(B.2) The Storm's Apprentice

As the door clicked shut behind him, silence settled like dust in the air. 

Commander Galen sits down and lets out a breath. 

"You won't tell him, are you?" Sulein said. 

With crossed arms and locked stare standing just beside his room. 

"How long are you planning to keep this up?" 

Commander Galen didn't answer right away, he just quietly sat. 

"You never tell." 

"As far as I'm concerned you haven't told me the full story." 

"How long?" Sulien glared fiercely at him. 

"....." 

"It's not time." 

"Not yet." 

Clouds veiled the moon—still glowing, still visible. With every swing, the wind howled louder, fiercer, as if echoing Sulien's unspoken words: 'That's enough for now.' 

My body weakened, trembling from exhaustion, yet my strength remained.

It felt like my mind was absorbing every ounce of pain—my heart untouched, unwavering. 

I held myself together, refusing to question what I was feeling. I fought fiercely against the wind, each shift in its strength carving exhaustion deeper into my expression—a face worn, yet burning with the hunger for success. 

"AGH!" 

Don't think about the pain. Just keep swinging. 

"AGHHH!" 

Strike again. Push forward. 

My voice cracked as I let out another scream—not from fear, but from fire. From every fiber in my body refusing to quit. 

I didn't know how long I had been out here. Hours? Days? It didn't matter. 

My breath came in ragged bursts, body trembling, but the momentum kept building—each swing heavier, sharper, stronger. 

I was overheating.

My skin burned. My bones screamed. 

And still, I kept going. 

Then came the silence between the roars— 

That space where pain blurred into purpose. 

A slow drip traced the curve of my jaw. 

Don't stop. Not yet. 

The third strike. No, the fourth. Maybe the fifth.

Was it really me doing this? My strikes were stronger now, the air around me charged with each swing. Leaves tumbled from the trees as my sword sliced through the wind.

For a moment, it was as if the wind itself was guiding me, no longer fighting me.

It felt natural, like we were moving together in sync. I didn't notice it at first, but the wind was no longer just resistance—it was an ally.

As I prepared for another strike, the thought of taking a break briefly crossed my mind.

But before I could act on it, I lifted my sword. My left arm trembled, almost giving out. Still, I extended it.

No hesitation. I delivered a sharp, forceful horizontal slash—filled not just with motion, but with grit and determination. 

A sudden touch of wind grazed my shoulder, just before the last strike hit. I was blown away, my body crashing to the ground, and for a moment, everything around me became a blur. 

"Ahh..." My mind teetered on the edge of darkness. 

My left arm felt shattered, like my shoulder had dislocated with the force of the blow. The pain was overwhelming, yet somehow, I fought to keep my eyes open. 

The sun blazed overhead, its rays fierce and unforgiving, as if it acknowledged the struggle I had endured. I wasn't sure if I was still standing, or if the world around me had shifted. But for a brief moment, I felt it—like something had happened. 

Commander Galen and Sulien, at the back door looking at me with utmost belief. 

"Hey Moron." Sulien said. 

"....." 

"Feast your eyes on the scenery." Sulien followed, while looking at something or somewhere. 

"Let's leave him here till he woke up."

Commander Galen said sharply. 

"I'm sure he'll be happy to see this." 

I tried to open my eyes, but the sunlight was too harsh—it burned through my lids, forcing them shut again. When I finally managed to open them... 

I just lay there; body numb and drained. For several minutes, I stared blankly at the sky, letting the sun's heat slowly cook me. 

And then, something stirred inside me.

A feeling—uncertain, unshaped, but real. My upper body rose on instinct, like it refused to let the moment slip by. 

Eyes wide, chest heaving, I turned toward the space ahead of me. 

What I saw stole my breath. 

The trees… they were gone.

Every single one standing in my path had been cut down—some even blown clear from where they once rooted. 

I couldn't help but smile. 

I'm amazing... 

Was all of that really from a single strike? 

No... It wasn't just the last blow. 

It was a culmination—a work in progress, built swing by swing, pain after pain. 

I wasn't just knocked down. I was transformed. 

But... 

On top of all that... I grinned triumphantly and clenched my fist. 

I am freaking amazing! 

Just as I drew in another breath, it hit me. 

Every nerve in my body lit up—every ache, every bruise, every strain I'd ignored during training came crashing down at once. 

It was like a thousand tiny spikes had buried themselves beneath my skin, awakening all at once. 

I couldn't hold myself up. 

The grass scratched at my arms and neck—dry, coarse, irritating. But it was nothing compared to the hell fire raging inside me.

"ARGggG" with veins popping out very in my body and so does my eyes, I tried not to scream and held it all together. 

