Chapter 62. The Evidence

"Alright, I've lost."

Kim Do-Joon collapsed onto the grassy field, gasping for breath. The cool, dew-covered blades of grass provided a refreshing relief to his overheated body.

Three days had passed since their first encounter. During this time, Kim Do-Joon had stayed at Jecheon Kang's residence. He ate, slept, and engaged in countless sparring matches.

"Today, you showed some real sharpness," Jecheon Kang remarked.

"But I still couldn't land a hit.”

"Considering your opponent, that’s understandable."

Jecheon Kang plopped down next to Kim Do-Joon. He sheathed his sword and tucked his hands into his large sleeves. In contrast to Kim Do-Joon, who was drenched in sweat, Jecheon Kang appeared completely unruffled, not a single hair out of place.

Seeing him, Kim Do-Joon couldn’t help but frown in dismay.

With a smirk, Jecheon Kang asked, "So, did you get to see something today?"

"...Yes," Kim Do-Joon nodded reluctantly.

Ever since he first saw Jecheon Kang’s past fight against the leader of the Pang family, he had occasionally glimpsed other memories. These brief visions often appeared during critical moments in their sparring.

However, all the memories he saw were of battles and killings.

"This time, I saw you fighting a monk in robes. I believe you called him Master Beomji.”

"Oh, that old monk. Despite being a rank below me, he was quite strong.”

"He called you the scourge of the world, though..." Kim Do-Joon mentioned.

"That was just a misunderstanding," Jecheon Kang laughed off Kim Do-Joon’s skeptical look.

Despite knowing that Kim Do-Joon could peek into his memories, Jecheon Kang neither scolded nor avoided him. If anything, he’d proudly share who his opponents were, how strong they were, and how he defeated them. He seemed to relish these nostalgic stories.

With Jecheon Kang being so open, Kim Do-Joon felt no need to hold back. Whenever he caught a glimpse of a memory, he’d try his hardest to learn something from the fight. It was similar to when he witnessed Jecheon Kang’s battle against the leader of the Pang family, allowing him to respond to Jecheon Kang’s techniques.

"Master Beomji seemed to have a very defensive fighting style," Kim Do-Joon mentioned what he observed.

Unlike the aggressive leader of the Pang family, Master Beomji’s inner strength, bolstered by his firm mental power, made it possible for him to withstand at least one of Jecheon Kang’s strikes.

"But, he could not withstand the second strike," Jecheon Kang noted.

Indeed, Master Beomji had failed to block the second blow, which puzzled Kim Do-Joon.

"Your second strike didn’t seem as powerful as the first one, though? At least, it didn’t look that way to me."

He wasn’t saying that the strike wasn't strong—it could even split the sky. It just didn’t appear significantly different from the first one. So, how did Master Beomji manage to block the first but not the second one?

"You need to know how to perceive it.”

"Perceive it?" Kim Do-Joon asked, confused.

Seeing Kim Do-Joon’s puzzled expression, Jecheon Kang added, "Are you curious? Then beat me in a sparring match."

"..."

That was the rule.

Kim Do-Joon sighed. So far, he’d lost thirty-seven matches, never winning even once. In each of those thirty-seven matches, he hadn’t been able to ask a single question, only answering over thirty from Jecheon Kang.

And now, with another loss, he owed one more answer.

"What's your next question?" Kim Do-Joon asked.

"

Hmm...

Coming up with questions every time is quite a task," Jecheon Kang mused.

Kim Do-Joon chuckled awkwardly. After all, he had already answered thirty-six questions. Initially, Jecheon Kang's questions were about Kim Do-Joon's martial arts. Jecheon Kang asked about the name, history, and characteristics of Kim Do-Joon’s martial arts.

He was particularly intrigued when he learned that Kim Do-Joon's martial arts were created by Karlish. However, there were only so many questions he could ask about that.

Since Kim Do-Joon was still learning and Karlish had no memory, there was not much to discuss. Therefore, Jecheon Kang's questions shifted to Kim Do-Joon’s world and personal background.

