chapter 3
3 – #3. Fixing My Danjeon (1)
“Hey, fatso. What nonsense are you causing again.”
The black twin braided hair girl who came right up to me scolded me.
What’s this girl doing.
I’m not really causing any nonsense though… Has she never seen someone exercising?
“Who are you…?”
“What…?”
The girl before me made a displeased expression.
Wait, looking closely, her features seem similar to Pablo’s.
Maybe it’s just my feeling.
“Did you become so stupid that you don’t even recognize your own blood?”
“Huh?”
My own blood?
Could she be my younger sister?
No. She feels a bit mature to call a sister.
“…Big sister?”
“Don’t even think to call me sister. Thinking we share the same blood makes me extremely irritated.”
Seems I’m right.
The scornful gaze and haughtily raised chin.
It looks like Xian’s sister doesn’t like Xian either.
The one I possessed before… did he really have no one on his side?
While it’s his own doing, still, she’s his sister. How can a sister dislike her brother this much? I thought it was too harsh.
“So why have you been causing a ruckus since morning? Not going to answer?”
“I was exercising.”
“…What did you say?”
“I said I was exercising.”
Big sister’s eyes widened in bewilderment.
3 seconds of silence passed. Then she looked at me like I was crazy and asked.
“Did you… hit your head?”
She’s saying the same thing as Pablo.
Are the actions of the original Xian I possessed that different? But what can I do… I have to exercise with a body like this.
I don’t procrastinate once I decide to do something. Even if it makes me seem suspicious for now, it’s better to take action quickly and get used to it.
“I just suddenly felt like I should lose the fat I’ll have to eventually anyway. No other meaning.”
“…You piss me off. What do you think you’ll accomplish with a kid like you losing weight? Stop spouting nonsense and come eat breakfast. Father is calling for you.”
With that last word, she turned around and walked to the house.
Breakfast…
To efficiently strength train too, I should eat breakfast.
Since I’m still growing, losing weight while starving will have severe side effects. Becoming frail will also hinder building strength.
Should I go eat.
I’m curious about the house’s food and this world anyway.
I followed after her to the house.
.
.
.
“Everyone has gathered.”
The Brace house’s family members gathered around the large table in the kitchen.
Looking at everyone, it was just father, big sister, and me – 3 people.
I wondered if there were any other family members, but there weren’t.
It seemed like mother had only given birth to my older sister and me.
But where is mother…?
As I quietly looked around, Pablo started eating with his spoon at the table before mother even came.
There were appetizing foods like roasted chicken, vegetable soup, bread and more, extravagantly laid out.
Worried about seeming suspicious if I looked around more, I picked up my spoon.
I first shoved a spoonful of soup in my mouth.
‘Oh, it’s pretty good.’
The deeply flavored soup… unlike my worries, it was light yet sweet and delicious. Does the noble house have a private chef?
“…Didn’t you say the academy’s semester starts in 3 months?”
As I was enjoying the tasty food, Pablo asked me.
“Ah yes, so it seems.”
I vaguely replied.
The academy semester starts in 3 months… So it’s currently vacation?
That’s why I’ve just been cooped up at home doing nothing.
“…What’s the point of you going when semester starts, you’ll just skip class and play around anyway, useless fool.”
My sister spoke, spooning her food.
Die? Isn’t that too harsh.
It wasn’t me who lived so decadently, it was Xian, the original owner of this body.
I know she doesn’t know the circumstances but still, it feels very unpleasant to hear.
I glanced at Pablo.
Pablo silently, taciturnly ate his meal. Does he agree with what my sister said?
How did Xian before I possessed him live that even his family treats him like this?
I have to say something. Moderating it since she doesn’t know what Xian was like before.
“But isn’t that too harsh?”
“…Too harsh? Hey, mother who passed after giving birth to you must feel even harsher seeing you from heaven.”
“Enough, Sarah.”
So my sister’s name is Sarah.
Wait… What did she say?
Gave birth and died? Mother?
“Am I wrong, father? Mother passed giving birth to that thing because of his Danjeon, yet despite that he grows more scoundrel-like by the day. If mother was alive to see, wouldn’t her guts wrench horribly?”
“…….”
Sarah spoke nonchalantly, eating her meal.
Pablo stayed silent as well.
The many maidservants watching us from the walls also kept their mouths shut. The silence seemed to agree with Sarah’s words.
I couldn’t eat the food, dumbfounded.
Because her words about mother passing away due to my Danjeon kept revolving in my mind.
