Seo Ye-in’s possessiveness showed itself without mercy even outside training time.

Even during meals, even when we were just sipping tea or coffee and chatting lightly, she stayed glued to my side.

And whenever Dang Gyu-young or Zhuge Soso tried to come up to me or do anything—

“......No.”

The more the same thing repeated, the more Dang Gyu-young’s lips started to stick out in a little pout.

And eventually, what was coming came—

Seo Ye-in tried to monopolize even the Kim Ho pillow.

Dang Gyu-young tried reasoning with her in a gentle tone first.

“Seo Ye-in, I understand you’re jealous, but still, isn’t it right to make at least the minimum concessions?”

“......No.”

“Up until now, we slept together just fine. Each of us using one side of the Kim Ho pillow.”

“Policy change.”

“What changed, exactly?”

Seo Ye-in grabbed my arm as she answered.

“My Kim Ho. Only mine.”

“......You’re really just going for it. Fine. If it’s come to this, there’s no choice.”

Dang Gyu-young sighed softly, then her eyes flashed.

“We’ll have to take it by force. Ready, Sso?”

“Of course, Gyu.”

As if she’d been waiting, Zhuge Soso took position behind her.

And just as the next order was about to drop, she grabbed Dang Gyu-young’s arm and started pulling.

“Come.”

“What, what! Where are you taking me?”

“You said you’d leave the kids alone. Tonight you’re sleeping in the next room with me.”

Betrayal filled Dang Gyu-young’s face.

“Zhuge Soso....... You’re stabbing me in the back?”

“This is how I feel all the time. You should feel it once too.”

“No, wait. Wait. Let go.”

“Let’s have a sweet little chat all night long.”

Zhuge Soso smiled and took one step at a time.

Each time, Dang Gyu-young got dragged one step with her.

“Hey, hey—this strength is insanely strong? Roll up your sleeves. Aren’t you, like, all bulging muscles?”

“What’s wrong with my delicate arms? Hurry up and come.”

The two of them disappeared into the next room like that.

Seo Ye-in looked at me, eyes sparkling.

“......Defeated.”

“Wasn’t that more like... it got resolved on its own?”

“An enemy eliminated by borrowed blade stratagem.”

“You’re just inventing words.”

Then, like she’d been doing all day, Seo Ye-in hugged me like luggage and carried me into the room.

And we lay down side by side on the bed.

“.......”

“.......”

She wriggled a little, then slowly crawled up onto me.

From close enough that her breath could touch, she stared down at me.

“.......”

“What are you thinking about now?”

“......Homework.”

“What homework?”

“Kiss homework.”

When we’d first kissed, Seo Ye-in had felt an inexplicable pounding in her chest.

So I’d assigned her homework to think about why she felt that way—and it looked like she’d been remembering it the whole time.

I nodded and asked again.

“Any progress?”

“......A little?”

“Really? Want me to check your homework?” 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

“Yeah.”

As she said that, Seo Ye-in subtly offered me her cheek.

I kissed it lightly, and her gray eyes sparkled.

“......Thump-thump.”

“That’s the same as the first time.”

“Good thump-thump.”

“You added one word. Why do you think it’s good?”

Seo Ye-in looked like she was thinking, then answered.

“......Because it’s Kim Ho?”

“You’re almost there. What about Kim Ho makes it good?”

But she got stuck there and tilted her head.

“......? I don’t know.”

“That’s the most important part.”

“Like I know, but I don’t.......”

Seems she still didn’t know in concrete terms.

Still, it was progress.

“Keep thinking about it slowly.”

“If I finish the homework......”

“If you finish it?”

Seo Ye-in stared at me with eyes full of curiosity, then quietly brought her hand up to my face.

And poked my lips with her index finger.

“......Lip kiss?”

“No reason it can’t happen.”

Once we’re clearly aware of what we feel toward each other.

Seo Ye-in tipped her chin.

“Guard it well.”

“Guard it well?”

“Reservation #1.”

Meaning: I’m number one, so don’t use it anywhere else.

That made my contrarian streak stir again.

“Well. Wouldn’t the one who does it first be number one?”

Her gray eyes filled with dissatisfaction.

“Gyu-Gyu empathy.”

“What part?”

Instead of answering, Seo Ye-in bit my arm.

“Nom.”

*****

The next day, and the day after that, the [Austerity] challenge quest continued without fail.

Maybe because she wanted to keep the promise she’d made with me, Seo Ye-in went into sparring with 200% motivation.

Thanks to that, not only did her close-combat skill grow sharply, she also synced teamwork with the mirror image until they moved like one body.

And in the end—

CLANG—!

Fast-Luckless’s hologram pot slammed into the back of Ahn Jeongmi’s head.

“......That was truly splendid teamwork, my lady.”

Ahn Jeongmi wore an expression like she had no regrets left.

As she tried to steady her wobbling body,

Seo Ye-in’s Immortal Pot erupted as a second hit, and Ahn Jeongmi finally [N O V E L I G H T] lost consciousness.

Watching, I asked,

“It was over. Why hit her again?”

“......I didn’t get to hit her.”

Seo Ye-in answered while quietly averting her gaze.

She’d been bonked by the toy hammer countless times during the quest, and it seemed she was disappointed that only Fast-Luckless got revenge.

Fortunately, Ahn Jeongmi came to quickly.

With two huge bumps on her head.

“Kim Ho, I’m fine. If this relieved my lady’s mood.”

I looked at Seo Ye-in.

“Did it?”

“......Four more.”

“You were really angry.”

If we let her keep going, Ahn Jeongmi might turn into a Yin-Yang Blood Jiangshi, so we decided revenge stopped here.

Sub Quest: Stage 14 Austerity

▷Objective: Win close combat by cooperating with your mirror image

Before taking the reward, Seo Ye-in said goodbye to the mirror image.

