Genius Martial Arts Trainer

On the way out of the gym.

Kim Jicheol, who had been walking ahead, stopped.

When he turned his head back, Yang Hyeonsu was wearing the expression of a puppy desperate to relieve itself.

It was an attitude that did not suit his large frame, built up through years of working out.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

At that, Yang Hyeonsu hesitated, scratched his head, and only then barely managed to speak.

“Jicheol. Honestly, I don’t think thirty PT sessions make sense. PT isn’t cheap, and if you’re going to do that, I could just teach you how to work out.”

“Hyeonsu.”

“Yes. Jicheol.”

“I know you like working out. And I know you’re not the kind of guy who would take money from me to teach me.”

“Then why did you sign up for PT? And thirty sessions at that, Jicheol.”

Thirty PT sessions.

Kim Jicheol had paid a full two million won in a single payment.

To Yang Hyeonsu, for whom working out was practically part of daily life, it felt like serious overspending.

But from Kim Jicheol’s perspective, it was an extremely reasonable expense.

“Hyeonsu. You could teach me how to build muscle. But can you also teach me how to fix an injured body?”

“Well...... If you work out consistently and build muscle, wouldn’t you get better?”

“.......”

The words, Is your brain made of muscle too? rose all the way to the tip of Kim Jicheol’s tongue, but he barely held them back.

He might have been oblivious, but he was a good kid.

In the first place, Kim Jicheol would never have come to this gym if not for Yang Hyeonsu.

His body had been ruined by years of working as a hunter.

Moreover, because he had been active since the early days of the gate crisis, he had not managed to save much money either.

For the first six months after the gate crisis began, working as a hunter had been closer to volunteer service than an actual occupation.

The government had provided a minimal reward, but it had been far too little to call hazard pay.

There had been no helping it.

Back then, neither monster corpses nor gates had been profitable.

Then, after half a year passed, the situation changed slightly.

It became possible to earn money as a hunter.

However, there was no proper system in place at all.

That was how people viewed the hunter profession at the time.

A job that paid well, but required you to put your life on the line.

It had felt similar to being a deep-sea tuna fisherman in the old days.

After going through all sorts of changes, a proper system had finally begun to take shape around two years ago.

It had now become a relatively safe profession that also paid extremely well.

However, Kim Jicheol, whose body had already been ruined, could not properly enjoy those benefits.

And while he was resting under the pretext of recovery and rehabilitation, Yang Hyeonsu had approached him with an enticing suggestion.

Jicheol! Then why don’t you come to the gym I go to instead?It’s really cheap! And there are barely any people, Jicheol!It perfectly matched the conditions Kim Jicheol had been looking for.

Kim Jicheol’s financial situation was not particularly good.

After all, he could no longer work as a hunter.

On top of that, there were few people there.

Because Kim Jicheol had been active since the beginning, he had occasionally appeared on the news.

That made him worry that someone might recognize him for no reason.

In this way, Yang Hyeonsu had introduced him to a gym that perfectly met several of his conditions.

He might have been oblivious, but Kim Jicheol could clearly feel that he genuinely cared about him.

And on top of that.

'If it weren’t for this guy, I never would have met a benefactor like Gym Owner Choi Kanghyuk.'

That was right.

He had only met him once today, but Choi Kanghyuk was already a benefactor in Kim Jicheol’s eyes.

His back and shoulders, which now felt considerably lighter, proved it.

The energy treatment he had received earlier naturally came to mind.

'He said he studied at Shaolin, didn’t he?'

The corners of his mouth rose for no particular reason.

It was not only because of the pleasure he had experienced during the energy treatment.

He simply had a feeling.

'If I continue receiving that energy treatment, I might be able to work as a hunter again.'

If he could return to working as a hunter, two million won was nothing.

Nor was the thought motivated solely by money.

Hunter.

A profession that fought monsters to save people.

Kim Jicheol had found meaning in life through that work.

If he could return to that meaningful life, two million won hardly seemed worth worrying about.

“Anyway, I’m getting PT because I want to, so don’t worry about it, Hyeonsu.”

“....... Yes. Jicheol.”

Kim Jicheol chuckled at the sight of his obedient younger friend.

“That’s enough. Let’s go get dinner.”

“Ah! I don’t think dinner will be possible, Jicheol.”

