Song Cheon Hwi dropped a bomb.
Not that Cheon Hwi actually carried out a terrorist attack.
But the impact of what he said during the broadcast spread like an explosion.
[ParkJihoon58: Did Song Cheon Hwi just declare someone his disciple?]
Did he really take Choa in as a disciple??
Is our Choa finally going to become a Hunter???
[Comments]
He did take her in as a disciple
But we should probably wait and see
Just because Song Cheon Hwi is insane doesn’t mean Choa will become insane too
It all began with the disciple declaration he made during the broadcast.
The new streamer Song Cheon Hwi, who was drawing attention with his overwhelming skills and performances.
Now that such a person had officially taken in a disciple, it was only natural for people’s curiosity to skyrocket.
[Siluseluru: I believe. I have no doubt the Great Hero will lead our Choa to rise up.]
To lose one’s faith!!! Is to embrace death!!!
I believe in the Great Hero’s skill without question!!!
[Comments]
Honestly, I’m curious too
He declared she’ll solo-clear an E-rank dungeon in a month, how can you not tune in?
Solo-clearing is total nonsense, but it’s hard to call it clickbait when Song Cheon Hwi’s track record is so insane lol
On top of that, the reveal of the disciple’s identity delivered a fresh shock to the audience.
Anyone who uses the Trizik platform would know the famous streamer Choa.
She rarely does face-cam streams and even more rarely collabs with other streamers.
And now she had become Cheon Hwi’s disciple.
People went wild at the surprising news, but that didn’t mean the atmosphere was all laughter and fun.
[AnalysisBot66: But isn’t this one really impossible?]
The numbers from the Association say it all.
Even for a basic E-rank dungeon, you need three experienced D-rank Hunters to clear it.
And now she’s going to solo one?
If that’s really happening, Choa has to hit C-rank in a month;
[Comments]
Stop with the fact violence
Please don’t do this
Why are you crushing our Choa’s confidence?
That was because some people were bringing in the Association’s official data and logically breaking down the feasibility.
Everyone agreed that Song Cheon Hwi was incredible.
But that only meant that Song Cheon Hwi was incredible.
No matter how well Choa learned, raising her skills to C-rank within a month was impossible.
That was the realistic evaluation from those watching Cheon Hwi’s new project.
“Let’s be real, it’s not like Choa’s especially talented, right?”
“There’s no way someone can increase their rank in just one month.”
“Even veteran Hunters struggle with solo clears in the first place.”
Her skills would definitely improve, but the goal itself was out of reach.
That was the direction the opinion on ChoBangGallery (Choa’s fan community) was heading in.
Just then, a man and a woman stepped into the Hunter Association.
What on earth is happening right now?
Choa stared blankly at the scene unfolding in front of her, barely holding on to her dazed mind.
She had definitely stepped into the Association building, hadn’t she?
With one bewildering moment after another, Choa couldn’t even clearly remember what had happened just a few minutes ago.
“If you’ll use this training room, that should be perfect.”
“It’s quite spacious for just two people.”
“These training rooms are all made large like this.”
Walking down the long hallway, Choa’s vision was blocked in black.
That was because a middle-aged man in a black suit and a young man in a black martial arts uniform were walking side by side ahead of her.
Both had above-average builds, so she couldn’t see anything in front of her, which felt suffocating, but Choa couldn’t bring herself to ask them to move aside.
After all, these were people she couldn’t dare to casually speak to.
“Miss Choa, it’s time to begin your training, so please come inside.”
“Ah, y-yes…!”
The young man in the black martial arts uniform, though only for a month, was her master-to-be and Trizik streamer, Song Cheon Hwi.
“The internal terminal in the training room is set to connect directly to me, so if you need anything, don’t hesitate to let me know.”
“Y-Yes, sir…!”
The middle-aged man in the black suit was none other than the Chairman of the Hunter Association, famous as the strongest Awakened in Korea.
“Well then, I hope you have a productive time.”
“Take care.”
“T-Take care, sir…!”
The Chairman, someone Choa had only ever seen on the news, bowed his head to her, and to the man beside her, he bowed deeply at the waist.
At that unbelievable sight, Choa’s brain momentarily shut down.
She merely echoed the man’s farewell and awkwardly bowed to the Chairman.
“Well, shall we get started now?”
“Huh…?”
Having seen the Chairman off, Cheon Hwi turned casually at the entrance and began preparing for training.
As Choa watched his calm, unfazed back—clearly used to this kind of situation, her small mouth slowly fell open.
It was the Chairman’s respect.
The strongest Awakened in Korea, the official successor of the Seven Heroes who saved the country from total collapse during the Great Cataclysm.
Even the most powerful figures in politics were like puppies in front of him, and guild masters, who were considered superhuman themselves, would all bow to the Chairman.
And yet, this same Chairman had personally greeted Cheon Hwi, even bowed his head just for being in his presence.
There was no one else like that in all the people Choa knew.
At least—until now.
“W-Was the Chairman always like that…?”
Summoning her courage, Choa carefully asked.
Packed into her question were countless doubts.
What kind of relationship did Cheon Hwi have with the Chairman?
Why would someone like him act so humbly toward Cheon Hwi?
“Hm? Oh, there was something that happened a while back. The Association owes me a little debt now.”
“A d-debt…?”
Cheon Hwi answered without even turning to look at Choa.
He said the Association owed him a debt, and that the Chairman was mindful of him because of it.
A debt the Association, which manages budgets in the trillions—not billions—still hadn’t paid back?
