novelraw Chapter 157 : Chapter 157
Chapter 157 : Chapter 157
Chapter 157. Jack Reed (3)
Late at night, Chief Instructor Everhart Mylon crossed paths with Jack.
Still not fully recovered from his war wounds, his arm and head were wrapped tightly in bandages, clearly indicating serious injuries.
Yet, restless from lying in bed, he had gone for a night walk and found the dejected Jack, approaching him slowly.
“What are you doing out here this late?”
Jack’s arm was still bandaged, with blood seeping through.
It was clear something significant had happened, and concern showed on Everhart’s face.
“Why are you hurt? What happened?”
“Chief Instructor…”
Jack’s expression revealed a deeper emotional wound than physical pain.
Noticing this, Everhart, despite his own injuries, sat quietly beside him.
“Speak freely. What’s got you so down? You, who never lost your spark even in the Executor program.”
“Chief Instructor… Do I really have the talent to become an Executor? I feel like I lack the ability for combat.”
“What are you talking about? You were chosen for the Executor program precisely because you excelled above others.”
Though unaware of Jack’s exact ordeal, Everhart sincerely wanted to comfort him.
But Jack’s wounds weren’t easily soothed by words.
“There are so many with far greater talent. And I clearly feel my limits now. It’s so painful.”
“Limits…”
Jack’s struggle was one Everhart had faced in his youth.
Thus, he spoke with heartfelt sincerity, knowing his words could deeply resonate with Jack.
“To be honest, I had the same doubts. You may not know, but I was once a royal guard. I came to the Academy because I felt overwhelming despair after seeing the kingdom’s greatest Executor.”
That despair led Everhart to leave the royal guard for the Academy.
He’d rather be a snake’s head than a dragon’s tail, but even that wasn’t easy.
“I thought I’d naturally become Dean. But the year I joined as an instructor, Dean Duke appeared.”
The arrival of Duke Valendo.
He took the Dean’s position immediately upon joining the Academy, as per its strict meritocracy where the strongest claimed the role.
“I challenged the Dean countless times. Guess how it went?”
“…Did you lose every time?”
“If I’d won even once, I’d be Dean now.”
Officially, ten losses. Unofficially, twenty-four.
Everhart had never defeated Duke.
“The despair I felt then was indescribable.”
“So what did you do? Did you resolve to try something new?”
“No. I realized my limits clearly then. That was my peak, and I couldn’t progress further.”
There was no dramatic turnaround.
As Jack seemed disappointed, Everhart patted his back.
“But you’re different.”
“What?”
“You have enough talent to reach the top!”
Having trained countless cadets, Everhart saw Jack’s potential clearly.
“Of course, it’s hard to believe with a monster like Evan always by your side. But I don’t think you’re far behind.”
Everhart clenched his uninjured hand into a fist.
“In terms of martial arts, I believe you’ll reach the pinnacle. Those around you are just running faster, but you’ll all meet at the same finish line.”
A slow start.
Even if you begin slowly, perseverance leads to victory.
That was what Everhart wanted to tell Jack.
“So never doubt yourself again. Understand?”
“…”
Thanks to Everhart’s comfort, Jack’s gloomy expression brightened slightly.
But the root of his problem wasn’t fully resolved.
“Even if I try not to doubt, I feel like I’m not growing anymore. I can’t always rely on the Young Master’s teachings…”
“Hmm… That’s a real concern. True strength comes from finding your own path.”
Everhart pondered seriously alongside Jack.
Then, a thought he’d long held came to mind, and he cautiously voiced it.
“By the way.”
It was a question he’d had about Jack but never voiced.
“Why don’t you use your legs?”
“What?”
“I’ve noticed you only fight with your fists. You use your legs for movement or evasion, but never for attacking. Martial arts aren’t limited to fists, you know.”
“…”
Jack seriously considered Everhart’s offhand remark.
Use my legs…
Reflecting on himself, he realized he’d never fought using his legs.
Evan had taught him martial arts, supplemented by Duke’s teachings, and in the Executor program, he’d honed only those skills.
No one had taught him leg techniques, and Jack had grown accustomed to a passive life of receiving instruction.
“Maybe…”
“Hm?”
Jack almost asked Everhart how to use leg techniques, out of habit.
But he quickly caught himself.
“No! Honestly, I don’t know how to act on what you just said. But this is something I need to figure out myself.”
“Well said. I only pointed you in a direction. How you make it happen is up to you.”
Everhart’s role ended there.
The rest was Jack’s choice—whether he’d grow or stagnate depended on him.
“Thank you! I feel like the fog in my mind has cleared a bit. Not completely, but still.”
“That’s good to hear.”
In Everhart’s view, Jack didn’t seem like someone who’d stagnate easily.
But what Everhart didn’t know was that his casual advice would give Jack wings for his future path.
***
After his brief talk with Everhart, Jack headed to a quiet clearing where he usually trained alone.
As he walked, he replayed Everhart’s words countless times.
—Why don’t you use your legs?
—Use your legs?
—Legs…
This prompted Jack to look deeply within himself.
Why hadn’t he used his legs before?
The answer was simple.
No one ever taught me how to use them.
He’d grown used to learning from others.
But as Everhart said, relying solely on teachings wouldn’t lead to the pinnacle.
The Young Master, the Dean, and other exceptional warriors share one thing: they forged their own paths.
Separately, Jaina had grown through her family’s swordsmanship.
But that swordsmanship was created by someone in the past, and Jaina had reinterpreted it in her own way, advancing further.
What about me? I don’t have a family’s techniques like Jaina, nor Evan’s genius. But one thing’s clear: the immense Qi in my body, which even Evan acknowledged.
Evan had once recommended Jack to a mage due to his overwhelming Qi.
Until now, Jack had used it only for physical enhancement, never for attacks, let alone with his legs.
What if I focused all my Qi into my legs?
It might kill him or knock him out from the strain.
But without hesitation, he summoned all his Qi.
I don’t know how to attack with my legs… but I’ll figure it out by doing it.
Jack concentrated all his energy into his legs.
From my toes to my waist, I’ll pour all my Qi into my legs.
Unlike lightly channeling Qi for speed, this time, he packed it tightly, as if molding his legs with it.
—Tremble.
His legs shook under the unfamiliar force.
But Jack didn’t stop, pushing to the limit.
Let’s do this!
Without hesitation, he followed his body’s instincts and leaped.
—Boom!!!
The moment his feet left the ground, an explosive shockwave hit the surroundings, propelling Jack high into the air.
“Aaah!!!”
It was Jack’s new leap, the first step toward his growth.
And at that moment—
—Rumble…!
Evan, sleeping far away, briefly opened his eyes at the massive sound and vibration before closing them again.
What was that? An earthquake…?
He couldn’t imagine that Jack was breaking his limits, achieving enlightenment.
***
The night before the delegation’s departure, Jack, who had been hiding even from Evan, finally appeared.
—Step, step.
He emerged at an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of the capital, once a noble’s estate but now ruined by war, its original owners dead.
Under the cold moonlight, in the eerie atmosphere, he approached with heavy steps.
—Step, step.
For days, Jack had trained relentlessly, battling himself.
He’d fallen and been wounded countless times but never stopped.
His resolve, etched deeper than his physical scars, drove him.
I can do it. No, I must.
Now, he decided to stake his fate once more—
to join Evan’s attendants.
But this time, he didn’t ask Evan directly.
Instead, he sought to prove himself.
His chosen opponent was the Red Count, the vampire Gaiard Lecan.
“Can you spar with me?”
To surpass the Red Count and prove himself—
that was Jack’s goal for standing here.
He was prepared to risk death to achieve it.