Chapter 23

It’s best to pitch a tent on dry ground that gets sun during the day.

If you carelessly choose a spot just because it’s flat, you’ll end up sleeping on damp ground because of the moisture that creeps up at night.

Once you’ve set up the tent for sleeping, the next thing is a bonfire.

Of course, you need firewood to make a fire, but if you’ve found a dry place to pitch your tent, you can usually find dry wood around it without much difficulty.

‘You can tell by bending the branches.’

A well-dried branch will break or split when bent, rather than bending.

It’s best to find a variety of branches, from small twigs to thick ones.

Now you need tinder to start the fire.

Torn pieces of paper, a ball of string, or even dry leaves collected while gathering wood will work if the weather is dry.

Place these among the firewood and light them.

If there’s no sign of the tinder catching fire, you need to take action, but…

If you’ve gathered well-dried firewood, it will usually catch fire on its own, creating a bonfire.

“Huuuh…!”

Kang Taehan lightly stretched and then brought his fingers close to the bonfire.

He felt a sense of peace for no reason.

The sense of security that a fire brings in the wilderness is deeper than you might think.

Moreover, perhaps because it’s been a while since he’s built a bonfire himself, he feels a bit excited just being like this.

‘It reminds me of the old days.’

When he was in Murim, there were often times when he had to stay in the open wilderness like this, without a roof over his head.

The knowledge of finding a suitable campsite or building a fire was all learned through direct experience back then.

“…Hehe. Have the memories of Murim become old memories now?”

Struck by a sudden thought, Kang Taehan chuckled.

In Murim, he used to think of old times when he encountered something modern, but now it’s the opposite.

‘Anyway… Shall we get started?’

Normally, after pitching a tent and building a bonfire, the standard procedure is to spend some time looking around at the scenery, enjoying the view, and blankly staring at the fire.

However, Kang Taehan didn’t come here today just to relax.

He had already achieved his goal of collecting medicinal herbs, but if that was his only purpose, he would have descended the mountain long ago.

The remaining goal was the refinement of his internal energy.

It was a necessary process to obtain higher purity internal energy, especially for someone like him who utilizes the Star-Absorbing Great Method.

He had achieved successful results when he attempted it at Gyeryongsan a while ago, but there were various limitations to deeply immersing himself in breathing exercises there.

Firstly, there were many hikers passing by, so he couldn’t maintain long breaths, and above all, he had to descend the mountain before sunset.

Camping and staying overnight on the mountain was, of course, prohibited.

‘On the other hand, it doesn’t matter here.’

There are no other hikers, and it doesn’t matter if he camps here, let alone collects medicinal herbs.

Who would say anything when the owner of the mountain gave him permission to do as he pleases?

Furthermore, because this place is rarely visited by people, the purity of Qi is high, and the concentration of spiritual energy is even denser than in Gyeryongsan.

It was the perfect environment for focusing and manipulating internal energy.

“And besides, there’s a good harvest too.”

Kang Taehan carefully rummaged inside his backpack.

Soon, what appeared in his hand was none other than the wild ginseng he had just found.

Judging by the rings on its root head, it was well over twenty years old, and having grown by absorbing the dense spiritual energy of this place, it was worthy of being called an elixir.

‘Even in Murim, it would have been quite difficult to find something like this.’

There are many different opinions on the most effective way to consume wild ginseng, both in Murim and in the modern world, but unless it’s refined into an elixir at Shaolin, it’s just a matter of individual constitution.

Kang Taehan’s preferred method is to eat it raw.

He gently brushed off the dirt from the wild ginseng and lightly rinsed it with bottled water.

Then, he slowly chewed it from the fine roots, swallowing it bit by bit.

“Now then.”

A dried-up tree stump was embedded near the tent.

Its circumference and height were quite suitable considering it was found in the wild.

Kang Taehan sat on the seat he had prepared beforehand, closed his eyes in a comfortable posture, and focused his mind inward.

The distinct energy of the wild ginseng seeped into his meridians through his stomach.

As expected, it was a powerful energy that couldn’t be compared to other medicinal herbs.

However, it was dangerous to leave it as it was.

If he were an ordinary person, the energy would circulate through his meridians, replenishing his body’s energy, and the remaining energy would naturally escape through his breath over time.

But in the case of someone like him, a Murim warrior who stores his own internal energy separately in his dantian, it would cause a backlash when the two energies collided.

