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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 14: Become My Disciple (4)
Kim Do-jin appeared deep in thought. Perhaps he was wondering, Did I ever talk to him about Cha Woo-jae during our repeated regressions?
Unfortunately, during those cycles, Kim Do-jin never mentioned a disciple. There wasn’t enough time, and even if I tried to bring it up, he seemed guarded whenever the topic of his disciple came up.
Looking back, maybe he was already suspicious.
It wasn’t as if Kim Do-jin suddenly started doubting his disciple one day. Just because we’d become closer through those repeated regressions didn’t mean he’d shared everything with me about his disciples.
[What’s making you say that?]
“His physique.”
Once, purely by chance, I saw an old photo of Cha Woo-jae, taken not long after he became Kim Do-jin’s disciple.
The Cha Woo-jae in that photo looked so different from the person he is now that it was hard to believe they were the same. Not so much his face, but his body.
“I figured Cha Woo-jae’s ‘gym addiction’ was probably your influence, Teacher.”
Not all Awakened Ones neglect their physical conditioning. Some take it seriously. But even among those, Cha Woo-jae was known as someone who went a bit overboard.
[Well, I can’t exactly deny that.]
“Heh, I’ve got a pretty good eye for people.”
[What are you, an old man?]
“If I’d aged normally, I’d probably be around a hundred by now.”
Honestly, I sometimes doubted whether I’d truly returned to my early twenties. I’d somehow made my way to Han River Park without even realizing it.
Taking a moment to catch my breath, I jogged slowly along the side of the walkway.
[Are you solo?]
“Are you asking if I have a partner?”
[Do you have one?]
“I was joking.”
He didn’t even let me have a bit of fun with that.
What Kim Do-jin actually meant by “solo” was whether I had a team. Unfortunately, I was a solo Awakened One.
“You can usually join a decent team once you’re around the third star level. I’d planned to look into it when I reached that point.”
Little did I know I’d be stuck in a regression loop right before hitting three stars.
[First, find some teammates worth working with—a permanent team. How long are you going to keep filling in for other teams?]
“Well, it’s not like I don’t want to, but it’s not that easy to find permanent teammates just because I feel like it.”
Besides, who would trust me enough to form a team? I’d planned to start building a team once I reached three stars, but it wasn’t a priority right now.
[It’s fine to make a good impression on my disciples, but at least get one person you can rely on. Having even one person you can trust makes a big difference.]
“Alright, I’ll consider it.”
Even without his prompting, I knew he was right. Having a regular team opens up different kinds of Otherworld Gates—not just more options but better ones.
Sure, more people mean more to split rewards with, but the high-quality Otherworld Gates more than make up for it.
“If you come across anyone promising, let me know. I might just make them a teammate.”
[You can pick that much yourself.]
“But you’ve got an eye for people, right, Teacher? Oh, and don’t go picking them to make them your disciples and leave me hanging!”
[Would they even see me?]
“Since it’s you, I’m sure you’d figure out a way.”
Maybe you’d even threaten them, saying a bloodbath would follow if they didn’t inherit your watch.
[Forget it, I don’t plan on it.]
“Really?”
[I wasn’t planning on taking on any more disciples, anyway.]
"You can’t take that back later!"
[Why are you so happy about it?]
"Well, of course I am! It means I’m your last disciple."
Sure, it would be nice to have some juniors, but whatever. Being the final disciple—it just has a cool ring to it.
My teacher tilted his head, seemingly amused that I found this impressive. He doesn’t appreciate the appeal.
[One more thing. What were you doing right before you got stuck in my time loop?]
"That’s… sudden?"
[I feel like we should at least try to understand why you ended up trapped in my timeline.]
It wasn’t urgent, but he considered it a problem worth solving and brought it up. I picked up the pace of my run, thinking back.
Two days before I’d been hospitalized, I tried to recall what happened. I hadn’t thought about it seriously before, but it wasn’t hard to answer.
"The day before? Nothing special, really. I went out looking for work, didn’t find any, so I just ended up practicing my skill alone in an empty lot."
[Your skill?]
"I only have one skill. Want to see it?"
By then, we’d reached the park. I’d been running for a while, yet I wasn’t as winded as I expected. I didn’t remember having this much stamina, but I wasn’t complaining.
I turned into the park, picked up a small branch, and started swinging it around.
It was just a stick, but that didn’t matter. Taking a deep breath, I held the stick firmly and extended my stance.
Thousand-Hands Sword.
It was the only skill I possessed—and the one I was best at.
The stick sliced through the air as I thrust it forward. I must’ve misjudged my strength, as it veered off to one side and snapped with a soft crack.
Without any magic power, it was all just flashy posturing without the impressive effects. Even with its actual power, Thousand-Hands Sword was relatively modest in appearance.
