Preparation for Battle

Taejun trudged down the streets once again, as school had just ended. His pale face was twisted into a frown. It was raining, but it could be hardly called a rainy day, more like a drizzle that got you slightly wet without truly making you feel uncomfortable. It was truly a day that would have been refreshing if his mood hadn't been as terrible as it had been.

He was truly getting frustrated. His improvements in battle theory could be considered astonishing, yet they were useless in actual combat without the means to use them. The old man had taught him to play chess, an old ancient game played by ancient people. It was easy to play, but the old man was an expert, and the boy had yet to beat him. However, he asked himself. What was the use of this? Will anyone appreciate my knowledge? He was 13 now, at the age where he would start to become more conscious of others, especially to those of the other gender. He also began to wear glasses, as the backlash couldn't be fixed by technology. This was a deciding factor in his popularity, as he was the only one who wore glasses in the whole school, as other eye problems could be easily fixed.

Taejun walked into the path that led to the alleyway that he usually took instead of the main path. The high expectations others held for him had slowly faded away by the year, which had made his mind full of both bitterness and relief, as no one expected him to do miracles anymore.

As he crossed the street, the car that was passing by honked at him, startling him. His absentminded state had led him to trying to cross the street when the light was red. The driver got out, cursing at him.

"You @$#^&! Watch the lights! Are you slow?" But what surprised him was what happened next. The girl who was sitting at the backseat opened the door and came out. Her appearance could be considered somewhat average, not something that she could be proud of. However, she was one of the most popular girls at school, due to her background of her uncle who was in the Spirit Arms Factory.

"There's a party at my house tomorrow. Wanna come?" Before hearing his response, she threw him a card. "You need that to enter. Come if you want to." She got back on the car, said "Let's go." The car sped away, leaving the dumbfounded Taejun on the streets. He speedily walked home and when he entered the library, only then he realized that his clothes were soaking wet.

At dinner, he talked to the old man, asking him about the party and whether he should attend. When the old man heard the thoughts of the boy, he put down his chopsticks and smiled.

"It seems like what I taught you haven't been forgotten. I expected you to be attracted to the girl and her crowd."

"How could I be attracted to anyone? All I got from the people were scorn and contempt. Funnily enough, most of the scorn I got from by peers was because of my appearance, not my actual combat ability. Even with the physical training you gave me during the past year, my combat ability is a bit stronger than average. But the scorn didn't disappear even when I proved that." He didn't stop spooning the food into his mouth while talking.

"But I think you should go to the party." The old man said mildly, and started eating before the boy could ask any more questions.

"What? I'll probably be made into a laughingstock in front of a whole group of people! Why would I want that?" The boy stood up and shouted with indignant fury, or tried to, but the little bits of rice stuck to his mouth didn't add much to his point.

"Are you the type to avoid a fight? Did I tell you to shrink away from danger at first sight?"

"You were the one who told me to run from battles you can't win." The boy sat back down, but he was still confused about the man's intentions.

"Is this a fight that you can't win? This type of fight doesn't require brute force, Taejun. It requires sharp wit and eloquence. I don't want you to go there, Taejun. But I have no choice. If you later enter the military career, these parties will be often held by your political enemies. You have to get used to beating them in wit and smarts rather than just power."

"I'll think about it."

He received the invitation card back from the man and read the list who were invited. It was mostly the popular and high-class kids whose names were written in the list. However, he didn't doubt that with the girl's personality, she probably invited all the kids she had in her classes, but didn't write them down on the card to keep the card looking fancy without dirtying it with the names of the "normal" kids. After observing the people on the list, he smiled before telling the old man that he had decided to attend.

Since the party started at 6 pm, he still had around 30 minutes to prepare. For the party, he wore a simple white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He checked himself in the mirror, deemed himself okay for a party. Though he didn't know if the party was a extravagant one where people wore tuxedos and dresses to, he justified to himself by convincing himself that he didn't have anyway.

Just before the party, he meditated, before entering the mansion at the end of the streets, preparing for the mental labor that he would be required to do once he became besieged on all sides by others.