In that process, it could transform into turbid Qi, and in severe cases, lead to Qi deviation.

Therefore, he pulled all his internal energy down to his lower dantian and temporarily confined the energy from the wild ginseng, which had entered from the outside, to his middle dantian, which he had emptied beforehand.

“Hoooo…”

In that state, he repeatedly circulated his Qi through breathing exercises, waiting for the wild nature of the wild ginseng’s energy to subside and its intense energy to settle down.

After calming the raging wild ginseng energy and letting the waves slowly subside…

The basic method was to slowly guide it to transform according to his constitution.

However, that method took too much time.

Kang Taehan brought his hands together, drawing the symbol of Taegeuk, and then channeled his internal energy from his lower dantian to his left hand and the wild ginseng energy from his middle dantian to his right hand, making them touch in the center.

This was to combine the two energies and accelerate the transformation process.

Normally, a backlash should occur, but the two energies in his hands quietly blended together, merging into a single nature before flowing into his lower dantian.

This was a method of manipulating internal energy that simultaneously utilized the principles of the Great Clarity Mental Method and the Tendon Changing Classic.

For Kang Taehan, who had been using the Star-Absorbing Great Method since his time in Murim, harmonizing two energies of different natures was his specialty.

‘This does require a separate refinement process, though.’

Wasn’t that why he came here?

Leaving only minimal vigilance, Kang Taehan immersed himself deeply and repeatedly took deep breaths.

And so, the sun gradually set, and darkness descended.

The flames of the bonfire died down to embers.

By the time a thin film of sweat formed all over his body…

“Haaaa…”

Hoooo─

With a final deep exhale, Kang Taehan slowly opened his eyes.

The cool evening breeze blowing on his body, which was heated by the surging energy, felt particularly pleasant.

‘Quite some time has passed.’

It was already getting dark.

Although the sun hadn’t completely set, a faint moon and stars had risen in the opposite sky.

But it was all worth it.

Kang Taehan lightly clenched his fist, drawing up his internal energy.

Then, a pastel gray light gradually enveloped the outline of his fist.

“Hehe.”

Kang Taehan withdrew his internal energy and smiled lightly.

It was the moment when the fruits of his labor, which he had diligently accumulated, were shining.

“Now that I’ve done what I needed to do…”

Kang Taehan patted his knees and stood up.

‘Shall I prepare a meal?’

But even Mount Geumgang can wait after a meal.

Perhaps due to sweating, he felt hungry.

Kang Taehan first revived the dying bonfire, then took out a bottle of water, a packet of ramen, a small camping pot, and… a portable gas burner from his backpack inside the tent.

‘The bonfire and the cooking fire are completely separate things.’

Although he already had a fire going, using it for cooking would require an excessively cumbersome process.

Cooking over a bonfire.

It might seem romantic in imagination, but it’s literally just romantic.

It’s far more sensible and efficient to bring a portable gas burner.

While the ramen was cooking, Kang Taehan stretched and looked at the scenery of the mountain as the sun set.

Perhaps because of the fruitful day, it felt particularly special.

The gradually descending darkness.

Only a quiet silence flowed through the night mountain, but with the light and warmth of the bonfire, even that became a backdrop for enjoying the simple pleasures of life.

‘…Not a bad holiday.’

Kang Taehan slowly opened the lid of the camping pot.

The appetizing smell of ramen, along with white steam, rose up, filling the cold night air.

⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢

A few days later, at a PC bang near the jimjilbang.

It was a place where he had completely upgraded his computer components to the highest specs a few weeks ago, and it was famous for attracting gamers who were picky about specs.

Choi Seonghyeon was sitting in one of the seats, staring intently at the screen.

Normally, he would be working at the massage shop at this time, but today he had his own reasons.

“Ah, please… I want to avoid messing up course registration even in my last semester…”

A faint cry escaped Choi Seonghyeon’s lips.

He was a man of misfortune who had never successfully registered for the courses he planned for every semester.

“Shouldn’t you be used to it by your last semester?”

“Right? I find it strange too.”

Kang Taehan, who was sitting next to him, casually remarked.

He seemed to be less tense than Choi Seonghyeon.

It was understandable, as he didn’t have any required courses he had to take, and he only needed to fill exactly 5 credits to graduate.

