It's been two weeks since I made my Dantian, and I've grown to hate push-ups.

Holding my Ki together and keeping it out of my arms and legs was rather easy now, but the exercising part still sucked.

[You can stop now.]

I fell to the ground, once again a sweaty mess.

Gi was still at it as well, and he seemed to hate Ki control as much as I hated push-ups.

Open Status.

[Kwang-sik]

[Rank: Third-rate]

[Strength 90/100] [Agility 98/100] [Stamina 88/100] [Ki Level 95/100]

[Dexterity 11] [Ki Control 100] [Ki Resilience 5]

Ki control had finally reached 100- and I was close to what Gi was 2 weeks ago.

When I checked Gi's status yesterday, his Ki level was at 98.

Open Gi's status.

[Gi]

[Rank: Third-rate]

[Strength 105/100] [Agility 102/100] [Stamina 110/100] [Ki Level 99/100]

He couldn't be closer to becoming second-rate.

[You are strong enough for lessons now.]

Lessons…? What do you mean?

[Open Lessons?]

…Yes.

[Suzie's Lessons]

[Basic Fist Art] [Basic Palm Art] [Basic Kick Art] [Basic Footwork Art] [Basic Sword Art] [Basic Spear Art] [Basic Bow Art]

[Saved Lessons]

[Ember's Flame Step 4]

Suzie… What are all of these?

[All of 'Suzie's Lessons' are Martial Arts that I made myself- I can teach any of them to you.]

The window was ever so slightly red.

You must have put a lot of effort into this- and just for me? Thank you.

[...It was nothing much.]

The window turned ever so slightly redder.

Before I could tease Suzie any further, the bottom of the Lesson screen caught my eye.

…What's the Ember's Flame Step 4?

It sounded familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had heard it.

[That's the only Saved Lesson. It was the Flame Sect technique that you requested to learn 3 weeks ago.]

…!

Does that mean you can teach me that technique now?

[Any of the lessons visible on the Lesson Screen can be learned immediately.]

Even though I had just done push-ups for hours, I was shaking with excitement.

This was it.

My first step towards learning magic…!

[It's a martial art.]

Alright, alright.

Please teach me the Ember's Flame Step 4!

[You don't want to learn one of the martial arts I made for you…?]

Was she… pouting?

I wasn't even sure how to respond- it wasn't that I didn't want to learn her martial arts, I just really wanted to wield fire.

…But I can wait a little longer for that.

Which Basic Art should I learn first?

[I recommend starting with the Basic Footwork Art, it will help you with all of the others.]

I was too tired to do anything else today- I'd start with the Basic Footwork Art tomorrow.

Suzie, if you see a martial art once, does that mean you can teach me it?

[If I see the full technique, yes.]

…That's quite the cheat.

***

"We will be having guests over for dinner tonight," Dae-sung informed us during breakfast.

"Who's coming?"

Dae-sung hesitated to answer In-su's question. "...We will be hosting for the Yang Sect. Be sure to be on your best behavior."

The mood at the table had turned sour- I felt like all the other kids knew something I didn't.

Wait… the Yang Sect? Isn't this the Yang Family Orphanage? There's no way that's a coincidence.

"What's the Yang Sect?"

The rest of the kids looked at me like I had just spoken a taboo.

"They're… family." Dae-sung didn't meet my eyes while answering.

I decided not to ask him any further.

"Gi, what's the deal with the Yang Sect?"

Gi was the oldest one here- he probably knew something, so I asked him when it was just the 2 of us.

"...I don't want to talk about it."

Gi looked frustrated- he was still working ok Ki control, but he seemed to be distracted.

He definitely knew something about the Yang Sect, but if he didn't want to talk about it I wasn't going to pester him for answers.

"I'm just gonna head inside- I'm not making any progress today anyways."

…That was the first time Gi had stopped training before me.

Open Lessons.

The lesson screen I had seen yesterday opened.

[Which lesson do you want to learn?]

Hmm… I wanted to learn the Ember's Flame Step 4 right away, but Suzie said I should learn the Basic Footwork Art first.

[You can learn the Ember's Flame Step 4 first, the order doesn't matter that much.]

[I know how excited you are to wield fire like it's magic.]

