Chapter 36: 36 Who Needed Whipping?

8:00 pm. Training grounds.

The space was enclosed, with stark white walls surrounding me. My breath came out in misty clouds as the chill settled in. The dagger arts Shin Jonghak had handed me was only at high rank, but it meshed perfectly with my fighting style. It wasn’t as flashy as some of the other techniques I wished learned, but the Desolate Moon Assassination Techniques had a kind of subtle precision I appreciated. It was clearly a unique martial art of the Desolate Moon Clan, with slight similarities to Jonghak’s spearmanship.

“I’ve decided, Jonghak, you’re my favorite bro right now,” I muttered to myself as I slipped into the first stance.

New Moon.

A stealth-based stance that allowed me to blend into the shadows. Kind of redundant, considering I had Nobody Knows already. Still, I saw potential for combining it with other techniques.

Waxing Crescent.

A quick, burst-speed strike that created a crescent-shaped slash in the air. I executed it, and the drone dummy in front of me whirred in response, registering the damage.

First Quarter.

From darkness to light—pure speed. I zipped forward, leaving behind a vivid afterimage. The moment I activated the technique, I swapped positions with my afterimage, disorienting the drone.

Waxing Gibbous.

This one was more of a survival technique. It helped evade magic power-based attacks and most physical harm. I’d need to test it in real combat, but for now, it was enough that I understood its purpose.

Full Moon.

A buff that gave me a seemingly endless well of magic power for a limited time. The kicker? It worked best under the actual full moon. I chuckled as I felt my power surge briefly, already feeling more energized despite the lack of a full moon.

Waning Gibbous.

Movement and accuracy—this technique heightened both. I shifted my stance, feeling my evasion and precision grow sharper as I sliced through the air.

Last Quarter.

A speed-based attack again, this time shifting from light to darkness. More afterimages surrounded the drone as I moved through the motions, the doppelgangers glowing faintly before fading away.

Waning Crescent.

The final move—a pure stealth attack. It worked best with feints, either double or triple. I executed it slowly, methodically, planning to throw off an opponent with misdirection.

I watched as the drone-type dummy in front of me was shredded to pieces. This dagger art grew stronger the less my opponent perceived my attacks. It seemed to be perfect for one-on-one fights. I couldn’t deny that the Desolate Moon Assassination Techniques had serious potential.

“And this was supposed to be only at High Rank?” I muttered under my breath, shaking my head in disbelief. The dagger arts I’d just practiced felt ridiculously strong. It made me wonder what the main cast was using if this was considered "average" for them.

Before I could think too much about it, Yoo Yeonha entered the room, carrying a sack that clanked with all sorts of weapons. I glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. “Yo~ I thought you wouldn’t show up.”

She shot me a look, clearly unimpressed. “Don’t misunderstand, I didn’t show up because I like you or anything.”

I grinned, waving off her typical tsundere attitude. “Yeah, yeah, yeah... So how’s this gonna work?”

“Just to clarify,” she said, her voice firm. “If I teach you and help raise your proficiency with different weapons, at least to a novice level, we’re square?”

“Yeah,” I nodded, already running through the possibilities in my head. “Preferably, throwing weapons, the whip, the bow, and maybe even the sword.”

Yoo Yeonha adjusted the sack on her shoulder and gave a slight nod. “I’m most proficient with the whip, but I’ve dabbled in every orthodox weapon since I was a child, so I have middling skill with them. I don’t know any throwing weapon skills, though.”

“Fair enough.” I wasn’t too surprised. Throwing weapons weren’t exactly mainstream, and Yeonha was more of a tactician and leader than a frontline fighter. Still, the idea of her teaching me the whip and bow intrigued me. “Let’s get started, then.”

Yoo Yeonha grabbed her whip from the sack as she stepped forward, a wicked glint in her eyes. “Good then, I’ll start by literally whipping you into shape. I’ll try my best and enjoy it.” The whip cracked in the air, sending a sharp snap echoing through the room.

I gulped, suddenly feeling a bit less confident. “What should I do?”

“Just stand right where you are,” she said, her voice casual as if this was completely normal.

“Okay,” I responded automatically.

Wait.

What?

I froze, realizing the implications of her words.

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Yeonha’s whip lurched again, creating a sharp snapping sound in the air. Thankfully, it didn’t connect.

“First lesson, my dear pupil Hyon Hyung,” she began, her tone disturbingly playful, “spatial awareness. The whip is a far more complicated weapon than you realize. It’s borderline unorthodox, but it can be deadly in the right hands.”

I felt a bead of sweat roll down my temple. This was sounding worse by the second.

“This is what we’re going to do,” she continued. “I will strike you with this whip, and you’ll dodge it—without moving out of place. Every time you move your foot, I will… hmmm…” She tapped a finger on her chin, feigning deep thought. “I wonder what the appropriate punishment is?”

I tensed up, my eyes watching the whip like it was a venomous snake. “Uh… can we maybe not include punishments in this lesson?”

Yeonha’s smile widened, and that was enough of an answer for me.

“Let’s start,” she said sweetly, snapping the whip once more.

I had a bad feeling about this.

Yeonha's voice was disturbingly casual. "Every time you fail, I’ll take out an eye."

“Wait, wait… isn’t that a bit much?” My pulse quickened. She couldn’t be serious, right?

“How about a limb?” she suggested, her tone still annoyingly sweet.

