This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 84

I didn’t want to show I was fighting in front of the older guy, so I quickly managed my expression.

“Ah… I guess I forgot to contact you.”

“Geez… Yoonseo really… should forget other things…”

“Hey, if you’re busy, that happens. Anyway, I’ll be off now.”

“Okay.”

I then left Yoonseo’s house and headed straight for the subway station.

I joined up with my senior right after I got on the subway, which arrived at just the right time.

As usual, the subway was packed with people commuting, so I gave up on sitting long ago and squeezed into a corner among the crowd.

While standing like that, someone tapped my shoulder with what felt like a finger.

Turning around, I unexpectedly locked eyes with my senior, who greeted me in a voice much smaller than usual.

“Hey.”

“Ah, hello.”

I wondered which station she got on at, only to find it was the very next stop.

By the way, it seemed like my senior was also struggling for standing room like I was.

As the train, briefly halted to pick up more passengers, suddenly jolted back into motion, everyone inside swayed, including my senior who was standing in an awkward position.

“Hey, hold this.”

“Thanks.”

I barely moved aside to make space for her to get in.

Now standing side by side with my senior, problems emerged right after that.

Could it be that my words from our conversation yesterday made her curious?

Her glances towards me were relentless, making it quite the challenge to suppress the itching on my face.

On one hand, I didn’t quite understand why my senior would hold such expectations about me.

I understood that she must be grasping for straws given her numerous setbacks.

If I were in her situation, I might feel the same.

But still… was it really alright for someone as young as me, just a high school student, to inspire such hope?

What if I couldn’t meet her expectations?

Surely that would lead to disappointment.

All in all… I felt I needed to do something about her constant glancing my way, so I coughed lightly and gathered my courage to speak up.

“Uh, Senior?”

“Yeah?”

The problem was as soon as I opened my mouth, the eagerness in her eyes seemed to intensify.

It made me flinch for a moment, but I pressed on to continue what I wanted to say.

“You know what we talked about at the cafe yesterday?”

“… Yeah.”

“I’ve given it some thought. So, if possible… could we talk a bit before your training when we get to school?”

*

At that moment, as those words flowed from Dogun’s mouth, Baeksulhwa thought, ‘Finally…’

Finally, I would get to hear it.

Was that the reason?

There were still three stations left until we reached school, but my heart was already soaked with anticipation, racing like a drum.

Perhaps that was why.

“Uh, huh? Ah, yeah!”

The voice I pulled out in response to Dogun’s question was shaking uncontrollably, reflecting my nervousness.

That made my face heat up slightly… but I held on and prayed for the train to stop at the station in front of the school soon.

I already knew that praying wouldn’t make the train move any faster, but still, I couldn’t help it.

What else could I do besides that and imagining what Dogun might say?

Once we reached school, what would Dogun tell me?

What would I… get to hear?

As I felt such anticipation, I hoped desperately it wouldn’t be something negative.

They say if you don’t set expectations, you won’t get disappointed… but I had already been filled with hopes for quite some time.

However, if I ended up hearing something difficult in this scenario… that would be much worse than what I’d experienced before.

With half-excitement and half-worry tucked in my chest, the moment I arrived at the school, I finally found myself alone with Dogun, ready to listen.

“Well, first of all… just know that this isn’t a hundred percent certain.”

“… Okay.”

“I listened to what you said yesterday, and I’ve gone and done a little… research?”

“Okay.”

“I’ve compiled it based on a few references and examples, focusing more on practical uses… and three main methods came to mind.”

“Three methods?”

I said that in the sense of ‘Only three?’ but apparently, it sounded different in Dogun’s ears.

“Yes. I think if I spend more time, I might come up with something else, but for now, this is it.”

So what exactly are those three methods?

Hearing Dogun’s words, all the anticipation built up since the subway felt like it was about to burst.

Still, I patiently waited, and briefly falling silent to gather his thoughts, Dogun resumed speaking.

“Anyway, the first method is… using only your talent.”

“Using only my talent?”

“Yes… Simply put, it means using your talent as a weapon.”

I had thought of that angle too.

Though getting to that level seemed light years away, and I had no idea which path was the right one, it still felt like I couldn’t just try without hesitation…

Seeing the way Dogun was saying it, he must have a clearer vision in mind.

While pondering that, Dogun folded another finger.

“And the second is… using your current swordsmanship as the main focus while employing your talent as a supplement.”

“Then, the third one would be…?”

“It’s the opposite of the second. Making your talent the main focus while using swordsmanship as a supplement.”

“What do you recommend?”

“Huh?”

Surprise widened Dogun’s eyes, as if he didn’t expect to have a choice given to him.

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh at his astonished expression.

Of course, he could have easily hidden his feelings, but… I didn’t want to hide mine for some reason.

So, I smiled and asked what he thought would be the best out of the three.

“Well, I think… the third one.”

“Why?”

“Well, there might be situations while dealing with villains where my talent might not work, right?”

Chatting with Dogun made me naturally realize something.

‘Oh, he…’

He didn’t even consider the possibility of me failing the Hero Qualification Exam.

This was the first time for me.

So, this unwavering trust from someone was a first for me.

Especially in a field related to talent… it was something else entirely.

Could that be why?

I felt an overwhelming sense of potential, and a desire to trust Dogun surged from deep within me.

So… I said it.

“Then I’ll go with that.”

“… Huh?”

“I’ll choose the third one, so… can you tell me how to do it?”

I pledged to trust him.

His answer seemed to bring him joy as a smile bloomed on his face, which had seemed deep in thought since our morning encounter.

“Well, to start… since it’s our first day, how about trying lightly with just two options?”

“Two options…?”

*

Watching my senior’s confused expression made me feel as if I’d returned to the past.

It was like the time when Yoonseo and I practiced secretly, away from the adults.

Back then, I felt a sense of responsibility towards Yoonseo, who had deviated from ordinary courses because I had pored over myriad documents related to our talent, while also finding it fascinating.

Such was the case since, to me, Yoonseo was like a character plopped out from a comic or movie into reality.

Every time we attempted something new, it exceeded what I had studied, and I had been completely absorbed in it back then.

I never thought I’d experience that again in high school.

As I marveled over that thought…

“Dogun?”

My senior’s voice, mixed with a hint of confusion, pulled me from my reverie.

“Oh, um… do you have your mobile phone? If you do, could you take it out?”

“Hmm? My mobile phone?”

She seemed a bit puzzled as to why I suddenly asked her to pull her phone out after seeming so ready to start training.

But, she tilted her head and, without hesitation, reached for her pocket while smiling and nodding.