#Side Story, In Heat - 3
In fact, one boy swinging his sword right next to Mu-heon was in a laughable posture with only his buttocks sticking out and his shoulders excessively leaning forward as he tried to charge ahead, being too conscious of it. In contrast, Mu-heon's movements looked extremely fast and smooth.
Even though he too must have undergone continuous training without having a proper meal until now, his movements were precise as if he wasn't tired at all.
The straight tendon at the back of his ankle, pushing off the ground as if brushing it, could be seen flashing white through his uniform before being covered by the hem, repeatedly.
Seung-jo, who had unconsciously forgotten the training he was supposed to do and was concentrating on watching this, gritted his teeth at the sudden smacking sound and the impact striking the back of his head, and turned around.
There stood the supervisor with a displeased expression.
"My, what are you doing? Not training. Are you out of your mind from hunger?"
"No, sir. I'll continue."
Seung-jo immediately raised his wooden sword and began basic posture training. In truth, for him and Mu-heon, this was easier than eating. It wasn't for nothing that they had been swinging swords since before entering school.
The middle school kendo club had many students starting for the first time, so naturally, the training was based on beginner levels. For Seung-jo, who had long since surpassed such levels, this training only served to drain his stamina and felt boring, unable to find any enjoyment in it.
But Mu-heon, whom he had just seen, was swinging his wooden sword very seriously. Like someone learning for the first time, with an expression like a child finding joy in learning something new even though their body was tired.
His expression, immersed in training, had his eyes slightly narrowed due to the flowing sweat, and his cheeks were flushed, but at the same time, it was infinitely serious.
That fearsome concentration, not sparing even a fragment of attention to his surroundings, was something that had long been well-known.
Seung-jo quietly closed his eyes.
He tried to recall his own sword path, but strangely, all that kept coming to mind was Mu-heon's movements he had seen earlier. Brushing, falling, brushing again.
'...Is it because I'm tired?'
He shook his head, but his familiar sword path wouldn't come to mind easily. Suddenly, he felt irritated.
'Did I watch someone else's sword for nothing?'
In terms of how long they had been learning the sword, he was almost the same as Mu-heon, and his skill shouldn't be that different, so he found it hard to understand why it was so difficult for him to concentrate like that.
Seung-jo swung his sword irritably.
He saw the children training around him startling and stepping back, but he didn't care.
That was when it happened.
"You're truly admirable at such a young age."
At the voice of admiration, Seung-jo opened his eyes and looked towards where the voice came from, seeing a man looking as if he might applaud in admiration and Mu-heon with a troubled expression in front of him.
"I was the supervisor when this kendo club was first formed. When I was transferred, I left the club to the current Mr. Kim. But if I had known a kid like you would come, I should have held out for a few more years. How old are you?"
"15... years old."
"Incredible, incredible. This isn't skill learned in just a day or two, how many years have you been learning?"
"About 8 years."
At Mu-heon's answer, the middle-aged man who had introduced himself as the former supervisor opened his mouth in surprise.
"8 years? From such a young age?"
At that moment, Mu-heon's eyes, which had been tilting his head as if troubled, met Seung-jo's.
Seung-jo flinched imperceptibly, but Mu-heon smiled with sparkling eyes as if he had met a savior.
"But, it's not just me..."
"Amazing! Which dojo do you go to? May I ask who taught you?"
"Ah..."
Seung-jo could guess what Mu-heon was trying to say, but the man wasn't interested in Mu-heon's words.
Seung-jo heard the voices of children whispering beside him.
"Mu-heon really is good, isn't he? Hah~ I don't even feel envious."
"I'm still a bit envious. If I had started learning from a young age, would I be that good too?"
"Give it up, man. You see Jeong Seung-jo over there? They say he started around the same age too."
"Really?"
"He's good too, but... Still, he's a bit different from Mu-heon, isn't he?"
"What's that supposed to mean? But I think I kind of get it."
"Even with things like piano, no matter how early you start, only the real geniuses stand out, right? It's the same with sports."
Seung-jo felt as if his blood was instantly chilling.
The middle-aged man was continuously embarrassing Mu-heon with unnecessary questions, and beside them, the whispering voices about himself kept joining in.
As he gritted his teeth and clenched his hand, the tip of the wooden sword he was holding trembled mercilessly.
Just a few hours ago, when he was alone with Mu-heon, everything had been peaceful and pleasant with nothing to worry about, but now all of that felt like it had happened a hundred years ago.
Seung-jo turned his body sharply and slowly raised his wooden sword again.
Because everyone's attention was still focused on Mu-heon, almost no one paid attention to his movement.
Swish.
He struck down,
Swish.
He struck down again,
Swish.
As he struck down with enough force to cut through the air, Seung-jo fixed his darkened gaze on the tip of the sword.
In fact, this wasn't the first time such things had happened.
Since first meeting Mu-heon at seven years old, Seung-jo's life had transformed into incredibly surprising days.
Born as the only son of a globally rising trading company family, Seung-jo had grown up selfishly, receiving abundant praise and love, monopolizing first place everywhere. Meeting Mu-heon, he tasted defeat for the first time, learned the joy of playing with peers for the first time, and discovered the pleasure of doing something to look good to others.
These were all emotions he was feeling for the first time in his life. However, there were also other emotions he felt for the first time, and their names were anxiety and jealousy.
Mu-heon was a genius. The tool he wielded was a sword no different from what Seung-jo wielded, but while it was an ordinary sword in Seung-jo's hands, in Mu-heon's hands it became an absolute symbol of victory.
It was a strength that couldn't be explained by mere differences in athletic ability. If that strength could be explained simply as physical ability, Seung-jo possessed such abilities to the same degree. But Seung-jo had never once beaten Mu-heon since birth.
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Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.
"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."
In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.
"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."
And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.
"For now, until then, let's sleep..."
As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.
'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'
Leonardo Blaine, the true war hero of the Raina Logia Empire and the commander of the Armsilver 11th Squad, is dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders during the final battle that could have led the Empire to victory in the territorial war. People criticize and point fingers at him, and after being released on parole from prison, he disappears without a trace.
Three years later, his name has been forgotten by the world. The Council has been persistently pursuing him, but he has proven difficult to capture. Frustrated by this, Hugo Agrizendro, the commander of the Council's army, decides to personally apprehend him.
"Since when have you been watching me?"
Leonardo was calculative and astute, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had been observing Hugo for some time now. However, Leonardo's answer was something that even Hugo had not anticipated.
"From the very beginning."
Graduate student Yi-han finds himself reborn in another world as the youngest child of a mage family.
– I’m never attending school, ever again!
‘What do you wish to achieve in life?’
‘I wish to play around and live comforta-‘
‘You must be aware of your talent. Now go attend Einroguard!’
‘Patriarch!’
My future would be guaranteed once I graduate. For my future!
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