Genius Martial Arts Trainer

Despite the minor interference from the oblivious member, the lesson fortunately began without any major problems.

“When using this machine, you need to focus on this area here. Your pectoralis major, sir.”

After Choi Kanghyuk demonstrated first and stepped aside, Kim Jicheol perched on the machine’s seat.

“Now. Hold this here, exhale as you pull, and inhale as you release.”

After correcting his posture, Choi Kanghyuk placed his right hand against Kim Jicheol’s pectoralis major.

“Try doing them one at a time while focusing on this area.”

Choi Kanghyuk sharpened his energy senses and concentrated on the sensation at his fingertips.

It was not because, as a gym rat, he wanted to examine the quality of the other man’s muscles.

He was using the excuse of teaching him how to exercise to determine Kim Jicheol’s exact condition.

'Maybe because he never properly loosened the muscles he injured, they’re in terrible shape. His acupoints are completely clogged with impure energy too.'

After that, Choi Kanghyuk led Kim Jicheol all around the gym.

Biceps. Pectoralis major. Deltoids. Lats and back. Erector muscles and core muscles. Abdominals, lower body, and so on.

He examined every area one by one.

'There really isn’t a single healthy spot. He’s in even worse shape than I am?'

Perhaps it should be called fortunate.

'He’s still better than Grandfather Hyungwang was.'

Hyungwang had been completely unable even to walk on his own in the first place.

The fact that he was alive had practically been a miracle.

As Choi Kanghyuk dealt with Kim Jicheol, Beopgang came to mind for some reason.

It was not because their physical conditions were similar.

Only Beopgang’s knees had been bad, while the rest of his body had not suffered from any major problems.

Compared to this man, Beopgang had been extremely healthy.

There was another reason Choi Kanghyuk thought of him.

'The atmosphere he gives off and the way he acts are exactly like Martial Uncle Beopgang.'

Even with his body in this condition, he tried not to show that he was in pain.

Cold sweat poured down him and his breathing grew ragged, yet he neither groaned nor said he wanted to stop.

The Beopgang Choi Kanghyuk remembered had been the same.

Even when his knees had given out, had he not always taken the initiative and pretended he was not in pain because he wanted to set an example for his Junior Brothers and Martial Nephews?

While Choi Kanghyuk was recalling his days as Mujin. Yang Hyeonsu suddenly interrupted.

“No. Sir. How can you work his entire body today?”

“Pardon?”

“One day should be upper body. One day should be lower body. You need to do a split. Or at least a three-day split. If you work his whole body today, he’ll have to rest tomorrow.”

There must never be a day without exercise.

A lower-body day was a day for the upper body to rest, and an upper-body day was a day for the lower body to rest.

It was truly the sort of thinking one could only expect from a gym rat.

Choi Kanghyuk also agreed with it completely.

However, it was only correct among gym rats.

“Mr. Kim Jicheol has not exercised for a long time, has he? His physical condition probably won’t allow him to focus intensely on only one area.”

He could not very well make the man exercise only his arms for ten minutes under the pretext of doing a three-day split and then send him home.

At the same time, if he tormented the arms of someone unused to exercise for an entire hour, there was a far greater chance that they would worsen rather than grow stronger.

“For now, I think it would be better to divide the hour between his whole body, then have him rest for a day. We should proceed like that.”

Just as Yang Hyeonsu was about to say something more. Kim Jicheol spoke.

“Hyeonsu.”

“Yes. Yes. Jicheol.”

“I’m fine exercising while listening to the trainer here. You came here to exercise too, didn’t you? Go do your workout.”

Yang Hyeonsu wore the expression of a puppy desperate to relieve itself for a moment. Then he lowered his head and answered.

“Yes. Jicheol.”

Watching the scene, Choi Kanghyuk thought to himself.

'Even that oblivious member obeys every word Mr. Kim Jicheol says.'

Thanks to Kim Jicheol sending Yang Hyeonsu away, the lesson proceeded without interruption.

“We’ll stop the strength training here for today.”

“Thank. Hoo. You.”

Despite the light exercise, Kim Jicheol was breathing heavily.

Just as Kim Jicheol was about to turn around. Choi Kanghyuk stopped him.

