Chapter 40
“So-ah! Oops… no, Instructor Jin. What on earth do you mean by that?”
It was Myo-seon who asked the question with a dumbfounded face.
Myo-seon had intended to follow So-ah actively if possible. Since most people still didn't trust So-ah, she wanted to at least lend her support to his training theory.
But, a threshing!
What on earth did ‘threshing’ mean?
Perhaps the word ‘threshing’ she knew and the ‘threshing’ So-ah was talking about had different meanings?
However…
“What do you mean? It’s exactly what it sounds like.”
“What?!”
“Of course, it’s not a one-sided beating. All of you can come at me.”
It was a completely incomprehensible statement.
No, to be precise, it was a statement that could be understood but was unbelievable.
“Instructor Jin… still, this is…”
This time, even Tang Il-gi tilted his head.
Tang Il-gi was more surprised by the fact that So-ah said the entire Human Division could come at him than by the fact that So-ah said he would thresh them.
“Brother Tang. Do you have a complaint?”
“Ah… Instructor Jin. No matter what, telling the entire Human Division to come at you… that’s nearly 30 people. Wouldn’t that be too much even for you, Instructor Jin?”
At that, So-ah said with a sneer.
“Brother Tang.”
“Yes?”
“Do you think it’s possible?”
“What… do you mean?”
“I’m asking if you think it’s possible to face me.”
Tang Il-gi doubted his own ears.
‘Young Master Jin is looking down on us too much. That’s not a bluff, it’s sincere. I guess I’ll have to do my best!’
Tang Il-gi intended to make So-ah realize that his judgment was wrong.
No matter how much of a master of bare-handed brawling So-ah was, he thought it was impossible to face the entire Human Division, which numbered nearly 30 people.
“Alright. I will do my best.”
“I look forward to it, Brother Tang! Now, now! Is everyone ready?”
So-ah rolled his neck and shoulders, then curled up the corners of his mouth and asked.
The students were still so dumbfounded that they couldn't give any answer.
But So-ah’s figure was already rushing forward like a ray of light.
***
Thwack!
“Aack!”
Thwack-thwack!
Uwaaack!
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
“Uuuugh!!”
“S-Stop!”
“Stop it!”
Thwack-thwack, thwack-thwack, thwack-thwack-thwack!
“What kind of training is this?! Dammit!”
The time it took for desperate screams to erupt in the training ground was only about one shichen.
The duel that wasn’t a duel between So-ah and the Human Division.
The result of that match was all too obvious.
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
“Kraaaack!”
So-ah’s movements, facing dozens of people single-handedly, were more like those of a skilled ‘artisan’ in a certain field than a martial artist.
Every time the club held in his right hand mercilessly struck the students’ heads, shoulders, knees, and arms, the students were swept away like autumn leaves along with a light hitting sound.
‘I can’t believe it… I can’t believe it!’
The students were flabbergasted.
No matter how much the Human Division was the lowest-class of students, among them were top students like Tang Il-gi, Tang Hwa-rin, and Myo-seon.
On top of that, the martial arts of the Paeng Seong-un trio and the division head, Jang Byeong-il, couldn't be called third-rate, so it didn't make sense for So-ah, who was their peer, to handle all of them.
But that was a misconception.
In fact, this brutal training was So-ah’s well-laid plan.
Most of the students used weapons like swords or sabers.
But they were currently facing So-ah with their bare hands.
In the first place, it was absurd for students who were laymen in bare-handed brawling to face So-ah, the number one brawling master in the world.
Moreover, So-ah was even holding a club.
If Tang Il-gi or Myo-seon had been given even a wooden sword, the situation might have been different, but in a bare-handed situation, the number of opponents was just a number to So-ah.
“J-Jin So-ah… Aaaack!”
This time, Tang Hwa-rin was hit on the head with the club.
So-ah’s control of his strength was so exquisite that the catastrophe of her head splitting open didn't happen, but that was what made the students more annoyed and scared.
‘That bastard… his skill at beating people is no joke!’
