Chapter 11
"One! For Junior Brother. Two! Don't defy. One!"
"One!"
"For Junior Brother."
"Two!"
"Don't defy!"
"Voice!"
"Don't defy!!"
A satisfied smile naturally appeared on my face.
Thanks to my affectionate education (?) over several hours, Senior Brother Uncheol also started to listen to me very well.
But the dissatisfaction that was slowly seeping into his face couldn't be helped.
"Do you think I'm making you do push-ups to bully you, Senior Brother? This is all for improving your basic stamina. You understand what I'm saying, right?"
"Y-Yes. I understand."
"Then don't just go down that much, go down hard. I mean, make your chest touch the ground. While feeling the stimulation in your chest muscles."
"Keuheuk!"
"Good! That's right, that's it!"
Even while making a pained sound, Senior Brother Uncheol immediately followed my request.
To be honest, Senior Brothers Unjeong, Unshik, and Unmi lacked basic muscle strength from the start.
So I was making them focus on basic stamina training, but for Senior Brother Uncheol, it seemed that just the basics of stamina training would be enough.
Of course, even if it was just the basics, it was twice as much as the stamina training they were doing in Wudang now.
'Senior Brother Uncheol really shows promise, doesn't he?'
I could see why Uncheol was considered one of the most talented in martial arts among our 'Un' generation.
His bone structure was excellent from the start, and his qi and blood were strong and wide.
Look at this. The color of the bruise where I hit him earlier is already fading.
This is all because his blood and energy are flowing well.
'With such a good bone structure, why didn't he become great?'
For now, I decided to put the question aside.
Whatever happened in my past life, all I had to do was make him as strong as I was satisfied with in this life.
"Why don't you have a separate master and are in the Yuyeop Hall, Senior Brother?"
"Huh...?"
Senior Brother Uncheol, who seemed to be having a hard time with proper push-ups, turned his head towards me with trembling arms.
I could almost hear the sound of his head turning.
He seemed to be trying to figure out the intention behind my sudden question.
"Hey..."
"Yes?"
And then he spoke to me so carefully.
I wondered if the education was too harsh. If he becomes too timid, it will hinder his growth.
"May I ask what you mean by that?"
"It's nothing special. You have excellent aptitude and a desire to become stronger, so I was just wondering why the Martial Uncles didn't try to take you as a disciple. It's not like they're all blind."
Senior Brother Uncheol's eyes trembled violently.
He seemed to think there was an intention behind my innocent question.
"I'm just really curious. Is there some other reason?"
"Hmm..."
Uncheol paused for a moment.
He seemed to be contemplating what my true intentions were.
Then, as if he had finally decided to speak, he looked straight into my eyes.
"I've said this before... I want to make Wudang strong."
"What does that have to do with a strong Wudang?"
"Actually, I have a lot of complaints about Wudang's current system."
As if to belie his earlier reluctance to speak, once Senior Brother Uncheol started talking, the words poured out like a flood.
"This Yuyeop Hall we are in. The elders of the sect often say that this Yuyeop Hall is a place to build a body that can learn advanced martial arts by solidifying basic training."
"Isn't that true? Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang also told me to enter the Yuyeop Hall, saying that."
Senior Brother Uncheol shook his head firmly.
"It's a nice way of saying it's a place for basic training, but in reality, I think it's just a place for the Martial Uncles to pick out the raw stones they want to cultivate."
"Aha. So you're saying it's a way to weed out the elites."
"Yes. Then what happens to the disciples who never meet a master and remain in the Yuyeop Hall? The Yuyeop Hall rarely teaches advanced martial arts. In the end, those disciples only learn basic martial arts and live as mediocre martial artists and Taoists of Wudang."
"I see. So you're trying to show that a good martial artist can come out of the Yuyeop Hall even without learning from a master, right?"
As if my words were correct, he nodded with a slightly brighter expression.
Now I understand.
Why Senior Brother Uncheol, with such a good bone structure, doesn't become great in the future.
He probably refused to accept a master until the end.
