Chapter 297 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Gift – 8 “If I could just get over one more hurdle, I feel like I'd reach a deeper level of mastery in the Shadowless Step. Where do you think you're getting stuck the most?” Lim Ha-yeon asked me as we walked away from the bustling night market down a deserted street. “Even taking baby steps is tough.” Especially walking by coordinating the left foot and the right foot. I said while reaching into my bag for a bottle of water to quench my thirst. “Don’t joke around.” “I mean it; I'm at the baby steps stage. I’m barely scratching the surface of the Shadowless Step, which can be likened to a supreme art of elevation. It’s daunting to pinpoint what’s hardest." I wonder if this is how a novice driver feels behind the wheel of someone else’s luxury sports car. People might envy the driver, but the beginner's hands would be trembling just gripping the steering wheel. "I've taught you the basics. If you just push your limits a bit more, I think you can get over the wall..." What more is there to squeeze out? There's only one thing I want to push myself to the limit for. “I think I’m doing reasonably well. But, where are we headed anyway?” I’ve asked before, but you haven’t answered. Where exactly are we going? “Well...” Lim Ha-yeon hesitated, looking at the water bottle in my hand. Does she want a drink? When I offered the bottle to her, she flinched slightly, then shook her head. “If you don’t have any other destination in mind, heading back would be fine.” Wasn't that an interesting outing? I’ve had enough night air for now; I'm starting to miss home more than the road. “Well, since we’re already out at night, let’s try running in different situations.” Lim Ha-yeon hunched her shoulders slightly, closing her lips, looking distantly. There’s a hint of disappointment in her eyes. Come to think of it, I haven't really taken a stroll to relax since coming to Muhyeon. Should I hang out a bit longer? “Then let’s do that.” “Sounds good. Come on up.” With my agreement, Lim Ha-yeon straightened her slightly hunched shoulders and jumped up onto the wall, smiling. “Is it really necessary to walk on other people’s property?” “Um, the Shadowless Step is the best movement technique for any situation. You need to get used to obstacles too.” “That’s true, but...” Walking on other people's walls at night feels less like martial arts training and more like preparing for night prowling. Since the movement technique I learned is the pinnacle of mystical skills, maybe it’s appropriate training. I stood on the wall, following the urging Lim Ha-yeon. Back in P.E. class, I was barely average on the balance beam, but now I’m amazingly balanced on this wall. Is it because this martial art is familiar with walls? “Follow me.” Is this some kind of date invitation? Half-suspecting, half-hoping, I realized it was just my misunderstanding. Pushing my fantasies aside, just like how in childhood games we pretended the floor was lava or filled with sharks if we stepped off the line, I ran along the wall, keeping up with nimble Lim Ha-yeon. ——————— “How far are we going?” I never thought I'd be trying parkour live and in person, something I only watched in videos. Funny thing is, despite my clumsiness, I'm doing it somewhat well, as if it's not really my body. Perhaps all that practice wasn’t for nothing. “We’re almost there if we cut through here.” Lim Ha-yeon pointed to a large mansion. I’ve been here before. “Isn’t this Jeon Gil-san’s manor?” The grand mansion right in front of us was indeed Jeon Gil-san’s residence. “The security is weak, so we can easily cut through.” The way she said it made it sound like she’s done it a few times before. “If we get caught, won't it be serious?” “If we get caught, we’ll just say we were chasing after a fleeing Gi O-Su-gu. Simple.” Lim Ha-yeon responded with a rare, mischievous smile. “Well, even so.” “If it comes to that, offering a free rental of a Gi O-Su-gu would suffice. Come along.” With that, she stepped on the crates by the wall and leaped over the mansion’s enclosure in an instant. Is this really okay? After all, Lim Ha-yeon is a master of infiltration and agility. She's never been caught sneaking into any estate up till now. Should I just trust her? “An intruder!” We got caught almost immediately. ——————— “Catch that guy!” What are you going to do about this situation? I intended to retort, but when I turned around, Lim Ha-yeon was nowhere to be seen. I’m sure she was here before the voice rang out. “Catch that guy!” The commotion began to rise around me. What