City of Witches Chapter 224

The Dark Force, manifested through movements so minute they're invisible to the naked eye.

The Inch Strike, unleashed in close quarters or at an extremely short distance.

The Projected Force, firing energy from afar.

The Penetrating Force, which shatters only the enemy's interior, ignoring their defenses.

The Foot Techniques that appear in Chinese martial arts novels and films are diverse and countless if one were to list them all.

They often appear as convenient settings, adaptable to any situation like a catch-all solution.

However, the Foot Technique Eloa had newly established was extremely simple.

Action and reaction arising from physical laws.

Waste generated by tension in muscles that are originally unnecessary.

Forced strength, or crude force, arising from excessive tension.

Thus, when a human performs any movement, an inevitable dispersion of force occurs.

What if that dispersion is maximally suppressed and refined, concentrated into a single point, an extreme point?

What if a punch is not simply thrown with the arm's strength but extended through the entire body?

A human can pierce a wall with the force used to extend a single finger.

In other words, a Foot Technique is an action performed with an extremely refined and concentrated force.

Eloa could perform this as naturally as breathing and applied it to all her swordsmanship.

".....It doesn't seem quite right?"

"It was almost similar. Try again."

Siwoo, now able to use magic power, mimicked Eloa's Foot Technique almost identically in a single attempt.

It wasn't perfect.

The unnecessarily large crater formed at his foot proved this.

There are cases where the unavoidable pushing force generated during the stage of extending the true force shatters the ground one stands on.

But a crater of this size means the force meant to be projected straight ahead dispersed to the surroundings.

Nevertheless, it was undoubtedly astonishingly similar.

"Hoo...!"

Siwoo took a deep breath.

"Don't breathe too heavily. It makes the body heavy. Even if it's a movement of mere days, keep your body light and agile."

"Yes."

Siwoo relaxed and once again recreated Eloa's movements in his mind.

He continuously contemplated at which timing and in which part of her body she accelerated her magic power.

And then, in sync with the rhythm in his mind, he thrust out his fist.

-Thud!

"Ah..."

This time, Siwoo was the first to realize his mistake.

The sound scattering without a solid core.

While naturally extending his fist, he felt an incongruity, as if stumbling over a speed bump.

"When extending a fist, the force must travel from the lower body, through the body's center, and back to the upper body. If the distribution is wrong or the transmission of force is interrupted, you cannot use it properly. Again."

"Yes!"

"Try again. Your mind and body must be in harmony. Think of it as directly transcribing the mental image in your mind onto reality."

"Yes!"

"But don't get too absorbed in the mental image either. If you think too much, the body slows down. The middle way is important."

"Yes!"

Several failures and several pieces of advice were exchanged.

Through trial and error, Siwoo's body was slowly becoming accustomed to its unique timing.

The important thing is not the posture.

It's the acceleration of magic power that pushes the body at the correct timing.

-Crack!

Siwoo's sole twisted a crumbling piece of cement.

The force pushing against the ground did not lift his body upward but rather pulled it downward.

The force digging into his pillar-like firm legs traveled through the rotation of the pelvis toward the back muscles and was transmitted to the upper body as if being loaded.

Now, all that remained was.

To sever it with precision upon reaching the shoulder, arm, and fist.

-Bang!

As Siwoo's fist shot through the air, the same sound Tiferet had made rang out.

Despite merely throwing a punch, it felt as if every extremity from head to toe was mobilized and unified into one.

A tingling vibration remained at his fingertips.

The remnants of force that couldn't be fully released resonated through his body like a bell.

"Wow..."

Siwoo let out a sigh of admiration.

The moment he succeeded, he intuitively realized, 'Ah, I've been using my body like shit all along!'

It felt like successfully pulling off a complex combo with many commands for the first time in a fighting game.

Though in reality, it was just throwing a cool punch.

"Did I succeed?"

"........"

While looking at Siwoo's pleasantly smiling face, Eloa was lost in thought.

For her, it was a technique she had become thoroughly accustomed to, but the Foot Technique is a fairly demanding skill.

Eloa had simplified the necessary elements of the Foot Technique into three.

The Mind, which visualizes the perfect body movement in the mental image.

The Energy, which assists that movement by following it with magic power.

The Body, which refers to the motor ability to actually realize the movement.

Only when all of these achieve a baseline and harmonize in balance is it possible to approach the subtlety.

However, Siwoo fell short in the 'Body' category.

His Body was insufficient to fully contain the Mind.

Yet the reason he could demonstrate the Foot Technique.

Lay in the 'Energy'.

The magic power he wielded more freely than his limbs flowed through the Circuits spread across his entire body, supplementing the insufficient movement of his Body.

The path was different, but the destination was the same.

In any case, he splendidly demonstrated the Foot Technique.

It wasn't exactly as Eloa had anticipated, but it was undeniably worthy of being called 'talent'.

"If you've grasped the feeling, practice it repeatedly."

"Yep!"

Siwoo immediately recalled the earlier sensation and began repeatedly practicing the explosive fist.

As is typical with physical movement, once you get the hang of an action, it tends to come out decently even after many repetitions.

Although Siwoo had repeated numerous mistakes at first, having already memorized the tremor of his entire body, the vibration at his fingertips, and the timing, he succeeded consecutively without difficulty.

-Thud! Thud!

The consecutively thrown fists resounded loudly through the air.

Feeling that hand sensation as if he'd caught a prize fish, Siwoo felt a thrill in his chest.

Was it because he felt he'd been marking time for the past few days?

When a visible achievement appeared, he unconsciously clenched his fist and let out a cheer.

