Starting today, I decided to write a training journal.
The trigger was the words the Worshipped Duke said after gathering us early in the morning.
[From now on, I will put you through hell training to accumulate the sect's power. Everyone brace yourselves firmly.]
He said.
Hearing those words, the junior brothers made faces full of tension.
But I didn't even care.
It was just a thought that crossed my mind.
That's because while the junior brothers received leisurely and heaven-like training from Instructor Oliver, I received training directly from the Devil.... no, the Worshipped Duke.
And I was faithfully experiencing what hell is like.
So what would change?
Rather, I just thought it would be good if the junior brothers rolled together.
And that thought of mine....
[You bastard! Won't do it properly? Is that a footwork? Who does footwork with my feet? Are you a dog? Huh?]
[J... Just kill me.]
Disappeared not even half a sijin (two hours) after training started.
I didn't know.
That there are levels even in hell.
Rising at Myosi (5 AM).
First, upon waking up, we put on a top filled with 50 jin (approx. 30kg) weights.
I don't know where they made this, but they made it really disgustingly sturdy.
Once we wake up in the morning, we put this on first, and we absolutely cannot take it off before sleeping.
Master, who is the Sect Leader, personally gave the solemn order.
In that state, if we go to the training ground, the Worshipped Duke is waiting.
And....
[Horse Stance start!]
First, Horse Stance for one sijin.
And following that, 50 laps around the training ground while doing a handstand.
Climbing up and down the rope tied to the World Tree with arm strength 30 times.
Basic footwork repetition 50 times.
This is the morning training.
The Worshipped Duke called this a warm-up.
And when we drag our tired bodies to the World Tree and circulate our energy....
[Ahhh....]
[Good.]
The body recovers strangely.
Originally, it is normal for the body to recover when circulating energy, but doing it under the World Tree is extreme.
Internal energy increases much more, the turbidity in the body is purified, and big and small accumulated injuries in the body recover cleanly.
This is truly refreshing.
In a state full of vitality like that, we go to the cafeteria and eat breakfast.
Originally, we disciples had to prepare the meal.
But recently, the Worshipped Duke hired a kitchen maid.
[You have to focus on training. Do you have the leisure to do housework with your current skills? Huh?]
That temper....
But thanks to that, it was true that we could devote ourselves to training.
After finishing breakfast like that.
The Worshipped Duke handed us flags one by one and said,
[Go plant it at the summit of the back mountain of Tianshui County and come back.]
What did he just say?
Tianshui County back mountain?
Just going there from here takes half a gak (15 mins) walking out of the village, doesn't it?
Besides, the mountain isn't that low either.
It's a place that takes herb gatherers who ride the mountains all day two sijins to reach the summit. To go there....
[If it takes more than one sijin, you run one more lap from the beginning.]
That damn Worshipped Duke bastard....
[Then start.]
I knew.
That is not a bluff.
That person is truly someone who could make us do it again. Then what can we do?
[Run!]
[Uwaaaaa!]
We have to do it.
After returning with bodies in tatters like that.
We circulated energy under the World Tree again.
The body recovers again.
Sadly.
***
After lunch.
[Now, sparring time. Pick up wooden swords.]
Wooden sword?
Perhaps talking about this?
When we picked up the two iron bars from which heavy weight could be felt just by looking....
[Ugh....]
[What is this?]
[What is this weight?]
We were surprised.
The iron bars were heavy enough that just holding them was burdensome.
[Worshipped Duke, just what is the weight of this?]
[Tsk tsk, making such a fuss over a mere 30 jin thing.]
30 jin?
Did he just say 30 jin?
Furthermore, our Twin Dragon Sect uses twin swords. That means holding one in each hand, so actually, it means 60 jin.
At a glance, mine is the heaviest, but the junior brothers' ones also looked to have considerable weight.
I asked again.
[Worshipped Duke. Do you really mean for us to unfold sword forms with this?]
[Of course.]
[No, does that make sense?]
[Oho, in the old days, a great villain named Guan Yu swung an 82 jin Green Dragon Crescent Blade like swinging chopsticks. So why can't you guys do it?]
Why is Guan Yu a villain? No, more importantly....
[That's because he is Guan Yu.]
[You can do it. We are all the same humans, you can do exactly the same.]
Does that make sense?
Like that, we forcibly swung the 30 jin iron bars and sparred.
At least if he told us to do it amongst ourselves, we would slack off a bit.
