Chapter 11: Bear The Pain, Memory Retain, Or Be Consumed Where The Dark Reign (1).
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Swoosh.
A faint breeze carried with it the chill of winter.
Snow accumulated atop the small house was beginning to melt.
And the sun poured its warmth after a long cold.
Creak.
With black sand scattering across the grass, the creaking of the wooden door grated on the ears.
In the Village of Black Sand, it was midday.
Despite a black wall harder than steel surrounding the entire village, the cold persisted, refusing to fade.
Before the eyes of the immigrant from the southern continent, Choi Jung Dae, the resilient winter roses showed signs of blooming.
Sitting on the grass, watching the cottage before him anxiously, Jung Dae sighed, thinking of his life.
Years ago, Jung Dae left the ruins of his village nestled in the Yonam Empire.
After securing a boat for himself, he risked his life to come to this island, and by good fortune, arrived without trouble.
No one from his homeland was left alive, no family beside him, no homeland to return to, no friend to consult.
Weak in body, pure in heart, scant in wits, this man's survival was only by the will of fate.
He barely had anything.
Except his experience as a farmer, he practiced what could secure his livelihood.
Gripping his hoe, he traversed the island along caravan routes, lest a hungry beast devour him.
After arduous stumbling, fortune smiled upon him, and he became one of the villagers.
From a youth to an adult, single then a husband.
And today, he becomes a father.
Thinking of this, his life wasn't bad; rather, it was a satisfying life.
But now his heart pulsed violently.
For the first time in his life, he felt an incomprehensible fear.
Fatherhood, a stage one experiences one day.
Everyone understands what it means for a human to be a father, but no one feels qualified for it.
And those were Jung Dae's emotions.
Is it a boy? Or a girl? How should I act the moment my eyes meet that child?
With a sense of urgency, one cannot stop thinking.
Upon thinking, emotions intensify.
Between happiness and excitement, fear and impatience, new thoughts are born from these emotions, then the process repeats.
Thus arises anxiety.
He stands at times and walks in circles, sits and trembles at other times.
"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay! Hoo, hoo, hooof!"
"Aaaaaaaah---!"
Hearing the scream of pain from inside the cottage made his heartbeat stop for a moment.
'Don't tell me... no, no, hope for good and good will come!'
He resisted his urge to run towards the cottage and check, then focused his senses on his surroundings.
There must be no danger nearby.
And if calamity comes, he is ready for it!
"Waaaah! Waaaaah!"
A baby's cry filled the surroundings.
While watching the fields on the horizon, the infant's cry made him scared, anxious, confused, and happy.
He could no longer be patient, so he ran towards the cottage, stood outside, and began speaking.
"What happened! Is my wife alright? Is she?"
His intensely worried words contradicted his soft whisper, fearing to hurt his wife and newborn even unintentionally.
"Don't come in now, I'm handling complications!"
The midwife inside the cottage ordered him away; now was not the time.
"Hooof... hooof..."
"Waaaaah! Waaaaah! Waaah!"
The midwife monitored the mother's breath and the infant's crying.
She wiped the sweat of the mother and child, checked the pulse, sight, physical reactions, and convulsions.
She had to ensure their health; distraction was unforgivable.
Jung Dae didn't know the complexities of childbirth, but he quietly retreated despite his worry.
"Hard, truly hard to live in this world."
The midwife sighed with pity.
In a world where medical arts were monopolized, childbirth was a serious matter.
Some pregnant women ended up dying during delivery, from brain shock due to lack of anesthesia, not to mention the shortage of skilled hands.
Of course, there were many Egos that could restore even severed parts, let alone childbirth, and experts who dedicated their creativity to life and its affairs.
Yet they were the privilege of affluent societies; the poor, the majority of people, were incapable, so the hope for a new life was fading like scattered ashes.
But here, the mortality rate was low, and the reason was none other than the village chief's wife, Thynia Evenus.
After Thynia became paralyzed, she shifted from combat to healing, and in her quest to understand the aspect of Sensing, that quest delved deeply into life.
In the end, she became a medical expert, and the fears of childbirth troubled her.
She then utilized her understanding of sensing core energy to monitor what happens inside bodies.
Monitoring the mother's health, the nutrients absorbed by the fetus, the effects of medicinal herbs on the mother and fetus's health, then she honed techniques for muscle relaxation, pain relief, and finally, handling complications.