“Why? Do you have plans?”

“We just finished working out, so I need to stick to my diet, Jicheol.”

As he spoke, Yang Hyeonsu rummaged through his gym bag and pulled out chicken breast and a protein shake.

“.......”

Kim Jicheol silently stared at Yang Hyeonsu.

After looking back and forth between Kim Jicheol and the assortment of protein in his hands for a moment.

Yang Hyeonsu let out an exclamation as though he had realized something.

“Ah! Or would you like to have chicken breast and a protein shake with me, Jicheol? I don’t have any extras in my bag, but I have some at home.”

“....... Fine. Go home.”

“Hahahaha. I feel great thinking about eating chicken breast with you, Jicheol.”

“No. I’m telling you to go home and eat by yourself.”

“Yes?”

Kim Jicheol waved his hand dismissively at Yang Hyeonsu, who was wearing a foolish expression, then walked away.

As he walked, another chuckle escaped him.

It was not because of Yang Hyeonsu’s foolish expression.

It was because of his anticipation.

'Thirty PT sessions.'

Would he really improve?

Would he be able to return to working as a hunter?

Those expectations kept making his heart pound.

***

While Kim Jicheol was busy recalling Choi Kanghyuk’s energy treatment.

Inside the gate that had opened in the gym office.

Choi Kanghyuk was performing biceps curls while practically drooling.

“Hehehehehe. Yes. This is the stuff.”

Lifting iron tasted absolutely incredible.

The aching sensation.

The pumped-up muscles.

And on top of that, the abundant natural energy sweeping through the acupoints throughout his entire body.

He had missed this sensation terribly, even though it had once been no different from everyday life when he lived as Mujin.

“Haa. Lifting iron really is the best. How does it never get boring no matter how much you do it?”

Over the course of an hour and a half, Choi Kanghyuk thoroughly cooked and devoured every last strand of muscle in his upper body.

“Huaaaaaah.”

He let out an exclamation filled with lingering satisfaction.

Even when he simply stood still, his fingers trembled.

His muscles had reached their limits.

It might have been painful to someone else, but to Choi Kanghyuk, it felt rewarding.

After all, it meant he had squeezed every upper-body muscle to its absolute limit.

“It’s been a while since I had a proper workout.”

Choi Kanghyuk began walking with a refreshed expression.

After leaving the gate, he opened the small refrigerator in the corner of the office.

Inside were chicken breasts, protein drinks, and vegetables.

Choi Kanghyuk gathered his dinner and headed back toward the gate.

The thicket beneath the setting sun spread out before his eyes.

“Kiya. It feels like I came on a picnic.”

Choi Kanghyuk spread out the yoga mat he had brought like a picnic blanket, then began eating dinner on top of it.

“As expected, eating is part of working out too. Of course.”

A diet that had cut all ties with carbohydrates.

Choi Kanghyuk chewed the food slowly, as though he were eating livestock feed.

“Keuh. This is the taste.”

It was not that Choi Kanghyuk’s tongue was broken.

He also thought carbohydrates tasted better.

At times, he even remembered the foods he had eaten while making mukbang videos on YouTube during the COVID period.

However, he could not bring himself to reach for them.

Because the guilt was greater.

There was a saying that the more you knew, the more you saw.

Perhaps this was a side effect of that.

Whenever he ate something delicious, his tongue might have been happy, but it felt as though he were harming his body.

Eating carbohydrates felt like self-harm.

“The scenery is nice, so it tastes twice as good.”

That was why he brainwashed himself like this.

That the diet he was eating right now was delicious too.

His tongue might be suffering, but his muscles and organs would be happy.

It was clearly supposed to be an enjoyable meal, yet for some reason sweat flowed from his eyes.

Apparently, his eyeballs had also worked out hard today.

After finishing his meal while enjoying the sunset, Choi Kanghyuk stood up again.

He had rested enough, so it was time to move on to the next part of his schedule.

“It’s been so long that I’m nervous.”

After muttering to himself, Choi Kanghyuk began taking light, deep breaths.

“Sssup. Hoo.”

Once he calmed his excited heart, he inhaled and abruptly struck himself in the chest.

Thud!!

Along with the deep pain reverberating through his chest, natural energy seeped into his skin.

Iron Shirt.

A Shaolin external cultivation art he had learned while living as Mujin.

