I’m the Only One Who Can’t See Ghosts

56 – Below, Above(1)

* * *

After reading both books, I thought to myself.

“This is no joke, right?”

These two books were literally teaching the most basic level of psychic abilities. However, they were difficult for me.

The foundation of psychic abilities is divided into three stages.

They called this the stage of awakening.

The first stage was called Dokgak (獨覺). It is a stage of self-realization, where one recognizes the abilities they possess without any prior learning.

Right now, I am in this Dokgak stage.

I am aware of the abilities I possess.

Now all I have to do is move on to the next stage.

The second stage was called Yeongak (緣覺). It is a stage where one feels the presence of negative and positive energies in the world. By understanding what negative and positive energies are, one can move on to the next stage.

The third stage was called Jeonggak (正覺). It is about realizing one’s abilities and using them by utilizing the negative and positive energies of the world.

If one is able to activate their abilities freely, it is called achieving Jeonggak. From this point on, it is the activation of principles and sensory perception, being able to make the same sounds as those who experience a sense of wonder.

And it was said that achieving Jeonggak is required to be recognized as a psychic. If one fails to achieve Jeonggak, they are just an ordinary person awakened in the world of psychic abilities.

And there are many criminals like that too.

“It’s difficult.”

Right now, I was stuck at the second stage, Yeongak. Negative and positive energies? What are they? Are they something to eat? Come to think of it, the strange stone that was called Geugum was in my room right now.

I had taken it during the raid at the laboratory.

I left it stuck in a corner along with the sealed box.

It was a cold and fascinating stone when touched.

At that moment, a voice of Nayu came from the right.

“Nayujukjukchejojukjuk.”

“You, you’re tall enough. You don’t need to do this gymnastics! Go away!”

“Nayujukjukchejojukjuk.”

Right now, on my monitor, a gymnastics routine was playing. It is said that this gymnastics routine is very good for children in the Yeongak stage, as they need to feel the energy to move on to the next stage.

And it is said that it also helps children grow taller.

Does gymnastics help with height?

It’s an amazing fact.

“Hajinjukjukchejojukjuk!”

“Nayu, be prepared that you can’t do it!”

“Uug, slim down!”

That’s how the three of us did a gymnastic routine several times. As a result, Jamsooni didn’t grow even 1 centimeter, and of course, I couldn’t feel anything either.

Is it really right to do children’s gymnastics like this for hours?

I turned off the monitor in an instant, as Hyun-tae had just arrived.

That’s when Na-yoon felt a sense of loss.

But I could only say this.

“It seems this isn’t quite right.”

“My thoughts exactly. I just need to drink some more milk or tea.”

How was I supposed to describe the feeling of warmth and coolness? Warmth, coolness. Warm-coolness. Giri-eon.

“Ah, I see.”

Giri-eon’s gim (breath) and gip (vessel) were the experts in warm-coolness.

I quickly pressed my smartphone.

Was there a low-cost gim and gip training center nearby?

In the past, it was popular to have a Taekwondo dojang, but now it was the gim and gip dojang that was in vogue. There was one of these dojangs in every corner of the country.

Could I learn the feeling of warmth and coolness more quickly by training at this gim and gip dojang? I quickly pressed my smartphone.

Luckily, there was a gim and gip dojang nearby.

I remembered the location of that gim and gip dojang.

* * *

And a week later, after I had saved up some money, I knocked on the door of the gim and gip dojang. As the door opened, a woman who looked like a teacher welcomed me.

“Oh, hello. What brings you here?”

“I, I came to join the adult class.”

“The adult class? Ah, we do have an adult class here. There are some who have been coming since our previous gymnasium master was amazing.”

“The previous gymnasium master? So, who is the current one?”

At this, the woman who looked like a teacher lowered her head.

“That would be me. Please take care of me. My name is Lee Jin-yoo.”

Lee Jin-yoo, the gymnasium master, was a woman in her late twenties.

She had a warm and attractive appearance.

But there were times when her slender body, beneath her gi, was slightly revealed as a martial arts trainee.

“Then let’s start with the basics. How much energy can you focus? Can you feel the warmth and coolness to a certain extent?”

