Chapter 31: 31 Desire To Get Stronger

I wanted to get stronger, so later that night, I decided to ambush Shin Jonghak on his way to the dorms. The street he usually took was pretty much deserted, making it the perfect spot for my... proposal. I knew it would be difficult to convince him, but at least I had a chance of persuading him. Unlike Suho, who rejected my request without hesitation, there was a glimmer of hope here.

I stood in his path, blocking his way. He glared at me like I was an insect that somehow got in his face.

"Shin Jonghak, can you teach me how to fight?" I asked, determined to get an answer this time.

"Fucking bastard, I have no time to waste with you," he spat, clearly in no mood for my nonsense.

"If you're going to reject someone, then at least do it properly," I pressed on. "For the past few times, I came to the gym and the training grounds... Every time I bothered you, whenever you saw how pathetic I was, you'd offer small pointers. And those helped me in more ways than you can imagine."

Jonghak’s eyes narrowed. “Fine, you want a proper rejection?” He leaned forward, sneering. “I would never teach someone as trash as you. So fuck off already.”

“I reject your rejection,” I replied without missing a beat, standing my ground.

"You’re a persistent bastard,” Jonghak growled, rubbing his temples. “Just because I gave you pointers and talked to you a little bit nicely doesn’t mean you’re special."

I could tell from the way Shin Jonghak’s jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed that he was still pissed about losing to Kim Suho earlier. Perfect timing for my request, right?

“Correction,” I began again, trying to sound calm. “I’m not asking you to teach me how to fight exactly—well, not just that. I’m talking about Gifts, Magic Power, Arts, and maybe even how to attain different physiques. You’re the heir of the Desolate Moon Clan. Surely, you’ve got some awesome stuff you can share with this poor peasant.”

Jonghak’s eyes flashed with even more annoyance. “I’m going to kill you if you don’t move out of my way.”

"This is what’s going to happen,” I continued, ignoring his obvious threat. “We’ll place bets. I’ll win, and then you’ll give me everything I’m asking for.”

“You really are asking for death,” Jonghak said, his voice low and dangerous.

Before I could respond, he practically disappeared. A burst of magic power erupted from him, and he vanished from my sight. He was too fast for me—my perception was leagues below his. In the blink of an eye, he was right behind me.

Or at least, he should’ve been.

“What?” Jonghak muttered in surprise, as he somehow missed me. I had instinctively tilted my head at a weird angle, just enough to dodge his attack, and leapt forward like a startled cat.

I flashed him a grin as I turned around, despite the fact that my heart was pounding in my chest. “This is the bet: if you win, I’ll tell you Kim Suho’s weakness.” That was a blatant lie, of course. I had no idea what Suho’s weakness was.

Jonghak didn’t seem to care about my lie as much as I thought. He glared at me, probably considering how much he wanted to wring my neck. I pressed on, “But if I win, you’re going to give me your clan’s strongest dagger arts. Deal?”

Jonghak’s face twisted with a mix of disbelief and fury. I could practically see the gears turning in his head, trying to figure out how I managed to dodge him just now. And more importantly, how he was going to destroy me in the next ten seconds.

He smirked. “Fine. I’ll enjoy crushing you.”

Since I was already fishing for favors, I figured I might as well go all in. "And also, how about you throw in some tips on how to get your physique? Or was that an inborn trait?”

Jonghak’s response was as predictable as it was furious. “Dream on.”

He rushed at me with incredible speed, faster than I could properly react to under normal circumstances. But thankfully, I had [Nobody Knows]. Every time he lunged, I toggled [Always Here] on and off, messing with his perception just enough to avoid his attacks. He’d swing or punch, and I’d already be shifting my position, turning slightly invisible to his senses.

My Gift gave me a ridiculous edge in these types of situations, especially when my opponent had no idea what I was doing. It wasn’t flashy or powerful like Suho’s sword or Jonghak’s spear, but subtlety was its strength. And luckily for me, Jonghak didn’t have his spear on him right now.

I ducked low, darted to the left, then rolled to the side, evading his attacks with a minimal waste of movement. It might’ve looked awkward, like I was flailing around, but it was intentional. My time in the evasion room was starting to pay off. The more Jonghak attacked, the more I could feel myself keeping up with his speed.

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“Aren’t you going to hit back, you coward?!” Jonghak growled, clearly getting frustrated.

But I wasn’t about to punch a guy who could probably bench press a small car. Besides, my goal was to make him mad enough to slip up, not trade blows. "Hit back? I’m not suicidal," I said, dodging another one of his punches. "Besides, it looks like you’re doing a great job of tiring yourself out. You’re welcome."

His eyes flashed with anger, and he lunged again, but I was already gone, his fist hitting nothing but air.

This was working better than I expected. I might not win the fight by brute force, but I didn’t need to. If I could just push him far enough, he’d eventually make a mistake. Then, I’d win the bet.

I just had to survive a little longer.

I realized something was off during the fight. This Shin Jonghak wasn’t quite the same as the one I remembered from The Novel’s Extra. He wasn’t as prideful, and frankly, he felt weaker than Chae Nayun. In the original storyline, Jonghak could go toe to toe with Kim Suho on a regular basis. But here? Jonghak seemed to have slipped. Was the title of 'Protagonist's Rival' stolen by Nayun? It sure seemed like it.

