526 – Crisis (3)

Softness overcomes strength. This is a phrase often quoted in martial arts circles.

Even sturdy, large trees often break in the face of a typhoon, but this is not the case with rice.

Rather than just holding on with brute force, it’s better to let go of some of that force and let it flow. That’s how softness overcomes strength.

So then, what can overcome that softness? A strength that can even overcome softness?

As Lord tells us, sharpness overcomes softness. It’s like cutting the waist of rice with scissors.

And those scissors can’t cut down a big tree. It’s like a game of rock-paper-scissors, where they bite each other.

So, people who learn martial arts often choose one of two tendencies and forge their own path.

It is extremely rare to learn all three. If you are not careful, you may end up in a situation where you are neither here nor there.

The Road also has softness as its base and sharpness as its base, and the Reze also has softness based on strength.

I’m still immature, so all I have is strength, but I’m gradually gaining other things. Among them, what I want the most is sharpness.

A fighting style that involves pushing forward with a strong body, so that each blow can be fatal, and inflicting fatal wounds on the opponent.

“I see what you want. Did Lord teach you well?”

“It taught me sharpness. But it’s still difficult.”

“It’ll be difficult. The sharpness he mentioned is something that hits where you want it without you even being conscious of it.”

A short break. I got some feedback while talking to Sulwha.

You could say that it wasn’t a one-shot fight, but here, the concept of time unique to Seolhwa came into play.

She has lived longer than anyone else, so she is basically relaxed. That is why she made time for herself to rest.

It wasn’t bad because I was able to learn various theories from her while also replenishing my stamina.

“Your sharpness is quite high-level. What’s more, your strength is also of an incredible level. Most people will be no match for you.”

“Really?”

“I am always objective. However, I am very vulnerable to softness. And that’s not all. The moment I meet someone stronger, I will shatter like glass.”

“··· ···”

How can she know so well? Everything she says is true.

I’ve rarely landed a proper hit while sparring with Lord, even after applying all the penalties.

Lize? Lize’s fists would just collide, and only my hands would hurt. On the other hand, Lize attacked as if nothing had happened.

Of course, you have to take into account that they are blue, but just as their strengths are clear, their weaknesses are also clear. It is difficult to strike at beings higher than blue.

“······Do I have to get it now?”

“No. Unless you live for a long time like me, it won’t suit you.”

“then?”

“Instead, I can help you understand the mystery.”

If it’s Myori, then you mean the center I mentioned before? As Seolhwa spoke, she slowly moved away from me.

It seemed like the break was about to end. I also looked at her and silently got into a fighting stance.

“Everything in this world has a center. Whether inanimate, animate, or even intangible. It’s all the same.”

“··· ···”

“Plants have stems, animals have waists, and typhoons have eyes.”

Seolhwa wandered around and picked up a piece of debris that had been roughly broken into pieces. It was a piece that had fallen while I was sparring with her.

It was a long, vertical piece of debris. She stood it upright and then let go of it.

Normally, it would be difficult to keep the balance and fall over. But that wasn’t the case with the fragments.

The long fragments stood tall, up and down, as if someone had grabbed them from the side.

It showed all the central mysteries that the story mentioned. I exclaimed in admiration as I watched it.

“You don’t necessarily have to master this secret. Just find it and that’s it.”

“··· ···”

“I think it would be better to start slowly.”

-Phew!

As she spoke, Seolhwa lightly kicked the fragment. Although her movement was light, the fragment flew towards me at lightning speed.

I was slightly surprised by the sudden start, but that was only for a moment, and I swung my fist at the fragment.

-Crack!

As soon as I threw my fist, the debris shattered into pieces and scattered in all directions.

Then, from beyond, Seolhwa’s face came into view. It seemed as if she had rushed forward as soon as the fragments were thrown.

I wasn’t flustered because I had been using this tactic frequently. On the contrary, I responded to it with ease.

-Bingle

But before that, my vision started to turn upside down. The story had arbitrarily distorted my center of gravity.

I’ve already talked enough about the center, so I wanted to respond somehow, but it’s not easy. It’s the center of gravity.

The center of gravity is very important in human activities, so that the distribution of force can be done efficiently.

Not only that, even if a great force is applied, if you can keep your center of gravity low, you can withstand it like a large tree.

-Bam!

I couldn’t do it. The world turned upside down and I fell to the floor.

Since I had already fallen so many times, instead of feeling annoyed, I just sighed. No matter what I did, it was hard to keep my balance.

