NOVEL WEB Chapter 9
Chapter 9: The Guaranteed Victory of the First Juice
When I met Sahyeong, I was internally startled.
This was supposed to be a time when both the Master and Sahyeong were asleep.
Knowing everyone’s sleep schedule ahead of time allowed me to sneak out for some exercise.
The simple reason for my stealthy workout was that during the day, I was too busy with training and chores to find time for personal training.
Plus, Jeonyeong was annoyingly strict about principles and principles!
If he found out I was overtraining, he’d definitely lecture me for hours about how too much is as bad as not enough and forbid me from additional training.
Seeing that would be even worse than sneaking out at night to train!
I couldn’t stick to just the training Jeonyeong assigned me and expect to become a muscular, energetic beast, the ultimate master of the Color Spectrum.
I’d end up as just another mediocre martial artist, blending in with the ordinary who wander the Martial World.
Mediocre? No thank you!
Just the thought made my hands and feet tremble, but I persevered through it with superhuman patience.
Huff huff! ‘That won’t do! A decent body won’t get me anywhere near Sahyeong or the hearts of those stunning beauties!’
So, ordinary external martial training wouldn’t cut it.
I needed to push past my limits.
That was the only way to create an ultimate statue of perfection, overflowing with the sculpted beauty of a demigod from ancient Greece that women would swoon over at first sight.
Through enhancing my cardiovascular endurance, I could also boost my energy.
It had been over two months of nighttime training, so perhaps I had grown a bit complacent?
Damn it, if I’d had even a year’s worth of inner power, I could have sensed Sahyeong’s aura with my awareness!
The benefits of inner power go beyond just giving the user superhuman strength.
As one’s inner power increases and the depth of their breathing technique deepens, raising their energy heightens their five senses and activates a sort of sixth sense known as ki-gang, or “energy perception,” to detect presences and ambushes.
In modern terms, you could think of ki-gang as the inner power radar that spreads awareness around like a signal.
But here I was, only learning the Breath Regulation Method.
Regardless of how strong I had been in my previous life as a Hyeongyeong master, that was a whole past life ago!
Now I had no inner power, so I couldn’t use its derivative function, ki-gang.
Thus, I couldn’t sense Sahyeong’s presence!
Anyway, the situation was already a done deal, so I couldn’t turn back.
At least I wasn’t caught by the strict master, but by the more negotiable Sahyeong, which was a relief.
It could be worse!
Taking a breath to calm myself, I stood in front of Sahyeong and spoke in a calm voice with a composed expression.
“Good evening, Sahyeong. The moon is bright tonight, making it hard to sleep. I thought I might as well add some extra training since I always feel inadequate in my training!”
That was a pretty reasonable answer.
But I knew Sahyeong wouldn’t back down that easily.
He’d probably respond with…
Sahyeong’s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing my words.
He opened his lovely lips.
“But, Saje. The Master has said that training beyond the body’s limits can be harmful. I understand your passion for martial arts, but that’s not going to speed up your entry into inner power. So, I hope you’ll stop this excessive training.”
Sahyeong spoke with a hint of concern.
His worried expression, full of beauty and anguish, only made things worse.
Damn it, just look at that face!
I felt like a squid flopping around hopelessly.
Anywho, Sahyeong’s response was exactly as I expected.
So exemplary that if it were the SATs, it would have caused an uproar in the media!
But I can’t just succumb to Sahyeong’s words!
Agreeing to him would mean I can never run at night again.
And if I couldn’t run at night, that meant energy loss.
That simply wouldn’t do!
Look at the body I’ve started building! Look at the energy I’ve gained!
What if I agreed now and then got caught sneaking out again tomorrow?
Sahyeong would tell the Master immediately, and I’d be subject to his endless lectures, and my running would be forbidden!
So it was time to start the act I had prepared to convince Sahyeong.
“…I’m really sorry for causing you concern, Sahyeong. But my extra training isn’t about entering inner power.”
Sahyeong’s eyes widened at my words.
At thirteen, most kids would hurry through boring external martial training, wanting to jump straight into inner power.
But I wasn’t your typical thirteen-year-old!
I looked at Sahyeong, tilting my head seriously.
“We are different, Sahyeong.”
I started conjuring sad memories to prepare my tearful act.
In my previous life, when I was suddenly thrown into the Central Martial World, I had the horrific memory of being sold to a mercenary and forced into castration surgery!
The sight of that bloody wooden operating table, my genitals removed, was enough to remind me; I instinctively let the tears flow.
“If Sahyeong is like a genius who learns ten things when taught just one, I, on the other hand, am a fool who forgets one when taught. A fool like me! To stand beside a genius like Sahyeong … it’s impossible without extraordinary effort! If I don’t put in this backbreaking training, I won’t even be able to touch your toes for the rest of my life!”