“Can you be kinder to me?” I tried reasoning with her. “Didn’t you just friendly fire me last time in the museum?”

She tilted her head, pretending to consider it. “I will be satisfied with the fingers too, so we can do the punishment twenty times.”

“Aren’t we like comrades? Spare me the punishments, please?” Desperation crept into my voice.

“The nails will do too. That way, we can do the punishment forty times.”

Wait.

I felt something tighten around my foot. I glanced down in alarm to see her whip wrapped around my leg. “Punishment for not paying attention,” Yeonha declared.

Before I could react, she pulled with her magic power, yanking me off my feet and dragging me across the ground. My back slammed into the wall with a dull thud. Pain exploded in my spine, and the impact left me momentarily dazed.

She stepped closer, her whip coiled in her hand. “A severe beating,” she finished with a smirk. “Yeah, you heard me right. I am going to beat you good until I feel good about myself.”

This was going to be hell.

“You are such a Demon Queen… no wonder you got the hots for Jonghak,” I muttered, half-joking, but regretting it immediately.

Yeonha’s whip lashed out at me, and I barely managed to dodge the first strike. The whip cracked just inches from my face, the sound sharp enough to make me flinch. She wasn’t holding back.

Dodging without moving my feet? That was insane. But I had to try. With a deep breath, I activated Waxing Gibbous, using the wall behind me for leverage. My body moved fluidly, fading in and out of visibility as I combined my Gift, Nobody Knows, with the Desolate Moon techniques. I could feel the strain of switching between them so quickly, but it was my only chance.

Yeonha’s pace increased, her movements more aggressive. The whip came at me faster and faster, cracking through the air like a lightning strike. “Die! Die!” she screamed, laughter bubbling up in her voice.

What the hell? Was she really this stressed? She swung with sadistic glee, and for a second, I wondered if she actually wanted to kill me.

"Okay, this is escalating fast," I muttered to myself, narrowly dodging another strike. If I didn’t keep my focus, she’d land one of those hits, and I’d be done for.

But despite the danger, part of me couldn’t help but grin. This was actually kind of fun in a twisted, chaotic way.

Yeonha changed tempo without warning, and before I could react, the whip slammed into my side, hitting me square in the liver. Pain shot through my body, but I barely had time to register it before the next strike came. The whip snapped under my armpit, and then, with precision, it wrapped around my left shoulder.

“Crap,” I muttered, already knowing what was coming.

Yeonha pulled hard, and I face-planted on the ground with a thud, the air knocked out of my lungs. My face stung from the impact, but the rest of me wasn’t feeling too great either.

“Again!” she commanded, her voice sharp and relentless.

She removed the whip, giving me a second to stand up. But instead of rising to my feet, I stayed flat on the floor, catching my breath. My body ached from the hits, and my pride was more than a little bruised. But more than that, I was curious about something.

“What got your panties in a bunch, lady?” I groaned, wiping the dirt from my cheek.

Yeonha’s eyes narrowed, her expression a mix of annoyance and something else—something I couldn’t quite place. “Get up,” she snapped, ignoring my question.

I stayed down, resting my head on the cold ground. “Seriously, you’re acting like I stole your dessert or something. What’s up with you?”

Yeonha didn’t miss a beat. “I am sorry for being carried away, but you are a good stress relief. Now stand up so I can hit you more,” she said, her face as serious as if she were discussing world politics... with all the sincerity of a zebra.

I couldn’t help but snort, despite the pain in my ribs. "You know, you could just, I don’t know, talk about your problems instead of turning me into your personal punching bag. I mean, I appreciate you being here… but I don’t want to get hurt that much for the sake of self-improvement.”

She cracked the whip in the air with an eager glint in her eyes. "This is how I talk about my problems.”

"Of course it is," I muttered. With a groan, I slowly pushed myself off the ground. "Fine, fine. I’ll be your stress toy, but maybe take it easy on the liver next time? It’s kind of an important organ."

Yeonha didn’t respond, her eyes focused on me like a predator sizing up its prey. "No promises," she said, raising the whip again.

I sighed, knowing full well I wasn’t getting out of this without a few more bruises. “You know, for someone as refined as you pretend to be, you really enjoy the whole ‘pain and suffering’ shtick.”

She gave me a wicked grin. “Only when it’s deserved.”

"Great, now I’m wondering what the hell I did to deserve this," I said, bracing myself for the next round.

Yeonha snapped the whip again, and I steeled myself. This time, I wasn’t going down so easily.

"Ok, I might have gone down easier than I thought," I muttered, wincing as every step sent waves of pain through my body. Yeonha, the demon queen herself, had the audacity to offer me her shoulder. I took it, trying to ignore the thick towel she placed between us. Classic Yeonha—clean freak to the core.

She glanced at me, her expression unreadable. “Whipping you strangely felt good,” she said, like she was stating a simple fact.

I chuckled weakly through the pain. “Really? Well, we should do it more often.”

There was an awkward silence. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, expecting some kind of sarcastic retort. Instead, she just looked at me, her face still as composed as ever.

"…FYI, I ain’t an M," I quickly added, just in case she got the wrong idea. Not that there was any chance of that, but still.

She let out a small snort, the closest thing to a laugh I’d ever heard from her. "Noted," she said, her voice calm but with a hint of amusement.

As we walked, I couldn’t help but wonder how I ended up like this—bruised, sore, and leaning on Yeonha for support. Life had a weird way of throwing curveballs.