"I can't think of anything right now. I'll ask you later," Jecheon Kang said.

"Sure," Kim Do-Joon replied, ending their conversation.

Jecheon Kang put his hands in his sleeves and closed his eyes. Kim Do-Joon had no idea what he was thinking about.

Lying on his back, staring at the sky, Kim Do-Joon rested. After a while, he spoke up.

"I think I should visit home soon."

It had been over ten days since he entered the labyrinth. Though he had informed Siwelin and Kim So-Eun he might be late, he felt it was too long. With no way to communicate, people outside must be worried.

Jecheon Kang slowly opened his eyes. "Go ahead. But if you’re saying visit, does that mean you will return?"

"Yes, I can come back after a week," Kim Do-Joon replied, getting up and dusting off his clothes.

He placed his hand on the Teleportation Stone.

"Oh, one more thing," Kim Do-Joon said suddenly. "Could I bring home some peaches?"

***

When Kim Do-Joon returned home, he was scolded by Siwelin and Kim So-Eun. They were worried sick because he had been gone for more than ten days. If he had been abroad, he could’ve at least called to assure them of his safety, but that was impossible in labyrinths.

Fortunately, the peaches he brought back proved effective. These were the tastiest peaches Kim Do-Joon had ever eaten in his thirty-five years, and Kim So-Eun and Siwelin were full of praise.

As they sat in the living room, enjoying the fruits, Kim Do-Joon recounted his encounters with the mysterious old man on the Sky Road. He explained that his delayed return was due to his training with the old man, who had also given him the peaches.

— Please thank him for the peaches.

"Me, too! Tell him they were delicious!" Kim So-Eun added after Siwelin.

Rather than the old man or Kim Do-Joon’s training, the girls’ primary interest seemed to be the peaches. He chuckled and agreed to pass on their thanks.

That night passed uneventfully. Even though Kim Do-Joon didn’t enter any dungeons, the following week was busy.

First, he received updates from Son Chang-Il about the exploration team. Despite being in the dungeon for a while, they hadn’t made any significant discoveries. However, there was one surprising piece of news.

"They encountered an international exploration team?" Kim Do-Joon asked.

"Yes, they must have entered through one of the overseas stems and met our team inside," Son Chang-Il replied.

Unlike the roots, which were independent spaces, the interior of the stems seemed to be interconnected with those of other countries.

Other than that, there was nothing noteworthy. There were occasional monsters, but no elf attacks as feared.

Next, Kim Do-Joon inquired about the special promotion schedule and finalized the moving date with the broker. Both were set for two weeks later, with the move scheduled first.

The remaining time was spent on administrative tasks and procedures related to the move.

After a week had passed, Kim Do-Joon entered the Sky Road again.

[You have entered the Sky Road.]

***

Whoosh!

A sword came flying toward Kim Do-Joon. He deflected it with his spear, but despite angling it correctly, the impact left his arm trembling.

— The angle is off. That usually happens when the shock is greater than expected. Make sure to keep your posture steady at all times.

Understood.

Kim Do-Joon responded to Karlish as he dodged another incoming sword. However, that attack did not end there. Jecheon Kang's sword filled the air, blocking all his escape routes.

Kim Do-Joon clenched his teeth. Despite being a one-on-one match, it felt like he was surrounded and attacked by multiple opponents. Even though Jecheon Kang wasn’t behind him, his back felt cold and threatened.

— Analyze the situation. Some of those strikes are mere feints. They lack power, so escape through those gaps.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kim Do-Joon spun his spear, deflecting the sword strikes coming from the left. After nearly losing his grip, he tightened his hold, his hands turning red from the effort. At least, he didn’t drop his weapon, which would be a disaster.

"You could evade at this level now," Jecheon Kang noted, retracting his sword.

If this had been him on the first day, he’d have been defeated easily. But now, he had managed to avoid the attacks, which seemed to please Jecheon Kang.