[Oh? A fly could sit on the wooden sword and recite a poem. Is that stabbing? Is it flopping around?]
[Junior brother. Stance is wrong. Move with the correct stance. No, I said correct the stance... do it straight, you bastard.]
[Keuu.... I really wanted to try this. Is it hard? Hard? It's okay. I'm doing it to make it hard.]
Devils....
They really didn't go easy even a little bit.
These monsters took turns sparring with all of us simultaneously, but it was us getting beaten unilaterally.
Like that, sparring until the sun set,
Just sparring again.
Only thorough practical sparring continued.
I felt like I was going to die.
***
Before dinner....
[Ci... Circulate energy....]
[If we don't, we die.]
[W... We will live....]
We crawled to the World Tree with much difficulty and somehow circulated energy again.
This was a survival instinct.
We had to do it unconditionally or we would die.
And dinner.
We didn't know what went into our mouths, but we ate somehow. And to us trying to fall down and sleep in the room, the Worshipped Duke came and said....
[Wait, have to finish up, right?]
Finish up. What finish up?
To us with question marks on our faces, the Worshipped Duke said,
[Go to the back mountain and retrieve the flags planted at lunch.]
[.......]
[Is it okay to throw trash in the mountain?]
[Are you crazy? Worshipped Duke?]
Smack!
I complained I was unable to hold back, but got hit once.
But really, is this something a human does?
I can't do it. Won't do it. Even if beaten to death, I will absolutely not do it.
While I was firmly making that resolution, the Worshipped Duke said,
[For reference, the last five people in arrival order will do additional sparring until 1 AM.]
Then....
[Moveeeee!]
[Don't run in front of me!]
[Noisy, die!]
[You die.]
Those disloyal junior brother bastards....
I had no choice but to run hurriedly.
I want to cry.
And returned and lay down as if collapsing.
This is the first day of training.
Just when can we do this crazy thing until?
***
Training 1st month.
Humans are truly amazing.
We have been doing this crazy thing without rest from morning to evening, so why does none of us die?
One person should collapse for the training intensity to go down a bit.
In fact, I know the cause.
It must be thanks to circulating energy under the World Tree in the middle of training.
I don't know where the Worshipped Duke got such a thing, but the World Tree is unmistakably a spiritual item.
Even though we are doing high-intensity training where a normal person would surely die, none of us died.
Rather, once we circulate energy, the trivial injuries sustained on the body heal cleanly.
Usually, if it is a sect's Divine Item, it is often an object with strong symbolism, but our sect's Divine Item is unmistakably an External Item.
Thanks to that, we are adapting to this nonsensical training.
Seeing us like that, the Worshipped Duke smiled gently. And said,
[Now you've gotten somewhat used to it.]
[It is all thanks to the Worshipped Duke's teaching....]
[So let's increase the weights.]
The 50 jin weights increased to 80 jin.
The iron bars used during training also increased from 30 jin to 40 jin.
Watching us groaning, the Worshipped Duke giggled and said,
[Where do things whose blood on their heads hasn't even dried yet try to get comfortable? Training is training because it's hard.]
Damned Worshipped Duke....
***
Training half-year mark.
Regrettably....
Truly regrettably, no one dropped out.
Damn World Tree....
External Item or whatever, why did the Worshipped Duke bring such a thing?
Because of that, no matter how hard the training we do, we recover perfectly.
And there are things that changed.
First of all, one more instructor increased.
[Nice to meet you. I am called Sanson Kainel. I have come to take charge of your guidance.]
Listening to him, he is a person who came from the Worshipped Duke's hometown as well.
He is Instructor Oliver's superior and is said to be a strong man counting within five fingers in the Worshipped Duke's country, but he said he also learned our Twin Dragon Sect's sword.
Well, trivial things aside, one more person who beats us up during sparring time increased.
And the weights and the weight of the iron bars the Worshipped Duke insists are wooden swords also increased.
It already exceeded double the initial amount.
But the biggest change isn't that.
Huuuung!
The lightly swung iron bar cuts the wind.
Although they are iron bars that normal people would find burdensome just to hold, we were able to handle them freely, cutting and stabbing.
In other words, we became stronger.
This was the biggest change.
Then isn't it a good thing?
It is good. It is good. That is true, but....
[Where is this? Who am I?]
[Ah... Grandfather. I thought you passed away, but you were still alive.]
[Euh... Euhehehehehehe....]
