Chapter 174: Extremity (4)

The day after I ran all sorts of tests on Jeong Hyeon to see if she had been brainwashed, I was able to confirm that my Master had kept his promise.

“From now on, you’re on your own schedule, separate from the regular Hall of the Demonic Way curriculum."

That's what the Head Instructor Chu Il-hwan told me when he called me.

While my fellow disciples followed the set schedule and received instruction from various teachers, I was given complete freedom to train on my own.

If this had been the old me, I would've loved this kind of freedom and probably would've found some corner to take a nice long nap.

But now?

"Inhale... exhale..."

Instead of lazing around, I was completely absorbed in my training.

It’s obvious, really.

‘If I can stabilize my external and internal cultivation, I can break free from the Extremity stage.’

A hope of escaping the side effects of this damn Demonic Art had finally appeared.

I'm someone who dreams of a peaceful life. I'm not just some lazy bum who does nothing.

If I had been a worthless lazy bum, I never would've passed the civil service exam in the first place.

So yeah, I was a man who got things done when he had to. More specifically—

‘Once I break free from the Extremity stage and weaken these side effects, life will be worth living again!’

I preferred to work hard for a short period to get things over with and then rest comfortably.

It couldn't be helped.

If I had been born with a golden spoon and never had to worry about making a living even if I loafed around my whole life, I could have been the laziest man alive. But I was in a position where I had to at least figure out a way to survive.

"Inhale... exhale..."

And so, I was engrossed in training for a good while, dreaming of that brilliant future.

‘Whether it’s work or training, it’s best to be efficient.’

A good idea struck me, so I headed somewhere else.

And at the place I went to...

"One more time!!"

“Concentrate more on your muscles!”

A disgusting scene was unfolding.

Instructor Cheok Il-so was flexing his muscles enthusiastically, demonstrating moves and shouting at the top of his lungs.

Meanwhile, Dokgo Pae, Gwak Sul, and several other new disciples whose names and faces I barely knew were busy pumping iron.

Flex. Flex.

All of them in what looked like underwear, showing off their bulging muscles.

Instructor Cheok Il-so, who was in the middle of leading his Bodybuilding Club activities, was late to notice my presence but greeted me when he did.

"Disciple Il-mok! What brings you here?"

He welcomed me cheerfully, and I forced an awkward smile as I replied.

“Uh, I came to try and learn some methods for external training."

I really didn't want to associate with these sweaty bastards.

But after training alone for a while, I'd realized something important.

‘I've been way too lazy all this time.’

Because I'd slacked off for so long, I had no idea what I was doing.

The only time I'd seriously worked on external energy was before entering the Hall of the Demonic Way when Jin Hayeon was putting me through hell.

Sure, I could train using the methods Jin Hayeon taught me, but...

‘Why would I use inefficient methods when there is a real expert here?’

If I want to train properly, I should choose the most effective approach.

Only by doing so could I quickly achieve a balance between my mind and body to transcend Extremity and suppress that damn side effect.

That's why I'd come to this sweat-stinking place that kept triggering my hygiene obsession.

‘Even if it's disgusting, better to get through it quickly and be done with it.’

Once I escape the Extremity stage, happiness awaits.

I had a similar mindset when I was preparing for the civil service exam. I believed that even if I suffered for two or three years, a peaceful future would await me as long as I passed the test.

Regular hours, leaving work on time, a comfortable job with no fear of getting fired.

Of course, it took less than a week to realize I'd been living in a false fantasy.

‘But this is different!’

Passing the civil service exam and recovering from a mental disorder are two completely different things.

Probably.

"Hahahaha! You came to exactly the right place! Looks like you've finally realized the importance of external cultivation!"

(TL Note: In case you readers aren’t getting it yet, the external cultivation refers to building your body. Internal cultivation or internal alchemy if we are going to be precise, refers to the practise of accumulating internal energy within one’s Elixir Field or Dantian. External cultivation means training your body. If you watched an old school kung fu movie that featured the Shaolin Temple, you’ll encounter the monks practising this by thrusting their hands into sands or punching boulders. In short, going to the gym ala ancient times.)

Instructor Cheok Il-so burst into cheerful laughter and approached to hug me, but I used subtle footwork to dodge his grasp.

"Ahem. I just realized I'm still lacking in external cultivation."

After putting a suitable distance between myself and Instructor Cheok Il-so, I followed his demonstration and lifted the iron chunk up and down for a while.

"Disciple Il-mok! You won't be able to observe muscle movement properly like that! If you want, I can lend you my outfit!"

What Instructor Cheok Il-so proudly pointed to was a pair of shorts that looked like underwear.

“Ahem. That’s all right, Instructor.”

I graciously declined Instructor Cheok's generous offer.

After following Instructor Cheok Il-so's demonstrations and focusing on external training for a while, I finally noticed something strange.

‘Why is he being so quiet?’

Dokgo Pae wasn't talking to me. No, he wasn’t even sparing me a glance.

Sure, we had a deal about no more challenges, but this was the guy who used to stare at me like a dog that needed a walk to the park.

While I should have been grateful that the madman had lost interest in me, I felt a strange sense of unease.

When a crazy person stops acting crazy, it usually means they're preparing for something even crazier.

‘But if I ask him about it, he might just challenge me to another duel.’

After organizing my thoughts, I questioned his partner instead of asking Dokgo Pae directly.

And that someone was Gwak Sul.