“Uh, about that.”

I rubbed my head and said.

“I can’t really feel it.”

“Really? Well, then you really did come at the right time. I’ll teach you slowly and carefully from the basics.

I paid the registration fee and received a uniform, all under the guidance of Master Joonyu. And from the next day, training began immediately.

Master Joonyu handed me two small stones and said,

“Here, try holding these stones.”

I tried holding the stones.

As expected, I didn’t feel anything.

“Which stone feels hotter?”

“Um, that one.”

I answered cautiously.

“I don’t feel anything though.”

“That’s okay. Even adults often can’t sense this level of Yin and Yang. How about this one?”

Master Joonyu took out another stone.

Of course, I didn’t feel anything from that stone either.

“This one too.”

“And this one?”

“This one too. I don’t feel anything.”

Master Joonyu brought out yet another stone.

“Ah, it’s hot. What about this one?”

“I don’t feel anything.”

Master Joonyu and I were both frustrated.

What is Ki anyway?

I really don’t understand.

Then, Master Joonyu spoke with a trembling voice.

“It’s, it’s okay. What’s important is the mind. A resilient mind! Even if you are insensitive to Yin and Yang, I will prepare stones that you can feel. Shall we learn the basics of Qi Gong today?”

And so, I learned the basics of Qi Gong.

The basics of Qi Gong referred to movements that are easy to feel energy in.

Normally, one should hold two stones and feel the heat and coldness while performing this dance. Then, they will awaken to Yin and Yang.

Trying it, it seemed similar to the dance Kirean used to perform.

“Wow, you have a talent for moving your body. This is the end of the three Qi Gong movements.”

“Phew, thank you for your hard work.”

“No, Hajin has worked hard.”

The class had ended like that.

From Noble mtl dot com

For a month, the classes went by similarly. Jinyu Kwajang brought strong Yin and Yang stones, and I couldn’t feel anything. I learned up to Chapter 20 of Qigong theory. I also witnessed Jinyu Kwajang’s Yang Qigong dance.

And I learned about the ranking system of “Gigongmoon”.

They considered Giriyeon as the 1st generation, and his disciples were referred to as the 2nd generation. And his disciples would become the 3rd generation, and so on in that manner.

Gigongmoon emphasized the importance of this ranking system. In response to that, those who left were referred to as the top-ranked Gigongpa in the Sa Pa organization.

I never expected there would be such a behind-the-scenes story.

Honestly, it was quite intriguing.

The time passed by roughly like that.

I believed that today would also pass by like that.

But today was different.

There was an uninvited guest in this small training hall.

“Hello…”

“Hey, Lee Jinyu. You haven’t forgotten about our ranking system in Gigongmoon, right?”

“I have never forgotten, Master.”

When I entered the training hall, Jinyu Kwajang was bowing his head. And that was to a man. The man was also wearing the uniform of Gigongmoon, so he seemed like someone belonging to Gigongmoon.

“But do you dare to disregard my words when there are two generations above you?”

Snap- when the man kicked Jinyu Kwajang’s abdomen, without hesitation, I tried to attack him. In that moment, Jinyu Kwajang quickly stood up and stopped me.

“It’s okay. Hajin-ssi. It’s our business in Gigongmoon.”

“But…”

“Gigongmoon’s military discipline is originally quite strict.”

I’ve heard of it before.

That Gigongmoon’s military discipline is truly strict.

That’s why they say there are over ten suicides every year.

After giving a sad smile, Jinyu Kwajang once again stood in a focused position in front of the man. The man smirked back at him and punched Jinyu Kwajang’s abdomen with force.

“…”

My hands were trembling.

Should I just stand here and watch this?

“Hey, Lee Jinyu. This is a truly wonderful offer for you. Kim Dogun Master said that he is a high-ranking disciple who has seen the founder from afar. He’s the 13th generation, you know? Don’t you know how much of an honor it is to be favored by someone like him? Damn, the other disciples of the same generation as you are lining up right now.”

“I’m sorry, Master. I have been given a command from my master.”

