You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿ - Chapter 59

And a week passed.
...It would have been nice if time could just skip ahead with the same description.
âHuff, huff...â

I had finally collapsed onto the cold floor.
Normally, I could never imagine lying on such a filthy floor, but my arms and legs had completely given out, and I had no other choice.
The stench of sweat was nauseating, so I cast a spell to create a slight breeze.

It was despairing that only five hours had passed since I started training.
â...Damn.â
But the most despairing thing was...

âIt looks like it might actually work.â
After experiencing it firsthand, I thought that Han Jae-young might have something to brag about with this program.
For mages, magic has great power, but it takes a long time to cast, so a tank to buy time is essential.

However, this is so obvious that most opponents target the mage's weaknesses, which are usually in the back.
Even without a direct confrontation, high-intelligence monsters have an instinct to strike the weakest points of the enemy first.
Therefore, mages also need to be prepared with minimal defenses for such ambushes... This was the essence of the training.

And the VR-based training program developed by the HP Guild was designed for this purpose.
The basic scenario was to avoid attacks from virtual monsters while casting magic.
The monsters available for training were extremely varied.

âItâs one thing to prepare low-level monsters, but I didnât expect them to prepare up to A-rank.â
Although I thought I should avoid them with my mind, my body often failed to respond, which seemed to be the purpose of this training.
In fact, if you do this kind of evasion training frequently, the chances of success in sudden situations increase.
And when the evasion rate exceeds 70%, the program includes a follow-up action that allows you to physically strike the monster.

Of course, since it involves magic use, the goal wasnât to deliver a critical hit but to buy time and space.
After all, the most important thing for a mage is to gain enough time to cast spells.
Since this was a VR program, and I was made to face various monsters in a highly realistic setting... it could be said that even without thinking, my body was forced to adapt to the movements.

At first, my movements were clumsy, but I could definitely feel my evasion rate improving.
-(Temporary) Guild Member: Jeong Da-on
-You have been inducted into the Hall of Fame!

Thanks to that, I achieved meaningful results in the VR program.
âSince I was reborn as Jeong Da-on, Iâve never really used my body.â
In my past life, swordsmanship was like a compulsory subject I had to learn, even though I hated it.

And since I was naturally smart, I knew how to efficiently improve my skills.
With that experience, it was no surprise that I adapted to the training quickly.
However, no matter how efficient it was...

I stared at the ceiling.
âI still prefer magic...â
Magical research only requires sitting still and thinking, so why do I have to physically move my body for physical training?

After all, there's a system... Shouldn't they just raise my stats like a game so that my body moves faster naturally...?
-The system provides optimal guides for the user's survival.
So the guide is just a guide, huh.

No matter how good my physical condition, if I donât know how to use it, itâs worthless.
Damn it.
-Whoosh!

At that moment, the phone I had placed on the table vibrated.
It was a call from Jeong Da-jeong. I could hear a flustered voice through the speaker.
âIâm done with work now. Where are you? Leo is growling!â

âLeave him be.â
For the record, Leo wasnât at home; he had been hovering around Jeong Da-jeong all day, following my orders.
Now that we were home, he was finally free from his bodyguard duty, but seeing Jeong Da-jeong, who had worked him hard all day, probably made him frustrated.

âAnd Iâm at the HP Guild. Didnât I send you a message?â
âOh, I guess I missed it because I was busy. Whatâs going on at the guild?â
âPhysical training.â

As soon as I said that, Jeong Da-jeongâs voice brightened.
âThatâs a good idea. Da-on, you need to exercise. You always skip PE class at school. A healthy body means a healthy mind...â
âYouâre a draft dodger. Shut up.â

âHmm, so, is it late? What about dinner?â
âIâll eat here. The company cafeteria is free.â

Since I had spent almost all the contract money Han Jae-young gave me on defensive magic for the house, saving on food costs was still an important matter.

âOh, should I take care of Leoâs meal? What should I give him?â
âHe doesnât need to eat.â
âAlright, Da-on. I think Leo is getting more worked up hearing your voice. Should I... should I hang up? Iâll hang up!â

Saying that, Jeong Da-jeong hurriedly ended the call.
I guessed that Leo, getting excited after hearing my voice, was probably jumping around trying to snatch the phone from Da-jeong.
I was a bit curious as to why Leo hated him so much. The problem was that Leo was in animal form and couldn't express his feelings properly.

âPhew...â
With the call ended, I realized that my break time was over.
Do I have to train again?

âThis is hopeless...â
For normal people, taking a rest after exercise to allow for muscle growth is appropriate, but for hunters, itâs different.
By taking a small recovery potion, their body can quickly recover, so they can exercise for much longer and still get results.

...At least thatâs what the training program said.
-Shortest time, maximum efficiency!
-After all, you have to suffer hard to increase your magic research time!

It wasnât wrong.
If itâs something that needs to be done anyway, itâs better to get it over with all at once.
Okay, letâs suffer through just this week.

When I resolved myself to that and tried to get up again...
âOh.â
My legs wobbled.

It was probably from the training I had done for hours...
âUgh.â
Before I could fall forward, someone grabbed me from behind with strong force.

Startled, I raised my elbow, trying to strike whoever was holding me, but...
âItâs me, itâs me.â
As soon as the hand that was supporting my shoulder let go, the distance between us widened. My elbow missed, striking only air.

