Yeon-woo was running.
“What do you think footwork is, young man?”
Behind Yeon-woo, who was running at full speed, channeling magic power into his lungs, were Yuri and Baek In-hwa, leisurely following with their hands clasped behind their backs.
It was a maddening feeling. He was struggling to run, while they were chasing him as if they were just walking. Is this what real footwork is?
Moreover, Baek In-hwa was moving gracefully, like she was ice skating, making him feel pathetic.
“Ma, magic-powered running…?”
“What a foolish thing to say. It's not that far off, but if I were to give you a score, it would be 30 points. You need to retake the class.”
What was he supposed to do if he didn't know? Yeon-woo felt unjustly wronged.
“From the basics, well… it's simply a technique to make your body lighter.”
With enhanced cardiopulmonary function, you could even talk while running, but as Yuri started to slow down, Yeon-woo also gradually slowed down.
He must have seen everything he needed to see. As Yeon-woo caught his breath, Yuri spoke.
“The methodology of running can also be called footwork. To run faster, to run longer. That is the essence and origin of footwork.”
“I see….”
Yuri's martial arts philosophy was embedded in those words. It was a very practical perspective. Should it be called the wisdom of a man who dedicated his life to the sword?
It was because he had his own clear world and approached the sword that this man reached the dream realm of rejuvenation. Such thoughts came to mind.
“Therefore, before you learn footwork, you must first learn how to run well. Pay close attention to this old man's posture.”
One might think that running wouldn't be that different, but the way Yuri ran was definitely different. He leaned his body's center of gravity forward, lifted his knees high, and landed on the balls of his feet. He then pushed off again, using the momentum of swinging his arms.
Yeon-woo lightly mimicked his movements. Yuri nodded in approval. It would take some time to get used to it, but it seemed like he had gotten a little faster.
After Yeon-woo ran around the area in that posture and got somewhat used to it, Yuri spoke.
“Now, to cover this with magic power and escape the laws of physics is footwork. Sometimes you make your body lighter to increase your airtime, and sometimes you convert the impact of landing into another push-off.”
After pausing for a moment, Yuri grinned and tapped Yeon-woo's forehead with his index finger.
“Magic power moves according to the user's imagination and will. The footwork that student Baek In-hwa uses shares the idea of ‘leaving no footprints on the snow.’ This way, they pass on the identity of the group to future generations and make it easier to train. Although it crushes the potential of the individual, it is also a very efficient way.”
Baek In-hwa glared at Yuri. Of course, she wouldn't be happy about the essence of her footwork being exposed. Feeling Baek In-hwa's sharp aura, Yeon-woo broke out in a cold sweat. He shouldn't have gotten in between them.
But wasn't Treading Snow Without a Trace too famous and characteristic a footwork? He also felt that she should be a bit more understanding about that.
Smiling faintly, Yuri lightly averted his gaze and looked at Yeon-woo. Yeon-woo flinched a little at the gaze that felt like... educational zeal.
“But student Choi Yeon-woo, you don't need that. If there are ten thousand people, there are truly ten thousand martial arts. Because everyone looks at different things. Now, think about it. What kind of martial arts do you want? What is your goal? What do you, want to do?”
At those words, as if hypnotized, Yeon-woo's eyes slowly began to sink. Oh ho! Yuri suppressed the exclamation that was about to burst out.
It was a scene he saw quite often just by throwing a few words to children who were stuck at a wall, but Choi Yeon-woo was a child who had been declared talentless by the Star Breaker. Considering that even being blocked by a wall was the realm of genius, wasn't it quite impressive?
Baek In-hwa, watching him, discreetly looked around.
When an acquaintance entered a state of selflessness, it was proper to stand guard. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any need to worry as there weren't even any passersby nearby, but just in case.
…….
It's dark. As if he had fallen into an endlessly dark shadow, or as if he were dreaming, it was dark. Would it be like this if he fell into deep water where he couldn't see an inch ahead? But soon, light was born.
It wasn't something visible to the eye, but an image formed within. A mirror reflecting himself. What did the complex kaleidoscope of his inner self reflect?
Familiar scenes flashed before his eyes like a slideshow. Click, click, click, click….
He thought, in just two days, he had somehow seen three high-level movement techniques.
Click, click, click….
He saw Namgung Seong flying, his body tilted forward to its limit. His form looked like a bullet, or a shooting star.
How to make his relatively light body for his size shoot forward as fast as possible? It was a trace of contemplation on how to portray the Divine Eagle, the progenitor of the Namgung Clan, with his body.
Even without using magic power, he minimized air resistance and used his wings to maintain balance and prevent falling. The sky is so boundless, so too are the descendants of the great Sky God. Like a raptor swooping down from the vast heavens, and also like soaring to take flight into the sky.
But that was Namgung's. It didn't suit him.
Click, click….
Baek In-hwa ran across the plains as if gliding. As beautiful as a figure skater dancing on the ice of the North Sea, and fast as well. And the fact that there were no footprints or even a speck of dust was because their footwork pursued harmony with nature.
A fastidious gait that would leave no human trace, even on soft and fragile snow. Despite inheriting the human history of martial arts, a strong will to live like nature within nature was evident.
But that was created to live with winter. It didn't suit him.
Click….
Lastly, Yuri took a leisurely step. With one step, it seemed as if he had taken thirty. This... there was nothing to even say. Already in the realm of teleportation. Yuri's level had long surpassed the peak and reached the heavens.
If the Ice Palace's footwork aimed to coexist with nature, Yuri's was nature itself. There was nothing to imitate or even mimic. It was out of the question from the start. The term footwork didn't even seem appropriate.
...Then how did he want to move?