“Sir. If you leave like this, your body may stiffen even more. Let’s finish with some stretching as well.”

Choi Kanghyuk led Kim Jicheol toward the GX room.

It was originally a space intended for group lessons such as yoga or mat Pilates.

When there were no lessons, people used foam rollers, yoga mats, yoga balls, and similar equipment there to loosen their bodies.

Recently, there had been no members interested in group lessons, so it was used almost entirely as a stretching area.

“Now, lie facedown here first.”

Choi Kanghyuk spoke while pointing toward the yoga mat he had laid out.

Kim Jicheol asked with a puzzled expression.

“Are there stretches you do while lying facedown?”

“Your body is far too stiff, and the strength training probably made it even stiffer. Before stretching, I’ll lightly loosen only the areas that have knotted up.”

“Thank you.”

Kim Jicheol expressed his gratitude in a blunt tone and lowered himself onto the yoga mat.

A thought occurred to him.

'Is he going to give me a massage?'

As though confirming his guess, Choi Kanghyuk’s finger touched his shoulder.

However, something was slightly unusual.

Instead of wrapping a hand around his shoulder, he had placed only his index finger against it.

A moment later, Choi Kanghyuk’s voice entered Kim Jicheol’s ear.

“It will hurt quite a lot at first.”

How much could it possibly hurt when he was only pressing with one index finger?

'Compared to the injuries I suffered while working as a hunter.'

He did not openly snort, but such a thought crossed his mind.

It took less than one second for that thought to disappear.

The instant Choi Kanghyuk’s index finger pressed firmly against his shoulder. More precisely, the Jianjing acupoint. A scream burst from Kim Jicheol’s mouth.

“Aaaaaagh!”

How should he put it?

It felt strangely familiar.

'Th-This is how it felt when I fought the Salamander too!'

The fire spirit Salamander. It was a monster Kim Jicheol had fought in the past.

That was right. The place touched by the trainer’s finger felt as though it were being seared with fire.

However, the scream lasted only a moment. Kim Jicheol clenched his teeth tightly.

'I’ve spent years as a hunter. Do you think I can’t endure even this!'

He had merely been caught off guard by the sudden pain just now.

As Choi Kanghyuk watched Kim Jicheol desperately endure the pain, a smile formed on his lips.

'He really is exactly like Martial Uncle Beopgang.'

Beopgang had been the same.

On the day they first met, he had clenched his teeth and suppressed his screams while receiving Choi Kanghyuk’s massage.

'This probably hurts even more than it did for Martial Uncle Beopgang.'

Kim Jicheol’s condition was worse.

Moreover, this time he was not merely giving a massage. He was also guiding energy and clearing the acupoint.

A minuscule amount of inner energy flowed through the index finger pressing firmly against him. Toward Kim Jicheol’s Jianjing acupoint.

Choi Kanghyuk’s inner energy was battling the impure energy packed inside it.

That was also why the pain felt as though he were being burned.

Then, a moment later. At last, an extremely tiny hole opened through the impure energy.

Like a pinhole being pierced into a completely blocked drainpipe through which not even a single drop of water had been able to flow.

Kim Jicheol’s body twitched.

The burning pain subsided, and a tingling sensation, as though electricity were flowing through him, arrived in its place.

The sensation was extremely brief.

Pain and pleasure alternated.

Then, starting from the Jianjing acupoint, a refreshing sensation swept across his entire shoulder.

A strange sound unconsciously escaped Kim Jicheol’s mouth at the pleasure he was experiencing for the first time.

“Huaaaaaah.”

Choi Kanghyuk chuckled and said.

“Then I’ll loosen the right side this time.”

This time, his index finger moved toward the right Jianjing acupoint.

The same terrifying, burning pain as before spread across his shoulder.

However, it was easier to endure than the first time.

'I-If I endure it just a little longer, it’ll feel refreshing like before, right?'

Pleasure would come after the pain ended.

Certainty born from experience.

He felt as though he might become addicted to that refreshing sensation he had experienced in his left shoulder.

Fortunately, the trainer’s skill did not betray his expectations.

The burning pain faded, and a sensation like electricity flowing through him followed.

“Huaaaaaah.”

As expected, refreshing pleasure swept across his shoulder.

Kim Jicheol wore an expression as though he had experienced ecstasy.