Turning around, I saw a familiar face.
But it was also an unexpected face.
âYoo Han-ul? Why are you here?â

âHahaha.â
Yoo Han-ul quickly backed off, scratching his cheek in embarrassment.
âI think I came at the wrong time. Why are you suddenly trying to engage in close combat?â

After hours of combat training in the VR program, my reflexes had automatically kicked in, and I struck out first.
Though this was the essence of the training program... it was still embarrassing as a mage, so I cleared my throat.
However, Yoo Han-ulâs sudden appearance was truly unexpected.

âDid Han Jae-young call you?â
âYeah, I was talking to him about work, and he mentioned that you were struggling with physical training. Since I was passing by, I thought Iâd come help.â
âAre you really that free?â

Of course, I couldnât brush off the fact that I might be a potential S-rank, but objectively speaking, I didnât need Han-ulâs help with such basic physical training.
Yoo Han-ul was the best swordsman in Korea, after all.
We often got tangled up, but normally, someone like him wasnât someone you could meet so easily.

âActually, I do have some free time. I have about three hours with no schedule.â
âIsnât that what youâd call free time?â
I furrowed my brows.

When we went to the Central Administrative Office together last time, I thought Han-ul was just being humane toward a minor. But now, the more he came out like this, the more suspicious I felt, even if I didnât want to.
âDo you have some personal interest in me? If so, Iâll decline it in advance.â
âHmm, itâs been a while since Iâve heard that kind of accusation.â

Yoo Han-ul replied jokingly and shrugged.
âI know youâre not interested in me, though.â
âAlright, enough with the awkward talk. Whatâs the reason for you to be here, then?â

âTo be honest, Iâm a little suspicious of you.â
I froze for a moment.
I didnât expect him to throw a direct pitch like that.

It wasnât strange for Yoo Han-ul to be suspicious of me.
He had been given the quest to find âthe enemy of mankind.â
And then, a mage who used incantation magic appeared right after awakening.

Moreover, if dungeon breaks kept happening around this mage, anyone would assume I was a likely candidate for the âenemy of mankind.â

And on top of that, the trace of my magical power left in my unconscious mind...
So it made sense for Yoo Han-ul to suddenly visit me that late night.

But what puzzled me was his directness in saying that I seemed suspicious.
âWhat exactly are you suspicious about?â
I cautiously opened my mouth.

âYouâre telling me youâre suspicious of me, but why are you telling me this?â
âAbout Choi Mi-yeon, the survivor of the True Light Church incident. I heard something about you today.â
...After a whole day of training, I ended up getting this news.

What exactly did she say?
I didnât think Mi-yeon would have opened up to Han-ul...
âWhat did she say?â

âShe said you saved her.â
I furrowed my brows.
âSo?â

âWell, honestly, using incantation magic right after awakening, staying calm the first time you encountered monsters... It all seemed suspicious.â
Everything was a valid reason to be suspicious.
âAnd I feel like Iâve seen you somewhere before.â

Thatâs probably because the system kept triggering Yoo Han-ulâs memory.
âBut now, Iâm not suspicious anymore.â
âWhy?â

âBecause I donât think youâre evil enough to destroy the world.â
I fell silent for a moment, then sighed.
The system was in for a shock.

âAre you stupid?â
âWell, I do hear that a lot... but I have my reasons. Do you want to hear them?â
âI donât want to.â

âPeopleâs instincts come out in times of crisis, right? But Iâve already seen you do it three times. You prioritize other peopleâs lives over your own.â
â......â
He still says it even when I said I didnât want to hear it.

The first time was at the Eunpyeong-gu dungeon break, when I saved the president and reporters. Then in Gwanghwamun at the Central Administrative Office when I saved the kids. Finally, during the True Light Church incident, as testified by Choi Mi-yeon.
From my perspective, none of these actions were done out of goodwill, but... did Han-ul interpret them like that?
Am I really a good person?

If I could clear myself of his suspicions, it wouldnât be a bad thing, but...
âSo, while Iâm apologizing for doubting you, I also have some time to help.â
Seeing Han-ul smile made me feel irritated.

âWhat a pathetic guy.â
Heâs still the same, our hero.
How can he believe so easily and say something like that, without realizing how difficult it is to truly understand someoneâs intentions?

To gain the heroâs trust, heâs willing to risk his life three times?
If he were a real villain, that wouldnât be a difficult thing to do.
As a former Demon King, I shouldnât be saying this, but...

-The system requests assistance for the âSAVE THE WORLDâ quest.
Is this a request to help the easily deceived hero instead of providing direct help?
âOf course, there are things youâre hiding from me, but everyone has secrets.â

Han-ul was talking freely without knowing about the systemâs intentions.
I really wanted to slap him.
The hero Iâm supposed to use as my shield shouldnât be so easily deceived.

With a feeling of discomfort, I asked.
âThen, Han-ul, do you trust Han Jae-young?â
âHmm?â

âI thought you two werenât on good terms, but now I see youâre getting along well enough to enter the guild.â
âHmm, are we close? Weâve cleared dungeons together the most out of all the S-ranks... But when you sign a contract with Han Jae-young Hunter, you should think about it long and hard. Heâs very cunning.â
Thatâs something I already know. Han-ulâs eyes quickly filled with worry.

âBut didnât you already sign a contract with him? Are you consulting a lawyer? Do you want me to connect you with someone I know?â
âIf youâre asking like that, then you donât trust him, do you?â
âHmm.â

Yoo Han-ul awkwardly smiled.
âBut heâs not a bad guy, either.â
...I canât help it.

My plan to keep a certain distance from Yoo Han-ul remains unchanged.
But I need to thoroughly investigate this guy named Han Jae-young.