And when they tried to teach him advanced martial arts only in the Yuyeop Hall, he would have said that he wouldn't learn it unless they taught it fairly to all the disciples.
'He has a stubborn side.'
But, that's not a bad thing either.
Because a stubborn person displays tremendous concentration when they go on the right path.
"Good!"
"Huh?"
I patted Senior Brother Uncheol's shoulder.
His shoulders are so broad, it's satisfying to pat them.
"That wish. I'll grant it for you. My goal is the same. To make Wudang strong."
"A strong Wudang...!"
"But there's something we have to do first for that."
"What is it?"
"We have to become strong. First, I'll make you the strongest in our 'Un' generation, Senior Brother Uncheol."
"...You'll make me the strongest?"
He must find my words very absurd. It's understandable, since the words eventually came back to making himself strong.
"From now on, you just have to listen to me well. We have to show the Martial Uncles what we're made of. A Yuyeop Hall disciple who didn't choose any master beating all the Martial Uncles' disciples...! Isn't it exciting just thinking about it?"
"Th-That is what I want, but."
"Then what are you hesitating for? Just say you want to become strong. I'll make you that way."
Uncheol had a confused expression.
At my confident tone, he almost nodded his head without realizing it, but he barely caught himself and stopped his head.
It's so frustrating.
I'm offering to do something that will help him, but he still can't fully believe my words.
In times like this... I don't want to do this either, but.
It can't be helped. The rod that brings about faith and trust...
"I'll do it! I'll do as you say, so make me... make our Wudang strong!"
As if he felt my gaze go to the rod, Uncheol suddenly shouted desperately.
I put aside my disappointed (?) feelings and said to Uncheol, "Good. If you go on with that will, you will surely become strong quickly."
"Yes. Even if my muscles tear and I vomit blood, I will do everything you say."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean I'll work really hard..."
"No, no. You said tearing muscles and vomiting blood as if it were some great feat."
"Huh...?"
I pouted my lips, shook my head, and said, "That's a very natural thing to happen during training. You think it's going to be hard? Of course, training is hard. Don't tell me you want to become strong without even putting in that much effort?"
Senior Brother Uncheol couldn't even answer and his face turned ashen.
The way he was sneakily looking at the rod again made it seem like he was thinking it would be better to just get hit.
But what's done is done. The moment he said he would follow all my words, my training had already begun.
"If not, then get up. You've rested enough. Get up quickly! The other senior brothers have rested enough too, right? Everyone, get up!"
At my words, the senior brothers shot up.
Still, Uncheol is a senior brother, and seeing him hold his breath and sit in a corner as if he were dead while I was hitting him, it seems he knows some loyalty.
"There's one hour left until the evening roll call, right? For the next hour, follow my movements!"
As soon as I finished speaking, I lay down on the floor and lifted my body with the strength of my arms and legs.
This movement, which makes the body into the shape of a bridge, is a very efficient exercise that strengthens not only the arm and leg muscles but also the abs and back muscles all at once.
The only downside is that it's insanely hard.
"Aren't you going to do it quickly?! Should I get up?"
"No! I'll do it, I'll do it!"
When I shouted, the senior brothers scrambled to lie down and assumed the same posture as me.
My arms and legs are starting to hurt too.
But, as I've said many times, this difficult sensation is what makes me stronger.
The pain turned into a thrilling pleasure.
"Ugh."
"Keueung."
Judging by the groans that echoed, it seemed it would take a long time for the senior brothers to know this pleasure.
But they will soon know the taste.
With the rod (?) and me, that is.
***
After that, a few days passed like an arrow.
During that time, the senior brothers in my room began to adapt quickly to my training method.
The bodies of young children are truly mysterious.
Perhaps because they were in their growth spurt, even if they seemed to have overused their muscles, they would recover after eating well and sleeping well.
Stamina and muscle training is actually quite fun.
And if the recovery speed is as fast as it is now, the fun is multiplied several times.
'The muscles getting bigger and the muscle quality getting stronger can be seen with the naked eye, with a little exaggeration.'
You wake up one day and you're stronger, and you wake up another day and you're even stronger.