“A command to protect this fallen training hall? Did the previous Master assign the 12th generation here?”

Then, the man in the robe took something out of his pocket. It looked like a portable scanner.

“His orders are now null and void.”

“What? But-“

The man in the robe placed the scanner on the ground and took out a book from his pocket. It was an oriental-style book decorated with gold.

“The rank of a Gi-gongmun member is proven with the inherited secret technique. Do you recognize this secret technique?”

“I, as a humble disciple, do not know.”

However, Master Lee Jin-yoo’s expression was filled with despair. He seemed to vaguely recognize whose secret technique it was.

The man placed the secret technique on the scanner.

Then, the scanner displayed the words “9th Generation.”

“It is the secret technique of the 9th Generation Daesabu. By the way, do you know that if you transport this kind of secret technique without the permission of the Master, it will immediately be destroyed? Master Kim Do-gun allowed you to possess it.”

“I, I understand. I will accept it.”

Now, Master Lee Jin-yoo seemed almost on the verge of tears.

Should I just stand here and watch this madness?

Oh, right. I have the secret technique that Ki Ri-yeon gave me now, don’t I?

If I judge it according to the rank system, what rank is it?

Since I am the direct disciple of the 1st Generation Ki Ri-yeon, is it just the 2nd Generation?

Am I actually the 2nd Generation senior of Gi-gongmun?

Suddenly, it felt like I knew how the military worked even though I hadn’t served in the military.

How dare, how dare someone less than the 10th Generation touch the Master?

“Yes, that’s right. Clean up your dojo by the day after tomorrow and come to our side. Any objections?”

“N-no, no objections. I dare not oppose the words of a higher-ranking member.”

“Wait a minute, Master. Am I the one with the objection?”

I grabbed the shoulder of the man in the robe.

Heh heh heh. I could hear the man’s unpleasant laughter.

And immediately, his counterattack came flying.

A back-turning elbow strike.

I swiftly dodged the attack and thought to myself.

You attack without even saying a word? It’s understandable to feel annoyed when a stranger grabs your shoulder. I understand that too. But will my fist understand that?

“Master! Mr. Ha Jin! Mr. Ha Jin was just a mere member who knew nothing. Please show mercy!”

“This is insane-.”

Crack. Boom-

Crack was the sound of Master Jin Yu’s punch landing on that guy, and boom was the sound of my fist exploding on his jaw.

Are you fighting me and not paying attention?

Now, both my fist and I were furious.

I thrust an additional attack into the stumbling man in a taekwondo uniform. Of course, the man in the uniform couldn’t even raise his guard and collapsed.

With his eyes rolling back, it seems like he won’t regain his senses for at least an hour.

“He’s struggling in vain.”

I said while looking down at the man. Then, the master who was standing beside me muttered in a bewildered expression.

“Th-this instructor specializes in defensive martial arts. How did he get defeated in just three moves?”

“I’m a bit strong, Master. Are you okay?”

“No, I mean… How do I handle this situation? Is this a disaster? But…”

That’s how I comforted the panicking master for ten minutes.

“You’ll be fine, Master. There won’t be any negative consequences for you.”

“No. Mr. Ha is simply helping me. If I don’t take responsibility…”

“Master!”

I grabbed hold of the master’s shoulders. Surprisingly, his shoulders were firm. He definitely looked much stronger than the man in that taekwondo uniform?

But is it really necessary for someone with a lower rank to follow that guy’s orders? This system seemed really absurd.

While thinking such thoughts in my mind, I spoke to the master.

“I just don’t like that guy, so I got carried away. It’s not something you should be concerned about, Master. By the way, what was he saying? Something about joining someone as a spy?”

“Ah. In our Gyongmoon, we value the harmony among the trainees. We believe that’s how talented individuals in martial arts are born. It’s simply my turn.”

The master continued.

“Instructor Kim Do, as the son of the 9th generation senior, has already had three wives. Perhaps this time, with the permission of the 9th generation father, he will… “

Suddenly, tears welled up in the master’s eyes.

And as if embarrassed, he quickly wiped away the tears.