After eight long years, here we are today.
Thynia's path evolved greatly due to her misfortunes, because she did not flee from her pains.
And while pitying the village lord's wife's pain, the midwife was immensely grateful to Thynia.
Light.
A slight chill, and a new birth opened its eyes to the world.
I watched the clouds in the sky, and a slight smile filled my face.
"Waah! Owaaaah! Waaaaah!"
A baby's eyes saw the simple cottage ceiling, and its vibrant cry filled the surroundings.
Despite the exhaustion and pain evident in her expression, a pure smile adorned the lady's lips. She wept silently, watching the infant that was her son.
Overwhelming love filled Gretta's heart; that's all her mind could interpret for her now.
It's the first time she sees him. She feared for him for nine months, not a moment passed without thinking of him.
The feeling of having a child is strange, ambiguous, vague.
But, she knows well, the gazes she received from her mother are the same she casts upon her child.
I love him with a love so deep and true, Could any purer beauty stand in view?
No words she said, but through her eyes' soft gleam, Emotions surged, an overwhelming stream.
She embraced her child weakly, at which his voice diminished, breathing softly.
And after seconds of silence, the child slept, feeling the mother's warmth and love, he finally rest.
And the man who became a father, though standing outside, couldn't stop the moisture in his eyes, as his tears flowed abundantly.
"Kevin, Luna... I am a father now. O you who were my siblings, your eldest brother has become a parent."
He didn't know what to say, and he no longer cared.
"Hahaha! Look at me now, I've truly become a father!"
Everything now no longer mattered.
"Hehehe! Even the end of the world no longer concerns me. I, as a father, will not care!"
If Kevin were here, he would say:
'Ugh! Your face is ugly! Stop smiling! I feel scared!'
While Stella would pout, Luna would say:
'Hehe, I'm an aunt, I've become a little aunt, Stella!'
"...Regardless of Luna, Kevin, this companion, even in his absence, disturbs my joy."
Jung Dae pursed his lips trying to maintain his dignity, then entered.
But the silly smile refused to fade.
The joys of the world are simple.
Simply, transiently, tears fell.
Jung Dae, for the second time in his life, laughed while crying.
And without their knowledge, Kevin and Luna became uncles.
——————
"You son of a whore! I hope the Skull-Metal Bull swallows you and excretes your remains as shit!"
Ignoring the curses behind him, Leon walked out of the classroom, heading towards the guidance room.
As he moved away, the sound inside the classroom faded, as if its echo vanished before expanding.
And thus — from the outside — the students' place seemed completely quiet as usual.
'The Fourth Star of the Gray Moon, Sand, it's energy originating from Black Sand.'
Leon expanded the range of his awareness, sensing the energy levels of the people behind the door.
"After this, only the children's struggle to get out of the classroom will remain."
Annoying.
Raising children to become warriors, making plans, and considering consequences.
That was annoying.
Killing the problem and exterminating the opposition was easier.
In fact, Leon welcomed profound calamities more than prosperity.
"Nothing can be done, what must be done, will be done."
While at it, he had to analyze what happened earlier.
Whether we fight the strong or the weak, there's always something to learn.
That Red Bull has an excellent physical build and strict leadership conduct.
Theodore is strong, yet also fast; he's undoubtedly the best among them.
But he tends to overthink, making his movements hesitant.
"Constant thinking is good, but excess makes you anxious about every move, reducing your capabilities; that is the flaw of intelligence."
Looking at his life until now, it's inevitable.
Theodore was just an oppressed child who saw darkness before understanding light.
The sword girl was fast, but her fighting style didn't match her strength. It was like seeing clay when it hardens; in the end, it breaks.
Flexibility, yes. If she made her lower torso strong and the upper flexible, her sword would be faster and more stable.
The cat-like one has good reflexes, but leans too much into speed, making him weak, hasty, straying from the basics.
Placing the loud-mouthed brat near Theodore reveals unconscious analytical tendencies, hence I excluded her.
And finally, the green-eyed, gloating one has the best potential when talking about body positioning and precision. What she lacks is experience and depth in basics; the speed the sword girl possesses is what she lacks.
If Leon had the same problems, how would he solve them?
Strength and hesitation, speed and rigidity, sense and haste, balance and fragility, analysis and dependency; how would he act in opposing situations?
