Chapter 11: The First Outdoor Training

“…You’re here?”

“Yeah… I am. But what’s with the sudden workout?”

“When you didn’t come on Monday, another senior helped me with mentoring. He said warming up like this helps improve control, so…”

As Yoo Heero spoke, he wiped his sweat-soaked hands on his pants. A bead of sweat hanging from his sideburns rolled down along his sharp jawline. His breathing was uneven — he must have been training since lunchtime, even before the mentoring session began.

He said he wanted to show something, then stretched out his open palm. Seong Ji-woo frowned slightly, watching his actions with suspicion. Then, from Yoo Heero’s hand, wisps of dark smoke began to rise. The hazy black mist gathered, curling into cloudy clumps.

It was faint, but Seong Ji-woo immediately recognized what it was — a manifestation sphere. The same ability orb of condensed power he’d once shown Yoo Heero before.

“What the… When did you learn to do that?”

It was the very foundation of ability use — something Yoo Heero had never been able to perform no matter how many times Ji-woo explained it. His brow furrowed. The last time they’d met, Yoo Heero couldn’t even come close to succeeding. How had he pulled it off so suddenly?

“Hmm… I think since Monday?”

Of course. The one day Ji-woo hadn’t been there. The day he said he’d learned from some unknown senior.

A sting shot through Ji-woo’s chest, irritation rising like heat. The idea that someone else had taught his mentee ignited a competitive fire inside him. His pride was crushed flat.

“Supplementary lessons this weekend,” Ji-woo declared sharply.

Yoo Heero blinked in confusion, startled by the sudden change in tone.

“Why would you learn that from someone else when I’m your mentor?”

“Huh?”

“Was he better than me or something?”

“No! Not at all!”

Yoo Heero waved his hands in panic and hurriedly explained himself.

“He only taught me how to build stamina. This ability — it’s what you taught me. I just kept practicing alone.”

“Oh? That so?”

Ji-woo’s expression softened. Hearing that Yoo Heero had practiced diligently on his own and achieved results made him feel… oddly proud. He shrugged lightly.

“Right? I’m a pretty good teacher, huh? You couldn’t get it back then, but this hyung knew you’d nail it one day.”

“Yes. It worked exactly the way you said it would.”

Ji-woo cleared his throat and lifted his chin proudly.

“Well, of course! Anyway, from now on, I’ll take full responsibility for your training — full care package — so don’t go learning from anyone else.”

“Got it.”

Satisfied with the obedient reply, Ji-woo nodded.

“We’re starting today. Warm up first.”

“What about meditation…?”

“We’ll do that later.”

Ji-woo realized he might’ve been too relaxed with his mentoring so far. His goal was to prevent Yoo Heero from becoming a villain — but Yoo Heero’s goal was to master his powers.

If he didn’t teach him properly, someone else might. And if that “someone else” happened to be a combat-obsessed dealer, things could go terribly wrong. Most dealers were selfish and aggressive.

If Yoo Heero learned from one of them, all the groundwork Ji-woo had laid would turn to ash. He couldn’t allow that.

“You’ve built your basics, so now we move to application.”

Ji-woo casually formed a sphere of light and let it float into the air. The glowing yellow orb shone brilliantly, like a miniature sun condensed into his palm.

The sphere moved as if alive, drifting around the training room — circling Yoo Heero’s face, hovering near Ji-woo, gliding toward the window, then darting to the door.

Yoo Heero followed it with wide eyes, his head turning eagerly as though watching a thrilling rally in a sports match. Ji-woo smiled in satisfaction.

“I told you, I’m giving you full care.”

The orb froze midair — then shot straight toward Yoo Heero. Expecting a collision, he flinched and shut his eyes tight. But the light didn’t crash. It sank into his body, radiating warmth from within.

A gentle heat spread through him, his blood rushing from head to toe. His heart began to pump fast and strong.

“First time getting a buff, huh?”

Yoo Heero touched his chest, feeling the unfamiliar pulse of energy. So this was the “warm, tingling” sensation Ji-woo had described before. Now he understood.

“This is… your ability?”

“Well, not my only one, but yeah — it’s part of it.”

It had been a while since anyone had admired his powers so sincerely, and Ji-woo felt a thrill of pride.

“Have you… ever done this for anyone else?”

Anyone else.

In his previous life, he’d done it hundreds of times. But this timeline was a reset — a clean slate. Technically, this was the first.

“Hmm… No.”

“Huh? Even though it’s your ability?”

“Yeah. You’re the first.”

Truthfully, the buffs Ji-woo could cast at this age were barely functional. But the dealers he used to work with were even worse — high-school Ji-woo had been more focused on offense than support anyway.

“Anyway, stop talking and focus. This buff’s pretty rare, you know?”

“I know. Thank you.”

“Good. Glad you appreciate it.”

It had been ages since someone thanked him for a buff. Yoo Heero hadn’t achieved much yet, but Ji-woo’s chest already swelled with satisfaction.

“Of course. It’s something you gave me.”

Then Yoo Heero focused again. Ji-woo watched closely — especially the shadow beneath his feet. If his power activated, something would surely change there.