Just as when I'm about to passed out again, I heard footsteps coming from the front. 

It was Commander Galen, standing over me. 

He glanced toward the direction of my final strike. 

Was he... pleased with the result? 

I couldn't tell—not at first. 

But then, a small, quiet smile formed on his face. 

"Well done." 

"Ha... ha..." 

I let out a breathless chuckle, still trying to catch my breath. 

"Don't say anything else," he said firmly, yet not unkindly. 

Without another word, he knelt and helped me up, draping my arm over his shoulder to guide me back inside. 

"Get some rest once we're in," he added. 

"I'll make lunch. Sulien's not home at the moment—went to the nearest village to pick up a few things." 

He paused for a second, then added with a faint sharpness in his voice, "If there's any traveler, I know who can handle himself, it's him." 

I finally laid down. 

A wave of comfort washed over me— 

Rest. 

Finally. 

"I noticed your left shoulder isn't in good shape," Galen said quietly. 

"Yeah... I overdid it," I muttered, trying to smile through the soreness. 

"I'm sorry." 

He handed me a glass of water and gently placed it beside me. 

"You don't have to rush everything, kid." 

"But—" 

He met my gaze with those calm obsidian eyes, and for a moment, his smile softened even more. 

"Looks like you're more stacked up than you look." 

"Rest now," he said, standing. 

"We'll talk later." 

I didn't need to say anything else. 

The room grew quiet. 

The silence wrapped around me like a blanket. 

I guess... I finally hit my limit. 

A strange feeling stirred me. 

It was like someone was touching my hand... 

Was it just a sensation? Or was it real? 

I couldn't tell. 

But it was enough to wake me. 

My eyes twitched from the lack of rest, everything around me blurry—until slowly, the figure hovering over me began to sharpen. 

Huh...? 

I wasn't in the right shape to even form a thought. But there he was—Sulien. 

Or at least I thought it was him. 

He was... massaging my hand? 

Or was it something else? 

A hideous grin twisted across his face, his eyes slanted downward in a way that made my breath catch. 

I stared, paralyzed—my body unwilling to respond. 

"Hey there, kid~" 

His tone oozed something unwelcoming, and it sent a chill crawling down my spine. 

"What... what are you doing, Mister Sulien?" I managed to ask. 

"I was just tasked by that moron," he said casually, "to examine your arm one last time. Said he didn't have the time to completely heal it." 

"He went back to the Cathedral." 

A jolt of confusion struck me. 

"He'll just do a quick errand, he'll be back by sunrise." 

"Since you're finally awake, IT'S FINALLY TIME TO EAT!!" 

Sulien rushed to the table and—just like that, in the blink of an eye—everything was perfectly arranged. 

The food. The water. Even the fruit. 

All neatly set, like a seasoned chef had prepared a royal banquet. 

"COME ON NOW!!" he yelled with childlike excitement. 

"EAT YOUR CHICKEN!! It's unusually bigger than last time—I bought it from the same stall just last year...." 

He was already drooling, eyeing the meal like it was treasure. 

"Well—THE BIGGER, THE BETTER, THEY SAY!!" 

I pushed myself up from where I was lying. 

Weirdly... the pain was gone. 

All of it. 

Like it had been a dream. 

Though the exhaustion still lingered, heavy in my limbs. 

Maybe just a quick rest... and then some light exercise. I wasn't about to let all that training go to waste. 

I just ate the roasted chicken, just the leg alone is bigger than my face, But I managed to finish it all and followed it with the wing. 

As I continued eating, Sulien spoke between bites. 

"What do you think of the results, kid?" he asked, still chewing as he looked over at me.

"I think it was successful," I replied.

"I managed to bring out the wind through my sword… and the result was more than I expected." 

I paused for a second, then added, 

"Though, I'll admit… it all happened while I was unconscious. I wasn't really aware of the world around me." 

"That's good, right?" 

"You said it yourself— 'let the wind guide you.'" 

He gave me a completely innocent look, still chewing, before swallowing everything in one loud gulp. 

"Yeah, you're right about that," he nodded. 

"Well, the next step is learning to bring out the wind's power at will." 

He pointed at me with his fork. 

"You can start with a few light exercises after we finish eating—get your body moving again. I'll explain tomorrow's training plan after that." 

We finished eating, and Sulien headed off to his room to sleep. I stayed behind, resting quietly and reflecting on what I had just accomplished. 

"I actually unleashed its power..." I muttered to myself. 

"Not even I expected something like this would happen so soon." 

I leaned back, letting the thought sink in. 

Sulien had told me I'd need to swing my sword two hundred times—followed by meditation, both before and after.

