STWW 05

Chapter 5

“It’s not my style to persuade someone in a disorganized way, nor to ask them to trust me. Wasting time meaninglessly and regretting it later is even worse.”

This was separate from whether she sensed something suspicious. After all, they had only met a day ago.

“If you move first, people usually follow.”

She had no trust in Soo, yet she was certain about this.

If he weren’t the type to follow, he wouldn’t have bothered to entrust a child to her in the first place.

The man remained silent. How long they stayed that way, she didn’t know.

“Yeah. That’s true.”

It was Dan who was surprised by that calm response.

No, maybe not. In a place where people die easily, such a reaction wasn’t so strange.

“First, I want to confirm something—something went wrong, right?”

“Yes.”

“You have work to do?”

“For now, yes.”

“Is it something you need to do right now?”

Her eyes lowered as she thought.

“I can’t.”

Would she remain in the same place for months? How could she recover the stolen item? It was overwhelming.

“Then learn martial arts. At least enough to face me.”

“Huh?”

“You said you can’t trust me. But what would have happened if I hadn’t come? For some reason, you couldn’t see the way forward, right?”

“….”

She was skilled at observing others. She hadn’t acted clumsily enough to be caught.

“Then you need to acquire the ability to fight and win on your own.”

“Are you saying I should become your disciple?”

“Ah.”

Soo sighed.

Dan blinked rapidly. What was that reaction?

Hunched over, Gyuhong raised his hand.

“The child has been taken to the clinic. Do you need to go too?”

“What about Bido?”

“There’s no poison.”

“Then I won’t go.”

It was only a graze to the cheek, so going all the way to the clinic would be overkill.

If Bido truly had no poison, then the person behind this probably didn’t intend to kill her. That much seemed clear.

The goal was likely to confirm the one sent from the afterlife while simultaneously retrieving the certification item.

They could have killed her if they wanted.

She wasn’t going to die easily, but objectively speaking, that was true. Anyone just possessed would be at their weakest, more or less.

In a way, it was a rather unpleasant conclusion.

She looked down at the river the boat was following.

“There it is.”

Dan lifted her head at Soo’s words.

Instead of looking for the staff, they headed toward Soo’s residence.

They hadn’t been on the boat long when they entered the river.

“Gangseo, Ikyang, Guibong.”

She stared blankly, mouth agape.

Truly, China had everything—mountains, cliffs… everything.

The residence passed through a bamboo grove. She sensed why this place was chosen from the energy lingering in the forest.

It was the best kind of natural energy, yet in this world, its concentrated presence felt rather alien.

Normally, strong energy would be accompanied by magical power, yet here there wasn’t even a trace.

Dan instinctively flexed her naturally folded hands. Her nails scratched the inside of her palms.

It would take some time to adapt.

“Seems like it’ll be fun to research.”

Ah, maybe this time I’ll try being a hikikomori researcher?

A smile crossed Dan’s lips. It was a joke that would never come true. Whatever the results, she would live diligently—even if it meant walking straight into hell herself.

Odane. That was the name for that purpose.

“Shall we start then?”

“You were serious.”

Soo laughed as if to say, what do you mean? She was perceptive, after all.

“Can I be told?”

“No.”

The child nodded calmly.

Soo, momentarily speechless at that response, realized she truly didn’t trust him. A bitter feeling rose.

Or rather, she had simply lived too long to fuss or stubbornly resist over such matters—though he couldn’t know that.

“But I have no intention of formally taking on disciples. And you don’t need to be officially recorded to learn from me. Our sect isn’t too strict anyway. There’s also the case of unnamed disciples.”

Soo tilted his head slightly and hesitated before speaking.

“Aren’t you the same?”

“Not at all.”

Dan shook her head firmly, leaving no room for doubt.

“His philosophy is that only by spreading knowledge widely can you find truly talented people and properly train them. How would you know someone has talent, interest, or curiosity if you never give them a chance? He said secrets simply vanish.”

“He’s… very open.”

Surprise, unease, and suspicion all appeared at once. That must mean he’s not well-known, despite what he says.

Dan just shrugged.

“I’ll teach from the very beginning. Even if you’ve learned it before, just start fresh.”

“Hm.”

Soo smiled awkwardly. Dan sighed deeply, running her hands through her hair. Expressionless, but clearly frustrated.

It had been five days since she finished theory lessons and started practical training.

Dan’s progress remained at square one.

She couldn’t even form a basic energy center.

“Usually, sensing energy takes the longest…”

The rest of the sentence was cut off by Dan’s sharp glare.

“….”

Soo quietly apologized, sensing her piercing eyes.

Normally, if she couldn’t sense energy yet, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. He knew better than anyone that the hardest step is taking the first move from the starting line.

So there was no reason to panic, despair, or feel frustrated. A little more care and time would suffice.

The problem was, this wasn’t that kind of case.

She was sensitive to energy. Choosing the path of a mage in a world that once had nothing gave her this specialty.

Just as someone from a hot place is sensitive to cold, someone from a cold place struggles with heat.

The real issue was habit.

“Hm, shall we take a short break?”

“Yes.”

Nodding, she relaxed as Soo stepped aside.

Dan looked up. The sky was blue.

Her body wobbled, then snapped upright like a toy.

Sensitivity didn’t matter. Hundreds of years of habits and routines were ingrained.

Following Soo’s instructions, she drew in outside air with her breath, moving along the body’s meridians to activate internal techniques—but reflexively, her unconscious mage self intervened.

It didn’t stop there.

At some point, her soul had been swept away by magical power, leaving her body behind, devoured entirely.

No time to consciously notice—it had been a lifetime habit. Even if she realized it, she’d have had to swallow a bitter pill for days.

Could this really work?

[Ability Slot.
1st. Magic (on) off]

Dan glared at the system window and shook her head firmly.

Shortcuts were out. Absolutely not.

Even when wielding a sword, she wouldn’t turn off her mage self, and vice versa.

Even if learning the sword, she was still a mage.

Whether she switched or not, she needed to freely use both simultaneously.

“Haah, huh.”

She took a deep breath.

Forget all previous knowledge and thoughts. Return to the basics.

What is magic? What is mana? What is qi?

The magic she had learned originated from myth.

Magic traces back to twin gods born from the Mother of All Things.

The twins governed the underworld and human realm. In human terms, they corresponded to soul and body.

From this origin, the system manifests as follows:

Mana binds to the soul, while magic binds to the body.

The soul governs mana; the body governs magic.

No matter how strong the soul, if the body cannot endure, magic cannot be used. And no matter how suited the body is to wield magic, weak mana prevents it.

Between the two is the mind, connecting spirit and divinity.

Magic and mana are intensely self-focused powers.

In this respect, they relate to yin-yang and the five elements.

The universe is connected by yin and yang, just as all things rooted in this land are.

Hence, each entity forms its own microcosm.

Yin and yang are two yet one. A circle splits to form yin and yang. The curve of the Taiji represents the waxing and waning moons. The five elements signify cycles—birth, growth, harvest, and decay.

Qi is the force that shapes the world.

Dan swallowed, closing her eyes once more.