should I do? Let myself get caught? For a moment, I envisioned Jeon Gil-san with his annoying face, demanding a membership discount. I can't bear to see his smug expression. Run. “There’s a thief!” “No, it might be an assassin!” I'm just a passerby who got caught taking a shortcut. Resisting the urge to fruitlessly protest, I headed for the route Lim Ha-yeon indicated right after leaping over the wall—the one with the weakest security. Lights in buildings were starting to flicker on one by one. Just run. It's over if I'm caught. Channeling as much internal energy to my feet as possible, I dashed, reaching my maximum speed. “This is the end!” “Darn it!” Just one more wall to go! Two men with menacing expressions blocked my path. Are these warriors? If they've drawn blades, there’s a choice to just get captured without making more of a ruckus. “It might be an assassin! Don’t get close! Hold the perimeter until the warriors arrive!” “There’s an intruder here!” Fortunately, the two men held clubs at their waists instead of swords. Must be servants who jumped at the commotion. What to do? Knock them out and escape? Find another route? Just then, a hand appeared over the wall, beckoning with a wave. “This way!” The hand belonged to Lim Ha-yeon. When did she get over the wall? She watched me with an urgent gaze. “The intruder is over there!” This keeps getting worse. Behind me, warriors with swords were approaching fast. Knocking them down and diverting weren’t options anymore. Should I try getting to Lim Ha-yeon's side after all? But how? The wall loomed well above my height, to the point I had to look up just to see the top. When I first climbed over, there were crates to stand on; here, there’s nothing. And in front of the wall, determined servants seemed willing to do whatever it took to block my path. The warriors closing in from behind. "Don't let him escape!" The warriors’ voices were closing in from behind. “Hoo.” I have no other choice. If I fail, it'll just be an embarrassment in front of that Jeon Gil-san. I activated as much of my internal energy as possible. Five years’ worth of cultivation flowed through my meridians, spreading across my entire body. A crisis before and behind me. Is it the tension that's making my internal energy move as I wish today? The Shadowless Step is a supreme art of movement. Not just utilizing the legs, but the entire body creates the ultimate motion. I haven’t learned it in vain. As soon as I showed a sign of making a move, the servants approached me, brandishing their clubs. The swinging clubs, but they won’t touch me. From internal energy to meridians, from meridians to muscles—my body moves with remarkable lightness as if guided by my own will. There’s an opening. I seized a servant's shoulder, propelled myself upwards, and soared into the air. Perhaps thinking it was a gap, another servant swung a club at me just as I placed my foot upon it. The waiting internal energy gathered instantly into the Yongcheon point on my foot. Using the servant's strength as a launching pad. “Hah!” I was suddenly airborne. Fully concentrating, I flew up, the startled faces of the servants passing by in slow motion. In the span of a single breath, I found myself leaping up towards the towering wall. Am I about to clear the wall in one go? The makeshift launch pad seems more effective than anticipated. In such a moment, there’s an inevitable phrase to be uttered! "A thrust that surpasses expectations!” Oh people at the Mangum Bookstore, live well. ———————– "Now that we’ve come this far, they won’t be able to catch up." Lim Ha-yeon stopped and spoke to me in front of a vast, deserted pavilion. Who knew that a night of practicing agility would turn into a flight through the night. “Huff, huff. I told you it wasn’t a good idea.” I caught my breath and sighed with relief. Lim Ha-yeon might have mastered the arts of stealth and agility, but jumping over walls is pushing it for me. "Things went as expected, didn’t they?" She smiled at me with sparkling eyes. "What do you mean?" Clap, clap. Before I could dwell on my confusion, Lim Ha-yeon clapped lightly and shared some surprising news. “Congratulations on reaching the first level of the Shadowless Step.” She looked at me with a proud expression. “The first level of the Shadowless Step?” The first level signifies that I’ve overcome the initial barrier of mastering a martial art. Typically in martial arts novels, mastery is expressed in levels. Generally up to 10 levels, and if you surpass the boundary, it’s 12. Many advanced techniques are so complex that even geniuses often