After syncing teamwork, they’d formed a bond of their own.

“Comrade.”

You worked hard.

“......Reunion.”

If we get the chance, let’s meet again.

After saying that, Fast-Luckless scattered into particles of light.

Left in its place was an item like a torn-off corner of a skillbook.

[Legendary Unique Skillbook Fragment B]

“I’m angry.......”

Dissatisfaction swelled in her gray eyes.

She’d expected that reward, but after all that suffering, it didn’t feel like she’d gotten anything—so there was no way she could feel good.

Meanwhile, I practically fainted with excitement and made a fuss.

“You already collected two? At this rate it’ll be complete soon!”

“When does it end.......”

“My feeling is C is the end.”

“Or.”

“Or D is the end, right?”

Seo Ye-in slowly lifted her pot, but I politely caught it and lowered it back down.

Then I changed the subject quickly.

“I’ve been waiting for you to clear your [Austerity] challenge.”

“Why.”

“To yank my cooldown hard.”

“......?”

Seo Ye-in tilted her head like she didn’t understand.

It would be faster to show than explain, so I gathered everyone.

Dang Gyu-young and Zhuge Soso, Ahn Jeongmi and the Hyeseong Group people, Dang Eunbi who’d been hiding, and finally the Twin Heroes of the Dang Family who’d been handling other matters.

Apparently Uncle Gyu wasn’t here.

I set aside the slight disappointment, looked around the group, and opened my mouth.

“I’m going to give you a quest.”

“That [Austerity] thing?”

Zhuge Soso asked with an interested expression.

I nodded easily and continued.

“I can only give you Stage 1, but if you clear it, it’ll definitely help.”

The Dang twins spoke one line each.

“I’d been stuck in a plateau lately.”

“Maybe this will become a breakthrough.”

Ahn Jeongmi seemed to think similarly.

Someday they would also have to cross the wall of S-rank, so challenging their limits through an [Austerity] quest would be good experience.

I looked around one last time to confirm.

“Then I’ll use it.”

And I raised my staff slightly and cast the skill.

[‘Octopus Arms’ will be used.]

[‘Bestowal’ will be used.]

[‘Dang Gyu-young’ is granted ‘Stage 20 Austerity’.]

[‘Seo Ye-in’ is granted ‘Stage 15 Austerity’.]

[‘Zhuge Soso’ is granted ‘Stage 1 Austerity’....... ]

[‘Ahn Jeongmi’ is granted ‘Stage 1....... ]

[‘Dang Ilbi’ is granted....... ]

.......

[Cooldown 599 days 23:59:58]

A one-week cooldown, used ten times in a row, becomes 100x.

At this rate, it was basically sealed until mid–third year.

Of course, I hadn’t mindlessly sprayed [Austerity] everywhere without any countermeasure.

Next, the item that came out of my Inventory was—

[Magic Scroll - Time Leap (S)]

A week, a month, 600 days—it would all reset the same, so I’d “yanked it hard” at the very end.

And I didn’t want to hand it out across the entire Dang family, so I’d limited it to the minimum—people who’d helped, and who I’d exchanged help with.

When I tore the magic scroll cleanly in half, a notification message appeared at the edge of my vision.

[Cooldown has been reset.]

When I checked, both [Bestowal] and [Austerity] were indeed at 0 cooldown.

An S-rank time skill-down’s power was absurd.

Unfortunately it was one-time use since it was imbued into a magic scroll, but—

‘If I can complete the golden pocket watch.’

Then I’d be able to cycle [Time Leap] here and there.

I reaffirmed the goal inside my heart again.

*****

While everyone got busy clearing their own [Austerity] quests,

Dang Gyu-young and I were summoned and headed to the Clan Head Hall.

The Dang family head had come out of seclusion.

‘That was fast.’

Most martial artists who enter seclusion hole up for months, or even years if it’s long.

He’d taken barely over a week.

‘It’s probably one of two things.’

Either what he’d thought was “insight” wasn’t enough to cross the wall.

Or the opposite—everything was already prepared, and all that remained was stepping over it.

And the moment we entered the Clan Head Hall and faced Gyu’s father, I realized immediately.

‘As expected, it was the latter.’

He’d reached S-rank.

The Dang family head also fixed me with an intense gaze.

“......When your realm rises, you see many more things. As expected, you were a monster.”

“You flatter me. Congratulations on your achievement.”

“Thank you. And I’ll say it again—your contribution was large.”

We exchanged words in a warm atmosphere, then the Dang family head changed the topic.

“I only tell you now, but I entered seclusion in haste to organize my insight before it was too late.”

“I assumed as much.”

If you didn’t seize it, it might fly away—and then no one knew when the next opportunity would come.

“And another main reason was to become your backing. It’s true our main family’s position in Sichuan is considerable, but wasn’t it a bit lacking in terms of the highest expert level?”

The support of a family with an A-rank clan head,

and the support of a family with an S-rank clan head—

Even just hearing it felt different.

“I heard a piece of news, so I needed to hurry even more. Thankfully, it seems I wasn’t too late.”

What “news” he meant, and how he intended to be my backing, became clear soon enough.

A few days later, an envoy delegation from the Murim Alliance visited the Dang family.

Most were unfamiliar faces, but there were faces I recognized.

A Swordsmanship Club prospect, Mo Yongjun.

And beside him was a middle-aged man who fixed his gaze on me, looking similar to him in many ways.

Soon, an old-carriage-like voice flowed from his mouth.

“As expected, you’re a child with many interesting sides. I can see your words weren’t empty.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

He wasn’t Mo Yongjun’s father or uncle.

He was his grandfather.

He was the S-rank Sword Saint, Mo Yonghyeonseong.