Chapter 21: Sharing the Good (Part 2)
As Ralph's words trailed off, two figures emerged from the forest, startlingly quiet.
Rustle...
Breaking through the foliage, Yohan was the first to emerge. He looked nearly identical to six months ago, but the one following him was different.
Standing considerably taller than before, reaching a height of 170cm in just six months, Yuri now sported a more muscular physique, no longer appearing frail.
While his face still bore the youthful smile, below the neck, Yuri seemed like a completely different person.
A faint rustle...
A dark sheath swung from his waist as he emerged from the woods, and his light blue earring sparkled in the sunlight.
Step by step...
As Yuri and Yohan casually strolled forward, Ralph furrowed his brow.
"You're late."
"Hmm, I was just sharing some foolproof strategies for winning this duel..."
At Yohan's remark, Yuri snorted.
"Foolproof strategies? You were waiting for inspiration to strike, and now we're late!"
"You!"
"Why!"
"...Do you know the pain of constipation?"
"I don't know about that."
"Only those who understand this pain can judge me!"
"Well, if you can't even do that properly anymore, what are you good at?"
"What's with this guy?"
Watching the two bicker noisily despite being late, Ralph felt his anger dissipate.
After witnessing this scene every day for six months, he had grown tired of it.
With a sigh, he gestured with his hand.
"Enough, let's get started already. How many months has it been since you two started this childish duel?"
"You were the one who suggested the wager, weren't you?"
"I didn't think it would take this long! I thought it would be over in a few days at most!"
Yohan shot Ralph a 'so what?' look in response to his frustration.
Ralph's anger softened as Yohan's gaze met his.
"...Fine, let's just get started for real now."
This time, Yuri stepped forward, interrupting the conversation.
"Let's make this duel a serious one."
"A serious duel?"
As Yuri nodded, Ralph turned his gaze with a hint of concern.
Meanwhile, Moochi, who was already uneasy about the duel, was now even more bewildered.
"Y-Yuri hyung?"
The duel was already unsettling, but now a serious duel?
Moochi was at a loss for words, his confusion evident.
As Ralph was about to refuse the serious duel, Yuri interjected.
"Hey, scaredy-cat."
It was the nickname Yuri had used to call Moochi for the past six months.
Upon hearing it, Moochi stared at Yuri with wide eyes.
When Ralph saw Moochi's confused gaze, he hesitated.
"Do you even understand? Why are you working so hard to learn techniques that are meant for harming people?"
"Ah..."
Recalling his past experiences, Moochi pursed his lips slightly. Meanwhile, Yuri reached for the hilt of his sword.
Sshhk...
The gleaming silver blade slowly revealed itself. If Yuri's handling of the wooden sword six months ago seemed awkward, now there was no trace of discomfort.
Sshh...
Yuri fully drew the sword and aimed it at Moochi.
The bewildered expression on Moochi's face, as it hovered at the tip of the blade, triggered a flood of memories in Yuri's mind.
* * *
Three months ago.
As the sun cast its final rays to the west, a guttural sound echoed through the forest.
Uweeeek...
Somewhere deep in the woods, someone was retching violently.
Wek... wek!
Clutching onto trees for support, Yuri staggered forward.
After a brief walk, he reached a nearby stream, rinsed his mouth, and leaned against a nearby rock, sliding down slowly.
"Ah... ugh...."
Groans escaped involuntarily. In fact, he had no strength left to suppress them.
No, suppressing the groans wasn't the issue; his whole body was in turmoil.
Disheveled hair and dark circles under his eyes.
His clothes, caked with sweat and dirt, bore no resemblance to their original color.
"Kkuung..."
Thump... thump...
Yuri thumped his thighs.
His legs felt like those of a newborn deer, wobbling with every step.
He had to loosen them a bit when resting.
But after thumping his legs a few times, the pain spread throughout his body, and he gave up.
He stretched out, gazing at the sky, which was now tinged red.
The world spun around him.
"J-just gonna... die...."
Though he said it, Yuri knew better.
He was only suffering to the brink of death, not actually dying.
If he were truly going to die, he would have already succumbed before he could even complain about the difficulty.
That was the enlightenment he gained while narrowly avoiding death over the past three months.
How long had he been staring up at the sky?
Sshaaak...
Yuri's breathing gradually steadied.
In that moment...
