Chapter 118: Do Kyunghye - (2)
One hour later.
"This is truly the dignity of a strong person..."
"It's not that much."
"No! Hyung-nim, you didn’t try to fit me into a different style. Instead, you painted a custom picture that suits me!"
"Is that how it turned out?"
"Yes! You're continuously guiding me in a way that minimizes my weaknesses and maximizes my strengths!"
Shin Yunhyuk was constantly amazed by the personalized tutoring he received from Sanghyun.
He had wandered far and wide to compensate for his lacking swordsmanship.
However, everyone he met tried to change his swordsmanship, calling it crude, which only led to more confusion.
It was difficult for him to change his unique habits and tendencies that had been ingrained in him since he learned kendo as a child.
But Sanghyun, after observing his swordsmanship demonstration, accurately identified his strengths and weaknesses and suggested alternatives.
Rather than completely erasing and rebuilding from scratch, it was an enhancement layered onto his existing style.
"Being crude isn’t necessarily a weakness. It also means you can turn into a beast in battle."
"Ah!"
"But that doesn’t mean it’s always an advantage. Being rough implies a lack of refinement."
"That’s true."
"That’s why I gave you an alternative. In attack motions, put more weight forward to enhance aggression."
"Yes."
"For defensive motions, lower your stance and retreat slower to increase stability."
"You’re truly amazing."
"Amazing? What’s amazing? We’ve only scratched the surface of the theory. If you don’t internalize it, it’s meaningless."
Even with just a single-point lesson, Shin Yunhyuk could feel—no, he was overwhelmed by—the change within himself.
With just a few detailed postures that Sanghyun taught him, his stance became fundamentally different from before.
Not only that, but even the habits ingrained in his body were easily corrected with a few supplementary movements.
As long as he consciously directed his first movement, his old habits couldn’t surface.
'Sanghyun hyung-nim must have experienced the same trial and error before.'
That’s what Shin Yunhyuk thought.
This wasn’t just theoretical knowledge derived from logic—it was a system built through repeated failures and challenges.
That’s why Sanghyun knew exactly how to correct someone.
Of course, Sanghyun didn’t show it. He simply guided Shin Yunhyuk with a faint smile.
'He’s incredible...'
Just watching him made it feel like there was a radiant glow behind Sanghyun, leaving Yunhyuk dazed.
When Sanghyun demonstrated swordsmanship in front of him moments ago, he almost fainted from shock.
Sanghyun possessed the exact swordsmanship that Shin Yunhyuk aspired to.
Not flashy, but solid.
Not overly complicated, but refined.
To Shin Yunhyuk’s eyes, Sanghyun’s swordsmanship was the most optimized for combat.
When it came to slaying monsters, flamboyance and unnecessary complexity were useless.
"Whether you’re training or going into a dungeon, keep in mind the swordsmanship adjustments I taught you to break your bad habits."
"Yes!"
"Don’t contact me unless that habit only surfaces once in a battle at most."
"Huh?"
"If you can’t fix this, there’s no next step."
"Ah, understood! I’ll keep it in mind!"
"Go. I gave you my number so you can call after correcting that bad habit. Until then, don’t contact me."
"I understand, Hyung-nim!"
"I’m leaving now. I’m seriously starving. There’s a quest area near Jamsil Station, so check it out."
"Understood, Hyung-nim! I’ll contact you again! I’ll definitely fix it and reach out for another evaluation!"
"Good luck."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sanghyun swiftly left the scene.
His time with Shin Yunhyuk was enjoyable, but his hunger was unbearable.
He was desperately craving a hot bowl of gukbap.
'Once Yunhyuk grows well, guiding him toward Do Kyungsoo wouldn’t be a bad idea.'
Sanghyun made a mental note.
In his past life, Do Kyungsoo had trained quite a few elite swordsmen.
His team, composed of Sword Demons and Sword Saints, remained a crucial force even beyond 2040.
Do Kyungsoo could be a great mentor for Shin Yunhyuk.
But that thought lasted only a moment.
Grrrnnnng.
"This is unbearable. I’m going to collapse."
Like a diligent office worker on his morning commute, Sanghyun ran toward a gukbap restaurant, his stomach growling.
As soon as he stepped inside, he was ready to shout, "Auntie, one pork gukbap, please!" That’s how desperate he was.
"Huh?"
"Oh..."
"Fancy meeting you here."
Sanghyun’s plan to confidently order pork gukbap was ruined.
Normally, he would be the only customer at this hour, but today, someone else was here ahead of him.
It was none other than Do Kyungsoo’s younger sister, Do Kyunghye, someone he never expected to run into here.
They lived just one floor apart, so they were technically close neighbors, but they had never really interacted.
The only reason they even acknowledged each other was because they had briefly exchanged greetings in the elevator before.
"Auntie, one pork gukbap, please."
Sanghyun lowered his tone as he placed his order and started heading toward another table—only to stop in his tracks.
His eyes landed on Do Kyunghye, who was diligently eating her gukbap with her hair roughly tied in an apple-style ponytail and a simple, natural look.
"Kyunghye-ssi."
"Yes?"
"Would you mind if I joined you?"
Sanghyun was used to eating alone, but ignoring a downstairs neighbor and eating in silence felt even more awkward.
