Chapter: 547
[Stop feeling useless and try to see.]
It was roughly half a year since I had started training seriously.
After being thoroughly beaten down, I found myself on the ground while Paejon furrowed his brow at me.
[How many times have I told you that just moving on instinct will lead to this outcome?]
I had to furrow my brow at Paejon’s words as well.
[If you look first and then move, it’ll be too late.]
The goal of this training was to block Paejon’s movements.
Only after mastering that could I begin training in the second form of the Tuapacheonmu.
But…
[Isn’t it faster to just move by instinct?]
Acting by predicting the opponent’s movements.
It’s only natural that predicting first and then moving is faster than looking and then moving.
Even at that time, I still couldn’t grasp Paejon’s methods.
[Tsk tsk.]
Paejon clicked his tongue at what I said.
[A prediction is merely a prediction. How can you move with certainty about something you haven’t directly seen?]
Paejon extended his hand.
I groaned and took his hand to get up.
Ah, damn… My ribs from earlier are killing me.
Holding my ribs, I asked Paejon, [So, are you saying we have to see and move even if it’s late?]
[That’s different. As you said, if you use your eyes to watch and move, it’s too late, meaning it’s pointless.]
I frowned at Paejon’s words. It seemed ridiculous to me.
[Then what do you want me to do?]
In response to my question, Paejon pointed at my eyes with his finger.
[Don’t look with your eyes.]
He then pointed at his chest.
[Look with your heart.]
[…Huh? What kind of crazy talk is that…. No, that’s just nonsense…]
Bam!
[Oof!]
I wobbled after getting hit in the head.
[As the days pass, the thorns in my mouth seem to grow bigger. Should I straighten you out for a change?]
[…Ugh…]
While I took the blame for my outburst, I felt a bit wronged this time.
[You tell me to look, but then you say to look with my heart? Is that any different from feeling it with my instincts?]
[It is different. ‘Seeing’ and ‘feeling’ are significantly different things.]
[So this isn’t just a play on words?]
[Correct.]
Paejon wore a faint smile.
I found that overly confident smile extremely annoying.
People who are all too aware of their own talents really grinded my gears.
[Every movement has a preparatory phase, you know?]
[…I know.]
I nodded at Paejon’s words. It was a common sense thing.
The shoulder moves to extend the fist.
Before that, the upper body moves.
From there, you can figure out where the fist will extend and how.
Once you hone your perception skills, you can predict and act accordingly.
So, in the end, cutting off the flow and blocking means predicting your opponent’s movements and cutting them off before they can occur.
At least that’s how I understood it.
But now, what in the world was Paejon saying?
[Are you saying that isn’t the case?]
[Isn’t that, in essence, a prediction?]
[…Then… what do you want me to do?]
Despite listening thoroughly, I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.
What on earth is he expecting from me?
I had been getting beaten and trained for half a year, yet I still couldn’t find the thread.
To my frustration, Paejon continued his explanation while stroking the chin that sported no beard.
[Do you know what the most honest thing in this world is?]
[I don’t know? Me?]
[Ha, you’re talking nonsense.]
I tried throwing out a joke, but apparently, it fell flat.
Paejon sighed slightly, seeming a bit disappointed, and continued.
[If we had to nitpick, there are probably many answers. But right now, the answer is ‘bet.’]
[A bet?]
[Yes, there isn’t a friend more straightforward than a bet. Show me your honesty. Go ahead.]
At Paejon’s words, I immediately lifted my shoulders.
The pre-action targeted his face, but I feigned an extension instead.
Paejon reacted slightly. I anticipated that response and adjusted my path, angling for his neck…
Bam!
[Ugh!?]
My arm extended awkwardly and bounced back without any force.
I hadn’t even managed to extend properly.
I was blocked before I could even unleash my strength.
Every single moment of sparring with Paejon felt this way.
Cradling my sore wrist, I looked at him.
[What do you think went wrong?]
When asked about my feelings on the failure, I pondered for a moment before answering.
