Chapter 10 : Chapter 10

Chapter 10. I Can't Do It Like This

I am Namgung Hwi. As the eldest son of the Namgung Clan, I train day in and day out to become the Young Clan Head. The duties of the firstborn can be burdensome at times, but since they are mine to bear, I carry them on in silence.

Recently, Father adopted a child. He's one year younger than me, his name is Yul, and he seems well-mannered.

Of course, that doesn't mean there's been no friction. Mother has her complaints, but Myeong, my younger brother, is especially brimming with dissatisfaction. He still hasn't had a proper conversation with Yul, as far as I can tell. He barely manages a forced greeting.

I tried to talk some sense into him, but he just nods along with empty "Yes, yes"es and never listens. Then again, he suddenly got a new elder above him, so I can't exactly blame him.

Am I not unhappy about it, you ask? Hmm, gaining a sudden brother is certainly a surprise, but if Mother and Myeong are both upset, then at the very least I should stand by Father's side–that's how I see it. It couldn't have been an easy decision for him.

Besides, I don't think the boy's arrival threatens my position, and Father surely didn't adopt Yul out of mere sympathy…

In any case, since Yul joined our family, Father has treated him with considerable distinction. It seems he intends to cement the boy's place as an undeniable member of the Namgung Clan, beyond anyone's objection.

The lack of complaints from the Elder Council tells me Father is pushing this through with serious force.

And the most unusual development of all is that Uncle–who had been a recluse, caring about nothing except his personal martial training–has become Yul's teacher.

For a man who had shown no interest in anything beyond his own cultivation to suddenly take on a disciple was quite the surprise.

At any rate, Yul is still training under Uncle right now, and–

"I can't do this!"

"What? Why not?"

"It's too hard!"

……it doesn't seem to be going smoothly.

***

"This is basic training!"

"Basic or not, how can you make someone do nothing but the Horse Stance for an entire month?! I can't do this anymore even if you beat me to death!"

No, listen. I am absolutely not just throwing a tantrum.

After joining the Namgung Clan, I fully intended to carry out my duties. I swear. I'm the same person who learned Formations and drew Talismans to help out when I was a shaman's son.

But this had gone too far. A full month of Horse Stance training, six hours a day.

He kept going on about lower body this and that, but speaking as someone with decent gym experience in the modern era, this was genuinely inefficient. It was abuse, plain and simple! I'd be better off training on my own.

Naturally, Namgung Yeon looked at me with a stern face, unconvinced. But who was I? Namgung Yul, the waiter who survived among thugs of the Sinister Faction. And just like back then, I averted my eyes. Being a martial artist and all, his glare was downright murderous…

In any case, constantly talking back to my master wasn't becoming of someone renowned for his impeccable manners. But I couldn't keep doing the Horse Stance either. Push too far and I'd tear a thigh muscle.

"How about this, then?"

"How about what?"

"You think my lower body is weak, right?"

"I do."

"But this brute-force method will only overwork my legs, not properly strengthen them."

"What would you know about–"

"Physical stamina matters for waiters too. Obviously, we exercise."

When I mentioned exercise, Namgung Yeon's expression crumpled like he'd bitten into an unripe persimmon. Right, right–a waiter's training must seem beneath him. But just you wait. I'll make those eyes of yours pop open.

"Give me two months. I'll show you what real training looks like."

"Ha."

Namgung Yeon scoffed dismissively.

He was probably thinking: what could possibly change in two measly months? And that a waiter's skills amounted to nothing anyway.

He had a point, to be fair. Naturally, two months of strength training wouldn't produce dramatic physical changes.

But I had an ace up my sleeve.

'I do seem to have talent for this.'

Look–I'd survived six hours a day of that irrational Horse Stance, and even through such inefficient training, my muscles had packed on tight. Proper muscles. Real muscles.

So if I trained the modern way? How much better would my body develop?

"If I fail to build my body properly, I'll do everything your way. But if I succeed, I'd like to move on to the next stage of training. The Internal Energy Cultivation Method."

"Goodness, what am I to do with this boy……"

This was the critical moment. If Namgung Yeon turned out to be far more rigid than I'd thought and reached for a switch, I'd have no cards left to play.

"Fine. Do as you please."

But our master turned out to be a more flexible man than I'd expected. As expected of Father's brother.

Of course, his entire demeanor screamed confidence that things would go his way regardless. Heh heh. Just wait and see.

[Can you not simply cut him down?]

Yeah, yeah, you just have to get your one line in, don't you? Time for another dunk in the water today…

***

There's a saying that a true craftsman never blames his tools.

But in my opinion, that's nonsense. In my previous life, my dad was a construction site foreman, and the workers there used to say that the better you are, the more you care about your tools.

In other words, good exercise requires good equipment. But where was I supposed to get gym equipment here? I had to have it made.

Obviously, making it myself was out of the question…

"Hello, Mr. No Byeok!"

"Well, well, Young Master Yul. What brings you here?"

"I'm interested in the forge's work."

"Hahaha! Eager to get your sword already, I take it?"

I made a point of visiting No Byeok regularly to build a rapport.