‘He avoids all fatal injuries and only hits the painful spots, doesn’t he?’
‘No… this isn’t training, it’s brutal violence!’
The students, who were trembling with such thoughts.
But they soon had to erase all their distracting thoughts.
Because So-ah’s terrifying club-beating was unfolding before their eyes once again.
***
“Ugh…”
“It hurts…”
“Dammit…”
It was a groan.
Some of the younger students and the female students with delicate hearts even had tears welling up in their eyes.
“Instructor Jin! What kind of training is this? Isn’t this just beating people up?”
The division head, Jang Byeong-il, protested with blazing eyes.
But So-ah just grinned.
“Hey, division head. Don’t be like that. This is all part of the training.”
“How on earth is this training?”
“Do you know when a person can move most nimbly?”
“…”
“It’s when their life is on the line. All living creatures have an instinct to protect themselves. Right now, there is no better training than this to awaken your senses in the shortest amount of time.”
“Instructor Jin…”
“You guys. You were more pathetic than I thought.”
Jang Byeong-il’s body trembled at So-ah’s reprimand.
It was because he felt an unknown sense of shame.
Just then, So-ah spoke again to the fallen and groaning students in a heavy and solemn voice.
“Does it hurt? Is it agonizing? Are you angry? The more you feel that way, the tougher you have to become. If you can’t even endure this kind of training, you can never become a master. Are you going to give up? Are you going to sit down? Are you going to keep wasting your life as a low-class martial artist?”
Anger appeared in the shining eyes of all the students.
They were filled with rage after hearing So-ah’s words.
“If it were me, I’d either stick my nose in a plate of water and die, or I’d grit my teeth and endure.”
“…”
“I’d endure and endure again, and I’d definitely land a punch on that annoying face of mine.”
“…”
“There is no choice. As long as you’ve decided to ride the same boat as me, you can’t get off. Endure. If you endure, you will become stronger. Endure until you can beat me to a pulp someday.”
So-ah’s words were enough of a stimulus to light a fire in the students’ hearts.
“Yes! Instructor Jin. We will endure. We will endure and definitely land a punch on your face!”
Jang Byeong-il spat out with eyes that looked like he could chew up and swallow So-ah at any moment.
That one phrase became a hot fuse.
“Let’s go! Let’s run. No matter how hard it is, I’ll endure it.”
“Instructor. Let’s see how long you can smile.”
“You’re treating us like complete fools. We will never run away, so be prepared!”
‘Oho. Their spirit is good.’
So-ah was inwardly impressed by that reaction.
In the first place, So-ah had expected that 20 to 30 percent of the students would drop out after the first training.
But contrary to his expectation, when all the students endured the training, he was surprised and at the same time, proud of them.
“Good! I’ll look forward to it, so work hard and be sure to defeat me. Now, everyone will go into the prepared medicinal water and bathe to relax your bodies. I have prepared medicinal water that is excellent for external injuries.”
“Medicinal water?”
“A bath?”
Just then, in a corner of the training ground, the Human Division’s designated instructor, Eun Min-min, who had been watching this violent incident in silence, let out a dry cough and spoke.
“Ahem! Everyone did a great job. Instructor Jin has been boiling and preparing the medicinal water for the students since dawn, so all the female students will follow me, and the male students will follow Instructor Jin to bathe in the medicinal water! That is all!”
***
[Approval Document]
—Request for Educational Supplies.
—List: Ironwood Sap, Pinellia Tuber, Poria Cocos, Jujube Seed, Saposhnikovia Root, Costus Root, Asarum, Bupleurum Root, Evodia Fruit, Donkey-hide Glue… (abbreviated), Tiger Bone.
—Purpose: Infinite Stamina, Body Remodeling for students.
—Applicant: Chief Instructor of White Martial Academy, Jin So-ah’s Seal.
There it was again.
Infinite Stamina, Body Remodeling!
This time, the person in charge of budget and settlement at the White Martial Academy, the first young master of the Henan Lu Family, Lu Bong-man, received this mysterious phrase.
