The mountain keeper emerged from the cave as morning arrived.
Since someone had entered the mountain to begin training, he had to oversee various parts of the mountain for a while.
He needed to calm the mystical creatures that had become wary of the newcomer, reinforce the enchantments on the training grounds and the healing springs, and ensure the mountain remained isolated from the outside world.
Once everything was in place, there wouldn't be much trouble, but for now, he had to stay busy.
It was then that—
"I greet the mountain keeper."
In the dim light before sunrise, Lee Cheol approached, bowing as if he had been waiting.
"…What are you? Why are you here?"
"I have something I'd like to ask."
Hearing Lee Cheol's request, the mountain keeper widened his eyes in disbelief.
"What? You want to gather herbs? Why?"
In all his years, this was the first time he had encountered someone who came to train but wanted to pick herbs.
"Not just any herbs—I need magical herbs."
"But does a kid like you even understand feng shui or energy flow?"
"I have this."
Lee Cheol tapped the corner of his eye.
A special ability—the Mystic Eye—allowed him to perceive all hidden things and the flow of energy.
If he could fully control that power, he could read the land's energy even better than most geomancers.
"Do you at least know how to distinguish poisonous plants? Not all toxic plants carry an evil aura. And if you mishandle medicinal ingredients, they can turn into poison."
"Yes, I know how to handle the herbs I need."
And how exactly do you know that?
The mountain keeper couldn't bring himself to ask.
It was absurd.
From the way the boy spoke, he seemed genuinely knowledgeable, but what kind of 14-year-old knew how to identify medicinal plants?
'…Are all kids like this these days?'
The Sect of Martial Wisdom had produced its fair share of oddballs, but Lee Cheol was the first to ask about collecting magical herbs.
"Well, do as you like. As long as you only take what you need, it's fine. Just remember—greed in a sacred mountain can lead to karmic consequences."
"Thank you. Then, I'll head off to train now."
The mountain keeper nodded at the grinning Lee Cheol but then suddenly froze.
'Judging by the position of the stars… it's still around the early dawn hours, maybe 5 or 6 AM. And he's already starting his training?'
And if he had been waiting here, just what time had he woken up?
Thus, every morning at 6 AM—
Before the main training began, Lee Cheol ran through the mountain, strengthening his body while searching for magical herbs.
'This is tougher than I thought.'
The Mystic Eye was like a wild stallion.
If he loosened his control even slightly, it would surge forward recklessly, devouring his mental strength and magical energy.
'Focus on the places where the land's energy gathers. Distinguish between plant energy and water energy. That's where magical herbs will be.'
To an ordinary eye, this was merely a picturesque mountain, but with the Mystic Eye activated, it appeared as a web of countless intertwining energy threads.
Each of these threads represented the various energies emanating from Mount Cheonwi.
The ancient stones, which had rested in this sacred land for eons, contained energy.
The animals that hadn't entered hibernation and the countless plants scattered throughout the land all held their own unique auras.
Gritting his teeth, Lee Cheol forced the Mystic Eye to remain active.
Before long—
'Haa… Magic depletion. My whole body aches.'
Exhausted from overusing his abilities, he sat down for a moment and performed a magic restoration technique.
His Mystic Eye flickered on and off due to excessive strain, but he shut his eyes tightly, focusing on absorbing energy.
'Well… this is a benefit in itself.'
Just like muscles grow through repeated exertion and recovery, magical abilities strengthen when pushed to their limits.
Mount Cheonwi had an abundance of magical energy, making it an ideal place to refine his abilities.
Physical endurance training, Mystic Eye control, magical herb collection, and even fortifying his overall magical capacity.
It was an intense regimen for morning training, but in truth, it was only the beginning.
"...."
While searching for medicinal herbs through the mountains, I suddenly froze.
Something foreign had caught in the sensory field I had deliberately spread around me.
Slowly, I turned my body and gazed at a pile of rocks about 100 meters away.
'A spirit beast.'
The moment I focused my gaze, the unfamiliar presence instantly erased its traces.
'It's still not easy to detect them properly.'
This morning's mountain trek was also an effective exercise in honing my intuition.
Sensing the presence of spirit beasts stealthily hiding around me—there was no better way to refine my energy perception.
'Alright, let's begin again.'
I slowly opened my eyes.
With eyes gleaming in the hues of twilight, I began reading the intricate flow of energy coursing through the sacred mountain.
***
Since entering Cheonwisan, my daily routine had been as follows:
In the morning, I trained my physical endurance, honed my Mystic Eye, and sharpened my senses through mountain hikes.
Before dinner, I practiced weapon techniques at the zelkova tree training ground.
Every meal was followed by strict rest periods—not for sleep, of course, but for recovery within the Healing Water.
Then came the evening.
In the evening, I trained in magical techniques.
'I must master Aura Skills.'
Many people compare magical techniques to the mechanics of a car.
Natural mana is crude oil.
Refined mana within one's body, processed through personal magical techniques, is gasoline.
Magical techniques and mana sources—collectively called the "mana system"—function as the engine.
And the sub-disciplines of my magical technique—Amplification, Acceleration, Concealment, Reversal—could be considered the engine's gears.
Since I also handle mana circuits, I have a greater variety of gears than other magic users who only manipulate mana sources.
