Possessed an Academy Security Guard

23 – 023. The Two Reasons (5)

-Flame!

Maybe it’s because it’s still winter outside, but the weather inside has been especially cold these days. Put firewood in the fireplace and start a fire. The cold air gradually warms up.

A guest who has arrived after a long absence is seated in front of it. Then, the chair creaked and made an unpleasant sound.

I checked the customer’s whereabouts, thinking that I will have to make it again sooner or later.

A young man who has passed the terms and conditions but still looks young.

Looking at that strange undergarment that clings to the body and the outerwear that looks thin but feels weighty, I was able to guess that the technology of the outside world has improved a lot.

“Hmm.”

But as I kept looking at the young man, I got a strange feeling. Yeah, it was really weird.

Here, Cheonji is an unexplored demonic realm.

In this place where not only flesh-piercing blizzards and powerful storms, but also wild nature guardians disturb the body’s energy, it must be difficult for even the most powerful superman to reach the center.

It has been 27 years since I lived here. In fact, the four supermen who arrived here were all the strongest among the strong, unlike other supermen.

However, what about the young man in front of you? Let alone the strong among the strong, he has a pitiful body that cannot even be shared by one person. The energy felt was very weak, and the weak eyes could hardly be seen as those of a fighter.

How did a man like that come all the way through that blizzard?

If that mysterious clothing protected him from the blizzard, it doesn’t seem like that either.

It was really strange. It was bizarre, but that meant it was also exciting.

The first to arrive was a slender girl.

The second person to arrive is a young man with a lively look.

The third was a foreign warrior who couldn’t even speak, and the fourth was a reticent woman who couldn’t even hear a word.

Indeed, what kind of person is this young man who arrived fifth? How did he break through this demon realm, and what did he reach in front of himself to achieve?

I looked forward to the story the young man would tell me, so I couldn’t control my old body and smiled like a child.

***

– Hurry up.

The heat of the campfire was dispelling the frozen winter air.

As I savored the heat with my whole body, I looked at the old man sitting across from me.

My first impression of the old man was like a well-forged blade.

The old man looked at the campfire in silence, as if he had something to think about. His armor, which clearly felt the passage of time, shone in scarlet.

A medieval-style armor with no additional features, just using monster materials. Likewise, two longswords that are just as hard and sharp.

Relics of the old era that are no longer made due to the development of technology. They were objects that clearly showed the life of an old man who was behind the times and cut off from the outside world.

The old man’s name is Yeo In-hyeok.

A first-generation hunter who was active during turbulent times and Korea’s first S-class superhuman. He was a hero of salvation who made Korea possible today by attacking numerous dungeons and cutting down over 10,000 monsters.

“…… Now I see that you are very hurt.”

After saying that, the old man came up to me and put his hand on my shoulder.

– Awesome! Wood deok!

The next moment, the muscles of the whole body began to vibrate with a loud sound. However, there was no pain. On the contrary, even the original pain subsided gradually.

“…… A little bit of repair to the damaged muscles and intestines. The pain must have gone. But you haven’t been completely cured, so when you leave this place, make sure you go to the hospital properly.”

As I looked down at my body in wonder, the old man who had finished treatment returned to his original seat and sat down.

“If it is false.”

The old man said. His black eyes pierced my forehead.

“How did you get here?”

A clumsy lie doesn’t work for the old man in front of you. Because his eyes, which have reached the state, can even capture the flow of magical energy in the body according to emotional changes.

I told him the truth.

About my abilities. About Talisman. About the breath of the morning star. And about the identity of the blizzard I know.

Once in a while, the old man listened to my story, putting in a chuimsae like, indeed, that’s right. It seems like it would be very interesting.

“…… Is it. There must have been such a way. If the problem is that the natural guardian is rampant, the qi in the body……. To borrow your words, that magical power means that you can jump in while emptying your energy. What an amazing idea indeed. A superman whose qi is depleted becomes infinitely weaker. With the criminal’s idea, he wouldn’t be able to think of throwing himself into that blizzard in that state.”

The body is ordinary, but the idea is extraordinary. The old man who added that laughed happily.

“So, why did you set foot in this demonic realm? Is the purpose of raiding the dungeon? If not, did you come to see me?”

“…… I came to see Mr. Yeo In-hyeok.”

“You know my name. Did you hear from those who came before?”

“No. I knew from the beginning.”