Besides, he thought this might be a good opportunity to get closer to Do Kyunghye.
Even if she wasn’t as famous as her brother, she was bound to become a notable figure soon.
As a buffer player, Do Kyunghye had been highly regarded in his past life.
Many saw buffer players as unnecessary, believing they contributed nothing to combat.
Bringing a buffer meant losing a spot for a combat-oriented player.
If a team of four had one buffer, that meant their combat power was reduced to below four members' full potential.
However, Do Kyunghye had the ability to enhance her team's strength beyond their original capacity, effectively making a three-person team perform like 4.5 fighters.
Sanghyun knew this well and had high expectations for her.
"Shall we?"
Do Kyunghye didn’t seem to mind and casually slid a chair back, making room for him.
Sanghyun smiled and took a seat.
Seeing her up close, he thought she looked even more beautiful than the last time he saw her.
If she looked this good without any makeup, she would be stunning with some skilled application.
Do Kyunghye spoke.
"You're quite frugal. Even coming out here to eat soup. I thought you'd be dining on steak with wine at home."
"Heh, isn't it the same for you? I could say the same thing back to you, Kyunghye."
"Kuk-kuk."
She chuckled.
Sanghyun's sharp remark seemed plausible. Was this why putting oneself in another's shoes was important?
"This place is really delicious."
"I know. I only found out about it recently, but I didn't want others to discover it, so I was eating here in secret."
"We're exactly the same."
"That's the mentality of a miser."
"Exactly. Which means we're both misers."
In his past life, he remembered Do Kyunghye as someone who spoke little and rarely engaged in conversation.
But now that he was speaking with her, she was much more engaging than he had expected.
She even poured water into his cup and handed him a wet towel. Small but meaningful gestures.
With a bowl of soup in front of them,
Sanghyun and Do Kyunghye chatted away. It was an unplanned meeting, but that made the conversation feel even freer.
After finishing their meal,
Sanghyun and Do Kyunghye continued talking as they walked down the street.
Each of them held an iced Americano they had just bought from a convenience store.
"Isn't it hard carrying such a heavy greatsword all the time? Yours looks particularly big."
"Well, I just treat it like exercise."
Sanghyun glanced at Pimakum slung over his shoulder and grinned.
In truth, it was incredibly lightweight due to a special effect, but that was a perk only he could perceive.
"Wouldn't you have more trouble with that? That white fan (白扇), isn't it an important artifact?"
"You're right. Without it, most of my skills are sealed. But it's tricky to carry—too awkward to tie up, and too cumbersome to wear."
Do Kyunghye gently waved the white fan.
It had an antique charm to it, but it didn’t quite suit her casual tracksuit attire.
"It would probably go well with a hanbok."
"My brother told me to wear one at an official event, but I refused. Hoho."
"By the way, why don’t you move together with Do Kyungsoo?"
"Because I don’t want to be in his shadow. Rather than being Do Kyungsoo’s sister, I want to be myself—Do Kyunghye."
"Ah. I figured as much."
"Then why ask?"
"Because I was still curious."
"Anyway, I just want to build my own career. Using my brother’s influence would be too easy."
Sanghyun suddenly thought that Kim Miso, who actively used her father’s connections, might feel a bit guilty hearing that.
Not that Kim Miso was doing anything wrong.
She had the tenacity to grow beyond what was given to her.
That tenacity would one day make her a renowned figure known as the Godly Archer of Slaughter.
"Kyunghye."
"Yes?"
"Want to tackle a dungeon or a gate together sometime? A high-difficulty two-person challenge."
"Suddenly?"
"What do you mean, suddenly? If players don’t talk about dungeons and gates, what else is there to talk about?"
Sang-hyun was sure of one thing.
As an all-rounder with an extreme solo-play style, he would benefit greatly from Do Kyung-hye’s buffs.
If he, who landed critical hits as easily as breathing, received her damage-amplifying buffs—
Then his basic attacks would no longer be just 'basic.' They would be an express train to hell.
Just then—
Vrooooom!
On a relatively quiet holiday street, the sudden roar of a motorcycle echoed.
Of course, reckless riders intoxicated by speed weren’t uncommon, so it wasn’t a surprise.
"……!"
But Sanghyun instinctively felt something was off.
He immediately shielded Do Kyunghye and grabbed her fan.
His body reacted before his mind—an animalistic reflex.
"Huh?"
Do Kyunghye was startled by Sanghyun’s movement, which was close to an embrace, and in that brief moment, his face flashed past her vision.
But Sanghyun wasn’t looking at her. He immediately grasped the white fan in her right hand.
『Recovery』
A swift recovery!
The target of Sanghyun’s skill wasn’t himself or Do Kyunghye, but rather, her fan.
And then—
Fwip!
For a moment, it felt like something was trying to yank the fan away with great force, but the recovery nullified it instantly.
‘A pickpocket, huh.’
Sanghyun’s sharp gaze locked onto the source of the noise—the motorcycle.
And then—
『Death Touch』
Without a second thought,
He used Death Touch, a skill that had a certain probability of forcibly summoning the target.
The odds were fifty-fifty, but if the thief got pulled in—
They would learn the hard way what it meant to pay the price for a reckless attempt.