“When my master’s master was the master here, instructor Kim Do also gave up on me. But now, there’s no other choice. Since they are no longer here.”

“Master, this is just my personal assumption…”

I spoke up.

“Master, you’re actually really strong, aren’t you? Even if those pathetic guys over there, all twenty of them, attacked, I feel like you could take them all down.”

There was a saying that a healthy body gives rise to a healthy mind. After my encounter with the tiger, that saying seemed a bit inaccurate.

It was a body with an incredible physicality and a soul to match. And though the manager may not be on the level of a tiger, he possessed a superhuman physique that could be called supernatural.

She is strong.

That is my conclusion.

So, I said this.

“Shouldn’t we just break all the dojangs? The strong survive, the weak perish. Let’s do it the way of the Sapa. I’ll help too!”

If we destroy the other dojangs, maybe we can obtain martial arts or treasures that will make us feel energy. However, this suggestion was vehemently rejected.

“No! That means becoming a member of the Gikong clan. The traitors of our Jongmun clan. I have lived as a trainee of the Gikong Clan since before I could speak. The Gikong Clan was the one who raised me when my parents abandoned me.”

Master Jin-yu nodded as if he had made up his mind.

“Even if I die, I will die as a member of the Gikong Clan. So, Haji, you should run away quickly.”

“What? Why should I run away?”

Are the Gikong Clan members coming to ambush me?

Dare they target me, the second senior of the Gikong Clan?

“Kim Do-gun’s faction is a huge faction that even inherits the supreme art from the main headquarters. Honestly, I don’t want to admit it as a disgrace to our Gikong Clan, but it’s also a powerful faction that wouldn’t even blink after harming a person. So, please hurry…”

“Wait, ‘supreme art’?”

Supreme art? Is that similar to the Extreme Sound? The mysterious stone that I felt coldness from. Just taking it out of the box knocked down several researchers in the laboratory.

“You know the Extreme Sound. Yes, the supreme art can be called a relic that stands opposite to the Extreme Sound. It’s a place with such strong power that it can inherit such a relic.”

Suddenly, Master Jin-yu grabbed my hand.

“Thank you for stepping up for me.”

Master smiled and said.

But there were tear stains in the corners of her eyes.

“From now on, it’s an internal matter of the Gikong Clan, so you don’t have to worry about it anymore. I will talk to Instructor Kim Do-gun.”

“No, wait.”

Being pushed back by Master, I could only head towards the door. I could have resisted that touch, but seeing Master’s pitiful gaze, it seemed like I should listen to her words now.

Being driven out of the dojang like that, I thought.

This is how I sensed Yin and Yang energy. They said it was about completing the 30 Ki-gong techniques while feeling the coldness of a stone containing Yin energy and the heat of a stone containing Yang energy.

And I could only feel the coldness if it was a relic that reached the level of Extreme Sound. Maybe I could only feel the heat if it was a relic that reached the level of Supreme Art.

“I guess I have no choice.”

I searched for Kim Do-gun and the dojang he belonged to on my phone.

Their names were Jin-yang-gwan and Yeong-an Awakening. They were legitimate dojangs that have existed since before the foundation of Jongmun.

The main arena is quite massive.

It seems larger than what the country has built, right?

But that’s not important right now.

How many generations are the headmasters?

It was reported that the head of the Jin Yang department is in the 5th generation.

“The 5th generation? Are you daring enough to claim my extreme mastery against the subject of the 5th generation? You reckless fools. This is truly outrageous. Absolutely!!!”

While riding an electric kickboard, I was thinking.

Indeed, these bastards cannot avoid my determination.

I will enter the determination immediately tomorrow.

* * *

Master Kim Do-gun felt good. It was because he could finally make Yi Jin-yu his own.

Yi Jin-yu, the girl who was called the genius of the Ki Gong Moon and single-handedly defeated her peers. Kim Do-gun also challenged her and miserably lost with just one move.

And how much he was scolded by his father.

Even now, the memory of that time makes him grind his teeth.

But her beauty is still unforgettable.

If Yi Jin-yu had abandoned her own masters and entered the mastership of a higher authority, Kim Do-gun would have had no choice but to live under her.