…I can’t bear this.
“I will excuse myself first.”
Sitting here any longer when it feels like I’m the criminal unable to swallow the meal.
I put down my spoon, stood up from the table and headed to my room.
No one tried to stop me or speak to me on the way.
…It seems I’ll have to eat alone from now on.
Entering my room, I sat down heavily on the bed.
I roughly grasped the situation now.
Why everyone in this mansion seems to deeply dislike Xian. I think I understand now.
‘Was it maternal death?’
I’ve seen it in game stories before. Cases of newborns with defective Danjeons causing dangerous mana reactions during childbirth that resulted in the mother’s death.
Xian was probably a similar case. Losing Lady Mother in an instant, and the child she gave birth to living so scoundrel-like, I would probably be angry too if I was in their shoes.
‘But weren’t these cases always newborns with the talents of Sword Masters or Archmages?’
Great power comes with a great price. Mothers who died giving birth to newborns with exceptional Danjeons were common in stories.
But…
Xian’s Danjeon clearly has a hole.
Even if it was an exceptional Danjeon, giving birth to a baby with a Danjeon that doesn’t contain mana shouldn’t be a problem.
Was Xian’s case one where his Danjeon was damaged after birth?
I don’t know.
‘I’ll have to fix my Danjeon to find out.’
I have to lose this weight as fast as possible.
Whether it’s a Danjeon with the talents of a Sword Master or Archmage, that’s something I’ll learn later.
For now, I decided not to get pointlessly hopeful.
***
2 months passed.
“That scoundrel seems to have lost some weight…”
“He looks a bit more handsome too… Is it just my imagination?”
It was the usual time after morning cardio, eating lunch, then strength training diligently.
“Hooo.”
I was on my push ups.
The 5th set of 20 reps.
Eating less, running every day and training, I felt my body improve unrecognizably.
I’m still fat but incomparably better than before.
‘It’s about time to move…’
To go fix my Danjeon.
The first step was getting my body to a decent state through exercise.
The last step was hunting the low-rank monster Great Eagle near Griffin Forest.
Rummaging through the memories of Xian before I possessed him, I vaguely recalled the basic swordsmanship learned at the academy.
‘But subduing monsters with this lump of a body is impossible.’
The moment I try to swing my sword, the monster will attack me.
That’s why I desperately lost weight until now. The result is still fat from extreme obesity.
About 85 kg I’d guess. But fortunately this scoundrel is tall.
‘I seem quite a bit more agile than before… I can’t delay any longer.’
The academy semester starts in 1 month.
I wiped my sweat with the cool towel I brought and headed to the bath.
After washing up, I took the wooden sword Xian used and went out to the backyard.
I remembered this place that was moderately shaded and rarely visited by maidservants as the location to secretly practice swordsmanship.
“Hooo.”
I gripped the wooden sword in both hands, precisely.
Then keeping my grip, I bent my elbows 90 degrees and pulled it over my head.
And swinging down, I gathered all my core strength to make my elbows straight, swinging the sword.
“Haap!”
The basic three stage sword technique, vertical slash.
Swordsmanship that Xian never practiced even once, only learning theory sitting down.
-Whoosh!
Each time I swung the sword, the sound of air sharply cut by the blade could be heard.
Today I planned to repeat this 10,000 times.
I have to solidly learn the basics before I can move on to the next motions of stance and smoothly chaining them like flowing water.
“Haap!”
Soon I emptied my thoughts and concentrated completely on swinging the sword.
.
.
.
“Huekh… Hah….”
Around 7,000 swings in, fatigue hit me and I collapsed where I stood.
‘Damn… I should rest a bit.’
Swinging the sword like crazy with a body that’s never held one made the unused arm and core muscles shriek in shock.
‘Doesn’t seem I’m talentless though…’
If I had to pick, swordsmanship suited me.
While crude in the beginning, my body quickly became familiar and swinging the sword grew smooth.
‘Having such a nice body, why did that Xian live like that?’
Even with a defective Danjeon, properly training swordsmanship could’ve gotten him a decent position.
As a player who only gamed, I can’t gauge what degree of talent this is but… it was certainly a body flexible for swinging swords.
‘…Should I start again soon?’
I decided 10,000 so I’ll keep my promise to myself.
I stood up and took stance again.
And as I was about to swing the sword.
“May I take a look at your swordplay?”
“Wah!”
Hearing a woman’s voice from behind me without realizing when she came, I stumbled back in surprise.