They were silent for a while. Chi-Woo stared at Ru Amuh in surprise, shocked that Ru Amuh was able to deduce that much from his movements alone. He couldn’t believe it, but it was a truth he couldn’t deny. Throughout his life, Chi-Woo had never cut anyone with a knife, neither had he harmed anyone or been harmed by anyone. He had grown up in a comparatively safe and low-crime country where he didn’t have to worry about such matters. And now the fact that Chi-Woo wasn’t a hero but an ordinary man who had never even held a knife before was coming to light.
“…It doesn’t make sense.” Ru Amuh shook his head with a stunned face. “How…” He looked at Chi-Woo like he couldn’t believe it, and Chi-Woo sighed while closing his eyes.
The truth was revealed in an unexpected way, but his heartfelt lighter. Chi-Woo thought it was time to tell the truth about himself. He thought Ru Amuh would be able to understand.
“You’re right,” Chi-Woo began, “To tell you the truth,—”
“As I thought,” Ru Amuh interrupted and said, “You’re a hero of nonviolence.”
“I’m not—what?” Chi-Woo frowned. A hero of what again?
“I knew you were different from other heroes, and there was something that sets you apart, but…”
“?”
“But…to think that you really are a hero of nonviolence… I heard the rumors and…thought there was no way someone like that could exist.” Ru Amuh shook his head sideways multiple times.
“Mr. Ru Amuh?”
“But there really is someone like that—a hero who walks the path of nonviolence…”
Ru Amuh looked at Chi-Woo with even more awe than before. A nonviolent hero was a hero who didn’t kill others. Ru Amuh was a hero who had saved a World and many lives as a result, but that also meant he had to kill from time to time. In the process, Ru Amuh had gone through a serious dilemma. He had originally become a hero to protect Ru Hiana and others like her. In doing so, ironically, he had to kill lives to save lives. The memory of his first kill, which caused many sleepless nights, was still fresh in his mind. However, that was only in the beginning, and he soon got used to it as he killed more and more people. He grew numb as he continued to swing his sword.
After saving his World, it dawned on him that he had taken far too many lives. He had killed more than any monster or demon, in fact. His palms reeked of blood. It was such a painful truth that he had killed more than those who threatened his World. The internal conflict never went away and tortured Ru Amuh even now; perhaps that was the reason why he found Chi-Woo so special.
At the Shahnaz camp and likewise, the base camp, Chi-Woo had reached the best result where no one died, and everyone could be happy. It was the sort of ending every hero dreamed of, and as someone who had successfully brought this dream into reality, Chi-Woo was Ru Amuh’s ideal for a hero.
“Then why…Ah! Is it because—” Ru Amuh murmured like there was something he didn’t understand before letting out an exclamation. Ru Amuh had been wondering why Chi-Woo seemed to struggle so much internally for days after leaving the base camp. He had thought a veteran hero should be most aware that such sacrifices were unavoidable. At that time, Chi-Woo had seemed like a hero that wasn’t used to such a thing—it was almost like he was a newbie. However, Chi-Woo’s personal beliefs and strong conviction in nonviolence would explain everything. It was like what Ru Hiana had said.
[Senior…seems to be struggling a lot.]
[I don’t think it’s Senior’s fault at all, but it seems this wasn’t the result he had intended. Perhaps this is his first failure. It must be hard for him, and I bet he wants to be alone. Don’t pry into this matter unnecessarily and give him some time. All right?]
It made sense. Chi-Woo was a nonviolent hero who had protected everyone without killing a single person up until now. However, because of the sacrifice ritual from a couple of days ago, Chi-Woo had failed to uphold his conviction. Although Chi-Woo hadn’t killed them, he didn’t and couldn’t stop their deaths. Thus, he had blamed himself and struggled. Knowing how painful it was when one broke a strong belief, Ru Amuh could finally understand Chi-Woo’s past behavior now. And although his respect for Chi-Woo went up further because of this, he couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of resentment.
“Teacher…” The title ‘teacher’ naturally came out of his lips. “You keep putting me in a difficult position…”
Chi-Woo came to him, requesting Ru Amuh to teach him how to fight. In other words, he was telling Ru Amuh to teach him how to take a life, indicating that he was no longer going to keep his conviction.