only reach about the 5th or 7th level after a lifetime of training. “You effectively utilized your internal energy to control your entire body and realized its full potential. It’s fair to say you’ve achieved the first level of the Shadowless Step.” Nodding, Lim Ha-yeon affirmed my astonishment. “So that moment was like a revelation for me.” I murmured while cautiously forming a fist with my palm. In the moment of crisis, when my entire body felt completely in sync, like it was truly mine—yet different from my usual self. The Shadowless Step, which until now had been a mere taught concept within me, became a tangible realization in my body. “See? When pushed to your limits, you overcame the wall.” "Still, leaving me alone in Jeon Gil-san's estate was unfair." “I had planned to save you instantly if anything went wrong.” “But you looked quite surprised when I actually managed to leap the wall in one go...” Truthfully, Lim Ha-yeon seemed momentarily astonished that I cleared the wall in a single bound. “Th-that’s not true!” Clearly, she was caught off guard. “Just thinking I’m at the first level, my body feels lighter.” From today, call me Kang Yoon Ho + 1 Kang, I said confidently, flexing my shoulders with pride. “Then you can leap to this pavilion too. Follow me.” Isn't that something I should wait till the second level for? Regretting my words, I followed Lim Ha-yeon up the pavilion. ————— “Wow. There’s a place like this.” Upon reaching the roof of the towering pavilion, I was greeted by a breathtaking view of Muyeon city. “I discovered this on my way back from work.” “What a splendid view.” Was this why Lim Ha-yeon suggested a night walk? To the right, the night market and entertainment district shimmered brightly, while to the left, the vast Yangtze River reflected the starlight from the night sky. Who knew Muyeon was this beautiful? Busy surviving, with my eyes only on the ground, I hadn't realized the beauty around me. “……” I turned my head, filled with admiration, and approached where Lim Ha-yeon was sitting on the roof. “Sojeo.” Why the surprise? As I approached, Lim Ha-yeon, who was brushing her hair behind her ear, flinched slightly. I naturally sat next to her, gazing out at the nightscape of Muyeon. Looking at me, Lim Ha-yeon pulled her shoulders tight and spoke softly. “I’m sorry.” “What for?” “At first, there was resistance to even the idea of leaping over walls, but lately, since we’re not actually stealing anything, I find it secretly enjoyable…” Lim Ha-yeon muttered, seemingly embarrassed. Oh, so that’s why we ended up at Jeon Gil-san's estate. “Using what you’ve learned all your life—there’s no way that wouldn’t be fun. Honestly, looking back, even I found our recent escapade quite enjoyable.” It seems she was trying to craft an interesting situation for me. It was a bit extreme, befitting her martial skills, but... The night market. The infiltration into Jeon Gil-san's estate. The pavilion's nightscape. Perhaps she sensed that I’d been having a tough time lately, or maybe this was a gesture to reconcile after a few days of chilly silence between us. Tonight, Lim Ha-yeon seemed to lead me through the night, hoping to create some memorable experience for me. “Is that so?” "Plus, you considered a safe spot to elevate my martial skill accomplishment, right? Teaching me the Shadowless Step was fortuitous enough, and helping me get this achievement—don’t be discouraged over something like that." I said to her with a natural smile. “Alright, as long as you realized.” Finally appearing relieved, Lim Ha-yeon gave a small pout and turned her head. What a perfect moment. When one extends a hand of reconciliation, it is natural to grasp it in return. To completely end the stalemate of the past few days, I decided to bring out the ultimate peace-making weapon. "Sojeo." I turned my head and moved closer to Lim Ha-yeon. “Wh-what is it?” “I have something to show you.” “What is it?” “I only just managed to get it today…” I rummaged through my bag and pulled out a box. The box I received earlier today. “The gift that woman gave you? Why did you bring that?” Why the sudden chill in her voice, colder than the night air? “Hahaha, it’s not like that. I wanted you to open this, Lim Sojeo.” Really, it’s a misunderstanding. I shook my head softly with a gentle smile and handed the box to Lim Ha-yeon. “Me? This is… floral shoes?” Inside the box were beautifully embroidered shoes. Gazing briefly at the worn-out shoes of Lim Ha-yeon, worn from running all day, I then looked at her surprised face. "It's Tang Xie. A gift from me to you, Lim Sojeo."