My answer made the old man look surprised. Soon, a happy smile appeared on his face. With those eyes that saw his magical power, he must have realized that my words were not lies.

“It’s such an honor that someone still recognizes such an old man in the back room.”

“I’m an old man in the back room. Isn’t Sensei a legendary being that all superhumans look up to? You may not know it, but the achievements you have made are even listed in elementary school textbooks.”

“Clutter. Are the children growing up listening to my story and learning? Thinking like that, I don’t feel too bad.”

In this world, the status of ‘Superman Yeo In-hyeok’ was comparable to that of quite a few historical great men. Even in Gwanghwamun right now, a new statue of him has been erected.

“Yes. I mean, you came to see me.”

“Yes.”

“Then your goal is obvious. Is Taegeukji body the goal?”

Taegeukjiche.

It was an unfamiliar word that would only appear in a martial arts magazine, but I nodded. Because I knew what the old man was talking about.

The idol of all hunters. The first S-class superhuman. A hero who saved Korea.

The reason why he has been secluded here in the Cheonji Dungeon for nearly 30 years is the ‘Taegeukjiche’.

“Do you know about my psychic powers?”

“I heard that it is ‘Muscular Alignment’.”

“I know. Then the story is fast.”

Musculoskeletal alignment. The ability to adjust the position or shape of bones and muscles to improve physical performance and heal injuries.

It was an ability that sounded rather simple compared to the ability of the first S-class superhuman, but his ability, which he had honed throughout his life, could no longer be expressed in shallow words such as ‘muscular alignment’.

“The reason I voluntarily set foot in this demonic realm is because I wanted to obtain a perfect body that could not be defeated by any environment.”

Before he was still living in the dungeon. He roamed dungeons around the world, forcing his own body into harsh environments. And he optimized his body to withstand the harsh environment with his ability to the limit.

From dungeons filled with lava, skin that does not burn with any flames.

From a dungeon full of poison fog that makes you vomit blood even if you inhale just one sip, you will reach the state of invulnerability.

Strong bones and muscles that can withstand hundreds of tons of weight from dungeons dominated by strong gravity.

The harsh environment of the dungeon was the driving force behind his body evolution. After roaming all kinds of demonic realms, his body reached a point where he could not even be called a human being. That was the secret of his strength, called the hero of the national salvation.

One day, however, a rumor reached his ears.

‘I heard that the dungeons open on Mt. Baekdu boast harsh environments that even the strongest superhumans could not withstand.’

The moment he heard that story, he headed for the Cheonji Dungeon without delay. Without even reporting to the association or guild, he entered the dungeon on his own and faced the magical storm of the dungeon head-on.

It was a body that had been honed and polished for a lifetime. However, no matter how strong it is, in the end it is the body of a superhuman. The recoil caused by the repulsion of internal and external magical energy was a problem that could not be overcome no matter how hard it was.

It was impossible to overcome.

“As I persevered and endured with recklessness, one day my body gradually became more comfortable and I was able to see with my own eyes the natural guardians that raged throughout the dungeon. My ability, this body, eventually became able to adapt to the environment of this demonic realm.”

When a muscle breaks, it connects a muscle. When a bone was broken, it was attached. When the intestines became porridge, they were forced to hold on to them.

He did not get frustrated in the face of failure. If he fails this time, he just needs to take a step forward next time. Even though his body would perish, his spirit never gave up.

After risking his life and repeating the adaptation process dozens or hundreds of times, his body finally adapted to the magical storm of the heavenly dungeon.

However, that is only an adaptation. It didn’t mean complete overcoming.

Pursuing the perfect body, he went to the dungeon every day. And after about 3 years, he started to build a house in the dungeon and live there. It was a barren place with nothing but cold snowballs, but there was no problem in living.

“For some reason, there was a fairly wide forest beyond the gate. Although it is a winter forest, there are many animals, and mysteriously, there are fruits on the trees. When I saw that, I thought, ‘Ah, at this level, I can just sit here and live.'”

Let’s live here and sharpen our bodies until the day we can perfectly adapt to the dungeon’s magical storm.

So resolved, he spent most of the day in the storm, except for occasional hunting for game or firewood from beyond the gate.

Receives the dungeon’s magic storm head-on, and when the body is destroyed, it comes out for a while to heal the damaged body, and when the body is fully recovered, throws itself into the magic storm again.

This is the 28th year of such a life.

Recalling that it was a long life, he said softly.

“It’s been 28 years and I still haven’t completely weathered that storm. However, I managed to overcome it with infinitely close to perfection.”