Choi Kanghyuk, on the other hand, looked somewhat dissatisfied.

'Tsk. To think I’ve already run out of inner energy.'

He had used up all the energy he had gathered inside the gate over the past several hours.

It was not that he regretted using the energy.

Choi Kanghyuk was disappointed because he had been unable to properly complete the treatment.

He had failed to open the Jianjing acupoint completely.

All he had done was create a tiny breathing hole.

Moreover, countless acupoints throughout Kim Jicheol’s body were blocked, so a complete recovery was still far in the future.

Of course, one might regret using inner energy on a complete stranger.

However, Choi Kanghyuk did not think that way.

'Maybe it’s because I served as Leader of the Zhengmu League for so long. Whenever I see a true chivalrous hero, I feel compelled to help.'

Not the hypocrites of the righteous factions who only spoke beautifully, but when he saw a genuine chivalrous hero, his heart grew hot for no reason.

And in Choi Kanghyuk’s eyes, Kim Jicheol was a chivalrous hero.

After all, he had destroyed his body like this while trying to save people ever since the early days of the gate crisis.

“For now, I’ve loosened your shoulders at least a little. So today, I’ll only teach you a few additional stretches for your back and shoulders.”

After finishing the energy-guiding acupoint treatment, they began stretching in earnest.

“Spread both arms and draw your shoulder blades together as much as possible like this. Yes. Then slowly tilt your neck backward from there.”

Stretching movements intended to loosen the shoulders and neck. The chest and back followed.

Kim Jicheol was experiencing an unfamiliar sensation.

He already knew most of the stretching movements.

He had suffered from injuries for years.

It was not as though Kim Jicheol had simply done nothing.

He had visited various hospitals and searched YouTube for stretching exercises and rehabilitation methods.

However, stretching had never worked this well before, nor had it ever felt this refreshing.

'Is it because of that massage at the beginning?'

There was no need to keep the question to himself, so Kim Jicheol asked.

“Sir. Could you perhaps tell me about that massage you performed at the beginning?”

“Hmm. It’s a type of energy treatment.”

Kim Jicheol wore an incredulous expression.

“Energy treatment?”

“Yes.”

Choi Kanghyuk wondered whether there was really any need to lie.

“I studied a little at Shaolin in the past. I learned it there.”

A hollow laugh escaped Kim Jicheol.

'Is he joking?'

However, judging by the other man’s expression, he appeared to be serious.

Under ordinary circumstances, it would have been exactly the sort of story that made someone seem insane, but had he not personally experienced its effects?

'Well. Gates have opened and hunters have appeared, so why couldn’t energy treatment exist?'

He would never have believed it in the past, but now it did not seem particularly absurd.

'Energy treatment learned at Shaolin.......'

They continued stretching for a while longer.

“We’ll stop here for today.”

After all the exercises were finished, Choi Kanghyuk began cleaning up.

'Once these two leave, I’m lifting iron inside the gate!!'

Meanwhile, Yang Hyeonsu, who had been lifting iron by himself, approached Kim Jicheol.

“Jicheol. Are you all right? That scream earlier.”

“I’m fine.”

No. Saying that he was fine was not enough.

His body clearly felt lighter than it had before the exercise.

Kim Jicheol nodded as though he had finished organizing his thoughts, then began walking.

Toward Choi Kanghyuk, who was busy putting the equipment away.

“Sir. Could I receive that energy treatment again during the next orientation session?”

Yang Hyeonsu wore a puzzled expression.

'Energy treatment?'

Regardless, Choi Kanghyuk answered while desperately concealing how eager he was to lift iron.

“Yes. I can do it again next time.”

“.......You said the complimentary orientation sessions only include two sessions, correct?”

“Yes.”

He needed to lift iron, so why did the man keep dragging this out?

Just as Choi Kanghyuk was barely suppressing his irritation with his restless body. Kim Jicheol said something he had never expected.

“Then rather than the orientation sessions, I would like to receive personal training.”

Choi Kanghyuk’s eyes opened wide.

Even his restless body calmed down slightly.

The man before him was no longer an obstacle interfering with his lifting.

“Of course you can, sir!”

He was a precious member.

“How much. No, how many sessions are you considering?”