Analyzing patterns, training, then repetition, until those behaviors are imprinted in every cell of his being.
Until the flaws are erased, and nothing remains in the blade but unparalleled sharpness.
He closed his eyes, and in his mind, a green moon flashed, with three red stars revolving around it.
The world disappeared; in the darkness, crimson flames glowed.
And that flame transformed; from reality, Leon fell into illusion.
Then through imagination, an enemy stood before him.
Leon imagined himself in their same situations and with their same weaknesses, then fought the crimson flame.
That flame was Leon himself.
The first battle, he died stabbed in the throat after trying to lure his opponent towards his allies.
The second battle, he sacrificed his arm to gouge the enemy's eye, but was cut in half before that.
The third battle, crushed by gravity before fleeing. The fourth, five consecutive stabs in the mouth, throat, heart, liver, knee. Then the fifth, up to the twentieth battle...
The only time he succeeded in scratching the enemy, he sacrificed his leg, his right eye, and two fingers.
"There's immense room for improvement."
First and foremost, it's unlikely they could beat him.
Leon had honed his strength step by step since childhood, towards what he is today.
His habits, his underlying thoughts, his emotions, and his imagination, all were honed for the goal, to create the strongest blade in existence, and the blade still advances forward.
All in all, their habits, positioning, adherence to basics, all were terrible.
But they could be used.
"An overwhelming defeat will make them feel insecure. My moves must be swirling in their minds, gnawing at their pride. With that tendency, they will flee towards comfort zones, which is submission to anger."
But soon that anger turns into desperate crawling, then everything is drained.
At that point, they focus on their only way out, which is Leon's words about core energy.
And in that gap built in the walls of their hearts, everything penetrates, breaking those walls.
Thus foundations are built.
The room was simple in appearance; inside were four people.
Three men and a woman, sitting writing at desks.
The people turned their attention to him, and in their eyes was a questioning look.
Leon extended his arm, and strangely, space rippled. As if pulling something, he moved his arm, then a rope appeared out of nowhere.
"Ah, how it pains my heart to do this... but! For a better future for the people, you must be tied up, my dear teachers!"
And suddenly he spouted nonsense with a straight face.
Who is this lunatic?
And this was Leon's first school day.
Inside the classroom.
"Kaaaaaaaagh---!"
A savage scream from an arrogant youth.
The cold floor congealed blood; that cold strained the limbs, weakening the body.
How can I reduce the strain? How do I move better under gravitational pressure?
Even in his anger, Theodore's mind was analyzing his environment.
Crack!
Crawling is difficult.
With each advance, it becomes harder.
"Come on! You damned body! Move!"
He dug his fingers into the wooden floor of the place, approaching the door.
Small wood splinters pierced the space under his nails and skin, while gravity crushed the rest of his body.
"Aaaaah---!"
A scream of pain came out unconsciously, but he pulled himself forward forcefully.
It hurts! It hurts! I want it to stop!
No! Don't stop!
His thoughts contradicted between surrender and perseverance.
"Grrrrr! Gaaaaagh!"
His panting resembled a wounded beast.
Be rational! Be rational, damn it!
Core energy; everything in the world contains that energy. So, is this environmental pressure different?
Impossible. Even this damned beast is no exception; its ability must follow the rules of core energy.
Absorption: it's drawing in energy and possessing it. Extraction: it's understanding energy and dismantling its nature. But application is the result of understanding and possession, leading to an external effect.
Crack!
He extended his left arm, but didn't resist; he relaxed it to the maximum.
Water, pure flow in a lake. Imagine your blood flow as a pure lake.
He closed his eyes, ignoring the crushing pain.
He had to ignore that pain, not desire, but need. Enduring now is a need!
Energy through his arm flowed slowly.
Don't rush, don't increase speed, just let everything flow as it is.
Then, as he relaxed the muscles of his forearm, shoulder, and even fingers, a thin layer of energy covered his arm.
The pressure was alleviated until it vanished.
"I succeeded!"
A loud cry.
And during his joy, his focus scattered.
Then.
Whoosh.
"Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaah! This hurts, damn it---!!"
The energy covering his arm disappeared, concentrating the weight on it again, and his arm nearly broke.
"It's broken! It must be broken!"
He couldn't even shake his body around due to gravity, leaving him screaming helplessly.
Still, his effort had proven its results.
20 minutes! For 20 minutes the specimen had been trying!