I lowered my head, sobbing with a sorrowful voice.
My mix of sorrow, frustration, feelings of inferiority compared to genius Sahyeong, and self-loathing made for a truly convincing act of a child.
With this level of acting, I could’ve won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival in my previous world!
“Sa-Saje…?”
Seeing me cry, Sahyeong waved his hands in a flustered manner.
But I knew I couldn’t just stop crying here.
I slumped to the ground, sobbing like a distressed thirteen-year-old.
“Waaah! …Genius Sahyeong will never know the pain of a fool like me! If someone like me doesn’t do stuff like this, I won’t catch up! If I fall behind… I might be kicked out and end up back on the streets…!”
All this time, I had lived as a precocious character at the Gongdong Sect, but now I was showing the kind of emotionally vulnerable child I was supposed to be?
If someone who doesn’t usually behave like this suddenly breaks down, wouldn’t their mind race with worries about what they might have done wrong? Especially when the person is just a year older and the genius of a future world champion!
Even if he’s the future best in the world, he’s still only a fourteen-year-old kid right now.
Taking the lead against someone like him was easier than pie.
Compared to my past experiences charming dignitaries in Beijing, smiling while politically maneuvering behind deft open-stabs, talking with a young fellow was child’s play.
Indeed, the first juice is a guaranteed win!
“Sa-Saje, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry… don’t cry, Saje…!”
Sahyeong’s expression was filled with regret as he saw me sitting there crying.
But I couldn’t stop here.
“Waaaaah! …Sahyeong… I don’t want to be kicked out… I just found a place to belong… I want to be a proud disciple of our sect… Uwaaah!”
I cried even harder, my words choking up with an exaggerated whimper.
Seeing me like this, Sahyeong’s lovely face grew more soaked with worried feelings and emotion.
Yes!
Seeing his face made me feel this was just right!
Through two months of staying together, I had learned that Sahyeong was the kind of person whose emotions were easily read on his face.
Perhaps the real reason he wore that netted hat in my previous life was not just to hide his face, but because his facial expressions revealed his thoughts and feelings way too easily!
So judging by Sahyeong’s facial reactions, I needed to stop my tears soon to maximize the effect.
Just as I was gathering myself to stop the tears…
Suddenly, he pulled me into a hug.
What the heck?
What’s with him?
Why’s he hugging me out of the blue?
I tried to wiggle out of his grip, but the harder I struggled, the tighter he held me!
His arms, surprisingly slender like a girl’s, where on earth did his strength come from?
Is he using inner power?!
Damn it!
Out of all things, I can’t believe my first hug would be from a guy! Snatching my first hug away from me!
That can’t be happening!
I had sworn my first hug would be shared with a breathtaking beauty! But it’s a guy that snatched it away!
His body smelled like sweet wildflowers, and as his warm embrace enveloped me, it felt annoyingly good—almost like those countless fantasies of being held by a woman that had been running through my head!
“Hic… uhh…”
Tears not of acting, but of real emotional distress streamed down my face.
Thinking about it logically, I understood why he hugged me.
If I were to guess the psychology of a still-young Sahyeong, he must’ve thought, “What should I do to comfort my younger brother who’s bawling?” and panicked, ultimately pulling me into a hug as a last resort!
But emotionally, I simply couldn’t accept this hug.
This can’t be happening!
How could this be the moment I finally lose my cherished first hug?
No, it has to be a sweet moment with a precious beauty, not with…!
I’m so frustrated!
I felt anger mingled with embarrassment as I struggled against Sahyeong’s tight grip.
Trapped in the embrace that stole my first hug, all I could do was shed tears of rage and resignation.
“It’s okay, Saje. It’s okay. Don’t cry. Stop. I’m sorry.”
Sahyeong softly patted my head while still holding me close.
His voice was annoyingly soothing with that neutral tone.
“…don’t cry… I made a mistake… I had no idea you were carrying such worries before you spoke up.”
He whispered sweetly into my ear and gently patted my back.
He had a point.
I had to stop my tears.
If I didn’t, I would never break free from this irritating man’s embrace.
But alas, the tears that had flowed so freely couldn’t be halted, streaming down my cheeks like I’d been peppered with tear gas.
This was all due to my superb acting—I had nailed it a bit TOO well.
I had never expected Sahyeong would embrace me like this!
“Boohoo… damn it…”
With Sahyeong’s stronghold around me, I swore softly in Korean.
Typically, well-prepared first juice would often be a guaranteed win, but I learned the hard way that sometimes, a setup taken too far could lead to utter defeat.
In this second life of mine, that was a lesson I finally came to understand.
That day, I found myself robbed of the pure feelings I had cherished for over fifty years.