Gam Taeseong had to change his training method first.
And then he had to learn the right spirit pills and martial arts to match it.
Next, Hwang Gyeryun—his energy wasn’t something flexible like a sword. It fit a more overbearing weapon and martial arts, like a saber.
Bang Cheonho’s problem was that his energy was overflowing. He couldn’t fully control it, so he was wasting eighty percent of it.
Woo Seokin’s energy was like a calm lake. Out of everyone here, his latent potential was the best.
‘Azure Dragon energy?’
It was an Azure Dragon Physique—something they said only appeared once in a thousand years.
But that energy was still deep inside him, not awakened yet.
To wake it up?
He had to go right up to the brink of death.
And if it still didn’t wake up?
Then I’d have to use shock therapy.
After confirming the four of them’s latent potential, I grinned.
I thought they were nothing special, but they were gemstones.
It made me hesitate.
Should I take them to the True Martial Sect?
When I thought that, I felt weirdly sorry toward my grandfather.
Yeah.
Heavenly Martial Castle needs talent too, so it can become strength for my grandfather.
“W-What did you do?”
“Me? I just checked your abilities.”
“That’s possible?”
“It’s possible. My Five-Element Mantra Method can do anything.”
Even now, new sorceries keep piling up.
“Five-Element Mantra Method... That’s incredible.”
“It’s convenient.”
“Still, in a fight, wouldn’t it be a hassle to recite mantras every time?”
“Why would I do something that annoying when I’m fighting? When I have this.”
I curled my hand into a fist.
“I’ve got a pretty good punch.”
Everyone nodded.
Now that I thought about it, that fist had already subdued them.
“Alright. Starting tomorrow, you’ll train according to your individual abilities. So brace yourselves, and go to sleep early tonight.”
At my words, Hwang Gyeryun asked,
“Can you really make us strong?”
“Of course. If I put my mind to it, I can make all of you first-rate.”
“Then show us.”
“Hm?”
“If you really make me strong, I’ll serve you for the rest of my life.”
Hwang Gyeryun’s eyes burned.
“If I can become strong too, I’ll serve you.”
“Same for me.”
Only Woo Seokin hesitated.
Because he thought he had no talent.
I let out a short, amused breath and asked,
“Why? You think you don’t have any ability?”
“Th-That... Yes. I do.”
“Your latent potential is way better than the other three. You can’t even imagine it, can you? What kind of power you have.”
“Is that true?”
“Want to confirm it?”
Woo Seokin nodded hard.
“Yes! I want to confirm it!”
“Then follow me well.”
“Yes!”
“Laugh as much as you can right now. Starting tomorrow, that smile’s going to disappear.”
“I don’t care!”
All four of them answered at the same time.
“Ah. For the time being, my identity is a secret.”
“Yes!”
I had no intention of making it public anyway.
They all lay down to sleep, then noticed something weird.
“What? The blankets are fluffy.”
“And there’s no smell.”
“Huh? My clothes got clean.”
“And the room’s spotless. Not even dust.”
The four of them stared in disbelief.
I said,
“It was so filthy I cleaned it. Keep it like this from now on. If you don’t, I’ll really kill you.”
The way I said it—with eyes full of killing intent—was genuinely terrifying.
“Yes!”
“Good. Sleep.”
I fell asleep, but the other four couldn’t fall asleep easily, their hearts pounding.
Then they heard a mantra, and the four of them sank into a deep sleep.
*****
The next day, 5:00 a.m.
This was the time for Clear-Energy Practice—adjusting your breath and stabilizing your mind while doing energy-circulation breathing to start the day.
Time to rein yourself in in a quiet state.
But Rank Seven, Third Squad, Room Three wasn’t like that.
They’d already run to the training grounds and were warming up there.
They all wore faces full of anticipation, wondering how I was going to make them strong.
Soon, I came out.
They stopped warming up and lined up in front of me.
“Alright. Shall we start?”
“What do we do first? Horse Stance?”
“Horse Stance, my ass. Come at me.”
“...Pardon?”
“Real combat is the best training. Come at me.”
“Th-That makes no—”
“You’re not coming? Then I’ll go.”
My figure vanished, and in an instant I sent all four of them flying.
THUD—! CRASH—!
When I came to, my body was sprawled on the ground.
The pain on my face told me it wasn’t a dream.
It hurt so much I tried to lie there and rest for just a moment—
Then my body floated up into the air, and a brutal impact slammed into my abdomen.
“HURK—!”
My breath locked up, pain exploding as if my body were folding in half, and then a heavy, sickening pain smashed into my face again.
WHAM—!
My whole body crashed into the ground, blood spraying from my mouth.
COUGH—!
That’s when it hit me.
I’m serious.
I’m attacking them for real.
Fear surged up—at this rate, I could die.
I had to survive, no matter what.
That thought forced my body to move.
I pulled up my internal energy and tried to respond, to fight back against my attacks—
It was hopeless.
I kept getting hit without even knowing how.
As my mind blurred in pain—
I saw me.
They couldn’t do a thing, and I was moving with a bored expression.
How strong is he?
I wanted to know.
Holding onto that question, I blacked out.
*****
“Ugh....”
The four of them had been beaten one-sidedly through Clear-Energy Practice time.
Now they tried to do energy-circulation breathing for the next training, but the pain kept them from focusing.
How did he hit us for the pain to not fade at all?
