Leveling Up From Rank F

an for now.
We’ll increase your chakra proficiency.
It’s definitely not something you can master in a day or two.
But you need to know how to do it so you can train and practice.”

“I understand.
I’d really appreciate it if you could teach me.” He asked with a desperate tone.

Im Jeong understood full well what Jiwoo was going through.
She had been in the same boat as him when she first started out.
She wanted to improve her chakra proficiency, but she couldn’t get a feel for it at all.
She was full of passion and driven to do well but because her training did not go as planned, there were many times she’d burst out in anger and take it out on the people around her.

“How did you master it?” He asked.

“Before, seriously… I did everything I could.
I thought I could find someone who could help me so I chased down anyone and begged them for tips.
I still couldn’t grasp it though.
They said, ‘If you do it like this, it’ll work, so try your best.’ But none of it worked.
I just wanted to break all my fingers.
I kept questioning why I couldn’t do it.”

“That’s how I feel right now.” Jiwoo sighed.

“I always hated people who said the day would come when they would suddenly get it… But after I did the same thing over and over again, it would be accurate to say, it did suddenly ‘strike me’ one day.”

“Is there a faster method?”

“Someone once said if you’re attacked till the verge of death, that would suffice too.”

“Huh?”

“At that point, you would only be thinking on how to live, so you’ll eliminate all unnecessary movements and focus your strength on necessary ones.”

“Will that really happen?”

“I don’t know.
It never happened to me.
I learned it another way.”

Im Jeong looked at Jiwoo.
Then, she walked in front of him to guide him to a place where Jiwoo was not allowed to enter during his time there.
He hesitated, wondering if he was allowed to follow her in, but Im Jeong glanced back at him and nodded.

Jiwoo stepped inside.
It was a unique room furnished with special soundproofing materials on all sides.

“It’s a place where top Hunters come to train, but only a few people use it.
When someone else enters, they cut their training short since no one wants to reveal their own training methods.”

Jiwoo put down the books while looking at her.
Im Jeong did the same.

“You may find it childish but this is how I learned it.
I’ve never told anyone else.”

Jiwoo looked at Im Jeong with high anticipation.

“I thought about what kind of energy was circulating throughout my body and focused on its flow.
Concentrate, from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.”

“…….”

Im Jeong’s words did not register at all.

“The fact that you have a tattoo means you have the ability to control chakra too.
It’s your job now to find out how to increase it and become proficient.”

“It may be better if I were just attacked until I’m nearly dead.”

“Let me know if you need me.
I can also do that for you if you ask.”

Im Jeong left, leaving Jiwoo to pursue his training.

From that day forward, he practiced in that room without taking a day off.
If Jiwoo could not be found, the ones who needed him would go find him there.

At first, he didn’t feel any difference.
However, even though he didn’t realize it, Jiwoo was indeed changing.

It happened a few days before he left the lab.
Im Jeong went looking for Jiwoo.
When she found him, she saw Jiwoo smiling.
But she didn’t laugh at his funny expression.
Im Jeong knew when such a smile came out, it meant Jiwoo had finally grasped it after the extended periods of practice he put in.

Jiwoo felt a satisfying feeling that was difficult to express.
When he saw Im Jeong looking at him, Jiwoo approached her without saying a word.
She first broke the silence by chuckling.

“You feel dumbstruck, don’t you? When you grasp it, you can only ask why you didn’t get it before, right?”

“Yes.
That’s right.
It really is true.”

Jiwoo nodded.

It was amazing she could easily explain what he wanted to express.

“Don’t stop and continue to train hard.
I don’t know when I’ll see you again once you leave, so prepare to surprise me the next time we meet.”

Jiwoo nodded silently, lost in his thoughts.
He didn’t want to lose what he was feeling.

Two days later, Im Jeong was looking down at the parking lot from her office, when she saw Jiwoo approaching the corner of the lot.
There was a puddle of rainwater.
She took the elevator down to see what Jiwoo was up to.

Unaware he was being watched, Jiwoo gathered chakra to his finger.
The blue energy gathered at the tip of his finger, its color gradually turning yellowish.
It became sharper and hardened into the shape of a small marble bead.

Im Jeong saw Jiwoo putting his finger on the surface of the puddle.
Even though his finger did not directly touch the water, it fluctuated leaving a ripple.

“Ah…!”

She exclaimed quietly.
It was a small sound that could barely be heard.
She had never expected for him to reach this far, rather she had never seen anyone grasp chakra control in such a short time, so her surprise was all the greater.

It was only the beginning, he was still at the stage where he’s stopped crawling.
He basically took his hands off the floor to stand up on his feet, but it was still a feat.