Choi Kanghyuk’s specialty had originally been external cultivation rather than inner energy.

He had experience surpassing immunity to blades and swords and attaining the Indestructible Vajra Body.

It was also a realm he had given up on after returning to this world.

Because the weak and impure natural energy had made proper external cultivation impossible.

But now there was hope.

It might take an extremely long time to recover the strength he had possessed in his prime.

He also wondered whether he could keep this gate hidden until then.

However, even if he could not return all the way to his prime, could he not at least recover to some extent?

A chance to reclaim the glory of the past that he had half given up on.

The corners of Choi Kanghyuk’s mouth rose on their own.

“Hehehehehe.”

Anticipating that day, he repeatedly struck his own body.

Thud! Thud!!

The man who avoided carbohydrates because eating them felt like self-harm.

Thud! Thud!

All while grinning.

“Hehehehehe.”

It was a sight that could easily make someone mistake him for a pervert.

***

Ten days after the gate opened inside the gym.

After completing two orientation sessions, Kim Jicheol bowed his head before receiving his third PT session.

“Please take good care of me again today.”

A grueling hour-long workout followed.

Even so, Kim Jicheol’s face remained bright.

It was not the expression of someone enduring pain that he had shown on the first day.

He genuinely looked as though he were enjoying himself.

Because he knew about the reward that would come after the difficult workout.

Yang Hyeonsu, who had come to the gym with him, was also smiling with great satisfaction.

'Jicheol has finally discovered the joy of working out too!!'

It seemed that the man he had always looked up to had now set foot on the same path of the gym rat as himself.

'This won’t do. The next time I buy protein and chicken breast, I need to buy enough for Jicheol too.'

Even while Yang Hyeonsu entertained insane thoughts by himself, the workout continued.

After the hour-long lifting session ended.

“Then today as well, we’ll begin with the energy treatment.”

The moment Choi Kanghyuk finished speaking, Kim Jicheol quickly lay down on the floor.

“Please take good care of me!”

Once every two days.

Only four times.

In just those four sessions, Kim Jicheol had become addicted to energy-guided acupoint treatment.

'Hurry! Quickly!'

As though responding to his expectations, Choi Kanghyuk’s index finger headed toward the Chengfu acupoint, located where the gluteal muscles met the back of the thigh.

Today was the day to loosen his lower body.

When Choi Kanghyuk’s index finger pressed firmly against the Chengfu acupoint, pain like being seared with fire arrived.

However, the pain lasted only a moment.

Swoooooosh.

Along with the sensation of something opening, refreshing pleasure wrapped around the area.

And that was not even the end.

After loosening the left and right Chengfu acupoints, Choi Kanghyuk’s index finger moved toward the Yinmen acupoint in the middle of the back of the thigh.

Excruciating pain.

And once the pain faded, a tingling sensation intense enough to make his legs tremble followed.

“Huaaaaaah.”

After the short and intense energy treatment ended, lower-body-focused stretching followed.

“Good work today.”

At Choi Kanghyuk’s greeting after the lesson ended, Kim Jicheol asked with a pleased expression.

“Sir. I’m not sure whether it’s just my imagination, but it feels like the energy treatment becomes more effective with each passing day. Hahahaha.”

At that, Choi Kanghyuk smiled as gently as possible.

An excellent member who had paid two million won in a single payment.

Naturally, he needed to treat him kindly.

“Hahahaha. I’m very glad to hear that the treatment is working well.”

Perhaps it was only natural.

His inner energy had increased as he traveled back and forth through the gate over the past few days.

On top of that, it had been a long time since he last performed energy-guided acupoint treatment, so it had felt slightly awkward at first.

On the way out of the gym after finishing the pleasant workout.

Yang Hyeonsu said with a smile.

“Jicheol. Today, I’ll treat you to the full course!”

“What full course? A full protein course?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“Forget it. I have plans today, so eat by yourself.”

He had not made that up because of the protein-filled meal.

He truly had plans.

After parting ways with Yang Hyeonsu, Kim Jicheol immediately got into his car.

His heart began pounding on its own.

'Has it been a year?'

The appointment he had scheduled was a gate-clearing operation.

His body had not yet completely recovered, but he was already itching to move.

Kim Jicheol wanted to personally test whether the energy treatment truly worked.