It wasn’t that I was particularly weak.
I was just afraid that I might accidentally hurt someone while swinging my sword.
So, I let them sway me and didn’t think about fighting back.
‘Slow, slow. Weaker than I thought.’
Fragile, as if they’d break with the slightest touch—that’s how people looked to me.
Weak, feeble, and easily hurt, I couldn’t bring myself to swing my sword with strength.
But after regaining the memories of my past life, I came to a realization.
The human body isn’t as fragile as I once believed.
It was all just an illusion.
“…Shhh!”
“The one who fell, pick up your sword quickly and come back.”
“… .”
Even if you hit someone’s arm, it won’t break.
Even if you hit their shoulder, it won’t break.
Even if you graze their Adam’s apple, they won’t die.
Human vitality is surprisingly tenacious.
‘They were really pathetic.’
Thinking back to my past self, I realized how ridiculous I had been.
I looked at the boys sprawled on the floor and spoke.
“Let’s do one more round. Get up.”
“Ugh… .”
The boys groaned, clutching their sides as they rolled on the ground, clearly in pain.
But I didn’t care.
I knew they wouldn’t die from this.
Besides, they were characters from the game.
“Stop joking and get up.”
“…”
“Or do we keep going with you like that?”
The triplets were extras with a nickname that didn’t suit them: Kerberos.
They were just lackeys who had fallen under Kang Han-byeol’s sway.
There was no way they’d collapse after just a few sparring matches.
Even with swollen hands that could barely hold their swords, they still had enough strength to stand.
I pulled them up forcefully.
“You… You’re really doing this to us? Are you crazy!?”
“That’s right! Stop it already!”
“We were wrong!”
“Get into position.”
Their voices were desperate as they shouted, but I ignored them.
I took my stance again.
Their faces twisted in frustration as they reluctantly raised their swords.
Their posture was full of openings.
<Suwangryu Basics, Type 2: Maengjin’s Stance.>
For now, the basic stance was more than enough.
The moment their focus wavered, I stepped forward.
My sword, parallel to the ground, moved smoothly from the inside of their arms to the outside, deflecting their blades in a wide arc.
“Didn’t I say this would be like a real fight?”
“…!”
But I didn’t stop there.
I kicked one of the triplets in the stomach, sending him flying backward without a sound.
The others soon followed, collapsing onto the floor, groaning in pain.
“Ugh… .”
“M-my ribs! I think my ribs—!”
“Ugh… .”
“Shall we go another round?”
I’d lost count of how many rounds we’d done at this point.
Kneeling down to their eye level, I asked for their opinions.
They shook their heads furiously.
“Stop! We were wrong!”
“Why are you doing this to us?”
“… .”
“Didn’t you do this to me first?”
If they had any conscience, they’d understand.
They were being treated exactly the way they had treated me.
That’s why they couldn’t properly refute me. All they could muster was:
“D-do you think this will end well for you?”
“Yes! Do you really think you’ll be okay after this? Think carefully!”
“Do you even know who’s behind us?”
“… .”
Their threats were so absurd that I laughed out loud.
Looking at them, I snorted and decided to spell things out.
“Who’s behind you? Oh, my cousin?”
“… .”
“Do you really think he’ll protect you?”
These guys had completely misunderstood the situation.
My cousin, Do Seung-woo, only kept them around because they were useful. He wouldn’t hesitate to discard them if they became a liability.
“You think he’d stick his neck out for you? Really?”
“… .”
“If it were me, I’d cut you off the moment you became inconvenient.”
They likely knew that too but didn’t want to admit it.
I decided to drive the point home.
“And have you forgotten? I’m a Taoist as well.”
“… .”
“Even if I beg my family in tears, they won’t remove my name from the list of sponsors. Do you really think I’d lose out here?”
“…!”
“You’re living in a fantasy if you think he’ll be fine while I won’t. That’s not how this works.”
They knew one thing but not the other.
I clicked my tongue in mock pity.
That’s when it happened.
“What’s going on here!?”
“… .”
Class had started.
The swordsmanship instructor stormed into the dojo, his expression thunderous as he took in the scene.
“I told you not to spar without permission! And now you’re fighting under the pretense of training!?”
“… .”
“Do-Gyeon-Woo, you’re a Taoist! You should be setting an example—”
“They started it.”
“What?”
“Should I have just let them hit me quietly? Because I’m a Taoist?”
“… .”
“Isn’t it your job to teach Taoist swordsmanship? You should know better.”
The instructor’s face turned red, and he glared at me.
But as someone teaching the Taoist style, he couldn’t openly contradict the family’s ethos—especially not in front of me, a member of the family.
Eventually, he turned to the triplets.
“Did you three start this fight?”
“… .”
If they denied it now, the situation would escalate further.
I knew they wouldn’t dare to lie after everything I had told them.
And I was right.
“We started it!”
“That’s right! We insulted him first!”
“Gyeonwoo didn’t do anything wrong!”
“…What?”
The instructor was dumbfounded by their unexpected confession.
I chuckled to myself, watching his stunned reaction.
The next day, I headed to school early.
Though there was still plenty of time before classes started, Yeon-ha-neul was already there.
She must like to come early, just like me.
She sat by the window, reading a book in the soft morning sunlight.
The light blue of her hair shimmered in the golden light, and the dust particles dancing in the air around her added an almost magical quality to the scene.
It was captivating.
“Hello?”
“…!”
Snapping out of my thoughts, I approached her.
I set my bag down at my desk and greeted her.
Yeon-ha-neul, buried in her book, perked up her rabbit ears at the sound of my voice.
“…Hello.”
She lifted her head hesitantly, like a rabbit peeking out of its burrow, and greeted me in a soft voice.
Then, she returned to her book—but not before stealing glances at me now and then.
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