-Swoosh

It was when I was lying down upside down that Seolhwa silently showed her beautiful face.

Then, she stared at me intently and then slowly reached out her hand. I watched her actions silently.

-Kuk

Her delicate fingers pressed against my cheek. It was an action I couldn’t understand at all.

I couldn’t help but be confused because the reaction was similar to before, yet completely different.

“······What are you doing?”

“I was just curious. Sometimes, believers who are lovers play pranks like this.”

“··· ···”

“I always wondered why you were doing such pranks. Now I think the mystery has been solved a little.”

Seol-hwa nodded as if she had gained a deep understanding. I was dumbfounded as I watched her like that.

It’s nice that he sees me as cute, but it’s different from his previous dignified appearance. I feel an inexplicable sense of discomfort.

“Now, get up again. It won’t end until you realize the truth.”

“What about the conditions before that?”

“Oh. You really want to brush the collar of my clothes? You have great tenacity.”

No, it seems you forgot. I ignored Cheonma’s exclamation and got up from my seat.

“Or do you desire my lips so much?”

“······Isn’t it the opposite?”

“I was joking. I knew you wouldn’t like it.”

But when I heard what she said next, I was dumbfounded. It wasn’t Seolhwa who was possessed by the devil, it was me.

It was when I was feeling embarrassed for no reason and was just scratching my cheek.

[Faith is falling······]

A message of chaos was printed, as if it was extremely disappointed.

Usually, when you’re happy, you add an exclamation mark to the message, but now, not only a period, but even ······ has been added.

Anyone can see that it indirectly reveals that I am very disappointed. It seems that Chaos also did not realize Seolhwa’s true intention.

“Aha. I see. That strange spear is revealing your true nature.”

“······What?”

What kind of nonsense is this? I raised my head at the startling words of the tale just hearing it.

She was smiling, even though she didn’t know what she had realized on her own. Her eyes were also starting to look more mysterious than before.

“I thought someone was peeping at me. It was also strange that I couldn’t see into your true feelings. But it wasn’t all like that. That window was your true feelings.”

“Wh, what kind of misunderstanding······”

[Faith rises!!!]

Yes, that’s right! Actually, I did it because I wanted to kiss you!

······Chaos sent me a message instead. As soon as I saw it, I hastily deleted the message.

But how could I, who was not a scholar, clear away the message? My hands were just cutting through the air.

“If you really want it, I’ll let you taste my lips.”

“No. It’s a misunderstanding. It wasn’t me.”

“You’re not honest. That’s part of your charm.”

Seol-hwa slowly began to approach. As I watched her, I repeatedly exclaimed inwardly that something terrible was happening.

I wanted to explain it as a misunderstanding somehow, but who is Seolhwa? A purple being with the power to do that at my own pace.

If she wants it, I have to lose my lips without mercy. So here’s a question.

Do you hate kissing snow? Honestly, I can answer ‘no’ with shame.

‘It’s pretty.’

Because the story is pretty. And it’s really pretty.

If Lize is the epitome of Western beauty, then Seolhwa is the epitome of Eastern beauty.

What man wouldn’t like a beautiful woman like that running towards him and saying he likes her? He even helped her out in many ways, so his favorability rating has increased.

It just seems too fast, and I’m a little scared of the next step.

-Whoa!

“100 million?!”

While I was lost in thought for a moment, Seolhwa grabbed my shoulder tightly. I don’t know when she arrived in front of me.

While I was flustered, Seolhwa smiled gently and slowly lifted her hooves.

The height difference was quite large, so she had no choice but to walk on tiptoe.

‘Huh? Huh?”

Seolhwa’s lips slowly approached. Not the lips of a purple being, but the lips of a beautiful woman.

As I was wondering what to do while looking at that, her lips reached right in front of my nose. And······

-side!

Instead of my lips, I gave her a light kiss on the cheek next to hers.

It happened so quickly that I couldn’t help but be a little dazed. Why did they suddenly change direction?

“······Who are you?”

What is even more incomprehensible is Seol-hwa’s reaction. Her voice has become infinitely lower.

At the same time, an undistilled aura began to slowly emanate from her. It was a situation that I could not understand at all.

“Who is stopping the real woman?”

“What are you talking about······”

In a situation that is difficult to understand.

[What is this girl saying?]

I heard a woman’s voice in my head for the first time in my life.

-Thud!

My consciousness was cut off as if the film had been cut off.