Beside Yoo Heero’s shadow, the sunlight filtering through the thin curtains shimmered.

“Huh?”

Just as Ji-woo suspected — a dark arm stretched out from the shadow, grasping the curtain’s shadow. When Ji-woo glanced up, Yoo Heero’s real arm hadn’t moved at all. Only the shadow was in motion.

‘That means he can attack without drawing aggro from monsters…?’

Usually, monsters detected intruders by their movement, striking wherever there was motion. The intelligent ones could target accurately, but that was limited to higher-tier monsters.

A dozen strategies flashed through Ji-woo’s mind — ways to use Yoo Heero’s shadow power, and all the dungeons he could’ve cleared easily if he’d had someone like him before.

‘That’s insane…’

Just then, the shadow yanked hard on the curtain. The rod fell to the floor with a metallic clatter. A perfect interaction.

“When your shadow moves, does it feel the same weight as the object? Like, if you lift something heavy, does it feel heavy?”

Ji-woo wanted to know if the ability had any penalties — surely a skill like this had limits.

“Hmm… No.”

Yoo Heero shook his head. Ji-woo swallowed dryly.

No weight meant he could theoretically lift massive objects with no strain at all.

But before Ji-woo could get carried away, Yoo Heero quickly added, “But I can’t lift, like… a whole building or anything.”

“Why not? You said it’s not heavy.”

“I don’t feel the weight, but I think the energy cost increases with mass.”

“Ah…”

Ji-woo sighed, disappointed for no real reason. Then, suddenly, his eyes lit up with a thought.

“But if we raise your stats through training — and I buff you on top of that — maybe you could lift a building someday?”

“…Maybe?”

Yoo Heero’s answer was uncertain, but Ji-woo was already lost in thought, calculating how to optimize Yoo Heero’s power for maximum efficiency.

“We’ll have to test it. You free this weekend? Let’s do some outdoor training.”

And so, the two of them scheduled their first outdoor session.

**************************

That weekend arrived.

“Senior… who are they?”

Yoo Heero’s voice was cautious, wary. Ji-woo rubbed his face, sighing heavily.

“This is Lee Hye-rin and Shin Yun-jae. My classmates.”

As soon as the bare-bones introduction ended, Hye-rin jumped in cheerfully.

“And also my teammates for the final evaluation! I’m the team leader!”

“I’m just a member,” Shin Yun-jae added, raising a hand beside her.

Ji-woo let out a deep sigh.

Yoo Heero looked at him with questioning eyes, clearly demanding an explanation.

‘I didn’t plan this…’

Ji-woo returned the look helplessly.

“For the final evaluation, we had to work together, but the deadline’s close, so they wanted to meet this weekend. I told them I already promised you, but they insisted on joining.”

He had tried to refuse — desperately. But Hye-rin was immovable, her persistence ironclad. No matter what excuse he made, she simply smiled and said, “Then we’ll just come along too, right?”

Eventually, too tired to argue, Ji-woo gave in. And now, here they were.

Yoo Heero, though startled at first, smiled politely, perhaps because these were Ji-woo’s friends.

“Wow, you’re not what I expected,” Hye-rin said bluntly. “Rumor said you were some gloomy shut-in otaku.”

Cough!

Shin Yun-jae cleared his throat loudly, but it was too late. Everyone had heard it.

“What? You sick or something? Don’t get too close to me,” Hye-rin snapped, stepping away without a hint of guilt.

“Anyway, you’re tall and good-looking. Why’d you get such a reputation? Guess I’ll teach you a thing or two as your dealer noona.”

“…Thank you. But my senior doesn’t really like it when I learn from others…”

“What? Ji-woo said that?”

Yoo Heero glanced at Ji-woo, who scratched his head awkwardly.

“Ah… well, yeah. But you’re… kind of an exception, I guess.”

“Huh? Why?”

Yoo Heero’s quick question caught Ji-woo off guard.

‘Weird… last time he was fine learning from others, but now he doesn’t want to?’

“Uh… well, because she’s a dealer like you, so it’s fine…”

“The senior who taught me last time was also a dealer.”

Ji-woo didn’t even know why he was explaining himself, but since Yoo Heero had asked, he thought it through. The real reason was simple: Hye-rin would one day become a Top 100 Hunter — a trustworthy ranker. But that wasn’t something he could say out loud.

Instead, he reflected on why he’d told Yoo Heero not to learn from others before. It wasn’t just because it was “someone else.” It was because Yoo Heero had done it behind his back.

It was like a pet dog learning tricks from a stranger and proudly wagging its tail — ‘Look, master! I did good!’ — that kind of betrayal.

So, as long as Yoo Heero learned in front of him, with Ji-woo present, it was fine. He could supervise. And besides, Hye-rin wasn’t some random stranger.

Later, when Yoo Heero grew stronger, he’d be proud to say he’d trained under someone who became a top-ranked Hunter. Maybe he’d even thank Ji-woo for introducing her.

Hye-rin was known for her strong sense of justice and compassion — the perfect influence to shape Yoo Heero’s character.