Ja Yeon caught her breath in the middle of the courtyard.
The trainees and masters stopped their training to watch what she was about to demonstrate.
"Are you going to show us something?"
"It's a fist technique. It won't be of much use to you all."
"A fist technique? All of a sudden, why…"
The trainees turned their eyes toward Yoo Baekjun, who was watching from the corner of the yard. If there was a reason for suddenly demonstrating fist techniques, it could only be that.
"I heard you recently defeated Yoo Kangho in a sparring match. Is that true?"
"Not only did he beat him, I heard he completely crushed him, using fist technique and even aura."
"They say that Yoo Kangho completely lost his will to fight… He's not someone who would go down that easily."
Although Yoo Baekjun had recently defeated Yoo Kangho, the trainees still seemed doubtful.
They couldn't help it.
"There were only the Grandmasters and his family as witnesses. Han Seonga was there too, but she's not the type to go around talking."
Rumors had spread, but since only a few had actually seen it, it hadn't spread widely.
And those who heard about it didn't believe it, thinking it lacked credibility.
"If they don't believe it, I'll just have to make them believe."
He needed to improve his image within the family. Yoo Baekjun nodded slightly.
"Then, allow me to show you."
Ja Yeon began moving slowly.
Boom! She stomped hard on the ground. The floor dented deeply, and the mana from her toes spread in all directions.
Hooop! Ja Yeon took a deep breath.
Shwooo!
The wind gathered.
The mana that spread around began to turn into wind, swirling around Ja Yeon's body.
Wind that boosted her speed. Ja Yeon stomped off the ground and shot forward.
Hissss!
Twisting her waist greatly, Ja Yeon flung her right arm back with all her might. Wooooong! A tremendous amount of energy swelled at her fingertips.
The moment she reached the scarecrow—
Shiiik!
She swung her fist wide.
Her fist flew in a curved arc and struck the scarecrow's face with a massive impact.
The energy at her fingertips exploded. The released mana took on a form resembling a dragon and detonated.
BOOOM!
A single strike.
The powerful punch literally obliterated the scarecrow's face. That wasn't all—the explosion from the impact tore apart its torso as well.
Hoo! Ja Yeon exhaled deeply.
"This is the first form I know. In the secret scroll, it's written as 'Heaven Destroyer'."
"Just like the name, the power is destructive."
"Yes, the mana consumption is extreme, so I'm not sure if the Young Master can handle it just yet."
It wasn't said to belittle him—it was out of concern.
Yoo Baekjun asked seriously to be shown the next form. Ja Yeon signaled to the master, and several scarecrows appeared in the courtyard.
"These mana scarecrows can attack as well. To be precise, they shoot mana spheres."
Bang! With a gunshot-like sound, one scarecrow fired a mana sphere.
The mana sphere embedded in the wall and exploded with a small pop.
"The lethality has been reduced as much as possible, so they won't injure you—but getting hit still stings."
"So you brought all of them out because…?"
"Because of the next form I want to show you."
Mana gathered in Ja Yeon's hand.
A blue film of mana wrapped around her palm, and Ja Yeon slowly began to move her hand.
"Make them all attack."
Ja Yeon gave a calm command.
At once, the scarecrows fired mana spheres at Ja Yeon. Dozens of them.
Even though they weren't lethal, that many at once wouldn't just sting.
"Hmmm…"
The mana spheres approached at incredible speed.
At that moment, Ja Yeon began moving her hand in an unusual pattern. Her hand, wrapped in a spiral-shaped layer of mana, twisted through the air.
And when the mana spheres touched it—
"Ooooh…"
The mana spheres that touched her hand vanished.
As if she absorbed them. The mana contained in the spheres stayed within Ja Yeon's hand.
She gathered that mana.
PAAANG!
She transformed it into a larger mana sphere and fired it back at a scarecrow.
Accepting smoothly, and then returning it.
At first glance, it looked less impressive than the previous form, but it was an incredibly difficult technique.
"Only someone with excellent mana control could pull this off."
"I... don't think I could do that."
Unlike the anxious trainees, Yoo Baekjun watched with a calm expression.
'It's an incredibly useful skill. If I learn it now, I'll be able to use it for a long time.'
After finishing the series of demonstrations, Ja Yeon turned around. Her eyes met Yoo Baekjun's.
"The one I just showed is called 'Reversal Strike'. A skill that counterattacks the opponent's attacks."
"It'll be useful when fighting mages."
"I've never used it in actual combat, but I think it would be. Though I doubt it could block powerful spells."
Having seen the two forms, Yoo Baekjun nodded. It wasn't much different from when he played the game.
Now, Ja Yeon would ask him if he had watched closely.
"Did you watch carefully? What do you think? Did it suit the Young Master's taste…?"
"Yes, I liked it."
And as for how to clear the quest that popped up earlier—
He already knew what to do here.
"I'd like to try it out myself."
"Hmm, seeing it once won't be enough to imitate it properly."
"Of course. I just… felt something, and wanted to try it before I forget."
"Felt something?"
Ja Yeon widened her eyes.
But only for a moment. As if saying, "Go ahead," she took a few steps back. If someone says they felt something and want to try, why stop them?
"Will he really do it well?"
"Who knows. If he really did defeat Yoo Kangho, then he might be talented, but still…"
The surrounding trainees whispered among themselves.
Even with talent, could someone really copy a martial art after seeing it once? It'd probably be clumsy.
Ja Yeon must have heard them too, but she showed no reaction and simply left it be.
'Is she trying to pressure him?'