But that foolish girl foolishly did not leave the dojang that raised her. To the extent of trying to protect the dojang that was crumbling with her own prize money.

“What a pathetic girl.”

For that reason, Yi Jin-yu will now learn what defeat is. Because he has the intention to repay the humiliation he received back then ten or a hundred times over.

He will completely subjugate her and make her his slave.

Master Kim Do-gun looked down at Yi Jin-yu with a cruel gaze.

“The order of Ki Gong Moon is absolute. Yet, you, for four years, have arrogantly lived relying solely on your skills.”

“I apologize.”

“You don’t even change your expression and say sorry. I will educate you again until you understand what real remorse is. Now, for now, strip···.”

Beep- Beep- Beep-

The alarm rang instantly.

It was the sound that intruders had entered.

Kim Do-gun spoke to his disciples around him.

“Quickly, go and stop the intruders. Yi Jin-yu, you stay by my side for now.”

“And the man called the intruder. Yu Hah-jin had already brought down over forty skilled martial artists.

“These bastards. They’re just as easy as I thought.”

Martial arts use hands and feet.

They don’t use weapons.

In other words, there was no threat of getting stabbed.

On top of that, martial arts had no effect on Yu Hah-jin.

Even when the martial artists chanted and danced with their martial arts movements, all Yu Hah-jin saw was fighting that looked like dancing.

Truly theatrical.

Yu Hah-jin defeated people like a fish in water.

And that’s how Lee Jin-yu saw him.

“Mr. Hah-jin, why…”

Why on earth did he come barging in here alone?

He was just a member for a little over a month.

Lee Jin-yu bit his lip.

That’s how Yu Hah-jin broke through the corridor and entered the gymnasium. Inside the gymnasium, hundreds of people were glaring at him.

“It’s possible to defeat two people at a time in the corridor, but isn’t it dangerous to fight surrounded by dozens of people in such a wide open space…”

Should I use ‘that box’ now?

I want to save it.

While Yu Hah-jin was considering his chances of winning,

Someone who looked like a leader spoke to him.

“Why are you causing trouble at the Jin-yang dojo?”

“Of course, becau-“

Why was he causing trouble?

Of course, it was because of the Jin-yang dojo.

But he couldn’t say that now.

So he decided to give the second reason.

“You took my master away.”

“Master?”

“Yeah, my second strongest master among the martial artists I’ve met. And you took him away with a ridiculous army game.”

As soon as Yu Hah-jin said those words, the martial artists burst into laughter.

Except for one woman who was listening from a corner, everyone else continued talking without knowing the fact.

The woman’s expression was on the verge of tears.

But the martial artists poured out their words without knowing the truth.

“Was he a student of Kigongmoon? How dare those disciples cause a disturbance in a place where the masters gathered???”

“He should immediately kneel down!!! Hurry up and bring his master!!!”

“He looks like he’s around 15th generation!!! These young ones these days are losing their minds!!!”

And suddenly, everyone took out a book from their pockets. Then they raised the books high in the air, and the machinery on the ceiling scanned them.

And phrases like “＜10th generation＞”, “＜7th generation＞”, “＜12th generation＞”, “＜11th generation＞” appeared next to them.

And the man with “＜8th generation＞” floating next to him spoke.

“Are you surprised? It’s OmegaTech’s technology. It accurately identifies the generation of Kigongmoon’s disciples better than anyone else. Why are you silent? Are you surprised by our disciples? Can you guess what kind of trouble you’ve caused? If you knew, you would immediately bow your head and apologize!!!”

Upon hearing those words, Yu Hajin laughed.

How much did he want to play with the disciples to the extent of creating such a machine?

So he took something out from his pocket and said.

“Alright, you first, stick out your head.”

“What, what?”

“Are you sassing me?”

The 8th generation instructor gazed at the floating phrase next to Yu Hajin.

It read “＜2nd generation＞”.

“What are you doing? Isn’t anyone sticking out their heads?”

When the 8th generation instructor turned around, most of the disciples had already bowed their heads and were trembling with fear. Even his own master, the 7th generation elder, was no exception.