"You mean Disciple Dokgo Pae?"

He gave me a strange look when I asked, pondered with a "hmm," then answered.

"I think it's because of what happened last time."

"You mean those fanatic bastards?"

"That's right. What you said to him when we were first surrounded seems to have been quite... stimulating for him."

I frowned, not understanding.

I remembered cursing out Dokgo Pae when he was spouting stupid shit.

But given that bastard's usual temperament, it didn't make sense for him to be acting so docile for that reason.

"That's weird, isn't it? Given Disciple Dokgo's personality, he should make even more noise looking for sparring matches to improve his skills."

"Hmm. I think you could understand it as him realizing that quality matters more than quantity."

After thinking about what that could mean for a moment, I kind of got it.

"You're saying he felt the difference between sparring and real combat?"

“That is more or less correct. From what he mentioned in passing, he wants to reflect on that day's battle and improve himself rather than just sparring."

At Gwak Sul's answer, I glanced toward one corner of the training ground.

Dokgo Pae was there, slowly swinging his sword with an extremely serious expression.

‘Something something diversity and hardship help people grow. Like that?’

Though it had only been about a month since I’d last seen his face, he seemed to have matured by several years.

While I was having these strange thoughts, Gwak Sul's voice reached me again.

"It's a bit different from Disciple Dokgo's case, but I also learned quite a lot from this incident. Actually, I wanted to thank you, Disciple Il-mok."

"Thank me? I don't remember doing anything special."

"Thanks to you, I realized which direction I need to head."

"???"

As I tilted my head, Gwak Sul spoke with an expression that mirrored Dokgo Pae's.

"I'm thinking of dedicating myself more to studying Formations and strategy. Even if I don't fight on the front lines as a warrior of our cult, I gained confidence that I could be of great help as a strategist."

Dokgo Pae and Gwak Sul had these heavy expressions that didn't suit their seventeen-year-old faces.

‘This is… I think this might be serious.’

I should probably go see Physician Seo Jae-pil.

Growing up too fast isn't always a good thing.

***

“How are things going with the matter I mentioned last time?”

To Il-mok’s question, Seo Jae-pil answered with an unusually serious expression.

"It was exactly as you said, Young Master. All the disciples seem to have been quite affected by this incident. Generally, they all seem to want to use this as an opportunity to grow, as befits the warriors of our great cult... but the reality of their inner state was a little different.”

Seeming to struggle with how to express it, Seo Jae-pil fidgeted with his brush before continuing calmly.

"Rather than overcoming this experience, they showed a strong tendency to try to actively ignore it. It would be a relief if they were only trying to ignore it; it seems there are also students suffering from nightmares or occasionally seeing hallucinations.”

“I knew it…”

When Il-mok responded bitterly, Seo Jae-pil smiled gently quite unlike his usual mad scientist demeanor.

"Still, we discovered this important fact so early thanks to you, Young Master. I'll conduct counseling sessions with sincere dedication and monitor the disciples' conditions."

Seo Jae-pil wasn't just thinking about this incident alone.

Since the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was a group that worshipped martial arts, bloody incidents were part of daily life.

This attack had simply been more serious than usual.

"Furthermore, given the atmosphere of our cult, it seems many cases were overlooked because people couldn't bring themselves to show their weakness. Won't there be others who suffered similar symptoms in the past, and more in the future? For their sake too, we need to properly treat and study this condition."

He was certain that the cases he experienced while treating the students this time would greatly help the Divine Cult in the future.

In fact, Seo Jae-pil had been meticulously documenting his counseling sessions with the disciples over the past few days following Il-mok's advice.

The only problem was...

"I'm trying to organize the case studies, but what should we call this condition?"

He couldn't come up with a suitable name to simply describe these symptoms.

Seo Jae-pil looked at Il-mok with anticipation.

Il-mok had named several mental conditions and treatments before.

Il-mok pondered the question.

‘Hmm. PTSD stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, right? But "stress" is English, so how should I translate it?’

Il-mok, who had been trying to recall the modern term, felt that it was too long and difficult, and decided to come up with a suitable new name.

"How about 'Heart Scars'?"

“A scar left on the mind and heart… It does not seem like a bad name, but…”

Seo Jae-pil thought about the name Il-mok had defined, then seemed to realize something and his eyes lit up.

"Are you thinking of a name that covers not just combat or killing, but other cases too?"

"Exactly. Something as minor as heartbreak, or being scammed by a friend could also leave deep psychological scars for some people, don’t they?"

“That means there must be that many more diverse cases, and the treatment methods will have to be just as diverse.”

More work was inevitable, but somehow Seo Jae-pil's eyes were sparkling.

It was exactly the kind of reaction you'd expect from someone obsessed with medicine and work.

It was also a look that Il-mok, who valued a balance between work and rest, could never sympathize with.

And the prey that this workaholic had just bitten down on was none other than Il-mok himself.

"Come to think of it, weren't you also on that battlefield, Young Master?"

"Well, yes."

"Then what about you, Young Master? Are you truly unaffected?”

He asked about Il-mok's psychology with clinical interest, and Il-mok calmly examined himself before answering.

"Honestly, I'm not sure myself. Whether it's because of defense mechanisms or my Demonic Art, I don't feel much about it. But I do feel a strange sense of disconnection from my own lack of reaction."

Being treated like a research subject by Seo Jae-pil was uncomfortable, but he did feel like he needed treatment himself.