“If it’s Ironwood Sap… the price is enormous… this…”
Lu Bong-man had a difficult expression.
Although the budget of the White Martial Academy was more than enough, even considering that, the price of Ironwood Sap was so expensive that it was doubtful whether the decision from the higher-ups would be made.
Just then, So-ah’s reprimand came out.
“Instructor Lu, you’re making a fuss for nothing. How much money does the Martial Alliance have? Do you think a mere purchase request for such medicinal herbs would be rejected?”
“Instructor Jin. Let me ask you one thing. Where are you going to use these medicinal herbs?”
“Ah! That is a list of the 33 medicinal herbs, Ironwood Sap, and tiger bones that will be used to make the medicinal water I learned from my grandfather. It will be excellently used for the internal and external injury recovery of our Human Division students.”
“Internal and external injury recovery?”
“Yes.”
“Did someone get hurt?”
“They are scheduled to get hurt every day.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“Ah, that is…”
So-ah roughly explained to Lu Bong-man the threshing training that had taken place today and the training process that would follow in the future.
As the explanation continued, Lu Bong-man’s eyes widened, then furrowed, then widened like lanterns again. He must have been severely shocked, as his face soon turned pale.
‘That friend must have been severely shocked too. I mean, infinite stamina and body remodeling! It’s no wonder he’s surprised.’
Cheong-il Dojang, who was in a corner of the office, clicked his tongue as he watched the agitated Lu Bong-man listening to So-ah’s explanation.
***
“You’re really too much. Too much!”
“So-ah… isn’t this a bit much?”
“Senior Brother… you were really harsh!”
Was this a rebellion or a complaint?
So-ah had to suffer from untimely grumbling, but honestly, he had nothing to say.
The people who had been nagging So-ah for half a shichen were none other than Myo-seon, Tang Hwa-rin, and Moyong Hwa.
Myo-seon was one thing, but Tang Hwa-rin and Moyong Hwa usually didn’t say unpleasant things to So-ah, but today they couldn’t bear it.
Because he had gone too far.
In particular, Moyong Hwa’s eye socket still had a clear blue bruise.
It was something that would make the elders of the Moyong Family freak out if they knew.
“I told you. This is the only way to become stronger. Still, I hit Myo-seon and Hwa-rin less… as for my junior sister, of course, the rod is a necessary evil, so I had no choice but to hit her a bit…”
“Senior Brother! Reallllyyy!”
So-ah almost burst out laughing at the sight of Moyong Hwa shouting with a bruised eye.
But he thought he wouldn’t be able to handle it if he did, so he barely held it in and spoke again.
“The beating training is a training to maximize the body’s senses. In the case of Myo-seon or Brother Tang, their senses are already good, so I hit them as little as possible, and Hwa-rin’s level is also decent. But my junior sister and junior brother are too dull.”
That’s right.
So-ah’s beating was differentiated according to individual differences. Fortunately, in the case of Tang Il-gi or Myo-seon, they were not hit many times.
But in the case of Moyong Hwa or Moyong Su, they were beaten almost to the point of being half-dead, so they must have been furious.
If it weren’t for the efficacy of the medicinal water bath, they would have been bedridden immediately.
Just then.
“I understand, Senior Brother. I will not doubt, I will not complain, and I will only devote myself to training.”
The youngest, and the one who had been beaten the most, Moyong Su, bowed his head and said in a solemn voice.
The other friends who saw that could no longer complain.
‘Hmm…’
‘Even young Su-ah is like that… I should set an example.’
‘Ah… did I come to the Human division for nothing?’
But whether he knew his friends’ thoughts or not, So-ah smiled brightly and patted their shoulders.
“Now, now! Everyone go back. From tomorrow, we have to step up the training. Stamina training will be added, so you’ll probably vomit at least five or six times. Go to bed early and recharge.”
At So-ah’s thunderous words, his friends’ faces fell.
(End of Chapter)