"Oof!"
Frantically shaking his head, Yuri struggled to rise to his feet. His face was as pale as if he had just had a nightmare.
"Oh, I almost didn't make it back before my daily quota was up."
If he had fallen asleep now, he would have surely woken up tomorrow. If that had happened, he wouldn't have fulfilled today's training, and Youngam would have noticed it like a ghost.
"That's when hell begins."
He used to curse the cart-pulling exercises during his physical training. But when he started training seriously, Johan became like a demon, pushing him mercilessly.
He even longed for the days of pulling the cart.
Still, Yuri didn't complain at all. He quietly followed Johan's training schedule.
"Kkuung."
As he pushed himself up with a strained expression, he suddenly turned his head.
"What are you doing over there?"
Yuri's sharp gaze landed on a clump of bushes, where a tuft of hair peeked out.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Geez. Hey, give me a break. Do you think you're invisible like that?"
At his sarcastic remark, the dense foliage rustled, revealing Gohani's figure.
"Hehe."
Seeing Moochi scratching his scruffy hair, Yuri sighed heavily.
"Haah... So I lost to that guy."
He felt a wave of self-loathing every time he looked at him.
What's the use of being big?
What's the use of being a first-class fighter if you don't have any skills?
He was just a clueless thirteen-year-old boy, thinking and acting without knowing anything about the world.
"Oof!"
Thud...
"...."
As Moochi stumbled out of the bushes and fell over a vine, Yuri reassessed his thoughts.
"...That kid, he's definitely lying about his age. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so clumsy! Thirteen years old, my foot. He may be big, but he's no better than a ten-year-old brat."
"Ah..."
"Gosh, you fell, so get up quickly instead of just lying there!"
"Uh-huh."
"Brush off the dirt from your body!"
"Yeah."
"Ugh, frustrating kid!"
Although he grumbled, Yuri couldn't push away the approaching Moochi. Despite his appearance, Moochi was a gentle soul. And after Yuri had taken care of him a few times, now he found Moochi calling him "hyung" somewhat endearing...
Hm...
Yuri was startled and blurted out his thoughts.
"Am I going crazy from all the beatings from Youngam? How could he find that bear cute?!"
No matter how you looked at it, the bear was definitely not cute. It looked more like a bandit, fitting perfectly in a forest hideout.
As Yuri quickly shook his head, Moochi, who was sitting next to him, asked,
"Hyung, are you hurt?"
"Hey, don't call me 'hyung' anymore."
"Then?"
"Just call me 'Hyungnim'."
"Why?"
"Don't ask for reasons, just do it if I say so!"
"Okay, Hyungnim."
"Good, that suits you better."
Moochi stared at Yuri strangely, who heaved a slight sigh of relief.
Then, hesitantly, Moochi asked,
"Yuri Hyung..."
"Shh!"
"Hyungnim!"
"Why?"
"Um... what... thoughts do you have when you train?"
It was a curiosity that Moochi had harbored while observing Yuri over the past three months.
During the past three months, Yuri had endured such extreme physical training that it seemed more like torture or self-harm to Moochi.
However, Yuri, who was actually doing such training, seemed strangely indifferent.
It was something Moochi couldn't understand.
On the other hand, Yuri's response to Moochi's question was a look of incomprehension.
"What are you talking about? What thoughts do I have when training? I'm just doing it."
"Isn't it hard?"
"No, it's not hard."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it's not hard, and I don't think I'll die."
"But... why do you do it?"
"Why? Just because."
"....?"
Looking at Moochi, who shook his head as if he couldn't understand, Yuri replied.
In a very indifferent tone, as if it were obvious.
"I have a goal."
"A goal?"
"Yeah, I want to become strong. I don't want to lose to anyone. That's why I do it."
"...."
"Why do you need to think about training if you want to become strong? I just do it every day."
"Isn't it boring? Aren't you tired?"
"It's boring. But still..."
Yuri's eyes, clouded for a moment, regained their strength.
"I'm not tired."
It was a mantra Yuri ingrained in himself.
When he first started training.
In the midst of excruciating muscle pain throughout his body, he made a vow through gritted teeth.
"Those who don't tire of repetition will emerge victorious."
He would overcome this repetition and emerge victorious.
With renewed determination, Yuri asked the next question.
"Why did you learn martial arts?"
