The Past, the Day Jin Sejeong Awakened.
Following the traditions of her family, Jin Sejeong created her mana core with the help of Jin Yuhwa, the head of the Jin family and her mother.
The method used by the direct descendants of prestigious families involved the head of the family channeling their own mana into their child, guiding the path for the mana core’s formation.
This “Guide” method was the safest and most stable way to create a solid mana core, making it widely adopted by noble families, including the Jin family.
As Jin Sejeong received her mother’s mana, she felt an endless, vast blue sea within her.
The sheer size and depth of it sent chills down her spine.
Only a few hours had passed since her awakening, yet to Jin Sejeong, her mother’s mana—akin to a vast azure ocean—became her goal, just as the name “Guide” suggested.
Determined to attain the same strength as her mother and bring honor to the Jin family name, she made a firm resolution.
“H-Huh…? Wha—What is this?”
Now, as she clasped hands with Yang Woobin and examined his mana, she felt the same overwhelming power she had once sensed from her mother.
It was incomprehensible.
A mere ten-year-old transcendent—a boy at that—possessing such immense strength was beyond reason.
A cold sweat formed on Jin Sejeong’s forehead as she couldn’t help but ask, “H-How is this possible? When exactly did you awaken?”
For noble family transcendents, the average awakening age was 13.
At the earliest, it could happen at 10, and the youngest ever recorded in history was 8.
But Yang Woobin was only 10 years old.
Even if she compared him to the fastest awakened transcendent in history, he should’ve only been awakened for two years at most.
It simply didn’t make sense for him to have this level of mana.
‘Could he be lying about his age? Maybe he’s actually a disguised monster? What if he brought me to this deserted training ground to devour me?
If that’s the case… What do I do? He’s much stronger than me…!’
That thought alone made Jin Sejeong start seeing Yang Woobin as a monster.
A creature that had effortlessly defeated her ten times in a row, without even letting her graze his clothing—an overwhelmingly powerful monster.
She was only ten.
Her body trembled in fear, her mind turned blank, and she was unable to do anything.
‘A-Am I really going to be eaten alive…? Ugh… I ran away to the Yang family because I wanted to live, but did I just end up in the jaws of a tiger instead…?
So that saying was true… There’s no paradise for those who run away…!’
As her head filled with anxiety and she braced herself for the worst—
“Hmm, well, I guess it’s fine. I was planning to tell you anyway.
I awakened when I was five. As for my mana, it’s a bit unique because of my trait.”
Yang Woobin’s response was completely different from what she had expected.
“What?”
“It’s called the Sun Physique. It’s an absolute pain in the ass.
My mana isn’t just hypersensitive—it’s also highly flammable. I had to push myself to the brink of death just to survive.
…Ugh. Even thinking about it is awful.”
As he recalled his past, a shudder ran through his body.
But contrary to Jin Sejeong’s fears, he didn’t look like an unstoppable monster at all.
Seeing a human side to someone she had feared, especially their weaknesses, naturally sparked curiosity.
Jin Sejeong was a simple-minded child, after all.
Finding herself intrigued by this side of Yang Woobin, she cautiously opened her mouth.
“…C-Can you tell me?”
“Huh? Tell you what?”
“About how you’ve lived until now…”
Up until that moment, Jin Sejeong had believed she was the most unfortunate person in the world.
After all, how many people had come close to being murdered by their own sister?
Could there be a life more tragic than that?
But after meeting Yang Woobin and sparring with him, she started thinking…
Maybe his life had been just as miserable as hers.
A prodigy who awakened at five—three years younger than the youngest recorded transcendent in history—now stood before her, saying, “I had to fight to survive.”
His strength, the depth of his gaze that didn’t match his age, and the subtle sorrow woven into his voice…
None of these belonged to a child who had lived a happy life.
“Tell me, Woobin.”
So, looking straight into his eyes, she earnestly asked.
“Sure, why not.”
His reply came so effortlessly, as if it wasn’t a big deal.
The story that the little girl wanted to hear wasn’t that long.
After all, he had only lived a repetitive, uneventful life, confined within his family’s walls.
Summarizing his ten years of life only took about ten minutes.
“Sniff… Hic… Woobin, you’re so pitiful…!”
And that was more than enough time to turn the little girl’s cute face into a tearful, snot-covered mess.
He had spoken honestly, hoping to earn her trust.