“Nonviolence…someone might call it a stupid conviction, but I certainly wouldn’t.” Ru Amuh looked at Chi-Woo with feelings that he couldn’t explain. “It might have been different if I wasn’t aware of your past beliefs at all, but I no longer want to help you. Because I…I also….” Ru Amuh couldn’t finish his sentence. Nonviolence wasn’t something a person could pursue simply by refusing to do certain things; they had to take the longer and more arduous route when dealing with a problem that could be easily solved by killing. Ru Amuh thought about the harsh and thorny roads Chi-Woo must have taken in order to stay true to his beliefs—the difficulty he probably went through. The thought of it shook Ru Amuh to his core. If he could, he wanted to help Chi-Woo. He wanted to tell Chi-Woo to hold onto the conviction he had been painstakingly keeping until now.
However, Ru Amuh didn’t have the strength to utter such words. The hero of all heroes—an extraordinary hero who had walked the most difficult path for his conviction—had put his pride and beliefs down to ask Ru Amuh for help. There was only one possible explanation: he wanted to save Liber no matter what it would require from him. Ru Amuh couldn’t even fathom the state Chi-Woo’s mind must be in. Ru Amuh was sure that the calm and indifferent look on Chi-Woo’s face was simply a facade, and that he was battling himself internally. That was why Ru Amuh couldn’t muster the energy to turn him down.
“Please…give me some time to think…” Ru Amuh hung his head low and returned to his room.
“…”
Left completely alone, Chi-Woo blinked a couple of times hard. He had no idea what mental gymnastics Ru Amuh had been doing.
[Ru Amuh’s trust increased 3.7%.]
[Trust 91.7%: this is the combination of Ru Amuh’s faith and trust in you. Even if your actions stray away from his personal convictions, he will neither waver to become your sword nor hesitate to put his life on the line for you.]
That told Chi-Woo that Ru Amuh had again greatly misunderstood him.
‘Ms. Mimi?’ Chi-Woo called upon his assistant.
[Wow…]
Mimi didn’t reply.
[Wow, what the hell…what…Wow…]
Instead, the only thing Mimi could voice were exclamations of shock and exasperation.
“I apologize for making you wait.” Ru Amuh politely bowed and apologized; he looked calmer than before. “Sir, I’ve made my decision. I will teach you.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
“Since I’ve made up my mind, I’ll do my best.”
Chi-Woo didn’t know the exact reason why, but Ru Amuh’s eyes were burning with passion.
“My main weapon of choice is a longsword.” Ru Amuh looked slightly down at the sword on his waist. “However, I’m planning to teach you hand-to-hand combat first.”
“Hand-to-hand combat?”
“Yes. Since there’s more room for you to spare your opponent with a fist than a sword.”
Swords and fists could both be harmless or deadly depending on how they were used, but swords were inherently more lethal since they were created to kill. Hand-to-hand combat would thus be more useful to Chi-Woo in his pursuit of nonviolence. Even though Ru Amuh still had to consider Chi-Woo’s wishes, this was the compromise that he had come to after lengthy consideration. Of course, since Chi-Woo had no idea what Ru Amuh was thinking, he easily agreed to Ru Amuh’s proposal.
Ru Amuh’s face brightened at Chi-Woo’s quick agreement. “I’m doing this partly out of my personal desires, but…it’s not the only reason.” Ru Amuh went back to the main topic at hand. “I started sword training at six and learned hand-to-hand combat at fourteen. Sir, do you know why I began training in hand-to-hand combat at such a late age?”
Although Chi-Woo would like to ask how anyone would consider fourteen ‘a late age’, he didn’t voice his question, but instead fell into deep thought. He didn’t know the answer to Ru Amuh’s question, but he said the first thing that came to his mind, “Because you thought it might be helpful to your swordsmanship?”
A shadow passed through Ru Amuh’s eyes.
“Is that right?”