A body free from rampaging nature. The state of harmony between the qi outside the body and the qi within the body. In that sense, he called his realm Taegeukjiche.

“And the strength of my psychic powers. The point is that I can bring about the evolution of my body to the bodies of others.”

The target of his psychic powers was not just himself. Just as he treated me by adjusting the muscles of my body a while ago, if he puts his mind to it, even my pitiful body can be transformed into the ‘Taegeukji’ he has honed his whole life.

“But I will not teach you Taegeukjiche. This is for two reasons.”

The old man opened his gauntlet-wrapped fingers.

“First of all, first. I can’t be a kind enough nobleman to pass on to others for free what I’ve achieved over the course of my life. A hermit master who passed on all his skills to a traveler who came by chance is something that can only come out of a poor martial arts novel. The reality is not so easy.”

“And the second. Even if I want to pass on Taegeukji, your body won’t be able to withstand it. It was the same with the superhumans I’ve been looking for, but you’re especially serious. The level of a superhuman is probably far below the average, almost the bottom level.”

After speaking, the old man raised his eyes in surprise. It must have been through my nonchalant attitude that I was not disappointed or discouraged.

“You look like you came here knowing this was going to happen, right?”

“Because I also have the same thoughts as you. For a hermit master to pass on the realm for free, it is literally something that can happen only in martial arts.”

“You seem to be sincere in what you said, but it seems strange. Do you think there is something hidden from me?”

At that, I smiled awkwardly. That’s right, because this world is in that novel, even if your mouth is torn, you can’t say it. However, the old man in front of him seemed to have seen through to some extent the existence of such an inner situation with his excellent eyesight.

“From the beginning, I didn’t even want to become a Taegeuk member. However, the teacher must have passed on the teachings to the superhumans who have visited this place.”

“What is teaching? I wonder if each of them just touched up the flawed part of the body a little bit. I must have come through that blizzard because I was expecting something, but I can’t send it away empty-handed.”

“That is exactly what I want.”

I didn’t care about a perfect body that overcame all circumstances. I wasn’t lacking in conscience to the point of telling me to put forth the power of the world’s strongest person.

All I want is the minimum marginal line. As a superman, it was a body that even one person could do. The minimum necessary improvement to overcome the trickery of the Heavenly Demon of Pleasure.

At my answer, the old man laughed as if he was having fun. The old man did not erase the smile from his lips throughout this conversation, as if he had enjoyed the conversation after a long time.

“Huh. I know my fountain, should I praise it. Or should I be scolded for lack of improvement?”

“I know my talent and I have a desire to improve. Everyone who is superhuman wants to become stronger.”

“That’s right. If so, how far is your spirit of improvement, who came all the way here to meet me?”

The old man’s eyes were sharp. If I recited a false resolution in this place, I would not be able to escape his disappointment.

“I… ….”

Then, only tell the truth.

“I want to change the world.”

I want to correct the development of this world, which has suddenly developed all kinds of drifts. That alone was unmistakably sincere.

At that sincere reply, the smile disappeared from his face for the first time. However, that was only for a moment, and soon, a hearty laugh that was quite different from before leaked out of his mouth.

“Ha ha ha ha! Indeed, with that small body, do you seriously discuss the world!”

The old man got up and came to me. With a smile on his face, he grabbed my shoulder.

“Good. Since the level of my body is at the same level, it won’t change much of me, but at least it will give me a foothold to grow in the future.”

“…… That’s enough.”

Because of the Cheonma’s trick, life started far behind the start line. It was enough if I could stand on the same starting line as others.

“I like it. Someday, when you reach the state, come visit me again.”

The moment those words were finished, the muscles of the whole body vibrated along with a thrilling sensation. Indescribable pain.

“hehehe, hehehe!”

However, instead of a scream of pain, a laugh of joy leaked out of his mouth.

‘Heavenly Demon of Pleasure, you damn bastard. Are you still watching?’

I raised my head and looked at the ceiling. The sky beyond. Before long, he glared at the god of this world who was somewhere there.

‘No matter what you’re thinking, it won’t go your way!’

No matter how much you interrupt me, no matter what tricks you do, no matter how petty you do.

Marira must overcome all the hardships and adversities and return to the original world.

As I clenched my molars at the pain of separating flesh from my bones, I made a promise again and again.

A few days after that, it was Friday, February 28th.

The morning of the test day finally dawned.