[…Well, did the bet show?]
[Sadly, it fits your peculiar temperament. You actually use less than optimum methods pretty well.]
[You’re just pretending to compliment me to insult me, right?]
[If I say it bluntly, won’t it hurt you?]
I wish he knew how much this ridiculous banter hurt.
[Then what is it?]
[I merely observed. I saw where and how you moved.]
[That’s why…]
What’s the difference from merely predicting?
I stifled the words that nearly popped out of my mouth.
This was a repetitive conversation I had been having for six months already.
[I keep saying this, but predicting moves based on observing the preparatory actions is not a bad practice; however, if you incorporate figments, you will inevitably be held back.]
Those who have become skilled at fighting mix various moves with figments.
That way, they can throw off their predictions.
[If you lack conviction, thoughts will only become distractions. In that case, your body will fall behind.]
Having to think of multiple things in quick succession means that even a moment’s hesitation can lead to failure.
[Thus, you must see. To reduce unnecessary thoughts and become more certain.]
[…If not to look at the preliminary actions, then what should I be looking at?]
I still could not understand.
No matter how hard I tried to make sense of it, I ended up back at square one.
This back-and-forth was maddening already.
[What you should focus on isn’t the opponent’s body, you incompetent disciple.]
Paejon continued to drive home one particular point.
[As I mentioned earlier, I think the most honest thing is a ‘bet’. A bet does not deceive, it’s rather transparent.]
Shhh.
Paejon spoke while extending his fist forward.
[When a warrior acts, what do you believe is the first thing that responds?]
While I briefly pondered this, Paejon gave his answer without waiting for mine.
[It’s the bet. The bet has already arrived at the result the person desires.]
I found myself confused.
[What does that even mean…!]
A fist flew right in front of my nose. I hastily turned my head to dodge it.
Bang! As I barely managed to evade, a sound sliced through the air.
Startled by the sudden action, Paejon spoke to me, maintaining his signature grin.
[If I want to throw a punch at you, it means my body has already started to perform that action.]
[Huh?]
[The bet is a path. Martial arts is about creating that path with a bet and climbing onto it with your body.]
As I listened to Paejon’s explanation, a flicker of understanding began to surface.
If the bet produces the outcome before the martial artist executes the action…
[That… means…?]
[Right.]
Paejon, observing my reaction, beamed with satisfaction.
[If the opponent shows you the path first, wouldn’t it be easier to cut off their advance before they can even step onto it?]
[…]
That was a mind-boggling revelation just by hearing it.
Regardless of whether the opponent uses figments or whatever they intend to do…
If they’re about to do something, the bet has already outlined the route ahead.
‘I know that the opponent is trying to do something.’
It implies that I could just eliminate that attempt in advance.
By the time I reached that conclusion, it finally started to click.
This was the meaning of Paejon’s words telling me not to feel but to see.
[…Are you saying I should look at the opponent’s bets?]
[Correct.]
Don’t predict what someone will do by studying their preliminary movements.
The opponent will have already indicated their next move with their bet. Just look at that.
I realized this had been the message Paejon wanted to convey all along.
Once I grasped that, I felt a pressing question arise.
[Excuse me, sir.]
[Yes.]
[…You could’ve told me this ages ago! Why did you make me go through all that until now?]
You’ve been teasing me along the way, not explaining properly until now; what’s the reason for that?
I asked, my bewilderment evident.
Upon hearing me, Paejon replied,
[At first, it would have been pointless for you to know. Now, it’s just a time when it’s relevant to share this with you.]
[Are you saying I’ve finally gotten a bit smarter?]
[Ha! Your ego is through the roof. If only you could use that to break through the barriers. What you’re functioning with now isn’t confidence; it’s arrogance. You are a foolish disciple.]
[…Tsk.]
Embarrassed, I wiped my nose discreetly.
[Though my mind understood, my body lacked the time to catch up. Now that my body can grasp things to some extent, there’s merit in explaining it in words.]