"This is all thanks to both of you," Kim Do-Joon said, wiping the sweat from his chin.

The sparring had become more of a training session. Jecheon Kang would attack at an appropriate level. On the other hand, Karlish would offer advice, which Kim Do-Joon would then follow. While it wasn't real combat, the practice significantly improved his skills.

Previously, Kim Do-Joon had trained alone. He’d swing his spear in empty air while listening to Karlish’s advice, or fight with orcs as makeshift opponents. Although it was useful, it couldn’t compare to these sparring sessions.

Although I’m not learning new techniques, I get to refine the ones I already know.

He was learning how to apply his techniques against opponents of equal or greater strength, identifying and exploiting weaknesses in their attacks. He also learned to understand the flow of offense and defense; to either press an advantage or turn the tide. These weren’t special techniques, but fundamental aspects of combat, essentially learning "how to win." The sparring sessions were honing these basics.

"But you are still far from winning," Jecheon Kang said.

— Indeed.

Despite his improvements, he wasn’t yet at a level where he could defeat Jecheon Kang.

"

Ha...

" Kim Do-Joon sighed, taking a deep breath. The synergy between the two old men was impressive, yet it made him increasingly anxious.

Kim Do-Joon liked the idea of making improvements, but the gap between him and Jecheon Kang didn’t seem to close at all. Whenever Kim Do-Joon’s skills grew, Jecheon Kang also raised his level, maintaining the gap.

"Here I come," Kim Do-Joon said, getting back into position.

Furthermore, Jecheon Kang’s stance remained unchanged, with his left hand behind his back and his right hand holding the sword.

Kim Do-Joon moved sideways, carefully adjusting the tip of his spear. He was deep in thought, pondering how he could possibly win.

There's no opening.

Though Jecheon Kang seemed to merely stand there, he had no gap to exploit. Kim Do-Joon couldn’t help but hesitate. He’d charged at the old man over a hundred times, only to get defeated each time.

"Now that I think about it," Jecheon Kang spoke up.

He was slightly bored as Kim Do-Joon stood still.

"I haven't asked you the question from our previous sparring session. I've thought of a suitable one," said Jecheon Kang.

"A question?" Kim Do-Joon repeated, still scanning for an opening, ready to leap at any moment.

However, Jecheon Kang’s question made him pause.

"Why do you want to become stronger?"

The abstract question was a stark contrast to the specific ones Jecheon Kang had asked before.

Hmm... The reason...

Kim Do-Joon pondered for a moment. Fun could be one reason, because gaining proficiency felt like leveling up in a game. There was also a unique satisfaction in effortlessly defeating the previously challenging monsters. But beyond that basic thrill, Kim Do-Joon had a specific purpose.

"I have a daughter," Kim Do-Joon began.

"A daughter?" Jecheon Kang asked.

"She is ill... she might die before reaching adulthood. I need to become stronger to find her medicine," Kim Do-Joon explained.

At first glance, becoming stronger to obtain medicine might seem contradictory. However, Jecheon Kang could understand immediately. In his world, it was not uncommon for hundreds to die in pursuit of a single elixir.

Jecheon Kang nodded, but his expression changed slightly when Kim Do-Joon continued.

"They call it congenital mana disorder... So basically, she has too much mana in her small body from birth, resulting in the illness."

Jecheon Kang's face grew more serious.

"Too much mana from birth... So, an excess of internal energy?"

"Yes. I think it's also called Nine Yin Absolute Meridians," Kim Do-Joon explained.

And now, even Kim Do-Joon could see that Jecheon Kang's expression had changed noticeably, becoming quite somber.

His reaction sent a chill down Kim Do-Joon's spine.

"Have you ever heard of it before...?" Kim Do-Joon asked.

He wondered if he had found a lead.

Jecheon Kang let out a small sigh and spoke.

"There was someone I knew who had the same condition."

His eyes were filled with deep regret as he said this.