Theodore couldn't use his Ego due to the gravity field and the previous battle, not to mention the psychological damage.
Using an Ego requires sufficient energy, stamina, a stable psychological state, so there's always a chance of failure.
And activation failure causes varying physical and mental damage depending on conditions.
So, he turned his thoughts towards the gravity field.
This gravity has its own rules, but even those rules fall under one law, the law of core energy.
Gravity is, in essence, what keeps space cohesive. This means everything has its own space, and manipulating it means manipulating the space of everything.
Absorption won't work; it's expansive energy, cannot be contained.
This means sensing the gaps in this gravity field and covering myself with pure energy is the solution.
Still, Theodore cannot cover his entire body for more than 5 minutes until his energy depletes, and that's when in ideal condition.
Now he wouldn't last a minute.
Better is to do what he did earlier: cover the arms and legs, while enduring the pressure on the rest of the body.
This plan is feasible because his body is strong.
He, after all, broke the wall of body and core energy, making his strength develop faster, and his understanding and use of energy become better.
And that's exactly what he did.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
And while his teeth chattered crawling, his mind drifted towards the others.
"Should I tell the others about it? That I found the solution? Will they listen? Or mock me?"
No! You fool! Tell them! For the "group"! One for all, and all for one!
He tried to open his mouth.
But no words came out.
If he does that, perhaps... perhaps they'll surpass him?
This idea terrified him. He was the best; he wanted to be the best, and remain the best!
No! This isn't you! Theo, pull yourself together!
No, the top spot is for one person; why should I help them?
For what? Honor?
Didn't my sister die because of that so-called honor?
I won't. I'll take first place for myself.
Because it's "easier" this way.
Then why...
"Why does my heart pound fiercely when I think of that?"
Just thinking about it made Theodore forget himself for a moment.
His instincts told him; they begged him to tell them!
Crush them all. When they think they've surpassed you, crush everything and seize the title of the best!
Just how would it feel when he wins? When he proves that beast wrong?
That he's not weak, but the strongest?
"Ha..."
He found himself breathing heavily just from imagining.
An unnatural smile distorted his face, and his red eyes matching his hair flashed intensely.
And without realizing, he opened his mouth.
"Guys! Don't resist this gravity field! It's futile! Use sensing and extraction to crawl faster! And don't forget to rest periodically to regain your strength. The strongest among you should pull the weakest!"
"And when someone loses consciousness, the gravity field disappears from them, so use it as a rest point. Form pairs!"
"Wha... what are you raving about?!"
"Hooof! Damn it! I'm almost dying! I'm almost dying! Me!"
"What should we do?!"
Towards the cries of fear and hope, Theodore didn't answer.
He just crawled forward.
Towards the door, towards the title of the best!
"Not that fast!"
And he suddenly heard a scream behind him.
Literally, right behind him.
A face covered in blood, a savage smile adorned in red, his black irises made his blue pupils shine more brightly.
That person was Kevin.
"Yo, sa-hyung, sooooooo sorry, but I'll take the best seat!"
Saying that, his arm grabbed Theodore's foot, to pull himself forward.
Friends; they were undoubtedly friends.
"Sooooooorry too, sa-je! But it's mine!"
He pulled himself forward, and with that, Kevin was pulled too.
They had been competitors since childhood, and were compared to each other.
An orphan with no parents, young, no hopes pinned on him.
The young grandson of one of the village elders, 20 years old, the opposite of Kevin.
A ridiculous comparison, and unnecessary.
But.
Society was always built on such absurdities.
Accumulation, accumulation, accumulation, until collapse.
And years of those comparisons and competitions between the two reached that limit today.
And thus.
Bam!
"Ugh!"
Theodore kicked Kevin's face hard.
"Hmph, dream as you wish."
Speaking coldly, he crawled outward faster.
"Hehehe, hahaha!"
Kevin laughed, laughed loudly, laughed coldly.
Laughed angrily.
"You damned son of a whore!"
Kevin's arm didn't let go of Theodore's leg; instead, he pressed on it with all his strength.
"Damn it!"
Theodore groaned while crawling with all his might.
And Kevin also crawled desperately.
There was no room for friendship left.
It wasn't about survival, and not about pride.
It was desire.
Pure desire, burning desire.
An insatiable desire to win, even at the cost of friendship.
This is the world of competition.