People were watching.
Just that alone can make someone shrink. Maybe she was trying to see if he was that kind of person.
Yoo Baekjun stood at the center of the courtyard.
'How do you learn a skill?'
First, training. Learn from an expert, or train alone—either way, if you train hard enough, you'll learn the skill.
Right, train hard.
'Why does it have to be hard?'
That was the frightening aspect of the Heavenly Martial Physique.
A talent and body granted by the heavens. Capable of quickly understanding and learning any martial art.
'I can see it.'
Ja Yeon's movements.
What she was thinking as she moved, how her body, muscles, and bones moved.
Even the flow of mana.
'I'm confident I can do it.'
Yoo Baekjun gestured toward the master.
"Start with the second form."
It was a short sentence, but that was enough. The master looked toward Ja Yeon in confusion.
She nodded as if to say, "Go ahead."
BOOM!
The mana scarecrows rose.
There were fewer than when Ja Yeon had demonstrated earlier.
It was likely due to concerns that Yoo Baekjun might not be ready, and possibly out of worry that he might get hurt.
Wooooong!
Mana gathered.
The scarecrows formed mana spheres, and their barrels aimed directly at Yoo Baekjun.
He began counting silently.
One, two, three.
Bang!
The mana spheres were fired.
They were quite fast. Watching them fly toward him, Yoo Baekjun recalled Ja Yeon's previous movements.
How had she moved? The motions of her muscles and bones, the flow of her mana.
"I remember everything clearly."
And more than anything—
"I've already done this thousands of times."
Yoo Baekjun stirred his mana.
The mana inside his body moved as he willed. But unlike Ja Yeon's, it was fire mana.
"That is...!"
Whooosh! A barrier of flames formed in Yoo Baekjun's palm. He moved his hand in a spiral motion.
Soon, the mana spheres reached his palm.
Hissss!
They vanished as if melting away.
Yoo Baekjun absorbed the mana. As the external mana entered his body, it rampaged like a wild horse.
He suppressed it, and moved immediately.
"He's moving already?"
"Isn't he going to return the attack like Grandmaster Ja Yeon did?"
The onlookers murmured in confusion.
Only Ja Yeon watched with a shocked expression.
Hoo!
Yoo Baekjun took a deep breath and stomped. Whoooosh! The ground caved in, and flames spread outward from his foot.
Flames mixed with wind.
'Using the enemy's mana, and making it even stronger.'
The hot wind wrapped around Yoo Baekjun's body. He crouched low.
BOOOM!
He shot forward in an instant. Flames trailed behind him like a blazing tail.
Screeech!
While charging, he twisted his waist sharply and flung his right arm back with all his might. His palm burned with searing fire.
The distance to the scarecrow closed.
FWOOOOOSH!
A powerful punch fired in an arc.
His punch tore the scarecrow apart. The fiery energy gathered in his palm then exploded—
"Ooooh...!"
"Incredible!"
From his fingertips, fire resembling a dragon's head surged forth and devoured the scarecrow.
The utterly destroyed scarecrow burned in flames. The grandmaster watching clicked his tongue.
'It's similar to what Grandmaster Ja Yeon performed. But it seems he's refined it in his own way.'
Was such a thing even possible?
It wasn't enough that he mimicked a martial art he saw for the first time—he even improved on it?
The master looked toward Ja Yeon.
"What in the world…?"
Ja Yeon was equally shocked.
'He's mimicking my movements exactly. Even how I manipulated mana—everything.'
The timing of Ja Yeon's step, the timing she twisted her waist and pulled her arm back—
Even the timing she moved her internal mana, all matched perfectly.
"Mm, mm..."
Ja Yeon let out a groan.
She herself had been called a genius.
And yet, it had taken her a long, very long time to master this martial art. But Yoo Baekjun had learned it after seeing it just once.
'He's still rough, but at that level, it's impressive.'
Yoo Baekjun's eyes met Ja Yeon's.
Only then did she realize the trainees around her were murmuring, glancing back and forth between her and him.
"I think this is the first time I've seen Grandmaster Ja Yeon so shocked..."
"Didn't they say Young Master Yoo Baekjun had no talent? Were those just baseless rumors?"
"How would I know?"
Ja Yeon cleared her throat. The noisy trainees immediately fell silent.
"Apologies. The trainees were…"
"It's fine. I know there are plenty of rumors about me within the family."
Yoo Baekjun brushed it off calmly. Ja Yeon cleared her throat again.
"…You're remarkable. To use the mana absorbed from Reversal Strike to execute Heaven Destroyer..."
Easier said than done.
To absorb external mana—especially mana used by someone else—and instantly make it your own and use it…
The process was completely nonsensical.
"My mana reserves are still shallow compared to Grandmaster Ja Yeon's. I assumed I wouldn't be able to unleash Heaven Destroyer at the same level."
Yoo Baekjun answered humbly.
It was thanks to the attribute conversion effect, and the combined effect of the Heavenly Martial Physique.
"I just wondered—what if I temporarily borrowed the mana I lacked from outside?"
"The fact that you even thought of that…"
Ja Yeon shook her head in disbelief.
But only for a moment. Soon, she looked at Yoo Baekjun with eyes more passionate than ever.
"I felt it when we first met, but… you truly have exceptional talent. I don't know how much I can actually teach you."
"If you're willing to teach, then I'll…"
Yoo Baekjun glanced at a message that appeared on the corner of his vision and smiled faintly.
"…humbly accept your guidance."
It was a message saying the quest had been completed.