“…Wait. I have a good idea.”

Choi Seonghyeon turned his head as if something had occurred to him.

“What is it?”

“Can you register for my courses instead? I’ll do yours. Wouldn’t that work?”

Unlike Choi Seonghyeon, Kang Taehan had never had any trouble with course registration.

Even when he failed, he only gave up on one course, and especially for competitive courses, he had never failed.

“No.”

However, Kang Taehan flatly refused.

“Why!”

“You should do your own registration. And if I miss this, I have to find another class at the same time.”

“You j*rk… You don’t know my pain…”

Although he said that, it was originally just a joke.

Choi Seonghyeon sighed deeply and focused on the monitor again.

The time remaining until course registration was counted in seconds.

Now he could only rely on the performance of the PC bang computer and his own reflexes.

Click, click, click!

“Aaagh!”

He clicked, but the webpage wouldn’t load, and Choi Seonghyeon screamed.

This meant that he had failed to register for the course.

“Did you fail?”

“I screwed up again… What about you?”

Kang Taehan pointed to his screen with his thumb.

Course registration completed.

Only a short sentence indicating his success remained there.

The unrivaled reflexes of the Heavenly Demon!

If there were a ranking for course registration speed, Kang Taehan would probably be in first place.

Having finished his business, Kang Taehan stood up.

“I’m heading back right away, what are you going to do?”

“Tell the manager I’ll be in a bit later… I need to call the department office.”

“…Okay. Good luck.”

Kang Taehan left after saying goodbye.

He had some time to spare, but there was nothing he could do to help anyway, and he didn’t want to give up his bath right after arriving at work.

‘The start of the semester…’

To be honest, he couldn’t even remember his college life anymore.

It wasn’t just the empty talk of a senior in his fourth year; it was because sixty years had passed in between.

Frankly, he couldn’t even remember his advisor’s name.

So it wouldn’t hold much significance now… but still, shouldn’t he finish college?

Aside from just the academic qualifications, it was one of the links connecting his past self to his present self.

‘…Hmm?’

As he was lost in thought while walking for a while…

The moment the crosswalk signal turned green and he was about to walk… he sensed a presence from afar on the road.

A mid-sized sedan that didn’t slow down even at the red light.

It might not have mattered because it was still some distance from the stop line, but Kang Taehan noticed that the car was subtly swerving.

Like a drunkard staggering.

“That crazy b*stard.”

As expected, the car showed no sign of stopping even when it reached the stop line and continued to speed forward.

It’s best to avoid crazy people.

People also noticed it and quickly crossed to the other side or turned back…

But one person, a woman, stood frozen in place in the middle.

“Hmm.”

Thoughts quickly raced through his mind.

Was the plan that just came to mind possible or impossible?

It was definitely possible right now.

The moment he reached a conclusion, Kang Taehan’s feet slid forward as if gliding.

A speeding mid-sized sedan and a woman cowering in fear.

Kang Taehan boldly walked between them.

Four Ounces Can Deflect a Thousand Pounds.

If one masters the principles of martial arts, four ounces of force can control a thousand pounds.

It was one of the core teachings of the Wudang Sect, passed down since ancient times, that pierced through the essence of their martial arts.

Of course, Kang Taehan had never learned the teachings of Wudang… but he understood the essence of that principle and could fully utilize it.

Crash!

A loud crash, strong enough to shake the ground slightly.

However, the sound didn’t come from in front of Kang Taehan, but from the guardrail on the center line behind him.

‘My skills haven’t dulled.’

He diverted the car to the right, and in the process, the remaining impact transmitted to his body was channeled through his feet into the asphalt on the ground.

As a result, Kang Taehan himself was standing in place, perfectly fine.

Since he hadn’t actually been hit, it was only natural.

“Are you alright?”

Kang Taehan turned around and extended his hand downward.

The woman from before was sitting on the ground, shocked.

“Y-Yes… But my legs have gone weak…”

“Let me help you up.”

The woman grabbed Kang Taehan’s outstretched hand.

A tingling sensation instantly spread through her hand and throughout her body, and strength returned to her limp legs.

She got up from her spot, feeling puzzled.

“You seem to be unharmed.”

“Th-Thanks to you.”

“Don’t mention it. The car just swerved on its own.”

Kang Taehan smiled gently.

It was a light smile that didn’t suit the situation at all.