The kids' conditions are getting worse and worse.
Is this really something a human does?
Just what is waiting for us at the end of this crazy thing?
***
Training 1st year.
[Uwaaaa.... Ended.]
[What is today's breakfast?]
[They said it's stir-fried pork and noodles?]
[Tch, I don't like noodle dishes?]
The junior brothers became very strange.
Even after doing training close to torture, appetite arises and their taste buds are active.
For reference, I am also like that.
In fact, for the past half-year, the Worshipped Duke didn't enforce our training that much. The Worshipped Duke seemed busy with his own work and was often out.
[Damn, just do it. Do it.... If not for that damn Causality, truly....]
Although it seems he is doing something forcibly.
Anyway, when the Worshipped Duke went out and came back like that, bandits committing evil deeds near Tianshui County or a Black Way sect started to get smashed one by one.
Perhaps because of such activities of the Worshipped Duke, recently rumors of our Twin Dragon Sect started to spread little by little.
There were also disciples who wanted to newly enter.
But the Master did not open the doors.
He said it is time to solidify internal stability rather than increasing numbers yet.
In other words, we are still the youngest.
Tch, if they came in under us, we could roll them well....
'Am I crazy?'
***
Training 2nd year.
Swiiiik!
It feels like the sword outpaces the sound.
The sharp trajectory of the sword path moves exactly as I intend.
During the past 2 years, we ignorantly swung heavy iron bars, but today we finally received swords.
It felt like swinging a reed leaf.
This isn't just because our strength increased.
This morning.
The Worshipped Duke, who had been away for a while, returned and threw them nonchalantly, saying....
[Picked them up on the way.]
It was a sword thrown while saying that. But....
'This is....'
Words don't come out.
The length of the sword, the thickness of the handle, the center of gravity.
I could tell that everything was tailored to me. Not just me.
[Wow....]
[This is the best?]
[I don't feel the weight when swinging.]
[The sword path doesn't waver even a little.]
Although I don't have an excellent eye for swords, I could tell. This is not a mass-produced product stamped out in a batch.
It is an object made by grasping each and every one of us perfectly and placing detailed orders to a first-rate artisan tailored to our bodies and strength.
Only then does this feeling of sticking to the hand appear.
[Worshipped Duke....]
[What, you punk? What? Why look at me like that? Won't lower your eyes? I might just....]
The Worshipped Duke, whose face turned red, glared.
But it isn't scary at all.
There is only one thought.
Damn, how do I repay this blasted grace?
***
Training 3rd year.
Recently, the days the Worshipped Duke empties the sect have increased.
It must be because of that thing he brought half a year ago.
That thing called Storm Spear was a spiritual creature from the Worshipped Duke's hometown.
At first, we were surprised thinking it was a monster.
With the body of a lion, the head and wings of an eagle. On top of that, seeing the huge physique that looked like it could easily gobble up a cow, who wouldn't be intimidated? However....
[My name is Storm Spear. A brave warrior of the sky.]
Seeing it speak by itself, we realized it was a spiritual creature possessing spirituality. Even so....
Smack!
[Won't relax your neck? I might just boil you with ginseng and garlic.]
It wasn't even treated as a spiritual creature by the Worshipped Duke, though.
Storm Spear usually lived freely near the sect, and when the Worshipped Duke called, it came flying immediately.
And the Worshipped Duke often went somewhere riding Storm Spear together with the Senior Sister.
In short, he is using it as a mount. And while the Worshipped Duke vacated his spot, we....
[Haaaaap!]
[Ahaaaaaat!]
Focused on self-directed sparring.
Nowadays, even if the instructors didn't order anything, we trained autonomously.
Even now, the junior brothers are in fierce sparring.
Every time the vivid blue sword qi formed on the two's swords clash with each other, they collide fiercely.
Clearly the state of Sword Qi Injuring People.
It is a surprising thing.
The junior brothers' ages are only in their mid-teens.
Yet, a state wielding distinct sword qi like that.
Of course, disciples of giant sects like the Nine Sects One Gang would be much stronger than us.
I know that. But....
'We also became stronger.'
This thought of mine probably isn't baseless conceit. To that extent, we became stronger.
At least to the extent that comparison with the past itself is impossible.
And sneakily, such greed also arises.
That greed to try revealing our skills to the world now.
'If only there is an opportunity....'
Although it is still just a wish, the opportunity will surely come someday. Someday.