This allows me to generate numerous techniques suited to different situations.
And finally, Aura Skills.
Aura is difficult to compare to a car.
Aura is pure energy itself, refined to the extreme from mana.
'The Aura Skills my aunt and I created through magical techniques hold endless potential.'
Conventional Aura Skills tend to follow a singular direction.
Their nature and combat style are heavily influenced by the magical techniques the user has mastered.
A good example would be the Aura Skills of my siblings in the pre-regression history.
Back when he was known as "Baekya," the eighth brother's magic primarily focused on self-recovery, defense, and physical enhancement.
Meanwhile, my eldest brother pursued a balanced Aura Skill that neither leaned toward offense nor defense.
But my magical technique lacks such a fixed "direction."
—If you can think of it, theorize it, and manifest it accordingly, you'll be able to wield thousands—no, tens of thousands—of Aura Skills.
That's what my aunt had told me about my magical techniques.
In other words, the direction of my magic is determined by my own will.
'The problem is, I lack mastery over Aura Skills, making it difficult to fully utilize their diversity.'
Aura Skills consume immense amounts of mana and demand extreme concentration.
As a result, my current Aura Skills remain unstable.
Even when using the same technique, the mana consumption fluctuates, and the power output can be either weaker or stronger than expected.
'I must master Aura Skills completely. This isn't a matter of mana reserves—it's purely an issue of proficiency.'
The only solution is to use them repeatedly.
Once again, I drew Mujin.
Kang Gi-gong, Thunderbolt.
Kang Gi-gong, Cold Wind.
Kang Gi-gong, Yama.
...
I unleashed all the Aura skills I possessed with reckless abandon.
Regardless of whether I had much or little mana, whether my movements were smooth or awkward.
'So that I can wield my Aura skills consistently in any situation, no matter the environment.'
Boom! Kwang!
Since the training ground was created with goblin magic, there was no need to hold back my strength.
I didn't care about internal injuries or mana depletion.
The intensity I started my training with had to be the same as when I finished.
***
Time passed, and spring arrived.
For a few weeks after Lee Cheol arrived, the mountain keeper was quite busy.
A lot happened, but the biggest hassle was calming down the spiritual creatures and beasts, who had become agitated by Lee Cheol's scent.
Once that was dealt with, the mountain keeper had nothing left to do.
At first, he occasionally watched Lee Cheol train through a mirror, but that got boring fast.
'Ugh, Choi, you bastard. You said watching him would be entertaining, but this is just tedious. That relentless brat does nothing but train all day—how could that possibly be fun?'
Not once did he see the boy slack off.
The previous trainees who had come here for seclusion training were always brimming with youthful energy. They would sometimes entertain themselves with odd activities when boredom struck.
Some would carve wood, others would randomly sing or mutter to themselves.
But Lee Cheol?
That brat did absolutely nothing except train.
And his training... If you wanted to put it nicely, it was steadfast; if you wanted to put it bluntly, it was mindless repetition.
Basic drills over and over again.
There was nothing exciting about it.
Even with an outsider present, the mountain remained unchanged.
The only difference was that an unusually persistent spiritual being had arrived, and that wasn't enough to warrant concern.
So, the mountain keeper lost interest.
Whether to grant the final test or not could be decided later. For now, with nothing to do, he simply drank himself into a stupor.
If anything happened in the mountain, he'd notice right away anyway. So, he drank, got drunk, passed out, and then drank again.
"Tsk, out of booze already?"
Just as the mountain keeper clicked his tongue, having drained another bottle of makgeolli—
-Kiiiiing!
A sound, like a mix between a goat's cry and a cat's wail, echoed in his ears.
"Did something happen to Baki?"
Baki was a spiritual beast resembling a sheep with nine tails and four ears.
That creature was fearless—it had no reason to whimper.
"Did something enter the mountain? No, I set up a barrier, so that shouldn't be possible. Did the main house servants delivering my booze and food mess something up?"
Even so, it made no sense for a spiritual beast to scream.
"I better take a look."
After a brief hesitation, the mountain keeper retrieved his old mirror.
As soon as mystical energy swirled around the mirror, an image of the forest appeared.
"What the—? Why is it running away?"
On the mirror's surface, Baki could be seen bounding over the mountain slopes.
It had something in its mouth, but he couldn't see it clearly. The way it was fleeing looked as if it was being hunted.
"Who the hell is chasing it...? Wait, what?!"
The moment he spotted the pursuer, the mountain keeper's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
A boy was charging after Baki with terrifying speed.
The youngest of the Soongmooi family—Lee Cheol.
That wretched brat was chasing Baki with eyes gleaming with murderous intent.
"What the hell is that bastard doing?! Is he planning to eat a spiritual beast?!"
The mountain keeper was horrified.
Spiritual beasts possessed inner cores—prized treasures for humans, considered supreme elixirs.
That insane kid, already obsessed with training, might have planned this all along.
"I was too complacent! I should have kept a closer watch on him!"
Even if he was a test challenger, the mountain keeper had made a mistake by letting his boredom dull his vigilance.
With a sense of urgency, he stomped on the ground.
Like folding the earth beneath him, the mountain keeper shot toward the location in the mirror at incredible speed.
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