The crazy thing was, there wasn’t a single mark on the places we’d been hit.
That made it even more maddening.
To other people, it would look like we were faking it.
They tried to grit through it and focus, but the pain made it impossible.
If they forced energy-circulation breathing like this, it felt like their blood and energy channels would tangle and backfire.
Even so, they had to do it.
Because a devil was watching them with terrifying eyes.
What kind of training was waiting next?
They were scared.
It wouldn’t be anything normal.
This time—the energy-circulation breathing time—was precious beyond words.
They desperately wished it wouldn’t end.
But time didn’t wait.
“Stop. Now let’s go to the next training.”
How was it already this time?
Energy-circulation breathing had always been the most boring part of training, but not anymore.
Now it was the training time they wanted most.
I moved them to the next training ground and looked around.
That’s when I saw equipment you could wear by weight.
“Huh.”
Strength starts with the body.
If the foundation isn’t solid, you can’t become strong.
I tested the weights by weight, then shook my head like none of them satisfied me.
Then I spotted a black device at the far end, piled high with dust.
“What’s this?”
On its surface, it had BLACK BRACES carved into it.
“Oh. This is decent.”
I called the trainees from Room Three.
“Come here and strap these onto your arms and legs.”
“Isn’t that Black Braces?”
“Yeah.”
“You want us to train while wearing those?”
“Yeah. Not wearing them? Then come spar with me.”
“I-I’ll wear them.”
The four of them rushed over and strapped the Black Braces onto their arms and legs.
Their legs felt like they were driven into the ground—they couldn’t move—and they couldn’t lift their arms at all.
“GHH—!”
“NGH—!”
Without using internal energy, they couldn’t move at all with the Black Braces on.
“Such drama queens.”
The four of them glared at me.
No matter how strong he is, he won’t be able to move easily in that.
That’s what they thought.
But I strapped even more Black Braces onto my arms and legs than they had.
No way.
He’s not actually going to move with those on, is he?
The moment that thought formed—
They watched me move like it was nothing, and they were stunned.
How is he moving with that much weight strapped on?
Is he using internal energy?
Even that suspicion crept in.
Seeing their faces, I gave a short snort.
“I don’t have internal energy.”
What kind of fresh bullshit is that?
“It’s true. I don’t have an energy core, so I don’t have internal energy. That’s why I use sorcery.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you’re still that strong?”
“I was born strong. Innately.”
They couldn’t believe it.
But they knew.
Jeok Wigang isn’t the kind of person who lies.
If he says he has no internal energy, then he really has none.
And that made him even scarier.
A human with no internal energy was sprinting around with that many Black Braces strapped on.
When he threw a punch, they ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) couldn’t even see it.
WHOOMP—!
The air burst and hammered their eardrums, and they grimaced, staring at me in shock.
Is it possible those are only Black Braces on the outside?
That’s how unreal it was—how easily I was moving.
Watching them struggle just to move, I let out a short laugh.
The truth is, I knew too.
With their bodies right now, they can’t handle Black Braces.
So why did I make them wear them anyway?
Because it would awaken their body’s latent potential.
And once that latent potential kicked in, they’d be able to lift the Black Braces like it was nothing.
But there’s a side effect.
The next day, they’d be exhausted ten times over, and their whole body would hurt like their muscles were being torn apart.
It would be agony.
Pain they’d never felt in their lives.
Endure it.
Bear it.
And you become stronger.
Your muscles turn hard like steel, and strength will surge up even without using internal energy.
And you’ll gain the mental toughness to smile through most pain.
When I grinned and walked toward them, the four of them dropped their heads.
Because they knew exactly what that smile meant.
He’ll probably make us perfectly fine again.
This is truly a new kind of training.
Normally, after training, you’re worn out.
But in an instant, Jeok Wigang restores your body to peak condition—as if you hadn’t trained at all.
Then he trains you again.
It’s an environment where you can’t survive unless you get stronger.
Just as expected, once their bodies recovered, they heard my voice.
“What are you doing? Move, fast.”
“...Yes! Yes!”
Wearing the heaviest Black Braces, they ran, climbed cliffs, and swung the weapons each of them used.
It was hard, but they could endure it.
But they didn’t know.
That because of this, tomorrow, hell would unfold.
*****
The next day, 5:00 a.m.
“Ugh!”
“NGH!”
As they tried to get up, pain like their muscles were tearing apart made them groan.
“You’re not getting up?”
“I... I can’t get up.”
“I-It’s true.”
“M-My body won’t listen.”
Of course it wouldn’t.
Yesterday’s training must have torn muscles all over their bodies.
As those muscles recover, they rebuild tougher and stronger.
But because they overdid it from the start, the damage would be worse.
I handed the four of them a pill.
“Eat it. It’ll hurt less.”
Muscle-Reviving Pill.
A pill that speeds up muscle regeneration.
The four of them—ready to eat anything if it reduced the pain—swallowed it without even chewing.
And like a lie, the pain began to settle.
A little later, instead of before, only a faint pain remained—bearable even if they moved.
If you had this, you should’ve given it sooner.
They resented me, but they couldn’t say it out loud.
But it showed all over their faces.
I snorted.
“Stop sulking and come at me.”
“...Pardon?”
“I told you. The best training is real combat.”
“But our bodies still aren’t normal.”
“You think enemies care about your condition when they attack you? Guess I have to go again today.”