I needed to get stronger, fast. There were crises coming, and I wasn’t about to sit around and wait for them to roll over me. That’s why I took this gamble with Jonghak. He might not be on Suho or Nayun’s level right now, but he was still a threat. One good punch from him and I’d be waking up in a hospital bed, if not worse.

Also, I really needed a good Dagger Art right now.

I was out of breath, but I pushed through. “What’s wrong, Jonghak? You’re a lot slower than Nayun.”

That struck a nerve. “Keep her name out of your mouth—”

He stopped mid-sentence. I stopped too.

The reason? I had a dagger pressed to his throat.

It was one of my new favorite tricks—turning my weapons invisible with my Gift. [Nobody Knows] wasn’t just about hiding myself; it could extend to objects I held too. Perfect for situations like this.

“Checkmate,” I said with a smirk.

Jonghak’s eyes flared with a mix of surprise and rage, but he didn’t move. He knew better. For a second, I wondered if he’d lunge at me anyway, but he stayed still, the tension between us thick enough to cut with the dagger I held.

“You... bastard,” he muttered, his pride clearly taking a hit.

“Look, I don’t want to embarrass you more than necessary, so let’s just say I win the bet. I want that dagger art and whatever physique secrets you’ve got. Deal?”

Jonghak gritted his teeth, clearly struggling with his desire to kill me on the spot versus keeping his word. After what felt like an eternity, he exhaled sharply and nodded.

I pulled the dagger back, grinning like an idiot.

And then, out of nowhere, Jonghak punched me square in the face. I could feel the magic power infused into his fist, like a truck slamming into my skull. My vision blurred instantly, and I swear I heard a cracking sound. Was that my skull? Yeah, probably.

Before I hit the ground, the last thing I heard was his voice, low and seething with anger. “Fuck you…”

And then everything went dark.

Great. Just great.

Since coming to this world, I realized I no longer dream. There was only darkness when I slept, like some weird side effect of my Gift. When I finally stirred, I felt something soft beneath me. The ceiling above looked too familiar. My head throbbed, and I groaned. "I am an idiot..." I muttered to myself.

Why did I provoke Jonghak like that? I was lucky to be alive after that punch. I felt like my skull had been rearranged, but at least I wasn’t dead. That’s a win, I guess.

I turned my head to the left, and to my surprise, there sat Rachel, calmly reading a book.

"Oh, you're awake, great!" she said, looking relieved.

Huh? Why was Rachel here? I blinked at her, trying to process the situation.

“Did I… die?”

Rachel raised an eyebrow, looking at me like I’d asked if the sky was green. "No, but it was close. You’re in the infirmary. What were you thinking?"

I groaned again, mostly out of embarrassment this time.

"Wait, how much did you see?" I asked, feeling my stomach drop.

Rachel glanced at me. "You threatening Jonghak with a knife and demanding a Dagger Art from him?"

I groaned. "Please don't report me."

I must have looked like a complete villain if that was what she remembered. Great, now I was the lunatic who tried to shake down Shin Jonghak in a back alley. How did things escalate that fast?

Rachel continued, her voice even. "And then he punched you in the face as self-defense when you let your guard down."

Yep. Definitely a villain now.

"Did you tell anyone?" I asked, my voice tinged with desperation. The last thing I needed was a reputation as a crazy stalker trying to mug people for martial arts techniques.

"I tried," she admitted, "but Shin Jonghak-ssi thought otherwise and I respected his decision."

Huh? That was surprising. Why would Jonghak stop her from reporting me? Maybe he didn't want to admit I managed to hold a knife to his throat, even for a second.

Rachel stood up, dusting her clothes. "I’ll be going now that you’re awake. The nurse left for a bit because she got called over. She’ll probably return soon... and I have an appointment."

As she headed for the door, I couldn’t help but sigh in relief. "Thanks, Rachel. For, uh, not making things worse." She nodded, barely turning as she left, leaving me to wonder how on earth I was still alive—and how I was going to avoid another run-in with Shin Jonghak.

I was watching cartoons on the small TV mounted in the corner of my hospital room, trying to ignore the throbbing in my face. The nurse said I’d been excused for two days, at least until my face healed. That punch from Jonghak had done a number on me, and every time I moved my jaw, I could feel a twinge of pain.

The door creaked open, and I glanced over, expecting the nurse. Instead, I saw him—Shin Jonghak. My heart rate spiked.

"Please don't hit me!" I blurted out, throwing my hands up in an embarrassing attempt to shield my already battered face.

Jonghak just stared at me, clearly unimpressed. Without a word, he dropped a thick book onto the desk beside my bed with a heavy thud. I peeked between my fingers, half-expecting him to go for a round two.

Before I could say anything, he turned to leave, pausing just as he reached the door. “That fight... let’s consider it a draw,” he said, not even looking back. “Next time, I will win.”

And with that, he vanished.

I blinked, my hands still raised in a defensive position. Slowly lowering them, I looked at the book he left behind. It was some kind of martial arts manual. A smirk crept onto my face, despite the pain in my cheeks.

"Did I just… win?"

Well, this was definitely a win in my book. Since that day, after I got released, I realized Shin Jonghak would always bring his spear with him wherever he go.