This is something they can feel for themselves as they train.
Because they can feel their bodies getting better at the training every day.
"Horse stance!"
"Horse stance!"
Today too, while waiting in line to eat at the dining hall, they started doing the horse stance on their own without me even telling them to.
Senior Brother Uncheol, who would have hidden among the crowd giggling at us a few days ago, is also very proactive.
"Look at them. They're at it again."
"Senior Brother Uncheol always carried himself with so much weight, what is he doing over there."
"Who knows. Maybe they found a way to get stronger by training their bodies so ignorantly."
My brow furrowed on its own at the voices coming from around me.
'Hoo... I've calmed down a lot.'
In the past, no matter where it was or who was saying such things, I would have made a scene without considering the consequences.
But, I took a deep breath and calmed my anger.
Instead, I turned my head towards the group that was laughing at us and gave them a bright smile.
"What. He's smiling at us."
"Who did they say he was again? Un... Un..."
"Unhwi! He's Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang's disciple."
"I heard he's not a disciple. Just that he's lightly looking over his martial arts."
Lightly? Lightly...?!
'Those guys are looking down on Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang.'
Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang's teachings were by no means light.
He was a thorough person who would never move on to the next thing if I hadn't perfectly mastered even one thing he taught.
Even if I swung the sword once, if I couldn't swing it to the Martial Uncle's satisfaction, he would make me swing it a hundred, a thousand times until he was satisfied.
My body trembled without my knowledge.
Just thinking about the Martial Uncle, who always made me train to the point of near-abuse and never let anything slide, picking on my shortcomings...
'I love it!'
If he had met the me of my past life, we would have gotten along great.
Yesterday, when the Martial Uncle asked me if I was dying of exhaustion, I said I felt like I was going to die, and he said, 'Since you say you feel like you're going to die, you're not going to die yet,' and pushed me even harder.
Thanks to that, I was adapting to Wudang's martial arts at a rapid pace.
"Junior Brother Unhwi!"
At that moment, someone called me.
As far as I know, there is only one person with such a kind and gentle voice.
"Senior Brother!"
"Yes. I haven't seen your face for the past few days, have I? It feels like it's been a while."
"I've been training whenever I had free time. As you can see, I'm doing it right now."
I was doing the horse stance like the senior brothers in my room, and even when Senior Brother Un Gwang came next to me, I didn't break the posture.
"Wow... you seem to have changed a lot in that time."
"Really?"
"Were your arm muscles always like this, Junior Brother?"
Un Gwang said, poking my arm.
I was about to rebuke him, saying, 'What do you mean, always like this?', but since there were many other disciples around, I just spoke politely.
I have to save the Senior Brother's face.
"I've been training for the past few days, so I've gained some muscle and it's good. I think it's because I made up my mind to work hard after you saved me, Senior Brother."
"Hehe. Thank you for saying so."
He smiled brightly, genuinely pleased, and then said to me, "I was worried about what to do if you were still unwell, Junior Brother, but it was a needless worry."
"Hey. What do you mean, needless. It's all thanks to you saving me and worrying about me that I've recovered this much."
"Really? So you're in a healthy state right now?"
"Of course!"
Un Gwang thought about something for a moment and then looked at Uncheol and said, "Then I should ask Junior Brother Uncheol if your room is willing to participate in the Yuyeop Hall martial arts competition."
"A martial arts competition?"
"Yes. The Yuyeop Hall holds a martial arts competition once every six months. There's only about a month left."
"Hoh."
A martial arts competition sounds very interesting.
Un Gwang continued to explain.
"Since the rooms compete as a team in individual matches, if you can't participate in the martial arts competition, Junior Brother, the numbers will be short, so I wasn't even going to ask room number nine."
"I! I'm in great shape! I can definitely do it!"
"Haha. You look like it."
Un Gwang smiled brightly and then approached Uncheol and started talking to him.
He must be saying the same thing he said to me.
As expected, I can feel Uncheol glancing at me.
And I slowly nodded my head.
A martial arts competition... I'm really starting to look forward to it.
(End of Chapter)