Sure, I was looking forward to the sword, but cultivating a relationship with a skilled craftsman like him would pay dividends for years to come. And of course, I could help him too, in one way or another.

"There's something I need. Could you make something like this?"

"Like this? Let me see……"

Rather than explaining with words, I drew a picture to show him what kind of equipment I wanted.

I wasn't half bad at drawing, thanks to years of sketching Talismans. See? What a cultured individual I am.

"Peculiar-looking things."

"The iron weights on both sides need to be perfectly equal. What do you think? Is it difficult?"

"That is rather tricky."

No Byeok looked uncertain at first, but soon pounded his chest and gave his assurance.

"But the Tang Clan Forge also emphasizes balance when crafting their wares. No reason I can't do the same. What are these for, though?"

"Exercise. My master only makes me do the Horse Stance and it's killing me. Could you talk him out of it?"

"Hehehe."

No Byeok laughed awkwardly. Hmm, I'd only said it half-jokingly, but since it involved the Clan Head's brother, it was apparently hard to go along with the joke. I'd better not say things like that to No Byeok in the future.

"Anyway, I've written explanations alongside the drawings, so please make them exactly like this."

"Will do. There's quite a few of them, but they look interesting enough to make for a nice side project. The Clan Head did say I should cooperate whenever you asked for something."

Father said that? Hmm…… the treatment really was exceptional. Forges were usually busy with the family's business, so I'd been prepared to commission a different smithy in the city if No Byeok turned me down. Well, all the better.

"How long will it take?"

"This one I can finish today. The whole batch…… give me about seven days."

Oh, as expected of a craftsman recognized by Father himself.

I flashed a grin and gave him a nod of respect.

"I'm counting on you."

***

Before the ordered Dumbbells arrived, I started with bodyweight exercises.

Instead of six hours of Horse Stance a day, I committed to six hours of strength training. This was nearly as insane, but apparently for a martial artist, it was considered normal.

I wanted to retort, 'What kind of nonsense is that?', but in a world where Internal Energy existed, it really was the norm.

At any rate, I performed a wide variety of strength exercises.

"Hrrggh."

Counting reps in my head, I started with squats. Twenty reps, one hundred sets.

How was that humanly possible? I had no idea. It just happened. I'd already sensed since the six-hour Horse Stance days that something about my body was different.

[That is what talent means. The talent of the Heavenly Killing Star! To waste such talent on this……]

"Hrrrrrggh."

Then lunges. Twenty reps, one hundred sets.

Same story. Beyond that, I did all sorts of exercises. Planks, burpees, push-ups, sit-ups–actually, I remembered hearing those weren't great for you, so I switched to leg raises.

Oh, I did calf raises too. Standing heel raises, also known as calf raises. They were surprisingly helpful for building the calves.

I noticed passing attendants covering their mouths and hurrying away at the sight of me exercising, but I paid them no mind. What was there to be embarrassed about?

"Your order from the forge has arrived."

"Ah, just set it there."

Once the Dumbbells and various equipment arrived, I added exercises like deadlifts and dumbbell curls. Bench press…… hmm, I'd have to get that made separately later.

And so my training regimen–modern in method, yet thoroughly befitting a martial artist–continued.

But it seemed someone was none too pleased with my approach.

"What a bizarre training method."

It was none other than Namgung Myeong. He stood with his lip jutting out, his face full of displeasure.

Not that I was going to take the bait. I was the adult here, after all.

"Oh, Myeong. Come on in."

I deliberately responded in a warm, familiar tone, but that seemed to bother him even more. It was painfully obvious what he was thinking.

'The "he's playing big brother" resentment is written all over your face. Namgung Clan, is this really okay?'

He was still young, so did he not need to learn to control his expressions yet? Or was it only around me that he was like this?

"People are talking. ……They say you're doing strange things."

Namgung Myeong pointedly avoided addressing me by any title. He'd sooner die than call me "Brother." Well…… I'd deal with this in due time.

"Pioneers are always misunderstood. But if you worried about that, you'd never accomplish anything."

"Are you trying to lecture me?"

"I am your brother, aren't I?"

Namgung Myeong's hands trembled. What a kid. Getting this worked up already.

Honestly, I didn't much care what people said behind my back.

As an adopted son, I did need to be mindful of appearances, but that didn't mean I could keep subjecting myself to training that bordered on abuse.

If I lost points here, I could make them up elsewhere. And I wasn't particularly convinced that the gossip Namgung Myeong mentioned was even real.

"If you want, you can join me. There's nothing better for External Arts training."

"……I'll pass."

Namgung Myeong stormed out of the training area without looking back, fuming.

I hoped his rebellious phase wouldn't last too long.

***

Two months passed, and I demonstrated my External Arts progress to my master.

"What do you think?"

When I spoke with brimming confidence, he blinked.

"How…… how is this possible?"

"Heh, that's what I've been trying to tell you."

"To think my nephew had this kind of talent……"

Heh heh. Judging by his inability to form words, our master wasn't the type to dig in his heels and nitpick out of pride. A man of integrity.

After scrutinizing me for a good long while, Namgung Yeon stared into my eyes as if boring holes through them, and finally spoke.

"……Let us begin the Internal Energy Cultivation Method."