But he never expected such an extreme reaction.
“Wait, why are you crying? Is it really that bad?”
“Of course, it is! How could the first words you heard after being born be ‘Is there anything wrong with him?’
Who the hell says that to their own child?!
Ugh… Just saying it out loud makes me sad all over again…!”
From there, she kept sobbing, wailing things like, “Even with such talent, you were only taught house chores?
That’s so unfair!” or “You had to train just to survive because of the Sun Physique? That’s so tragic!”
In the end, dealing with her crying was way harder than their sparring session.
He wanted to pat her back to comfort her, but his hands were still tightly held in hers.
So there was nothing he could do except wait for her to calm down.
“Huuu… Sniff…”
“…Are you done crying?”
“Mhm. I’m done…”
About thirty minutes later, just as it was getting late enough to actually sleep, the girl finally stopped crying.
My name is Yang Woobin.
I’m ten years old.
Since I was still in my growth period—one of the most crucial times for development—sleep was my top priority.
So, I decided to wrap things up quickly and head to bed.
I got straight to the point.
“Alright, now it’s my turn to talk. You remember our bet earlier, right?”
“Huh? Oh, uh… yeah. I remember.”
“Hehehe. And you remember that I won in a landslide, right?
That means you have to listen to me now. Isn’t that right?”
“…Y-Yeah.”
Hearing the word “Wish,” the little girl’s face filled with tension.
I could even hear the sound of her swallowing dryly.
But even though she was visibly anxious and trembling, I had no intention of showing mercy.
“Kuhaha… Alright, I’ll tell you my wish now.”
“Ugh…”
I grinned mischievously at the nervous little girl, ready to declare my demand—a wish she had no choice but to accept.
No, it was more like an order.
“From now on, every day, you’ll spar with me—just like today.”
“Huh?”
Training with just bodyweight exercises in my room had its limits.
I was starting to hit a wall in training my body, mind, and mana core through meditation and simple exercises.
What I needed was this training ground.
And to freely use this male-restricted area, I needed someone with unrestricted access—like this little girl.
“In other words, let’s get stronger together since we’re both in unfortunate situations.”
Even though I had won the bet and technically had the right to make a demand, she could still just refuse and walk away.
That was why I relied on the goodwill I had built up with her and added a few more words.
Words designed to create a sense of camaraderie—“since we’re both in unfortunate situations” and “let’s get stronger together.”
I carefully chose my words to convince her…
But contrary to my expectations, the little girl just stared at me blankly, saying nothing.
Damn it, did I come on too strong? Should I have softened her up a bit more before slipping in the request?
Right now, I absolutely needed access to the training ground.
That meant the one holding the power in this conversation was the girl who had unrestricted access.
‘Shit… Should I just get on my knees and beg for sympathy?’
Just as that ridiculous thought crossed my mind, the girl, who had remained silent, slowly opened her mouth.
“…Alright, I’ll do it, Woobin.”
“…Huh? Oh, uh… thanks.”
“Then, I’m going to bed now. Goodnight.”
“Huh? Oh… yeah, goodnight.”
Without another word, she turned away and trotted out of the training ground, opening the door and leaving.
Since I wasn’t allowed to be in the training ground alone after she left, I quickly followed her out.
…What was that?
If she was going to agree, why did she hesitate so much?
A small doubt lingered in my mind as I took a quick shower to wash off the sweat from training and went to bed.
Shhhhhhhhhhh—
After parting ways with Yang Woobin, Jin Sejeong stood under the shower, letting the warm water wash away the dirt and sweat from the training session.
The heat of the water eased the fatigue that had built up throughout the day, and her body naturally relaxed under its warmth.
Yet, despite her body loosening up, her mind remained tense.
Not because of the precarious situation she was in—being hunted by her own family and forced to seek refuge in a foreign place.
No, that wasn’t the reason at all.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Ever since hearing Yang Woobin’s words, her heart hadn’t stopped pounding violently.
“Since we’re both in unfortunate situations… let’s get stronger together…”
Jin Sejeong clutched her chest, repeating the words he had said to her.
She was still too young to fully understand the reason behind this rapid heartbeat.
All she knew was that she felt confused.
But even though the confusion made her uneasy… she didn’t hate it.
“Hehe…”
For the first time since running away from the Jin family…
She felt like she wasn’t alone.
And three years passed.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.