"Master! I succeeded! Wow, this is really amazing? It feels like there's absolutely no force leaking out!"

Overlapping the image of the rejoicing Siwoo was a recollection from the past.

Memories blurred like a poorly maintained oil painting, regardless of Eloa's will, churned her heart.

'How is it, Master? I finally succeeded! I even decided on a name, want to hear it? Look... Secret Art! Heaven Dragon's Soaring Reverse Explosive Fist!'

That was, needless to say, Raphi's phantom.

Blinking her trembling eyelids, the hallucination that had been vivid as reality vanished, leaving only Siwoo staring at Eloa, who stood dazedly, with a puzzled look.Yet guilt, sin, and self-reproach did not scatter like illusions; they seared his chest like a branding iron.

"Are you alright? You don't look well."

Siwoo readily sent a gaze full of concern, and Eloa tightly shut his eyes, which had grown hot.

"I'm fine, it's nothing. Let's end it here for today."

"Yes, thank you for today as well."

Tiferet withdrew the Hidden Barrier.

The shattered rooftop was restored as if rewinding, and the city's characteristic noise began to clamorously rise.

Siwoo, who had finally succeeded with the Bongkwon and was in a good mood, was taken aback by Eloa's expression, which looked profoundly gloomy.

Wondering if he had done something wrong, he cautiously tried to read the situation, but it was impossible to gauge Eloa's unspoken thoughts.

"Ah, there's something I forgot to tell you. I'll be staying in the apartment below yours starting today."

Eloa continued speaking as if it were nothing, but even to Siwoo, who was rather dull, his voice still carried a trace of gloom somewhere.

Like smog floating in Seoul's air, perhaps?

In any case, there was something his consciously lightened tone could not conceal.

"Starting today?"

"Yes, no need to be overly concerned. I won't interfere with you or anything like that. Well then, I'll head down first."

Usually, after training ended, Eloa would leave first, and Siwoo would remain on the rooftop to smoke a cigarette.

But...

Eloa's slumped shoulders as he opened the rooftop door to go down.

Siwoo didn't know the exact circumstances, but he could roughly guess.

Because he already possessed the knowledge.

It was a very vague conjecture.

And it might be nothing more than presumptuous speculation.

But... perhaps Eloa was reminded of the Apprentice Witch he lost in this very lesson?

If so, then the expression of looking at Siwoo with apparent pride before suddenly becoming completely vacant also made sense.

"Do you have any special plans when you return home?"

Before he knew it, he had stopped Eloa.

Frankly, Duke Tiferet was quite a difficult person for Siwoo to deal with.

Putting aside the difference in their positions, it was because of the demeanor she showed during the lessons.

She never directly scolded Siwoo, but she was extremely strict and intimidating like a drill instructor.

Moreover, it was easily felt even in their sparring where she used no magic power or anything.

If Eloa wished, killing Siwoo would take less than a second.

Perhaps because of that, he had kept quite a distance in his heart...

Eloa slowly turned to look at Siwoo.

"Nothing in particular."

"Then, have you already finished moving?"

"I have nothing to carry around, so Teacher Sua probably took care of it."

So, was he feeling that gloomy emotion and shutting himself alone in his room?

He worried it might be unnecessary meddling.

Still, there was affection from having received her teachings.

Also, Siwoo felt goodwill and pity simultaneously not for Tiferet the Witch, but for Eloa the human being.

Whatever the reason, she was one of the few Witches who acted for humanity, and Siwoo also knew the pain of losing a loved one.

"Then, as a housewarming gesture, would you like to have a meal together?"

"A meal... you say?"

"Yes, there are many good places around here. It's about time for dinner anyway."

Wouldn't it be more enjoyable to have a meal together than to return home alone and desolate?

It was a suggestion born from the same thought.

Well, she was also the Duke who had publicly attested to his status, so wouldn't it be fine to get a little closer?

There was still much left to learn.

But Eloa hesitated for several seconds without answering.

Was it too forward after all?

"Ah, I just mentioned it. If it's inconvenient, we can postpone it."

"...No. That sounds fine."

If it seemed a shadow had slightly lifted from Eloa's nodding face, was it an illusion?

The two descended the stairs amicably.

"Then, I'll just change clothes and come out. Please wait."

• Beep beep beep beep

As he entered the passcode, a clattering sound came from inside.

And as soon as the door opened.

"Siwoo, you're home earlier than usual today? Was it very tiring? Should I wash agai..."

Sharon, who this morning was in just a naked state with a shirt, now with only a suggestive pair of panties added, came rushing out in a state of full readiness.

What she was prepared for was too obvious to even mention.

She probably jumped out from studying as soon as she heard the sound of the passcode being entered.

Sharon's expression, which had been beaming with a smile anticipating a hot time with Siwoo, froze solid.

Because she saw Tiferet, beyond the still-open front door, intently observing her.

• Slam!

The door closed as if it might break.

"......."

"......."

As Tiferet and Siwoo stood dumbfounded in front of the entrance.

A moment later, the door opened slightly and Sharon, her face red like a boiled octopus, greeted the guest in a crawling voice.

She was properly dressed, as if she had just put clothes on.

"Uh, wel...come... Duke..."

"I wasn't particularly planning to come in..."

"Ah, r-right..."

"I'll change and be right out."

"Very well."

As soon as Siwoo closed the door, Sharon, with tears welling in her eyes, smacked Siwoo's forearm repeatedly.

"You should have said something...! You should have told me...!"

"Ow! Ow! No! What are you talking about, you're the one who rushed out!"

"I don't know, I don't knooow!!!"

At Sharon's stifled scream, Siwoo burst out laughing.

"Is this funny? Is it funny?!"