My mini-teacher floated down from my head, arms crossed as he hovered in front of me. I scratched the back of my neck, feeling awkward as I looked at him.
Kim Do-jin was a melee fighter like me—one who wielded a sword.
Showing my lackluster skills to someone who’d made a name for himself with a sword was embarrassing, no matter how shameless I could be.
And he didn’t even comment. If it was bad, he could at least say so! The silence was unnerving.
"That’s roughly how I was practicing."
[You, listen up.]
"Huh?"
[Did you learn swordsmanship from anyone before meeting me?]
"Just the basics that the Association offers for weapon training. I went through the advanced level, too."
When you register as an Awakened One, the Association offers free weapon training as a life-saving precaution. At a minimum, they want you to know basic handling skills.
Of course, if you have someone to vouch for you or a teacher, you can skip the training. I didn’t have anyone, so I took the full course and even signed up for the advanced level.
Hardly anyone goes that far, so I still remember the Association staff’s surprised expression when I asked to continue.
That was the only formal training I’d ever had.
"The rest, I picked up by watching others? Oh, and I did mimic you a bit, Teacher."
Through the repeated regressions, the most textbook example I could follow was my teacher. I had no choice.
Naturally, the stance I showed now was much improved from back then. Still, demonstrating it in front of him was nerve-wracking.
"Anyway, that’s everything I did the day before. Grabbed a quick lunch from a convenience store, practiced in a deserted park, then headed home."
So, when I found myself trapped in Kim Do-jin’s timeline, I was completely thrown. It had been such an ordinary day—boring, even.
To this day, it was a mystery why I’d been pulled into his time. I wasn’t sure how recounting that day would give us any clues.
[And nothing else?]
"The day before? Nope, nothing else."
[So you just swung a sword around all day?]
"Yep."
I nodded confidently. Some might think it was foolish or stubborn, but what could I do?
Compared to others, I had a lot of shortcomings. Although I was an Awakened One, I didn’t have any special talents. I chose to wield a sword and become a damage dealer because of that.
Not that I didn’t want to be a mage. Who wouldn’t want to be one?
But luck didn’t favor me, and without any natural gifts, there was only one way for someone like me to survive among the geniuses.
Hard work.
Some may roll their eyes and call it a cliché, but they’re wrong. Effort was my only option.
There was no other choice, so I just worked hard.
If other Awakened Ones did something once, I’d do it twice. If they slept two hours, I’d settle for one.
I figured that doubling what others did wouldn’t allow me to fully catch up, but it would at least let me hold my own.
The one thing I was better at than others was my focus. It didn’t match my appearance, but I had strong concentration.
When I held the branch, I even forgot that my teacher was watching. That tunnel vision could be both my strength and my weakness.
[Damn, so that’s how it happened.]
"Huh? What do you mean?"
My teacher seemed to have realized something, furrowing his brows. It was a serious moment, but I couldn’t help finding it funny. Watching him frown, with his doll-like face, made him look anything but serious. Ahem.
[The reason you got trapped in my time, even if just briefly. That day, I happened to have a day off too.]
Wait, what was he getting at? I tossed the stick on the ground and looked at him.
[I figured I’d use the rare day off to train all day with my sword.]
"Huh? All day?"
[Yeah, then I walked back home.]
"I walked back too."
[I walked home too.]
Why walk, though? With all the money he has, he could easily drive or have a chauffeur. No one would bat an eye if he had someone pick him up.
"Did you grab lunch at a convenience store, too? Just some ramen or something?"
My teacher looked away, a bit embarrassed. He mumbled an excuse, as if wondering why he should even feel embarrassed.
[I’m human too, you know. I can like ramen.]
"Fire Ramen Carbonara Flavor."
[Sounds good.]
He actually looked serious, even drooling a bit. That’s my favorite ramen! A cold can of beer with that would be… I decided to test the waters and found out he had the exact same taste in beer.
What was going on here? Was he unusually youthful, or did I have the tastes of an old man? How could we be this similar? I was confused about how to feel.
"So, are you saying the reason I got trapped in your time is because, just before I died, I had lived the exact same day as you?"
[That seems like the most plausible explanation for now.]
"Seriously?! So that’s why I had that weird craving for black bean noodles and orange juice that day!"
So if I had gone for black bean noodle ramen instead of the carbonara flavor, and had juice instead of beer, maybe I wouldn’t have ended up trapped in his time!
My teacher looked at me without saying a word. His face seemed to say, Oh, I kind of thought the same thing that day.
Thankfully, he didn’t say it out loud. He was a considerate guy.
He seemed to have something to say, though, as he floated in front of me, muttering to himself.
[I didn’t think I had the taste of a kid…]
So that’s what it was?
I thought I’d been caught in some grand, mysterious reason for the time loop. But to think that the reason was just because I had the same day as the one in the loop.
And what were the odds that I’d die exactly two days after that looped day?
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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