Suzie, how much do you know about me?

[I know everything you know.]

…Does that mean you have access to all of my memories?

[Yes.]

For some reason, I felt embarrassed- I guess she knew how much of a loser I was the first 17 years of my life.

[Your desire to learn magic is what drives you to learn martial arts, it's a good thing.]

[...I almost regret not being able to teach you magic- I know how much it fascinates you.]

I hadn't thought about it like that, but Suzie was right- if I didn't have such a burning desire for learning magic, I probably wouldn't have been able to put up with the training.

Please teach me the Ember's Flame Step 4!

[Starting the Ember's Flame Step 4 Lesson.]

A hologram materialized before me- its sudden appearance was startling. It was the basic shape of a human, but it didn't have any discerning features- it kind of looked like me.

Then it started moving- I recognized its movement instantly. It was mimicking the movements of that Flame Sect woman.

Not only was it repeating its movements, but it was leaving behind holographic footprints and hand movements in the air for me to follow.

[Line yourself up with the hologram and follow the movement to the best of your ability.]

I sighed- I was hoping the lesson could just be implanted in my brain, but that would be too easy.

It was a lot to focus on at once- following all the movements required me to be fast and precise.

[Accuracy: 11%]

…This was going to take a while.

***

It had been around 30 minutes and I felt like I was almost there- my last attempt was 90% accurate.

As I finished up this attempt, I decided to take a small breather and sat down on the ground.

[Accuracy: 94%]

I wasn't sure how long it would take me to hit 100% accuracy- this was difficult, but in a different way compared to the other training I had been doing.

[We can now start the second part of the lesson.]

…But I wasn't 100% accurate, is it fine to move on?

[It is physically impossible to be 100% accurate. You are not a robot.]

[Only an 85% accuracy is required, and anything above 90% is optimal.]

Before my eyes, the inside of the hologram changed. It was a solid blue before, but now it was filled with an orange liquid- that's Ki!

[You will now need to follow the physical and the Ki movements at the same time.]

Something was bothering me, however-

Suzie, how do you know the Ki movements if you saw them before I could sense Ki?

[I have been able to sense Ki since the beginning.]

…The beginning?

[I cannot answer.]

Alright then, I guess it was time for part two.

***

I had gotten a lot better at controlling my Ki, but it was difficult to control it while moving as well.

[Accuracy: 30%]

[Accuracy: 40%]

[Accuracy: 44%]

[Accuracy: 52%]

After I had been at it for a few hours, it finally happened- my fist felt hot as the tiniest flame I'd ever seen emerged from it.

[Accuracy: 88%]

The flame was too small to hurt anything, but I had finally done it- I had wielded fire!

I was exhausted but I couldn't stop smiling. I lay down on the ground, full of myself.

[Congratulations!]

[The Lesson has been completed but not perfected.]

My breathing was still heavy- I decided I'd continue the lesson after a few minutes.

[Look at your stats.]

I didn't feel that much stronger, but I obliged.

Open Status.

[Kwang-sik]

[Rank: Third-rate]

[Strength 93/100] [Agility 99/100] [Stamina 89/100] [Ki Level 100/100]

[Dexterity 70] [Ki Control 108] [Ki Resilience 5]

[Arts]

[Ember's Flame Step 4]

Most of my stats went up a little bit, but dexterity had skyrocketed! I had been worried that it wasn't going up, but it seemed that lessons were an efficient way to raise it.

There was also a new section called "Arts," which I'm assuming will hold any martial arts I learn in the future as well.

"Kwang-sik! Come in and wash up before dinner!"

I looked up at the sky; I didn't know I had been out here for that long already.

***

I showered and changed. Dae-sung said it would be better if I wasn't drenched in sweat during dinner today.

However, he had said it while grinning- I was glad he seemed to be doing better than he was this morning.

BANG. BANG.

The dinner table was almost done being set, but no one was sitting down; on the contrary, everyone was making their way towards the gate, the source of the banging.

"Kwang-sik, come on." Gi had motioned for me to follow suit.

BANG. BANG.

We lined up in front of the gate- all of the other kids looked tidier than usual as well.

Dae-sung walked up to the gate- he was about to wrench it open.

…It was time to meet the Yang Sect.

***