From what I remember, he called it "Leap to the World of Storm." 

I took a slow sip of water, then another, letting the coolness calm my mind. 

"Will make me tap into a realm?" I wondered aloud. 

He didn't exactly explain what that meant. 

But for now… I'll just assume it's another kind of meditation.

No point confusing myself before I even start. 

Then out of all the things that happened today, I forgot about the system. I did spend plenty of time during the first training—maybe I've achieved something from it. 

I checked, and sure enough, my level stats had risen. A Modern Knowledge Tier A: "Wind Class." 

It's different from Commander Galen & Mister Sulien. They have "Paths," but mine… mine is Wind Class. I also acquired a new title: "The Storm's Apprentice."

The Tier A modern knowledge granted me a massive 1500 EXP, pushing my level up to 4. The swinging I did increased my Strength to 9—almost 10, actually. I'll get it there later. 

A new knowledge entry was added to my inventory:

"Identity Class." It includes 7 different classes, and I've already unlocked the Wind Class.

It's definitely a skill and ability boost—and it pairs well with my Identity Path, especially since I prefer acting accurately and quickly, rather than becoming a brute-force powerhouse. 

A not-so-unfamiliar wave of bewilderment struck me again. 

What's this...? 

[Advanced Class] 

This shouldn't be too surprising, but I was expecting Classes to be weaker than Paths.

Yet... Advanced Class? 

How much potential can a "Class" even hold? 

This just keeps getting more interesting, I

muttered to myself quietly. 

[Level 4 – 5 (750 / 1600)] 

Well… I'll get ready for my exercise now. 

Some things aren't meant to be known just yet—and that's okay. 

For now, I'll focus on what matters. 

I picked up my wooden sword and stepped outside. The wind still howled through the trees with a wild rhythm, like a song only I was meant to hear.

It was strangely familiar—almost like it remembered me from the night before. Sulien must've fixed the trees I destroyed with my slash.

They stood up right now, though some leaned awkwardly, as if still recovering from the force I had unknowingly unleashed. 

"Meditation first..." 

There weren't any specifics to how this meditation worked—Mister Sulien just told me to do it, nothing more. But I already decided—I wouldn't overthink it. I'd grasp it with the same instincts I followed during my first training. 

"Feel the wind. Let it guide you." 

I sat in the center of the yard, grass cool beneath me, crossing my legs as I closed my eyes. The wind whipped gently across my face, pulling at my hair, brushing past my arms.

It wasn't violent.

Not harsh. 

It was... comforting. Embracing. 

"..." 

"..." 

Time slipped away like leaves caught in the breeze. 

Eventually, I stood. The breath I took in felt deeper than before, more centered. 

Then I began my next exercise. 

My wooden sword sliced through the air—vertical, horizontal, diagonal. I switched patterns every ten strikes.

The repetition was exhausting, but each swing grounded me more, made the wind feel closer. 

And then, somewhere in the midst of it all—I felt it. 

A strong presence—wind binding with my grip, merging with my blade. 

"Finally," I muttered, a grin breaking across my face. 

Every strike that followed echoed louder, hit harder.

The air vibrated with energy, like the world was answering back with each blow. I was riding the momentum, the rhythm of wind and body moving as one.

But the more I reveled in it—the more I let success get to my head—the faster my body began to burn out. 

Huff... Huff... 

"Looks like my mana is decreasing at a very fast rate…" 

I hadn't even reached thirty strikes, and already I was staggering. My arms were trembling, legs shaky. But I pushed—tapping into whatever was left inside me. I hit 57 swings.

My chest ached, breath heavy, vision swaying. 

If I stopped now, I'd collapse. But I didn't. I saw it through. 

When I finally lowered my sword, my eyes burned with exhaustion. My skin clung to my sweat, the wind no longer enough to cool me down. 

Before sitting again, I took slow, controlled breaths—each one like dragging air through fire. Then I sat and began to meditate once more. 

"....." 

"..." 

Nothing miraculous happened. No flashes.

No visions.

But that didn't matter. 

What I did feel was peace—a calm that began in my chest and trickled through my limbs like water over stone. 

I eventually stepped back inside, the house quiet as ever. I collapsed onto the bed in the living room, muscles sighing into the mattress. 

The silence wrapped around me like a blanket. 

"I wonder how you are right now, Yunji-Nim…" 

Outside, the wind still whispered against the windows.

Somewhere far away, I imagined her looking up at the same sky, maybe hearing that same wind. 

And in that fragile moment of thought, of longing— 

"I hope you're doing just fine out there." 

I drifted off, pulled under by sleep's gentle tide.