“Yes. You’re right.” He smiled and continued, “In fact, I don’t know any complicated and profound swordsmanship skills. I only know the most basic techniques everyone can do such as piercing, slicing, and swinging. It’s the same for hand-to-hand combat.” For that, he had basically been practicing the three most basic moves a hellish number of times. “I did that because I knew a sword as a weapon to kill others and nothing more. I wasn’t able to find any other purpose for it.” Since Ru Amuh said ‘wasn’t’, he must have had a change of mind of sorts. “That belief stayed with me until one day a different thought came to my mind. No, it would be more accurate to say that I felt something.”
Ru Amuh had been speaking without pause, but he suddenly smacked his lips like he was struggling to find the right words. “I don’t know how to describe it, but…I felt the sword become a part of my body, like an extension of my arm.”
Chi-Woo remembered that as one of Ru Amuh’s skills.
“After a great amount of effort and time, I was able to hold onto this feeling, but as a result, I felt regretful.” Sword techniques were based on a person’s will and physical capabilities. He had considered a sword as merely a murder tool, so it had been difficult for him to reach this level of mastery.
Ru Amuh continued with a wistful voice like he was reminiscing his past, “If I had learned to use my body first before the sword…I might have taken way less time to get there…” He smiled brightly at Chi-Woo. “Isn’t it only right that I try to prevent you from making the same mistakes as me?”
Chi-Woo smiled back. He felt grateful that Ru Amuh had generously shared his secrets and methods with him. He definitely made the right choice in picking his teacher. “I understand. What should I do first?”
Ru Amuh’s proactiveness ignited Chi-Woo’s enthusiasm. He clenched his fists, motivated.
“First of all, thank you for showing me your martial arts before. It seems to be focused on defense. It may be good for protecting yourself, but I’m not sure how effective it would be in a real…” Ru Amuh trailed off and paused before he continued again, “Sir, may I come closer to you?”
“Hm? Ah, yes.”
“Then.” Ru Amuh approached him. He carefully touched Chi-Woo’s body and checked his neck, shoulder, arm, chest, stomach, thigh, and calves. Ru Amuh thoroughly examined Chi-Woo with a serious expression. Then he pulled away and nodded. “Hmm, I got a clear picture of what you should do first for now.”
“Ohh, what is it?”
Ru Amuh smiled instead of replying.
* * *
Ru Amuh took Chi-Woo out of the fort. After passing the entrance and the stone bridge, Ru Amuh took one gulp of the river’s water with a satisfied look on his face. Chi-Woo was confused; even though Ru Amuh had told him that he was going to teach him combat, he had suddenly taken Chi-Woo outside.
‘Is he planning to have a practice match with me?’
Contrary to what Chi-Woo thought, though, Ru Amuh stretched his arms and said, “It just so happens that my body is feeling stiff as well because I haven’t warmed up. We can warm up together.”
“What?”
“Hm? Ah, we’re just going to run for now.” With a smile, Ru Amuh explained that they would be running along the outer walls of the fortress. “How about it? It’s easy, right?”
“…Yes…Well…” Chi-Woo replied hesitantly. It was true that running to warm up his body didn’t sound difficult. “For how long? How many laps are we doing?”
“About that…” Ru Amuh tilted his head. “You have to decide for yourself. I don’t know how many laps we’ll be running. We just have to keep running until we’re too tired to run anymore while maintaining the same speed.”
That caught Chi-Woo completely off guard. Ru Amuh had told him that he’d teach Chi-Woo how to fight, but now, he was suddenly telling him to run? And only run?
“It’ll do you good to take one step further when you really, truly don’t have a shred of strength left.” Without considering how Chi-Woo was feeling, Ru Amuh twisted his waist and stretched his body. “However, you don’t have to force yourself since you’re not at that level yet. Rather than surpassing your limit, we have to focus first on becoming fit.”
He looked at the now frozen Chi-Woo and pointed with his thumb. “Let’s start running together. I’ll match my pace to yours, sir, so don’t worry and focus on running.” Then Ru Amuh started running for real. He ran along the outer wall like the wind.
[You really did meet an expert.]
[This is great. You should also start running. Quickly!]
Dumbfounded, Chi-Woo stared at Ru Amuh as the man quickly became a dot in his view, but he got moving at Mimi’s encouragement. Just like that, the protagonist’s first step to becoming strong—the never-ending, hellish running—began.