"My grandfather told me to..."
"But you didn't want to?"
"At first, I didn't want to do it. My grandfather made me carry heavy things and climb cliffs."
"Climb cliffs?"
"Yeah, at first, I climbed cliffs and even fell off."
"Did you hit your head while falling? Was there anything below?"
Yuri's eyes twinkled, as if he had uncovered Moochi's secret.
"That's what happened! When he was young, this guy was a genius, but he must have hit his head while falling off a cliff! Otherwise, there's no way he'd be this dull!"
Yuri was convinced of that.
"Well... There was a fist-sized rock below."
"That fist-sized rock was probably your fist, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then my head must have been the size of that rock. Anyway, so what happened? Did you hit your head on it?"
"Yeah."
"I knew it!"
"So it broke."
"Your head?"
"No, the rock..."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Just... because it's truly an amazing head."
Like a stupid block of stone.
If he fell off a cliff and hit his head on a rock, and the rock broke instead, how tough must his head be?
Yuri sent an incredulous look.
Ignoring that look, Moochi continued cheerfully.
"Anyway, at first, I didn't like it... But now, it's fun! Moving my body, carrying heavy things!"
"So what's the problem? If you're having fun learning martial arts, isn't that all that matters?"
"But... I don't like it."
"Huh?"
"It's fun learning martial arts... but hurting other people with it... I don't like it."
"...."
"Hyungnim, I just don't understand. Why learn a skill just to hurt people?"
"Hmm... Hey!"
"Yeah?"
"Why don't you like hurting other people?"
"Well... It's because I feel sorry."
"Then if someone attacked you first? Would you feel sorry for hurting them if you attacked and injured them?"
"Um..."
Moochi hesitated for a moment before replying.
"If they don't get hurt, then it's fine, right?"
"What?"
"I hardly get hurt because I'm tough. Even if I get hurt, I heal quickly. But... when I hit someone lightly, it hurts them a lot."
Yuri's expression stiffened at that response. At the same time, Johan's words echoed rapidly through his mind.
"Do you know why I made you fight with Moochi, who hasn't learned anything?"
The defeat he experienced in his duel with Moochi. It was Yuri's first defeat in his life. No matter how much he avoided using his divine powers, the shock of defeat didn't easily fade away.
At that moment, Yuri realized once again, as if etching the fact into his bones, that he wasn't an 'invincible' being. He was just an ordinary orphan kid, devoid of divine powers.
As he recalled this fact, the sense of defeat surged even stronger within him. Johan seemed to sneer as if he knew this.
"The one who has never tasted defeat will never understand. How filthy a feeling defeat is! Learning a lot through defeat? Stop talking nonsense. The only thing you can learn from defeat is... misery!"
The stronger one's unwavering belief in themselves, the stronger the sense of misery they feel from defeat. Johan himself was like that. And Yuri, who lost to Moochi, would be the same.
"The one who feels misery through defeat is the one who becomes earnest, drawing from the desire never to lose again."
Yuri, with his innate talent, would exponentially grow stronger with just a little training. Therefore, before delving into rigorous training, Johan wanted to expose Yuri to the misery of defeat, so he could reach a point where he couldn't bear to lose.
The intention behind Johan's actions was properly conveyed to Yuri, and through that day's defeat, Yuri could awaken fully.
That's why Yuri could sense something in his conversation with Moochi that he hadn't realized before.
"He's a bit dim-witted, but he's kind. That's for sure."
But being able to feel sorry for hitting an enemy. That's consideration for others!
"...Because Moochi is strong."
The leisure of the strong, and the mindset they can have from not knowing defeat.
That's the ideal state they can aspire to.
"Isn't that right?"
A small smile formed at the corner of Yuri's mouth.
He could open Moochi's eyes this time.
"Then it'll be fair, won't it?"
He couldn't help but be curious.
Could Moochi feel sorry for his opponent even in a situation where he might lose?
Could he consider the other person?
Could he really?
A smile spread across Yuri's lips as he looked at Moochi.
---
The smile that had formed three months ago now continued onto Yuri's current self.
As he lightly tapped the tip of his sword, he spoke.
"That thing you said you didn't understand... I'll tell you today. Why I learned martial arts, why I swung a sword as if I were willing to die!"
Enjoying the story? Don't forget to rate 5 stars and review in NovelUpdte!