In the Changcheon Training Ground, a heavy rain was pouring down again today.
Of course, that rain was not falling from the sky.
The sweat flowing from a person's body.
Seopung and Yu Daeha stood side by side, sweating like a waterfall.
Drip- drip-
The two were standing with their knees slightly bent forward and their hands stretched out to the left and right.
If that were all, there would be no reason for the two to sweat so much, but the buckets held in both hands and the iron guards worn on their wrists and ankles did not leave the two at ease.
Tremble- tremble-
The weight of the water in the buckets was twenty geun. Since they were holding that in each hand, they were holding a total of forty geun.
On top of that, since the weight of the iron guards worn on their wrists and ankles was forty geun each, if you simply calculated the weight the two were currently carrying, it became a total of two hundred geun.
Since they were carrying so much weight, they couldn't help but sweat like this.
For an ordinary person, it would be normal not to be able to hold it, let alone endure it.
"One more quarter of an hour."
At that moment, Cheon Myeong said to the two.
Cheon Myeong, who was standing in front in a very comfortable posture compared to the two who were sweating profusely.
If you just looked at this scene, it might seem as if Cheon Myeong was simply tormenting Seopung and Yu Daeha.
However, this was, by all means, a training to cultivate external skills.
Cheon Myeong was now kindly helping Seopung and Yu Daeha with their training.
'It seems they can now endure two hundred geun somehow.'
Cheon Myeong looked at the results of his own modification over the past half a year with satisfaction.
It wasn't that those two could do that from the beginning.
At first, it was fifty geun. Then sixty geun. And then seventy geun.
As he gradually increased the weight like that, they were now able to endure it with ease even if they were carrying two hundred geun.
Tremble- tremble-
Of course, if you just looked at that state, it didn't seem like they were enduring it with ease, but since they were not collapsing somehow, couldn't it be said that they had endured it?
As expected, it seems that coming to guide them from time to time is effective.
As Cheon Myeong watched his subordinates' growth, he couldn't help but nod his head with a satisfied heart.
'I-I'm going to die...'
Unlike Cheon Myeong's heart, Seopung felt like he was going to die now.
Certainly, Cheon Myeong's guidance had been helpful to him. It could even be said that it had become an opportunity for him to grow remarkably.
However, that and the fact that it was so hard that he was about to die now were separate issues.
'That demon...!'
Looking at Cheon Myeong's satisfied smiling face, Seopung thought so in his mind.
How on earth could he push a person to their limit like this, as if by magic?
Cheon Myeong always increased the weight or trained Seopung and Yu Daeha only to the extent that they could endure.
Therefore, the moment Cheon Myeong's guidance ended, the two had no choice but to collapse from exhaustion, and it was not just once or twice that they had fainted.
'Should I just... let go?'
It was by no means unreasonable for that temptation to come into Seopung's mind.
Although it was good to become stronger, wouldn't it be meaningless if he died before that?
Although he had endured it somehow until now, he might really die if he did it any longer.
Swish-
In the end, unable to overcome the temptation that had arisen in his mind, Seopung's two hands went down.
"Think of the water in the buckets as your own blood."
At that moment, the words Cheon Myeong had said suddenly came to mind, and Seopung raised the hands holding the buckets again.
The two hands that were raised almost instinctively.
That could be said to be an instinct for survival.
'Even if I lower this hand, I will surely die...'
At the same time as he had enlisted in the Chunguidae, Seopung had been beaten by Cheon Myeong to the brink of death.
The fear that had been clearly imprinted in Seopung's body at that time.
In fact, the biggest reason why he was still obediently listening to Cheon Myeong's words now was the fear that had been imprinted at that time.
"..."
He would die if he endured, and he would die if he lowered it.
But if he endured, wouldn't he be able to live after just one more quarter of an hour?
On the other hand, since he would surely die if he lowered it, Seopung clenched his teeth and began to endure again.
Moreover.
'That guy is still holding on!'
Yu Daeha was also holding on without lowering the buckets.
Although the cases of directly fighting with Yu Daeha had almost disappeared because of Cheon Myeong, it was still the same that he did not like that guy.
He would rather die than lose to that guy.
As that tenacity arose, Seopung shouted and put spirit into himself.
"Ugh-!"
Seopung, who raised his arms even higher at the same time as his spirit shout.
Then, Seopung's two arms became higher than horizontal.
'How about that!'
Seopung looked at Yu Daeha triumphantly with his arms raised high.
In fact, to raise his arms that high now could be said to be a really foolish act.
To raise his arms even more when it was already hard to just hold on. Since Cheon Myeong had not told him to go that far, it was an act that he would not do unless he were a real fool.
However, there was one more fool here.
Swish-
Yu Daeha, who quietly raised his arms even higher.
Although he did not shout like Seopung, anyone could see that it was an act done with Seopung in mind.
Zap-
Seopung and Yu Daeha were glaring at each other and were gradually raising their arms even higher.
A fierceness that only the two could feel.
Since they could not fight openly in front of Cheon Myeong, the two often competed in this way.
'It's starting again.'
Cheon Myeong thought so in his mind, looking at the two who were having an invisible fight.
Well, he had no intention of stopping even that kind of fight.
Because that kind of competition flows in a direction that is helpful to each other.
Since it was helpful in many ways to have a competitor rather than not having one, Cheon Myeong was just leaving the two alone, knowing.
"...End!"
"..."
"You can put it down now."
As the set time passed, Cheon Myeong said to the two.
However, the two did not lower their arms, looking at each other, and Cheon Myeong looked at them with puzzlement.
"You go first..."
"You go first."