Now that my physical self can comprehend…
It was certainly a complex sentiment.
[Are you saying that the time has finally come?]
[Yes.]
I nodded at what Paejon had said.
Well, I was at least relieved that the conditions had finally aligned.
Yet, doubts still loomed.
[…But sir.]
[Go ahead.]
[I understand everything, but…]
I had to face the monumental shock of the notion that before a warrior takes action, a bet has already paved the way.
It was mind-blowing to think that I could just cut off that path and call it a day.
Yet, against this overwhelming fact, the most vital question lingered unresolved.
This was regarding the fundamental issue at hand.
[Ultimately, what about things that can’t be seen?]
That damned bet still remained invisible to me. That was the real issue.
Paejon claimed he could see it and act accordingly.
With that, he would undoubtedly ruin my actions with speed and unpredictability.
It suggested he knew precisely how to move in advance.
Paejon insists he can see it, he says.
[I can’t see it.]
I couldn’t.
How on earth can one perceive an intangible essence unless it’s a concretized bet?
Haha!
Was that statement amusing?
Paejon laughed heartily.
[No, disciple. You can see it.]
[I told you I can’t see it!]
[You can see it. You simply choose not to look.]
[…Are you going senile, old man?]
[Would you like me to assist you in becoming unable to see like this?]
[That was just a joke.]
I hurriedly changed the subject as Paejon raised his fist again.
[You fail to see it because you try to view it with your eyes. Didn’t I say that earlier?]
His finger pointed toward his chest.
[Look here.]
[…This is bizarre.]
It remained an abstract concept. Damn it.
If I considered the previous situation carefully, I could likely express it intuitively.
Realizing it now, it felt intentional on his part.
[I’ve planted an eye in your heart. Peer through the eye of your heart, not the one on your face.]
[Where’s the eye on my chest?]
[Why not? I distinctly planted a seed in you.]
[A seed?]
[Correct, it’s the foundation for transcendence. A seed that keeps tearing down and reconstructing your body.]
[…]
Listening to Paejon’s words closely, I thought it over, and then it dawned on me.
[…Tuapacheonmu?]
As I let that slip out, Paejon’s face lit up with satisfaction.
[Exactly. That’s the eye you need to look through.]
In essence, Paejon was suggesting that Tuapacheonmu would resolve everything.
Was the earlier talk about understanding the body also tied to this?
[This is insane.]
I let that phrase slip without thinking.
Then I blurted out again.
[Can that really happen?]
An artificial transformation.
A forced state of selflessness.
That was impressive. Now he was telling me I could even perceive the path of a bet?
[What the…]
If that were true…
Could such a level of ability truly fit under the title of martial arts?
Not to mention, did he forge this all on his own?
[There’s nothing that’s impossible in this world.]
Paejon’s laughter was deep.
I found myself getting swept away by that laughter.
[If you wish to achieve it, keep pushing until you do. At least that’s what I did.]
What you desire to become, will be.
If you want to create something, go ahead and make it.
That sounded deceptively easy.
[And you will do the same for me.]
[That…]
[If your eyes haven’t opened yet, all you must do is to open them.]
Madness laced his voice.
The more I trained, the clearer it was that Paejon was getting more and more excited.
I recalled what he had said back when I first began training.
– There’s nothing that can’t be done. I will make it happen for you.
If it doesn’t work, make it work.
That was the conviction of that insane mentor.
[Shit…]
Feeling it deep within me, I couldn’t help but curse.
As my body began to move slowly.
If something doesn’t click, keep going until it does.
Paejon’s method of teaching was just that.
What was truly irritating was that he made things happen even when it seemed unlikely.
That annoying reality kept me on the move.
[Only half a year left.]
– That should be enough for a year.
It echoed like something he had said before.
His assurance that he would make it happen within a year.
With that in mind, I began to move my body.
Paejon, having had his share of rest, also started moving again.
After another half a year of being beaten senseless, exactly one year marked my progress.
Just as Paejon had predicted, I finally opened my eyes.
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