Choa swallowed nervously, and as if he had read her thoughts, Cheon Hwi added more.
“It’s not a financial debt. More like… an emotional one—something like a favor.”
“I-I see…”
That only made it harder to understand.
She got an answer, but it only deepened her curiosity.
Holding it down, Choa gulped again, because Cheon Hwi clapped his hands and turned to face her.
“Let’s cut the chatter here and start talking about your training, shall we?”
“Yes…!”
Choa’s clenched fists trembled.
She was filled with both anticipation and nerves about the training to come, but more than anything, it was because she was now face-to-face with him.
Streamer Choa was known for her bold and wild personality, a digital warrior queen charging through the internet.
But the real Jeong Da-hee inside wasn’t exactly good at communication.
Choa was the type whose online and real-life personalities were completely different.
“U-Um… What kind of martial arts will I be learning…?”
Her voice grew smaller toward the end, lips stammering.
She couldn’t meet his eyes, staring at the floor and fiddling nervously with her fingers.
“We should start with an Inner Qi Cultivation Method. Without internal energy, there are just too many inconveniences.”
Cheon Hwi responded with a faint smile, pleased by Choa’s earnest interest.
Choa stared at him blankly for a moment, then—still with her head lowered—rolled her eyes upward to sneak a look, and cautiously asked.
“Um…s-sorry… Is that how you normally talk…?”
He was wearing the same martial arts uniform she’d seen in his broadcasts, so she thought he would speak in that same old-fashioned, historical drama tone from the streams.
But now he was using such a soft and gentle honorific speech, and something about it felt strangely ticklish in her chest.
Cheon Hwi tilted his head at Choa’s question, but once he understood what she meant, he let out an awkward laugh and replied.
“Ah, I’ve been working on it lately. I mean, I’m a modern person now too. Unless I’m streaming or something, I can’t keep using the old martial world speech forever, right?”
“N-Now too…?”
Wait, does that mean he wasn’t a modern person before?
Just as that question popped into Choa’s head, Cheon Hwi spoke again.
“Would you prefer if I used that style?”
“N-No, no…! It’s not like that…………!”
Hit with a question herself, Choa’s head spun.
She trailed off, avoiding his gaze, then bowed her head and quietly mumbled.
“T-This is fine too…”
“Alright, then I’ll continue.”
Having grasped Choa’s personality, Cheon Hwi began speaking again.
He adjusted his tone to be softer and more gentle, aware that she was shy, socially awkward, and easily flustered.
“Inner Qi Cultivation is the practice of breathing in the natural energy, or qi, that’s spread throughout nature and storing it within the body. Simply put, it’s absorbing the magical energy in the air to increase the total amount of mana you have.”
“I-Is that even possible……………?!”
The quality and quantity of mana are decided at the moment of awakening.
Unless in extremely rare cases, they never change throughout a person’s life.
Even when an Awakened individual’s rank increases through training, it’s due to growth in their skills and traits, not because their mana itself has increased.
Mana growth has always been seen as impossible, a concept beyond discussion.
That’s just common sense.
To this common sense, which was really ignorance dressed in logic, Cheon Hwi issued a challenge.
“I actually don’t understand why people think it isn’t possible.”
If there’s mana inside the body and mana in the air, then their essence can’t be that different.
And if that essence is the same, then just like a person breathes in air to survive,
they can breathe in natural mana to enhance both its quality and quantity.
The training that teaches this logic is known as Naegagi Gong, or in other words, Inner Qi Cultivation Method.
“T-Then… what kind of Inner Qi method will I be learning…?”
“We have to find that now. Inner Qi methods vary depending on the person—what suits one may not suit another.”
While most martial arts follow one’s preferences or a group’s tradition, Inner Qi techniques have huge differences in effectiveness based on a person’s type and constitution.
Cheon Hwi, well aware of this, planned to examine Choa’s constitution personally and then pass on the method best suited to her.
“Excuse me for just a moment.”
Cheon Hwi quickly moved his hands and tapped various points on Choa’s body.
He swiftly checked her body’s key meridians, and at the same time, channeled internal energy to analyze her constitution and the nature of her mana.
Then, upon seeing the results, Cheon Hwi let out a faint laugh.
“This isn’t just talent, this is something else entirely.”
“Y-Yes…?!”
You’re not talented.
You’re just useless.
That’s how Choa interpreted Cheon Hwi’s words, and her voice wavered loudly.
But Cheon Hwi’s words actually meant the complete opposite of what she thought.
Because she had lived as an Awakened, it had never come to light, but the truth was, Choa’s natural constitution was exceptionally rare and precious for a martial artist.
“Miss Choa, let me make one thing very clear.”
“W-What is it…?”
“If you follow my teachings diligently—”
Cheon Hwi’s lips twitched as he failed to completely suppress a smile.
He hadn’t taken on a disciple since reaching the Life-and-Death Realm back in the martial world, but now that he had returned to Earth, the first disciple he took in had such overwhelming potential.
“You’ll never get beaten up or looked down on ever again.”
Sacred Blood Body.
Choa’s natural constitution didn’t need any long-winded explanation.
One phrase alone was more than enough to convey its terrifying potential.
Just the nickname of the person who had the same constitution in the martial world was all it took.
Blood Demon.
A master who, along with the Heavenly Demon, once brought a bloody storm to all of the Central Plains single-handedly, and the same one who nearly killed Cheon Hwi himself when he was still at the late stage of the Profound Realm.
“Let’s go surprise the viewers a little, shall we?”
Choa’s constitution was the same as that of the Blood Demon.