"I don't want to. I'm not even that tired, so why should I go first?"
"Really? The same goes for me."
After a few words of conversation like that, the two were still holding their arms up.
Of course, with their arms higher than horizontal.
Watching them, a hollow laugh came out of Cheon Myeong's mouth.
'What amazing guys, in many ways.'
They must be at their limit now.
But to think that they were holding on like that with just the single-minded determination not to lose to each other.
Although he knew that their mental strength was excellent, it was just amazing every time he saw it.
Swish-
At that moment, Cheon Myeong's gaze turned to Yu Daeha.
The familiar feeling he had felt since he had first seen Yu Daeha.
Although Cheon Myeong had not known what it was at first, he had been able to find out what it was later through Hong Yeorin.
"..."
As soon as the enlistment of Seopung and Yu Daeha was decided, Cheon Myeong had entrusted Hong Yeorin with a background check on the two.
No matter how much he liked them, if there was something shady, he couldn't accept them as members, could he?
Although nothing worth mentioning was found about Seopung, that was not the case for Yu Daeha.
'To think that that guy is a person from the Seong-yu family.'
The Seong-yu family, which was in charge of one of the Five Great Demonic Families. Yu Daeha was a person from that family.
When he had asked Yu Eunseong later, Yu Daeha was her younger brother, and Yu Eunseong also knew the fact that Yu Daeha had enlisted in the Chunguidae.
"Although he is an unreliable younger brother, he will still be able to be of more help to you, Young Master, than not having him."
It turned out that it was also Yu Eunseong who had made Yu Daeha apply to the Chunguidae.
Since she couldn't enter the Chunguidae due to her position, she had sent her younger brother instead... but as he found out that fact, Cheon Myeong couldn't help but feel somewhat uncomfortable.
No matter how much he was a subordinate, since he was Yu Eunseong's younger brother and a person from the Seong-yu family, wouldn't it be difficult to treat him carelessly?
When he had asked honestly, the answer that came from Yu Eunseong's mouth was unexpected.
"It's alright. Please treat him as you wish."
"..."
"Although he looks fine on the outside, my younger brother is very simple. So you will have no trouble using him, Young Master."
Now he could see why Yu Eunseong had said that.
'The more I see those two, the more they seem to get along well.'
At first, he had thought that Seopung and Yu Daeha were sworn enemies, but as he saw them more, that thought gradually changed.
Look at them now. Don't they look so close, trying so hard not to lose to each other?
To put it nicely, they both have high fighting spirit, and to put it simply, they are both fools.
Thump- thump-
At that moment, someone was approaching Cheon Myeong.
As he felt a presence approaching him, Cheon Myeong turned his head to that side, and he could see that an unexpected person had come to the Changcheon Training Ground.
'Jong Seojun?'
What on earth was Jong Seojun doing here?
Now was the time to be taking care of patients at the Demonic Infirmary, and even if that weren't the case, there was no reason for Jong Seojun to come to a place like this.
'Does he have business with me?'
He would have no choice but to think so.
But for Jong Seojun to come all the way to the Changcheon Training Ground for business.
Since it was rare for Jong Seojun to come to see him first like this, Cheon Myeong immediately became curious.
"You were here."
Jong Seojun approached Cheon Myeong and said that and greeted him.
Cheon Myeong watched him silently and asked as soon as Jong Seojun raised his head.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came after hearing that you were here, Young Master."
So he had business with him.
Cheon Myeong immediately asked Jong Seojun for the reason.
"Me? Do you have any business?"
"Yes. I have something I would like to ask you, Young Master..."
"What is it?"
"Well..."
It was then.
"Hey, hold it straight."
"I am holding it straight. It seems your arm is trembling since a while ago."
"What? Are you seeing things? Who said my arm is trembling."
"...Are you saying we should go to the end?"
"Fine! If you're scared, then die!"
Seopung and Yu Daeha were saying that with their bodies trembling.
Jong Seojun, who discovered that belatedly.
Since the appearance of those two was by no means a normal one for anyone to see, Jong Seojun asked Cheon Myeong with a puzzled look.
"Young Master, those two are..."
"Don't mind them. They're just training."
"Training?"
"Yes. Training."
"..."
Although it was a sight that kept catching his eye, so much so that he couldn't not mind it, Jong Seojun tried to avoid his gaze and said to Cheon Myeong.
"Young Master, do you perhaps know about the White Disease?"
"The White Disease...?"
"Yes. I came thinking that perhaps you, Young Master, might know well about that disease."
"..."
The White Disease. Cheon Myeong also knew very well about that disease.
'My mother definitely died because of that disease.'
As far as Cheon Myeong knew, the White Disease was Seol Suhwa's long-standing chronic illness.
But why was Jong Seojun suddenly asking him about that?
Cheon Myeong asked Jong Seojun back with a puzzled voice.
"Why are you suddenly asking me about that?"
If Seol Suhwa had been alive, he would have immediately known the intention of that question.
But hadn't Seol Suhwa already died? And she had died more than ten years ago.
So even if he found out a cure now, it would be useless.
As Cheon Myeong asked, Jong Seojun seemed to have realized something.
"Ah... you didn't know, Young Master."
"...?"
"Well..."
The moment Jong Seojun was about to open his mouth, a new presence appeared in the Changcheon Training Ground.
A chill that filled the Changcheon Training Ground as if a cold wave were raging.
Cheon Myeong immediately moved his gaze towards the source that was emitting that chill.
"...?"
A man in exotic attire.
In the direction Cheon Myeong was looking, Daeyeoksan was walking with a cold air.
(End of Chapter)